Herefrith

"I died the day I hid behind these robes, this cross. To bring the light of my order to a wider view, I debased myself. Clawed my way to the top of this common religion, full of common men. I should have lived as the ancients did."

―Herefrith reflecting on his beliefs in his final moments, 875.

Herefrith (died 875), also known as The Crozier, was the Bishop of Lincolnscire in the late 9th century. He was also secretly a member of the Wardens of Wealth sect of the Order of the Ancients, holding the rank of Preost.

Biography

Early life

As a church-goer during his youth, Herefrith was approached by a member of the Order of the Ancients. After joining the organization, Herefrith spent much of his purpose in spreading their faith and message throughout Wessex. Eventually, he rose to the rank of Preost and returned to his home shire, where he served as the bishop in the village of Louth.

Later on, Herefrith came to serve in the town of Lincoln, serving alongside abbess Acha and thegn Aelfgar under ealdorman Hundbeorht. However, the bishop secretly harbored ambitions to become the ruler of Lincolnshire himself and intended to spread the Order's message throughout the region. Around this time, he was introduced to a new recruit to the Order, Havelok, whom he subsequently took under his wing.

Attempted takeover of Lincolnshire

The Viking Eivor Varinsdottir first learned about Herefrith's Order cryptonym, The Crozier, after she finished renovating the Hidden Ones' bureau in Ravensthorpe in 873. The name was relayed to her by Hytham, who had learned that The Crozier was a nobleman living in Lincolnscire, though at the time the Hidden One was unable to uncover anything else about the Order member.

Herefrith and Acha talking to Hunwald and Eivor

Around 875, following Hundbeorht's disappearance, Herefrith assumed de facto leadership of the county, maintaining peace and order in the ealdorman's absence. While talking with Acha at the Lincoln town hall, the bishop met Eivor, who arrived accompanying Hunwald, Hundbeorht's son. Herefrith briefly scolded Hunwald's love towards Swanburrow before the young man inquired about his father's whereabouts, which neither the bishop nor the abbess were able to provide. Eivor then volunteered to investigate the ealdorman's disappearance, ultimately discovering he had been killed by bandits.

After Eivor delivered the news of Hundbeorht's death, Herefrith and Aelfgar discussed the topic of a new ealdorman for the shire, while Acha tried to comfort a depressed Hunwald. Ultimately, the bishop and the thegn decided to have a moot for all nobles in the region, in order to elect a new ealdorman. As Eivor turned to leave, Herefrith stopped her and apologized for his earlier prejudice against the Viking, claiming he wanted to start again on good terms.

Before the moot, the lives of both Hunwald and Aelfgar, who were candidating against Herefrith for the position of ealdorman, were threatened by Anglo-Saxon soldiers secretly sent by The Crozier. However, Eivor was able to protect both men, ensuring the election proceeded as planned. At the moot in Lincoln, after all the nobles cast their votes, Herefrith, Aelfgar, and Hunwald were tied, with Eivor deemed as the tie-breaker. Once Eivor made her choice, all lords acted accordingly and followed their new ealdorman.

Betrayal and death

Herefrith's final moments

Ultimately, Herefrith's identity as The Crozier was exposed and he betrayed the people of Lincolnscire. Once the entire county was made aware of his treason, the bishop took refuge inside a fort at Anecastre alongside his remaining loyal guards.

However, the fort soon came under siege and, during the assault, Eivor located Herefrith inside the town church and assassinated him. In his final moments, the bishop lamented that he had faked his Christian beliefs to rise through the ranks of the church, and claimed that he should have lived as the ancient ones had.

Trivia

• Herefrith's character is loosely based on St. Herefrith of Louth, who was a Bishop of Lincolnshire later revered as a saint. He died around 873, possibly killed by the Danes.
• In deciding who would be the next ealdorman of Lincolnshire, Eivor may be led to choose either Herefrith, Hunwald, or Aelfgar. If Eivor chooses either of the latter two, Herefrith will reveal his Order ties immediately after the announcement and flee the moot after ordering his guards to kill everyone in attendance. If Eivor chooses Herefrith instead, the bishop will still reveal his identity as The Crozier, albeit off-screen and at a later time, prompting Eivor to return to Lincolnscire to deal with him.
• Like several of his fellow Order members, including Blaeswith, Ingeborg and Frideswid, Herefrith feigned his belief in Christianity because it benefited the Order's goals. In reality, he believed in the "true" Gods that had created humanity.
  • This correlates to a similar confession from Rodrigo Borgia during his fight with Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Vatican Vault at the end of Assassin's Creed II.
• Herefrith's mentorship of Havelok, The Billhook, is similar to the relationship between two other Order members: The Needle and his mentor, The Vault.

Gallery

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  Herefrith and the others being informed of Hundbeorht's death
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  Herefrith at the moot
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  Eivor finding Herefrith hiding inside Anecastre's church

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)