Grigorii

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Grigorii (died 874), also known as The Needle, was an Order of the Ancients member of the Warden of Law sect holding the position of Palatinus. He was also a lieutenant of the Order's bandit organization, Red Hand, and a dockmaster of Coppergate Market in Jorvik during the late 9th century.

Biography

In his youth, Grigorii grew up near the sewers and grew jealous of those more fortunate than him. One day, The Vault saved him from poverty and brought him into the Order, giving Grigorii a new lease on life. Loyal and devoted ever since, Grigorii worked to see that The Vault's plans were done exceedingly and the Order's desires accomplished.

City of Greed

The cryptonym, The Needle, was mentioned when Hidden One Hytham told the Viking shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan, of three more Order targets in Jorvik.

At the Trade Depot, Red Hand guards were inside the premise, under The Needle's orders. After being dealt with, amounts of accumulated wealth and stolen goods from the merchants of Jorvik were found. The Needle's plan was uncovered as it detailed stealing these goods and reselling them back to the merchants at a higher rate. The Needle had collected these coins from stalls draped in black at the markets. Thus, a plan was made, by bringing as much silver as possible to the merchants to see where The Needle was.

Later, at Coppergate Market, one merchant mentioned to Eivor to meet with the dockmaster, whom she remembered to be named Grigorii. An Anglo-Saxon boy caught Eivor's attention and stated that he worked for The Needle. He stated to go to the statue near the East gate for further dealings..

Using a key found from Red Hand guards, the door to the sewers was opened. It was later discovered that a Red Hand operation involving melting down silverware to create coins was uncovered. Upon seeing a locked door, a henchman held the key, which Eivor took and then used to open the door. To Eivor's disgust, Grigorii was found and surrounded by the stolen silverware. Startled by her presence, Grigorii revealed himself as The Needle and then fled for the marketplace. Grigorii left Eivor to be surrounded by the Red Hand's men and a rabid wolf.

Death

At the market, Grigorii and a merchant were discussing who had taken some coins from The Needle's quota. The merchant admitted he needed it to feed his family, as he had been bled financially dry. Blaming himself for thinking the merchant was smart, Grigorii pulled out his knife and spoke aloud, asking the merchants what he demanded of them. The guilty man replied "Loyalty", before Grigorii rapidly stabbed him to death as a warning to any who thought of threatening his operation. However, Grigorii was quickly assassinated by Eivor, who put an end to his illegal operations.

Trivia

• As stated, Grigorii was inducted by a fellow Order member and father-figure, The Vault. This particular upbringing mirrors another induction between fellow Order members, The Billhook and The Crozier.
• Like certain members of the Order in England, Grigorii's cutscene in the Memory Corridor differs, as his soul disappeared after his apparition turns to ice and explodes. Usually, Eivor takes the Order's medallion of an ash tree off the apparition's body.
• Grigorii shares many similarities with the character Tamir from the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. Both tasked merchants to deliver resources—silver and weapons, respectively—and were so displeased by the perceived error on an associate's part that they disregarded the merchant's situation and stabbed them to death, hoping their death would serve as a lesson to the audience around.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla