Women of the Mist

The Women of the Mist were a secretive group of Celtic witch-warriors that stemmed from the isle of Avalon and came into possession and guardianship of the mystic sword, Excalibur.

History

Before the 5th century, the Women of the Mist obtained and found the magical sword, Excalibur. The witch-warriors used the sword as a way to determine the next leader, the Lady, of their clan. In the 5th century, King Arthur came across Avalon as well as the clan. After Arthur successfully retrieved Excalibur from the stone, the Women of the Mist saw him as a good soldier for Avalon and remained in good faith with him. However, with his ties and eventual leadership within the Order of the Ancients, Arthur later faded away from witch-warriors. It was during this time that one of Avalon's sons, Mordred, came into power as one of Arthur's advisor and tried to take Excalibur for himself, but to no avail thanks to the Women of the Mist. This incursion led to the founding of the Women of the Mist's greatest foes, the Descendants of the Round Table, who tried to gain Excalibur to rule all of England.

After Arthur's death, the Women of the Mist heard he hid Excalibur within a vault beneath the Stonehenge away from his Order. Thus, the clan sent witch-warriors to guard and kill any possible invaders from gaining the sword. However, in the late 9th century, they could not stop a Norse Viking, Eivor Varinsdottir, from garnering the sword for herself. Meanwhile, the Women of the Mist kept training their women to withstand attacks from any invaders, which ranged from the Descendants to the recent arrivals of the Viking raiders.

Circa 878, the current Women of the Mist's Lady sent notice to their fellow priestess, Niamh of Argyll, to infiltrate and gain some perspective on the organization, the Hidden Ones. Soon, the Women of the Mist noticed Niamh arrive back to Avalon as she conferred with The Lady about her recent transactions as well as mentions of Excalibur. Atop Glastonbury Tor, Niamh was soon tasked by the Lady to retrieve the sword back for their clan. During Niamh's mission, the Women of the Mist maintained to surveil both Niamh and the events transpiring in England. However, a messenger was captured by an Order's slaver, Cyrus, and was interrogated about Excalibur at their "nunnery." Niamh tried to free her fellow clanswoman as well as the other prisoners, but was caught and had to flee with some of them.

As time passed, the Women of the Mist took notice of Niamh's recent theft of Excalibur and caught sight of a "chase" between Niamh and the Hidden One Hytham and the seeress Valka of the Raven Clan. Within the audience, the Woman of the Mist saw how it appeared that Niamh lost the sword to Valka and Hytham as they rode for the White Horse to burn it as a means of a sacrifice. At the apparent destruction of Excalibur, all of the audience, including some witch-warriors, saw the sword completely destroyed. However, the clan soon gained notice that Niamh had the real Excalibur and successfully returned the artifact back to them. Weeks after Niamh's mission, the Women of the Mist found themselves welcoming Hytham and Valka to their island, instating Niamh as the next Lady of Avalon, and starting a new alliance with the Hidden Ones.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse (first appearance)