Avalon

Avalon was an island formed by Glastonbury Tor in what is now a vanished lake in Somerset, England, and functioned as the headquarters for the witch-warrior group the Women of the Mist during the Middle Ages.

History

In the 5th century, King Arthur Pendragon came to the isle of Avalon and unsheathed the holy relic sword, Excalibur. There, Arthur and the Women of the Mist started an alliance as Arthur began to rule all of England. However, due to the recent influence of the Order of the Ancients, Avalon was shunned by Arthur, who died as a result of the Order's betrayal. Although Arthur hid Excalibur underneath Stonehenge in a vault, Avalon's sons, led by Mordred, wanted the sword themselves. This led to Avalon's sons forming the Women of the Mist's foe, the Descendants of the Round Table. Despite the losses and betrayals, Avalon still functioned as a training ground for rising witch-warriors, especially for Niamh of Argyll. In the late 9th century, Avalon was under attack by both Vikings and the Descendants, who recognized the clanswomen's faces, especially Niamh.

Circa 878, Avalon and its clan, the Women of the Mist, intercepted a message from the Hidden Ones meant for Nimue, and the Lady decided to have Niamh of Argyll impersonate her, making it clear that no one should be operating any kind of group such as this without the knowledge or approval of the Women of the Mist. After a number of days of Niamh's mission, Niamh visited Avalon to meet with the Lady about staying on task. However, The Lady revised the plan once hearing about Excalibur, their holy artifact of Avalon. For Avalon, The Lady tasked Niamh to find and recover Excalibur by any means, to which the witch-warrior agreed. After a short time, Niamh returned to inform The Lady of her suspicions that a Norse Viking, Eivor Varinsdottir, held the sword. The Lady reaffirmed Niamh of her duty and told her to find it and take it back with no hesitation, despite Niamh's torn loyalties.

After days passed, Niamh finally returned with the real Excalibur to Avalon and presented it to The Lady. However, Excalibur finally glowed as it chose the next Lady of Avalon. Weeks after the "burning" of Excalibur, Niamh's allies, Hidden One Hytham and seeress Valka of the Raven Clan were invited to Avalon as they met with The Lady and Niamh. Hytham thanked the Lady for their possible alliance but The Lady admitted that the decision lies with Niamh, the next Lady of Avalon. Happy, Hytham embraced Valka and Niamh as their friendship and alliance with Avalon have been made possible.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Sword of the White Horse