Excalibur

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Excalibur, also known in Welsh as Caladfwlch, was one of the Swords of Eden, bladed artifacts created by the Isu scientist Hephaestus for use in the War of Unification. These Pieces of Eden granted their bearers great power and leadership, and were later used by influential humans in battle.

Owners

• Isu (until 75,000 BCE)
• None, hidden in the Isu temple underneath the Temple of Laran (until 754 BCE)
• Romulus (754 BCE – 717 BCE)
• None, hidden in the Isu temple underneath the Temple of Laran (c. 717 BCE)
• None, submerged in lake surrounding Avalon (until 4th century)
• Women of the Mist (4th century – c. 516)
• Arthur Pendragon (c. 516 – c. 537)
• None, hidden below Stonehenge (c. 537 – 870s)
• Eivor Varinsdottir (870s – 878)
• Niamh of Argyll (878)

History

Early history

Like the other Swords of Eden, Excalibur was created by Hephaestus, "the maker", during the Isu Era to bring about the end of the War of Unification. It was later taken to Britain in what would become England.

In the 4th century CE, Excalibur came into possession of a Celtic clan called the Women of the Mist, who recovered the Sword from a lake surrounding Avalon. Unaware of its true nature, the Women of the Mist came to see it as a sacred relic of their people, used in the ritual to decide their next leader, known as the Lady of Avalon.

Wielded by King Arthur

By the 5th or 6th century, the Sword had become lodged in a stone. Shortly before 516, it was pulled out of the stone by a young Briton leader called Arthur Pendragon, who named the blade Excalibur and used it to rally his people as the newly crowned High King of Britain to fight in defense of their lands against the invading Anglo-Saxons, during the Battle of Badon. He later gained backing from the local chapter of the Order of the Ancients; however, he was betrayed years after, ultimately leading to his death.

After Arthur's death, Excalibur, which by then was considered one of the thirteen Treasures of Britain, was hidden in an Isu vault beneath the Myrddin's Cave in Hamtunscire by one of the king's trusted allies, who believed that the Sword should not fall into the wrong hands. There, Excalibur was locked in place, only to be released by returning 12 tablets scattered throughout England representing the other Treasures to the mechanism.

Viking Age

Eivor Varinsdottir finding Excalibur

Nearly three hundred years later, in the late 9th century, Excalibur was re-discovered by the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan, a Norse clan that had relocated to England to escape the rule of a unified Norway under its first king, Harald Fairhair. After finding all the tablets to activate the mechanism holding the Sword in place, Eivor claimed Excalibur for herself and regularly wielded it in battle, projecting energy blasts and blinding her enemies.

In 878, Excalibur became the target of several different groups, such as the Women of the Mist, the Order of the Ancients, and the Descendants of the Round Table, who desired the Sword for their own ends. The Women of the Mist tasked their witch-warrior, Niamh of Argyll, to recover Excalibur from Eivor and bring it back to Avalon.

Learning of Eivor's alliance with the Hidden Ones, Niamh decided that the best way to get close to her and, thus, Excalibur was by infiltrating the Brotherhood. After joining it as an initiate, Niamh befriended the Hidden Ones Hytham and Marcella, and the three discussed Excalibur at length, which had become a symbol to control and rule all of England under one king.

After some time, beyond Hadrian's Wall in Caledonia, Niamh and Hytham met and fought beside Eivor, who was using Excalibur against Pict invaders. Afterwards, Niamh sought an opportunity to steal Excalibur without Eivor or Hytham noticing. However, after taking the Sword from Eivor's tent, Niamh was caught by the Viking and Hytham, forcing her to run away.

Niamh was soon attacked by soldiers sent by the Order and the Descendants to retrieve Excalibur. Despite being injured, she managed to keep the Sword safe and tried to bring it back to Avalon. However, having been poisoned, she later changed her destination and went to Valka's hut in Ravensthorpe instead. Despite an incursion with one of the Descendants' soldiers, Excalibur remained in Niamh's possession as she arrived and met with a disapproving Valka, who nonetheless gave her a cure for the poison. During her recovery, Niamh explained to Valka that Excalibur was a holy weapon to her people, like Mjölnir was to the Norse.

Niamh of Argyll holding Excalibur

Later, Excalibur was used in a fight against a group of Descendants, who had followed Niamh to Valka's hut. Fortunately, Niamh, with Hytham and Valka's help, kept the Sword from falling into the Descendants' hands. Afterwards, the three devised a plan to have Excalibur brought back to Avalon while Valka and Hytham would burn a copy to fool all of England into thinking the Sword had been destroyed.

After some preparations, the real Excalibur was taken by Niamh to Avalon as Hytham and Valka carried the replica towards the White Horse to burn it as a means of sacrifice, during a fake chase. After the burning of "Excalibur," the Sword was brought back to Avalon and presented to The Lady before it suddenly glowed in Niamh's hands. Niamh was then chosen to be the next Lady of Avalon. From that point on, Excalibur remained in the possession of the Women of the Mist, who continued to safeguard it and formed an alliance with the Hidden Ones.

Weapon statistics

{{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Excalibur"}}

Class	Atk	Spd	Stun	Crit Pre	Wgt	Availability
Perks
Heavy Finishers & Criticals blind all enemies around
Description
A legendary sword that can only be wielded by someone who has the makings of a king. Legends say it can break anything.

Behind the scenes

In Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Excalibur remains in Eivor's inventory and can still be used in memories taking place after 878, although canonically the Sword is no longer in Eivor's possession by that point.

At the end of The Sword of Mars campaign, the Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game sourcebook gives a few suggestions on continuing the storyline including the fate of Excalibur after being recovered by the Assassins in 2016. The sword could be wielded by the Brotherhood to take the fight to the Templars in the modern day, given to the Mentor possibly leading to intrigue within the Brotherhood, or sequestered once again in a new sanctuary to protect it from future use.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art
• 
  Concept art
• 
  Arthur draws the Sword from the Stone by Walter Crane
• 
  Excalibur in Valhalla's inventory menu
• 
  Excalibur with an Apple of Eden and the Spear of Leonidas
• 
  Excalibur in Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (painting only)
• Assassin's Creed: Heresy (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (cameo)
• Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game (as the Sword of Mars)