Gull
Gull was a thrall to Kjotve the Cruel before her willing capture at the hands of Eivor Varinsdottir. She was also the reincarnation of the Isu Iðunn.[1]
After tempting Eivor with stories of treasure within the Feiknstafir mountains, the two embarked on a journey to the Temple of Heimdall. Gull however, would go on to betray Eivor to the Wolf Clan, and after coming into contact with an Apple of Eden regained her previous incarnation's memory. This was shortlived however as Eivor killed the members of the Wolf Clan present and as the temple collapsed around them, Gull offered Eivor two choices; return to her currently under attack village or risk her life for a bauble. She chose the former, and Gull was left to her fate.
Biography
Capture by Eivor
In 870, Gull was present during a raid at a Rygjafylke village by Kjotve's clan. This raid was a failure due to the efforts of Eivor, Tora and Dag, who decided to defend the village. Once the battle was over, Eivor discovered Gull hiding inside a building. Gull attempted a feeble attack with a broom, which was quickly avoided. Though her grasp on sanity was tenuous at best, she revealed her name and position: Gull, slave to Kjotve.[2]
Gull would say her head was full of stories of the Aesir and the Vanir and offered to add stories of Eivor, Lady of Ravens, to her repertoire if only she would take Gull with her. Eivor was intrigued by the prospect and decided to take Gull as a gift to her father.[2]
After arriving back at Stavanger and presenting Gull to King Styrbjorn, he took note of the collar and robes Gull wore and said that she was a prized slave and she would be missed, meaning that Eivor had unwittingly brought disaster and death to Stavanger.[2] News of her capture would soon reach Kjotve, with Roscoe and Taras having returned from the failed raid at Rygjafylke, arriving at Kjotve's longhouse at Agder. Kjotve ordered his champion Viggo to be recalled, for Gull was the key and had to be recovered at all costs.[3]
Search for the Apple
At Stavanger, Gull watched Eivor and Tora train. At Tora's defeat, Gull spoke, telling the pair she could lead them "to bounty beyond the dreams of Njörðr himself", like she had for Kjotve. Tora didn't believe the slave, but Eivor saw no harm in listening to her, though she did order Gull to stop talking in riddles. Gull would not stop with her riddles, for that's how "they" spoke to her, from across the rainbow bridge. She spoke of a hoard, ready for the taking, "high on Feiknstafir's peak". Eivor decided she would go there, and asked Tora to keep her trip a secret from her father.[3]
Eivor and Gull made their way to the top of the Feiknstafir mountains, arriving at the Temple of Heimdall. Inside, they found a group of Kjotve's thugs also looking for the riches. Gull then yelled, calling attention to their location. Eivor engaged the thugs in combat before being stabbed in the back by Gull. Bjarke Broadside then took the time to boast about the attack happening then at Stavanger.[3]
Eivor witnessed Bjarke beat Gull into submission and taunted him, saying that Gull wouldn't be able to lead the way to the treasure if she was dead. Gull revealed that "The King's desire lies at Himinbjörg, where Heimdall dwells". When Bjarke had enough of her rambling, he went to beat her again, before Eivor tackled him to the ground to rescue her. Bjarke was dumbfounded that Eivor would protect the one who betrayed her, but easily tossed her off.[4]
Eivor would manage to sneak up behind Bjarke and stab him through the back of the head with a sword while Gull watched, thank to a rumbling through the temple diverting the attention of the Wolf Clan members. Though she would be thrown to the ground by another thug. Discovering a painting of Himinbjörg on the wall, Eivor recalled Gull's phrase and kicked in the wall. Behind the wall was Heimdall's treasure, a mountain of gold coins and other riches, and among these, a pedestal with an Apple of Eden. As Eivor reached for it, she was thrown to the ground again by Erland, who claimed the treasure belonged to Kjotve. Eivor remarked that Kjotve was nowhere to be seen and kicked Erland off the treasure pile sending him and the other thugs through the weakened floorboards and to their death.[4]
Final fate
Gull grabbed the apple and stood up, no longer the cowering slave. Calling out to her, Gull's response to Eivor was "That is not my name. And this is not my life." and tore off her slave collar to reveal a marking on her neck. Eivor, still dazed and confused, had no idea what Gull was talking about. She demanded that Gull hand over the treasure that rightfully belonged to her father as she did. Gull refused to be owned by anyone, and Eivor was resigned to take it off her dead corpse and attacked. Gull commanded her to stop and with the power of the Apple, Eivor could not move. As the rest of the temple continued to crumble around them, Eivor pleaded Gull to release her from the stasis or they would both die.[4]
Gull was unafraid to die, but accidentally dropped the Apple, cancelling the stasis. Eivor, now free, realized the power the Apple held and wanted it for her father. Gull warned Eivor that she did not understand that the world was not as it seemed as she scrambled to get back the Apple as the floor broke apart. Eivor held out her hand for the Apple promising to help, but Gull refused for the Apple to go into Styrbjorn's hands. Gull, no longer mind-addled, recalled what Bjarke had said about her village under attack and asked if Eivor would abandon the man who took her in and raised her. With the ledge as weak as it was, any attempt to take the Apple would definitely kill them both. Gull gave Eivor two choices; "Risk everything for glory, or save [her] people". Eivor chose the latter and left Gull to her fate.[4]
Personality and traits
Gull was a meek individual due to her life of servitude and spoke in riddles,[2] that were mainly plagued by memories of Iðunn's life during the Isu Era.[4] After regaining her memories, she stood up straighter and spoke more clearly and with eloquence.[4]
Gull was covered in blue-inked Norse tattoos on every part of her body, including her face.[2]
Skills and equipment
Adorned in thrall's rags, Gull also wore a fur half-cloak upon her shoulders. Extremely weak, the thrall could not even manage to attack the Raven Clan's Eivor with a broom handle.[2] Gull resorted to trickier and nastier tactics, luring Eivor to the Temple of Heimdall and stabbing her in the back with a knife.[4]
Once wielding the Apple of Eden, Gull used it without struggling against it. After regaining Iðunn's memories, she obtained the knowledge enough to effectively use the Apple.[4]
Behind the scenes
Gull is a character appearing solely in the comic limited series, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory, written by Cavan Scott.
Narrative Director for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla confirmed on Twitter that Gull was a reincarnation of Iðunn.[1] When Writer Cavan Scott was asked on Twitter if Gull had died, he replied that leaving her fate ambiguous was done on purpose in case Ubisoft wanted to explore the character more.[5]
Appearances
Gallery
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Closeup of Gull's face
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Il Salotto degli Assassini (@AC_ISDA) on Twitter "@DarbyMcDevitt this is our bet! pic.twitter.com/qZ8tRqQZMj" (screenshot) Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) on Twitter "@AC_ISDA @69guacamole69 @KurdishOnes I think you got it!" (screenshot)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #3
- ↑ Cavan Scott (@cavanscott) on Twitter "Well, I never want to say never, just in case another writer wants to pick up the story!" (screenshot)
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