Descendants of the Round Table

This article is about the group active until the Viking Age. You may be looking for the group active during Victorian times.

"For Mordred! The heir to the sword! To the true king! Save the sword!"

―The Descendant's motto

The Descendants of the Round Table were a secretive organization active in England during the 9th century. It consisted of a group of people who claimed to have, either by blood or by belief, lineage dating back to King Arthur Pendragon and his Knights of the Round Table, and thus claimed ownership over Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur. Sharing a common goal in their desire to find and use Excalibur to rule England, they later became allied with the Order of the Ancients.

History

Early history

In the 5th century, Mordred, the illegitimate son of King Arthur and the Lady of Avalon, betrayed both his parents, choosing to walk the path of power. By the 9th century, the stories had been passed down for generations, and Mordred's descendant claimed his name for himself and formed the Descendants of the Round Table, made up of descendants of Arthur's knights and expelled Women of the Mist from Avalon. Under Mordred, the main goal of the organization was to obtain and utilize Arthur's sword Excalibur as a means to control and rule all of England.

Foes to the Women of the Mist, the Descendants' bloodlines also stemmed from the outcast priestesses of the clan, thus giving them more claim to Excalibur. Time passed as the organization kept fighting against the Women of the Mist, trying to invade their land of Avalon on numerous occasions. They nearly burned it down during their last attempt prior to 878, and in the process got the chance to see the faces of the Women's newest recruits, including Niamh of Argyll.

Search for Excalibur

Circa 878, the Descendants of the Round Table and the Order of the Ancients made an alliance to find and acquire Excalibur, which at the time was held by the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir. Knowing Niamh's face, the Descendants kept their eyes on the witch-warrior, Eivor, and the Hidden Ones as they corresponded with the Order about obtaining Excalibur.

Soon, the Descendants and the Order set their eyes and soldiers on Niamh, who had recently stolen Excalibur from Eivor. The Descendants sent an assassin to kill Niamh and take Excalibur from her, to no avail. Consequently, they joined forces to launch an attack on the Hidden Ones' bureau in Lunden, the Hawk's Nest. The Descendants followed a poisoned and injured Niamh to Valka's home in Ravensthorpe. A group of nine Descendant soldiers attacked Niamh to recover Excalibur, but were defeated and killed by the witch-warrior and her allies, Hytham and Valka.

Days passed and the Descendants soon followed Niamh, who was seemingly being chased by both Hytham and Valka, who had acquired "Excalibur" from Niamh. A Descendant followed Valka and Hytham to the "White Horse," where Excalibur was being offered as a sacrifice for Valka's gods. Once the blót occurred, the Descendant shouted out for Mordred as he began to attack Valka. However, he was blocked by Hytham and saw the sword melt in front of him. Horrified, the Descendant was quickly killed by Hytham and tossed down the hill. After the apparent destruction of Excalibur, the Descendants' organization completely crumbled as their goal was no longer viable.

Appearances

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