Deoric
Deoric (c. 820s – 878) was a priest from the village of Cote, England, and a member of the Anglo-Saxon sect of the Order of the Ancients.
Biography[edit | edit source]
In 878, Father Deoric served as a priest in the settlement of Cote for around three months. During his tenure as Cote's priest, Deoric was known to be prejudiced against pagans, especially Celts, and destroyed cairns within the settlement, including the one of Wisweth's Celtic husband.[1] The Hidden Ones' intelligence indicated that Father Deoric actively spread false information about their group and was known to affiliate with the Order of the Ancients. Thus, Father Deoric's name was added to a list of other Order members in England, and he was the first assassination target given by both Hytham and Marcella to their new associate, Niamh of Argyll.[2]
During a church sermon held in the middle of Cote, Father Deoric spoke to his congregation. However, as viewed by Niamh, Deoric seemed cold and emotionless when addressing his fellow Christians. Once the sermon finished, Deoric was not kind or social with his people as he retreated back home quickly afterwards. Through Niamh's investigation, Deoric was found to be a monstrous and unsympathetic priest as he tried to rid the village of its pagan citizens.[1]
With further inspection, an unfortunate example was found as Deoric destroyed a cairn and a grave of a fallen pagan man and replaced it with a Christian cross. When Niamh decided on Deoric's fate, she mentally noted how Deoric was rarely alone, as he either spoke with rich, affluent members of his parish or was waited on by his altar boys within his home. As the moon rose, Deoric was being waited on by one of his altar boys until Niamh broke into his home.[3]
Cornered, Deoric insulted Niamh over her heritage as a Celtic witch-warrior but noticed that she hid in the shadows, like a Hidden One. Nevertheless, Deoric spoke boisterous remarks about Niamh's people and how his Order and people outranked the pagans. Focusing on Niamh, Deoric criticized her hesitancy to kill him and amateurish nature, until she interrupted his ranting with a kick in frustration. After she accused him of destroying cairns, Deoric tried to break from her grasp and flee, but became imbalanced. In an instant, Deoric was grabbed from behind by Niamh, who proceeded to slit his throat.[3]
Although Deoric's death put an end to his work for the Order of the Ancients by spreading misinformation, it unfortunately did not end the Celts' persecution in Cote. In retaliation for his murder, his congregation blamed the local pagans and assembled in a lynch mob to attack Wisweth's house, burning it with her still inside.[3]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
Deoric was a middle-aged man with thinning brown hair. Upon Niamh seeing Deoric for the first time, she knew he was hard man and not a kind one.[1]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
| ||||||||||||||||||||