Marcella

Marcella was a Hidden One from Rome who was active in Anglo-Saxon England in the late 9th century as the leader of the new Lunden bureau, the Hawk's Nest.

Biography

Early life

Before joining the Hidden Ones in England, Marcella was once a slave who endured torture at the hands of a Roman slaver named Cyrus, a member of the Order of the Ancients. During her captivity, Marcella managed to escape from Cyrus and his torture, but continued to be hunted by him. Once she joined the Hidden Ones, Marcella had to remain stationary in Lunden to prevent Cyrus from finding her.

In the late 9th century, Marcella and Hytham built a new bureau within Lunden called the Hawk's Nest, where Marcella was appointed as its leader. Both Hidden Ones sent letters of invitation to notable warriors within the British Isles as they awaited their guests.

Meeting Niamh

In 878, Marcella met with Niamh of Argyll, who was the only respondent from their invitations. However, Marcella became harsh and cold in her reception towards Niamh as Hytham welcomed her into their bureau. As she and Hytham questioned Niamh, Marcella remained reluctant to welcome Niamh into their ranks.

The next day, after Niamh trained with Hytham, she and Hytham were asked about the Order of the Ancients by Niamh. Shocked, both Hidden Ones told her about their secret war with the Order and revealed a list of Order targets. Bluntly, Marcella ordered the death of one of the Order members, Father Deoric, a priest in Cote. She could not assist due to the consistent hunt for her, forcing Niamh to carry out the assassination alone.

Later, Marcella and Hytham received a familiar guest, the seeress Valka of the Raven Clan, and the trio proceeded to talk about Eivor Varinsdottir's current whereabouts. After changing the subject of the conversation to Niamh, Marcella claimed that Niamh had most likely died during her mission due to her inexperience, in contrast to Hytham's beliefs. Marcella also divulged her own prejudice against Niamh by stating that her people were all selfish and only looked out for their own kind.

Growing conflict with Niamh

Once Niamh returned to the Hawk's Nest, Marcella turned sour as they all asked about her mission. After Niamh recounted the events that had transpired, including the mistakes she had made, Marcella reluctantly accepted Hytham's proposal to formally initiate Niamh into the Brotherhood. Marcella inferred that Niamh's honesty about what had gone wrong during her mission showcased her ability to learn, but protested against Hytham's idea of gifting Niamh a Hidden Blade, to no avail.

The following day, Marcella caught wind of Hytham asking Niamh to accompany him to a keep along the Tamesis River, overseen by Cyrus. Marcella, still stuck, relayed that Cyrus was a horrific monster who tortured all his captive women. She asked if Niamh may go alone, due to Hytham's health, but the latter reminded Marcella of Cyrus' abilities. Defeated, Marcella remained silent as Hytham and Niamh left.

After Hytham and Niamh arrived back with their rescued victim, Marcella later confronted Niamh about their new guest's disappearance. As Niamh revealed that she had taken Ebba back home, she relented once Hytham accepted Niamh's reasoning. Marcella and Hytham then received Cyrus' notes from Niamh before the latter left them to think about her next plans. The two Hidden Ones discussed their next steps as Marcella wanted to meet with Valka to talk about Eivor and her Sword of Eden, Excalibur. However, her plan was moot as Niamh met with Valka first to go on a mission towards the Order's nunnery.

After the nunnery mission went sideways, Marcella met Niamh once she returned. Confronting Niamh, Marcella accused her of being with the Order and a thief, despite both Niamh's and Hytham's denials. However, Marcella was soon challenged to a trial by combat by Niamh, who wanted to prove her worth and trust. With no hesitation, Marcella fought Niamh ruthlessly as she wanted to kill the witch-warrior. The fight ensued as a crowd started to gather around them. Despite Marcella's rage, she was stopped by Niamh's words and Hytham's final intervention. Angered, Marcella walked away from the crowd as Hytham and Niamh left to talk privately.

Marcella stayed within Lunden and received notice of the events that transpired from Niamh's betrayal, to her reconciliation with Hytham and Valka, and their plan to create a fake sacrifice for Excalibur. As the weeks passed, word of Excalibur's apparent destruction spread, with only the Hidden Ones and Niamh's clan, the Women of the Mist, knowing the truth. However, Marcella was not invited to Avalon, as Niamh knew both women could not see eye to eye.

Personality and traits

Despite being a high-ranking member of the Hidden Ones, an organization dedicated to protecting the powerless and persecuted from their oppressors, Marcella displayed many questionable personality traits. Unlike Hytham, she was shown to be arrogant, proud, distrustful, hot-headed, bloodthirsty, disrespectful, prejudiced and extremely paganphobic; especially against the Pagans of the British Isles like the Caledonians. This level of prejudice was always present whenever she would interact with Niamh of Argyll, an act which always made Hytham uncomfortable.

During a conversation with Hytham, he revealed to Niamh that Marcella's misogynistic mindset was likely born from the trauma she had endured during the years spent as Cyrus' slave. He went on to state that being forcibly pit against other women by someone like Cyrus had deeply warped Marcella's view of women as a whole; turning Marcella pathologically hostile towards every woman she encountered. However, he also claimed that Marcella needed to sort out her own issues and grow as a person by overcoming her trauma and prejudices.

Appearances

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