Women of the Mist

The Women of the Mist were a secretive group of Celtic witch-warriors that stemmed from the isle of Avalon and came into possession and guardianship of the mystic Sword of Eden called Excalibur, which was a sacred object to their people, their group, and their culture.

History

Early history

Before the 5th century, the Women of the Mist found the ancient Sword of Eden known as Excalibur. The witch-warriors used the sword as a way to determine their clan's next leader, who took the title of "the Lady". In the 5th century, King Arthur came across Avalon as well as the clan. After Arthur successfully retrieved Excalibur from the stone it had become lodged in, the Women of the Mist saw him as a good soldier for Avalon and remained in good faith with him. However, after Arthur gained new advisors in the form of the Order of the Ancients, he grew distant from the witch-warriors.

It was during this time that one of Avalon's sons, Mordred, came into power as one of Arthur's advisors and tried in vain to take Excalibur for himself, being stymied by the Women of the Mist. This incursion eventually led to the founding of the Women of the Mist's greatest foes, the Descendants of the Round Table, who tried to take Excalibur to rule all of England.

Safeguarding Excalibur

After Arthur's death, the Women of the Mist heard he had hidden Excalibur within a vault beneath Stonehenge, away from the Order of the Ancients. Thus, the clan sent witch-warriors to guard the site and kill any intruders to prevent them from obtaining the sword. However, in the late 9th century, they could not stop the Norse Viking Eivor Varinsdottir from claiming the sword for herself. Meanwhile, the Women of the Mist kept training their warriors to withstand attacks from any invaders, which ranged from the Descendants to the newly-arrived Viking raiders.

Spying on the Hidden Ones

Circa 878, the Women of the Mist's newest Lady sent notice to the witch-warrior Niamh of Argyll to infiltrate and gain some perspective on the Hidden Ones, whose recent arrival in England concerned them. Soon, the Women of the Mist noticed Niamh came back to Avalon as she conferred with The Lady about her recent transactions as well as mentions of Excalibur. Atop Glastonbury Tor, Niamh was tasked by the Lady to retrieve the sword for their clan.

During Niamh's mission, the Women of the Mist kept watch on both Niamh and the events transpiring in England. However, the Order of the Ancients' slaver Cyrus captured and interrogated one of their messengers about Excalibur at an Order "nunnery." Niamh tried to free her fellow clanswoman as well as the other prisoners, but was caught and had to flee with only some of them.

Recovering Excalibur

As time passed, the Women of the Mist took notice of Niamh's recent theft of Excalibur and caught sight of a "chase" between Niamh, the Hidden One Hytham, and the seeress Valka of the Raven Clan. Within the audience, the Women of the Mist saw Niamh seemingly lose the sword to Valka and Hytham, who then rode for the White Horse to burn it as a means of sacrifice. High atop the hill, an audience gathered to watch Valka sacrifice Excalibur in a ritual, leading to the sword's apparent destruction.

However, the clan soon learned the truth when Niamh returned to Avalon with the real Excalibur, successfully bringing the sword back into the Women of the Mist's hands. Weeks after the ruse of Excalibur's "destruction", which had fooled both the Order of the Ancients and the Descendants of the Round Table, the Women of the Mist invited Hytham and Valka to Avalon. There, Niamh was instated as the next Lady of Avalon after being "chosen" by Excalibur and secured an alliance between the clan and the Hidden Ones.

Appearances

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