The Druid's Wrath in Assassin's Creed's Hall of the Soul Irish DLC background story
Ireland in the 9th century
Ireland in the early Middle Ages was a collection of many small countries, which fought against each other endlessly. Ireland's High Kingship of Ireland, also known as Tara's Kingship of Tara, is a constant object of contention between the north and the south of Ireland. The kingship has also changed hands many times between the two branches of the royal family-"Uí Néill" in the north and "Uí Néill" in the south. After gaining power, the northern part will take Ulster as the ruling center, while the southern part will be the kingdom of Mizpah.
The invasion of Ireland by the Danes in the 9th century created a partial opportunity for the unification of divided Ireland. Many Irish Christians were forced to unite against their enemies. In 866, King Gao _ed Finnliath led the Irish to successfully drive the Vikings out of the north of Ulster. As a result, the Irish were caught in the battle with each other.
Flann Sinna
Flann Sinna's father, Máel Sechnaill, represented "Uí Néill" in the south. He was the king of Ireland and died in 862. After that, Gao Wang's throne passed to the north. Flann's cousin _ed Finnliath inherited the throne, married Flann's mother and became his stepfather (and cousin, of course). This is unusual from today's point of view, but it was a tradition to marry an uncle or uncle's widow at that time.
Flann doesn't like this new dad very much. As a result, the north and the south have been fighting each other. His path to the throne was anything but peaceful. He murdered his father's cousin's child, Donnchad Mac Eochocain, the king who ruled Meade and the then owner of the southern "Ui Neill", and then became the new king of Meade himself. After _ ed Finnliath died in 879, Flann became the new king of Ireland. It was at this time that Ivor intervened in the whole situation in Ireland. Ivor will help Flann complete the coronation smoothly and help him fight everywhere.
despite the poor relationship between the former king and the vikings, Flann was willing to cooperate with the vikings and fight side by side with these vikings who were driven to the south by _ed Finnliath. These Dan allies did help a lot. Flann's rule was so violent that the whole of Ireland was always shrouded in looting and war, but it lasted for 36 years. At some point, his own sons rebelled against him. Flann finally died in 916, and the throne was succeeded by Niall Glúndub, son of _ed Finnliath.
Bárid mac _mair
Players will meet Ivor's cousin Bárid, who is also a Norse, but is still the king of Dublin. At that time, Dublin was invaded and ruled by vikings, not Irish territory. Bárid, the son of ivar, a Viking marauder, founded the ivar Dynasty and built Dublin into a settlement of Norse people. Some scholars think that this ivar and the boneless ivar are the same person, but they are definitely not the same person in Assassin's Creed: The Hall of the Soul.
In Wrath of the Druid, Bárid and _ed Finnliath are closely related, which may be the reason why Flann Sinna can't trust him for a long time.
Sichfrith mac _mair
In Wrath of the Druids, there will be another appearance of Sichfrith, the son of Bárid, but in fact, Sichfrith and Bárid are brothers. Sichfrith inherited the status of ruler from his elder brother, but when he ruled Dublin, he mainly faced disputes between different Viking clans: some were allied with the southern "Uí Néill" and some lived further south. Sichfrith was later killed by his relatives in 888, and the throne was inherited by his surviving brother Sitriuc. The cause of death is suspicious
Here is a close-up of Bárid
book of kells
In the early stage of the plot of Wrath of Druids, Ivor will be sent to reclaim book of kells from a mysterious cult. In fact, book of kells is a manuscript decorated with clay gold, which contains four gospels of the New Testament written in Latin. At that time in Ivor, book of kells was only a few decades old, which was very important to Irish Christians-Flann Sinna, the high king, was no exception. People think that book of kells is a master model of western calligraphy, and it is regarded as one of Irish national treasures, and it is named after Kyle Abbey, which has existed for centuries.
Tara's Hill
Tara's Hill is an ancient ceremony venue near Dublin, and it is also the coronation place of the high king of Ireland. It was here that Ivor first met Flann Sinna. Monuments dating back to the Neolithic Age are preserved here, such as "Lia Fáil", also called "stone of destiny", under which all kings are crowned.
There is still much to learn about the historical and mythological background that inspired Wrath of the Druid, but please find out for yourself after the full-platform release of Wrath of the Druid on May 13th (there will be more information in the game).