Hytham (Arabic: هيثم; born 850s) was a Hidden One from the Abbasid Caliphate who led a branch in England during the late 9th century.
Orphaned at a young age, Hytham joined the Hidden Ones in his teenage years. While only an Acolyte, he was tasked by his Mentor Rayhan with observing and reporting on the Master Basim Ibn Ishaq and followed him to Constantinople in 867. There, Hytham and Basim thwarted an assassination plot by the Byzantine Emperor Basil I and the Order of the Ancients against Basil's son, Leo VI. Hytham subsequently became Basim's apprentice and would accompany him on his travels while secretly continuing to spy on him for the Hidden Ones.
In 872, after befriending the Viking Sigurd Styrbjornsson, Hytham and Basim accompanied him to Norway, where they allied themselves with the Raven Clan and attempted to combat the Order of the Ancients' influence. Following a failed assassination attempt on Kjotve the Cruel, Hytham was severely injured and unable to perform any more field work for the Hidden Ones.
When the Raven Clan established the colony of Ravensthorpe in Mercia, Hytham and Basim installed a bureau in the settlement, from where the former tracked the Order's prescence in England. Using information he received from an anonymous "Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ", Hytham identified various Order members and enlisted the help of Sigurd's adoptive sister Eivor Varinsdottir to eliminate them. Hytham also tutored Eivor in the Hidden Ones' ways, though he was unsuccessful in persuading her to formally join their cause.
In 878, Hytham garnered an alliance with a Celtic group called the Women of the Mist after securing the legendary sword Excalibur with the help of his allies Niamh of Argyll and the Raven Clan's seeress Valka. Fighting against the collective strength of the remnants of the Order and the Descendants of the Round Table, he assisted in the false destruction of Excalibur and as a result, the Descendants officially disbanded.
Once the Order of the Ancients had been apparently purged from England and following the betrayal and presumed death of his mentor Basim, Hytham was promoted by the Alamut Brotherhood and worked to establish a new Hidden One branch in England. Over the following years, he recruited several new initiates, whom he personally trained at the Ravensthorpe bureau.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Originating from Syrland in the Abbasid Caliphate,[1] Hytham was orphaned at a young age,[2] when his mother was killed. Hytham witnessed the Hidden Ones avenge his mother and wished to become a protector of the people like them. By the 860s, he was living in the Karkh district of Baghdad, where he sought to gain the Hidden Ones' attention and hopefully join them.[3]
Hytham meeting Basim
One day, he climbed to the top of the minaret Al-Mi'dhana Al-'Ateeqa, where he tried to build up the courage to jump into a haystack below. Drawn by the voices of Hytham's friends urging him to jump, the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq joined him atop the minaret and questioned the boy's motives. Without revealing his allegiances, Basim then demonstrated a Leap of Faith so that Hytham could follow him down to safety.[3]
Impressed, Hytham correctly deduced that Basim was a member of the Brotherhood and asked to be his pupil. Although Basim did not see himself as a teacher, he was encouraged by Hytham's praise of him as a leader by example, and directed the boy to seek him out when old enough.[3]
Mission to Constantinople[]
By 867, Hytham had joined the Hidden Ones, whom he came to see as his family.[2] That year, he was tasked by Mentor Rayhan with investigating Basim's true motives and accompanied the latter to Constantinople, to investigate rumors of an assassination plot orchestrated by the newly installed Emperor Basil I.[4]
Venturing through the city,[5][6] the two Hidden Ones found themselves in the company of Empress Eudocia Ingerina and the Varangian guard leader Thyra of the Eagle Clan. At Demetrios Hestiun's house, after both women confirmed Basil's plans to kill his own son Leo,[7] Hytham and Basim agreed to help protect Leo in exchange for an alliance between the Hidden Ones and the Eagle Clan.[8]
Life as a Varangian guard[]
Undercover as a Varangian guard, Hytham was introduced to Leo and replaced his former guard Justin, who grudgingly gave him a tour of the palace grounds.[9] He later met with both Leo's tutor Theodore and his nurse Anna in Leo's library and began to suspect them as possible traitors for Basil and his allies, the Order of the Ancients.[10] Taking the first night watch, Hytham comforted Leo, who had a nightmare, but noticed a loose viper on his bed. Protecting Leo, he slew the viper and left the prince with Thyra while he inspected the wing. Finding a dead body and a living viper near it, he slew the last snake and was later met by more soldiers.[11]
The next morning, Hytham met with Emperor Basil, who initially commended him on his actions. However, Hytham later saw Leo brought to the throne room as the boy was forced to apologize for the loose vipers. Before leaving, Hytham received an underlying threat from the Emperor.[12] With Leo, he saw the boy and consoled him by stating his father had lied before Basim appeared in front of them. While Leo was distracted, Hytham suggested looking into Anna, Justin, and Theodore as the possible traitor. After Basim left, Hytham was asked about his Hidden Blade by Leo, who wanted to train with it. Rejecting the request, Hytham promised to teach Leo about moving like a Hidden One, to which Leo accepted.[13]
The next day, Hytham joined Leo for a riding lesson, but it turned sour once Justin accompanied them and kept accosting Leo.[14] Two weeks later, Hytham and Basim followed Anna outside the palace to the fortune teller Ursina and tried to offer a bribe to her associate Isaac. They later discovered a relationship between her and Theodore, who came later to the fortune teller.[15] The following day, Hytham began to teach Leo how to move quietly, as well as what to wear and how to listen carefully to his surroundings.[16]
At night, he left Leo to sleep and talked to Thyra about her reason for protecting Leo, which was that she believed in his different strengths as worthy. Going to sleep, Hytham began to have a nightmare until he awoke to being smothered. Throwing his assailants away, he quickly outmaneuvered one of them and killed him, scaring the other away. Immediately, he left the guards' quarters and, finding both Basim and Thyra talking, told them about the dead body. The three of them saw that the dead attacker was the Varangian guard Steros, sent by Basil and the Order to eliminate Hytham secretly. While Thyra cleaned the mess, Hytham and Basim dumped the body into the sea.[17]
The next day, Hytham and Basim tracked Justin outside and saw him talking to a mysterious man. The conversation ended with Justin killing the man but surrounded by other associates, who were quickly killed by Hytham and Basim. Interrogating Justin, both Hidden Ones came to realize Justin's cruel attitude towards Leo was to protect him and that they had left the boy alone at the palace.[18] Racing back, they arrived at the palace, where Hytham heard nothing but an eerie silence. Going through the children's wing, he found Anna being strangled and saved her. Looking for Leo, he saw dead guards and Thyra and Basim fighting off their attackers. Fortunately, he found Leo hiding within a fountain in a garden.[19]
However, Hytham and Leo were quickly surrounded by Order assailants, and thus he told Leo to hide atop a tree. Fighting the attackers, Hytham lost momentum and energy to fend them off. Nearly cut down, he was saved by Basim, who killed one of the attackers. With the rest fleeing, Hytham tried to chase them but Basim stopped and reprimanded him for being too close to Leo. Hytham retorted that Basim was only following his own interests, to which his mentor revealed that he knew Hytham had been sent as a spy but did not care as the young Acolyte was inexperienced as one. After Basim left, Hytham defied his orders and decided to follow an injured Order member.[19]
Capture and escape[]
Tracking the Order member, Hytham found the fatally injured man and confronted him at an abandoned building. However, it was a trap as he heard more Order members surround him. Meanwhile, he found evidence that it was Theodore who aided the Order, as he had poisoned some of the guards during the attack. Fighting with all his strength, Hytham was soon beaten and captured.[20]
Whilst being interrogated in a basement by the Order guard Arman, the Hidden One retaliated and even injured him. However, his cues and silence gave away his personal stake in the mission.[21] Subsequently choked out, Hytham soon woke up to the Order's leader Isaac, whom he had met earlier as a local wine server. After being offered a way out for Leo to live freely, Hytham refused, prompting Isaac to decide to kill him instead. However, before the Ancient could execute Hytham, they both heard a noise upstairs, prompting Isaac to investigate.[22]
Left alone, Hytham freed himself from his bindings and was later found by Basim, who aided him upstairs. There, he saw Arman dead and Thyra fighting off Isaac and one of his warriors. Together, they killed all present Order members except Isaac, who escaped. Hytham was later escorted out by Leo, who had been hiding during their fight, while Thyra and Basim cleaned up the mess and investigated the Order hideout. Outside, Hytham explained his worries about Leo while the boy was thankful to see Hytham alive and hugged him. Hytham hugged him back and later joined Thyra and Basim back at the palace.[23] Yet, they stopped at the previous building to receive the evidence that implicated Theodore in the palace attack.[24]
Protecting Leo[]
At the palace, Hytham received thanks from the Empress for unveiling Theodore's hand in the plot and for protecting her son. Afterwards, he met with Justin and disclosed his beliefs that he should tell the truth to Leo. Justin thanked him before leaving Hytham alone.[25] After a day of rest, he received an invitation from Thyra to another meeting at Hestiun's house. There, he met Empress Eudocia, who wagered a game of archery for some advice. After the game, which Hytham lost, Eudocia asked if someone was a monster in one way and deserved to die. The Hidden One responded that it may cause more harm than good. Understanding, she thanked him for his honesty before leaving.[26]
The next day, Hytham joined the Varangian guards and the Imperial family on an outing to Philopation to escape the questions about the palace attack. While there, he wondered where Basim was and talked to Thyra about his failings. Consoled by her, Hytham later heard Basim's bird call and followed its sound. Meeting Basim alone, Hytham asked if they were okay, to which Basim replied with anger. Readying their blades and making sure no one heard them,[27] the two Hidden Ones began to spar. Hytham quickly lost to his mentor, who stated that he was angry with him for abandoning his post and for becoming too attached to Leo. However, Basim then admitted that he cared about Hytham and, after the pair reconciled, they devised a plan to root out the Order using Leo as bait, which made Hytham uncomfortable.[28]
Using Basil's Hippodrome event as their setup, Hytham began preparing for their plan while later making Justin and Leo spend time together during Leo's riding lesson.[29] On the day of the race, Hytham accompanied the imperial family to the Hippodrome but was notified of Basim's absence. Not seeing any sign of the Order's presence, he went to find Basim and came across a nearby tower.[30] There, Hytham found an injured Basim and tended to him before returning to the Hippodrome.[31]
During Basil's race, Basim threw a spike at the Emperor's chariot to make him crash, prompting the Order members to reveal themselves. After witnessing Leo being kidnapped from the imperial family's box, Hytham made his way through the chaos of the crowd and followed the Order members to an alley, where he was joined by Basim, Justin, and Thyra.[31] Hytham and Basim then fought against Isaac whle Justin and Thyra battled the remaining Order members and tried to rescue Leo.[32]
When Leo broke free himself, the distraction allowed Thyra to swiftly kill two Order members while Hytham began to duel Isaac one-on-one. He eventually gained the upper hand and pushed the Order leader back, right into Basim's blade, killing him. Meanwhile, Leo ran to the streets, where the last Order member chased after him. Hytham tried to follow but was held back, prompting Justin to go after the Order member instead. As a large audience gathered to watch the fight, Justin prevailed and killed Leo's attacker, leading to him being hailed as a hero.[32]
With the Order and Emperor Basil's alliance effectively dissolved, Hytham later met with the Empress at Hestiun's house to deliver the news. Eudocia offered Hytham a permanent place among the Varangian guards but he declined due to his duty to the Hidden Ones. Before leaving, Hytham was surprised when Leo came and hugged them. The two then bid each other goodbye as Leo thanked Hytham for being his protector.[33] After the Empress and her son left, Hytham joined Basim in leaving the city and venturing to their next destination.[34]
Journey to Norway[]
After their time together in Constantinople, Hytham became Basim's apprentice and would continue to accompany him on his travels. While stationed in Constantinopole in 870, the two Hidden Ones spent their time in the city's Imperial Library to review travel accounts in an attempt to learn more about the Order of the Ancients.[35] It was there that the pair met and befriended the Viking Sigurd Styrbjornsson, who sought to make a name for himself during his journey across the wider world.[36] Hytham and Basim subsequently brought Sigurd to their homeland in the Abbasid Caliphate, serving as his guides and educating him on the Hidden Ones.[35]
By 872, Sigurd longed to return to his homeland of Norway and asked Hytham and Basim to accompany him. The two Hidden Ones agreed to come along, believing this was an opportunity to fight the Order's growing influence in the region. Rayhan later sent Hytham a letter in which he commended his decision to join Basim in cleansing Northern Europe of their enemy and told the young Acolyte that he too had the potential to achieve greatness like his mentor before him.[37]
Hytham with his mentor Basim
Arriving in Fornburg in late 872, Hytham and Basim were introduced by Sigurd to the rest of the Raven Clan, including his wife Randvi and his adoptive younger sister Eivor Varinsdottir. Hytham took issue with Eivor being gifted with the Hidden Blade[36] that had belonged to the late fellow Hidden One Ammon,[38] and the fact that she proudly wore it on her outer wrist rather than concealed as the Hidden Ones did, but Basim overruled him.[36]
As Eivor and Sigurd joined forces with Harald Fairhair in an assault against Kjotve the Cruel's fortress, Basim chose to inform Eivor of the conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, with Kjotve being a member of the latter. Although Kjotve was Hytham's target, Eivor made it clear that she deserved the kill,[39] as Kjotve had murdered her parents,[40] and the Hidden Ones agreed to let her do it.[39]
Hytham attempting to assassinate Kjotve
During Kjotve's honor duel with Eivor, however, Hytham went back on the agreement and leapt at Kjotve when he fell into a pit with Eivor, intending to assassinate him. To Hytham's horror, Kjotve caught and hurled him against a wall, incapacitating the Hidden One but allowing Eivor to land the killing blow.[39] Hytham would eventually heal from his injuries, but never fully recover.[41]
Life in England[]
Settling into Ravensthorpe[]
Later on, Hytham and Basim accompanied Sigurd, Eivor, and select members from the Raven Clan as they left Norway to escape the rule of Harald Fairhair, whom they refused acknowledge as king in his efforts to unify the nation after endless wars and dwindling resources.[42] On their arrival in England, the two Hidden Ones convinced Eivor to build a bureau in the new settlement of Ravensthorpe to serve as their base of operation to combat the Order of the Ancients in the region.[37]
Hytham requesting Eivor's help to take down the Order
After the bureau's construction, Hytham encouraged Eivor to hunt Order members to ensure alliances for the Raven Clan could be achieved more easily, as the Order had entrenched themselves deep in the various kingdoms' administrations. He then coached Eivor in taking her first Leap of Faith from the cliff across Ravensthorpe. After returning to the bureau, Hytham suggested that Eivor begin her hunt of the Order from Lunden. He also informed her of abandoned Hidden Ones bureaus scattered throughout England, and asked her to explore them and retrieve any document she may find inside, as they would greatly aid his research of the original Hidden Ones.[37]
Once Eivor had retrieved all six pages of The Magas Codex from the different Hidden One bureaus in England, she returned to Ravensthorpe and presented them to Hytham. He thanked her and informed her of another document in the possession of Ravensthorpe's merchant Reda, which had been supposedly written by one of the original founders of the Hidden Ones.[43]
In 874, Hytham met with one of Ravensthorpe's guests, the Viking warrior Geirmund Hel-hide, who had grown a reputation across England. As they discussed the fall of King Æthelred and rumors of an item that was supposedly protecting Guthrum, Hytham offered to lead Geirmund to the settlement's seeress, Valka, at her home. Once they arrived, Hytham left Geirmund to speak with Valka and went back to the longhouse feast.[1]
During his time in England, Hytham tasked Eivor to find and return Order medallions to him as proof of Order members' death. Following Eivor's success in purging the Order from Lunden, Hytham informed her of more targets in both Jorvik and Wincestre, as revealed in letters he had received from an anonymous informant known only as the "Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ".[44]
Basim's betrayal[]
- Eivor: "Hytham, this will be hard to hear, but Basim attacked us in Norway. Vengeance for some transgression of ours, imagined or real."
- Hytham: "You mean... you mean you slew him yourself."
- Eivor: "Sigurd and I, together. I know this comes as a—"
- Hytham: "I do not understand. Why would he do such a thing? He loved Sigurd. He loved you!"
- —Eivor informing Hytham of his mentor's betrayal and fate, 878.[src]-[m]
In 877, Basim was supposedly killed by Eivor and Sigurd in Norway after following them there in order to exact revenge on Eivor for unclear reasons. Eivor informed Hytham of what had happened upon her return to Ravensthorpe, shocking the Hidden One, who could not understand what had driven his mentor to commit such an act of betrayal.[45]
Some time after the news of Basim's betrayal reached Rayhan, he sent Hytham a letter expressing his dismay, but not surprise. Rayhan went on to explain in the letter that Basim's adherence to the Creed had recently seemed secondary to what he described as a personal mania he had been afflicted with for many years. Hytham was then invited to attend a council hosted by Mentor Fuladh Al Haami of the Justanid Brotherhood in their newly constructed fortress of Alamut in two summers' time to give a full accounting, and to receive a new title, as the rank of Acolyte was no longer suitable for the young Hidden One.[44]
Dismantling the Order[]
- Eivor: "Here you are, Hytham... the last of The Order's sigils. You will find King Ælfred's among them."
- Hytham: "King Ælfred? Did our Poor Fellow-Soldier lead you to his hiding place?"
- Eivor: "He did, for they were one and the same. Our Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ was the Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients."
- —Eivor informing Hytham that King Alfred was the Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ, 878.[src]-[m]
Eivor informing Hytham of the identity of the "Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ"
In 878, Hytham met with Eivor at the Ravensthorpe bureau, where she gave him the last batch of Order of the Ancients medallions and disclosed that King Alfred of Wessex was both the Grand Maegester of the Order and the Poor-Fellow Soldier. Realizing that Alfred had helped them destroy the Order from within, Hytham and Eivor saw the Order dismantled as the former only had to fight against the remaining small fragments left within England.[44]
With the Order seemingly purged from England, Hytham also saw an opportunity to invite Eivor to formally join the Hidden Ones, as she had helped eliminate their enemy and was by now fully aware of their cause. Eivor turned him down, explaining that the Hidden Ones' way of life was not for her, but assured him that she would do anything, even give her own life, for the people she loved, including Hytham.[44]
Recruiting Niamh of Argyll[]
In Lunden, Hytham worked with his fellow Hidden One Marcella of Rome to establish another bureau, the Hawk's Nest, along the River Thames. Circa 878, they sent out letters of invitation to notable warriors, like Nimue, but Nimue's letter was intercepted by the Women of the Mist and given to Niamh of Argyll, who was tasked to investigate the Hidden Ones.[46]
Soon, Hytham met with Niamh, alongside Marcella, and welcomed her into their establishment, much to Marcella's disdain.[47] The next day, he tested Niamh's abilities and later divulged their ongoing war with the Order of the Ancients as well as her first task: to assassinate a priest, Father Deoric, in Cote.[48] As a reluctant Niamh was preparing to leave, Hytham asked her about any information on the Women of the Mist, to which Niamh lied and promised to investigate the matter herself at a later time.[49]
After Deoric's death, Hytham welcomed Valka when she came to visit the Hawk's Nest, and later greeted Niamh when she returned from her mission to Cote. Despite some mistakes, Hytham and Marcella decided to initiate Niamh into the Hidden Ones as a recruit.[50] A day passed, and Hytham asked Niamh to accompany him on a new mission to a keep that housed another Order member, Cyrus. After Niamh accepted, Hytham was warned by both Valka and Marcella to not exert himself due to his injuries.[51]
Riding together, Hytham and Niamh found the keep along the River Thames. Infiltrating it, the two went to find information about Cyrus and to save a kidnapped woman. After rescuing the woman, Ebba, Hytham found himself being slowed down by his injuries but was able to escape with Niamh and Ebba.[52] Returning to the Hawk's Nest, Hytham was medically aided by Niamh and later rested.[53]
The next day, Hytham was told by Niamh that she had taken Ebba back home and responded well to her reasoning. Looking over the evidence on how the Order had partnered with the Descendants of the Round Table, Hytham knew that he had to contact Eivor and Valka about Excalibur, a Sword of Eden that was in Eivor's possession.[53] At the same time, he was asked by Niamh to let her find and infiltrate the Order's "nunnery" along with Valka and, after some consideration, he accepted.[54]
Hytham later awaited Niamh's return, only to witness a confrontation between her and Marcella. As a fight broke out, during which a furious Marcella attempted to kill Niamh, Hytham tried to separate them. After multiple interventions, he succeeded in stopping Marcella, who stormed off. Hytham later apologized to Niamh about Marcella's behavior and asked her to travel with him to Caledonia, to which a torn Niamh agreed.[55]
Safeguarding Excalibur[]
During their journey, Hytham was aided by Niamh as they traveled through the bogs and past the people of Caledonia.[56] Despite being in pain, the Hidden One ventured through the tough weather and terrain and soon found Eivor and her warriors fighting against the Picts. Joining in, he and Niamh fought with Eivor and pushed back the Picts. Quickly, Eivor and Hytham embraced each other as they talked about the recent events with the Order and the Descendants. After their talk, Hytham looked for Niamh to formally introduce her to Eivor.[57]
After finding a tense Niamh, Hytham and Eivor talked to her, only for the discussion to turn sour when Eivor noticed Niamh with Excalibur. Shocked, Hytham could only ask Niamh why she would steal the sword before his initiate fought off Eivor and ran off with Excalibur. Going after her and in pain, Hytham could not spot Niamh but saw her horse running off into the wild.[58]
Betrayed, Hytham later received word from Valka that Niamh had traveled to Ravensthorpe, where Valka tended to her injuries sustained during her flight with Excalibur. Debating with Valka at her hut, Hytham asked why Niamh was not dead as Valka explained that Excalibur was a holy relic to Niamh's people like Mjölnir was to hers. However, they were interrupted by Niamh, who alerted them to the arrival of several Descendant soldiers.[59]
Watching a worn Niamh fight her attackers, Hytham joined the battle and together they managed to defeat the soldiers. Hytham then angrily confronted Niamh about her lies and betrayal, though he forgave her after she explained her actions. As their conversation shifted to Excalibur, the two listened to Valka's plan to "burn" the sword and decided to act on it.[59]
The next day, Hytham and Valka "chased" after Niamh with Excalibur in their possession. Chasing Niamh off, both Hytham and Valka headed to the White Horse to sacrifice Excalibur.[60] After gaining help from his fellow Hidden Ones, Hytham guarded Valka as she commenced the ritual. As "Excalibur" melted in front of their audience, Hytham met and parried an incoming Descendant soldier trying to stop Valka. In an instance, he found an opportunity and killed the man, tossing him down the hill. With "Excalibur" gone, Hytham and Valka made sure that all of England thought the blade had been destroyed.[61]
Weeks later, Hytham and Valka were invited to Avalon to meet with The Lady and Niamh. There, Hytham and Valka learned that their spectacle had led to the downfall of the Descendants and had allowed Niamh to safely bring the real Excalibur to Avalon. Opening discussion to a possible alliance between the Hidden Ones and the Women of the Mist, Hytham was told that Niamh was to decide on the matter, as Excalibur had "chosen" her to be the next Lady of Avalon. Elated, Hytham hugged Niamh and Valka as the trio saw peace on the horizon and looked forward to a brighter future.[62]
Trade with Ireland[]
Hytham introducing Eivor to Azar
In 879, Hytham met and maintained contact with a Persian trader named Azar who was based in Dublin, Ireland. Sharing a similar culture, the two became friends and mutually agreed to establish a trade post in both Ravensthorpe and Dublin. Upon Azar's arrival, she was received by the jarlskona Eivor instead of Hytham, who arrived shortly thereafter. Hytham introduced Eivor to Azar, who then informed the jarlskona of an invitation from her cousin, King Bárid mac Ímair, to Ireland.[63]
Mentoring Edward and Niels[]
- Niels: "I don't need a family. I see that now. Your cause... Those monks we fought... You're not so different. You'll always find a reason to kill."
- Hytham: "Niels, we've been fighting the oppressor for centuries!"
- Niels: "That's the problem, Hytham. If your path was true, you would have won a long time ago. A thousand years from now... you'll still be fighting."
- —Niels rejecting Hytham's invite to join the Hidden Ones.[src]
Following Eivor's capture of the young monk Edward during a raid of Readingum Abbey, Hytham took the boy under his wing and put him at work at the Ravensthorpe bureau. Impressed by Edward's talents at deciphering texts, Hytham hoped to recruit him to the Hidden Ones. However, Eivor advised her friend not to get too attached to the monk, as they were only holding him hostage for a ransom and Edward was too undisciplined to join the Brotherhood.[64]
Hytham and the others watching Niels defeat his father Gunnar
Over the course of a month, Edward tried to escape Ravensthorpe on three separate occasions, but was always re-captured by the Viking Niels Gunnarsson, whom Hytham also took an interest in due to his skills as a fighter and hunter. Following Edward's latest failed escape attempt, Hytham, Eivor and Sigurd greeted him and Niels when they returned to the settlement. Moments later, Niels' father Gunnar arrived, shouting at his son for leaving their farm unattended, and tried to punch him, only to fall to the ground after Niels dodged his attack. Sigurd broke up the fight and the group proceeded to discuss what to do with Edward. Eivor ultimately decided to let Niels choose the monk's fate, and he set him free, much to his father's anger.[64]
Prior to Edward's departure from Ravensthorpe, Hytham met with him at the bureau one final time, extending an offer to join the Hidden Ones and gain access to their documents whenever he wished. To this, Edward revealed that he had found Hytham's secret documents on the Isu hidden behind a bookshelf, much to the Hidden One's shock, though Edward assured him that he had not stolen anything. He then bid him farewell and left Ravensthorpe, rejecting Hytham's invite to join the Brotherhood due to his dislike of rules.[64]
Later, Hytham arrived at Gunnar and Niels' home in the midst of another fight between father and son, and offered to purchase Niels, tossing a pouch of coins to the ground. Gunnar laughed and said no amount of gold could buy his son, but a swift flick from Hytham's Hidden Blade quieted Gunnar down and he accepted the Hidden One's offer.[64]
Hytham and Eivor sending Niels away
Afterwards, Hytham brought Niels to the bureau, where the latter deduced the Hidden One hoped to recruit him and stated he had no intention to join his Brotherhood. In response, Hytham simply asked Niels what he wanted to do and, after the Viking replied that he wished to write his own saga by becoming a hunter, Hytham told him he could be hunting tyrants. He then handed him a ledger containing information on a slave trader and revealed that he had taken notice of Niels' dislike of unnecessary killing, which he claimed made him a perfect fit for the Hidden Ones.[64]
Niels ultimately agreed to give Hytham's invite some thought and accepted an assignment to travel to Lunden, where he would receive further instructions from the local bureau leader, Adelaïde. Before Niels' departure from Ravensthorpe, Hytham and Eivor came to bid him farewell, though as they did so, Edward suddenly returned to the settlement to ask for Hytham's help in finding his missing brother Ecbert. Hytham took this as a sign that Edward's destiny lay with the Hidden Ones and so he sent the monk to accompany Niels on his mission.[64]
Once their adventure was over, Niels returned to Ravensthorpe alone, telling Hytham, Eivor and Sigurd about everything that had happened during his and Edward's journey. He explained that the two of them and Adelaïde had fought a cult who were using an Isu artifact—the Codex of Eden—to convert the population; that Adelaïde had murdered Ecbert to acquire the Codex, resulting in Edward killing her and inadvertently destroying the artifact; and that he and Edward had agreed to go their separate ways.[64]
Eivor offering Hytham mead
Niels then presented Adelaïde's Hidden Blade to Hytham, who insisted that Niels keep it, claiming he had earned a place among the Hidden Ones. However, the Viking believed that the Brotherhood was not so different from the cult he had fought, and decided to find his own path. Hytham tried to explain that the Hidden Ones only eliminated people who oppressed others, but Niels rebutted that the Brotherhood would always find reasons to kill, otherwise they would have won long ago. With that, he took his leave while Hytham was left dismayed by the loss of another potential recruit, though Eivor quickly cheered him up by offering him some mead.[64]
Training the Hidden Ones[]
By 889, Eivor visited Hytham at the Ravensthorpe bureau one last time to say her goodbyes before she left England for good. After Hytham made another attempt at convincing Eivor to join the Hidden Ones, she remarked that Hytham had compassion of a size she had never seen in anyone else, as he was not fighting just for himself or for his people, but for the entire world. Hytham then explained how he saw the Hidden Ones as his family, similarly to how the Raven Clan had become Eivor's family after losing her biological one, and that because anyone could join the Hidden Ones, he felt everyone was equally worthy of their love.[2]
Eivor bidding Hytham farewell before leaving England
Eivor expressed her admiration for Hytham's cause, but once again turned down his offer to join the Hidden Ones, explaining that she did not have the necessary focus to serve their Creed, as her mind was frequently divided. Before she could say more, their conversation was interrupted by Hytham's initiates, Yanli, Rowan, Tove, and Eluric, who had come for their scheduled training. Eivor then departed, wishing Hytham good luck with training his initiates, as they were a "wild crew".[2]
Later life[]
Hytham wrote down of all the events that transpired from Eivor's journey, the Vikings' culture, and lives of Ravensthorpe's residents from either his personal account or from his own reliable sources. Ultimately, he resounded a sense of home and kinship he found as a member of Ravensthorpe.[35]
Legacy[]
In 2020, Hytham's existence was speculated by the Assassin and historian Shaun Hastings to have been known to the British Assassin Edward Kenway, possibly influencing the naming of his son, Haytham Kenway.[65]
Personality and traits[]
As a Hidden One, Hytham had an idealistic view of the world, believing that it was the brotherhood's duty to share their love and compassion with the rest of the world. Hytham was extremely loyal to the Hidden Ones, whom he regarded as his family, in part due to having lost both of his parents at a young age,[2] and also to his mentor Basim, with whom he shared a close bond. After learning about Basim's betrayal from Eivor, Hytham was stunned and could not comprehend what had driven his mentor to turn on his allies.[44]
Hytham and Eivor in the Ravensthorpe bureau
Hytham valued the Hidden Ones' traditions and as such was against Basim's idea of gifting Eivor a Hidden Blade and involving her in their affairs.[36] In time, however, the Viking managed to win his trust, so much that he decided to teach her some of the brotherhood's traditions like the Leap of Faith.[37] Eventually, Hytham came to see Eivor as a valuable ally in the fight against the Order of the Ancients, as well as a good friend. He later attempted to recruit her into the Hidden Ones and was perplexed by her refusal, though he respected her choice.[44]
Hytham's injury from rashly attempting to assassinate Kjotve the Cruel[39] left him partially physically disabled for the remainder of his life, walking with a noticable limp even six years after it had happened.[44] While the injury caused him mild discomfort, Hytham could ignore it on most days, though occasionally it would spasm especially after overexerting himself.[53]
Skills and equipment[]
Hytham wore the standard attire of the Hidden Ones in the Middle East, though noticably lacking the red sash which was reserved for individuals who had attainted the highest possible rank in the brotherhood.[66] In terms of weapons, he carried a scimitar, as well as a Hidden Blade, which he wore underneath his left arm, as was custom among the Brotherhood.[67]
During his mission in Constantinople, Hytham was shown to be a capable fighter, holding off multiple guards at once, though he was nowhere near the skill level of his mentor Basim and could be quite easily overwhelmed. He was also proficient in freerunning and stealth and had mastered several assassination techniques,[68] though unfortunately his career in the field came to an end following his failed attempt to assassinate Kjotve.[39]
Behind the scenes[]
Hytham is a character first introduced in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where he is portrayed by Amir Sám Nakhjavani, who also voiced additional NPCs in the game. A younger Hytham appears in the 2023 prequel Assassin's Creed: Mirage, voiced by an uncredited actor.
Etymology[]
"Hytham" is a transliteration of the Arabic name هيثم, meaning "young eagle". As such, his name continues the eagle motif set by previous characters like Aquilus, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore, Haytham Kenway, and Nikolai Orelov. This is referenced in both the name of the memory "Fare Thee Well, Young Eagle", and in Mirage, where a friend of Hytham's refers to him as "young eagle".
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin? (non-canon)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse
- Discovery Tour: Viking Age (avatar only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Hidden Codex
- Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
- The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game
References[]
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