Sir William Wallace (c. 1270 – 1305) was a Highlander member of the Scottish Brotherhood of Assassins and a knight who served as one of the Scotland's leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence alongside Sir Andrew Murray. Although Wallace was captured and executed in 1305 by the English, his death inspired many to fight for Scottish independence.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Several years prior to joining the fight for Scottish independence, Wallace underwent his Assassin training under the watchful eyes of his mentor Sören, who took him in and raised him after his father died.[1]
Scottish fight for independence[]
By 1296, he was based on Scone Abbey, alongside the other members of the Brotherhood. While there, he spotted his fellow Assassin Deorsa talking to a newly-arrived Fillan and noticed that Deorsa had managed to get into Fillan's nerves. Seeing this, William drove Deorsa away and started talking to the boy. He introduced himself to Fillan and walked along with him around the abbey, he lamented the "death" of Fillan's twin sister, Ailéas. He then apologized for all the secrecy Fillan was experiencing, stating that he also had experienced it before when he had first joined the Brotherhood. They then proceeded to talk about Sören and all the hardships he had faced to get to Scone. He then told the boy that a meeting with the other members of the Brotherhood was gonna be hosted later that evening, where he would get all the answers he craved for. While he was explaining this, Fillan took notice of the Stone of Destiny that two monks were moving, and William proceeded to explain the fabled story of said stone. After talking about the Gaelic descent of the stone, as well as Fillan's infatuation with Kyle Macdougall, William vaguely explained the relation between the stone and the Children of Fal.[1]
Once at the meeting, William, along with Abbot Thomas of Balmerino, Amy Comyn and Deorsa, explained to Fillan the nature of his existence and the history of the Brotherhood in Scotland. William then handed the boy the Swords of Fal, the legendary weapons of his extinct clan, and told Fillan that they would hold another meeting tomorrow, where he would decide whether or not he would join the Assassin cause.[2]
After Fillan decided to join the Brotherhood, Thomas selected Sören to teach him the ways of the Assassins, but he immediately refused, stating that the Brotherhood had already asked enough of him. William stood up to his former master, and made him see that out of all of them, he was the best fighter and that Fillan would be safer with him than with them during his training.[3]
On Winter 1296, after the English attacked Scone, William spent months moving the real Stone of Destiny through Scotland while being chased by the Lann Fala, an elite group of British Templars who hunted the Assassins on Scotland a decade ago. Fortunately, the winter slowed the Templars and the English but it also slowed Wallace down and so he couldn't deliver the stone to its intended destination, the Iona Abbey. Months later, on Spring 1297, William commanded Deorsa to deliver a letter to Fillan and Sören, asking for them to join him at Lanark on three weeks, so as to assault the local English garrison and to start sparking a rebellion to reclaim Scottish independence.[4]
On May 1297, William, accompanied by James of Crannach, the apprentice of Thomas, encountered Fillan, Sören, Deorsa and the mercenary's group at a forest on Lanarkshire. After untying Deorsa, he explained how the raid would work to the rest of the group. While James and him would go off to kill William Heselrig, the English sheriff of Lanark, Fillan would dispose of Bradley Dacre, an English commander in charge of the garrison nearby. While Sören was wary about the plan, William hoped that with coordination and patience, the revolt would be successful and the Assassins would not be related to the murders by the English. When he announced that they were launching the assault that day, Deorsa was infuriated, but William explained that the element of surprise was of the essence and if they waited longer the people would rise without them. Afterwards, William and James successfully assassinated Heselrig.[5]
After the action at Lanark, William and James parted ways with the group, as they were headed to reclaim Scone along with the other English holdings in Scotland, while he encommended Fillan, Sören, Deorsa and the rest of the group to gather as much support for the revolution from the clans of the south as possible. After a few clans had regained hope through Wallace's actions, they sent him troops in support of his cause.[6]
Later on, as James and him were marching and commanding the rebellion on Glasgow, William captured a Templar informant and managed to make him talk, revealing that there was indeed a traitor amongst the ranks of the Assassins and that the Templars knew the location of the Stone of Fal: Iona. Because of this, he decided to warn his allies in the south by sending letters to any clans they might have gone to, however, since the group was constantly travelling, none of the letters reached them. He then commanded James to take a garrison of his forces and go to the Isle of Mull, so as to reach Iona before the Templars. He also sent an additional garrison to Iona, so as to protect the Stone. He was later seen leading the rebellion into Northern Scotland.[7]
Legacy[]
In 1791, the Haitian Assassin Fabien mentioned the impact Wallace's death had on Scots to his fellow Assassin Elsie. In Fabien's eyes, he believed that Dutty Boukman's execution would likewise inspire the Maroons to rebel against the French.[8]
Personality and traits[]
From Fillan's perspective, William was a very tall man, described as almost "mountain-like", being taller than his former master, Sören, and with muscles bigger than any Fillan had seen ever. He additonally carried a Claymore sword in his back.[1]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed FCBD 2016 Edition (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children (first appearance)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 19 – Brotherhood
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 20 – Child of Fal
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 21 – Apprentice
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 27 – Revolt
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 29 – Ignition
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 31 – Peril
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children – Chapter 34 – Iona
- ↑ Assassin's Creed FCBD 2016 Edition
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