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Albion is the name of the country in which Fable, Fable: The Lost Chapters, Fable Anniversary, Fable II, and most of Fable III take place.

For lore on Albion read Albion's History or Tales of Albion

Geography[]

Albion is a very green land, bounded by rich seas to the west and south. In the north, Albion extends to the Ironwash River, beyond which lie the Edgelands. The extent of Albion to the east is not clear. The country lies directly north of Aurora (an overseas territory of Albion which may be fully integrated) and indirectly north of the South Islands, and is assumed to be east of the Cities of the West, west of Samarkand, and south of the Edgelands. On the opposite side of the unnamed world from Albion is the Eastern Kingdom. Ruins of the Old Kingdom dot the landscape, but most are little piles of rubble these days, being overgrown by vegetation and supplanted by modern towns. The most-intact ruins today lie underground, such as the Howling Halls. The darkest of all these ruins is Shadelight.

The northern lands of Albion are extremely fertile and well-suited to farming, demonstrated in areas like Oakfield and the Shalefields. The Irowash River that cross between Whitespire Mountains (in the Edgelands )and Echo Hills (northern Albion) separate this region from the more-prosperous southern areas. Towards the southern part of Albion are several forests, including Greatwood, Silverpines, Brightwood. Even further south of those lie the vast swamps and marshland of Darkwood and Wraithmarsh, where dangerous creatures such as hollow men and balverines prowl. To the east lie the mountains of Albion, including the expansive Mistpeak Mountains, which contain the Dweller Camp. Mount Ruon, the tallest peak in Albion, has not been placed within a known mountain range, and its exact location is unknown.

Large caves stretch underground, many being Old Kingdom ruins, others being natural, and some having combinations of both, such as The Hole, through which the Mistpeak Monorail line was built. A vast network of Catacombs lie beneath Bowerstone, evidenced by Fairfax Tombs, Lady Grey's Tomb, and the Gargoyle Trove in Fable II as well as Cesspools in Fable III, in addition to the extensive sewer system, the Hideout, and the town of Understone built around the time of Fable II. There are also several small caves and mines in the surrounding Millfields area.

Several islands surround Albion. There are a few large islands, such as Witchwood and Hook Coast, but most are small and uninhabited such as Lion's Head Isle, with Knothole Island being a notable exception. Clockwork Island, the Godwin Estate, and Ravenscar Keep have also been settled, though the former two have been abandoned.

In the far north across the Grey Sea lies the Northern Wastes, a sparsely-populated, sub-polar tundra consisting of the village of Snowspire and the abandoned settlement now known as the Necropolis. The most northern known point of the Northern Wastes is the Archon's Folly.

Once Aurora becomes a part of Albion under the Hero of Brightwall, Albion's borders encompass more arid terrain. Its southern border is marked by a great door in a closed valley, one of many Auroran ruins from ages past.

Aurora[]

Main article: Aurora

Aurora is an overseas territory of Albion which becomes part of the Kingdom under the Hero of Brightwall. It serves as a geographically important port for Albion. Aurora is culturally diverse in comparison to the rest of Albion; most Aurorans live a primitive lifestyle and reside in clay houses, which is unique compared to mainland Albion. Albion is far more technologically advanced in comparison to Aurora and more populous due to the fact that most of Aurora is uninhabited as it contains vast deserts.

History[]

Albion Flag

Albion Flag

The Court[]

Reign of The Court[]

The history of Albion is one that is constantly reforged in revolution and blood. The earliest accounts of Albion are purely legend, stating that it was a place of beauty and tranquility. Then three came from The Void: the Knight, the Jack, and the Queen of Blades. They became known as "The Court" and demanded that all men bow down before them. When the people of Albion refused, the Court burned Albion until the earth was black and the air was choked with smoke. [1]

Albiontlcmap

Map of Albion (At the time of The Hero of Oakvale)

The Court demanded obedience a second time, only to be refused again; as their next punishment, they raised the ocean into the sky and flooded the land. They again demanded that men worship them, promising to usher in an age of peace and end misery, but the few remaining people stood strong against the Court and refused a third time, so the Court twisted their minds until brother slew brother, parents abandoned children, and friend killed friend. Finally, the people of Albion bowed to the court. Thus the Reign of The Court began, where the few survivors (and their descendants) toiled for many years, erecting structures and monuments to glorify the Court. [1]

Jack Of Blades

Jack of Blades.

Birth of William Black[]

In the days of the Court's cruel reign, a humble blacksmith and his wife had a boy, William, who would become the key to Albion's salvation. Little is known about William's childhood, but as a grown man, he amazed many with his powers of mind, by which he was able to protect his village and perform feats that a dozen other men could not equal. These acts came to be celebrated as The Powers of Will. [1]

William eventually grew obsessed with overthrowing the Court and ending their tyrannical rule. One night, when he was consulting an old and mysterious tome, he was suddenly transported into the Void. Here, he met Jack, who was sat on a throne surrounded by ghastly figures. Jack attempted to enslave William with the powers of an ornate sword, but William fought back, stealing the sword and escaping safely out of the netherworld. The sword spoke to William, calling itself the Sword of Aeons, and promised to help him defeat the Court, but only if he were to offer up his soul in bondage. With the Sword of Aeons, William set off to find the Court. It is said William found the Court after a year of searching, but no one knows if he was the one who destroyed them. [1]

Fall of The Court[]

William scaled the peak of Ruon (Albion's highest mountain) and challenged the Court to combat. The Knight of Blades was the first to appear, and with the Sword of Aeons, William destroyed him completely. Jack was the next to appear. They fiercely struck at each other until William broke Jack's body. Jack escaped into the Void to fight another day. The Queen was the last to appear. For weeks, their battle raged across Albion. Mountains were raised and valleys were formed by their mighty blows. Finally, William slew the Queen, freeing the people of Albion from the Court's yoke. They acclaimed William, who took the title of Archon, as their king. [1]

The Kingdom[]

Rise of The Kingdom & Golden Age[]

With the Court vanquished, the Archon unified Albion into a great kingdom. By this time, his powers of Will were so great that the world seemed to reshape itself under his wishes. Archon built cities in mere weeks, and marvellous machines ran on Will power alone. Through a thousand years of peace, Albion reigned as the greatest centre of commerce and philosophy that the world had ever known.[1] Transportation existed through the creation of Cullis Gates, magical portals that could transport users over great distances.[2] Demon Doors sealed and safeguarded treasures, and could only unlock them by completing the door's riddle or test.[3] Albion had reached its golden age, and its territory extended north into the Edgelands. Its economy traded with at least Samarkand and the Cities of the West. [1]

Concept Art Rook Coast

Hook Coast

A group of monks retired from their thriving cities, appeared everywhere, and settled in the harshest place they could find, founding an abbey on a distant shore. This region became known as Hook Coast. Soon a whole community grew to serve their needs, and, in time, the kingdom built a lighthouse that housed a magical item known as the Fire Heart. The beating of its powerful pulse summoned a ship from the depths of time sunken for millennia with a crew of whispers. The lighthouse would guide vessels from its ports to any part of the world, including the unexplored lands in the Northern Wastes. The town of Snowspire became one of the most thriving cities in the North, and its Lost Bay served as the furthest port in all of the kingdom. It wouldn't be until the reign of the third Archon of the Kingdom that would witness the creation of the Snowspire Oracle. [3]

Exodus of the Archon[]

The cost of freeing the kingdom from the court delt a terrible wound to the Archon, the bondage on his soul caused William to waste away slowly and his spirit twisted by a festering darkness. Realising what would become of Albion if he let himself be consumed, William gave up the crown to his children and returned to the Void. William successfully severed the corruption from himself and sealed it within the Void.[4] The Archon's children grew petty and cruel without an enemy to vanquish. They called themselves "Heroes" and used their powers of Will to terrorise the people. A younger William might have stopped them, but his battle with the Queen and his time in the Void had infected his body and mind with a wasting illness. Faced with this decay, William wrapped his body in golden mail and a royal blue cloak before vanishing. [1]

Fall of The Kingdom[]

Spire Old Kingdom

The Spire of the Old Kingdom

With the first Archon gone, Albion descended into chaos. Three out of every four people were slain in the wars or died from disease and/or starvation. Meanwhile, the Archon's many descendants vied for power and the kingship. These new rulers were not as kind as the first. Each passing Archon, fearful of coup, brought fresh tyranny to Albion. A giant wall was constructed around the city to keep citizens in and undesirables out.[1]

Powerful weaponry fell into exitance[5] and the Archon's personal guard, who were encased in armour from birth, enforced their harsh, paranoia-driven decrees: No citizens allowed out after nightfall, every citizen must appear when an alarm bell is sounded, and any who opposed the Archon's rule were killed along with their families. The people witnessed these cruelties behind masks that signalled their status while concealing their fear. [1]

Hook Coast's Fire Heart was sealed behind the Primal Demon Door. Five prophets who had predicted the kingdom's imminent destruction were charged with guarding the Heart. The prophets were encased in glass cages that both protected them from the beating of the Heart and kept them alive until they fulfilled their duty.[3]

The evil William Black cleaved from himself, developed within the void, and became known as The Corruptor. Evil and powerful, The Corruptor became determined to reclaim "his" throne, which was denied him by William's sacrifice.[4]

At the pinnacle of the kingdom, the last Archon demanded the construction of a spire, a great tower and conduit for all the Will power in the world. The spire would grant the kingdom's ruler a power so great they could bend reality to their will. Within Albion existed three great Heroes: Blaze, the hero of fire; Stone, the hero of the fallen; and Sol, the hero of light. These great champions of good had many followers known as The Enlightened. The completed spire created a rift between Albion and the Void, allowing The Corruptor to gain influence. The dark entity sent a single lieutenant, the Crawler,[6] into Albion, where the three heroes sealed the creature beneath the earth. [7]

Blaze, Stone, and Sol set out to close the rift by channelling their combined power into the void on the eve of The Corruptor's emergence. However, the force required to seal the rift was so great it shattered the spire and devastated the kingdom. The explosion caused centuries of civilization to be wiped out in moments and its citizens erased from exsitance. The only survivors were the citizens who lived outside the walls. The three heroes were crystalized into Willstones and scattered across the land.[7] The tragedy survivors never knew this truth but speculated that the devastation was due to the last Archon using the spire to wish to end the corrupt and hollow world. [8]

Darkest Times[]

Isolation[]

After the fall of the Old Kingdom, the few villages that survived fell into isolation, and Albion plunged into anarchy. Without a central government, the settlements drifted apart and became self-sufficient communities ruled by a local chieftain or duke. Trade with nations beyond the borders became little more than a distant memory.[1] The regions between the city-states, which would become the Edgelands, Greatwood, and Witchwood, contained numerous Old Kingdom structures and ruins. Hook Coast, however, survived due to the handful of monks who still inhabited the abbey and knelt along the coast and used their Will power to protect the port and its people.[3]

Bloodshed[]

The population dwindled, and those who survived would wake each day to a darker world—distance bred suspicion, which grew into bloodshed. Villagers fought for food, land, livestock, and fresh water. Soon, they were even fighting over women of child-bearing age. Mercenaries sold their sword to the highest bidder and fought in a series of petty squabbles. If they did not like the price, they extracted payment by threatening villagers. The Fallow Wars had begun, an age of darkness and blood that would bring Albion close to extinction.[1]

World's End[]

Human scavengers poked through the ruins of the Old Kingdom. What they found they did not understand, and priceless artifacts were cast aside or traded as trinkets. Finally, the forest grew over the ruins, and it was as if the rich heritage of Old Albion had never been. The population dwindled, and those who survived would awaken each day to a darker world.[1]

It seemed there was no safe haven. Hope faded as bandits stole and murdered with impunity. The people, starving, scoured the land for food and fresh water, but as the years passed there was less of each to find. Crazed prophets preached that the end of the world was at hand.[1]

Then, out of the east, hope arrived in the most unexpected form. A bandit and mercenary by the name of Nostro came forth, pledging to bring peace and prosperity to Albion.[1]

The Age of Heroes[]

Rise of Nostro[]

In his youth, Nostro was a bandit and mercenary driven by an ambition to leave his mark on the world. He was, however, not without a sense of decency. He did not reach his full potential until he met a wise old man by the name of Scythe. Scythe was a wraith of a man, wizened and stern. He carried an ornate sword and shrouded in a tattered royal blue cloak and tarnished gold armour. He seemed to appear out of nowhere and took a profound interest in Nostro.[1]

Scythe saw in Nostro something more than a mere bandit and sensed that Nostro unknowingly possessed the power that all the first Archon's descendants shared. He hatched a plan: If he could properly guide Nostro, this bandit could achieve great things. He might even once again unite Albion and undo the damage done by William Black's children. And so, Scythe began to tutor Nostro in how to be a leader of men.[1]

Establishment of The Guild[]

Guild Seal Silver

Following Scythe's sage counsel, Nostro set about returning security and prosperity to Albion.[1] Scythe trained Nostro how to use the magic power of Will.[1] With his new power, Nostro forced peace on the warring people of Albion. However, any hopes of restoring Albion to its former greatness were in vain.[1] Nostro founded the Guild of Heroes, an academy to train those who showed promise of Strength, Skill, or Will. First, Nostro commissioned The Chamber of Fate, but it is unknown if it bore the same title initially or was the original establishment for the guild.[9] The guild began recruiting sons and daughters of Albion and trained them to be real heroes. The recruits shared a similar bond of lineage and used their abilities to aid the common folk in crisis or dismay.

While the Guild was still taking shape, Nostro commissioned a number of other great creations. One of which was the Witchwood Arena, intended to be a venue for which anyone could settle disputes in public. At the same time, Nostro's blacksmiths forged a sword known as the Tears of Avo, patterned on reports of the Sword of Aeons, which had been lost with the Archon's disappearance.[1]

Fall of Nostro[]

Nostro fell increasingly under the sway of a power-hungry courtesan named Magdalena. Eventually, Magdalena corrupted Nostro to the point where the Arena was debased into a source of popular entertainment and the Guild became nothing more than a house of mercenaries driven by a lust for profit and fame. These developments disgusted Scythe, who could only watch as Nostro and the Guild fell into disrepute. Finally, he vanished, leaving Nostro to his fate.[1]

Death of Nostro[]

Near the end of his life, Nostro finally saw how power had corrupted him and how far short he had fallen from his youthful ideals. By then, his followers and even his wife had long since abandoned him. Isolated, he was easy prey for an assassin who slipped poison into his food. Nostro knew that he was dying, so he called out for his old mentor Scythe. Scythe reappeared and sat vigil with Nostro, reminding him of all the good he had done. Nostro died in peace with himself. With dawn's first light, Nostro was then buried in Lychfield Graveyard. However, Nostro's spirit, discontent with the un-heroic nature of his death, continued to haunt the world, longing for a death that would fit his image. Scythe disappeared into obscurity once more.[1] Albion continued to grow and thrive, as did the guild. The Heroes who graduated from the guild were at times admired and feared by the populace they served.[1] Many legendary heroes emerged from the guild and forged great destines and renown. Heroes like Solcius, Delfe, and Holdr.[10] As for Magdalena, she went on to wed a series of husbands. Her children used their mother's connection with Nostro to establish heredity power for themselves over Bowerstone. [1]

The Preserving of the Willstones[]

Seer

The Enlightened and their leader preserving the Willstones.

The Old Kingdom followers of Sol, Blaze, and Stone, The Enlightened, survived the old spire's devastation and could see the promise of this new age. However, the leader of The Enlightened, a great seer, foresaw a time when the Age of Heroes would fail, and none would remain with the power or capability to prevent the inevitable return of The Corruptor. The Enlightened would continue searching the land for the Willstones of the three heroes and preserving them in temples. In addition, they would create powerful gauntlets that would house these Willstones to allow a worthy soul to obtain powers of Will without having a lineage of heroic blood.[7]

Creation of the Churches[]

(One Century after Fall of The Kingdom, ↑ and Four Centuries before The Hero of Oakvale. ↓)

A trader uncovered two sites where Will energy was exceptionally strong. One site seemed to heal people who visited it; the other, however, inflicted pain and gave thoughts of blood-lust. The trader decided that he would create two opposing temples and collect tithes that people came to donate. Eventually, people actually came to believe in Avo and Skorm as real deities. In The Lost Chapters, the Oracle of Snowspire reveals that Avo and Skorm are "nothing but false idols". Despite the Oracle's statement, however, a disembodied voice can be heard scolding the player if they kill the acolytes of Avo and Skorm in their temples.

War of the Churches[]

(Two Centuries before The Hero of Oakvale/Fable 1 ↓)

A holy war erupted between the church of Avo and the church of Skorm. The outcome of the war is unknown, but it should be noted that both churches are present in Fable. [11]

Return of Jack of Blades[]

Chamber of Fate Fresco - Uneasy Alliance

Maze's master and savior, Jack of Blades.

Now centuries after the defeat of the court, Jack of Blades had returned to Albion and possessed a human vessel that wore his mask. Although far less superior than his former self, Jack proved to be an unmatched opponent. After becoming affiliated with the Heroes Guild, Jack had travelled to Hook Coast on a quest, accompanied by two other heroes. Balverines had attacked the region and killed many villagers. A young man named Maze had just lost his parents to Balverines, and he was next to die. The two heroes and Jack arrived at the boy's aid. Jack slew the Balverines and then, as a sign of strength, proceeded to murder his fellow heroes. Maze became indebted to Jack and joined the Heroes Guild. [3]

The Guild Rebellion[]

The guild came to be led by a succession of Will users, who individually varied from well-meaning to cruel in their intentions.[1] The Guild of Heroes eventually established a regime that only allowed law-abiding and virtuous quests. In the name of freedom, many Heroes revolted against this resolution. Two among them were young Will users, Weaver and Maze. Much blood was spilt in this short revolt, leaving the number of Heroes, already rare in a world of diminishing Will presence, at its lowest for centuries. Finally, the rebellion succeeded, and the civil war ended. Scythe returned to the guild and proposed Weaver as the new Guildmaster, seeing in him the serene and impartial man he would become.[3] Under this new regime, it can be assumed this was the time that Jack of Blades completed his "Bloody Harvest" quest in the picnic area near the guild.[12] Jack competed in the Witchwood Arena and became a "Hero of Heroes."[13] Jack had disappeared for a time to continue pursuing the lost sword he had been searching for, for centuries. [14]

The guild itself adopted a simple code:

  1. Complete the quest to the letter.
  2. Ask for payment upfront.
  3. Obey the local law enforcement unless a Hero is on a quest. [1]

The Hero of Oakvale[]

Chamber of Fate Fresco - Jack's Obsession

A famous heroine known as Scarlet Robe, who was said to have a connection to the bloodline of the Archons, got married to a woodsman named Brom, gave birth to a daughter, Theresa, and then a son, who would later become known as the Hero of Oakvale. When the hero was a child, his home village of Oakvale was raided and destroyed by bandits on his sister's birthday; the hero's family had perished. Maze rescued the boy and convinced him to join the Guild to be trained to become a Hero. After the boy completed his guild training, he built his reputation as a hero. He then embarked on a journey to uncover the reason behind his village's destruction, discover his destiny, and learn the true fate of his family. He found his sister Theresa living in a bandit camp, now blind but strong with her power of foresight. Eventually, the boy discovers that Jack of Blades is responsible for destroying Oakvale, killing his father, imprisoning his mother, and blinding his sister. Jack desired the return of the Sword of Aeons William Black stole from him centuries prior. The boy and his family were William's descendants, so only they and their blood could reveal and power up the sword. While Jack achieved the sword, it was a shadow of its former self.[3] The hero slew Jack of Blades and dispatched the sword into the void.[15]

A year later, Scythe had called upon the guild to aid him in the Northern Wastes. Looming signs began to rise, and evil began to develop behind the Bronze Gate. Scythe instructed the guild to retrieve the Fire Heart from the Old Kingdom prophets and reactivate the Hook Coast Lighthouse. With the lighthouse active, the Hero of Oakvale could summon the Ship of the Drowned and voyage to the Northern Wastes. The Hero of Oakvale joined Scythe in Snowspire Village, where they consulted the Old Kingdom's Oracle. The two discovered that Jack of Blades had returned and would appear in his new form behind the bronze gate. Scythe guides the hero as he charges up the Archon's Shrine and opens the gate. The Hero of Oakvale once again slew Jack of Blades in the form of a dragon. [16]

Main articles: Fable Storyline; Hero of Oakvale

The Fall of the Guild & The Age of Firearms[]

Hero tale firearm

Common folk using firearms against the heroes and the guild.

With Albion once a place filled with legends, magic and heroes, the world began to change, and the commoners no longer needed them. The Heroes of the Guild became lazy and self-important. The commoner was placed second to a Hero, and because the Heroes were so powerful, there seemed to be no way of stopping their selfishness. This changed after the invention of the flintlock mechanism using the power of weaponry from Samarkand, the birth of the firearm. In the age of the firearm, the Oakvale Anti-Hero Committee was established and eventually revolted against the Heroes' Guild and burned it to the ground. While viewed as a positive event overall, it created incredible turmoil for any decent Hero. The Arena, where Heroes once fought for the people's entertainment, was used for execution. The Heroes were allowed to fight for their freedom but were killed regardless. The Heroes attempted to fight back, which resulted in a battle within Bowerstone, but ultimately, they failed. Once worshiped by the people in Albion, the great heroes came to be feared and hated.[17]

Oakvale's Destruction[]

(Two Hundred Years before the reconstruction of the new spire. ↓ [18])

A reckless young man growing up in Oakvale discovered a dark and powerful evil, The Shadow Court. In exchange for eternal youth and immortality, the young man offered up the residents of Oakvale as payment. This payment included all of his family, all of his friends, and everyone he loved. When the shadow court invaded and destroyed the region, the nearby marshes engulfed the village, and deadly hostile creatures began to dwell in its inhabitants. From that point forward, Oakvale and the surrounding areas eventually became a bitter memory, and the region became referred to as Wraithmarsh.[18][19]

The Age of Enlightenment[]

Map of Albion (At the time of the Hero of Bowerstone), after the invention of the sextant.

After the Heroes' Guild was burned, there occurred a ten-year period during which logic, philosophy, and engineering were encouraged. Around the same time as the destruction of the Guild, the Churches of Avo and Skorm dissolved, and people began to try to understand the world.[20] Navigators invented the sextant and began to map the world accurately. There are clues, however, that they had already discovered that the world was round because there are globes or star maps in the Guild in Fable. Albion was also remapped more accurately, thus creating discrepancies between the maps of Fable and Fable II. At the end of the decade, the Witchwood Arena was decommissioned, and the Westcliff Crucible was constructed as a replacement. [21] [22]

Light and Shadow[]

Not long after the dissolution of the Chapel of Skorm, the Temple of Shadows was formed within a dark Old Kingdom cathedral. The original cult was a powerful and feared entity, but was disbanded after the loss of most of its members in a demon-summoning gone wrong. The new Temple of Shadows was recently established by Cornelius Grim, but never reached the infamy of its predecessor. The group was mostly formed from rich folk who saw evil as nothing more than a hobby, but the forces they worshipped were more real than Skorm. The sacrifices they made ranged from demented, to reversing someone's sex, to turning them into chickens, to pure evil (such as turning someone into a living Shadow), to simply killing someone on the spot. The group worked on a weekly schedule, with events such as Torture Tuesday and Poker Night Friday. [23]

On the other side of the spectrum, however, was the Temple of Light. A lone missionary went on a desperate pilgrimage and decided to wander into to a dark cave, expecting to find nothing. However, the man found the Wellspring of Light and a golden acorn. Using the pure waters from the cave, the man planted the golden acorn, from which came the Golden Oak, a tree that made all the surrounding lands fertile for a few decades before producing another acorn and dying. The man, now known as Albert the Luminous, founded the Temple of Light and from the Golden Oak, the small farming community of Oakfield was born.[24]

Hero of Southcliff[]

A few Heroes and their families managed to survive the destruction of the Guild. Among them is a direct descendant of the Hero of Oakvale. [25][26] This young Hero would become known as the Hero of Southcliff, who would overthrow the dictator of Southcliff and save the citizens. Eventually, the Hero would have his children, and his descendants (Rose and Sparrow) would come to live in Bowerstone Old Town.

Spire

The beginnings of the new Spire.

The Tattered Spire & Albion's New Monarchy[]

No man alive remembers the night the guild burned, and now it lies forgotten. The fate of Albion would once again come to rest in the hands of an unlikely Hero from the ancient bloodline, whose path to greatness began on the heels of tragedy. The mayor of Bowerstone, Lucien Fairfax, would become obsessed with his vision to resurrect his family and rebuild the world as he saw fit. His mission was to locate and reconstruct the Old Kingdom's tattered spire. With Albion now very scarce on heroes, he searched for descendants of heroic lineage. Two orphans, Rose and Sparrow, living in his city were indeed descendants of heroes. They were also descendants of the Old Kingdom's archons. These heroes had no use to Lucien and only posed a threat to his plan. Lucien killed Rose and wounded Sparrow. With the help of their very old ancestor, Theresa, Sparrow became the Hero of Bower Lake, destroyed Lucien's dream, and killed him just as he completed the new spire. Inspired by a vision from Theresa, the Hero of Bower Lake, was able to unite Albion under their monarchy, with Bowerstone as the nation's capital. Castle Fairfax went under reconstruction and renamed Bowerstone Castle. This period saw a remarkable rise in technology and industry that extended into the northern Edgelands. The hero eventually had two children.

Main articles: Fable II Storyline; Hero of Bower Lake

The Industrial Age[]

Fable III Shot1

The Age of Industry

Fifty years after the Hero of Bower Lake defeated Lucien, they passed away and left Albion's throne to their oldest child, Logan. With the new spire ones again able to reach into the fabrics of the Void, the ancient evil of The Corruptor had spilt from the Void and awoke the old lieutenant known as The Night Crawler. The Crawler and its darkness began to terrorize and slaughter the citizens of Aurora. King Logan travelled to Aurora, where this creature attacked him and his army. While many of his soldiers perished, King Logan survived but was significantly wounded. The Auroran, Kalin, and her surviving people mended the king back to health. When Logan returned to Albion, Theresa appeared and granted him a vision of Albion's coming destruction from the Crawler. Out of fear of having less than a decade, Logan became ruthless, and his tyranny accelerated the Industrial Revolution. Great machines brought wealth to the kingdom, creating an elite army at the cost of strict laws and people and children working in the factories. Logan hired Reaver and gave him control of the industrial district of Bowertone. Any citizen who opposed the crown or disobeyed the factory rules were executed. Most of Albion became discontent with Logan's government, pushing various citizens into poverty and starvation. The king's sibling, The Hero of Brightwall, led the rebellion against Logan's tyranny and overthrew him as monarch. Only then does the new monarch understand the risk and slay the Crawler at an incredibly high cost.

Main articles: Fable III Storyline; Hero of Brightwall

Post-Industrial Revolution[]

Journey Ending

The destruction of the second spire.

Return of the Corruptor[]

Fifty years after the Crawler's defeat, the standing monarch of Albion has disappeared, and there are no apparent heirs to the heroic bloodline. The industry's march continues apace, and the residents of the northern Edgelands are fleeing their dangerous home to mainland Albion. During this troubled time, the Corruptor returns and threatens Albion, again using the new spire's rift to send forward two more lieutenants - the Devourer and Temptress. With no Heroes having been born that can stop it, one will have to be made...

After living in the spire since Lucien's defeat, Theresa, the blind seer, was the first to witness the Devourer. The evil creature had wounded her, but she managed to escape the creature's poisonous darkness. Theresa locates a young dweller named Gabriel and guides him to obtain the gauntlets of The Enlightened that can house the Willstones of the Three Heroes. Gabriel defeats the lieutenants and collects the three Willstones. Theresa and Gabriel return to the spire, seal the rift into the void, and destroy the Corruptor. Just like the first, the spire once again shattered and caused devastation. The full extent of the damage is unknown, but Albion once again found peace, and a new age has begun.

Main articles: Fable: The Journey Storyline, Gabriel

Demography[]

Civilization is spread across the lands of Albion, such as Oakfield and Brightwall, with many of the settlements concentrated on the western coast, including Westcliff, Southcliff, Bloodstone, and the great capital city of Bowerstone. Coastlines with more limited communities included Rookridge, Oakvale, and Driftwood, while a number of settlements can be found on the islands near Albion, such as Snowspire, Knothole Glade, Clockwork Island, and the settlement found on Knothole Island. The northern part of the mainland seems to be more cultivated for use of farming, as seen from the small community of Oakfield. Further north, the Dwellers of the Edgelands make their summer camp in the fertile lands of Shalefields.

Society[]

Flag of Albion
The Royal Flag
Flag of the Old Guard

Government and Law[]

The land of Albion in the Fable period is notably devoid of a strong system of government and laws, leading to a laissez-faire attitude for most aspects of society. Homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and polygamy are universally legal and widely accepted. Extramarital affairs, however, are taboo and the source of much contention among married couples.

There is also a law that does not allow you to enter a town with unsheathed weapons as you are deemed a threat and hazard. This particular law is heavily enforced in Bowerstone; there, people are not even allowed to carry a weapon on their person. Conversely, this law is completely void in Knothole Glade.

Obviously, murder is considered incredibly evil as are breaking into a house, vandalism, theft, or attacking innocent civilians and guards, but the worst punishment is a fine and being thrown out of town at the same time, at least for some Heroes. There are also prostitutes in Albion, but it isn't explicit as to whether this is legal or not.

In the time of Fable II, Albion still lacks a central ruler and is divided into small city-states that dot the landscape. Major city-states include, but are not limited to, Bowerstone, Southcliff, Bloodstone, Westcliff, and Oakfield. They usually have a local ruler like a Mayor, Duke, or Chief/Chieftain. There have been times when Albion was united under the rulership of a King or Queen; however, most of these positions, including King, have no real power and act as a figurehead. No elections are held, either; these positions are usually given to people with the most wealth or property, or to those who are the most famous.

Albion and Aurora

Albion and Aurora in Fable III

By Fable III, Albion is united, and its government has become far more centralized. The position of King and Queen has been restored by the Hero of Bower Lake, with true political power not seen since the Archons. This unity has caused great advances in technology, exploration, and scientific research. The country now possesses a standing army which maintains order, but more remote areas and roads still remain lawless, being too dangerous to patrol.

During the first year of the rule of the Hero of Brightwall, the southern territory of Aurora becomes part of the Kingdom of Albion. However, it is unclear whether Aurora is added as an equal part of the kingdom, or exploited as a colony for its resources.

Culture[]

Albion is extremely diverse in terms of culture, with large industrious and wealthy cities such as Bowerstone, towns where smuggling and prostitution is a common occurrence, like Bloodstone and Westcliff, and idyllic villages like Oakvale and Oakfield. Travelers are common occurrences in areas like Driftwood and Bower Lake respectively. Perhaps, Albion's culture varies more overseas, in areas like Aurora, The Northern Wastes, Knothole Island, and Knothole Glade which have developed highly-unique cultures due to total isolation from mainland Albion and its inhabitants. Some areas of mainland Albion have also become isolated, like the Dweller Camp in Mistpeak. Areas of high wealth tend to be estranged from other areas, such as Millfields, Bowerstone North, Fairfax Castle and, most notoriously, Clockwork Island.

Economy[]

The economy is completely unregulated and based primarily on agriculture, trade, and services, with little industrial activity until Albion's Industrial Revolution. The currency of Albion is the gold coin, and nearly every trade-able item in the land has a "national standard" of what each item is worth in gold. It should be noted, however, that items are rarely sold for their exact worth, especially in taverns and the Guild gift shop, so be careful when getting rid of things that you may find useful later on in the game.

Religion[]

In Fable, religion is based upon the belief of two deities: Avo and Skorm. Avo is a benevolent deity, who is worshiped in a temple in Witchwood through the giving of tithes. Avo rewards those who make large donations with youth, titles, and even weaponry. Skorm, on the other hand, is a devil-like deity who demands human sacrifices in exchange for gold, temporal power, and weaponry. The Chapel of Skorm is located in Darkwood.

The two deities are said to be nothing more than false idols by the Oracle of Snowspire. However, the Oracle also hints the existence of more real gods, saying that the balvorn existed when gods and demons were the primary force and that there was a war of the gods in which krakens were created. In addition, Jack of Blades compares his power to that of the gods and demons that the people of Albion feared and worshiped.

In Fable II, religion follows the Temples of Light and Shadows. Like its predecessor, the Temple of Light accepts donations of Gold and rewards the player with goodness, youth, and even a weapon of great power (The Rising Sun). However, they are granted an amount of general experience depending on the amount you are donating and the time. Donating at the Sun's Zenith (mid-day) will give you more experience, as well as The Rising Sun if you haven't acquired it. On the other hand, the Temple of Shadows requires human sacrifice for evil, gold, and another weapon of great power (The Maelstrom).

By Fable III, worship seems to have taken secondary precedence in the face of the Industrial Revolution and the relentless tyranny of King Logan. However, within Mourningwood, one can find the remains of a temple dedicated to an unknown force known as the Dark Sanctum. Should the Hero choose to do so, they can restore this site par the orders of Lesley. As it was with Cornelius Grim's Temple of Shadows, the worshipers in the Dark Sanctum participate in twisted rituals and sacrifices, some of which incur great rewards, like The Tenderiser.

Entertainment[]

Entertainment is provided at taverns, with their collection of beer, singers, and gambling. Also, a clandestine organization of fight clubs is prevalent in most of the major settlements, meeting solely at night time. There are also various games played throughout Albion, most notably Oakvale's "Chicken Kicking" contest, the Fishing Competition held in Greatwood, and the Archery Competition held just outside Knothole Glade. The Arena also provides gladiatorial-style combat entertainment for those who make the journey out to Witchwood. Albion's largest known brothel during this time was the Darkwood Bordello.

By the time of Fable II, hundreds of years later, the Heroes' Guild was disbanded and the Arena lay in ruins, yet the villagers of Albion still hungered for the Arena's spectacle, so the Crucible was built out of the living rock of Westcliff, where non-Heroes can compete, going through a gauntlet of different creatures, much like the original Arena. The first champion of the Arena was a simple farmer named Thresher Jim, who ushered in the new celebrity culture of the Crucible. Many champions would come, but the best was Mad-Dog "The Strangler" McGraw, whose time would become the set standard on which other competitors would be judged. In the same area, there is the Westcliff shooting range. Bards and gambling are still prevalent through most towns, and in some of the seedier parts of Albion, prostitutes of both genders can be found. Books, especially those written by Meredith Sock, are extremely popular at the time.

At the advent of the Industrial Revolution in Fable III, entertainment has evolved with the times. The pub games of the past have seemingly disappeared, possibly because there was little time for such enjoyments during the Industrial Revolution. Instead, entertainment mostly consists of a series of elaborate games played by Albion's citizenry, such as the shooting range at the Mercenary Camp, the chicken races found in Brightwall, or the spectacle provided by Reaver's Wheel of Misfortune. Less-complex games, like Hollows and Hobbes, are also played. Music seems to be more popular during this era as well, with lute players being found throughout Bowerstone and Brightwall. The player can take part in lute playing in the City of Aurora, Bowerstone Market, the Dweller Camp, and Brightwall. Books are still readily provided by the Brightwall Academy, and plays by the likes of Philipth Morley are still popular during this era. Prostitution is also a popular venue of entertainment, and can be legalized by the player when they become monarch.

Trivia[]

  • Albion (Αλβιών) is the oldest-known name for Great Britain. It was written down by Greek merchants from Massila (current-day Marseilles) who traveled through Gaul and possibly through Britannia itself.
  • During the creation of Canada, the country was almost named "Albion".
  • In Fable II, you can sometimes hear characters saying, "They say the world's a lot bigger than it was 500 years ago," referencing how the regions in Fable II were much larger than the regions in Fable.
  • By the events of Fable III, the civilian population was at least 6,500,000.
  • According to Co-Creator Dene Carter, both the story and world of Albion for the first Fable was originally meant to be procedurally generated. This means that algorithims would have determined the landscape of the game world, which would have changed for each person who played it. The team realised the hardships that would come from trying to design a game that early with this philosophy, so instead they worked on smaller and more detailed maps.
  • According to numerous accounts by the developers of Fable, the world of Albion was originally connected with no loading screens. Design documents also support the fact that places like Witchwood and Hook Coast were attached to mainland Albion, rather than being a separate island.


References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 Tales of Albion
  2. Fable: The Journey - Theresa explaining Cullis Gates to Gabriel and what they are.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Snowspire Oracle
  4. 4.0 4.1 Fable: The Journey - Theresa explaining the story of William Black.
  5. Fable II - Hero of Will quest, Theresa mentions shards are Old Kingdom weapons of great power.
  6. Fable: The Journey - It can only be assumed that the lieutenant was the Crawler, as Theresa explains how the creature was sealed beneath the earth where it layed dormant for centuries. (Shadelight, Fable III)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Fable: The Journey - Theresa explaining the final story of the three heroes to Gabriel.
  8. Fable II - The Journey Begins, Theresa describing the old spire to the Hero of Bower Lake.
  9. Fable - The Guildmaster mentions before graduation that the Chamber of Fate is the oldest part of the guild. This can be presumed to be the original base of operations or at least commissioned during Nostro's founding of the guild.
  10. Fable
  11. Fable TLC - Revealed by the description of the Holy Warrior Helm and Daemon Warrior Helm (found in the Northern Wastes.)
  12. Fable - The Sun Dial in the picnic area (or Harvest Crop as some villagers would call it.)
  13. Fable - The Arena Quest, Roth explains how Jack of Blades competed in the Arena. The Arena announcer also refers to Jack as the Hero of Heroes.
  14. Fable TLC - Jack tells the hero at Archon Shrine that he spent centuries searching for his sword.
  15. Fable II - With Theresa being alive in later Fable games, the evil choice of the hero keeping the sword would prove to be a contradiction with Fable's canon.
  16. Fable TLC
  17. Fable II - Theresa, Chamber of Fate
  18. 18.0 18.1 Reaver's Diary
  19. Fable II - Stranded, Theresa explains the history of Oakvale to the Hero of Bower Lake.
  20. Fable II - Avo is Dead
  21. Fable II - Introduction to Navigation
  22. Fable II - The Crucible (book)
  23. Fable II - The Temple of Shadows (book)
  24. Fable II - The Temple of Light (book)
  25. Fable II - A Hero's Tale
  26. Fable II - Objection! Overruled!, The Fall of the Guild

Fan Video[]

Fable_A_History_(Timeline_and_Lore)

Fable A History (Timeline and Lore)

by Skyrionn

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