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Warning: Spoilers This section or article may contain spoilers! |
Theresa is the immortal older sister of the Hero of Oakvale. Possessing prophetic powers due to her ancient bloodline, Theresa has a recurring role in all games as a guide to the Hero, and is frequently referred to as "the Blind Seeress".
Being over six hundred years of age, she is one of the oldest known living beings in Albion, as well as one of the most deep and important characters with powerful, yet unclear motives.
Fable and Fable TLC
As the daughter of Brom and Scarlet Robe and older sister of The Hero of Oakvale, she lived quietly in Oakvale, where she was born, unknowing of her inherited powers, and the future they would bring her. At that stage of her life, the only awareness she had about her prophetic powers were the "strange dreams" she had from time to time. No one but her brother (and later her mother) knew about her mysterious powers.
During the Raid of Oakvale, she was kidnapped by Jack of Blades, and his bandits. Unwilling to give them any information about her brother, who had fled Oakvale, Theresa was left dying in the middle of the forest, her eyes blinded. After three days in the forest, she was discovered by Twinblade, a former hero, and now the bandit king. Twinblade realised the extent of her prophetic powers when she spoke of the future in her sleep. In time, he made her his second-in-command. Despite her blindness, Theresa possessed extrasensory perception due to her exceptional Will abilities, and was thus more than capable of killing all who opposed her. As she grew older, her power to see the future grew stronger.
In his search to find the "Bandit Seeress", and ask her about his sister, her brother, the Hero, defeated Twinblade in a duel. The Hero was shocked to discover that the Seeress and his sister were one and the same person. After reuniting with her brother and unlocking hidden powers inside him, she left her old mentor, Twinblade, to whatever fate her brother had in store for him.
After the Hero succeeded in the Arena and became the new "Arena King", Theresa met him again at the Grey House. She told him what she had discovered about Jack of Blades - that Jack of Blades was the one who blinded her, and left her to die in the forest, as well as that he was secretly holding their mother captive within the Bargate Prison.
Searching for their mother on her own, Theresa was eventually captured by Jack of Blades. After the first battle with Jack (the final battle in the original Fable), she told her brother that he had a choice: to strike her down with the Sword of Aeons and gain the power Jack dreamed of, or cast it into the vortex and rid the world of its evil forever. Due to the apocalyptic outcome should the Hero of Oakvale have chosen the evil path and wielded the Sword of Aeons, that is to say "eternal darkness under the rule of the wielder of the Sword", it must be accepted that in order for the storyline to even continue, the Hero of Oakvale had to make the good choice. Regardless, Theresa was not seen in Albion for hundreds of years.
After the battle with Jack of Blades, Theresa headed off to the mountains, and was taken in by a nomad called Palgan. An old Will user from the east, he offered to take Theresa to his homeland in the Eastern Kingdom. When Theresa saw him try to steal her prophetic powers, she killed him, and used his amulet to transport her to the east.
Travels in the East
It is revealed in Fable: The Journey that, following the death of Jack of Blades, Theresa wandered the land, travelling through places like Miremoor before going east, to the desert land of Samarkand. Staying there for centuries, Theresa learned of the Tattered Spire from the great libraries there and subsequently made it her mission to rebuild the Spire in an attempt to protect others from the same kind of evils that had befallen her and her family. Returning to Albion, she used the deaths of the wife and daughter of Bowerstone's ruler, Lucien Fairfax, in an attempt to drive him to build the Spire.
Fable II
During the introductory level of Fable II, Theresa convinces the main character's sister, Rose, to purchase a Music Box from a street vendor after suggesting to her that it truly is magical. After Rose's subsequent death, Theresa adopts her severely injured descendant and becomes their guide for the remainder of the game. She sends Sparrow on a quest to unlock his or her Will powers as well as instructing Sparrow on the nature of these new found abilities.
She acts as a distant guide, communicating with the Hero remotely through the use of the Guild Seal. When she does make an appearance, it is to recruit the first of the three Heroes of Strength, Skill, and Will.
After The Hero of Bowerstone becomes of age, Theresa agrees to help the hero avenge their sister's death and grants them permission to leave the Gypsy Camp. Theresa gives them equipment as well as the ancient Guild Seal. Theresa then sends the Hero to awaken their hero blood in the depths of the Old Tomb on the island in Bower Lake. Theresa later explains how to take down Lucien and gives the Hero Fate Cards. The fate cards show the future and the three other heroes of Strength, Skill, and Will that need to be collected before Lucien collects them for himself.
Through The Hero's efforts, they recruit Sister Hannah who is destined to be The Hero of Strength. She is a monk at the Temple of Light in Oakfield. After Sister Hannah's adoptive father the Abbot of the Temple of Light is killed by Lucien's men, Theresa makes an appearance and persuades Hannah to join the group. Sister Hannah asks Theresa to be called "Hammer" from then on. Theresa brings Hammer back to the abandoned Heroes Guild in order to explain her role in Lucien's downfall.
When The Hero returns to the guild, Theresa reveals that Garth, the man from the visit to Castle Fairfax is the Hero of Will. Theresa explains the relationship between Lucien and Garth and how their research together ended "violently". While Theresa orders Hammer to stay behind, The Hero goes to Brightwood Tower to recruit Garth. Garth is captured and taken to the spire by Lucien’s Commandant.
Though she is blind, Theresa is able to read Lucien's diary to acquire information on gaining entry into the Spire. When asked how she is able to read without eyesight, Theresa claims she can look into worlds other than her own.
From the diary, Theresa discovers that Lucien is recruiting Crucible champions as guards for The Spire. Theresa directs The Hero and Hammer, to Westcliff so that Sparrow might become Crucible Champion and subsequently infiltrate the Spire and rescue Garth. When the Hero returns from the Spire, Theresa welcomes their return after being gone ten years. Theresa then welcomes Garth and asks him to join them to end Lucien’s plans. Garth agrees and the two retreat to the guild while the Hero catches up with Hammer.
Theresa, the Hero, Hammer, and Garth discuss how to access the third and final Hero of Skill. Hammer mentions that this Hero is likely a pirate called Reaver, who runs the port of Bloodstone. Theresa reveals that the only way of getting to Bloodstone is by going through Wraithmarsh, but Garth suggests using a Cullis Gate instead in order to bypass Wraithmarsh. Garth’s plan fails, and Hammer and Garth are separated from the Hero and their dog. The fog from Wraithmarsh temporarily dampened the guild seal which made it difficult for Theresa to give her instructions.
Upon the Hero's first entrance into Wraithmarsh, Theresa mentions,"This used to be Oakvale, though it has changed radically since I saw it last, and that was a long time ago,". Then she mentions, "A reckless young villager made a deal with the forces of shadow," causing the destruction of Oakvale a second and final time.
Once the Hero reaches Bloodstone, Reaver untruthfully agrees to join the Hero to take down Lucien however; Reaver needs the Hero to take his dark seal to a place called The Shadow Court back in Wraithmarsh. Theresa informs the Hero through the guild seal that the Shadow Court is responsible for the destruction of Oakvale. Theresa adds that there is more to the task than Reaver lets on.
After uncovering the truth of Reaver's betrayal, Bloodstone comes under attack by Lucien's forces and The Hero and Reaver flee the town together. After the two meet up with Hammer and Garth on the Smuggler's Beach, the four of them defeat the Great Shard. Theresa finally appears on the beach and persuades Reaver to join them.
Finally assembled the four Heroes, Hammer, Garth, Reaver, and the Hero of Bowerstone, she gives them the instructions on how to begin the ritual to summon the great weapon. After the ritual is complete, Theresa disappears until after the Hero of Bowerstone's final confrontation with Lucien. She then gave the Hero a choice between reviving everyone who had died from the Spire's construction, reviving specifically the Hero's loved ones, or giving them a large sum of money. Regardless of their choice, Theresa sends all the heroes away to where they wish then claims the Spire for her own. Theresa remained behind in the Spire for her own reasons.
In the See the Future DLC, Theresa was seen again, still at the top of the Spire after the Hero receives a model of the Spire from Murgo the Trader in Bowerstone. Using the Spire model would transport the Hero to the top of the Spire, placing them before Theresa. She greeted the Hero and insinuate that she intended them to make it back to the Spire. She would then give the Hero a glimpse of the future, showing the Hero as king/queen of all of Albion, with a loyal army and citizenry. Towards the end of the vision, the focus turned to a baby carriage, with Theresa standing next to it. A newborn lay inside, and Theresa mentioned the name Aurora before the vision ended. Afterwards, Theresa sent the Hero away from the Spire for a second and last time.
| “ | Take care, Little Sparrow, and remember I am always here, always watching. — Theresa |
” |
Fable III
Theresa returns in Fable III, as a minor character, but has an important role as the Hero's guide and adviser. She temporarily resides in the Road to Rule in Fable III.
When the Hero first enters the Road to Rule, Theresa introduces herself as, "Theresa, Seer of the Spire," implying that she intends to permanently reside in the Spire. This explains in part why she chose to keep it as her own at the end of Fable II. While she is a main character in the plot line, she rarely appears outside of the Road to Rule, diminishing her role in comparison to Fable and Fable II.
As always, the Seer is an elusive woman, telling the Hero only the basics of what they need to know. It is revealed by Logan that Theresa visited him four years prior, telling him of the impending attack that the Crawler will visit upon Albion. She fails to mention her responsibility for Logan's tyranny to the Hero on the Road to Rule. When the Hero becomes the King/Queen, she will admit her deception was necessary, as Logan's action proved that only with a Hero on the throne could Albion survive. The only two people known to have seen Theresa in the game are the Hero and Logan, though the Crawler and Reaver are aware of her existence.
After the seer’s second plan to downfall the crawler becomes a success, time stops and she appears to the new ruler of Albion in the gardens of Bowerstone Castle (during Walter’s recognition). She congratulates the hero on their triumph and explains what consequences or achievements they now face by keeping or breaking the promises of their allies. Before she leaves for the last time, the hero asks Theresa if the time has come for their future to be disclosed. Theresa states “The future will reveal itself when it is ready to do so.” Time resumes and Theresa disappears.
| “ | A child on who the fate of Albion will depend one day, as will the fate of Aurora. — Theresa |
” |
Fable Heroes
- Main article: Theresa (Fable Heroes)
Theresa appears as a playable character for the first time in the Fable series in the Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Fable Heroes. She is unlocked with Fable: The Journey, via gameplay on the same memory device and with the same profile. In the character introduction on Lionhead's website, Theresa is officially confirmed as a powerful Will user where it is also stated that her weapons of choice consist of the Force Push Spell Gauntlet and Fireball Spell Gauntlet.
Theresa the Blind, Seer of Albion. Sister to the Hero of Oakvale and descendant of the Archons, countless tales have been told of this mysterious woman. Apparently ageless, Theresa is a Will user of exceptional power, though she rarely acts directly. Her blindness proved a boon to Hero Doll producers everywhere, to whom her traumatic childhood encounter with Jack of Blades represents a chance to sell a line of accessories. This Theresa Doll is the ‘Blindfold’ edition, though the ‘Hooded Robe’, ‘Party Grandma’ and ‘Chicken Princess’ versions are also popular.
- — Description of Theresa from Fable Friday
Fable: Edge of the World
Theresa does make a minor appearance at the very end of Fable: Edge of the World. The King of Albion has a dream, and Theresa appears before him. Theresa holds her arms out, and a dove lands on her right arm, and a raven on her left. Theresa then speaks "Born a hero you were, and a Hero you are. Darkness has indeed come to Albion, and few there are and will yet be who can stand against it. But do not despair, King of Albion. The world has changed. The time approaches swiftly when Heroes are not born... they are made." Theresa then throws her arms up causing the birds to vanish. The King awakes to find two feathers, one white, one black. The King then understands that his dream was actually a vision.
Fable: The Journey
Theresa appears in the Kinect title Fable: The Journey. She had been wounded by the Devourer, an agent of a darkness slowly taking over Albion, and encounters a regular Dweller named Gabriel driving his carriage through the Edgelands following the recent destruction of Reaver's Reach. While she does not seem to be seriously injured, it turns out that the wound severely weakened her powers. Trying to escape the Devourer, she pleads with Gabriel for his help; he agrees and pulls her aboard just before the Devourer arrives and starts destroying the woods around them. The Devourer hurts Gabriel's horse, Seren, so Theresa convinces Gabriel to earn the Gauntlets to heal Seren. Unknown to Gabriel, however, the gauntlets attached themselves to Gabriel's arms. Theresa then makes a deal with the young Dweller, telling Gabriel that he must retrieve the first Willstone, found at the Forge of Fire, and she would use it to remove the gauntlet. Gabriel reluctantly agrees.
Travelling through the lands north of Albion, the duo arrive in the forest of Thorndeep, where they come upon the local woodsman of Woodseed, Fergus. Grateful, Fergus agrees to shelter Gabriel and Theresa for a night, but the next morning, the three are found once again by the Devourer. With Fergus guiding the group, they come upon the Forge of Fire, where Fergus is killed while battling the Devourer. Gabriel, inspired to do his duty following the loss of his friend, rejects Theresa's offer to remove the gauntlets, instead pressing on. Gabriel then finds the other two Willstones, and he and Theresa head off to the Spire to close the rift before the Corruptor's arrival.
During their long journey they both make many resting points. Sometimes Theresa would tell stories to Gabriel, and he enjoyed them. One story she expresses to him is about her youth. Theresa states: “Perhaps it is hard to believe, but I was not born as I am now.” Theresa’s point of view refers back to the original Fable. She tells Gabriel that once she was a sister, a daughter she had no knowledge of her gaining a power of seeing visions; she knew only the innocent life as a child, until Jack of Blades stormed her village and hauled her mother away. It was the last thing she saw and then, “only darkness.” She closes her story to Gabriel by telling him that when she was blinded, she was found by the Bandit King, Twinblade. She entered into his service, and in return, he protected her; it was from that point on she discovered her power, and before long, she was protecting him.
On another stop, Theresa finally reveals what she did after the death of Jack of Blades, travelling east into Samarkand and studying in the great libraries there. Learning of the Tattered Spire, Theresa resolved to have it rebuilt and use its power to protect Albion from evil. It was with this in mind that the Blind Seeress finally returned home and sought out someone with the means to rebuild the spire. Using the deaths of Amelia and Helena Fairfax, Theresa manipulated Lord Lucien Fairfax into rebuilding the Spire to resurrect his family. Unfortunately, Theresa soon realized that in rebuilding the Spire, Theresa finally re-awoke the Corruptor's chief lieutenant, the Crawler. Desperate to end one of Albion's greatest threats, Theresa recruited the Hero of Brightwall to destroy the Crawler, but knew that the Corruptor would return. Finally ending her stories, it is then that Theresa admits to Gabriel's role in her plan, as his new-found power is the only way to stop the Corruptor from reaching Albion.
When Gabriel and Theresa reach the Spire, Theresa makes a wish and states that her time in this world is over and that a new age is upon us. She then gives the heart of the Spire to Gabriel and vanishes. Her blindfold is then found by Gabriel in the sand.
| “ | How do we succeed, Gabriel? We Believe. — Theresa |
” |
Notes
- When going through The Hero of Strength, Theresa complains about Hammer being a pacifist, stating that you will have to find a way to make Hammer fight. Soon afterwards, Hammer's father is killed by one of Lucien's men and Theresa soon arrives to convert Hammer to her side. This gives further idea of the extent of Theresa's powers of being able to foresee future occurrences.
- During the Childhood quest in Fable II, it is Theresa who convinces Rose and the Hero to buy the music box, as they otherwise wouldn't have. Either Murgo or Theresa must have informed Lucien who bought the music box, as no one else is aware. In See the Future, she is also revealed to have been Murgo's supplier, meaning she had possibly foreseen and ensured the events of Fable II from Rose's death to Lucien's downfall, merely to gain the Tattered Spire.
- Lucien's diary refers to dreams of a blind, hooded, old woman.
- At the end of Fable II, Theresa demands that the Hero make a choice. After the Hero chooses, Theresa claims the Spire for herself, saying "But the Spire is mine. Begone." In the downloadable pack, See The Future, it is revealed that she used the Spire to see all potential futures; it is revealed that she is willing to do anything to allow a potential future involving both the unification of Albion by the Hero of Bowerstone and the birth of the Hero's most powerful child, the Hero of Brightwall, who will be needed to combat the leader of the Darkness, the Crawler.
- It is unknown if she has inherited any of the Hero virtues besides Will, although her brutal slaying of the jealous bandits in her youth does hint that she may have inherited the virtue of Strength as well. To this point, she has never shown any form of Skill. As a descendant of the Archons, she should have all three. However, It is entirely possible that she utilizes the virtue of Skill as a supplement with her supernatural extra-sensory powers.
Trivia
- With the exception of Fable/Fable TLC/Anniversary, Theresa is mainly voiced by Zoë Wanamaker, a New York born actress, who currently lives in England.
- Theresa is the only character to appear in all of the main Fable games as well as A Hero's Tale.
- In Fable II, one of the books called "The Hero of Oakvale" talks about the old hero, and that his bloodline continued. It predicted that a hero from his bloodline would one day save Albion when he/she was needed. This refers to Sparrow, and is evidence of him/her being related to Theresa.
- In promotional photos of Fable II, Theresa wore a green, oriental styled hat, a green cloak, and held a butterfly catcher, none of which appeared in the game. She also appeared much younger than she was in the finished game.
- It is possible that the opponent player named Theresa in the Fable II Pub Games is intended to be Theresa herself.
- In Fable II when travelling to the Chamber of Fate for the first time, if badly injured, Theresa will sometimes quote the Guildmaster of the original Fable by saying, "You are badly wounded. Consume healing potions or food to heal.".
- There is a hero doll of Theresa.
- Ye' Olde Art Book, the concept art book in the Fable II Limited Edition Guide Bundle, has the Art Director, John McCormack quoting:
We used a few hooks and links to the original Fable in the sequel. One of the main ones was the use of Theresa, who was the Hero's blind sister in the original Fable. She is now a strange, ageless, wandering fortune teller in Albion who acts as the player's guide throughout the game... but there's more to her than a simple tutorial, quest giving device... she has secrets and her motives aren't particularly clear.
- If the player attacks her in Fable II, she will sometimes giggle, hum, or growl ferociously, then say, "Your attacks will have no effects. Remember yourself." Scythe says a similar thing to the Hero of Oakvale in Snowspire. Since both have lived for extremely long periods of time and are apparently invincible even to the strongest of heroes, they may have gained immortality the same way.
- In Fable II, the book, 'The Hero of Oakvale,' states that the Hero of Oakvale wielded the Sword of Aeons. This is an inconsistency as to obtain the Sword of Aeons in Fable the Hero had to first kill his sister, Theresa, though it could still be feasible that Theresa's will abilities allowed her to survive this, as we can already see that she has lived for over five hundred years. However this could also simply be that the Sword of Aeons and Avo's Tear look identical, or could just be a fable created by the people of Albion. But in Fable there are two different cut scenes depending on if you killed Theresa or not. If you decided to kill Theresa a black cloak would be seen on the Hero, if you spared her a yellow/golden cape appears. The picture from the cutscene will be painted in the Chamber of Fate. In the Fable II chamber of fate, the painting will be shown as the good choice which means that the hero didn't hit Theresa with the sword. But you can still wield the Sword before you hit Theresa or decide to throw it into the vortex. However, it is mentioned by the townspeople that consistency of their historical documents is poor to the point that they question whether or not historians simply make everything up.
- In Fable II, if the player uses expressions near her she will say, "You remind me of someone I knew once, long, long ago." This refers to The Hero of Oakvale.
- Her voice narrates the Fable III teaser trailer, and the hem of the cloak she wears is seen walking up to a crown.
- In the Hero of Skill quest line at the bottom of the Shadow Court in Wraithmarsh there are three shadowed figures, the Shadow Judges. The shadow in the middle of the three appears to have the exact same body structure, robes, and body language as Theresa (watch the way "he" clasps his hands and tilts his head). Also, in Lucien's Diary, Lucien mentions that he has a dream about "A blind, hooded woman, and other figures, shadowed and gaunt". It is possible that the middle figure could be Theresa, or just the game developers recycling other character skins in the form of shadows.
- In Fable II, Theresa highly resembles Kreia from the role-playing game Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. Both possess similar manipulations during the background of the storyline (they hide their true intentions until the very end), and both have a certain affinity for the main character, guiding them through the journey and providing useful information. They are also both blind and of almost identical appearance, and also both have a tendency to refer to their companions by nicknames, unless speaking to them directly, although the ones Theresa uses are much less derogatory.
- In Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it is shown and stated through a cutscene that her eyes were cut out by the bandit leader, who was later revealed to be Jack of Blades. In Fable II she has blue glowing eyes instead of sockets, as if her eyes were never lost. It is unknown how she got her eyes back, although it is possible that she can still see using the Will itself or that she merely has glass eyes.
- In Fable III, Theresa has the same type of eyes as an evil hero or just no eyes, just black sockets.
- Theresa is very similar to the mythological Tiresias. Outside of having similar names, both are blind seers, they appear only to heroes, and both seem to be immortal.
- In Fable III, the player can dig up a portrait of Theresa in Millfields where the old gypsy camp was in Fable II.
- In Fable: The Journey Theresa seems to have a drastic change of attire, her regular hood gaining a more cartoonish style and her eyes covered by a blindfold. It also appears her hair has changed, the colour black instead of red and more open. She also appears to look much younger.
- Her name is derived from the Greek "to harvest", which could link to the farm/country like area of Oakvale.
Video
Theresa's first appearance in Fable II (at the 3:03 mark, to the left)
Gallery
