Albion (Fable)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albion is a fictional world featured in the video game Fable. It is similar to Medieval England, although geographically it better resembles Wales. Albion is a land without a central ruler, being made up of various city-states with lawless stretches of plains and forest in between. The entire game takes place within this world.
Contents |
[edit] History
Little is known about Albion's history due to a long period of decline. It is known that the land of Albion was once led by an ancient royal bloodline, which culminated with the rule of Archon. By this time, Albion was a peaceful and prosperous land, with Archon's kingdom ruling over every corner of Albion. However, Archon came into possession of an ancient and powerful sword that gradually began to corrupt him and, eventually, his entire kingdom. Numerous mammoth construction projects were begun to create strange structures all over Albion, and mysterious, enormous guards began guarding the four main energy sources of Albion and Archon's castle. New deadly creatures began roaming throughout the land, terrorizing the people of Albion as a 'darkness' spread far and wide throughout the world.
Sometime after this, Archon and his sword vanished, bringing a sudden collapse to his kingdom. However, the 'darkness' remained, casting a wave of fear throughout Albion.
By the time Fable takes place, the world has slowly deteriorated from the days of the 'Old Kingdom'. Most people live in the small city-states that dot the countryside. The lands outside these cities are plagued by banditry and vicious creatures. Traders that travel through the country side are regularly killed by these forces, with some hiring mercenaries to protect them. The infrastructure of walls and roads built during the Old Kingdom have gradually deteriorated.
Fable 2 seems to highlight the future of Albion. It looks like it is several centuries in the future where Albion seems to be in the Renaissance age as evidenced by the early firearms present in the E3 trailer.
Because Albion is similar to Great Britain it is likely that you will be able to play in a new landmass (as contrast to the discovery of America in real life)
[edit] The Heroes' Guild
One of the most prominent institutions during this time is the Heroes' Guild. Operating out of the former royal castle of the Old Kingdom, (which may or may not be Archon's capital, but due to the fact that the sword of aeons is located here it seems likely). the Guild is a center of learning and training for Heroes, renowned mercenaries that are active in all parts of Albion. Through the Guild, Heroes are contracted as thieves, soldiers, guards, rescuers, and many other jobs the people of Albion are willing to pay Heroes to perform.
Beginning at a young age, students at the Guild are instructed in swordsmanship, archery, magic, and intellectual study. However, Heroes after graduation are not bound to follow the orders of the Guild. This is highlighted in the number of heroes who choose to engage in more criminal activities, such as Twinblade, a former Hero who became the leader of a prominent gang of bandits. The tendency of Heroes to walk both light and dark paths upon their graduation may be in part due to the amoral nature of the Guild itself, which routinely runs contracts for criminal activities and seems to fail to possess a code of morality common among organizations like it.
The Guild is not without its share of detractors. Numerous books and pamphlets in Albion call for the abolishment of the Guild, highlighting its characteristics of vanity, celebrity, and perceived superiority.
[edit] Society
[edit] Law
The land of Albion 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. Obviously, murder is considered incredibly evil and so is breaking into a house, theft or attacking innocent civilians and guards, but the worst that can ever happen to you is a fine and being thrown from the town at the same time. There are also prostitutes in Albion but it isn't explicit as to whether this is legal or not. In Fable: Lost Chapters, there is a prostitute house, which the player can either keep as a prostitute house or change into a woman's refuge.
[edit] Economy
The economy is completely unregulated and based primarily on agriculture, trade, and services, with little industrial activity prevalent in the country. The currency of Albion is the gold coin, and nearly every tradable 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.
[edit] 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 nighttime. There are also various games played about Albion, most notably Oakvale's "Chicken Kicking" contest, the Albion Fishing Competition held in Greatwood and the Archery Contest in Witchwood.
The Arena also provides gladitorial style combat entertainment for those who will make the journey out to Witchwood.
[edit] Magic
Magic, known as Will, exists in Albion, but is fairly rare in normal society. Only members of the Guild of Heroes are ever seen utilizing it. It is said in Fable:the Lost Chapters by the Snowspire Oracle that during the time of Fable, Will energy is at an all-time low, and that Will is most abundant under the temples of Skorm and Avo.
Will can be harnessed to alter the physical world, such as slowing down time, to inflict damage on opponents, such as Will lightning, or simply perform other useful conjurations, such as summoning ghost blades or creating multiple magic arrows when firing one's bow.
Will also seems to have a Good and Evil balance to it. Some spells are easier or harder to learn with certain ethical alignments. These spells can only be mastered by users with the same alignment, which can be a pain for those willing to learn the last level of a spell but are of the completely opposite alignment.
[edit] Religion
Religion is based upon the worship of two deities: Avo and Skorm. Avo is a benevolent deity, worshipped in a temple in Witchwood through the giving of tithes. Skorm is a devil-like deity, demanding human sacrifices in exchange for temporal power.
In Fable: The Lost Chapters it is said by the Oracle that even though almost all of the inhabitants of Albion believe in Avo as god, and Skorm as a type of devil, and that gifts can be magically bestowed upon those who do their work, it is revealed that these deities are frauds invented only a few hundred years ago by an enterprising merchant. While true gods and demons did once exist in primordial times before the rise of humanity, they are no longer active within Albion; legends state that they were slain long ago by the ancestor of the Archon bloodline, using the legendary Sword of Aeons.
[edit] Locations
The Arena: A large gladiatorial coliseum where Albion's best fighters and Heroes gather to battle to the death against hordes of hungry monsters, captured bandits, and occasionally each other. Spectator seating is open to the public, and the bloodly combat is a popular entertainment venue for many of Albion's citizens.
Bargate Prison: An imposing island fortress located far to the north. Bargate is where Albion keeps its long-term prisoners.
Barrow Fields: Outside the hamlet of Oakvale, green pastures and colorful flowers populate this peaceful meadow. Traders have been known to set up campsites in this area.
Bowerstone: The largest city in Albion, Bowerstone is situated on the eastern landmass, north of the Heroes' Guild. It is most likely the safest town in Albion, being surrounded by a large city wall, protected by a large force of guards, and banning weapons and magic of any kind. The town is ruled over by Mayor Elvira Grey, who killed her sister in order to become first in line to the position of mayor. Lady Grey's will is nearly absolute; she has the power to impose the death penalty against individuals simply for insulting her, and publicly hires bandits to attack her less cooperative citizens. The town is divided up into a northern section, which is the more prosperous of the two, and a southern slum where citizens cannot enter the northern section without permission of a resident of the north.
Chapel of Skorm: The place of worship in the forest of Darkwood on the eastern landmass for the followers of the malevolent deity Skorm. The area around the Chapel is perpetually shrouded under a blood-red sky, regardless of the weather or even the time of day. Followers of Skorm lure victims to the chapel to be offered as human sacrifices to Skorm in exchange for such gifts as eternal youth and Skorm's bow. In Fable: The Lost Chapters it is described as a center of "dark" Will energy, being described as giving visitors violent urges and filling their minds with horrific images.
Darkwood: A dark, twisted swamp forest where sunlight is unable to penetrate, Darkwood is feared by many of Albions inhabitants, and populated by some of Albion's nastier creatures, including Hobbes and the horrific Balverines. Darkwood is also a main trading route between cities.
Gibbet Woods: This small wooded area lies north of Bowerstone and south of Bargate Prison. It once had residents living in the few houses and the windmill but since the spontaneous appearances of undead and minions it is believed that they were all killed. It also homes the infamous "hangman's hill" where many criminals of Albion await their death at the gallows, and one of the four mysterious Focus Sites.
Greatwood: The temperate forest that surrounds the area south of Bowerstone, Greatwood is probably the least inhospitable of Albion's wild areas, but it is still nonetheless populated by hostile giant insects as well as the sight of frequent bandit ambushes.
Greatwood plays host to the renowned Orchard Farm and the infamous Hobbe Caves.
Heroes' Guild: The headquarters of the Heroes' Guild is located on the eastern landmass, south of Bowerstone. The grounds are made up of a large castle, a building for housing the servants, gardens, training ranges, a private forest, and a stream passing through the grounds. The site itself is an Old Kingdom fortress, possibly the site of Archon's Castle.
The Guild houses many treasures, including the legendary sword Avo's Tear(Fable: The Lost Chapters only) and the Murren Greathammer. The Sword of Aeons is supposedly locked within the Chamber of Fate in the Guild where it can only be removed with the Septimal Key.
The outside of the Guild boasts a robust gatehouse, a title vendor, the Boasting Platform and, in Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Primal Demon Door in which Sages of the Old Kingdom were imprisioned to guard the Fire Heart. The Fire Heart is a mythical item which calls the Ship of the Drowned.
Hook Coast: A seaside town founded by monks of the Old Kingdom. It is covered in snow for much of the year, and perpetually shrouded in fog. Hook Coast is a mysterious town, with strange people and an old lighthouse that is the topic of many legends.
Knothole Glade: Situated in the middle of Witchwood on the western landmass of Albion, Knothole Glade is often under attack by various enemies. It was founded by woodcutters, and the Celtic-influenced architecture represents this.
Lychfield Graveyard: The largest gravesite in Albion, it is used by nearly all the towns on the mainland save for Oakvale which built its own in the wake of the bandit attack. It is rumoured (with good founding) to be haunted by the spirits of the deceased and roamed by fear-inspiring Undead creatures.
Oakvale: A small port town located on the southern end of the eastern landmass. The town was the sight of the bloodiest bandit raid in the history of Albion, with much of the village burning down and most of the citizens being slaughtered. Those that survived rebuilt the town , and it is once again a prosperous port.
Old Kingdom Passages: Ever since Nostro the Gatekeep has been killed, these passageways have been blocked to all. If opened, the trail of a dead forest beckons forth to the old graveyard circle, where the spirits of the dead are unable to rest. The doorway there heads down into passageways that lead to Bargate Prison. The path emerges on one of the small archipelagos around Bargate prison but most of it is underground.
Temple of Avo: A small temple set up south of Knothole Glade, which collects tithes for the deity Avo. The monks at the temple are in possession of some of the most powerful artifacts from the Old Kingdom.
Twinblade's Camp: A large mass of tents on a defensible hill, it is the home of the Bandit King, Twinblade. It is filled with dangerous bandits, deadly assassins and more than one shocking plot twist
Witchwood: A thick, mist-filled forest on an island off the coast of Albion's main landmass. Witchwood is infested with Balverines, as well as the occasional bandit group.
Archon's Folly An altar/volcano in which the player has a showdown with Jack of Blade's dragon form. It lies beyond the Broze Gate, and the magma that surrounds the ruined altar might explain why the Gate is boiling hot despite being located in the Northern Wastes.
It was rumoured that the Archon forged the Sword of Aeons in the fire behind the Bronze Gate, hence the name. Another plausible origin of Archon's Folly is that it is the "birthplace" of Jack of Blades, quite reasonable considering it seems to be the only place that could destroy his soul mask.
Archon's Shrine: Located in the Northern Wastes just outside of Snowspire, the Shrine is a complicated mystical mechanism that can only be activated by fueling it with the souls of 3 great Heroes. The Shrine controls the ancient Bronze Gate, which leads to Archon's Folly, a ruined palace of the Old Kingdom arrogantly built inside an active volcano. Albion lore holds that when the Bronze Gate opens, it will bring about the End of the World.
The Necropolis: A veritable city of the dead, a horror story frozen by both time and the ices of the North. Its denizens are said to not even be aware of their death, forever drifting between the very alive dangers that fill the city.
Northern Wastes: A land mass to the northwestern tip of Albion, subsequently forgotton by the people of its time. It is believed to be a complete frigid wasteland, even though some parts still inhabit life-forms. Access to the Northern Wastes (although it was believed to be called by a different name in its day) came to a sudden halt after the days of the Old Kingdom, ships never appeared in the harbor at The Lost Bay and probably any ship that tried to find its way got lost at sea. Other areas of the Northern Wastes are just barren tundra home to many vicious predators of ice.
Snowspire: Snowspire is an ancient town located deep in the Northern Wastes on the eastern landmass. The oracle of Albion is located there.
