Fable is less known for its background lore, often taking a less-is-more approach to information not relevant to the player’s adventures. Still, while its backstory might not be as long or convoluted as some fantasy games, there is plenty for players to discover if they care to look. A few of these stand out as an excellent basis for events in Playground Game’s upcoming reboot.
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Fable’s Dragons and Griffons
Dragons are an iconic part of the fantasy genre, but these flying reptiles are nearly absent in Fable. Jack of Blades turns into one at the end of Fable: The Lost Chapters, but the Old Kingdom hunted the real dragons to extinction long before the games take place. However, they were once very important to Albion’s Heroes, serving as a mount for an order called the Dragon Knights. Founded by the legendary Hero Holdr, the Knight’s wielded flame-shaped blades such as Fable’s Solus Greatsword and took part in thousands of battles across the land.
While dragons are bit players in Fable’s universe, griffins are even more obscure. Fable mentions these mythical beasts exactly once in the description of the Griffin Back Tattoo. These creatures existed long before Albion’s Old kingdom and had a lion’s body with an eagle’s head and wings.
Perhaps Playground’s Fable could have players discover artifacts related to one or both winged beasts and maybe even feature their unexpected return. Exploring the new Fable’s open world sounds much more exciting from the back of a flying monster, and even Fable’s creator Peter Molyneux thinks rideable dragons are a good idea. At the very least, stumbling across some more Dragon Knight or Griffin Lore would be a great way to flesh out Fable’s world.
The World Beyond Albion
Most Fable fans are probably aware that the kingdom of Albion is not the only country in the game’s world. Fable 3 saw players visit the desert realm land of Aurora. Meanwhile, the novel Fable: Edge of the World takes place partly within the Empire of Samarkand, whose name also cropped up periodically in the games. The vaguely Asian-inspired land is best known as the homeland of the Fable 2 character Garth. Various pieces of flavor text additionally reveal it to be the origin of Albion’s katanas and the first nation in the Fable universe to develop firearms.
It’s arguably past time that Samarkand appeared in one of the games, but it’s still not the most obscure corner of Fable’s world. Another Fable novel, The Balverine Order, takes place largely in an unnamed continent east of Albion. The continent was once home to a branch of the Hero’s guild founded by a group of legendary heroes called The Triumvirate. Unfortunately, there’s not much information about the Triumvirate or this eastern continent outside the few locations the book’s protagonists visit.
The book also contains the only depiction of Albion’s western shore, which has never appeared in any game. Meanwhile, the novel’s framing narrative occurs in an unknown kingdom far from “distant Albion.” Neither region is fleshed out, but that means Playground games would be free to expand upon it however the studio wants.
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Fable’s Tropical Islands
Speaking of the world beyond Albion’s shores, the Fable series references various tropical islands south of Albion and Aurora. Whisper and Thunder, the player’s rival Heroes in Fable 1, hail from the somewhat blandly named South Islands. Fans don’t know much about this region, but it is implied to have some resemblance to the Caribbean.
It’s also unclear if the Southern Islands are related to “The Other Land” described in the in-game book of the same name. The book recounts the story of refugees taking to the sea to escape the oppression of Albion’s Old Kingdom. One ship discovered an unnamed tropical island where the natives welcomed them as guests. However, the travelers brought diseases the natives had never encountered before, and the resulting plague killed most of the local population.
Not knowing how to work the strange land or hunt its animals, the settlers soon died of starvation. The surviving locals eventually rebuilt their civilization, constructing a fortress to keep other colonists out. Some Fable fans believe the book describes Albion’s first contact with ancient Aurora. However, Aurora’s scorching desert doesn’t match the book’s tropical paradise, leaving open the possibility that it may appear in future games.
Reaver stumbled across yet another island in his travels as a pirate captain. His diary in Fable 2 says that the island is far to Albion’s south, “among waters of an indescribable blue.” The people there apparently don’t wear clothes, drink “a syrupy liqueur made from an obscenely-shaped fruit,” and are frisky even by Reaver’s standards. While that island may be a bit too spicy for Fable, there seems to be no shortage of southern landmasses. Traveling to one of these regions could make for a fun side adventure or an ideal setting for potential DLC.
The Origin of Fable’s Balverines
Balverines are Fable’s take on werewolves, having a weakness to silver and transforming their victims with a bite. While most are little more than beasts, others are fully sentient and can control their transformations to various degrees. They’ve appeared in every Fable game and are one of the series’ most iconic monsters.
While Balverines are common in Albion, their origins are more obscure. According to the Snowspire Oracle in Fable: The Lost Chapters, modern Balverines descend from an ancient monster called The Balvorn. This creature preyed upon Albion’s first humans, devouring thousands at a time. Only one person ever survived the Balvon’s bite, and it transformed them into the first Balverine.
The canceled Fable: Legends would have expanded upon the story, revealing that the Balvon’s final victim was the Hero who slew it. After the Hero-turned Balverine died, strange flowers grew from his grave, spreading the curse to those who smelled them. However, the game’s cancelation raises questions about whether these new details are canon. Still, the Balvorn remains an important but easily overlooked part of the lore. Playground Games’ Fable has an excellent opportunity to expand upon it.
Fable is in development.
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