One of the biggest questions surrounding the Fable reboot in the works at Playground Games is how much of the original setting of Albion it'll use. Thus far, Playground has said that it wants to apply lots of original ideas to the Fable IP. While taking that creative liberty could make for a refreshing game, there's also a lot to be gained from using the original Albion in Fable 4. Lionhead Studios wrote tons of lore for Albion, fleshing the world out and filling it with rich history and pivotal characters. One of those characters is William Black, the first magic user in Albion and the distant ancestor of every Fable protagonist.
Legends about William Black crop up throughout the Fable series. One of the most important aspects of his life story is that he disappeared in his old age, never to be seen again. However, the Fable franchise heavily hints that William yet lives as another character in the franchise named Scythe. If Playground Games takes notes from Albion in its new version of Fable, it should look at Lionhead's ideas for William Black and reuse them. The first savior of Albion would be a fantastic character to put at the heart of a new Fable game, whatever the game's plot may be.
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William Black's story begins deep in Albion's past, when the world was ruled over by malevolent extraplanar beings known as the Court, ruling Albion from the Void. The Court's tyrannical rule would only fall thanks to William Black. He was born capable of performing incredible supernatural feats, which gave Fable's magic system its name: the Powers of Will. With the help of these powers and the Sword of Aeons, William Black fought and destroyed the members of the Court — save for the Jack of Blades, who went on to become the first Fable game's antagonist.
Unfortunately, William's battle in the Void wracked his body with a terrible illness that threatened to consume him. Although he ruled Albion for some time, he eventually had to retreat to the Void to cast off his illness. He was partially successful, but even so, he vanished in a set of blue and gold armor. The Fable games suggest that this isn't the end of William's story, though. Much later, a mysterious necromancer named Scythe appeared. Wearing similar armor, Scythe taught the founder of the Heroes' Guild to use the Powers of Will, essentially giving magic to humanity. Although William Black never appeared again, Scythe continued to influence the events of the Fable games.
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In a way, it's surprising that Fable never really explored William Black in any greater depth. Fable's protagonists are often too occupied by encroaching evils to look into their ancestor's disappearance much. Playground Games ought to change that. If it decides to keep Fable's lore mostly intact, then it should give Scythe a leading role and explore the question of whether or not he really is William Black. Maybe a new incarnation of Jack of Blades will threaten Albion, causing the game's protagonist to team up with Scythe in order to use his uncanny expertise on fighting members of the Court and beings from the Void.
A narrative like that would be a great opportunity to explore William Black at the end of his days. If he is Scythe, then he's seemingly achieved immortality, but maybe Fable 4 can weave a story about Scythe's Will powers waning, leaving him too weak to stop whatever force threatens Albion. The Fable 4 protagonist could then inherit the dying Scythe's teachings and powers, truly making them William Black's heir as they stop the Void just like did.
This is only one way that Playground Games could explore this piece of lore, as William's story has tons of potential. There's plenty of other Fable lore that could come up in Fable 4, too.Longtime fans would certainly be delighted to see the original Fable trilogy continue to have an impact, even though the IP is in the hands of a completely different team. William Black's mystery showcases the incredible world that Lionhead built in its time. Playground Games should bear in mind that it's inheriting more than an IP – it's also inheriting a fleshed-out world dense with stories.
Fable 4 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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