William Black

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Contents 1 History 1.1 Birth of William Black 1.2 Fall of the Court 1.3 Rise of Albion 2 Scythe 3 Trivia

[edit] History

[edit] Birth of William Black

In the days when the people still suffered under The Court's cruelty, a humble blacksmith and his wife had a boy. They named him William Black, and he would become the key to save Albion.

Little is known about William's youth. As a grown man he amazed others with the powers of his mind, by which he was able to protect his village and perform feats not a dozen other men could equal. These acts came to be celebrated as the "Powers of Will".

[edit] Fall of the Court

William grew obsessed with the Court, determined to find a way to overthrow it. One night, while consulting a mysterious tome, he was suddenly transported from Albion into the Void. Here he met Jack, who sat on a throne surrounded by ghastly figures. Jack tried to enslave William with the power of an ornate sword, but Will fought back and managed to steal the sword before escaping the netherworld.

Back in Albion the sword spoke to William. It called itself the Sword of Aeons, and it promised to help him defeat the Court, but only if William offered his soul in bondage. With the Sword of Aeons, William set off to find the Court.

William scaled the peak of Ruon, Albion's highest mountain and challenged the Court to combat. The Knight of Blades appeared first, and, wielding the Sword of Aeons, William destroyed him completely.

Next the Jack of Blades appeared. They fiercely stuck at one another until William broke Jack's body. However, unknown to most, Jack was not truly slain, and Jack's soul escaped to the Void and possibly took refuge in his mask.

The Queen of Blades was the last to face William. For weeks their battle raged across Albion. Mountains were raised and valleys were formed by their mighty blows. At last, William slew the Queen and freed the people from their yoke. They acclaimed William, who now took the title Archon, as their king.

[edit] Rise of Albion

Once he had vanquished the Court, the Archon set his mind to unifying Albion into a great kingdom. His powers of Will were so great that it seemed the world reshaped itself in accordance with his wishes. Cities were built in a week's time and marvelous machines were constructed that ran on Will alone. Through a thousand years of peace, Albion reigned as the greatest center of commerce and philosophy the world had ever known.

But without an enemy to vanquish, the Archons grew petty and cruel. They called themselves Heroes and used their powers of Will to terrorize the people. A younger Archon 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. 

Thus began the corruption of The Kingdom.

A descendant of the Archon later constructed a great tower that stretched thousands of feet into the sky. This tower was named the Spire, and it had the power to grant wishes. As soon as the spire was completed, the Archon made a single wish that wiped clean the corrupt world to make way for a 'Purer one' this is told to the Bowerstone Hero by Theresa. Later, Lucien Fairfax rebuilds the spire so that he may bring back his deceased wife and child. Due to his knowledge of the spire, he knows that he will be stopped by four heroes, so he kills the Heroes older sister; Rose, and shoots the Hero through the stained glass window hundreds of stories up in Fairfax Castle. At the end of the game, Lucien kills the Heroes dog, and his family (if he had one) and attempts to make his wish using the completed spire. The Hero (or Reaver, if you wait) then kills him, and the Hero may choose one of the three wishes provided.

[edit] Scythe

Main article: Scythe

It is stated in the Tales of Albion that Scythe trained Nostro, the founder of the Heroes Guild. Scythe was said to have appeared in a worn, tarnished gold armor and a tattered blue cloak in a similar fashion as what William Black wore when he vanished. The book greatly implies that Scythe may be William Black.

[edit] Trivia

• In the game, Overlord, there is a villain by the name of Sir William the Black. This is possibly a joke due to the similarities to the two games. (Both set in fantasy lands, both games have a morality system etc.)
• William's story shares some elements with Wheldon and the Avenger, namely a personal exchange (soul) for the power of the sword.