Every Fable fan is well aware of the nation of Albion, which serves as the central setting for the majority of the franchise. No matter what Fable game a player picks up, the protagonist is generally tasked with vanquishing whatever villainous forces threaten Albion, and oftentimes they end up ruling Albion thanks to their heroic deeds. It's a pretty fleshed out nation that's seen a lot of growth over the years, and by playing through the core Fable trilogy, players can see Albion evolve from a medieval nation to a highly industrial country with factories and firearms. In the process, players become familiar with every corner of the country, even as it changes across generations of protagonists.
However, there's a lot to the Fable world outside of Albion. Although Lionhead Games never really made Fable games that took place outside of the nation, it frequently referenced the world outside of Albion through central plot elements, sidequests, and simple lore notes scattered throughout the Fable games. It turns out that the Fable world is actually a whole lot bigger than just Albion; players have just never had the chance to see much of it. Fable is under new management at Playground Games, however, which means that the many mysterious lands outside of Albion could finally get greater visibility in Fable 4.
Fable's Various Lands and Nations
Arguably the best known country outside of Albion is the desert nation of Samarkand. The Fable games frequently reference Samarkand as a major trading partner of Albion's, providing the nation with various innovations such as katanas and gunpowder. Although the games sometimes indicate Samarkand lies west of Albion, Theresa claims that it's in the east. Beyond Samarkand, Fable also hints at a land called the Eastern Kingdom, which is far across the globe from Albion. This place is mostly a mystery, but Theresa seemingly visited the Eastern Kingdom as well as Samarkand sometime after the first Fable game.
To the south of Albion, there's a desert nation called Aurora, separated from Albion by a sea. This country is one of few to appear in the Fable games. Featured in Fable 3, the Hero of Brightwall travels to Aurora to fight the Darkness that has overwhelmed the nation. After the Hero saves Aurora, it becomes a part of Albion as a protectorate. Beyond Aurora, there's another region simply called the South Islands. Although very little is known about the South Islands, the Snowspire Oracle indicates that two notable Fable Heroes, Thunder and Whisper, are from this location.
The Snowspire Oracle also mentions another mysterious location: the Cities of the West. Of all the known regions beyond Albion, the Cities of the West are some of the least explored, mainly known as where questgiver Belle Rennock goes after finishing her lengthy questline, The Archaeologist. Lastly, the Edgelands lie to the north of Albion. This historic lands are filled with ruins of ancient civilizations; although it was once sparsely populated, its denizens largely abandoned it due to the actions of Reaver Industries in Fable 3. The Edgelands made an appearance in Fable: The Journey, as Gabriel and Theresa passed through it to get to the Spire.
Fable 4 Could Fill In Fable's Map
It's a little surprising that Fable has established so many notable places in this world, yet explored so few of them. Albion remains the Hero's turf, rather than any of Fable's other nations. Maybe Playground Games will change that, assuming it decides to use Fable's usual setting. There's definitely a lot of potential in bringing one or more of these environments to life. By now, Albion's terrain and culture are very familiar to Fable fans, so a game that spotlights the culture of Samarkand or the South Islands would be a breath of fresh air. The new Fable game's reveal trailer suggests a pretty traditional Fable setting, but that could just be the protagonist's homeland. The real adventure may lie beyond Fable 4's horizon.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.