The following is the first in a series of exclusive extracts from the renowned Arrowmark- based historian Brian Bifford’s upcoming book, Albion: A Biography. We at the Friends of Albion Historical Society are excited to share them thanks to our partnership with The Fine Print bookshop in Bowerstone. (The Fine Print Bookshop: “Lose yourself in both book and shop.”)

On the Dark Origins of Albion

“Where do we come from?”

The people of Albion have long pondered this question. Well, at least some of us have. Other, less naturally inquisitive, minds don’t seem to think about it much at all. Or they happily believe a folktale told to them by their Grandad, in which an amorous giant sired Albion upon a mountain.

“But,” I asked my Grandad, “if this were true... where did the giant come from? Or the mountain?” The man had no answer.

For you see, dear reader, I care little for folktales or fairy stories. Instead, through rigorous research and painstaking documentation, I believe I have unearthed the true facts of Albion’s history.

We all know the legends, of course. Once upon a time, Albion was a verdant land of uncompromising, gentle beauty. But, the story goes, this beauty was coveted. And so, Albion fell under the rule of three beings: the Jack of Blades, the Knight of Blades, and the Queen of Blades. Together they were known as the “Court” and, it is said, they were not of Albion. They wore masks to hide that they had no human face. But they were powerful and cruel. And their reign was a time of suffering, torment, and misery.

How did it end? We all know this legend, too. Old Kingdom writings suggest that a small number of ordinary people suddenly gained great command of magic, channelling it through their “Will”. These Will-wielding “Heroes” were led by the legendary first of their kind, William Black, and his two acolytes, the lesser-known Heroes of Blood and Bower. In this story, the legendary trio defeated the Court and ushered in a new age for Albion’s oppressed peoples.

Yet… other explanations for the end of the Court’s reign can be found. Some writings, for instance, suggest that the cunning, power-hungry Jack of Blades betrayed his two brethren, with his scheme somehow leading to the Court’s downfall. And a few Old Kingdom scholars even suggest the Court merely grew bored, leaving Albion behind in search of new diversions, new lands to conquer, and new, hitherto unmaimed, peasants to torture.

If this were true, The Court could return any time...

But fear not, gentle reader! Because through thorough analysis of these contradictory accounts, I have concluded that the legend of the Court to be a folktale, perhaps even Heroes’ Guild propaganda. The “Court”, in my view, is merely the story of a tyrannical ruler and her oppressive reign, twisted over hundreds of years into something more lurid.

It would make sense, would it not, for the Old Kingdom’s newly emerging Heroic ruling class to create an elaborate fantasy that legitimised their rule? Even today, the legend of the Court can be found celebrated in murals found within the Heroes’ Guild itself.

Or so I’m told. The Guildmaster wouldn’t let me in.

What is undeniable, however, is that when the “Court” was overthrown, the age of Heroes began.