Albion

From Warhammer - The Old World - Lexicanum
Revision as of 08:55, 28 December 2007 by Gorbad Ironclaw (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Wildorksymbol.JPG
Stub

This article is a stub. You can help the Lexicanum
by expanding it.

Template:Interlex

File:Map of Albion.jpg
Map of Albion (German one)

Albion is a small, secluded island region of the Northwestern coast of Bretonnia, in the Great Ocean. It is said that it rains every day in Albion, the islands are shrouded in mist and heavy fog and the land is predominantly bogs, marshes and fens. This damp and gloomy environment is roamed by tribes of Men, led by Truthsayers, guardian of the mysterious Ogham Stones, and inhabited by creatures such as Giants and the strange Fimir.

An Tilean explorer and conqueror - Courious Gesar, the so-called First Citizen of Remas - one time reached the shores of the misty islands and tried to bring the native barbarians his view of Tilean culture. Also he wasn't sucessfull, he took Hengus, the Druid and the two biggest Giants of Albion with him as hostages. Back in Tilea he was assassinated and the giants roam now the old World as Dogs of War.

The stone circles - errected by the Lizardmen and the High Elves during the First Great War against Chaos - are part of ancient magical devices, that work to calm down the Winds of Magic that blow from the Realm of Chaos at the north pole of the Warhammer World. The realy awfull weather and the degeneration of man on the island to Barbarians of the stone age or - at best - early iron age are consequences of this magical influx.

After the second Great War against Chaos the cursed Demon Prince Be'lakor managed to escape his fate of madness and imprisonment and started to materialisize in the Citadel of Lead in the north eastern Albion. He misguided some of the Truthsayers, that became his Dark Emissaries, that tried to help him, to get corporal form again. The Dark Emissaries roamed the Warhammer World, to guide any evil, warmongering, ambitious or at least greedy General, Army Leader, King or Orc Warlord to the Islands of Albion, to weaken those powers, that tried to stop their Dark Master from materialisation. On the other hand those Truthsayers, that weren't corrupted, travelled also the world to find help against their fallen brothers. So fleets of all States and Races set sail to reach the shores of Albion to help or to stop the Dark Master and to earn the artifacts of the Old Ones. Both - Dark Emissaries and Truthsayers - summoned the mindless Fen Beasts to do their biddings.

So the events of Shadows over Albion took place.

The Orcs and Goblins made landfall at the Muddy Point on southern Albion and the cursed Vampire Trashlar of the Strigoi bloodline started his campaign of terror while the Dark Elves drove two of their Black Arks of Naggaroth onto the northern shores of Albion and created Nagronath - a new, black city. Men of the Empire successfully conquered some territory and founded the new province of Neuland. At the end the Slann changed magically the weather on the island and the Lizardmen started to grow a new jungle around the Forge of the Old Ones in a deep valley in the center of Albion and founded their new city, which was named Konquata.

In the aftermath of the Shadows over Albion the Dark Emissaries fled from the island and the Truthsayers followed them to hunt them down. Both sold their service to other armies in the whole Warhammer World as Dogs of War, using their ability to raise and control Fen Beast for the benefit of their employers.

Historical Influences

Many parallels can be drawn between Albion and Celtic Britain:

  • Most tellingly, 'Albion' is an ancient name for Britain.
  • The Truthsayers are sometimes described as druids, and conform to romantic notions of real Druids.
  • 'It always rains in Albion' is an exaggeration of Britains temperate (and often wet) climate.
  • 'Ogham' is the name of the Druids written language used in the iron age.

Sources