Albion

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Giants in the marshes of Albion

Albion is a small island located in the Great Ocean, near and to the west of the Old World. ^[3a]

It is said that it rains every day in Albion, and 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 human tribes, led by Truthsayers, guardians of the mysterious Ogham Stones, and inhabited by creatures such as Giants and the strange Fimir.

History

Truthsayer legends claim that that the isle of Albion was a bright and sunny island, where crops grew and the ancestors of the Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, and Giants received tutelage from godlike beings guiding theem towards enlightenment and their plans for the development of the world. ^[3a]

According to the people of Morien, the islands were united under king Agam Rund who was aided by a powerful bardic wizard, Bavian and established the Code of Agam Rund to help govern the lands. ^[4]

The Ogham Circles that dot Albion were erected by the giants of the land, under instruction from the Truthsayers during the Coming of Chaos, and work to calm down the Winds of Magic that blow from the Realm of Chaos at the north pole of the world. The awful weather and the degeneration of men on the island to barbarians are consequences of this magical influx, whilst centuries of inbreeding dulled the minds of the local giants. ^[3a]

A Tilean explorer and conqueror, Curious Geasar, the First Citizen of Remas, reaches the shores of the misty islands and attempts to conquer the native barbarians to boost his status at home. He was unsuccessful, despite offering them the delights of Tilean culture and after a hard fight came to terms. He demanded that he was allowed to take the two biggest Giants of Albion with him as hostages. However on his arrival back in Tilea he was assassinated and the now Hengus the Druid and the two giants roam now the Old World as mercenaries.^[5]

Shadows Over Albion

After the Chaos Incursion in IC 2302, the cursed Daemon Prince Be'lakor managed to escape his fate of madness and imprisonment and started to materialize in the Citadel of Lead in northeastern Albion. He misguided some of the Truthsayers to became his Dark Emissaries, to help him regain corporeal form. The Dark Emissaries roamed the World in search of any evil, warmongering, ambitious or at least greedy, leader who would come to the Islands of Albion to divert the energies of the Stone Circles and allow their Dark Master to materialise.

Those Truthsayers who were not corrupted also travelled the world, to find help against their fallen brothers. Thanks to their efforts, fleets of all nations and races set sail to Albion, either to help or to stop the Dark Master and to earn the artefacts of the Old Ones. Both Dark Emissaries and Truthsayers summoned the mindless Fen Beasts to do their bidding.

• The Orcs and Goblins made landfall at the Muddy Point on southern Albion;
• The cursed Vampire Thrashlaar the Vile of the Strigoi bloodline started his campaign of terror;
• The Dark Elves beached two of their Black Arks on the northern shores of Albion and created Nagronath, a new, black city;
• Men of the Empire successfully conquered some territory and established the new province of Neuland.
• At the end the Slann magically changed 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 centre of Albion and founded a new city, called Konquata.

In the aftermath of the campaign, the Dark Emissaries fled from the island and the Truthsayers followed to hunt them down. Both sold their service to other armies in the World as mercenaries, using their ability to raise and control Fen Beasts for the benefit of their employers.

Albion was also the site of a fierce battle between Gotrek Gurnisson, Felix Jaeger, Loremaster Teclis on one side, and the oldest Giant in the world.^[2]

Locations

Four large and many small islands make up Albion. ^[4]

• Major islands: Aeryn, Albary, Great Albion, Morien. ^[4]

Gallery

• 

  This map shows the position of Albion in the Old World (upper left corner).

• 

  The island of Albion

• 

  The recent incursions into Albion are shown in this map.

• 

  An outdated map of Albion.^[1]

Notes

Albion is clearly based upon Celtic Britain:

• "Albion" is an ancient name for Britain;
• The Truthsayers are sometimes described as druids and appear to be modeled on the romantic portrayals of these priests;
• The saying "It always rains in Albion" is an exaggeration of a modern British saying;
• "Ogham" is the name of the Druids' written language, used in the Iron Age.
• Several geographic features have similar names and locations to real-world British counterparts:
  • The "Isle of Wights' (Isle of Wight;
  • The Giant's Causeway
  • The decoration "Here be Whales" is in an equivalent position to the country of Wales.
• "Curious Geasar, First Citizen of Remas" is likely a tribute to Julius Caesar, the one-time dictator of the Roman Republic:
  • During his campaigns in Gaul (present-day France), Caesar twice attempted to invade Britannia, in BC 55 and BC 54, but was repulsed because his landings were heavily opposed.
  • Caesar was later assassinated after his return to Rome.

Sources

• 1: Storm Warriors (Novel), Frontspiece
• 2: Giantslayer (Novel) by William King, ^{Needs Citation}
• 3: Archives of the Empire Vol III
  • 3a: Chapter IV: Minor Gods, Folk Worship & Hedgecraft, pg. 57
• 4: White Dwarf 137 (UK): Storm Warriors, pg. 55
• 5: White Dwarf 233 (UK) Hengus the Druid & The Giants of Albion, pg. 10-11