William Black

William Black, also known as Scythe, is a posthumous character in . He was the first, and arguably the strongest, Hero to ever live. He was best known for discovering the power of Will, defeating The Court, and becoming the first and greatest Archon of the Old Kingdom. He was a master of Strength, Skill and Will. He is the progenitor of the heroic archon bloodline, making him the ancestor to the protagonists and their relatives within the Fable trilogy.
==Biography==
=== Birth of William Black ===
In the days when Albion 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 no other could equal. These acts came to be celebrated as the "Powers of Will".
=== 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. There he met Jack of Blades, who sat on a throne surrounded by ghastly figures. Jack attempted to enslave William with the power of an ornate sword, but William 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 in hand, William set off to end the Court's rule for good. 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 had destroyed Jack's physical body. However, unknown to most, Jack was not truly slain, for his soul escaped to the Void and 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 torment. They acclaimed William, who now took the title Archon, as their new king.
=== Rise of Albion ===
With the Court gone, 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 mere weeks, and extravagant machines were constructed that ran on Will alone. Through a thousand years of peace, Albion reigned as the greatest centre of commerce and philosophy the world had ever known. The Archon bore many descendants during this age of fortune, all of whom shared his powerful Will abilities through his bloodline. These descendants were also deemed Archons.
But without an enemy to vanquish, the Archons grew petty and cruel. They called themselves Heroes and used their powers of Will to terrorize their subjects. The first 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. To combat this illness, he returned to the Void and forcefully cast it from his body, fearing that it would one day control him and use him to rule Albion and twist it to the dark wishes of the Void. William was partially successful in expelling that which plagued him, but it soon took form in the Void, spawning the being known as The Corruptor, and with it, The Corruption. With remnants of the disease still decomposing his body, William adorned golden armour and a large, royal blue cloak, before disappearing without a trace.
It was at this moment that the corruption of The Kingdom truly began. With every new Archon, the Tyranny grew. Walls were built to keep citizens in, and undesirables out. A forced census system was initiated so that when an alarm sounded, every inhabitant of a town or village must congregate at the centre of town for a headcount. An Archon ordered the construction of an Oracle in the town of Snowspire. When the Oracle was first used, it predicted the fall of the kingdom in years to come.
The Final Archon ordered a tower to be built. The purpose of this tower was to act as a conduit for all the Will in the world. It was to Focus it, Channel it, and grant it's user a single limitless wish. This tower would be known as The Tattered Spire. When the Archon's wish was told, great darkness enveloped the sky and the entire kingdom was razed in an instant. This was the end of the Old Kingdom and the end of William's empire.
== 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 armour 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. In Fable III, the Scythe tattoo set can be obtained through gifts. In Fable Anniversary's Scythe Content Pack, Scythe's Charity Boots have flavour text referring to him as an Archon, further hinting/confirming that William Black is Scythe. In Fable: The Journey, though not said directly, Theresa makes many comments on William that further conclude that Scythe is indeed the remanence of the first Archon.
== Rose's Letter ==
After making a wish in the Spire, Sparrow receives a letter sent from his/her sister Rose (assuming the Hero chose the "Love" ending), in which she states that she is safe and in the company of a stranger who is "scary, but nice". The stranger also dons a hood and appears as a king. It has been confirmed that this stranger is Scythe, which was suspected anyway since he knows of Rose and her brother and has not made an appearance since the defeat of Jack of Blades in The Lost Chapters of Fable.
==Licensing==
This article contains content derived from the "William Black" article on the Fable Wiki, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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