Fabled Lands
Encyclopedia
Fabled Lands is the name of a series of fantasy gamebook
s written by established gamebook authors Dave Morris
and Jamie Thomson and published by Pan Books, a division of Macmillan
in the mid 90s. Cover art was by Kevin Jenkins with Russ Nicholson
and Arun Pottier providing maps and illustrations.
Originally planned as a twelve-book series, only six were released between 1995 and 1996 before the series was cancelled. The first two books were also printed under the name Quest in the U.S. by publishers Price Stern Sloan.
The books are now back in print and available on Amazon as of December 2010.
A series of iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch applications are being developed by Megara Entertainment. The first app, based on The War-Torn Kingdom, included new colour art and original coloured in art from Russ Nicholson, and was released on January 20, 2011. The second app is due for June, 2011.
A Fabled Lands Role Playing Game and 12 source books based on the original game books are being written by Shane Garvey and Jamie Wallis of Greywood Publishing. The RPG rules are based on the original rules of the game books but have been expanded to accommodate an adventuring party rather than a solo player and a role playing experience rather than a game book. The twelve source books are each based on an area covered by the six published and the six unpublished game books from 1995. The first of these source books is titled Sokara - The War-Torn Kingdom. The RPG and first of the source books are due out in mid 2011.
or Lone Wolf
series) in a number of ways. The most notable of these was the open-ended, free roaming gameplay. Other gamebooks gave the character a set quest
, with some leniency in how they went about accomplishing it; when they completed the quest, the gamebook ended. The Fabled Lands series gave the player an entire fantasy world
to roam around in, doing whatever they wished with no limits or linearity; there was no set quest and there is no way to "finish" the series (unless the player dies). There are hundreds of quests in the six books that were published, of varying lengths. The player is free to pursue these at his leisure, or spend his time doing entirely different things - wandering, trading, exploring or building up his abilities.
Each book contained a different geographic area of the Fabled Lands, and the player could easily travel between regions by switching to another book. The books became increasingly difficult as they progressed, with tougher enemies and harder quests; this was to account for the player becoming more powerful as they went through each book.
Other differences between previous gamebook series included:
Although the final six books in the series have never been published (or even written), Dave Morris has indicated in the past that he is interested in reviving the series:
On September 13, 2010, Dave Morris indicated that the series had a possible chance of a revival on his blog, saying, in response to a fan query about the future of the fabled lands and particularly the book the Serpent King's domain "my lips are sealed, though I will say that Frank Johnson, the head of Fabled Lands LLP, was throwing those same words around last week. He might even have thrown in a labyrinth and some legions :)". In a later announcement, Morris indicated that the publisher was willing to greenlight the production of books 7-12 of the series, provided that the reprintings of books 1-6 each sold approximately ten thousand copies.
The player's initial score in each of these six attributes is determined by their chosen profession. There are six different professions to choose from: Warrior
, Mage
, Priest
, Rogue
, Troubadour
and Wayfarer (a wandering traveller, most similar to Rangers
in other fantasy systems). Each profession is proficient or weak in different abilities; for example, Priests have high SANCTITY but low COMBAT scores, and Wayfarers have high SCOUTING but low CHARISMA scores. The player has opportunities to increase these abilities throughout the books by completing quests. For example, after successfully tracking down a wild boar in a forest, the player can roll two dice
, and if they score higher than their SCOUTING ability they can increase it by 1. No ability can be raised higher than 12, or drop below 1.
When the player is given the opportunity to use an ability, the task is given a Difficulty rating. The player rolls two dice and adds their score in the ability; to succeed in the task, they must score higher than the ability. For example, a player wishes to calm down an angry innkeeper. This might have a CHARISMA score of 9, and the player's CHARISMA ability is 3. The player would have to roll 7 or higher to succeed. It is possible to obtain "blessings" in various abilities from different shrines and temples, which allow the player to reroll failed ability rolls. These work once only, however, and cost money.
Combat in the Fabled Lands is an extension of ability rolls; the enemy's DEFENCE is the Difficulty, and the player uses their COMBAT skill to try to defeat their opponent. The amount the player rolls above the enemy's DEFENCE is how many Stamina points the enemy loses.
The player's own DEFENCE score is equal to their Rank + their COMBAT score + the bonus for any armour they are wearing (if any). Their own Stamina score is given when they begin playing, and can be increased by going up in Rank (which gives them 1d6 Stamina).
The player's starting Rank is equal to the number of the book they begin in (e.g. a player starting in The War-Torn Kingdom begins at 1st Rank, while a player starting in Lords of the Rising Sun begins at 6th Rank). The player can increase Rank by performing extremely difficult taks, such as slaying a dragon or defeating three samurai
in unarmed combat (the book will tell the player when they can increase in Rank).
The player can carry up to 12 possessions, which are marked in bold text (e.g. gold compass). Some items give ability bonuses - for example, an amber wand (MAGIC +1) or a set of splint armour (DEFENCE + 4). The player can carry unlimited amounts of cash.
The series feature a number of smaller quests, which can help the player increase his personal might, status and wealth. Many of these, however, are profession-specific: In the War-Torn Kingdom, for instance, only a Wayfarer will get the Chief Druid's mission on the Druid's Isle, while in The Plains of Howling Darkness only a Rogue may claim the title of 'Nightstalker'.
Set in the land of Sokara, shortly after a civil war
in which the king was overthrown in a military coup. This background provides the book's two major quests; the player can choose to either help the heir to the throne and his band of partisans
regain power, or assist the new leader General Grieve Marlock in crushing the last few pockets of resistance.
Other quests involve assassinating the king of the rat-men infesting the sewers
in the city of Yellowport, looting treasure from the lair of Vayss the Sea Dragon, delivering packages between the druids of the City of Trees and the Forest of Larun, defeating the Black Dragon Knight in combat to the death and rescuing a trapped god from the summit of Devil's Peak.
679 sections, ISBN 0-330-33614-2
Set in the prosperous kingdom of Golnir, wealthy from its rich agriculture
. A common complaint readers had about the second book was that it was far more difficult to find quests than in the first book. There are still several major quests, however, including slaying a dragon
for the Baroness Ravayne (the ruler of Golnir), searching for magical artefacts for the wizard Estragon, bringing to justice a murderer on behalf of his victim's ghost, finding the key of stars to gain access to a treasure filled tomb in the Forest of the Forsaken and making a map of the northern mountains.
The quests in the second book have a more whimsical, fairy tale
nature to them than those in the first book. This gives Golnir a very strong Merry England
atmosphere.
786 sections, ISBN 0-330-33615-0
Set in the Violet Ocean, which separates the northern continent of Harkuna from the southern continent of Ankon-Konu. Travel is severely restricted without a ship, making it a difficult book to start off in, particularly for less experienced gamebook readers. Over the Blood-Dark Sea is also one of the first in the series to feature regular danger - the player is almost always at risk of pirates, storms and even sea monsters
.
Key quests include assassinating Amcha, king of the pirates, enrolling at a wizard's college
in the city of Dweomer to learn magic
, searching for buried treasure
on hidden islands and climbing the enormous mountain
on Starspike Island.
718 sections, ISBN 0-330-34172-3
Set in the Great Steppes, an environment of grassland
s, plains and tundra
similar to Siberia
and Mongolia
. Key quests include liberating the Citadel of Veris Corin for the King of Sokara (closely linked with quests in The War-Torn Kingdom), releasing the King of Harkuna from his prison underneath the Rimewater (closely linked with quests in The Court of Hidden Faces) and killing the immortal tyrant Kaschuf (based on the legend of Koschei
the Deathless) who rules over the village of Vodhya (which requires the player to find and release his soul, hidden on an island in Over The Blood-Dark Sea).
This was the first book in the series to introduce the concept of a harsh environment - out on the Steppes, the player must make constant SCOUTING rolls in order to find enough food, and on the northern steppes the player loses one point of stamina a day from the cold, unless they have a wolf pelt to keep warm.
710 sections, ISBN 0-330-34173-1
Set in the nation of Uttaku (similar to the Byzantine Empire
), which is occupying the kingdom of Old Harkuna (similar to the lands of Arthurian legend). If the player frees the king of Old Harkuna from his prison in The Plains of Howling Darkness, the king can reclaim his land, end the Uttaku occupation and restore prosperity. There is also an abandoned castle
in Harkuna which the player can rebuild and claim for himself. Most other major quests involve undertaking tasks for the Uttakin government (the titular Court).
The book takes its title from Uttaku's court of ruling nobles, who wear elaborate masks as a status symbol and to hide their faces. The king himself is born without a face at all.
723 sections, ISBN 0-330-34431-5
Set in a land which is an obvious parallel of Imperial Japan. Much like The War Torn Kingdom, a revolution is occurring. The self-proclaimed Shogun
Yoritomo has declared himself in charge of the eastern seaboard, while the old Emperor
Kiyomori remains in control of the western seaboard, and the country is on the brink of a civil war. Although the player can undertake quests for both sides of the revolution, the two forces never actually begin war as they do in the first book.
Other major quests involving retrieving a tatsu pearl
from a great dragon, exploring Kwaidan Forest to learn the secrets of the tengu
, and venturing into the Black Pagoda
.
750 sections, ISBN 0-330-34430-7
This book was never published, but it would have been set in the jungles of the southern continent of Ankon-Konu, a land similar to Africa
or South America
. Notes for this book were released by Dave Morris to the Fabled Lands Yahoo group in late 2009.
This book was never published, but it would have been set in the Desert of Bones, in Ankon-Konu. This presumably would have been the Fabled Lands' equivalent of the Sahara
. It also featured the Blue Grasslands, which according to information in the first six books is populated by blue-skinned nomads - descendants of the Uttakin featured in The Court Of Hidden Faces - and tribes like the Golden men and their flying arks. Other locations would have been the City of Stargazers, and the Country of the Hidden Ones - judging from information in the first six books, and the names on the map, it would have been similar to the Himalayan
countries of Nepal
, Tibet
and Bhutan
.
The phrase 'the lone and level sands' appears in Shelley's poem Ozymandias
.
This book was never published, but it would have been set (as the subtitle implies) in the western locations of Chrysoprais and the Sea of Stilts.
Chrysoprais presumably would have been very similar to India
; the names on the maps have an Indian flavour (for example, the Crimson Fort rather than the Red Fort). Also, a few clues are left in the first six books regarding the culture of Chrysoprais - for example, in the Japan
ese-inspired land of Akatsurai featured in Lords of the Rising Sun, there is a religion following the "Sage of Peace" which is clearly based on Buddhism
. If the player fails in a quest relating to the Sage of Peace, they can travel west to "the saint of Vulture Peak" (found in Chrysoprais) to seek redemption and enlightenment. This suggests that people in both Chrysoprais and Akatsurai worship the Sage of Peace; in real life, Buddhism
originated in India
and later spread to Japan
.
This book was never published, but would have been set in the western lands of Atticala. Atticala was clearly inspired by Ancient Greece
; the map of the Fabled Lands reveals this, as many of the towns have Greek-sounding names and are symbolised by Greek architecture
.
The name 'Atticala' is also similar to 'Attica', a region of Greece.
This book was never published, but was to have been set in the city of Dangor in the mysterious "Forbidden Realm." It is not known how the book would have been structured to fit within a single city - all other Fabled Lands books were spread over an entire landscape, with many cities and towns in between.
Very little is known about Dangor, except that it is situated at the top of cliffs hundreds of metres high called "The Golden Cliffs." Dangor's harbour is apparently at the very top of these cliffs, with the rest of the city. In Over The Blood Dark Sea, the player can read the account of a Sokaran sailor in the library
of Dweomer. He recounts of how his ship waited for three days at the bottom of the cliffs, while a mountain climber took their documents to the port authorities above. When all was found to be in order, "grapples were lowered and secured and the whole vessel was winched up to the docks a thousand feet above."
This book was never published, but it would have been set in the underworld
of the Fabled Lands. Whether the authors intended for this to be a series of caves and caverns or a literal Hell
(or both) is uncertain; there are many entrances to the twelfth book throughout the first six. Some of these are through caves and tunnels, while others are through magical gateways, by falling off the edge of the world (in both of these instances the player is told that they will arrive in "Hell"), or even board a ship in a celestial harbor.
A series of magical gateways found throughout the books allows the player to travel instantaneously to the many cities of the Fabled Lands, including those in books that were never published. One of these was called "Erebus" and sent the player to the twelfth book. In Greek mythology
, Erebus
was a god associated with the underworld.
on an MMO
. Eidos was sceptical as to whether an MMO could be successful, but was interested to see what might happen, and set the authors up with a team to research the relevant technology. The team's plans for the game were extremely ambitious for the late 90s, as the Fabled Lands MMO was supposed to include an advanced AI that acted as a digital gamesmaster, tailoring the experience for each player.
The game was never released; according to Morris and Thomson, this was caused by their own, over-ambitious designs, colleagues who didn't understand their ideas and the general poor management of game design and development at the time.
Gamebook
A gamebook is a work of fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making effective choices. The narrative branches along various paths through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages...
s written by established gamebook authors Dave Morris
Dave Morris
Dave Morris is a British author of gamebooks, novels and comics and a designer of computer games and role-playing games.-Biography:Dave Morris is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford where he read Physics from 1976-79....
and Jamie Thomson and published by Pan Books, a division of Macmillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in the mid 90s. Cover art was by Kevin Jenkins with Russ Nicholson
Russ Nicholson
-Career:Nicholson is best known for his work on the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series, in particular, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and numerous Games Workshop products, including Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Warhammer 40,000 and to their magazine White Dwarf.Nicholson...
and Arun Pottier providing maps and illustrations.
Originally planned as a twelve-book series, only six were released between 1995 and 1996 before the series was cancelled. The first two books were also printed under the name Quest in the U.S. by publishers Price Stern Sloan.
The books are now back in print and available on Amazon as of December 2010.
A series of iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch applications are being developed by Megara Entertainment. The first app, based on The War-Torn Kingdom, included new colour art and original coloured in art from Russ Nicholson, and was released on January 20, 2011. The second app is due for June, 2011.
A Fabled Lands Role Playing Game and 12 source books based on the original game books are being written by Shane Garvey and Jamie Wallis of Greywood Publishing. The RPG rules are based on the original rules of the game books but have been expanded to accommodate an adventuring party rather than a solo player and a role playing experience rather than a game book. The twelve source books are each based on an area covered by the six published and the six unpublished game books from 1995. The first of these source books is titled Sokara - The War-Torn Kingdom. The RPG and first of the source books are due out in mid 2011.
Overview
The books deviated from other mainstream gamebooks (such as the Fighting FantasyFighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy is a series of single-player fantasy roleplay gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volumes in the series were published by Puffin in 1982, with the rights to the franchise eventually being purchased by Wizard Books in 2002...
or Lone Wolf
Lone Wolf (gamebooks)
Lone Wolf is a series of 28 gamebooks, created by Joe Dever and initially illustrated by Gary Chalk. The series began publishing in July 1984 and sold more than 10.2 million copies worldwide....
series) in a number of ways. The most notable of these was the open-ended, free roaming gameplay. Other gamebooks gave the character a set quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
, with some leniency in how they went about accomplishing it; when they completed the quest, the gamebook ended. The Fabled Lands series gave the player an entire fantasy world
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
to roam around in, doing whatever they wished with no limits or linearity; there was no set quest and there is no way to "finish" the series (unless the player dies). There are hundreds of quests in the six books that were published, of varying lengths. The player is free to pursue these at his leisure, or spend his time doing entirely different things - wandering, trading, exploring or building up his abilities.
Each book contained a different geographic area of the Fabled Lands, and the player could easily travel between regions by switching to another book. The books became increasingly difficult as they progressed, with tougher enemies and harder quests; this was to account for the player becoming more powerful as they went through each book.
Other differences between previous gamebook series included:
- A greater number of sections, 679 to 786
- Large (A4) format with fold-out character sheet and colour map
- Open-ended trade via marketplace goods, investment or shipping
- Acquisition of large assets such as houses and ships
- Plot discovery through use of uncovered keywords
Although the final six books in the series have never been published (or even written), Dave Morris has indicated in the past that he is interested in reviving the series:
- I'd love to complete the series. It would take some time to get back into the flow of it, but I still have our (very extensive) notes. I would think the first step might be to set up books 1-6 as Web pages and see what kind of interest they generated. This, I think, is a better format for gamebooks now - we are no longer in the era of the printed word. If that worked out, and the net publisher could set up a subscription system, I think Fabled Lands and many other gamebook series could enjoy quite a renaissance.
On September 13, 2010, Dave Morris indicated that the series had a possible chance of a revival on his blog, saying, in response to a fan query about the future of the fabled lands and particularly the book the Serpent King's domain "my lips are sealed, though I will say that Frank Johnson, the head of Fabled Lands LLP, was throwing those same words around last week. He might even have thrown in a labyrinth and some legions :)". In a later announcement, Morris indicated that the publisher was willing to greenlight the production of books 7-12 of the series, provided that the reprintings of books 1-6 each sold approximately ten thousand copies.
System
The Fabled Lands system was fairly simple, as with most other gamebooks. The player has six basic attributes:- CHARISMA - the knack of befriending and impressing people; also represents bardic skillsBardIn medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
- COMBAT - fighting skills
- MAGIC - the art of casting spells
- SANCTITY - the gift of divineDivinityDivinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
power and wisdom - SCOUTING - the techniques of trackingTracking (hunting)Tracking in hunting and ecology is the science and art of observing animal tracks and other signs, with the goal of gaining understanding of the landscape and the animal being tracked...
and wilderness lore - THIEVERY - the talent for stealth, agility and lockpickLockpickLockpick may refer to:* A tool used in lock picking** Slim Jim ** Torsion wrench** Tubular lock pick** Paper clip...
ing
The player's initial score in each of these six attributes is determined by their chosen profession. There are six different professions to choose from: Warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
, Mage
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
, Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Rogue
Thief (character class)
The Thief or Rogue is a character class in many role-playing games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft and many MMORPGs. Thieves are usually stealthy and dextrous characters able to disarm traps, pick locks, and perform backstabs from hiding...
, Troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
and Wayfarer (a wandering traveller, most similar to Rangers
Ranger (character class)
A Ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games....
in other fantasy systems). Each profession is proficient or weak in different abilities; for example, Priests have high SANCTITY but low COMBAT scores, and Wayfarers have high SCOUTING but low CHARISMA scores. The player has opportunities to increase these abilities throughout the books by completing quests. For example, after successfully tracking down a wild boar in a forest, the player can roll two dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, and if they score higher than their SCOUTING ability they can increase it by 1. No ability can be raised higher than 12, or drop below 1.
When the player is given the opportunity to use an ability, the task is given a Difficulty rating. The player rolls two dice and adds their score in the ability; to succeed in the task, they must score higher than the ability. For example, a player wishes to calm down an angry innkeeper. This might have a CHARISMA score of 9, and the player's CHARISMA ability is 3. The player would have to roll 7 or higher to succeed. It is possible to obtain "blessings" in various abilities from different shrines and temples, which allow the player to reroll failed ability rolls. These work once only, however, and cost money.
Combat in the Fabled Lands is an extension of ability rolls; the enemy's DEFENCE is the Difficulty, and the player uses their COMBAT skill to try to defeat their opponent. The amount the player rolls above the enemy's DEFENCE is how many Stamina points the enemy loses.
The player's own DEFENCE score is equal to their Rank + their COMBAT score + the bonus for any armour they are wearing (if any). Their own Stamina score is given when they begin playing, and can be increased by going up in Rank (which gives them 1d6 Stamina).
The player's starting Rank is equal to the number of the book they begin in (e.g. a player starting in The War-Torn Kingdom begins at 1st Rank, while a player starting in Lords of the Rising Sun begins at 6th Rank). The player can increase Rank by performing extremely difficult taks, such as slaying a dragon or defeating three samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
in unarmed combat (the book will tell the player when they can increase in Rank).
The player can carry up to 12 possessions, which are marked in bold text (e.g. gold compass). Some items give ability bonuses - for example, an amber wand (MAGIC +1) or a set of splint armour (DEFENCE + 4). The player can carry unlimited amounts of cash.
The series feature a number of smaller quests, which can help the player increase his personal might, status and wealth. Many of these, however, are profession-specific: In the War-Torn Kingdom, for instance, only a Wayfarer will get the Chief Druid's mission on the Druid's Isle, while in The Plains of Howling Darkness only a Rogue may claim the title of 'Nightstalker'.
1. The War-Torn Kingdom
Sokara, a nation at war with itselfSet in the land of Sokara, shortly after a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
in which the king was overthrown in a military coup. This background provides the book's two major quests; the player can choose to either help the heir to the throne and his band of partisans
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
regain power, or assist the new leader General Grieve Marlock in crushing the last few pockets of resistance.
Other quests involve assassinating the king of the rat-men infesting the sewers
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
in the city of Yellowport, looting treasure from the lair of Vayss the Sea Dragon, delivering packages between the druids of the City of Trees and the Forest of Larun, defeating the Black Dragon Knight in combat to the death and rescuing a trapped god from the summit of Devil's Peak.
679 sections, ISBN 0-330-33614-2
2. Cities of Gold and Glory
Golnir, a wealthy land steeped in curious folkloreSet in the prosperous kingdom of Golnir, wealthy from its rich agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. A common complaint readers had about the second book was that it was far more difficult to find quests than in the first book. There are still several major quests, however, including slaying a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
for the Baroness Ravayne (the ruler of Golnir), searching for magical artefacts for the wizard Estragon, bringing to justice a murderer on behalf of his victim's ghost, finding the key of stars to gain access to a treasure filled tomb in the Forest of the Forsaken and making a map of the northern mountains.
The quests in the second book have a more whimsical, fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
nature to them than those in the first book. This gives Golnir a very strong Merry England
Merry England
"Merry England", or in more jocular, archaic spelling "Merrie England", refers to an English autostereotype, a utopian conception of English society and culture based on an idyllic pastoral way of life that was allegedly prevalent at some time between the Middle Ages and the onset of the Industrial...
atmosphere.
786 sections, ISBN 0-330-33615-0
3. Over the Blood-Dark Sea
Swashbucking adventure on the high seasSet in the Violet Ocean, which separates the northern continent of Harkuna from the southern continent of Ankon-Konu. Travel is severely restricted without a ship, making it a difficult book to start off in, particularly for less experienced gamebook readers. Over the Blood-Dark Sea is also one of the first in the series to feature regular danger - the player is almost always at risk of pirates, storms and even sea monsters
Sea Monsters
Sea Monsters was a BBC television trilogy which used computer-generated imagery to show past life in Earth's seas. In the U.S. it was known as Chased by Sea Monsters. It was made by Impossible Pictures, the creators of Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts and Walking with Monsters...
.
Key quests include assassinating Amcha, king of the pirates, enrolling at a wizard's college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in the city of Dweomer to learn magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
, searching for buried treasure
Buried treasure
A buried treasure is an important part of the popular beliefs surrounding pirates and Old West outlaws. According to popular conception, criminals and others often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return for them later, often with the use of treasure maps.-Pirate...
on hidden islands and climbing the enormous mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
on Starspike Island.
718 sections, ISBN 0-330-34172-3
4. The Plains of Howling Darkness
The desolate wastes of the Great SteppesSet in the Great Steppes, an environment of grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, plains and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
similar to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. Key quests include liberating the Citadel of Veris Corin for the King of Sokara (closely linked with quests in The War-Torn Kingdom), releasing the King of Harkuna from his prison underneath the Rimewater (closely linked with quests in The Court of Hidden Faces) and killing the immortal tyrant Kaschuf (based on the legend of Koschei
Koschei
In Slavic folklore, Koschei is an archetypal male antagonist, described mainly as abducting the hero's wife. None of the existing tales actually describes his appearance, though in book illustrations, cartoons and cinema he has been most frequently represented as a very old and ugly-looking man...
the Deathless) who rules over the village of Vodhya (which requires the player to find and release his soul, hidden on an island in Over The Blood-Dark Sea).
This was the first book in the series to introduce the concept of a harsh environment - out on the Steppes, the player must make constant SCOUTING rolls in order to find enough food, and on the northern steppes the player loses one point of stamina a day from the cold, unless they have a wolf pelt to keep warm.
710 sections, ISBN 0-330-34173-1
5. The Court of Hidden Faces
Exotic intrigue in Uttaku and Old HarkunaSet in the nation of Uttaku (similar to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
), which is occupying the kingdom of Old Harkuna (similar to the lands of Arthurian legend). If the player frees the king of Old Harkuna from his prison in The Plains of Howling Darkness, the king can reclaim his land, end the Uttaku occupation and restore prosperity. There is also an abandoned castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Harkuna which the player can rebuild and claim for himself. Most other major quests involve undertaking tasks for the Uttakin government (the titular Court).
The book takes its title from Uttaku's court of ruling nobles, who wear elaborate masks as a status symbol and to hide their faces. The king himself is born without a face at all.
723 sections, ISBN 0-330-34431-5
6. Lords of the Rising Sun
Imperial Akatsurai, land of samurai and ninjaSet in a land which is an obvious parallel of Imperial Japan. Much like The War Torn Kingdom, a revolution is occurring. The self-proclaimed Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Yoritomo has declared himself in charge of the eastern seaboard, while the old Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Kiyomori remains in control of the western seaboard, and the country is on the brink of a civil war. Although the player can undertake quests for both sides of the revolution, the two forces never actually begin war as they do in the first book.
Other major quests involving retrieving a tatsu pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
from a great dragon, exploring Kwaidan Forest to learn the secrets of the tengu
Tengu
are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...
, and venturing into the Black Pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
.
750 sections, ISBN 0-330-34430-7
7. The Serpent King's Domain
The lost tribes of the Feathered LandsThis book was never published, but it would have been set in the jungles of the southern continent of Ankon-Konu, a land similar to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
or South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Notes for this book were released by Dave Morris to the Fabled Lands Yahoo group in late 2009.
8. The Lone and Level Sands
The harsh deserts of western Ankon-konuThis book was never published, but it would have been set in the Desert of Bones, in Ankon-Konu. This presumably would have been the Fabled Lands' equivalent of the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
. It also featured the Blue Grasslands, which according to information in the first six books is populated by blue-skinned nomads - descendants of the Uttakin featured in The Court Of Hidden Faces - and tribes like the Golden men and their flying arks. Other locations would have been the City of Stargazers, and the Country of the Hidden Ones - judging from information in the first six books, and the names on the map, it would have been similar to the Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
countries of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
The phrase 'the lone and level sands' appears in Shelley's poem Ozymandias
Ozymandias
"Ozymandias" is a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, published in 1818 in the January 11 issue of The Examiner in London. It is frequently anthologised and is probably Shelley's most famous short poem...
.
9. The Isle of a Thousand Spires
Chrysoprais and the Sea of StiltsThis book was never published, but it would have been set (as the subtitle implies) in the western locations of Chrysoprais and the Sea of Stilts.
Chrysoprais presumably would have been very similar to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; the names on the maps have an Indian flavour (for example, the Crimson Fort rather than the Red Fort). Also, a few clues are left in the first six books regarding the culture of Chrysoprais - for example, in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-inspired land of Akatsurai featured in Lords of the Rising Sun, there is a religion following the "Sage of Peace" which is clearly based on Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. If the player fails in a quest relating to the Sage of Peace, they can travel west to "the saint of Vulture Peak" (found in Chrysoprais) to seek redemption and enlightenment. This suggests that people in both Chrysoprais and Akatsurai worship the Sage of Peace; in real life, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
originated in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and later spread to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
10. Legions of the Labyrinth
Philosopher kings of the westThis book was never published, but would have been set in the western lands of Atticala. Atticala was clearly inspired by Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
; the map of the Fabled Lands reveals this, as many of the towns have Greek-sounding names and are symbolised by Greek architecture
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and Peloponnesus, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest...
.
The name 'Atticala' is also similar to 'Attica', a region of Greece.
11. The City in the Clouds
Danger in the heart of a vast metropolisThis book was never published, but was to have been set in the city of Dangor in the mysterious "Forbidden Realm." It is not known how the book would have been structured to fit within a single city - all other Fabled Lands books were spread over an entire landscape, with many cities and towns in between.
Very little is known about Dangor, except that it is situated at the top of cliffs hundreds of metres high called "The Golden Cliffs." Dangor's harbour is apparently at the very top of these cliffs, with the rest of the city. In Over The Blood Dark Sea, the player can read the account of a Sokaran sailor in the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of Dweomer. He recounts of how his ship waited for three days at the bottom of the cliffs, while a mountain climber took their documents to the port authorities above. When all was found to be in order, "grapples were lowered and secured and the whole vessel was winched up to the docks a thousand feet above."
12. Into the Underworld
The ultimate journeyThis book was never published, but it would have been set in the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
of the Fabled Lands. Whether the authors intended for this to be a series of caves and caverns or a literal Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
(or both) is uncertain; there are many entrances to the twelfth book throughout the first six. Some of these are through caves and tunnels, while others are through magical gateways, by falling off the edge of the world (in both of these instances the player is told that they will arrive in "Hell"), or even board a ship in a celestial harbor.
A series of magical gateways found throughout the books allows the player to travel instantaneously to the many cities of the Fabled Lands, including those in books that were never published. One of these was called "Erebus" and sent the player to the twelfth book. In Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Erebus
Erebus
In Greek mythology, Erebus , also Erebos , was often conceived as a primordial deity, representing the personification of darkness; for instance, Hesiod's Theogony places him as the first five beings to come into existence from Chaos...
was a god associated with the underworld.
Planned MMO
In 1996, the authors decided to use their experience with gamebooks to enter the computer games industry – taking the Fabled Lands series with them. They started work at Eidos InteractiveEidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
on an MMO
MMO
-Organizations:*Marine Management Organisation, a non-departmental public body of the UK Government*Music Minus One, a music industry company-Science, technology, and biology:*Marine Mammal Observer, a professional in environmental consulting...
. Eidos was sceptical as to whether an MMO could be successful, but was interested to see what might happen, and set the authors up with a team to research the relevant technology. The team's plans for the game were extremely ambitious for the late 90s, as the Fabled Lands MMO was supposed to include an advanced AI that acted as a digital gamesmaster, tailoring the experience for each player.
The game was never released; according to Morris and Thomson, this was caused by their own, over-ambitious designs, colleagues who didn't understand their ideas and the general poor management of game design and development at the time.