The Britons are the human inhabitants of Albion, the kingdom that Arthur founded and kept intact for his reign. Now, however, it is starting to decline, especially in the border areas, where constant incursion by enemy raiding parties is becoming common. The Britons are comprised of the common Briton, the tall intelligent Avalonian, the brawny Highlander, and the dexterous Saracen.
Briton magic comes from the study of the arts of elemental magic, the essence of all that is around us. The center of this study is the city of Avalon, which boasts the strongest and most powerful mage guilds.
The Highlanders were driven from their territories north of Camelot by the incessant warfare with the other Realms. They are larger than the other Britons, usually are strong and hardy. The Avalonians are from the mystical city of Avalon, which is the seat of magical study in Albion. Hence, they are of a more magical bent than the other Briton inhabitants. The Saracens are the descendents of the dusky-colored people from the far southern deserts whose ancestors signed on to Arthur's crusade. They are generally quicker and more dexterous than their Briton counterparts.
Aye, the sun has lost some of it's fire with the loss of Arthur Pendragon. Aye, our enemies bark at the gates of our fair realm. Merlin is seen no more and the Knights of the Round Table are scattered. And yet, the dream of Camelot remains, and there are those among us who still follow Arthur's code of chivalry. Our knights are the finest in the world, and our mages carry on the traditions of the master wizard, Merlin. But our enemies swarm around us, and Morgana's evil sorcery raises the dead. These are dark times, indeed, yet not hopeless. We but need new blood - dauntless men and women to defend our lands and to rid the countryside of the plague of bandits and monsters belligerent to humankind. See here the many wonders of Albion and choose your path to glory.
From the rolling hills of Camelot to the mountainous peaks of Snowdonia, Albion is through and through the land of Arthur. Forged from his iron will, paid for by the blood of Knights and commoner alike, Albion encompasses the ideals, the laws, and the heritage of its most famous King. The people of Albion are a mostly homogenous lot - sturdy Britons, hulking Highlanders, graceful swift Saracens, the tall intelligent Avalonians, and the small mysterious Inconnu make up the different races in the Realm.
Geography of Albion
The center of culture and government in Albion is the city of Camelot, the former seat of the throne of Arthur. From there stretch the forests and plains of the Realm: to the west of Camelot lie huge plains, deep dark forests, trackless swamps, and haunted hills. To the north loom the mountains of Snowdonia, and frontier lands, dangerous and unpredictable. The geography of Albion is varied and rolling, and is home to many dangerous creatures. Especially of note are the disturbing stories of the legions of undead Roman soldiers, long in their graves, now risen to walk the land once more. More mundane creatures lie in wait for the unwary traveler of the Realm, grown ever more bold in the years since Arthur's demise.
Races of Albion
Because Albion is the remnant of King Arthur's kingdom, the races available are, for the most part, based on the Arthurian Legends.
| Native to Albion. Britons are a hearty, adaptable people with the ability to succeed in any profession or discipline set before them. Though many years have passed since the the days of King Arthur, the Britons remain loyal to her ideals. | |
| Said to be touched by the same arcane essence that empowers the Elves of Hibernia, this tall, fair race of humans has a strong affinity for the magical arts. They have come from the isle of Avalon to aid the heirs of Arthur. | |
| Following in the footsteps of the first Saracen Knight, Sir Palomides, many men and women from the nomadic desert tribes have found their home in Albion. They are a dark skinned people known for their feats of agility and stealth | |
| Once at odds with the Britons, these strong and able bodied clansfolk have come to the lowlands of Albion to defend against their common enemies. Proud of their clan heritage, they display their clan colors in the tartans they wear even as they charge forth on the battlefield. | |
| Natives of underworld and servants of its king, Arawn, the Inconnu have joined the battle at their Lords' behest to gain Albion's favor in their struggles to free Avalon City from it's invaders. The Inconnu are easily recognizable by their small frames, pale blue skin and black eyes. They are apt in the arts of necromancy, but are a versatile race capable of mastering many professions. | |
| Hailing from the Isle of Avalon, this half-breed race is as intelligent as they are strong and are capable of mastering the arcane arts as well as becoming fights of great renown. | |
| The Minotaur, distinguishable by their bull-like heads atop powerful human bodies, are the remnants of an ancient civilization whose different clans are scattered across the realms, the Uruz-Korazh tribe settled in Albion. Minotaur are combative by nature and do not shy away from any clash of arms. |
Starting Classes
Prior to Version 1.93, characters in the Realm of Albion started out their career as one of six basic classes. At 5th level, they were able to choose a Guild to join that further specializes their character.
Fighter - A specialist in arms and armor, the Fighter is trained to enter armed combat against his foes. He relies on strength, constitution and dexterity. Fighters can become Paladins, Armsmen, Mercenaries, Reavers, and Maulers.
Mage - The Mage weaves magical spells to cast them at his or her enemies, and specializes in the destruction of matter. His intelligence is his more imporant statistic. Mages can become Sorcerers or Cabalists.
Elementalist - The Elementalist is a mage who specializes in harnessing the power of the four elements of fire, ice, earth and air. An Elementalist can become a Wizard or Theurgist.
Acolyte - Dedicated to the Church of Albion, Acolytes are men of faith who specialize in spells that make their friends stronger and keep them healthy. Acolytes rely on piety and constitution. They can become Friars, Clerics, and Heretics.
Rogue - Rogues rely on their dexterity and quickness to engage in fighting, subterfuge, hiding and misdirection. They can become Scouts, Minstrels and Infiltrators.
Disciple - Disciples are worshippers of Arawn, Lord of the Underworld. They use their link with Arawn to beome Necromancers, who take on the form of a Shade while interacting with the world through an undead servant.
Guilds of Albion
Prior to patch 1.9.3, at 5th level your character received instructions to find a new trainer for the guild that you preferred, depending on your class. Your class trainer gave you the necessary information to find the guild trainers. This allowed you to choose from a number of classes based on the old starting class. This is no longer the case, however. Now you simply create a character and begin as the actual class you wished to play from the very start of your game.
The Church of Albion - The Church of Albion is the most public most recognized religion in the Realm. It's Holy Grail symbol can be found in all villages and towns in the Realm, for the Church is an important part of everyday life.
The Guild of Shadows - Made up of the underworld of Camelot, the Guild of Shadows teaches different classes pragmatic methods to dispatch their enemies. They are tolerated in Albion for the simple reason that they are very effective at what they do, so long as they practice their arts on enemy realms and monsters. Members of this guild are proud of the fact that they owe allegiance to no organization save their own and the Realm of Albion.
The Academy - The Academy is the school founded by the famous wizard Merlin, sage and advisor to King Arthur. Wizards, Sorcerers and Minstrels can all train at the Academy.
The Temple of Arawn - The Temple of Arawn will accept Disciples, for the sole purpose of advancing their studies of death and undeath, as well as Reavers, who are hybride Necromancers/Fighters.
The Defenders of Albion - The Defenders are the organization that makes up the Army of Albion - professional soldiers who specialize in finding the enemy and fighting him. Directly under the stewardship of Duke Bors, the leader of the Albion military, the Defenders are prepared night and day to take to the battlefield to route the enemy.
Fighter Career Paths
Armsman |
The footsoldier of Albion, the Armsman is the main fighter of the realm. He can use almost any weapon and armor, as well as the ability to wield crossbows and polearms. |
Mercenary |
The Mercenary is a light fighter that can fight with two weapons at once, as well as utilize more fluid combat styles that focus on positional combat style attacks. |
Paladin |
A hybrid fighter, Paladins can wear plate armor, as well as specialize in two-handed weapons. They also learn chants that aid their group members while in combat. |
Reaver |
Reavers are hybrid Necromancer/Fighters with chain armor and a variety of weapon skills. They are the fighting class that protects Arawn, lord of the underworld. |
Mage Career Paths
Cabalist - The Cabalist are Mages that have embraced the spiritual side of magic, and engage in the studies of spirit destruction and creations. Their specialty is in creating Golems out of inanimate matter that can be commanded to do their bidding. Mages become Cabalists by joining the Guild of Shadows.
Sorcerer - Saracen, Briton, Avalonian and Inconnu Mages may beceome Sorcerers, renegade spell casters who focus on pragmatic magic that disrupts, disables and damages their enemies. They can also charm and confuse enemies, and can command charmed creatures to do their bidding.
Elementalist Career Paths
Wizard - Wizards are highly learned spell casters who specialize in molding the elements of Earth, Ice and Fire to create spells of great power.
Theurgist - Theurgists are specialists Elementalists who join the Defenders of Albion. They use their mastery of the elements of Earth, Ice and Air to summon magical elementals for a short period of time.
Rogue Career Paths
Infiltrator - Briton, Inconnu and Saracen Rogues who join the Guild of Shadows become Infiltrators, masters of stealth and ambushing. Their ability to spy on the enemy without their knowledge is an invaluable asset to Albion. They can only use leather armor, but they have a great deal of skill in evading, and eventually learn the ability to dual-wield weapons.
Scout - Saracen, Inconnu, Highlander, and Britons can also become Rogues also known as Scouts, who specialize in stealthy movement as well as the use of the feared Briton Longbow, the best range weapon in the Realm. In order to move quickly from one place to another while not being detected, they can only wear up to studded armor, but they can augment their defenses with small shields, which they can also specialize in.
Minstrel - In addition to the traditional magery, natural and elemental magic, there is also the magic of sound and song. This is the specialty of the Minstrel. Minstrels use their songs in support of groups, especially for quick travel across the land and by reducing downtime between battles. Minstrels also have songs that can mesmerize or even charm and enemy. Minstrels are a combination of melee, magical and stealthy abilities, and can use various weapons as well as their special shout attacks during battle. They can wear chain armor.
Minstrels must carry a variety of instruments - lutes, drums, horns and flutes - to play the different songs in their arsenal, and they gain new songs, or more powerful versions of existing songs, as they level up.
Acolyte Career Paths
Cleric - Briton, Highlander and Avalonian acolytes may become clerics, the healers and helpers of their realm mates. They can wear up to chain armor, and can use blunt weapons, but cannot specialize in them. Clerics have access to the best resurrection spells, which will bring back their realm mates from the dead.
Friar - Friars are Briton acolytes who join the Defenders of the Realm. Their job is to wander about the realm, making sure that all is well. Because they undertake such dangerous journeys so often, they have learned to become proficient with the Quarterstaff, to the point that they are quite deadly. Their solemn vows of poverty make them eschew traditional arms and armor, though they can wear leather, and train themselves in evasion and dexterity, making them almost as hard to hit as another character in armor. While a friar gives up the more potent enhancements and the more powerful heals, they excel in staff combat and combat defense.
Heretic - Heretics are Avalonian, Briton and Inconnu acolytes that have renounced the Church and become adherents of Arawn, the lord of the underworld. As evil clerics, they fit into the hybrid category, with both the use of combat styles and high damage focus spells. Although Heretics may only utilize cloth armor and small shields, they enjoy a wider range of specializations than their Church following counterparts. Depending upon their particular schooling, Heretics can heal comrades, egg them on into battle, or charge into the thick of things with their own blunt weapons and shields.
Disciple Career Paths
Disciples have a single choice available to them, that of the Necromancer . The Necromancer is a unique class, in that it functions almost exclusively by channeling the otherworldly powers Arawn grants them through their undead servants. The Necromancer is adept at drawing the life enemy from their opponents, and either converting it to healing for their undead servant, or using it to replenish their power supplies.