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The Void
The Void is a legendary place in the Fable series: a mysterious dark dimension that exists beyond Albion. Many of the franchise's major villains originated there, including Jack of Blades and the Crawler.
History of the Void
Very little is known about the true nature of the Void. This mysterious realm was introduced into Fable canon in 2008, shortly before the release of Fable II. The first part of Tales of Albion described it as the realm of the Court — Jack of Blades, the Queen of Blades and the Knight of Blades. The history and nature of the Void were explored further in Fable: The Journey.
In Tales of Albion
According to legend, at the dawn of Albion's history the Court emerged from the Void and enslaved the entire land for centuries. Their brutal rule was finally brought to an end by one of the first Heroes — the powerful William Black. One day, while studying a mysterious tome, he was transported into the Void, where he encountered the three villains. Not only did William manage to escape, but he also stole the Sword of Aeons from Jack.
As an artifact of the Void, the sword possessed a mind of its own and began speaking to Black. It convinced the Hero to trade his soul in exchange for its help against the Court. Black agreed, challenged his enemies to battle in Albion and emerged victorious. He destroyed the Queen and the Knight forever, although Jack's soul escaped and would later return in a new body.
Albion was nevertheless free. William Black united the land into the great Old Kingdom and became its first ruler, the Archon. But even his relatively brief time in the Void had infected his soul with a wasting illness. The Hero was eventually forced to leave the kingdom to his increasingly cruel descendants and return to the Void for a time in an attempt to purge the sickness from himself. He later reappeared in Albion under the name Scythe.
In Fable: The Journey
Much more about the nature of the Void is revealed in the final game of the original Fable series. Most of this information comes from Theresa, beginning with what happened when William Black tried to rid himself of the darkness within.
It is revealed that the dark part of the first Archon's soul remained trapped in the Void. It became the Corruptor and, many centuries later, sought to return to Albion and reclaim the power it believed had been taken from it.
The game also reveals that the Void is inhabited by numerous lesser creatures that serve the Corruptor. Gabriel repeatedly encounters them throughout his journey.
Gabriel: What's it all for? What does the Corrupter want?
Theresa: To reclaim something he believes was taken from him long-ago, at the height of the Old Kingdom. The Corruptor was once a man, or rather, part of a man. His name was William Black, the first and perhaps the greatest Hero Albion has ever known.
Gabriel: But how could it... he... be a Hero?
Theresa: Long ago, William saved Albion from enslavement and was crowned its ruler. But his victory came at a great cost, for he suffered a terrible wound to his soul. As Albion prospered, William slowly wasted away, his spirit twisted by a festering darkness. Realising what would become of Albion if he let himself be consumed, he gave up the crown and travelled to the Void. There he cut the corruption from within him, sealing it away forever. Or so he had hoped - for the evil he cleaved from himself lived on. Angry and powerful , it is bent on one goal: to return to our world and reclaim the throne denied him by William's sacrifice.
Gabriel: And Black? What happened to him?
Theresa: He was never seen again, at least not in any form that those who knew him would recognised.
Later in their journey, Theresa reveals that the Spire is the link between the Void and the physical world. She did not originally know this and allowed Lucien to rebuild the ancient magical tower with the best of intentions. Only after gaining control of the Spire did she discover the truth — and it differed significantly from the story known to the people of Albion. The disaster had not been caused by the first wish made through the Spire.
Theresa: At the height of the Old Kingdom, the first Spire - a conduit for all Albion's Will - created a tear in the fabric between this world and the Void. Through this, the Corruptor began to channel his influence.
Fearful of this growing threat, three great Heroes - Sol, Blaze, and Stone - set out to close the rift. Little did they know what fate awaited them.
On the eve of the Corruptor's emergece, they channelled theirs power into the Void. But the force requiered to seal the rift was so great it shattered the Spire. The explosion devastated the Old Kingdom and crystallised the three Heroes into Willstones, scattering them across the land.
When the Spire was rebuilt, it set the Corruptor's return to Albion in motion. According to Theresa, by the time of Fable: The Journey its evil will had already been seeping into the world for a century, corrupting souls and minds and awakening long-forgotten nightmares.
The Corruptor had spent thousands of years trying to return and eventually found a way. It sent lieutenants into Albion to remove every obstacle standing in its path. The Crawler, known from Fable III, was actually the first.
Theresa: On that occasion the Corruptor sent forth only a single lieutenant, but the Heroes were able to seal it beneath the earth where it lay dormant for many centuries.
During the events of The Journey, the Corruptor sent more of its servants into Albion. The first was the Devourer, who was merely a herald. Then came the treacherous Temptress. In the end, Gabriel manages to stop them all, seal the passage into the Void and prevent the evil beyond it from entering the world.