fable
Important Attention: Novel Content
This article or section contains information original to the novels, which are licensed Fable works, but do not necessarily conform to Lionhead's Fable canon.
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Reaver is an ex-pirate turned industry tycoon and the Hero of Skill.


History 

Reaver was originally born in Oakvale and is well known in Albion for being an excellent marksman. It is said that he would capture ships by shooting the captain from across the water no matter the distance or conditions. The more impossible the shot was, the faster the crew would surrender. When leading the Hero of Bower Lake through the tunnels of his home, in Bloodstone, he tells the player how much he loves a good 'scrap', exemplifying his willingness to fight and competence in battle.

He is blessed with eternal youth and often remarks on periods of time which he has lived in. His immortality comes from a deal he made with the Shadow Judges in the Shadow Court. They sustained his youth at the cost of other peoples' through an annual ritual. Reaver's diary (which is found in separate entries throughout his "coastal paradise" in Fable II once the player has bought the house) states that this deal also caused the destruction of his own hometown of Oakvale, though he was unaware that this would be the Shadow Court's price. An entry in his diary implies he had a close relationship with a woman who was killed in the fire. 

"Then I see him running madly through fields, the realization of just what price he has unwittingly paid hanging like a tragedy mask from his face. He falls to his knees before the town he called home-- now a dark circus of screams. Hers is among them, but he can do nothing to stop it.

Fable: Reaver

Important Attention: Novel Content
This article or section contains information original to the novel Fable: Reaver, which is a licensed Fable work, but does not necessarily conform to Lionhead's Fable canon.

Captain Dread, the most feared of all pirates in Albion, has come to an agreement with all other pirates that haunt the nine seas of Albion-they give him a cut of the profits, and he doesn't raid their ports of call. This arrangement, however, is utterly discarded by the young pirate Reaver of Bloodstone, who rebels against this policy by killing all of Captain Dread's envoys and sending their heads to the pirate king in a duffel bag. Outraged, the pirate king calls for a bounty on Reaver, only to be astounded when Reaver surrenders himself to Captain Dread.

While imprisoned by Captain Dread, Reaver kills Albion's most feared pirate by shooting an oil lantern next to him, which spills onto his head and gives him a slow and painful death. With Captain Dread killed, Reaver obtains the title of "Pirate King".

Fable II

Reaver in Fable II
Reaver in Fable II

After the Hero of Bower Lake recovered Garth, they sought Reaver to complete the Hero Triumvirate that would defeat Lucien Fairfax, knowing him to be the Hero of Skill. Upon meeting the Hero of Bower Lake, Reaver demands that the Hero have a certain amount of renown before even considering an alliance. When the Hero returns, Reaver gives them a Dark Seal and sends them to the Shadow Court, with the sole intent of using the Hero's vitality as a sacrifice to the Shadow Court to keep Reaver young. This would also serve to weaken them for transport to Lucien for the sizeable bounty that the lord placed on the Hero. Whether or not the Hero actually sacrifices their youth or sacrifices that of another potential victim, Elizabeth, is up to the player.

Regardless of the choice made, Reaver is forced to abandon his plans when Lucien instead decides to claim the Hero of Bower Lake and the Hero of Skill by force, invading Bloodstone with an army of Shards and storming the town with Spire Guards. Forced into a temporary alliance of necessity, Reaver takes the Hero of Bower Lake through Reaver's Rear Passage, demonstrating his proficiency with firearms along the way. Once the duo join Garth and Hammer on Smuggler's Beach, they are beset by a Great Shard, which they destroy. Realizing that Lucien will hunt him down too, Reaver reluctantly joins the trio for the ritual at Hero Hill to summon the weapon capable of destroying Lucien when they are ambushed. Taken to the Spire by Lucien, Reaver is rescued by the Hero of Bower Lake, who confronts the power-hungry lord. Should the Hero of Bower Lake attempt to listen to Lucien's monologue in its entirety, Reaver will shoot Lucien for them, depriving them of the vengeance they sought for decades.

At the end of the main quest, Reaver travels to Garth's homeland of Samarkand, citing "exotic substances" and "uninhibited people" as his reasons. The fate of his smuggling operation (and its members) in Bloodstone is never revealed. In the legendary book "Reaver on Reaver", an autobiography, Reaver reveals that after Theresa transported him and Garth to Samarkand after Lucien's fall, he became disappointed in the place and eventually that he was responsible for Garth's death during his last night in a tavern there which led to his departure. However, the book ends before he explains what happened or if he was successful in killing Garth. Based on the description of the Channeler Sword, it's possible that Garth survived the attack. In Fable: Edge of the World, it is confirmed that although Reaver had boasted in the book that he had killed Garth, his target had indeed survived.

Fable III

Reaver at court in Fable III
Reaver at court in Fable III

In Fable III, Reaver has returned from Samarkand and settled into a new manor in Millfields. With the rise of the Industrial age and with loose laws regarding employee treatment, Reaver has found an outlet for his greedy nature. Under the rule of King Logan, Reaver was granted control of the more benevolent industries of Professor Ernest Faraday when the professor refused to deliver his mechanical army to the monarch. Due to his profitable business tactics, including introducing child labour and cutting 100% of the employees' wages, Reaver became one of Logan's most powerful allies. Reaver runs the majority of Bowerstone Industrial, and is seen there when the Hero and Walter first arrive in the city. He quells a small strike from his workers at his main factory by shooting their leader four times, and explaining that any worker who rests longer than three seconds, whines, or breaks any other rule he may make up in the future, will be shot.

Reaver during The Masquerade
Reaver during The Masquerade

Page and the Hero of Brightwall attempt to infiltrate Reaver's mansion during a ball to rescue several captured followers, only to find themselves in a trap. Reaver has them locked in an arena and sent into neighbouring arenas to fight various enemies for the amusement of his guests, deciding on the enemy by using a device called the Wheel of Misfortune. After facing four rounds, the Wheel chooses Balverines, at which point most of Reaver's guests are revealed to be Balverines in disguise and have some sort of bargain with Reaver which he announces, after they attack the Hero and Page, that they are "even". After killing the Balverines, Page attempts to shoot Reaver, who, with unnatural ease, deflects the bullet with his cane. Page then mentions that her companion is the Prince/Princess, in which Reaver says he will "look forward" to collaborating with the Hero if he/she is successful in overthrowing his/her brother, and begins to walk out. Page makes another attempt to kill him, only for her bullet to hit the door as he makes his way out and escapes from Bowerstone. With his absence, Page and the Hero were allowed to rescue Kidd, the only survivor.

If you purchased the Understone Quest Pack, the Hero is able to re-enter Reaver's Arena. There will now be two sets of megaphones on either side of the Wheel as well as a score board to the right. You then hear Hatch's voice coming from the speakers rambling about nothing, at which point Reaver berates him saying that they are recording. Reaver continues, saying that he has opened his Wheel to the public as a way to earn money without being required to be there. {C}

Main article: Reaver's Wheel of Misfortune
A Reaver Industries poster depicting Reaver
A Reaver Industries poster depicting Reaver

In the second half of the game, after deposing Logan and the Hero's Coronation, Reaver acts as an advocate for the more corrupt sides of decisions you make. However, should you choose the moral path and reject his proposal, he will begrudgingly agree with you, admitting that the path you have chosen may be a useful one. It is unknown whether he actually believes this or is merely agreeing with you due to your position of power. Corrupt decisions proposed by Reaver can not be undone or converted in any way once you accept his proposal. Whatever decision you make, Reaver takes part in it, meaning he likely profits financially either way. Whether you decide to restore Albion to its former glory or not, Reaver explains the result of your decisions in short cutscenes (comprised of ambient shots of the area the decision pertains to) as if he is narrating a commercial. In a fashion befitting him, Reaver tends to take as many opportunities as he can to make himself and Reaver Industries seem as beneficial as possible in these "commercials" by taking exclusive credit for the results, either personally or on behalf of his business. This is even true of morally-good decisions, despite the fact that Reaver Industries are merely contracted to do this work under the newly-coronated player's orders using funding from the kingdom's own Treasury.

After the battle for Albion at the end of the game, Reaver leaves you a letter in the War Room. In this letter he states he enjoyed collaborating with the hero in the throne room in his/her trials and hopes he will host future trials. He then says he hopes you did well in the battle and that he would not like to come back to a dead city. He states that he had to leave for an important, but wearying, errand, saying perhaps he will explain it in better detail someday. Players of the second game will know that he is off to make his sacrifice to the Shadow Court.

You may receive a unique sword called the The Inquisitor, if you pre-ordered from Gamestop, that has a history linked to Reaver. Recently it has been made available for download along with other pre-order exclusive items and quests.

Fable: Blood Ties

Important Attention: Novel Content
This article or section contains information original to the novel Fable: Blood Ties, which is a licensed Fable work, but does not necessarily conform to Lionhead's Fable canon.

Reaver is featured in the novel Fable: Blood Ties, which follows the adventures of Ben Finn after the events of Fable III. Reaver serves as the book's primary antagonist after it is revealed that he is responsible for the creation of the monstrous Half-breeds assailing Ben and the beleaguered citizens of the village of Blackholm, at the behest of the warlord Droogan. When Ben learns that the leader of the half-breeds is none other than his long-lost brother William, Reaver's slave, he implores Reaver to cure his brother and set him free. Reaver readily agrees, on one condition: Ben must kill the meddlesome Page. Desperate to free William, Ben initially agrees and lures Page away from Bowerstone, but when he cannot bring himself to kill her, the half-breeds arrive and kidnap Page. Ben gives chase, but is likewise captured by Reaver, who intends to force the pair to fight the half-breeds in his personal combat arena before an audience. However, before this can occur, Ben's gnome companion destroys Reaver's means of controlling the monsters, which promptly kill their guards, escape, and charge towards Blackholm. Not the least bit disconcerted, Reaver leaves Ben and Page to deal with the rampaging horde while he invites his disappointed guests to stay for hot cocoa.

Fable: Edge of the World

Important Attention: Novel Content
This article or section contains information original to the novel Fable: Edge of the World, which is a licensed Fable work, but does not necessarily conform to Lionhead's Fable canon.

Reaver returns once again in the latest Fable novel, Fable: Edge of the World. He serves as an anti-hero, as always, but later assumes a purely antagonistic role.

Seven years after the defeat of the Crawler, Reaver returns to Bowerstone while the mighty Hero King leads an expedition to Samarkand to defeat the resurgent Darkness. Coming upon a distraught queen Laylah, Reaver comforts her, learning that she feels abused by the misgivings of her military advisor, Jack Timmins and betrayed by Page, who continues to support his view. Pointing out that her husband's concessions to his policies helped save Albion from the Crawler, Reaver proposes to help Laylah in any way he can, reasoning that while he stands to make a profit from aiding Laylah, his financial and military support would secure Albion and ensure a swift return for her husband. Gripped by depression at the loss of her husband and relieved at Reaver's open honesty, Laylah agrees, further admitting that she could use Reaver to counter the influence of Timmins.

Managing to get in the queen's good graces through his honesty and his supposed compassion, Reaver manipulates Laylah into ignoring her other advisors and passing new laws, including the cessation of trade with Aurora, a nightly curfew, and the expansion of Reaver Industries. Eventually, he frames her other advisors with a series of expertly forged documents that claim the frustrated Timmins and her ally, Page, sought to overthrow the queen. Once the duo are thrown in prison, Reaver makes his next move, quickly usurping the queen herself by bribing some of her staff while convincing everyone else that Laylah is still in charge. He even goes so far as to gain control of the Sanctuary, arriving there by exploiting the heroic blood that flows through him. With this ruse, he goes about imposing his own laws and shaping Albion as he sees fit.

Personality

Reaver has been described as being "amoral," bearing no concept whatsoever of morality. He is narcissistic, egotistical, and displays a near psychopathic disregard for life, which netted for him considerable profits during the Age of Industry. By cutting wages by 100% and by extending worker hours in utterly unsafe conditions and casually executing those who resisted his rules, Reaver became Logan's greatest asset.

Reaver is known in Albion for his debauchery and sexual impropriety. This is shown through his taking of several lovers of both sexes at the same time (when in the smugglers' caves below his house, he admits to three: Ursula, Penelope, and Andrew). One of his diary pages in Fable II mentions his crowded bedroom and the presence of bedfellows, insinuating he hosts orgies at his mansion. He offers the Hero of Brightwall and Page a chance to join him in the bedroom at his new manor in Fable III, further illustrating his utter lack of respect for even royalty. This new manor, located in Millfields, is shown to have a secret bedchamber that appears to be a pleasure chamber, filled with sadomasochist apparatus. Reaver's promiscuity is used to highlight his hedonistic, pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent lifestyle and his overall lack of concern for others or their sufferings. This is best described by Reaver's voice actor, Stephen Fry, by saying about the character in an interview 'I wouldn't describe him as immoral, more ammoral, he doesn't even have a concept of morality'.

In Fable II, Theresa tells the Hero of Bower Lake that the man who brought about the destruction of Oakvale did not know the Shadow Court's price and lost his friends, family and everyone he loved in its obliteration. This event, and the possibility that Reaver once had a soft side, are hinted at in the fifth entry of his diary which explained he did not know that the Shadow Court would kill the citizens of Oakvale. In this entry, he also states that he had a lover in Oakvale, lamenting 'her' death; the diary entry starts with him explaining about a recurring nightmare about these past events. At the end of this entry, he describes himself as a different man, saying that the man he was was a fearful, breakable man. His final words in this entry were, "I am not he... I am Reaver. And I will sleep much better after this chalice of wine." This suggests he has changed his identity and even personality to deal with the pain of his past.

He also has both a limited amount of patience and a vain disposition about his appearance: He shot both a sculptor and a painter for supposedly getting his statue and painting wrong, and finally shooting Barnum because the picture he took, while a perfect likeness, would take three months to develop. Reaver is shown to be somewhat flamboyant and eccentric. His mansions, full of portraits of himself, are richly decorated in accents of black, burgundy and Reaver Industry logos (Fable III). Both his voice and handwriting are flourished and exaggerated. He is usually portrayed with a smug smirk on his face and wears an elaborate fur-lined suit and high top hat in Fable III.

Through his narcissism, his ego-maniacal nature, and his utter lack of respect for others, Reaver never shows any true signs of antagonism to even those who would consider themselves his enemies, viewing their attempts to foil him as almost amusing. This might be from how, due to being near-immortal, that most inconveniences to him are minor in the grand scheme of things, and anyone who goes up against him, he knows that he'll out live eventually. This is best displayed in his attitude towards Page, who he regards as a playful rival of sorts rather than a true enemy. This can also be displayed in his relation with the Hero of Brightwall, who he addresses with a friendly candor even if they refused all his suggestions. He also adds that he enjoyed working with the monarch, and looked forward to doing so again. Throughout different parts of Fable, he is at times portrayed as neutral, the villain, or the anti-hero. Whatever role he assumes, his actions, decisions and alliances seem solely motivated by want of personal gain, entertainment or his survival. He seems genuinely unphased and unconcerned about turns of events, merely making sarcastic remarks or moving on when his plans do not succeed.

Combat

Reaver F3 Shooting

Reaver has a considerable competence in battle, likely due to his status as the Hero of Skill. His height in Fable III exemplifies his skills and Hero status. In combat, Reaver often stands in one place slowly firing his gun. He supposedly hits every shot, though he does not kill with each one. When an enemy gets too close, or strikes him with a melee blow, he will draw his cutlass, striking at the same time and performing a flourish attack, performing an instant kill. While Reaver's damage per second output with his Dragonstomper .48 appears low, nearing Smuggler's Beach, he demonstrates the ability to fire several shots in very rapid succession, scoring a head shot and a kill on many enemies within a very short time. He remarks "You can tell them [your grandchildren] about that, too. Not that they'll believe you..." Amusingly, if you go up ahead, you can use a ranged weapon to kill all the enemies in succession (indicating that it was a scripted event) and Reaver will start his dialogue, pause, and then continue talking as if he had killed them all.

Reaver's Combat Skill doesn't seem to diminish with his age, 50 years after helping to topple Lord Lucien, when Page shot at him from close range, he was able to casually deflect it with his cane, and also is able of precisely shoot a man in a crowd protesting his cruel work methods, in areas that would not be fatal, several times. Despite this display of skill, Reaver seems to rarely enter combat in Fable III, often relying more on others to fight for him, mostly for his entertainment in his Wheel of Misfortune, whether this is due to him gotten used to a more secluded and industrial life, or because he has gotten bored with combat being too easy for him is not revealed.

Fable Heroes

Reaver Puppet from Fable Heroes.
Reaver Puppet from Fable Heroes.
Main article: Reaver (Fable Heroes)

In the Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Fable Heroes, Reaver makes an appearance as a playable character. He is one of the characters unlocked by default, the other three are: Garth, Hero, and Hammer. Reaver's weapon of choice is his trusty Dragonstomper .48, though it looks more like a Toy Gun than the formidable pistol in Fable II and Fable III. On the Hero Tile of the Abilities Board, Reaver can unlock the character Ben Finn for the price of 15,000 gold.

Bugs/Glitches

Trivia

Quotes

I thought he'd never shut up! Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to kill him?
— Reaver to the Hero of Bowerstone, after he killed Lord Lucien, if the Hero of Bowerstone takes too long to kill him.


Yes, yes, but onto more important matters. What about me??? What do I get??? Cash would be nice...
— Reaver to Theresa, after Theresa's revelation that the Hero of Bowerstone could use The Spire to make a wish.


But lying down is so much easier than standing up!
— Reaver, while executing one of his workers for staging a strike.


The rules for what I like to call the Reaver Team Spirit Award are these: firstly, anyone who so much as murmurs another complaint will be shot! Second, anyone who takes more than a three second break will be shot! Third, anyone who breaks any other rules I have yet to formulate will, yes, you guessed it, be shot!
— Reaver, while continuously shooting a worker who staged an unsuccessful strike.


The Wheel of Misfortune! It's rather simple. I spin, you die, we watch. Really! [laughs] It's, it's a riot! [laughs]
— Reaver explaining The Wheel of Misfortune.


Why! No less than the most unsightly, obnoxious creatures ever to contaminate this world! Super.
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, regarding Hobbes.


One almost pities those repugnant creatures. Then one shrugs and waits for the next piece of carnage.
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, after they defeated the Hobbes.


Like the tales of my greatest conquests, The Wheel simply demands to be spun. What delicious fate will it deliver this time?
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, discussing the second round of The Wheel of Misfortune.


Not a bad strike for someone afflicted with such rampant rigor mortis!
— Reaver on Hollow Men, during The Wheel of Misfortune.


I do love to bring two cultures together...and see which one "dies" first.
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, just prior to Sand Furies being released in The Wheel of Misfortune game.


Oh dear. Do you brutes have any idea how hard it is to find good staff. Still, one might as well enjoy the show. What's the use of a "secret" society without a little secret, after all?
— Reaver, as Barry Hatch is dying from a Balverine attack, to said Balverine and to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, respectively.


"Well", I must say, you've made me out to be a somewhat "poor" host! Rather rude of you to dispose of all my guests!
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, after they have killed the Balverines in The Wheel of Misfortune game.


Oh! My dear girl! Why not stop all this bickering! The three of us can go up to my quarters and have a private party.
— Reaver to Page and the Hero of Brightwall, after the former has fired a bullet, but for Reaver to deflect it with his cane.


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