We've known that this week's See the Future DLC for Fable II would tease the next phase of the Fable series.

Now we've seen it and started asking questions.

This is your last SPOILER warning.

Still here?

The Fable II DLC suggests that the future of the series could either be grander or more intimate than what players have experienced in the first two Fable games. Those games starred the player as a ground-level hero, a legend among towns of peasants, a man or woman capable of starting a family or three.

See the Future allows your hero to meet a soothsayer who narrates a playable sequence that puts this character in the future. The hero wears a crown and cape and is described as a king. He walks among his knights and subjects. A narrator, Theresa, talks about how he deals with the "responsibility of an entire kingdom."

The hero's throne is shown, and the implication is that Fable could be embracing lead creator Peter Molyneux's god-game past (see Populous, for example), expanding its scale to let the player's decisions not just affect their character's body or property but the lives of a kingdom.

Then the camera turns and the narrator says: "But this is of the least importance… this is the real future, his child, not yet born, but destined for greatness. A child on whom the fate of Albion will depend one day. As will the fate of Aurora."

The player is shown a baby in a crib. (You can watch all this on YouTube.)

What's it all mean? Is Fable going to become a child-rearing adventure? Who or what or where is Aurora? Is the first part of the tease misdirection, or is it the latter half?

A representative for Peter Molyneux deferred such questions to Microsoft.

A Microsoft rep told Kotaku via e-mail that "See the Future does give a glimpse of Albion's future, fictionally speaking, but we can't comment on what's next for the franchise."

We followed up asking if players could at least expect more Fable II DLC that would maybe shed more light on this. The rep replied: "We have nothing new to share right now as it relates to more content for Fable II."

Did we just see Fable III early? And if we did, what does it mean?

Lionhead's own Sam Van Tilburgh directed us to the contest, which can be entered by anyone with a free Lionhead website account, obtained by simply registering your MSN handle. You can enter the contest once between now and June 12th, with the winner being drawn and quartered notified on June 15th. The prize package includes one rare NTSC Fable II console signed by series creator Peter Molyneux and a signed copy of Fable II to go inside of it, spinning around to make pretty pictures appear on your television.

It should be an excellent way to experience the See the Future DLC sometime in the near future. Chances are slim that you'll walk away a winner, but at least you'll have tried, and that's certainly worth something. Just not a custom Fable II 360.

Fable II See The Future Prize Draw [Lionhead, Sponsored by Microsoft]

Those eager to See the Future of Albion have only two more weeks worth of waiting to down, as Lionhead announces a May 12th release date for their latest batch of downloadable content for the award-winning Fable II. New quest, news costumes, and new dogs await those willing to brave the perils of paying 560 Microsoft points.

The announcement also covers the return of the Inside Lionhead video diary series, with a special episode all about the creation of See the Future. It's available now via Xbox Live, or just below this text. Your choice!

Check it out, today [Lionhead Blog]

I say if you get lucky, because one of the thirteen new achievements requires that the player "make love" twenty-five times, which for some of us represents many more times than in real life, depending on your definition of making love. For those of you who would rather stick to the path of purity, Lionhead has you covered. As long as you watch another hero making love twenty-five times you get the achievement as well. Pervert.

Luckily there are plenty of achievements on the list that don't require doing the dirty, such as The Nutcracker, which simply requires you score twenty-five groin shots. Check out the full list below, containing several achievements that have nothing to do with the groin area whatsoever.

The Nutcracker 10
Score 25 groin shots, or see another Hero do so.

The Paramour 10
Make love 25 times, or see another Hero do so.

The Concierge 30
Open all the Demon Doors in Albion, or see another Hero do so.

The Visionary 50
Take a look into the future, or see another Hero do so.

The Con Artist 25
Find all 10 of Murgo's statuettes, or see another Hero do so.

The Howler 10
Scare five people while dressed as a balverine, or see another Hero do so.

The Ghastly Jester 10
Make five people laugh while dressed as a hobbe, or see another Hero do so.

The Repugnant 10
Disgust five people while dressed as a hollow man, or see another Hero do so.

The Gladiator 30
Score a total high score of 20,000 points or more in the Colosseum, or see another Hero do so.

The Multiplicator 20
Achieve a multiplier of 10 or more in the Colosseum, or see another Hero do so.

The Combatant 20
Defeat the necromancer in the Colosseum, or see another Hero do so.

The Fowl Player 10
Dress as a chicken and kick five chickens during the Colosseum battles, or see another Hero do so.

The Colourist 15
Collect the dyes hidden in Murgo's magical items, or see another Hero do so.

Fable II Updated to 1350 [Xbox360Achievements.Org via the Fable II Development Blog]

New creatures, new quests, new events, and legendary artifacts will be yours to discover this May in the See the Future DLC for Fable II. Transform your canine companion into new breeds using potions from the mysterious huxter Murgo, uncover the secret behind a city trapped in a snow globe, or dress up as a hobbe or balverine to help a cursed knight escape his fate, all in pursuit of the ultimate reward: a quest that gives players a glimpse of the future of the world of Albion and your heroic bloodline.

All of that, plus new clothes, new hairstyles, jester make-up, a new hero expression, and a new trick for your old dog, all at the low price of 560 Microsoft points. Check out the screens below for a glimpse of what the future holds.

Fable II - See The Future [Official Website]

"The next DLC comes out in the spring," he said. "We're in the spring now so don't think months, think more like weeks. It's called See the Future."

Molyneux says that the new DLC will be much more story driven and give gamers a glimpse of things to come.

"The first (DLC) was done very close to Fable II and the team was tired and we sort of pushed ourselves to get something out early for the fans," he said. "This time we've taken a little bit more time on it, it's a little bit more story driven. It answers some of the questions, if you're a real fan of Fable, it answers some of those questions. It's going to test you a little bit emotionally as well. But I think the real unique thing here is it starts to tease and hint at what it starting to happen in the world of Albion and what is happening in the future."

Molyneux also hinted at the rumored existence of Fable III.

"If we were to take the franchise even further, going on from Fable II, I'm not announcing anything, but if you play See the Future you're going to be getting a flavor at what's going to be happening," he said. "My ideal is what I would want to happen is something big."