Fantasy stories often need a big world-ending villain to motivate the heroic protagonist. These villains often come in the form of fantastical threats like ancient monsters, gods, dragons, or magical machines. But somefantasy storieschoose to present their omnipotent, practically undefeatable villain in a more grounded light, which is somethingAvoweddabbles in.
Avowedbegins with players being sent to the continent of the Living Lands as an envoy of the Aedyran Emperor, tasked with discovering the cause of a mysterious Dreamscourge plague. But whileAvowedbegins with a fantastical main threat, the more players journey through the Living Lands, and the more they talk to NPCs, the more they’ll learn about the Aedyr Empire their character used to call home. In classic Obsidian Entertainment fashion, players are left to make up their own mind on whether the Aedyr Empire is evil, but there are plenty of breadcrumbs in the lore for fans to follow.
The Lore of Avowed’s Aedyr Empire Explained
The Origins of the Aedyr Empire
The Aedyr Empire can trace its roots all the way back to 300 AI, around 2,000 yearsbefore the events ofAvowedandPillars of Eternity. Once a tribe of deer herders, the Aedyr eventually came into contact with the technologically superior Kingdom of Kulkin, a nation of elves. In exchange for their military aid, the Kingdom of Kulkin agreed to teach the Aedyr its ways.
Peace didn’t last long, however, as wars between the elves and humans quickly broke out. The numerous tribes of Aedyr spread across the land were eventually unified under one banner and one king. This new Kingdom of Aedyr quickly spread across the continent, and after a few centuries of intermittent wars, the Kulkin and Aedyr agreed to lay down their weapons and join forces, thus creating the Aedyr Empire.
Over the course of a few hundred years, the Aedyr Empire became a dominant civilization in Eora, with its influence stretching across not only its own continent, but many other colonies in its vicinity.
The Common Beliefs of Those Living in The Aedyr Empire
It’s believed that there are at least 11 gods that keep watch overthe world of Eora, and the god Woedica is said to treasure the Aedyr Empire. The “lady of law and vengeance,” Woedica is said to give divine protection to the monarchy that rules over the Aedyran people, and naturally, she’s worshiped across the empire.
Duty is held in high regard in the Aedyr Empire. The Aedyrans believe that a sense of purpose is needed to help society prosper and grow, as is a strong sense of loyalty to friends, family, and the hierarchy of Aedyr’s political structure.
The Aedyr Empire was home to some of the earliest Animancy (the science of soul energy) experiments, where a group of researchers managed to transfer a living soul into a dead body. This accidentally created the first documented case of an undead, andAnimancy was quickly bannedthroughout the Aedyr Empire as a result. Many Aedyrans still view Animancy as unnatural, and some even view it as blasphemous.
The Steel Garrote Is a Feared Order
Though the Aedyr Empire is not inherently evil, it is home to a variety of unsavory characters and organizations.The Steel Garroteis one such organization. An order of paladins fiercely dedicated to Woedica and her alleged teachings, the Steel Garrote was founded in the Aedyr Empire and often works closely with its higher-ups to hunt down those who have broken oaths or promises. Naturally, this mission statement is rather vague, and its description can be bent to include just about anyone that the Aedyran rulers deem to be oath-breakers, regardless of whether a court of law would feel the same way.
