WithAvowed’s release this February, fans of thePillars of Eternityseries will finally be able to return to Eora in a new game. However, one particular addition to this world’s lore is somethingAvowedplayers will want to keep their eyes on.
Avowed, Obsidian’s long-awaitedcontinuation of thePillars of Eternitygames, will finally hit shelves in February of this year. The game will allow players to become the Envoy, an agent of the Aedyr Empire—a faction long referenced in the franchise that’s now getting more limelight than ever before. WithAvowedset after the previous twoPillarsgames, the title will feature some new lore details, particularly surrounding the Aedyr Empire’s leader. To learn more about this character, Game Rant sat down with several ofAvowed’s developers.
Everything We Know About Avowed’s Aedyran Emperor
The team working onAvowedhas laid out some hintsregarding the portrayal of Aedyr and the Aedyran Emperor. Senior narrative designer Katie Dollarhyde hinted at the goals of the emperor, considered against the Envoy’s different background options:
“We also knew that the player character would have been close to the emperor, something of a young protégé to him, perhaps even a ward of the court, which meant that the player would have needed to do something in their past that could have brought them to the emperor’s attention. What would catch an emperor’s eye? Here’s where we homed in on our backgrounds: Noble Scion, War Hero, Court Augur, Vanguard Scout, and Arcane Scholar. I don’t want to take the surprise away from players, so I’ll say that each of those backgrounds has a reason for drawing the emperor’s attention, a reason he saw a use for them—beyond the player’s godlike nature.”
Dollarhyde was very explicit in stating the Envoy’s closeness to the emperor, stating that “The Dreamscourge is what the Emperor of Aedyr sent the Envoy to investigate,” further implying the emperor’s personal involvement with the Envoy. She also touched on the empire’s goals in the Living Lands, with the faction “eager for a renewed foothold in this shifting global order.” Upon further investigation, ties can be foundbetweenAvowed’s Dreamscourge, the Envoy, and the Aedyran Emperor’s possible plots.
When inspecting what this “surprise” regarding the emperor could be, it’s worth looking atthe magic ofAvowed’s setting. Within the Aedyr Empire’s lore, Animancy (magic related to souls) is banned in areas where the Empire reigns. However, the Dreamscourge, as described by Dollarhyde, is explicitly a “malady of the soul”—and yet the Aedyran Emperor (who personally sends out the Envoy on their quest) wants to get closer to this soul-based infection.
It should also be considered that the Empire worships Woedica, one ofthe gods inPillars of Eternityand an antagonist in the original game. Woedica, in the universe’s lore, is a god of law and justice, yet was nonetheless exiled for their flaunting of rules when it suited them. This hypocrisy of a religious figure could perhaps reflect a hypocrisy found in the emperor, who may be flaunting their empire’s rules in investigating (and potentially taking advantage of) the Dreamscourge. Dollarhyde also commented on the fact thatAvowedwill be a commentary on “imperial power, specifically,” and this possible contradiction between the espoused beliefs of the Empire and its true actions would make for solid commentary on imperialism past and present.
Even if this theory doesn’t pan out, there’s little doubt that the Aedyr Emperor will be something of an antagonist. Not only are they poised to embody the ‘imperial power’Avowedseeks to criticize, but the game’s backgrounds (each of which has been detailed by Obsidian) all involve the emperor elevating, and often protecting, the Envoy—leading to a great deal of leverage. Dollarhyde spelled it out when they said “Enter the Envoy, agent of the Aedyran empire. What would they do in the emperor’s name?”
