Avowed is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated games for the Xbox Series X, and one many fans hope could provide a spiritual successor to Skyrim for the next generation.
Avowed is set in the world of Eora from Obsidian Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity, with its own unique fantasy pantheon. The gods of Eora are very extant, making personal appearances and transforming people in their own images into a race called the Godlike. Here are the gods players can likely expect to see, either in person or through their worshipers, in the world of Avowed.
Eothas, God of Light
Eothas is the god of light, rebirth, hope, redemption, and cyclical death. In his default form, his appearance resembles a fantasy giant, but he is in fact a copper green “adra statue." He is covered in markings, with a symbol of the dawn on his head. When appearing as the aspect of cyclical death, he is called Guan, and appears as a farmer with a lantern and sickle.
Eothas is extremely important in the Pillars of Eternity games, similar to Mehrunes Dagon in The Elder Scrolls, as he is the direct cause of the Saint’s War. In the Saint’s War, Eothas turned the prophet Saint Waidwen into his avatar and was thought to have been killed by a magical bomb at the end of the war, causing the plague of soulless “Hollowborn” children that kicks off the plot.
Eothas was not so easily killed, however, returning in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in his adra statue form in the waters of the Deadfire Archipelago. Eothas returned in an attempt to destroy the lost city of Ukaizo, filled with the inventions of the ancient Engwithans, in an attempt to “break the wheel."
The Watcher can convince Eothas to destroy Eora, but this will likely not be canon. In the good ending, Eothas’ adra statue is destroyed. It’s unclear whether or not he’d make an appearance in Avowed, especially after the first two games centered him so much, but it remains a possibility.
Abydon, God of the Forge
Abydon is the god of the forge. Like the other gods, he eventually helped destroy the Engwithans who had created him. When another god, Ondra, brought one of Eora's moons down towards the earth, however, Abdyon threw his hammer at it. A large fragment remained, so he threw himself in the way. It hit Abydon in the face, killing him. Abydon would later return to his labor in a mechanical body, but had lost his memories and his will to preserve. His Eyeless constructs each hold a piece of his soul, but are prevented by Ondra from restoring him and his memory.
Berath, God of Inevitable Death
Berath is the god of cycles, doors, and cold, inevitable death. Berath is depicted either as genderless or as a pair of male and female twins. They are one of the gods least likely to talk to their followers, who are expected to accept the cycle of life and death with quiet dignity. As a result their priesthood is relatively small.
Berath’s Godlike are some of the least trusted in Eora. They have growths which run up their faces and over their eyes to cause strange malformed head shapes. These Godlike are often attacked by the living, but the undead will leave them alone. Berath has had many forms over the years, including The Pallid Knight and The Usher. In both forms, Berath brings death, though in the former more directly than the latter.
Galawain, God of the Hunt
Galawain, also called The Seeker God, is the god of the hunt in all senses of the word, and so by extension, discovery. He also protects wild places, where the hunt manifests most naturally. Galawain is followed by many treasure hunters, adventurers, explorers, and scholars. His symbol is that of the dog, often worn around his followers' necks. When Galawain’s spiritual leaders near death, they often go into the wild to confront his herald. If they are worthy, they will join his pack after death. His Godlike appear with plant or animal-like features.
Hylea, Goddess of the Sky
Hylea is the bird queen and goddess of the sky. Her Godlike appear with bird-like faces, though they are not one of the playable races in Pillars of Eternity. She visits women in childbirth, and those who die in the process are reborn as her avian servants in the afterlife. She wants her followers to bring new life into the world, while many of the other gods wish to end life. She prefers smaller displays of worship.
Magran, Goddess of Fire
Magran is the goddess of war, fire, consumption, transformation, purification, and trials. Her priests use firearms, and her symbol is the flame and the flaming bomb. It was her priests that helped to develop the magical Godhammer bomb which killed Saint Waidwen, making her the most popular deity in Dyrwood, one nation in the world of Eora. Her Godlike's skin looks like molten metal or burning wood.
Ondra, Goddess of the Moon and Sea
Ondra, aka Ngati, is the goddess of water and the moon. When Ngati, she appears as an angler fish. Legend says Ondra is in love with the moon, and so is called the Lady of Lament. Tales of Ondra are some of the oldest in Eora, but like the other, gods she was created by the Engwithans. It was Ondra who performed the gods' last direct intervention in the world of Eora before the gods swore off involving themselves directly in the affairs of mortals.
This act, bringing down one of Eora’s moons, led to Abydon’s death. Ondra erected a temple over his corpse to protect his body. She also made Abydon forget his death in his new mechanical form in order to preserve peace between the gods, hence why she will not allow his soul to be fully restored. Magran’s Godlike are among the most trusted, with pale skin and growths on their heads resembling the moon. The marine Ngati Godlike are also associated with her.
Rymrgand, God of Entropy
Rymrgand, AKA the Beast of Winter, is the god of erosion and collapse, including entropic death, famine and plague, and bad luck. He is strongly associated with entropy and the movement of the universe towards cold stillness. He was one of the oldest created by the Engwithans. His followers consider reincarnation a punishment, and he appears as a large auroch with the souls of the dead clinging to his shaggy coat. Rymrgand’s Godlike also aren’t playable in Pillars of Eternity, but are ravaged by decay and spread disease.
Weal, God of Dreams
Wael is the god of dreams, mysteries, and revelations. Their symbol is the eye and their appearance is completely inconsistent, as ever-shifting as their subconscious domain. Weal’s followers ask the god to keep secrets and reveal unsolved mysteries, as well as performing bizarre rituals that many observers think may not have any purpose whatsoever.
Skaen, God of Resentment, and Woedica, Goddess of Law
Skaen AKA the Quiet Slave, is the god of resentment, rebellion, and secret hatred. Skaen is often depicted as a lacerated slave with his eyes turned down and his fist clenched. His followers often delight in torturing and executing people of higher status.
Woedica, also called The Exiled or Burned Queen, the Oathbinder, or The Strangler, is the goddess of justice, oaths, law, promises, rightful rulership, and hierarchies. She used to be the most powerful of the gods created by Engwith but was brought down by the other gods. She is allied with Skaen, who, of course, is himself not to be trusted. She is the origin of the common Eoran saying, “when Woedica takes back her throne,” referring to an idealized future of an ordered society. She is an antagonist in Pillars of Eternity, and wants to reestablish her dominance over Eora.
The gods and their relationships with their followers are among the most fascinating aspects of Avowed’s setting. The Pillars of Eternity games state that “Engwith built gods from ideals, and an ideal on its own is a grotesque and vicious thing.” The gods and their strange machinations will very likely make an appearance in Avowed, and could make the game one of the most interesting fantasy RPGs released on the next generation of consoles.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.