Avowed is one of the most hotly anticipated games for the upcoming Xbox Series X. With many RPG fans hoping Obsidian’s next big game could be the spiritual successor to Skyrim, there are already plenty of rumors circulating about the game's story and setting.
Avowed will be set in Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity universe, which is full of fantasy races and complex kingdoms. There’s one race, however, which stands out as both especially weird and particularly exciting for Avowed: the Orlans.
The Kith
“Kith” is the name given to the races in Pillars of Eternity’s world of Eora that consider one-another civilized. This includes a wide array of Humans, with the subraces Meadow Folk, Ocean Folk, Savannah folk, and Storm folk. It also includes relatively standard high fantasy Elves and Dwarves, known for their isolationism and colonial expeditions respectively.
On the weirder end of the spectrum are the Aumaua, a large race of web-footed coastal and island-dwelling people, sometimes with blue skin and sharp teeth. While certainly more alien than the familiar Humans, Dwarves, and Elves of standard fantasy, they still broadly resemble Humans, while also fulfilling the typical “giant-type” archetype found in fantasy from Dragon Age’s Qunari to D&D’s Goliaths.
Weirder still are the Godlike, who resemble other Kith with strange head mutations received as blessings from the gods. Though seen as freaks by many in the world of Pillars of Eternity, they aren’t exactly their own distinct race per se, as they are born from Kith who have been blessed and are unable to reproduce themselves.
The Orlans
Orlans are quite possibly the strangest and most interesting race which could be included in the world of Avowed. For a start, though they are considered Kith in the Pillars of Eternity games, the game also states that “many cultures don’t consider them to be civilized at all.”
While at a distance they almost resemble Halfings from D&D, Orlans have snake-like eyes, and hair which creeps up their large pointed ears, giving them an almost feline appearance. Not only that, but they have multiple skin tones that appear in patches and spots across their furry bodies, again making them resemble something almost as animal as it is human. Unlike Halflings, Orlans aren’t known for their hospitality. Persecuted in most major cities, many live in the forests as vicious guerrilla fighters to make up for their short stature while defending themselves from hostile forces.
The Orlans also have great diversity among their subraces, especially compared to some of the other Kith in Pillars of Eternity. Hearth Orlans live indoors in or near towns and cities, hence their name. This has caused them to develop a thinner coat of fur than the Wild Orlans, who have the worst reputation for violence thanks to the often strained relationship they have with the other cultures they come into contact with. Unlike Hearth Orlans, Wild Orlans’ bodies are covered in thick and often colorful fur.
Though these are the only two subraces that appear in the Pillars of Eternity games, the ethnic diversity of the Orlans is mentioned several times, implying that there are even more different types which have remained peripheral, living far away from the other Kith. There are some places where Orlans are more accepted, such as Eir Glanfath in the Eastern Reach. There, they have mixed with the local Elves to the extent that they see one another as equals, a particularly fascinating detail considering the otherwise haughty and isolationist reputation of the Elves.
The Orlans help distinguish the setting of Pillars of Eternity and by extension Avowed from other generic fantasy worlds. Many fans of the series will be hoping they’re included as a playable race in Avowed just as they were in the other games. Not only are the Orlans fascinating in and of themselves, but their strange relationship with the other Kith and between their own subraces breathes unique life into the world of Eora that many will be hoping to see realized in Avowed.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.