Obsidian's upcoming first-person RPG Avowed is set in the same universe as the studio's Pillars of Eternity series. While the trailer seems light on detail, it's actually packed full of evidence that one key character will be returning from Pillars of Eternity in a central role.
Almost every line in the Avowed trailer points to the return of Woedica, a goddess from Pillars of Eternity who is also known as the Burned Queen, the Exiled Queen, the Oathbinder, or the Strangler. Here are all the hints at her return, and what players can expect from Woedica in Avowed's story.
Woedica References In Avowed's Trailer
The Avowed trailer isn't long, but almost every line in it is packed full of Woedica references. The voiceover narrates:
"We have always known war. We forged our empire, turned heroes into queens and kings, and decimated our foes. Now our oaths are lost, forsaken, and you must face the monsters our sins have borne. Is an oath worth the weight of a crown?"
In Eora, the world from Pillars of Eternity, Woedica is the goddess of law, oath, justice, rightful rulership, hierarchies, memory, and vengeance. The trailer's voiceover points to many of Woedica's domains appearing as main themes in Avowed. Turning heroes into queens and kings is naturally connected to the idea of rightful rulership. Even Avowed's title is connected to ideas of oath, obligations, and in some cases vengeance.
Oaths are referenced twice, and the trailer ends with a reference to a crown. Crowns are one of Woedica's symbols, and unlike the other gods of Eora Woedica can be seen wearing a crown in all of her depictions. A crown symbol very similar to Woedica's can also be seen on the banner hanging from the castle in the trailer. While the narrator's identity is unclear, they appear to be describing a history where ruling families gained their power by making oaths to Woedica. When they broke those oaths the deity — also the goddess of vengeance — created monsters like the one the player character is waiting for at the end of the trailer.
The Avowed trailer points to the protagonist facing down the machinations of an angry, vengeful goddess. Fighting a deity may seem like an insurmountable task, and unfortunately for the hero of Avowed, Woedica isn't just the goddess of justice, but is ironically known for breaking any rule necessary to achieve her ends. The player character does have one spot of hope, however. Pillars of Eternity reveals that Woedica isn't really a god at all.
The Gods of Avowed
All of the gods in Avowed's universe were created by an ancient civilization which lived on Eora. The Engwithans were a continent-spanning culture packed full of rival kings and armed with powerful technology. They were able to manipulate souls through a science known as Animancy. As Animancy developed the Engwithans became masters of metaphysics, and began finding solid answers to abstract metaphysical questions. To their shock, they discovered there were no gods. Determined to cover up the truth, the leaders of Engwith decided to make their own.
By sacrificing the souls of thousands of their own citizens, the Engwithans created beings who represented pure ideals. One Wood Elf named Iovara eventually discovered the truth and started an atheist movement. "Engwith built gods from ideals,"Â she said, "and an ideal on its own is a grotesque and vicious thing."
Although Iovara did not believe that the gods of Eora were truly divine, she did not underestimate the power of the Engwithans' creations. "Woedica may be the most dangerous of the gods" she said. In the end, it was an Inquisition led by the Leaden Key, a shadowy organization of Woedica worshippers, which tortured and burned many of her followers.
Woedica And Avowed's Setting
Woedica seems to have a lot of influence at the time of Avowed, which may indicate where in the Pillars of Eternity timeline Avowed takes place. The phrase "when Woedica takes back her throne" is a saying in Pillars of Eternity used to refer to events which would only take place in a perfectly just universe. To the religious or conservative, this includes Woedica once again taking her place as the queen of the gods.
Based on just how heavily the trailer features Woedica, Avowed may be set during the height of the goddess' power. Woedica may not even be "the Burned Queen" or "the Exiled Queen" yet at all. She only gained those names after the other gods of Eora cast Woedica from her throne, and the fire god Magran burned her. "The Strangler" is Woedica's manifestation on Eora. She is an old woman who wears expensive but tattered clothing, and who supposedly appears on empty roads to strangle those who break their oaths. The Strangler is also said to be supernaturally fast and strong, which could make her a horrifying encounter if she appears in Avowed.
There's more evidence that Avowed will be set during Woedica's reign as queen of the gods. Both Pillars of Eternity games, especially PoE 2: Deadfire, were set in fantasy worlds with architecture, clothing, and technology from around the 1500s to 1800s. This included pistols, cannons, and magical bombs. In Avowed's trailer, the world's architecture and weaponry seems far more medieval, likely indicating that the upcoming RPG will be set hundreds of years before the PoE games.
The studio may not have revealed much solid information about Avowed so far, but that first trailer still gives some huge hints about the upcoming game's villain and setting. Many fans will be hoping to learn more details about Avowed from Obsidian at E3 2021 next month.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.