It’s been almost two years since the first announcement ofAvowed, a new first-person fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. In that time, very little information about the game has been released, forcing fans to theorize based on the original trailer. Fortunately,Avowedis set in the same world as Obsidian Entertainment’sPillars of Eternityseries, giving several important clues to the theme and lore.
ThePillars of Eternitygames are isometric party-based RPGs, which can be played either with real-time or turn-based combat. Despite this,Avowedhas been announced as a first-person RPG more in the vein ofgames likeThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This change of format won’t affect the world of Eora however, and players can still expectPillars of Eternity’s unique blend of late-medieval weapons with magic and soul essence. The soul-manipulating art of Animancy is a prominent theme in bothPillars of EternityandPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, and there are no individuals more of interest to the science than Watchers.
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What are Watchers in Pillars of Eternity Lore?
The Watchers of Eoraare rare individuals gifted (or cursed) with an extraordinary ability to look into the mysterious In-Between and perceive the soul energy there. This ability allows them to both read the souls of living people, but also to see the lost souls that often wander the lands of Eora like ghosts, trying to find their way to an adra pillar where they can be reborn. In combat, the Watcher can use soul energy to buff themselves or weaken their enemies, gaining several unique powers that are outside the normal class system.
Watchers aren’t born with their unique abilities, and must undergo some kind of soul trauma to gain them, a process known as Awakening. Watchers are often created from Old Souls, those who have been throughEora’s cycle of reincarnationdozens or even hundreds of times. When they are Awakened, they begin to gain access to the memories and personalities of these past incarnations, which is what grants them their Watcher abilities.
Unfortunately, many Watchers struggle to maintain their sanity when bombarded by the memories and personalities of their past lives, and they can easily lose control. Thefirst Watcher that players encounter inPillars of Eternity, Maerwald, switches constantly between three distinct personalities, with only brief moments of lucidity.
How Watchers Could Feature in Avowed
One of the most important clues to the role of Watchers inAvowedcomes at the very end of the announcement trailer. When the POV character raises their sword they draw a sign with their other hand, which glows with purple energy. This distinct purple glow has been the telltale sign of soul energy throughout thePillars of Eternityseries. It appears whenmembers of the Cipher classperform attacks and spells, as well as when the Watcher performs their special abilities.
The appearance of this purple magic could very well suggest that the POV character in the trailer, assumed to be a stand-in for the player character, has the ability to manipulate soul essence. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re a Watcher, as they could also be a Cipher, but it definitely hints thatAnimancy and soul energywill be a returning theme inAvowed.
This idea is supported by the appearance of the skeleton warriors in the trailer, particularly as one lets out a burst of purple energy when struck by an arrow. One of the earliestuses of Animancy by the Engwithan peoplewas raising the dead, and the science was originally outlawed in the Aedyr Empire because of this. It’s possible thatAvowedwill take place before thePillars of Eternitytimeline, when the world was just coming to terms with Animancy, soul essence, and what it means to be a Watcher.
