Pillars of Eternity: Lore, Themes, and Resolution

Pillars of Eternity
  
Herein Awkward Mixture concludes its review of Pillars of Eternity, and though this is only the third article, word-wise it is nearly six (as is proper). This final article will explore the Lore, Themes, and Ending of Obsidian Entertainments' first unique game.

Before revealing spoilers, the goal is to uncover the Lore of Pillars in broad strokes. The developers of Pillars devised a detailed history, stretching back centuries, which is relevant as background information for the protagonist's surroundings, but also directly impacts the plot. Compare this, again, with Divinity: Original Sin. Divinity's plot does extend incredibly far into an ancient past, but only includes a few sparse details, one or two events involving three or four characters, with the few remaining relevant aspects occurring recently. Even those details rarely connect. Characters and events are like separate threads, of different thicknesses, sewed clumsily together. Pillars includes at least fifty gods, nations, factions, individuals, relevant terminology, and events which fit seamlessly together like the pieces of a grand puzzle. Each country and companion feels unique, relevant, acting on their own perceived interests and competing with the other powers and events. And they all lead to a tense conclusion, impacting the player's final decisions.
Pillars of Eternity is replete with decisions, which culminate in its conclusion, but it also supports its story with a few powerful themes. Unlike the candy colored Divinity, Pillars embraces the idea that goodness is under threat; one true, determined, and dark. The opening, after a few minutes of dreary tutorials, demonstrates that Pillars is likely to be a dreadful, deadly experience, if not for the hero, than for those who inhabit the world around him. While events rarely damage the protagonist and their companions, the innocent civilians of the Dyrwood are sure to suffer. Unbearable sorrow borne, is a key component of the larger plot, but also of the everyday life of commoners. Children suffer more than most, because they have less power to resist the forces of cruelty, especially when it resides, not in monsters, but in the adults around them. Poor Darrin never made it home from his abusive father and the docks, while a young lady was delivered to the God of secret hatred and envy, Skaen, for a diabolical purpose. A third child was nearly kidnapped, so her soul could be altered, to please the leader of a Glanfathan tribe. Children are often either sources of pleasure or means to an end for their abusive elders.

When sorrow isn't enough, Pillars of Eternity utilizes another tool, dread. Sometimes it is the dread of loss to come, from the forbidding of an event. Other times it issues from gruesome sights, such as a score of bodies draped on a massive tree near a destroyed temple to Eothas. In the piles of bodies, scattered across the Dyrwood there is loss aplenty for the protagonist to encounter. And the keening cries of parents, delivers pathos to drive the loss home. This might seem sufficient emotion to imbue a game, but Pillars augments these with one final theme. A significant part of the world the characters reside in is unknowable. This is said best by the companion, known only as the Grieving Mother, a character birthed in suffering. In response to one of the protagonist's many conversations, she says, “Some questions have answers that can never be learned.” This statement might as well be Pillar's motto. Companion quests are a perfect example of this statement. The best of them end with an unexpected twist, leaving the protagonist and companion uncertain of how to proceed. Many companions never find the knowledge they seek in their quest, and this undercutting of their reality threatens their revolve. It is the protagonists responsibility to help them find meaning in a world where answers are unobtainable.
Approaching the end of our time in the world of Eora, there will be spoilers. To examine any issues with the ending, the knowledge of some introductory facts are necessary. Pillars of Eternity reveals three relevant facts early in the game. There exists a pantheon of Gods. People have souls. A recent event has caused babies to be born without souls. In Pillars, every time a person dies, a small piece of their soul breaks off, while a slightly smaller piece joins to it (In the long run, soul stuff is being lost). When a soul is reincarnated, the person doesn't remember their past lives. Except for those who do. They are called Awakened. Awakened people often suffer madness because their memories become muddled. Their past selves may even attempt to exert control. The protagonist is Awakened, but he is also a Watcher, a person capable of seeing souls. 

 Fifteen years before the beginning of Pillars, the Dyrwood was consumed by the Saint's War, where the God Eothas may or may not have inhabited a human. After he was killed by followers of another God, and one of the protagonist's companions, children began being born without souls. Called Hollowborn, these cursed children withered and died, seeking neither sustenance or support. In order to reverse Waidwen's Legacy, some citizens began to reinvigorate the study of Animancy, the study of the soul and how to control it and alter it. Whether Animacny is good, evil, or useless, is a crucial question which the game refuses to answer conclusively. Its practitioners compare it to science, while its detractors claim it's akin to demonic magic. The people are also uncertain why some children are born without souls. Did the killing of Waidwen, supposed host of the God Eothas, cause the curse, or was it because outsiders trespassed on Engwithan soil? Was Waidwen even Eothas, or only a madman who claimed to be God incarnate? Some of these questions are answered, while many are left unresolved.
Finally the big reveal. Stop, if you don't want the ending spoiled. Just before the end, Pillars of Eternity unveils a huge twist. This event divided reviewers and players. Some thought it was too out there, with not enough details to support it. Others', presumably because the game garnered good reviews, liked it. The twist is this. A character claimed that the Gods don't exist. Of course, I was shocked. The Gods seemed to be everywhere, altering everything. They'd given me visions, and spoken in my ears. I had to think over what she'd said for awhile. In the end it made sense, sorta. She meant, the Gods weren't really gods. An ancient people had discovered that no Gods existed. Fearing what people would do in a Godless world, they created Gods and then committed mass suicide. So there are no Gods, except these artificial creations are essentially Gods. They are each imbued with a unique characteristic which they must obey (like revenge, justice, mercy, or wisdom), they have incredible power, and they exist on a higher plane of existence. They are Gods! Because I had to think about it, I would say this revelation falls between good and bad: it's tolerable. Onto the ending,

One of the biggest lessons the Mass Effect series should have taught developers, was players need a proper resolution for all the moving pieces after the dust settles. Pillars of Eternity includes an epilogue, displayed in still scenes and written words. Its resolution is straightforward, a reflection of all the player has accomplished. It expands on the protagonist's deeds, demonstrating their relevance to the world, and might display one or two unexpected results, but overall offers no surprises. In the end, it is exactly what was needed and greatly appreciated.

In conclusion, Pillars of Eternity is a fantastically deep fantasy world supporting an incredibly detailed, well constructed plot. The setting, the characters, and the dialogue are phenomenal, but even more important is how they are supported by a handful of well woven themes. All of this is fit into a game, which is truly open world, though sometimes quests are a bit too restricted to two simple solutions reflecting good or evil. Combat is complex and enjoyable, especially because most of the time it is almost easy, except against bosses, where it embraces a more difficult style. There are some minor flaws in Pillars of Eternity, but overall it is a very sturdy structure.

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