Eora

A globe showing the world of Eora, found in Durgan's Battery.

Eora is the common name of the world on which Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and Avowed is set. It consists of various continents and islands, including the Eastern Reach region in which the events of Pillars of Eternity take place., and the Deadfire Archipelago, the setting for its sequel.

Although Eora is a relatively conventional fantasy setting, it has a number of unique, distinguishing features. Chief among these is The Wheel, a natural phenomenon endlessly recycling souls all over the world and an integral part of the gods' plans.

History

Main article: Timeline

Eora's known history extends back as far as 12,000 years and is home to a multitude of races, ethnicities and creatures that populate it.

Geography

A fragmentary map of central Eora, focusing on Rauatai and the Eastern Reach, as used to play strategic games among Rauatai's officers.

Regions

• Aedyr: An equatorial continent in the far west.
• Deadfire Archipelago– a wide archipelago of small volcanic island nations, that is located far to the south of the Eastern Reach.
• Eastern Reach: A large temperate region that's home to Eir Glanfath. Former colonial possessions of the Aedyr Empire include the Free Palatinate of Dyrwood and Readceras.
  • White March: Mountain range northeast of Eir Glanfath.
  • Ixamitl Plains: Northeast of Eir Glanfath and the Dyrwood, the Ixamitl Plains are large expanses of fertile savannas. Mostly occupied by humans and orlans, though the orlans have a bad history with the humans.
• The Living Lands: A frontier island area in the far north, a land of wild weather, strange beasts, and hundreds of difficult to reach valleys containing oddities never before seen by mortals. The racial mix in the area is extremely diverse but not necessarily harmonious. Dwarves, propelled by their desire to explore, are very common here, even among the mix.
• Old Vailia – Once the crown jewel of the southern seas, the crumbling island nations of Old Vailia sit thousands of miles to the southwest of their offshoot, the Vailian Republics. Humans and dwarves are common.
• Rauatai Gulf: a gulf to the north of Ixamitl Plains which is the trade center for several nations of aumaua, orlans, and dwarves. The land is rich with resources, but hotly contested. The whole region is also relentlessly pummeled by storms for half the year.
• The White that Wends: A huge southern expanse of polar ice occupied mostly by pale elves, some boreal dwarves, and a few really brave individuals from other lands. It is considered mythic—or at least inhospitable—by most people from other areas. Virtually no plant life grows in the White, but somehow its residents manage to survive from year to year.

Moons and tides

There are two moons above Eora, but most people think there is only one moon, Senn Beläfa (or Ondran Beläfa, "Ondra's Beloved", but most people just call it "Beläfa"). It is smaller than Earth's moon but closer to the planet and has a faster orbit. Though uneducated people are unaware of it, there is also a second moon called Cawldha Debh (Glanfathan for "Black Runner"), that has a very fast and irregular orbit. Tides in some coastal areas are more extreme than on Earth.

Unique phenomena

• Biamhac – spirit winds that rise up in cursed ruins, shearing souls away from the bodies of their owners. They appear suddenly and without warning, leaving victims little hope of escape.
• Lover's Tide – When circumstances are right, the two moons Beläfa and the Cawldha Dev create what the Glanfathans call Lovers' Tides, which are catastrophically destructive tides. It happens every few hundred years and Glanfathans are able to predict a Lovers' Tide.

Politics

Nations

The Old Empires

Some of the oldest settled regions in the world, with history stretching back centuries, if not millenia. The Empires are mostly in decline, compared to the colonial nations that emerged in their stead. They are also commonly preoccupied with internal conflicts, dynastic squabbles, uprisings of the lower classes, and pursuit of feuds. They are commonly entrenched in their ways - and the trenches run very deep, as a result of their long and complex history that keeps affecting them.

• Aedyr Empire (Aedyr) – located on the equator, thousands of miles across an ocean west of its former colonies in the Eastern Reach (Dyrwood and Readceras) Overwhelmingly human and elven population.
• Old Vailia (southwest) - remnants of the once great empire, currently fractured into countless bickering nations, princedoms, petty kingdoms, and other domains.
• Rauatai (Rauatai Gulf) - an ancient empire that has intensified its colonization efforts, displacing Aedyr as the pre-eminent colonial power.

The Eastern Reach

A map of the Eastern Reach, showing the principal holdings in the region.

The Reach is named for formerly representing the edge of Aedyran and Old Vailian colonial exploration, transformed into a center of trade and innovation by the War of Defiance or collapse of their parent empires. They are divided into two types: Colonies, like Dyrwood, Readceras, and the Republics, and ancient civilizations, Ixamitl and Eir Glanfath, which have inhabited the Reach for centuries before the arrival of the former and frequently clashed with them.

• Free Palatinate of Dyrwood – an independent nation, former Aedyr Empire colony. A heavily forested, coastal region. Full of once-Aedyran humans and elves. Hardworking, surly Dyrwoodan pioneers in the country, animancers in the city.
• Eir Glanfath – deeper forest to the east of the Dyrwood. Native Glanfathan tribes of Orlans, elves and some dwarves, protects the Engwithan ruins.
• Ixamitl Plains - a diverse patchwork of tribes and small countries to the north of Dyrwood.
• The Pearl Coast: dwarven shoreline cities along the southwest of Eir Glanfath, destroyed by pirates and native tribes.
• Penitential Regency of Readceras – quasi-theocratic state ruled by priests for their patron, St. Waidwen, and their god, Eothas. Northeast of the Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath.
• Vailian Republics – a group of allied city states, former Vailian colonies, who mostly wield economic power, chief among them are the five "grand" republics (Ancenze, Ozia, Revua, Selona and Spirento). Mostly humans and dwarves. A coastal region located southeast of the Dyrwood and south of Eir Glanfath, past a mountain range.

Distant Lands

The informal name for three remote regions of Eora that have yet to be tamed. Life is plagued with instability and torn apart by warfare, leading to a savage and brutal existence for most.

• The Living Lands
• Deadfire Archipelago
  • Naasitaq – home of many boreal dwarves and aumaua, is the biggest and most stable nation in the Deadfire Archipelago.
• White That Wends - a region settled principally by boreal dwarves and glamfellen, organized into individual tribes.

Factions

Main article: Factions

Factions are formed by kith and other sapient species across Eora, dedicated to countless causes, including political, religious, and commercial. Areas such as the Eastern Reach or Old Vailia are filled with scores of organizations with their own hierarchies, armies, and agendas, spurred by the lack of a centralized authority.

Currency

Main article: Currency

There are various currencies used in the world of Eora. They have different values and are used in different cultures, some of them more common and less valuable than others.

Behind the scenes

• The Eastern Reach is a region in the southern hemisphere, named so by Aedyran colonists. It is the part of Eora in which Pillars of Eternity takes place, an area maybe a little smaller than real-world Spain. The local cultures are roughly based on 16th century medieval technology levels, where magic and power is determined by the quality of a person's soul. Most common folk live in rural areas and survive through subsistence agriculture and related activities (e.g. wool production).

See also

• Pillars of Eternity world map
• Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire world map
• The White March world map