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The Living Lands is a large, diversely-populated, meteorologically variable frontier island far to the north of the Aedyran empire.[1] It is a land of wild weather, strange beasts, and hundreds of difficult-to-reach valleys containing oddities never before seen by mortals.[2]

It serves as the setting of Avowed, a spin-off of the Pillars of Eternity series.

Geography[ | ]

The Living Lands gets its name from the fertility of soil and abundant growth of strange plants and animals in the seemingly endless valleys that span the island's interior.

The continent is known for being extremely meteorogically variable, with everything from rolling hills, valleys basins, blackwood forests,[3] dry dune-covered deserts, rocky cliffs, boiling mineral springs,[4] volcanic mountains, tropical jungles and oases, swampy marshes, and ice-covered peaks. The mountain ranges in the south are home to valley basins that offer unique opportunities for farming and exploration.[1]

Trolls, giant insects, and giant plants are among the known and rumored creatures and fauna in the Living Lands.

Society[ | ]

The Living Lands are home to an assortment of races in a variety of colonial and independent settlements.[5] Most of the currently-inhabited outposts on the continent are no older than 50 years, although the Lands were once host to a number of prehistoric cultures.

Almost every major faction in known Eora have sent explorers to stake a claim on the Lands. The Aedyr Empire to the south have a vested interest in the Living Lands, wishing to bring law and civilization to the wild people of the region. The Vailian Republics maintain a trade post on the island, exporting both exotic cultivations and magical artifacts alike.

The racial mix in the area is extremely diverse, though not necessarily harmonious. Dwarves are very common here, even among the mix.[2]

Most permanent dwellers settle in the southern mountain ranges. Eccentric locals boast that they come from the place where "anything grows." Less is known about the isolated settlements to the cold north, where eccentricity is rumored to go further than normal.[1]

Maegfolc were rumored to have built cities in the Living Lands with great towers that reached beyond the clouds.[6]

A long-extinct people known as the Godless once inhabited the region, a society of kith notable for not recognizing or worshipping any known deity. The remains of their settlements and structures can be found strewn across most of the Lands, and scholars often uncover their artifacts.

Locations[ | ]

In-game items[ | ]

  • Drawn in Spring and Sheathed in Autumn: A legend of the Living Lands speaks of a marvelous and dangerous garden watched over by four guardians - Northern Wind, Southern Gale, Western Sun, and Eastern Moon. To protect the garden from those who would disturb its wonders, and to protect hapless wanderers from the ravenous beasts and carnivorous plants within, the guardians diverted travelers with their respective domains - frigid and buffeting winds, glaring daylight, and the darkness of night. Three would stand alert each season while one guardian rested. It is said that Northern Wind left this sword sheathed in the mountain snows each year during its autumn respite. It is said that Western Sun summoned Drawn in Spring each year after awakening from winter slumber.
  • Half-Mast: A legendary aumaua sailor traveled the world, seeking adventures and treasures on every continent. In the Living Lands, he found the oldest tree in the world, a towering specimen that rose into the clouds and spread its branches over miles.
  • Bilestompers: These boots were created in a small village in the Living Lands that is bordered by a toxic swamp and frequently overrun by venomous weeds.
  • Drinking Horn of Moderation
  • Maegfolc Skull: Maegfolc - or their remains - have been found on most of the known continents of Eora. In the Living Lands, they are rumored to have built cities with great towers that reach beyond the clouds. This helm was recovered by an explorer who claimed to have plucked it from the burial chamber of a maegfolc prince.

In-game books[ | ]

  • True Stories from the Living Lands
  • The History of Eora, Volume XII: The Reclamation of the Living Lands: The forces of the faithful left Aedyr with an exhortation from the Héamecwyn still ringing in their ears. 'Let not the sullen, wild people of that lawless continent continue to suffer beyond the guiding hand of The Queen That Was And Shall Be Again! Deliver them of their savagery that they might join us in civilization and reap soon the rewards of their newfound piety. 'As your Queen demands, so too do I: take up the burden of empire. Free them from themselves.'

Behind the scenes[ | ]

Gallery[ | ]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pillars of Eternity Guidebook, Volume 1 (pg. 58, People and Cultures)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Collector's Edition Strategy Guide (pg. 6, Rest of the Known World)
  3. A shipping manifest found in the Vailian Trading Company in Defiance Bay, listing the cargo of the "Principa me Ciamena" - four hundred sharkskins from Rauatai, twenty bales of blackwood from the Living Lands, and six dozen barrels of Aedyre ale.
  4. True Stories from the Living Lands
  5. In-game text from Pillars of Eternity's character creation screen
  6. Maegfolc Skull


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