Utritum

I think the implication is that there once was a natural system of reincarnation, but when the Engwithans created the gods and modified this system to continuously feed the gods with soul energy, they somehow also disabled or destroyed the natural system, perhaps even in an act of intentional sabotage to ensure that if their gods were to die, the world would die alongside them. I mean, "A world without the guidance of our gods is not a world that deserves to live!" sure sounds like something that would be a part of the Engwithan ethos.

From what I understand, the point of the Wheel is that every time a soul passes through it, a piece of it is chipped off, presumably by some process carried out by Rymrgand, and the energy from this soul piece is used to maintain the gods. Maybe there was some natural cycle of reincarnation in play before the Engwithans came along, and the Engwithans studied this process and managed to create the Wheel to more or less perfectly imitate it, but with the difference that it included this energy siphon for the gods. The Engwithans then destroyed the natural system to ensure that souls of the dead would have no option but to go the Wheel, because, well, they wanted their gods to last somewhere in the ballpark of forever. This is just a theory of course.

For what it's worth, Sawyer also had this to say on the subject: (Source: https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/173771124776/before-deadfires-release-you-said-that-every) Perhaps whether a companion would even have a romance arc was also something that was up the individual writer's discretion?

I have noticed that trying to set up Edér as mayor through the included option is not working entirely as it should either. Edér has the mayor medallion in his inventory, but when talking to him, his version of the story is the one you get if you never completed his quest (him moving to Aedyr to be with his parents).

Honestly, Chris Avellone is sounding more and more like Derek Smart in all of this.

Why don't you post it then, instead of just being coy about it? This isn't some trading card battle anime where you hold off on revealing your trap card until it makes the most dramatical sense.