Mystical Origins: What should I pick?

[jtbehnke]

Something I've been indecisive about recently has been the origin of my Pale Elf Cipher, a Mystic from the White that Wends.  I can't decide in the conversation about it with Calisca whether I want her to be a theologian or have visions, and how those to connect with the later narrative of her past life.  She's from the White that Wends because that's where the majority of Pale Elves come from, and Mystic makes the most sense for a character focusing on magical powers like a Cipher.
 
The theologian option, where she feels frustrated at the lack of information about the gods, would sort of echo her past life with Iovara and Thaos, since from what I understand, the big moment in the Watcher's past life is when they approach Thaos and ask him a single question: "Are there no gods?"
 
The vision option, on the other hand, synergizes well with her status AS a Watcher and as a Cipher, especially when you get prophetic dreams about the Eyeless to wrap up Part I of The White March.  The question, after that, becomes whether she came to the Dyrwood because a vision said so or she didn't want to be used by people and came to the Dyrwood seeking anonymity.  And in turn, that informs what she plans to do upon reaching Gilded Vale.  If she came to the Dyrwood because of a vision, then she should probably say she wants to continue wandering, presumably until she gets an update from another vision.  Contrasting, if she left the White that Wends because factions wanted to use her, and she wants anonymity, then she probably wants to stay in Gilded Vale to "lie low."  That also ties in with the past life, since Iovara and Thaos both sort of want to use her to further their agendas.
 
All of them kind of work in a narrative sense, but I'm having trouble deciding what would make the most compelling one for her origins.  What do you folks, who've played the game in its entirety, presumably multiple times even, think?  Which way should I take the Watcher's backstory in?

[Tarlonniel]

Hey, what a coincidence, one of my favorite Watchers is a Pale Elf mystic from the White. I chose the "vision" option as the best thematic fit. The theologian thing struck me as more befitting a scholarly or priestly character, so I rejected it right off the bat, and while playing as an ascetic sounded interesting, the game isn't really set up to recognize that sort of lifestyle.

 

IMHO the anonymity thing doesn't work in this case because a Pale Elf (according to the lore) should stick out like a sore thumb in the Dyrwood, though, perhaps, slightly less so in a port city like Defiance Bay. Being a foreigner would only add to the problem. But the vision thing works very nicely as an explanation and strikes one of the keynotes of the character and the game, so it's what I chose.

[jtbehnke]

That's a very good point, I'd forgotten that a Pale Elf is going to stand out in the Dyrwood, since you don't see them outside the White often.  Out of curiosity, what was your character's class, considering you said a theologian seemed too "scholarly" for them.  And the ascetic version would clearly work much better if I was playing a Monk.

[Tarlonniel]

She's a paladin, of the Kind Wayfarer variety in the first game, Shieldbearer in the second. I liked the "devoted to a cause rather than a god" angle, it fit well with the character being a sort of off-the-wall visionary type with no ties to a specific deity.

[jtbehnke]

I see.  I've got two real ideas for how she got going:

• As a theologian, she got frustrated with the many unexplained things about the gods and their nature, and her decision to go to the Dyrwood was motivated by wanting to learn more about how and why Eothas was killed, so she's not looking to settle in Gilded Vale, but planning on moving on towards the border between the Dyrwood and Readceras to explore the battlefields of the Saint's War and use her Cipher powers to learn more about it and find insight into how a god could die, a plan that ultimately gets sidelined when she awakens as a Watcher and needs to investigate that in further detail for her own sake and sanity, though along the way she learns more about the Gods and their nature than she ever expected to
• As a visionary (pun intended), she's more of a Luke Skywalker type of person, wanting to do the right thing and being motivated by her visions in the sense that, "I can't keep the vision out of my head, they're my friends, I gotta help them!"  So when she has visions of the Dyrwood, she knows where to go to help, but no real clue who or why, and so once she actually gets there, she has no real idea what she'll do next, which is answered by her Watcher powers awakening and her realizing just how in over her head she's gotten.

So...which seems "better written," so to speak?

Edited July 1, 2018 by jtbehnke

[Tarlonniel]

They both sound pretty good. Going with the first one will put you in an excellent position, character-wise, if you continue her story into Deadfire since that game moves away from the Watcher/visions stuff and more into the theological arena. And it very closely matches the background and motivation of the cipher Watcher I myself wrote a whole fanfic around, so obviously I think it's a good way to go

Edited July 2, 2018 by Tarlonniel

[jtbehnke]

I think that's what I'll go with then!  Thanks for the advice! 

[jtbehnke]

Knowing what I know about the Beast of Winter DLC for Deadfire now, I'm starting to wonder if I should reconsider this background.  The new companion in Beast of Winter, Vatnir, has the White that Wends/Mystic background, so I worry that if I made my Cipher a White that Wends/Mystic, it'll be redundant with Vatnir, especially since we'll probably learn more about the White that Wends and its culture, especially since there's already a Pale Elf Cipher from the White that Wends, Ydwin.

 

I confess, the main reason I picked the White that Wends is that that's where Pale Elves come from.  A Pale Elf from the Ixamitl Plains would be weird, right?

[Tarlonniel]

Weird, yes. Not absolutely impossible, though.

 

Sidekicks have so little content that I'm not sure it's worth getting worked up over a similarity in backgrounds. I'm looking forward to bringing my Pale Elf mystic through the DLC - I'm hoping for lots of reactivity!

[Mirandel]

I too feel like Pale Elf cipher  from White that Wends is THE Watcher in PoE1, everything is sort of written for that combination. And both of your chosen backgrounds feet - you needed a reason to leave your lands, what is a better one than a Mystical calling?

And I am second on the notion about insignificance of sidekicks. This is not the reason to forfeit your story.

[draego]

In POE1 i made a pale elf berath priest white that wends\mystic. i did the visions dialogue presuming that berath was directing me to some issue in the world in dyrewood. By the end though i lose my faith and betray Berath  because you know... So in POE2 i am going with new class since i lose my faith in POE1. Its was pretty funny that i meet Berath at the beginning. It does not go well. 

Edited July 17, 2018 by draego

[Androoh]

This was my concept too.

Went for a pale elf cipher with the mystic origin from the White that Wends.

I felt from the narrative angle - it was a good fit and he was ultimately used to seeing things and having visions given he was also a cipher. Receiving the powers of the Watcher after meeting Thaos at Cilant Lîs merely meant the full realisation / crystallization of his powers after a long journey - not just from the recent occurrence with the bîaŵac / meeting with Thaos.

As such, I played him as an unphased/distant blend of stoic and rational - resigned to his fate from a young age.

He left the White that Wends because various factions were attempting to use his gifts for their own benefit - I felt this served as good motivation from an RP angle for him to leave. 

In Deadfire I multiclassed him with druid to make him an Oracle (beguiler / lifegiver blend).
 

[LittleArmadillo0]

I went pale elf/ mystic origins too but I chose to be a druid because the spiritual nature they have.