Timeline and basic history of the Pillars of Eternity setting

[IndiraLightfoot]

I haven't really seen or heard anything about the historical outline of the Pillars of Eternity setting. Admittedly, I haven't scoured the internet for it.

 

So, questions...

 

1) What's the planet called?

2) How many moons does it have?

3) Any nearby planets?

4) How many suns?

5) The timeline of the various races. Basically, how old are they?

6) Any major cataclysms? They may involve deities and catastrophes, and resulting major wars, starvation and other hardships.

7) Any golden ages which ought to know about?

There's an emphasis on technological development. Are there some technological periods, like stone age, bronze age, and the iron age?

 

Sorry if some of this is already common knowledge. I'm simply curious.

[Jarmo]

I've not seen the answer to any of these. Would like to know, particularly 5-7.

[Messier-31]

Ditto.

 

Nevertheless, here is all you can get about timeline - for now:

 

http://eternity.gamepedia.com/Timeline

[IndiraLightfoot]

Jarmo & Messier-31: Heh, turns out I'm not alone then!

 

I pasted it in here and edited a bit:

 

The following is a timeline of the world in which Pillars of Eternity is set.

 

Dates Circa 300 AI

• The tribe referred as People of the Deer is formed.

Circa 800 AI

• The order of palace guards Darcozzi Paladini is formed.

Circa 1300 AI

• Foundation of Old Vailia.

Circa 2200 AI

• The People of the Deer tribe becomes the Aedyr Kingdom.

2399 AI

• The human Aedyr Kingdom merges with the elven kingdom of Kulklin, forming the Aedyr Empire.

Circa 2670 AI

• The Iroccian calendar replaces earlier Vailian calendars.

Circa 2723 AI

• The Broken Stone War occurs.

Circa 2808 AI

• The Saint's War informally ends when St. Waidwen was destroyed by a massive bomb north of Halgot Citadel.
• Eothas stops communicating with his faithful.

2823 AI

• Pillars of Eternity begins.

------

Btw, what does "AI" stand for in this case?

[teknoman2]

after inception?

[IndiraLightfoot]

7) Dec 10 2013, in an RPS article , Sawyer and co describe PE as “the beginning of a golden age”, so that's me replying to a bit of question 7.

 

In the same article, I also found this an interesting read:

"Also unique is the game world’s geographic setting. This is no mighty empire or crumbling, er, empire again, but rather a series of liberated colonies. The game’s regions are cultural and ideological melting pots, the ecstasy of fresh freedom fueling revolutions of all sorts. But a melting pot stirred without care is a civil war just waiting to happen, and while Obsidian makes no mention of things escalating to such a level, there is certainly conflict brewing."

 

And:

"The Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath, it’s a colonial land,” Sawyer says, practically looming from his seat like a proud tabletop DM. “It’s like America in some regards, in the sense that it’s been colonized by people who’ve left another country and declared their own independence. Animancy wasn’t allowed to be practiced in a lot of these old countries."

 

EDIT: Scarily, the author didn't get wowed by trying out PE like he was by Wasteland 2 (which in its current state ain't exactly wow-material. What the...?

EDIT 2: Another bizarre google-find. It turns out that Pillars of Eternity already is a copyrighted name of a fantasy book!!!

Pillars of Eternity Mass Market Paperback by Barrington J. Bayley. This doesn't bode well for Obsidian's name of their new game.

 

Also, from another article:

"It’s a Renaissance-esque setting. Obviously it’s not literally the Renaissance, but it has some of the same elements. One of the most prominent to a lot of players is the fact that there are early firearms in the world. It has made some players think about the setting differently. More importantly, though this will come across more in the story, the time in which the story of PoE takes place is during an age of discovery. Animancy is a young and rapidly-developing field. With the development of animancy comes technology that can significantly change the lives (and deaths) of people in the world — not just kings and knights, but all sorts of people."
 

Edited January 27, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[IndiraLightfoot]

I couldn't resist googling, and I found another statement from Josh, quoted at RPGcodex dec 16 2013:

"The timeline of the civilized world is not "Realmsian". The Dyrwood and the Vailian Republics have only been colonized for a few centuries. The Glanfathans have lived in Eir Glanfath for two millennia. Before them, it was occupied by a relatively unknown civilization known as the Engwithans (who built most of the monuments and holy sites that the Glanfathans now guard). The Aedyr Empire is about 600 years old (well, Aedyr as a nation is that old). Old Valia as an empire was about 1500 years old but has collapsed by the current day. The main point is that more than 4,000 years ago, civilization was extremely modest, not advanced."

 

Also, he describes the various states and some history about them:

"The Dyrwood - Focus of the game, colonial area full of once-Aedyran humans and elves. Hardworking, surly pioneers in the country, animancers in the city. More-or-less blew up a god in the Saint's War which (in the new timeline) happened about 10-15 years ago. Dyrwoodan virtues: independence, perseverance, sacrifice, communal hospitality, and vigilantism/feuding. Dyrwoodan vices: servility, shirking (responsibilities), selfishness, lingering (near Engwithan ruins), "facepainting" (pejorative term for sympathizing with/acting like a Glanfathan).

- Eir Glanfath - Deeper forest to the east of the Dyrwood. Once in conflict with the Dyrwood, now (mostly) at peace. Less tech advanced, more communal. Protect the Engwithan ruins. Orlans, elves, some dwarves. Glanfathan virtues: cleverness, subterfuge, frugality, communality, mathematic aptitude. Glanfathan vices: selfishness, cowardice, vanity, social intoxication, token gestures (as opposed to meaningful action).

- Vailian Republics - The most successful offshoot of Old Valia, these colonies sit to the southeast of the Dyrwood and south of Eir Glanfath, past a mountain range. They are a group of allied city states who mostly wield economic power. Mostly humans and dwarves. Vailian virtues: success, shrewdness, restraint, wit, polymathism. Vailian vices: failure, bad style (i.e. doing something not in the "Vailian way"), bluntness, dullness, mercilessness.

- Aedyr Empire - The source of the colonists who settled the Dyrwood and Readceras. Lost both to revolutions, though the Dyrwoodan revolution was far bloodier than the Readceran one that followed. Much younger than Old Valia, but still in existence, which is worth something. Overwhelmingly human and elven. Aedyran virtues: duty, efficiency, loyalty, modesty (not of dress, but of character), purity. Aedyran vices: inconstancy, sloth, sloppiness, impunctuality, mixing work/leisure.

- Penitential Regency of Readceras - Quasi-theocratic state ruled by priests for their patron, St. Waidwen, and their god, Eothas, both of whom seem to have disappeared at the end of the Saint's War (which they started and the Dyrwood ended). The prevailing attitude is that they failed Eothas and Waidwen and must do penance to regain their favor. Readceran virtues: optimism, faith, propriety (proper behavior for your age, sex, and social class), vigilance, discipline. Readceran vices: pessimism, doubt, deviance, rebelliousness, aimlessness.

... or these remote regions, which are relatively far away:

- Deadfire Archipelago - Quite a ways south of the Dyrwood, a wide archipelago of small volcanic island nations. Naasitaq, home of many boreal dwarves and aumaua, is the biggest and most stable nation around. Various nations and empires fight over the islands, to the east of which are sea monsters that invariably annihilate any ships that attempt to go exploring (many of them dwarven).

- Ixamitl Plains - Northeast of Eir Glanfath, 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 Ixamitl culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world, going back a little earlier than Old Vailia. However, they are the least imperalistic large nation around, having only expanded their borders slightly in centuries. Among other things, they are known for their contributions to philosophy.

- 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 (according to the people who find them) by mortals. It's a lawless land where communities band together, fall apart, and fight petty wars with each other constantly. Has a reputation for breeding oddballs and madmen. 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. They are renowned for their great culture and history of accomplishments, though the rest of the world considers them to be far past their prime. The nations that once made up the empire are engaged in a continuous war for dominance that has been going on (and off, and on again) for over two hundred years.

- Rauatai Gulf - Dominated by the aumaua of Rauatai, the gulf to the north of Ixamitl Plains is the trade center for several nations of aumaua, orlans, and dwarves. The land is rich with resources, but hotly contested. And in all matters, Rauatai and its powerful navy almost always gain the upper hand. 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 only 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 "civilized" areas. Virtually no plant life grows in the White, but somehow its residents manage to survive from year to year."

 

[BruceVC]

I'm big supporter of interesting lore and history in games so any additional information is always useful

[IndiraLightfoot]

I'm big supporter of interesting lore and history in games so any additional information is always useful

I'm happy to hear that, especially as I have more cultural and historical info here, taken from when Josh helped golden backers design items and stuff:

Aedyrans, Readcerans, and Dyrwoodans used to speak a language called Eld Aedyran that is an analogue for Old English/Anglo-Saxon, Old Frisian, bits of Icelandic, and Scots (for Hylspeak, a more contemporary version). j, q, v, and z do not appear in their words and names, though the /v/ sound is found in medial and terminal f. E.g. "Wyflan" is pronounced "WEE-vlan". Male names: Aldwyn, Beacwof, Ethelmoer, Furly, Hafmacg, Unfric. Female names: Battixa, Bricanta, Esmy, Grimda, Iselmyr, Yngfrith.

 

Vailian Republicans speak Vailian, which borrows from a mix of Italian, Occitan, Catalan, and French roots, but is Italian in overall flavor. "Romance-y", you could say. j, y, and x are extremely rare in their words and names. Male name: Cendo, Giandele, Liano, Randatu, Verzano. Female names: Ancelle, Laudira, Malita, Pallegina, Salgiatte.

 

Glanfathans speak Glanfathan, which borrows elements of Cornish, Welsh, and a bit of Irish. q, u, x, y, and z are all unused in Glanfathan. w is both a consonant and a vowel ("uh" or "oo" if it has a circumflex). It has the Irish-style "si" ("shih" or "shee" when there's a circumflex over the i), the Welsh "ll" (hard to explain, like an aspirated l sound), and distinguishes between an unvoiced th (like "thought") and a voiced dh (like "the"). Male names: Arthwn, Brân, Enfws, Simoc, Thristwn. Female names: Bledha, Iswld, Onŵen, Sîdha, Tamra

 

Those are the major definitions. Broadly speaking, the natives of Deadfire Archipelago use a language with some Inuit/Greenlandic roots. People in Rauatai (especially the nation of Rauatai itself) use a language with Maori roots. People from Ixamitl speak a language with Nahuatl roots. I have not done significant work on those, though.

The differences between Meadow Folk, Ocean Folk, and Savannah Folk (from Aedyr/Dyrwood, Old Valia/Vailian Republics, and Ixamitl) could be simplified as Euro/African/Central American, but those are just broad and superficial physical similarities. The real differences come down to culture. E.g. while the Vailian Republics are overwhelmingly populated by "Calbandrans" (Ocean Folk), there are Meadow Folk, Savannah Folk, and other races/ethnicities in the republics.

 

Animancy has flourished in the last hundred years or so. It's been legal to research and practice in the Dyrwood (through omission from the law) since the revolution a few centuries ago, but it's only lately that it has received more official legal recognition and benefits from extensive interactions with the Vailian Republics. The Dyrwood and Vailian Republics are the two leading nations in animancy research. Notably, the Aedyr Empire and Readceras view it poorly and have legal prohibitions against it

[FlintlockJazz]

Interresting, so it's kinda like the discovery of America technology-wise but with the 'colonies' already having been established for a few hundred years at least?  Interesting set up, could be very interesting, especially if the original settlers came across in more primitive boats that you can discover like viking longships or canoes or something.  Hope they don't try and ramrod in George Washingtons or other American Independence things though, not all of us are from America or even know about those things much.

Sawyer says, practically looming from his seat like a proud tabletop DM.

This, I like.  I seriously hope he is approaching the game like a DM, as that is what I really liked about the old IE games and how they felt like they had been designed and written as if for a D&D module or somesuch, and why I am not so impressed with later games and their 'cinematic experience' wherein they seem to have replaced the DM with a Director.  Completely tangential I know but had to say it.

[Monte Carlo]

Year Zero - The Gods couldn't find a publisher so asked the Folks Below The Line (a rabid and vicious sub-species of hellish neo-plankton) for some money. This was to build Ye Promised Realm of Olde or YPRoO.

 

Year 10 - Having found some money the Gods started the 'Turn-Based War' closely followed by 'The Cataclysm of Romance.' These epoch-defining events more or less settled history for the next aeon or so (notwithstanding the occasional eruption, such as the 'Item Degradation Harrowing'). Occasionally a fell race of demonic beings called The Codexians were summoned, and verily the rest of us cowered and trembled in our mud-huts until they were gone.

 

Year 20 - The outer reaches of vestigial empires were inhabited, mainly be trolls, white-knights and promancers with a heroic smattering of resistance grognards. These initial cultural skirmishes still define the character of the realms. Some of the Folks Below the Line were richer than others and were dedecked in gold. These hellish neo-plankton ascended into a gilded creator race.

 

Year 30 - The Eye of Sawyer-On was spotted atop a mountain in the Lingustic Mountains, where folks discussed Quest-based XP in a mixture of Welsh and Aramaic. And the Grognards did wail and gnash their (false) teeth.

 

Year 40 - The Chainmail Bikini insurgency was fought and won by the White Knights.

 

Year 50 - The Gods were now confident enough to reveal that YPRoO was in fact going to be more like the Eye of Sawyer-On's homebrew campaign he dreamt up as a homage to some old computer game he played as a ten-year-old Godling. This rupture in the uneasy fabric of the Realms's sanity led to new skirmishing betwixt factions.

 

NOW - While the plankton await a beta, the biggest concerns appear to be (a) YPRoO might be too big and (b) can I get an XXXXL tee-shirt.

 

Who knows what the future holds?

[IndiraLightfoot]

Year Zero - The Gods couldn't find a publisher so asked the Folks Below The Line (a rabid and vicious sub-species of hellish neo-plankton) for some money. This was to build Ye Promised Realm of Olde or YPRoO.

 

Year 10 - Having found some money the Gods started the 'Turn-Based War' closely followed by 'The Cataclysm of Romance.' These epoch-defining events more or less settled history for the next aeon or so (notwithstanding the occasional eruption, such as the 'Item Degradation Harrowing'). Occasionally a fell race of demonic beings called The Codexians were summoned, and verily the rest of us cowered and trembled in our mud-huts until they were gone.

 

Year 20 - The outer reaches of vestigial empires were inhabited, mainly be trolls, white-knights and promancers with a heroic smattering of resistance grognards. These initial cultural skirmishes still define the character of the realms. Some of the Folks Below the Line were richer than others and were dedecked in gold. These hellish neo-plankton ascended into a gilded creator race.

 

Year 30 - The Eye of Sawyer-On was spotted atop a mountain in the Lingustic Mountains, where folks discussed Quest-based XP in a mixture of Welsh and Aramaic. And the Grognards did wail and gnash their (false) teeth.

 

Year 40 - The Chainmail Bikini insurgency was fought and won by the White Knights.

 

Year 50 - The Gods were now confident enough to reveal that YPRoO was in fact going to be more like the Eye of Sawyer-On's homebrew campaign he dreamt up as a homage to some old computer game he played as a ten-year-old Godling. This rupture in the uneasy fabric of the Realms's sanity led to new skirmishing betwixt factions.

 

NOW - While the plankton await a beta, the biggest concerns appear to be (a) YPRoO might be too big and (b) can I get an XXXXL tee-shirt.

 

Who knows what the future holds?

Epic!

 

You probably could build an entire mythology and pantheon based on all of us mad posters here!

[FlintlockJazz]

Pantheon?  Nah, more like a bestiary!

[Silent Winter]

First up - great thread

 

 

EDIT 2: Another bizarre google-find. It turns out that Pillars of Eternity already is a copyrighted name of a fantasy book!!!

Pillars of Eternity Mass Market Paperback by Barrington J. Bayley. This doesn't bode well for Obsidian's name of their new game.

[puts on lawyer hat] small point but you can't copyright a name - you can trademark one though.  Nonetheless "Pillars of Eternity" has been used by more than one person so it's pretty much open to be used in a specific industry - computer game is ok.

[takes off lawyer hat]

IANAL but I studied it

[ZornWO]

I found the (small) page on the Dyrwood calendar.  AI = Anni Iroccio

 

Apparently it's from Update #20, which I actually had read a "long" time ago and forgot most of.  It has some of the above.

 

EDIT: Scarily, the author didn't get wowed by trying out PE like he was by Wasteland 2 (which in its current state ain't exactly wow-material. What the...?

EDIT 2: Another bizarre google-find. It turns out that Pillars of Eternity already is a copyrighted name of a fantasy book!!!

Pillars of Eternity Mass Market Paperback by Barrington J. Bayley. This doesn't bode well for Obsidian's name of their new game.

 

I'd seen the first one but not the second.  The first one is worrisome, though they've been fleshing out the abilities and spells more recently, so...

[Gyges]

I found the (small) page on the Dyrwood calendar.  AI = Anni Iroccio

 

Apparently it's from Update #20, which I actually had read a "long" time ago and forgot most of.  It has some of the above.

 

EDIT: Scarily, the author didn't get wowed by trying out PE like he was by Wasteland 2 (which in its current state ain't exactly wow-material. What the...?

EDIT 2: Another bizarre google-find. It turns out that Pillars of Eternity already is a copyrighted name of a fantasy book!!!

Pillars of Eternity Mass Market Paperback by Barrington J. Bayley. This doesn't bode well for Obsidian's name of their new game.

 

I'd seen the first one but not the second.  The first one is worrisome, though they've been fleshing out the abilities and spells more recently, so...

 

Which article was this? If they know something isnt working i do hope they actually try to remedy it.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Gyges

[ZornWO]

Which article was this? If they know something isnt working i do hope they actually try to remedy it.

 

 

I seem to be full of links today.

 

edit:

Things are, as a result, also much easier to learn. Strategic depth is still available in plentiful quantities (Sawyer offers that both Monks and Ciphers have their own unique combat resources, for instance), but the unification of systems allows for greater elegance and classes that can branch into a much greater variety of skills and tactical options.

Everybody wins, in theory. Unfortunately, the implementation of combat I’m actually shown is still very basic and quick. I like what Obsidian is going for on paper, but there’s still plenty of room for error. For now, my eyebrow is raised with tiny bristled blades of skepticism held aloft. That said, I’d very much like to see Obsidian succeed here.

 

 

~~~

Anywayz, I love lore discussion... I just wish there were more of it.  Hmm, hopefully tho they'll save a lot for the Paths of Od Nua, it could really give it flavor.

Edited January 27, 2014 by ZornWO

[IndiraLightfoot]

7) Dec 10 2013, in an RPS article , Sawyer and co describe PE as “the beginning of a golden age”, so that's me replying to a bit of question 7.

 

 

This one. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/12/10/mega-impressions-obsidians-pillars-of-eternity/

There's some more criticisms in there. Nathan Grayson seems to be a level-headed guy. Hmm...

 

EDIT: Ninja'd by ZornWO! :D

Edited January 27, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[ZornWO]

EDIT: Ninja'd by ZornWO! :D

 

 

I guess that makes me the PoE Barbarian, zippin' around.

[Nonek]

As I remember the Vailians seem to have originated somewhere near the equator, thus their darker complexion, in a place called the the Hot Ring which reminds me of the fertile crescent of Syria for some reason. They migrated to Old Vailia at some time in the past. The Pale Elves and Humans seem to have undertaken the same sort of migration, but from much further north accounting for their caucasian appearance. Can't remember where I read this.

 

Of note is that Dwarves and Elves appear to be different species not races of humanity, does this inability to breed with humanity mean genetically that they seperated from them an enormous time ago or that they are totally seperate in the evolutionary chain.

 

Does anybody else think that the destruction of Saint Waidwen might be the event that sparks the game? Is Eothas dead, and if so what does that mean in terms of his divinity, how can one kill an aspect of faith? Very interesting questions.

 

Personally i'm not disturbed by the RPS article, Mr Greyson is more of a fan of DA2 and other such ARPG's, not of the IE and older type games.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Hot Ring instead of Fertile Crescent, that's just fabulous! Perhaps it's prone to earth quakes and volcanic eruptions, like the Mediterranean? I wonder how serious Josh & Co have been? Have they drawn a world map, complete with tectonic plates, climate zones, and tradewinds? 

As somewhat of an amateur astronomer occasionally (living in the great outdoors has it perks; great seeing and no light pollution, so I get to follow those Galilean moons around Jupiter with my trusty 6-inch Newtonian reflector on an EQ-3 mount; I can't help pondering about how many days it takes for the PE world to travel around its sun. And at what angle does it tilt? What are the resulting differences in night and day? Are there any other light-intensive phenomena on the PE night sky? Nebulae, recent supernovas or even a nearby asteroid belt, perhaps even some ice-particle ring? Ah, the possibilities are endless.

Edited January 27, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[Nonek]

With the recent activity in our own Aurora's (Borealis and Australis) it makes one wonder whether the world of Poe has its own similar magnetic field interactions, and what the natives of the more southerly lands attribute this to?

[Karkarov]

Wouldn't really worry about any review.  What they played is basically still an alpha, people shouldn't even be giving opinions on things like that other than saying something around "It looks like they are on their way to getting combat where they want to be, it will be interesting to see if the final product meets their ideas" or something.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Indeed. The colour of the polar auroras vary quite a bit, not only being green. In Australia I've been lucky to see the southern lights in shades of red and yellow. It was magnificent. And imagine if the field would be slightly weaker than ours - all the radiation coming in (perhaps mutating a few monsters). And it takes an iron core to begin with too.

 

And our sun nowadays - fewer sunspots than ever almost, well at least going back to the 1600s - is certainly affecting us much more than we think. For instance, the amount of water produced in our rain forests is directly linked to solar activity.

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

Circa 2670 AI

• The Iroccian calendar replaces earlier Vailian calendars.

Wonder what caused this shift in calendars. It doesn't have to be some power trip by some hegemony.

When Caesar established his Julian calendar in 45 BC he set 25 March as the spring equinox. Since a Julian year (365.25 days) is slightly longer than an actual year the calendar drifted with respect to the equinox, such that the equinox was occurring on about 21 March in AD 300 and by AD 1500 it had reached 11 March, and this drift induced Pope Gregory XIII to create a modern Gregorian calendar.