Who Is The Mysterious Voice Guiding You In Avowed?

In much the same way as many heroic characters, the protagonist of Avowed, the Envoy, encounters a cryptic voice within their mind, urging them towards the Adra of the Living Lands for an unspecified reason. Interacting with this Voice and communicating with the Adra can lead you into a mystifying realm between dimensions, where you encounter a potent entity that seeks your assistance. Whether the Envoy decides to assist the voice or refuse it will impact the destiny of the Living Lands; thus, understanding the identity of those you’re dealing with may help you decide whether to offer aid or leave them be.

[Warning: Major spoilers for Avowed.]

Before identifying the true identity of the Voice, it’s crucial to grasp the functions of Adra and the Wheel in the life cycle of Eora’s inhabitants. Adra is a stone resembling jade that is abundant in the Living Lands and widespread across Eora. This stone possesses unique properties that enable it to transport souls. Upon death, an Eora inhabitant’s soul enters the Adra, then moves onto the Wheel of Souls via the In-Between and Beyond, where it is reborn into a new life. However, not all souls follow this cycle; occasionally, the Adra can be used for purposes other than soul recycling.

The Voice’s Identity In Avowed

Unlike The Engwithan Gods, Sapadal Is All Natural

One of the oldest civilizations in Eora, known as the Engwithans, are renowned for unearthing the concept of Animancy and the soul-manipulating abilities inherent in Adra. It’s said that they utilized their understanding of Adra to erect the pillars scattered across Eora’s terrain, forming an extensive network where each pillar was linked to the others. Through this research, they came to realize that Adra was intrinsically connected to The Wheel. Leveraging their knowledge of Adra and this connection, they are believed to have managed the transit of souls from death to reincarnation.

Following a period, they discovered an intriguing method to generate deities by essentially regulating the passage of spirits, causing them to amass until the energy surpassed a critical threshold, resulting in the birth of a divinity. As the Engwithans mastered the art of soul molding and construction, they gained the ability to craft deities with specific domains of power, thus Woedica became the goddess of justice and leadership, Ondra, the goddess of the moon, and so forth. Keeping this in mind, let me explain how the Voice varies.

In the novel “Avowed,” the entity referred to as The Voice later reveals its name as Sapadal, who is regarded as a natural deity. Unlike other deities, such as Woedica of Aedyr, Sapadal wasn’t crafted by the Engwithan people. Instead, Sapadal emerged independently and without design, lacking a defined domain. This boundless power made Sapadal potentially dangerous to the Engwithan pantheon, even though they were essentially an infant in terms of age. To neutralize this threat, the Engwithan gods decided to imprison them.

There seems to be some ambiguity about the origins of Sapadal. Perhaps it was due to an obstruction within the Wheel that led to a conglomeration of souls forming into a new deity, or perhaps another ancient culture independently arrived at similar conclusions as the Engwithans and managed to create yet another god. As described in “Avowed“, the Adra of the Living Lands is isolated within Eora, which could account for Sapadal’s long-standing obscurity, and might even play a crucial role in its emergence.

Sapadal Is An Ancient Forgotten God In Avowed

Can Something That Was Never Known Truly Be Forgotten?

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this:

“Eons ago, when the Engwithan gods discovered the existence of Sapadal, they feared their power might be challenged and decided to lock them away. Unlike these gods who were carefully crafted by creators, Sapadal seemed to have emerged organically, with less deliberate guidance or design. The origins of Sapadal remain a mystery, but their growing power suggests they may not have been intentionally created like the Engwithan deities.”

“Later, when Woedica witnessed Sapadal’s increasing might, she sealed them away in the enigmatic realm known as the In-Between. This confinement ensured that Sapadal would never ascend to the pantheon of gods revered in the Living Lands.

For countless years, Sapadal persistently rattled the bars of their cell, seeking an escape route. They birthed Godlike entities, yet none were discovered within the realm of the Living Lands until the Arrival. As a result, Sapadal was never regarded as a deity following Woedica’s massacre of the Ekidans (also known as the Godless), never revered by their people or invoked during secret nightly rituals. A mysterious god, hidden in a secluded corner of the cosmos, yearning for any response from those who might – could – acknowledge them.

What Sapadal’s Connection To The Dreamscourge Is

Sapadal’s Rattling Of Their Prison Bars Comes With Deadly Consequences

It’s crucial for players to keep in mind that Sapadal, who is the deity of Eora, were both born and immediately imprisoned without any opportunity to grasp their powers or their role. As a result, Woedica’s actions left Sapadal more as a creature driven by instinct and desire rather than logic or reason. When Sapadal sensed Woedica’s presence through the influx of Aedyran settlers in the Living Lands, they reacted defensively against their imprisoner – unleashing the Dreamscourge as their only means of protection.

In the course of the game Avowed, it’s disclosed that the character known as the Envoy is a deity-like being from Sapadal, explaining why their Godlike marks bear such striking resemblance to the Dreamscourge afflictions found across the Living Lands. Later in the game, Sapadal informs the Envoy that they are responsible for the Dreamscourge, as their fear and pain are seeping into the land, but only by maintaining their freedom can they regain control to eradicate it. Ultimately, the decision lies with the Envoy whether to offer this unique god a chance at redemption where none was previously given.

If you decide to liberate Sapadal, they will gaze upon the Living Lands from your perspective, since not only are you an emissary of the Aedyran Empire, but also a representative of a recently freed deity. By utilizing the Envoy’s understanding of the Living Lands and its inhabitants as a foundation, Sapadal can achieve harmony with their power and restore balance in the Living Lands. Of course, there are other choices to make concerning Avowed‘s conclusions, but freeing Sapadal enables them to fully embrace their divinity, transforming into the inquisitive, benevolent, and potent gardener that the Living Lands have lacked for eons.

2025-03-01 05:29