Eora

Map of the principal areas where Pillars of Eternity take place, roughly the size of Spain.

Eora is the common name of the world on which Pillars of Eternity is set. It consists of various continents and islands, including the Eastern Reach region in which the events of Pillars of Eternity take place.

History

Main article: Timeline

Eora's known history extends back as far as 12,000 years and is home to a multitude of races, ethnicities and creatures that populate it.

Geography

Notable regions of Eora include:

• Aedyr: An equatorial continent in the far west.
• Deadfire Archipelago– a wide archipelago of small volcanic island nations, that is located far to the south of the Eastern Reach.
• Eastern Reach: A large temperate region that's home to Eir Glanfath. Former colonial possessions of the Aedyr Empire include the Free Palatinate of Dyrwood and Readceras.
  • White March: Mountain range northeast of Eir Glanfath.
• Ixamitl Plains: Northeast of Eir Glanfath and the Dyrwood, 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 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 by mortals. 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.
• Rauatai Gulf: a gulf to the north of Ixamitl Plains which is the trade center for several nations of aumaua, orlans, and dwarves. The land is rich with resources, but hotly contested. 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 other areas. Virtually no plant life grows in the White, but somehow its residents manage to survive from year to year.

Moons and tides

There are two moons above Eora, but most people think there is only one moon, Senn Beläfa (or Ondran Beläfa, "Ondra's Beloved", but most people just call it "Beläfa"). It is smaller than Earth's moon but closer to the planet and has a faster orbit. Though uneducated people are unaware of it, there is also a second moon called Cawldha Debh (Glanfathan for "Black Runner"), that has a very fast and irregular orbit. Tides in some coastal areas are more extreme than on Earth.

Unique phenomena

• Biamhac – spirit winds that rise up in cursed ruins, shearing souls away from the bodies of their owners. They appear suddenly and without warning, leaving victims little hope of escape.
• Lover's Tide – When circumstances are right, the two moons Beläfa and the Cawldha Dev create what the Glanfathans call Lovers' Tides, which are catastrophically destructive tides. It happens every few hundred years and Glanfathans are able to predict a Lovers' Tide.

Politics

Nations

Far West

• Aedyr Empire – located on the equator, thousands of miles across an ocean west of its former colonies in the Eastern Reach (Dyrwood and Readceras) Overwhelmingly human and elven population.

Eastern Reach

• Free Palatinate of Dyrwood – an independent nation, former Aedyr Empire colony. A heavily forested, coastal region. Full of once-Aedyran humans and elves. Hardworking, surly Dyrwoodan pioneers in the country, animancers in the city.
• Eir Glanfath – Deeper forest to the east of the Dyrwood. Native Glanfathan tribes of Orlans, elves and some dwarves, protects the Engwithan ruins.
• Penitential Regency of Readceras – Quasi-theocratic state ruled by priests for their patron, St. Waidwen, and their god, Eothas. Northeast of the Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath.

Southern reaches

• Vailian Republics – a group of allied city states, former Vailian colonies, who mostly wield economic power, chief among them are the five "grand" republics (Ancenze, Ozia, Revua, Selona and Spirento). Mostly humans and dwarves. A coastal region located southeast of the Dyrwood and south of Eir Glanfath, past a mountain range.
• The Pearl Coast: dwarven shoreline cities along the southwest of Eir Glanfath, destroyed by pirates and native tribes.

The White that Wends

• Naasitaq – home of many boreal dwarves and aumaua, is the biggest and most stable nation in the Deadfire Archipelago.

Factions

Main article: Factions

Factions are formed by kith and other sapient species across Eora, dedicated to countless causes, including political, religious, and commercial. Areas such as The Living Lands, Deadfire Archipelago, or Old Vailia are filled with scores of organizations with their own hierarchies, armies, and agendas, spurred by the lack of a centralized authority.

Currency

Main article: Currency

There are various currencies used in the world of Eora. They have different values and are used in different cultures, some of them more common and less valuable than others.

Behind the scenes

• The Eastern Reach is a region in the southern hemisphere, named so by Aedyran colonists. It is the part of Eora in which Pillars of Eternity take place, an area maybe a little smaller than real-world Spain. The local cultures are roughly based on 16th century medieval technology levels, where magic and power is determined by the quality of a person's soul. Most common folk live in rural areas and survive through subsistence agriculture and related activities (e.g. wool production).