Sun in Shadow is an extensive subterranean city beneath Twin Elms, where the gods of Eora were created by Thaos' civilization. It is the final location visited in Pillars of Eternity.
Background[ | ]
Sun in Shadow was the capital of the Engwithan civilization and its greatest city. Located beneath what is known to the kith as Twin Elms, it was a jewel of architecture and its greatest city. However, the creation of the gods destroyed it, taking the souls of thousands of men, women, and children, striking them down where they stood and feeding into the great machine erected at the heart of the city. The ashen husks and crumbling skeletons of dead Engwithans still lay where death took them, forgotten by history. This particular area was the center of the Engwithan civilization and its greatest court, with a machine that created the gods.
The Court itself is a circular room, grand and domed, its walls lined with adra and trimmed with copper. At the far end a great pillar of adra pierces the floor from below, its shimmering texture giving the illusion of boundless depth. Encircling the pillar is an apparatus, a machine that Thaos slyly describes as bringing structure to the chaos that surrounds it.
Points of interest[ | ]
- This is a long, linear path to the final confrontation. You enter into a vast, dark chamber, with a path leading to the right, onto the Walk of Souls. Husks of ancient Engwithans line the walkways, falling apart as you loot them. Once you approach the first walkway platform, the souls you received from the gods will illuminate the city, revealing its grand buildings and lighting the way to its heart, where the machine that birthed the gods resides.
- The next step is the Guardians' Dome to the northwest, where the chalky skeletons of two drakes once chained and standing guard over the city remain. Activating the dome will prompt an attack by Engwithan shadows and a drake.
- Continuing down the path will lead to an encounter with Wael, the god of mysteries, who will offer you another option: Rather than follow the whims of the other gods, follow his and scatter the souls across Eora at random. Note that this conversation will only trigger if one of the following conditions is met:
- Your character background is Drifter, Philosopher, or Scientist OR
- You hid the Scroll of Wael as Wael requested in The Parable of Wael OR
- The value of the global variable
nRandomWaelVariableis 7. This is randomized to a value between 0 and 10 (excluding 10) a few paces before Wael appears, giving you a 1 in 10 chance of Wael speaking to you and therefore the ending becoming available (assuming either of the previous conditions aren't met).[1]
- You can jump over to the freestanding segment of the bridge to gain minor loot from the corpse. Jumping across without injury requires a hidden Athletics 7 check on all party members, otherwise the character with the lowest Athletics gets a Twisted Ankle (-25 Reflex). The same check must be passed on the way back, resulting in a Sprained Wrist (-15 Deflection) if failed.
- The next stop is at the top of the stairs and by the entrance into the Court where Thaos awaits. The rest of the map contains nothing of importance.
- The Court
- Make your way down the steps, past the husks of Engwithans forever contorted in anguish by the machine at the heart of the court, the birthplace of the gods. The quest will complete once you reach the platform, with Thaos awaiting at the base of the machine.
- After making short work of Thaos, approach the machine. Just before you interact with it, Skaen will appear and suggest that you actually go through with Thaos' plan and empower Woedica at the expense of the other gods. Agreeing with "It's a deal." will grant you Skaen's Boon (rather useless since it's the end of the game), though the ending option will be opened up regardless of what you say. This conversation will only trigger if:
- Your character background is Slave or Dissident OR
- Your Cruel disposition is rank 3 or greater OR
- You gained the favour of Rymrgand by either closing the Frost-Hewn Breach during Into the White Void or by convincing him that letting Glasvahl pass through honors him (
nRymrgand_Coalition_State == 4) OR - You sacrificed a companion to the Blood Pool in Dyrford Ruins (
b_sacrificed_companion == 1) OR - You sent the corrupted Aelys Harond back to Lord Harond during Blood Legacy, knowing that she'll murder him.
Characters[ | ]
- Thaos ix Arkannon, grandmaster of the Leaden Key.
Enemies[ | ]
Beasts:
Spirits:
- Shadows
- Engwithan Shade
Loot[ | ]
- Random potion/scroll (Rand_Potion_Scroll_9_10_100)
- Random exceptional armor (Armor_Exceptional)
- Random exceptional weapon (Weapon_All_Exceptional)
- Random potion/scroll (Rand_Potion_Scroll_9_10_100)