

RELATED: Obsidian Job Listings Might Be Teasing Avowed Features Furthermore, it allows the main character access to the memories of some of their past lives, called being “Awakened." Another Awakened Watcher that the player meets, Maerwald, is driven mad by the memories of his violent previous incarnations. First, the accidental nature of the main character becoming a Watcher doesn’t place particular emphasis on them as a “Chosen One” archetype like in Skyrim, but instead makes them a victim of happenstance who must deal with the new responsibility of being a Watcher.

There are a few reasons this premise works great for a protagonist. This discovery reveals all sorts of chaos, including the birth of children without souls, known as “Hollowborn," and the rise of the Animancers who experiment with souls, including inserting animal souls into hollow human bodies. After this, the Watcher is able to see the souls of others, which plays into the recent discovery in the world of Eora that souls literally exist and are the basis for all magic. In the first game, the player character becomes a Watcher by accident when they find themself witnessing an ancient ritual. In the Pillars of Eternity setting, Watchers are mortals who are able to perceive the souls of others.
