Stepping into a game often means stepping into someone else’s shoes, even when the narrative is built around player choice. Just look at the Dragonborn from Skyrim or Elden Ring’s Tarnished. In Obsidian’s new game Avowed, players embody the Envoy, a near-divine entity delving into the mysteries of the Dreamscourge haunting the Living Lands.
Kate Dollarhyde, the senior narrative designer for Avowed, recently shared insights with Game Rant about how they crafted the Envoy as the player’s character.
Crafting Avowed’s Central Character
In many Obsidian games, characters stumble into their destinies. Take The Outer Worlds, where the protagonist is an unassuming individual dropped into a cosmic drama. However, that narrative formula didn’t fit Avowed. So, Obsidian charted a new path, crafting a detailed backstory for the Envoy that stands apart from their usual fare.
"We needed a more defined player character. But this structure had worked for our previous games, so why wasn’t it working now? I think it was because the story we wanted to tell was, in some ways, about power–imperial power, specifically, but also personal power and change. Accidents can catalyze change, but the power of the empire needed someone to wield it, to grapple with it, to be subject to it…Once we knew the role the player character would play within the empire, it quickly became clear to us that there were only a few types of people the player character could reasonably be."
Yet, players still have room to shape their own version of the Envoy.
Creating Your Envoy
Players can customize their Envoy’s appearance and make choices that define their past in the Aedyr court before the game begins. This includes choosing backgrounds like Noble Scion, War Hero, Court Augur, Vanguard Scout, or Arcane Scholar, allowing each Envoy to feel distinct and personal.
However, there are certain constraints. Power in Highcrown is held by humans and elves, so players must be a kith, choosing from these races. The Envoy’s mission, sent from the empire to tackle the Dreamscourge, defines their background somewhat, which Dollarhyde notes was crucial for the story.
"To tell the story we wanted to tell, the player character couldn’t really be someone who wandered off a boat and was suddenly invested with a great destiny. They needed a role that afforded them privileges, responsibilities, allegiances. They needed a context to operate within and a point of view to start from, so that the people of the Living Lands had a reason to care about why the player was there–and a reason for the player to care, too…The player character needed to be pulled in two directions, to have their loyalties divided. Power that puts you in that position isn’t really acquired by happenstance."
By defining the Envoy’s role, Avowed weaves tales of political maneuvering, the metaphysics within the Pillars of Eternity universe, and the tug-of-war of loyalties. This richer character background opens up narrative possibilities that a more blank-slate character might miss.
