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Game News Pillars of Eternity II Fig Update #28: Factions of the Deadfire, Part I

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Tags: Obsidian Entertainment; Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

After spending a week on administrative matters relating to the recently opened backer portal, Obsidian are back with a substantial new Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Fig update. It's the first in a two-part series introducing the game's four major factions. This part is about the Old Vailian pirates known as the Príncipi sen Patrena and the Huana, Aumaua natives of the Deadfire.

Príncipi

The Príncipi are largely descended from a group of refugees who fled the decline of Old Vailia (shortly before the Republics declared independence). They sailed around the Eastern Reach until they reached Deadfire, where instead of settling the islands, they continued their shipboard life. Seizing opportunities where they could, they gradually became pirates, smugglers, mercenaries, and merchants of ill repute. Over time, their ranks have swelled to include Deadfire's indigenous peoples (Huana) as well as enterprising or desperate individuals from other countries and cultures not aligned with the Republics or Rauatai (Dyrwood, Aedyr, Readceras, Ixamtl, etc.)

Religion - Religion among the Príncipi is as varied as membership. As sailors, many of them worship Ondra (as goddess of the oceans) and Hylea (for her influence over wind and weather) but others worship gods and goddesses that were more prominent in their homelands. Worship of Ondra, Woedica, and Hylea is especially common among descendants of Vailians.

Relationship with Other Factions
  • The Príncipi have fluid relationships with most other factions, as they are in a position to plunder (or sell to) just about anybody.
  • The Príncipi frequently target Vailian Trading Company ships. Remembering that the first families could not find shelter in the Republics during their voyage, the Príncipi subject even surrendering crews to (painless) humiliations, such as leaving them all stranded in their smallclothes.
  • Additionally, the Príncipi have been raiding Huana villages almost as long as they've been in the Deadfire. Pirates may have a better relationship with larger towns, however, particularly when they're frequented by merchants who will buy stolen goods.
Geography and Location - The first families initially landed toward the warm, northern portion of the archipelago, but the Príncipi have expanded their reach since then, and their ships can be found anywhere in Deadfire. They tend to lurk near trade routes and settled areas, though their havens are necessarily more remote. While the Príncipi do not found formal cities, they have semi-permanent colonies all around the archipelago where members may safely land for repairs, R&R, or to purchase new supplies. The locations of these havens are typically known only members (or extremely close associates) of the Príncipi.

Huana

The Huana are the primary indigenous people of the Deadfire Archipelago. The term "Huana" is a loose association that describes a decentralized population of aumaua, and Huana culture has evolved into a pastiche of local variations with a common root. Yet this is not to say that the Huana are entirely without structure or leadership. In time, they were able to establish a central government, although its influence tends to diminish the farther one sails from the seat of power.

Religion - Favored deities of the Huana include Ondra (who controls the seas) and Hylea (who controls the winds), as well as Woedica (who ensures peace by way of justice). Galawain also has a scattered following among the more conquest-oriented Huana tribes such as the Wahaki and Kahanga, who tend to use the god's endorsement of survival of the fittest as an argument for their positions of power. Huana in search of revenge against their enemies readily pray to Skaen, though he is not widely worshipped in other circumstances.

Relationship with Other Factions
  • The Huana are difficult to generalize because different tribes have different stances on the various influential groups in the region.
  • The most visible of the tribes, the Kahanga, has made deals with trading companies from both Rauatai and the Vailian Republics, who both have outposts in their largest city, hoping that they will keep each other in check and that their mutual competition will both enrich the Kahanga and ensure their safety.
  • The Príncipi have historically raided the Huana, and many Huana consider them sworn enemies. However, the increased presence of the trading companies in recent years has diverted much of the pirates' attention, and it is not unheard of nowadays for the Huana to strike up alliances with the Príncipi in hopes of staving off the companies' advances.
Geography and Location - The Huana are spread across most all populated islands in the archipelago. Deadfire spans the length of the entire southern hemisphere, thus climate ranges from tropical in the north to temperate and polar in the south. Its largest population centers are in the subtropical band of islands.​

In other news, as of today Deadfire has made $4.64M with three weeks of extended crowdfunding left. The backer portal gave it a bit of a boost, but with the current average of around $20k a week it doesn't look like the game is going to be able to make $4.75M on time. I guess we'll see, though. Speaking of the backer portal, now would be a good time to use your complimentary Tyranny coupon if you've got one. The game is currently on sale at the Paradox store, and I can confirm that the discounts do stack.
 
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Pirates who subject their victims to painless humiliation...great. I bet they also play mean pranks to each other like placing whoopee cushions on chairs or switching the salt and sugar shakers.

Real badasses.
 

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They're Vailians, know your lore(tm)

vLDXBhQ.png
 

DeepOcean

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Hmmm, guys that kill other people for money and fun... care to do (painless) humiliations? Who was the cuck that made this up?
 

Tigranes

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ITT much tryhard edgy trying to find something wrong

Fine, there are pirates, there are natives. It all depends on avoiding shitloredumps and letting player do interesting things with them. Interesting questlines rarely fall down because the pirate faction isn't unusual and imaginative in just the right way that it avoids the connects-the-dots police.
 

Kem0sabe

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Looks good, but I really wish they integrate the factions more into the core gameplay experience, like new Vegas.

More and bigger faction quests and decisions.
 

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To be honest those statements are so general in nature that you can't really tell will the final product be entertaining or not.

It will be banal, boring shite.
 

Au Ellai

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You'd think that since their extraneous lore dumps was one of the biggest criticisms of PoE from nearly every outlet, review, and forum anywhere ever, they'd take that criticism to heart and think that "You know, maybe having huge-ass lore dumps as our primary marketing technique isn't the best way to go about it."
 

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Boring factions are a series staple.

This, really. And I wish t'was only the factions.

You know I often wonder how mind-bogglingly stupid is that this pitch raised $4.4 MIL in a colibri's heartbeat. Of course, even $300 MIL won't help produce a classic if you're retarded. In an inverse manner, far superior RPG gems have been made in damp cellars by a handful of malnourished, scruffy devs on defective game engines 15 or 20 years ago.
 

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Boring factions are a series staple.

This, really. And I wish t'was only the factions.

You know I often wonder how mind-bogglingly stupid is that this pitch raised $4.4 MIL in a colibri's heartbeat. Of course, even $300 MIL won't help produce a classic if you're retarded. In an inverse manner, far superior RPG gems have been made in damp cellars by a handful of malnourished, scruffy devs on defective game engines 15 or 20 years ago.

The sad truth is that in the world of fraudfunding guaranteed mediocrity is still better than false promises of grandeur.
 

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True. I'll always remember their first pitch AKA Project Eternity.
1.1 million goal – Achieved!

Base game includes 3 races, 5 classes, and five companions.

How fucking shameful and thin is that. What the hell does "Base game" mean anyway, must be some Sawyery euphemism for commercial blackmail.


But then again, you'll always have those people mongrels who'll cry how Obsidian doesn't have the "big budget" AAA devs do.
 

DeepOcean

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When this tradition of Obsidian to give weird names to basic fantasy 101 tropes will stop? It is just plain pedantism. Okay, we made the PC LARPER pirates faction... hmm... lets call them Principí! Originality, right there!
 
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When this tradition of Obsidian to give weird names to basic fantasy 101 tropes will stop? It is just plain pedantism. Okay, we made the PC LARPER pirates faction... hmm... lets call them Principí! Originality, right there!
How dare they have vailian pirates use a vailian name for their organization. The nerve!!
 

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When this tradition of Obsidian to give weird names to basic fantasy 101 tropes will stop? It is just plain pedantism. Okay, we made the PC LARPER pirates faction... hmm... lets call them Principí! Originality, right there!
How dare they have vailian pirates use a vailian name for their organization. The nerve!!
So? What is the difference between a vailain pirate and a run of the mill Pirates of the Caribbean one then? Oh, yes, they worship the gods of the sea and wind and are... against be merciless... whatever this means. Some fantasy RPGs are more honest, they don't care into fleshing out their run of the mill pirates and just name them pirates or corsairs. However, giving pompous names to things is a really superficial way to pretend any difference from standard fantasy.

My issue isn't with the name exactly but the lack of depth on PoE factions, the name is just insult to the injury. Factions on PoE were mostly abstracted concepts made of fantasy tropes that never truly came to life, same problem with Tyranny with its Earthshakers and pompous names to all kinds of banal shit. Okay, let's get this concept here, lets get that trope there and mix all together with an weird name and BOOM, new fantasy that is totally different from standard fantasy drivel that I've seen 100 times. If on the game, on the actual quests and not on some throw away lore, they really don't give a strong reason why the writer bothered into giving an special name to their generic pirates, it will be the whole Fampyr thing again.

If Obsidian just wants to make generic fantasy, I'm fine with it, I like Forgotten Realms and that is high fantasy as it can get but this "We are making pirate dudes that raid shit... no... Príncipi." makes me laugh like no tomorrow as it doesn't add absolutely nothing to the game beyond hipsterism. Of course, they could be making interesting stuff up for this faction but after how PoE and Tyranny turned out on this regard, I'm pure cynical skepticism until proven otherwise.
 

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So? What is the difference between a vailain pirate and a run of the mill Pirates of the Caribbean one then?

They're the descendants of exiled nobles from a fallen kingdom, like one of those mercenary groups from ASoIaF
 

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So? What is the difference between a vailain pirate and a run of the mill Pirates of the Caribbean one then?

They're the descendants of exiled nobles, like one of those mercenary groups from ASoIaF
If this will play at all on the game going beyond passive lore. If I remember well, the Iron Legion on Tyranny was a legion made of noble people bound together by its creator that was once a fierce opponent of Kyros, pretty cool right? It never gone beyond cute lore to read on wikipedia.
 

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Well, you asked. It explains why they have a fancy name. Probably means something like "Princes without a Homeland".
 

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