The Avowed Secret Side Quest That Hides a Huge Consequence

by

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Avowed’s second region, Emerald Stair.

In the second act of Avowed, a tragic turn of events unfolds. The heart of the Emerald Stair region, a town known as Fior mes Ivèrno, is reduced to ashes. This devastation occurs due to failed harvests and the oppressive rule of the Steel Garotte, an army of zealous paladins from the invading Aedyr Empire. As the smoke clears, the city vanishes from your map, replaced by the ruins occupied by the very paladins who destroyed it.

In an Obsidian game like this one, the usual pattern of branching narratives and player decision-making applies. However, unlike many role-playing games that rely on completing opposing missions to prevent disasters, there’s no specific quest to save the town from burning here. Instead, the Steel Garotte, a secretive faction plotting the town’s destruction, is hidden within the region. Your task is to find them without any instructions or guidance, relying solely on your curiosity and authentic choices. This method of storytelling in Avowed feels very natural, encouraging exploration and decision-making rather than just checking off tasks from a journal.

The path to preserving Fior mes Ivèrno starts with whispers and speculations. Characters speak of strange figures spotted in the wilderness. Some hints and papers suggest that the Steel Garotte has gained ground at Emerald Stair. It seems like ordinary world-building details, but these are actually crucial clues on a vital quest trail.

As a savvy gamer, I can gather intel in various ways within this game. If I prefer a passive approach, I can utilize spies to do the legwork for me. For instance, in the first region of Avowed, I’ve encountered Elowe, a member of the Paradis resistance who’s open to working as my spy. However, she’s not my only option – while exploring Emerald Stair’s forest, I might run into Kylecg, a spy under the Aedyran Ambassador’s employment, who can also be dispatched to investigate those Steel Garotte rumors. Should I recruit either of these spies, they’ll send me a crucial letter revealing the paladins’ plans before it’s too late. It’s a satisfying perk for delving deeper into Avowed’s characters and exploring their dialogue options beyond the surface.

There’s no “Investigate the Steel Garotte” task added to your journal. For all this to work, you need to pay attention.

It’s understandable if you don’t feel the need to recruit Kylecg or Elowe for your mission. Although they can be found during your adventure, their roles aren’t essential in locating the Steel Garotte’s secret hideout. You have an alternative route – a thorough exploration of Emerald Stair will ultimately guide you to the humbly named “Waterfall Cave.” Inside, you’ll find a group of plotting paladins who can halt the Steel Garotte’s plans if you manage to discover the cave, eliminate everyone within before they ignite the final main quest fires. However, keep in mind that finding the cave and taking out everyone is crucial for this strategy to work.

The middle ground, where finding the paladins isn’t by sheer accident or through a formal letter, offers the most fulfilling experience, as it turns out. A side quest named Steel Resolve will guide you towards this path, while also delivering an engaging story that ties into the larger narrative. At first, what appears to be just a routine contract to eliminate some local bandits – something usually dismissed as open-world filler content – evolves into a mission to expose a traitor within Emerald Stair’s ranger group. This becomes a detective work reminiscent of RPG games, where you’ll uncover hidden notes, follow false leads, and chase down suspects in search of the crucial dialogue that will break their silence.

As expected, they do crack under pressure – you eventually uncover Dorso as the culprit behind the murder of one of her comrades and the imprisonment of another. Her confession presents two options: execute her immediately or continue investigating. If you persist, her story takes an unexpected turn.

Previously, it was mentioned that Emerald Stair is experiencing severe food scarcity, leading its inhabitants to go hungry. Unsurprisingly, Dorso is enraged by the ineffective leadership of the region and believes that the people of Emerald Stair would thrive under the rule of the Aedyr Empire, which is currently invading. In an effort to weaken the rangers, she has been working against them secretly, hoping for a smooth takeover by the Steel Garotte. Through careful questioning, Dorso can be persuaded to disclose that the paladins are planning their seizure of power from a hidden cave concealed behind a waterfall.

In Obsidian’s approach, discovering the secret headquarters, whether through Dorso or your spy’s letters, doesn’t initiate a quest to save Fior mes Ivèrno. Instead, it leaves it up to you to investigate and act upon the information given. At this point, Avowed functions like a tabletop RPG where the game master hints at clues that can only be unraveled if the player pays attention. If you decide to pursue these leads, Avowed has the potential to become something truly remarkable, much like a tabletop campaign.

This secret quest is about exploring beyond the limits of unwritten video game rules.

you could kill the guards and take the key from their lifeless bodies, employ stealth with an invisibility spell and lockpicking to slip past them unnoticed, or exploit Avowed’s intricate level design and sneak into a hidden passageway to circumvent the guards altogether.

Beyond a secure barrier, just as anticipated, stands an entire group of paladins primed for chaos. Documents left by Lödwyn throughout the cave unveil their objective: the Steel Garotte intends to destroy Fior mes Ivèrno. These documents offer the only clue about what’s to come; continuing with the main mission will result in an unexpected pyrotechnic explosion. However, now that you’re aware, it’s clear what action is necessary to save the city: eliminate everyone in the cave.

In my enthusiastic account, it’s clear that the Steel Garotte’s relentless assault on Fior mes Ivèrno is persisting, albeit with significantly reduced forces. Consequently, these paladins are not able to overpower the city’s valiant defenders through brute force and fire. Instead, they find themselves repelled from the city’s walls. This setback means that Fior mes Ivèrno continues to thrive as a bustling hub for trade and adventure in the game, allowing me to revisit its vibrant streets, engage with its merchants, and complete any outstanding tasks I may have left unfinished there.

Reddit discussions have pointed out that Avowed lacks clarity on how to save Fior mes Ivèrno, which sheds light on an intriguing aspect of this game. The hidden part of Avowed is not merely about keeping the city marked on your map; it’s about fostering genuine curiosity. It encourages players to go beyond established video game boundaries, discovering new ways to interact with the game world. It’s about understanding and responding to information in a meaningful way. Essentially, it’s a reward for engaging with the story because you care about its outcome, not just because it fulfills a quest requirement.

In this supposedly non-quest, we catch a glimpse of Avowed’s concealed complexity. Underneath its tough exterior of intense battle sequences, it reveals itself to be an intricately woven RPG with intriguing plot twists. The side missions intertwine with the main storyline to create a dynamic narrative flow. Tiny decisions, like persuading a churchgoer to act as your informant, can lead to substantial rewards hours down the line.

The core essence of RPGs lies in their ability to create immersive, meaningful experiences like Baldur’s Gate 3 offers. I wish more games would have faith in players to uncover optional quests that transcend mere collectible items. For instance, in Playground’s Fable, if you choose an evil path, it could lead organically to a thieves den. Overhearing a conversation there might reveal a heist plan coinciding with a forthcoming main quest. Similarly, in future Assassin’s Creed games, discovering a secret target could lead to their demise, creating a power vacuum you can exploit. Such experiences, devoid of any on-screen prompt or quest log entry, transform into genuine discoveries rather than just video game content. They epitomize the RPG ideal: a reactive world shaped by your decisions. Avowed, in its secret quest to save Fior mes Ivèrno, truly embodies the true spirit of role-playing games.

Read More

2025-02-25 20:43