Godwoken
Godwoken are mortals chosen by the Seven Gods to compete for the mantle of Divine in Divinity: Original Sin 2. The player character and all origin characters are Godwoken.
“The Seven are gone. Slain by their Godwoken. Slain by you. You have the potential – the obligation, even – to do better than they did. To create a better world than the world they made.„
Overview
[edit | edit source]A Godwoken is a mortal who has been selected by one of the Seven Gods as their champion. Each god chooses a Godwoken to represent them in the competition for Divinity – the power of Source that maintains the barrier between Rivellon and the Void. The previous Divine, Lucian, held this mantle until his apparent death, leaving it vacant.
Godwoken are Sourcerers by nature, possessing an innate connection to Source and the ability to wield its power. They are drawn to the Hall of Echoes, where they can commune with their patron god and gain visions of the past and future.
Each god can have multiple Godwoken over time. As the Knight of Tir-Cendelius explains: "No, but you are not the only Godwoken, blessed one." Champions who fail to ascend or who fall out of their god's favour are replaced. The spirits of several former Godwoken – now the Knights of the respective gods – remain on the Nameless Isle as guardians. Likewise, the Djinn on Reaper's Coast reveals that he was once a Godwoken of Zorl-Stissa: "She called me Godwoken, once. Zorl-Stissa. She promised I would shine bright across the world."
The Seekers
[edit | edit source]The Seekers were originally part of the Divine Order, founded to find and guide the Godwoken to ascension. As Gareth recounts: "Not every Godwoken we found was... alive. And so the Seekers were born. We found Godwoken, housed them, fed them." After Lucian's apparent death, however, the Seekers were forced underground when the Divine Order began persecuting Sourcerers and Godwoken alike.
Persecution
[edit | edit source]Under Lucian's machinations, all potential successors to Divinity were hunted down to clear the way for his son Bishop Alexandar. On the Nameless Isle, Alexandar reveals the extent of this purge: "My father came here, before he died. He killed the Godwoken. He killed the masters who taught them. He killed anyone who could deny me the right to succeed him."
The Lone Wolves were also contracted to hunt Godwoken, as Ifan ben-Mezd can reveal to Gareth: "You know who hunts Godwoken: Lone Wolves."
The Godwoken champions
[edit | edit source]Each origin character is a Godwoken, with their patron god determined by their race:
| Origin | Race | Patron god |
|---|---|---|
 Ifan ben-Mezd |
Human | Rhalic |
 Lohse |
Human | Rhalic |
 Sebille |
Elf | Tir-Cendelius |
 Beast |
Dwarf | Duna |
 The Red Prince |
Lizard | Zorl-Stissa |
 Fane |
Undead (Eternal) | Varies (determined by chosen race) |
Custom characters follow the same system, with their patron god determined by their race: Rhalic for humans, Tir-Cendelius for elves, Duna for dwarves, and Zorl-Stissa for lizards. Fane, as an Eternal, has a unique relationship with the God King and adopts the patron of his chosen undead race.
Lohse's connection to her patron god Rhalic is complicated by the demon 
Adramahlihk, who has possessed her and disrupts her communion with the gods. After killing one of the Seven on the Nameless Isle, Lohse remarks of Rhalic: "Hadn't even felt him hanging around in there."
Other known Godwoken
[edit | edit source]Beyond the origin characters, several other individuals are confirmed or identified as Godwoken:
- Bishop Alexandar – Godwoken of Rhalic. Lucian himself confirms: "Alexandar was Godwoken." Multiple characters, including Magister Payde and Dominick, corroborate this.
Djinn – former Godwoken of Zorl-Stissa, tricked by another power and sealed in a lamp on Reaper's Coast.
Knight of Rhalic – a former Godwoken who failed to ascend and now guards the temple on the Nameless Isle: "I was the same as you, once. A Godwoken."
Knight of Tir-Cendelius – likewise a former Godwoken turned guardian.
Knight of Amadia – a former Godwoken who lost her resolve: "I was Godwoken, but for all the evil in the world, I would not be Divine."
Path to Divinity
[edit | edit source]The Godwoken are drawn to the Nameless Isle, where the Academy of the Seven houses the path to Divinity. To proceed with the ascension, a Godwoken must obtain the skills Spirit Vision and Source Vampirism, as taught by Meistr Siva's ritual.
On the Nameless Isle, the Godwoken must prove themselves worthy by competing in the Arena of the One and ascending to the seat of the Divine. However, the attempt fails when Dallis intervenes at the Well of Ascension. In the aftermath, the gods turn on their chosen, and at least one of the Seven is killed – as Malady puts it: "At least you managed to murder one of the Seven! Quite the spectacle."
The Godwoken face a central choice: ascend to become the new Divine and maintain the barrier against the Void, share the power of Source with all mortals, or surrender it entirely.
Notes
[edit | edit source]- All origin characters and custom characters are Godwoken, regardless of whether they are aware of it at the start of the game.
- The God King also selects champions from among the Godwoken, offering power in exchange for becoming Sworn to his cause.
- Although each of the Seven should have a current champion, the identities of the Godwoken of Xantezza and Vrogir are unknown.