What was the point of the ending? (SPOILERS)

[deplorable gollompus]

Finished the game and I loved it, but I can't help but be disappointed in the ending. I had higher hopes than for a typical humanistic seize your own fate sort of deal. But what really confused me is that:
Iovara, for one, says that the gods aren't real, yet at the same time the player as well as Durance has clearly experienced power of the Divine (for good or bad is up to interpretation), but it was clearly there, and also, Iovara later says that "no one can deny the power of the gods" and that "their narrative was wrong". So is the ending implying that the gods are quitely literally manmade magic, or is she speaking metaphorically and implying that the gods as the people understand them to be are not real?

[Furry Wrecking Crew]

I had some of the same thoughts. I thought she laid out that they were man-made entities, but then later seemed to speak religiously as if the gods truly existed.

I liked the idea of them being man-made, like a machine becoming Abydon.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Deities

[deplorable gollompus]

Originally posted by D'amarr from Darshiva:

https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Deities

not particularly relevant or helpful but ok

[Furry Wrecking Crew]

Yeah, I was going to say that link just rehashes what they tell you in game. We were discussing beyond that, as the game is not real clear on whether the gods truly exist, or how they exist, or what they are.

[DroppedSpindel]

It would seem that Pillars 2 sort of answers that. Eathos seems pretty real.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by the atomic nut:

not particularly relevant or helpful but ok

Ohoh - I could have pointed you to older topics in this forum instead. Topic has been beaten to death, but there hasn't been much input from you so far - hence the summary in the Wiki.

[Tingsfrid]

They're "not real" in the sense that they're constructs. They’re rouge AI rather then genuinely divine. From a practical point of view, there’s little difference. One important difference though is that created gods can meddle in the affairs of Kith, but they don’t have the power to grant absolution. This is one of the major themes of the game: a lot of characters, including the PC, are looking for forgiveness for past misdeeds or justification for their actions.

[Furry Wrecking Crew]

Originally posted by studio.temporar:

They're "not real" in the sense that they're constructs. They’re rouge AI rather then genuinely divine. From a practical point of view, there’s little difference. One important difference though is that created gods can meddle in the affairs of Kith, but they don’t have the power to grant absolution. This is one of the major themes of the game: a lot of characters, including the PC, are looking for forgiveness for past misdeeds or justification for their actions.

Oh no, rouge AI! Watch out for their mascara!

[Tingsfrid]

Originally posted by Vigi React:

Originally posted by studio.temporar:

They're "not real" in the sense that they're constructs. They’re rouge AI rather then genuinely divine. From a practical point of view, there’s little difference. One important difference though is that created gods can meddle in the affairs of Kith, but they don’t have the power to grant absolution. This is one of the major themes of the game: a lot of characters, including the PC, are looking for forgiveness for past misdeeds or justification for their actions.

Oh no, rouge AI! Watch out for their mascara!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

[Gvyomar]

I interpret that the recipes created by Engwithans are frauds `deities´ to Iovara , of course. Because are creations of mortals.

But when she said that phrase you said of powers, indeed can´t deny the areas that such gods represent (entropy/Rymrgand, life/Hylea, fire&transformation Mafran, etc). But were Engwithans the responsible of choose such areas to represent when they discovered that deities no exist.

They no discover nothing and said "there is no deities, we must create deities" that is the lore of Pillars of Eternity. Such humility, think that if you can´t discover something, then there´s nothing left to do but declare nonexistent. Wonderful people, the Engwithans ...hehe.

[deplorable gollompus]

Originally posted by studio.temporar:

Originally posted by Vigi React:

Oh no, rouge AI! Watch out for their mascara!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Ah, so it's akin to as I previously suggested, gods do exist but the narrative built around them is false? They're higher beings but not necessarily divine or benevolent ones? That makes more sense.

[Gvyomar]

Originally posted by spell kid backwards:

Ah, so it's akin to as I previously suggested, gods do exist but the narrative built around them is false? They're higher beings but not necessarily divine or benevolent ones? That makes more sense.

Exist frauds, nothing more. Woedica, Berath, and cia. are recipes with funtion/duties. Were designed by mortals with masterful domain in animancy. The only doubt I have is how and why such constructs began inner fights and overstep the limits put by their creators.I don´t know if is sabotage, or when Engwithans pass away with centuries the constructs develop things not planned, etc. I think in PoE 2 the religion and mystical themes are more important in lore, I like options of Beta to noncombat skill about knowledge of world in our character.

[Dauntless]

Thaos said they're gods by most definitions of the term. Extremely powerful, listen to prayers, etc. Ondra nearly crashed a moon into the planet, Abydon's physical corpse (which is the size of a mountain) can be interacted with in the white march, and I'm pretty sure they could wipe out all life on Eora if they ever get too reckless.

People worshipped the greek gods at one point, which is pretty similar to what they are. Iovara's main issue with them is that they're not the creators of kith, so she doesn't consider them worthy of being worshipped.

Plenty of people worship ascended heroes, demigods, and other fallible beings, so if the gods were revealed as being not "real" I doubt most kith would stop worshipping them. Their origin story being false doesn't change the fact that they have real powers.

[Gvyomar]

The problem is that those powers were imbued by livings/mortals, that is the secret and shame of Engwithans about hide true to Eora.

Idols in ancient Greek are a great example. In such epoch persians think that greeks were crazy persons, cause to persian indiviual not possible that a temple or a image created by hands/human hands could be divine or represent somethig divine. To persian would be like pray stones, or walls inanimated elements. Not gods.

But Engwuithans put powers in "stone" (Adra) and can make conscious such stone with souls. Ok, but is normal that fear share the true. If people in Eora know that `divine punishments´, or justice of Woedica, Ondra, blabla are garbage of Engwithans, then is chaos*.

To avoid this *better feared crowd , no matter the reason; this think the Engwithans in this point.

[DroppedSpindel]

Isn't the point to bring order, to give the less advanced kith something to worship. And to stop all the wars they were having with these tribes.