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Pillars of Eternity
Until He Started Screaming
Novice wizard Aloth Corfiser is shackled to a patron he can't abide and an Awakened soul he can't silence. He finds unexpected allies among a student group of spellwrights, but what he learns about them--and what they ask of him--threatens the entire academy.
ebook
First published November 20, 2015
38 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Patel
7 books87 followersCarrie Patel was born and raised in Houston, Texas. An avid traveller, she studied abroad in Granada, Spain and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Texas A&M University and worked in transfer pricing at Ernst & Young for two years. She now works as a narrative designer at Obsidian Entertainment in Irvine, California, where the only season is Always Perfect.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 10, 2023
"Aloth Corfiser didn’t consider himself a violent man, but he had his limits..."
Until He Started Screaming is one of a small collection of short stories published by Obsidian Entertainment, the same publishers as the Pillars of Eternity video game series. This story is a glimpse into a short but pivotal chapter in the backstory of the wizard Aloth Corfiser. (Although the events in this short story precede the events in the first game, I would recommend playing the game before reading the short stories - it is more fun to gradually and organically get to know Aloth as a character.) In Until He Started Screaming, Aloth is a young adult attending a magic academy in Aedyr. A series of unexpected events throw Aloth's otherwise highly structured life into jeopardy and lead him onto the path that will ultimately take him to where we meet him in at the beginning of the game. This story is very true to Aloth as a character - uptight, ambitious, and morally conflicted. A must-read for fans of the Pillars of Eternity games.
Until He Started Screaming is one of a small collection of short stories published by Obsidian Entertainment, the same publishers as the Pillars of Eternity video game series. This story is a glimpse into a short but pivotal chapter in the backstory of the wizard Aloth Corfiser. (Although the events in this short story precede the events in the first game, I would recommend playing the game before reading the short stories - it is more fun to gradually and organically get to know Aloth as a character.) In Until He Started Screaming, Aloth is a young adult attending a magic academy in Aedyr. A series of unexpected events throw Aloth's otherwise highly structured life into jeopardy and lead him onto the path that will ultimately take him to where we meet him in at the beginning of the game. This story is very true to Aloth as a character - uptight, ambitious, and morally conflicted. A must-read for fans of the Pillars of Eternity games.
December 7, 2022
Finished story.
Started screaming.
Why does Aloth hate animancy? How did our young wizard get wrapped up in undercover work and the Leaden Key? Exactly how well did he and Iselmyr get along back in their Academy days?
Thank you, Patel for answering these questions in this short story and giving Pillars fans juuuuust a little more Aloth.
PS. Tell me, where was Ymir? For I much desired to read of him.
Started screaming.
Why does Aloth hate animancy? How did our young wizard get wrapped up in undercover work and the Leaden Key? Exactly how well did he and Iselmyr get along back in their Academy days?
Thank you, Patel for answering these questions in this short story and giving Pillars fans juuuuust a little more Aloth.
PS. Tell me, where was Ymir? For I much desired to read of him.
February 25, 2024
I would have devoured 4x as much of this story. My hands are suddenly starting a new PoE playthrough. How mysterious.
June 5, 2024
Aloth is so cute 🥺
And the story was really interesting and well written!
And the story was really interesting and well written!
February 23, 2025
Second read of 23-2-25:
Re-reading these original Pillars short stories as a tie-in to the Avowed release is great.
Especially since this one is authored by Avowed's director and my Envoy is a scholar from the very same academy Aloth is at in this story. Seeing this part of Aedyr, something our Envoy is supposed to be ingrained with, is very helpful for role-playing purposes.
The short story form quite expertly used. Concise, well paced and managing to convey both atmosphere as inter-personal struggles.
Original Review of 10-3-21:
This was a good one. Aloth is one of my favorite Pillars of Eternity companions and the story (without giving too much away) touches on the right amounts of Lovecraftian science gone astray and forbidden knowledge in search for enlightenment.
The only thing really bothering me on this is its sudden ending. It's a perfectly fine short story format that delivers very well on interesting lore, conflicting characters and world building.
The plot revolves around one of the key factors of the game's story though its focus is very much an interlude into Aloth's character, his affliction, and showcasing his troubled personality as well as a stake in what is being researched.
The prose was more refined and dynamic than in The Ratcatcher (Patel's other Pillars short story) and I felt more invested in the characters and plot than in that one, even if it is a more complete story.
Overall, a good read and great intro into the character; perhaps of lesser interest to anyone unfamiliar with the games but enticing for more nonetheless.
Re-reading these original Pillars short stories as a tie-in to the Avowed release is great.
Especially since this one is authored by Avowed's director and my Envoy is a scholar from the very same academy Aloth is at in this story. Seeing this part of Aedyr, something our Envoy is supposed to be ingrained with, is very helpful for role-playing purposes.
The short story form quite expertly used. Concise, well paced and managing to convey both atmosphere as inter-personal struggles.
Original Review of 10-3-21:
This was a good one. Aloth is one of my favorite Pillars of Eternity companions and the story (without giving too much away) touches on the right amounts of Lovecraftian science gone astray and forbidden knowledge in search for enlightenment.
The only thing really bothering me on this is its sudden ending. It's a perfectly fine short story format that delivers very well on interesting lore, conflicting characters and world building.
The plot revolves around one of the key factors of the game's story though its focus is very much an interlude into Aloth's character, his affliction, and showcasing his troubled personality as well as a stake in what is being researched.
The prose was more refined and dynamic than in The Ratcatcher (Patel's other Pillars short story) and I felt more invested in the characters and plot than in that one, even if it is a more complete story.
Overall, a good read and great intro into the character; perhaps of lesser interest to anyone unfamiliar with the games but enticing for more nonetheless.
June 1, 2025
i both want to gently place aloth into a therapist's office and also dropkick him (out of love)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews