WARNING: The following post contains spoilers about Ethel, a new companion joining you in Disciples: Domination!
After introducing Helmer last week, today we’re taking a closer look at another companion introduced in Disciples: Domination: Ethel, The Unbound.
Ethel, The Unbound
Raised in the shadow of the Veil’s tyranny, Ethel learned early that blind faith demands blood. The daughter of a middleman to an Inquisitor Regent, she witnessed the horrors inflicted in the name of purity, most painfully when her own father surrendered her mother, branded impure, to the Veil’s “care” to prove his devotion. Where others saw righteousness, Ethel saw fear, lies, and suffering.
When the Liberator weakened the Veil’s grip, its cruelty only intensified. Under the guise of purging the impure, the Inquisition clamped down on the people of the Empire, abducting victims for brutal experiments. It was then that Ethel’s father decided her training was complete, dragging her to witness and take part in his horrific work.
Her faith finally broke when she saw him massacre scribes and consign their secret library to the flames, erasing truth without hesitation. In that moment, Ethel understood that devotion was merely another weapon of control. When she walked out of the burning ruins, her father lay dead behind her. The all-devouring fire of belief that once burned within her was gone, replaced by a cold, unyielding resolve.
Now one of the founders of the Unbeholden, Ethel stands against any attempt to resurrect the old faith of the Highfather. She believes the gods have abandoned Nevendaar, and that their worshippers cling to lies long past their time. Wielding the very powers forged by ancient religions, she turns them against cult and cleric alike. Lies unravel beneath her gaze as easily as her enemies fall to her blade.
Though she fights alongside the Liberator, Ethel struggles to accept the rule Avyanna represents. She sees herself as a necessary barrier between liberation and tyranny, unyielding, boisterous, and merciless when needed, determined to ensure that freedom does not become just another chain.