Should you free or leave Ilora in Avowed?

Shortly after being attacked and stranded on an island, you’ll already find yourself deciding the fates of others in Avowed's Living Lands—let’s hope the Envoy didn’t bang their head in the carnage before washing up on the beach. Nevertheless, this precedent begins with Ilora, a shady individual locked in a prison cell, who you can either free or leave behind when escaping.

The trustworthy Garryck will be by your side during these opening moments, which complicates matters further. While Ilora tries to convince you to find the key to free her from captivity, Garryck is adamant that she can’t be trusted. After all, Ilora was in her cell before chaos broke out on the island, so surely there’s a good reason.

Should you free or leave Ilora?

The decision to free or leave Ilora behind has only minor consequences which are felt almost immediately. If you free Ilora, she’ll fight by your side against the infected Steadman Ralke, a rather tough boss fight. However, if you leave Ilora behind, she'll escape and fight against you during the boss, meaning you'll have to kill her.

Since Ilora isn’t a key character in the story, this choice doesn't have any far-reaching implications, though it's best to free Ilora to make the fight against Steadman Ralke easier. With her in your party, you’ll have a much easier time dealing damage and staying alive against Ralke. On the other hand, Garryck has a habit of running off to fight Ilora instead if you choose to betray her, generally leaving you fending for yourself against the boss. If she dies, you can loot a note from Ilora's body bidding farewell to her crew and providing some extra backstory.

To free Ilora, you'll need to climb into the hatch in the prison roof using the pile of boxes behind you as you enter the room. Head through the hatch to drop down in the jailor's office, bypassing the barred door. You can then grab the jail key off the hanger by the door before unbarring it and opening Ilora’s cell.

Whether you free Ilora or leave her behind, you'll use her boat to escape the island and reach Dawnshore, which ends the prologue. If Ilora lives, you can chat with both her and Garryck at the Claviger’s Landing docks before moving on.

If your morals are getting in the way of freeing this supposed criminal, then worry not. It sounds as though the guards at this fort (and the Living Lands more widely) are rather corrupt. Ilora is a simple smuggler who was caught before reaching Paradis and her contraband is likely something mundane since the empire restricts many basic items (like contraceptives).