Emily Kaldwin

Emily Kaldwin
Dishonored character
Emily as she appears in Dishonored 2
First game	Dishonored (2012)
Voiced by	Chloë Grace Moretz (child) Erica Luttrell (adult)

Emily Kaldwin is a fictional character of the Dishonored series. She is a lead protagonist in the sequel, Dishonored 2. In the story of the first game, she is the daughter of the Empress and the player-character, Corvo. When the Empress is assassinated and Emily kidnapped, the player recovers Emily whereupon she serves as a moral compass by expressing herself differently based on the player's proclivity for violence in their gameplay choices. Emily reigns for 15 years leading up to the sequel's story, when she is usurped and escapes to plot her revenge. The developers noted Emily and her relationship with the player as one of the most compelling elements they took to the sequel. Her announcement as its protagonist was unveiled as a surprise and welcomed by games journalists, who noted the increased prevalence of lead female protagonists as an industry theme at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

In the story of the first Dishonored game, Emily is the ten-year-old daughter of the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and her bodyguard, Corvo Attano. At the outset of the game, the Empress is assassinated and Emily kidnapped. The player, as Corvo, becomes an assassin and seeks revenge against those who framed him for the Empress's murder. After the player rescues Emily, she serves as a gauge for the moral choices the player makes throughout the game. Her interactions toward the player change in proportion to the player's inclination towards violence in their in-game choices. The sequel is set 15 years after the first, as an interloper arrives to usurp Emily's throne. In those 15 years, the game's story tells how Emily, now 25 years old, was responsible for marginal improvements in quality of life, corruption, and freedom, how she hosted an annual commemoration of her mother's death, and how she trains with Corvo to prepare herself for an assassination attempt on her own life.

The player can play as either Emily or Corvo in the sequel, though the selection cannot be changed mid-game. Each player-character has unique abilities and a common mission sequence. In comparison to Corvo's, Emily's move set has more momentum, as her teleport ability has physics like a rope swing. Her telling of the game's story is also different from Corvo's, mainly deriving from their differences in age and social position. Her powers are similarly intended to reflect her character. Most powers, such as Domino and Mesmerize, recall her role as Empress. Shadow Walk meanwhile reflects "a moment of darkness" in her life, the murder of her mother and her own kidnapping in the first Dishonored.