God of the Depths

**The God of the Depths** is an Old God and an important deity in *Fear & Hunger*. They were a gargantuan creature with organs spread everywhere across the lower levels of the dungeons. Their body also serves as a location - entering the god's mouth leads to The Gauntlet, an end-game area.

*Proceed at your own risk!*

## Lore

The God of the Depths is an Old God that is not as prevalent as most other old gods, such as Gro-goroth or Sylvian. Like Rher, they had scant few followers and its actions were shrouded in mystery. They are responsible for the layout of the dungeons of fear & hunger, ever-changing in shape to challenge new visitors.

From bits of scattered information, and talking to their followers in the game, it seems that the god encompasses the idea of revulsion and unescapable darkness. According to Ragnvaldr, the God of the Depths is "worshipped by those who are forsaken and forgotten". Their followers seem devoid of self-awareness or any kind of higher intelligence, only capable of further fulfilling pre-set duties in the dungeons. They are often insectoid, such as the cockroaches, Scarabs, spiders, and the Cockroach King. If not insectoid, creatures that were or outcast stuck in darkness - the Cavedwellers, the Body Snatcher, the Butterfly, or the Mumblers, who are described as mindless servants to the god.

At one point in history, the God of the Depths was also venerated by the so-called **Hermit Mages of South**, who were skilled in infusing rings with life draining magic. Not much is known about the cult aside from its name.

The skill Mastery over Insects is affiliated with the god and allows one to communicate with cockroaches. Unlike other gods, affiliation with the God of the depths is gained through fulfilling the Cockroach king's quests instead of praying or making a sacrifice. The few other spells they can provide to a believer are mild offensive spells that range in usefulness and make use of insects and birds as minions - *Needleworm*, *Locust Swarm*, and *Flock of Crows*.

The deity possesses the Cube of the Depths, an essential object needed to reach Ma'habre.

Unlike other old gods, the God of the Depths is present in a physical form in the dungeon. The player can enter their mouth after destroying all three of the god's hearts in the game. The god will open their mouth and the player may enter **The Gauntlet**, the most difficult area in the game and God of the Depth's equivalent of a boss battle.

In *Fear & Hunger: Termina*, it is revealed that the god died after one of the four heroes killed their three hearts in *Fear & Hunger* and that their body was used as a vessel to give birth to the God of Fear and Hunger. As an older god cannot truly die, the God of the Depths still lives on as a part of the ascended god, who has also inherited their mastery over vermin.

## Trivia

* In *Fear & Hunger*, there are totems and statues scattered among the dungeon, where the player character can pray for an old god in order to increase affinity with said deity and unlock their spells on the Hexen Table. While there is a multitude of these statues where one can pray to Alll-mer, Gro-goroth, and Sylvian, the only place where the character may pray to the God of the Depths is in Old Ma'habre, which might be an indication that the god's cult has dwindled greatly over the years.
* The God of the Depths' design is seemingly inspired by the underwater shipwreck of the *USS Saratoga*, specifically the Hawse Hole at the bow of the destroyed ship.

## Gallery

Datamined image showing the God of the Depth's full head, mouth closed.Another version of the previous image, displaying her posthumous version, with her mouth open.The shipwreck and rusted hole that inspired the look of the God of the Depths.