Girl
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Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Proceed at your own risk! |
"The girl takes your hand for a second before letting it go."
- The girl after being reassured by the protagonist using the Talk skill.
The girl, also referred to as the Ancient One, is a major character and potential party member in Fear & Hunger. She is a nameless, mute child found imprisoned within the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger.
Lore
"A pure being, in which both strength of the new gods and a seed of the man from the prophecies come together. Never in the written history has there been similar situation. It is truly exciting, isn't it? We can expect great things from her."
- The New Gods when asked about the girl.
At some point prior to the summer of 1590, the girl was imprisoned in a large cage within the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger, situated in the Kingdom of Rondon. Although the specific circumstances resulting in her presence there remain unknown, she is implied to have suffered greatly over the course of her life; she is stated to appear “unused to kindness of any kind”.
Upon initial observation, the girl appears to be an ordinary, if miserable, child. However, she harbours within her an ancient soul, a spark of divine potential that has lain dormant within her since her birth. The girl is the only issue of the union between the New God Nilvan, the Endless One, and Le'garde, a mercenary leader prophesied to unite humankind under his leadership. Nilvan, driven by her aspirations of humanity transcending its limitations and yearning to extend her dominion beyond her natural lifespan, hoped that her daughter would become a beacon of hope and progress for mankind.
During the events of Fear & Hunger, the girl may be escorted deeper into the dungeons, eventually reaching the Altar of Darkness within the body of the God of the Depths. When she reaches the altar, she begins the process of ascension to divinity, shedding her human skin and becoming the God of Fear and Hunger. Her ascension to godhood is canonical despite the existence of other endings, as she can be seen in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina as a revered deity.
Appearance
The girl is pale-skinned and very thin, and has short red hair and large blue eyes. She wears an oversized black dress over a dark green collared undershirt, and appears to have many small scars on her forearms.
Personality
The girl is extremely shy; she speaks very little, and has difficulty making eye contact. She appears deeply traumatized by her upbringing within the dungeons, and reacts to demonstrations of compassion and goodwill with surprise, suggesting that she is unaccustomed to being treated with decency. However, she is capable of extreme acts of bravery in the face of danger, and demonstrates a willingness to put her own life at risk to protect the protagonist if she is recruited, physically throwing herself in front of them to take potentially fatal blows.
She appears to form a deep emotional attachment to the protagonist over the course of the game, as the few kind gestures they can make, such as gifting her with a dagger or a doll found in the dungeons, are implied to be the first she has ever received. If the protagonist gifts her both the Peculiar Doll and the Dagger, using the talk skill will have her say her only line of dialogue in the game, simply replying "y-yes". She also demonstrates an attachment to the cave wolf Moonless, should they be in the same party, as she relies upon her for protection in the event that they are both brought into The Void.
Gameplay traits
| Stat | Starting Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 5 |
| Defense | 16 |
| M.Attack | 16 |
| M.Defense | 16 |
| Agility | 10 |
| Luck | 32 |
- Has Black dress equipped.
- Has 5 Attack instead of the standard 30.
- Can only use the Dagger and the Skeletal arm as weapons.
- Cannot use Plate helmet, Gaunt bascinet, Plate mail, Iron cuirass, Gaunt plate armor, Arm guards and Leg guards.
- Cannot use Shields.
- Will take attacks in place of other party members with less than 25% maximum Body Points.
- Cannot be chosen to form Marriages or Marriages (Fusion).
- Can be sacrificed at ritual circles.
- Can be sold to Pocketcat.
The girl is one of the weakest recruitable characters, although she is the first that the player can plausibly recruit, as she is located on the first floor of the dungeons, near the entrance. The girl cannot deal physical damage without a weapon, and her selection of weaponry is extremely limited. She can serve as an alternate target for enemy attacks, making her somewhat useful even while unarmed. To further enhance her effectiveness, the girl may be taught various spells and skills through scrolls found throughout the dungeons; her dagger may also be cursed, making it more powerful and capable of causing damage to ghosts.
Players should keep in mind that her ability to take lethal blows for other party members may disturb certain combat strategies, such as the use of Pheromones on a Blood golem.[1]
When given the Peculiar doll or the Dagger, the girl will begin to respond to the player when the Talk skill is used.[2]
The girl may be removed from the party in a few different ways: she can be sacrificed in a ritual circle, fed to the Human Hydra, or sold to Pocketcat. She shares this trait with the Demon Kid. Should the girl die in combat, the player may use a soul stone on her corpse to acquire an 'Ancient One soul'; the soul serves no gameplay purpose, but exists purely as lore.
Recruitable human characters with low Mind points may attempt to leave the party in certain locations, forcing the protagonist to either leave them behind and recover their sanity through items or convince them to resume the journey without defecting. The girl is the only party member without a unique interaction with other party members during this event. However if the player has given her the doll and the dagger, there will be an extra chance to keep her around, similar to if another party member had done it.
Special event - Pocketcat
Should the player refuse to sell the girl to the Pocketcat on two separate occasions, he will appear at the gate to the golden temple in Ma'habre after the Nameless Figurine is defeated. Relenting to Pocketcat here will result in the girl being removed from the party and the permanent departure of both, while refusing will cause Pocketcat to give up and disappear from the dungeons forever.
Special event - Harvestman
On Terror & Starvation difficulty, the girl may be abducted by a Harvestman while exploring one of the interiors of the past Ma'habre. She can later be found alive on the streets of Ma’habre, being petted by the Harvestman as she shivers with fear and disgust; she may be rescued here by the player, should they choose to engage in combat with the Harvestman, where she will cry tears of joy at having been saved and promptly rejoin the party.
Special event - Lady of moon
If the player reaches the second level of the Tombs of the Gods in the past Ma'habre, they may encounter a servant of the Moon God Rher: the Lady of moon. Interacting with her during combat via the Talk skill causes her to offer to heal the protagonist’s party in exchange for the girl (whom she refers to as the “smallest among [them]”). Accepting her offer causes the protagonist’s party’s Body and Mind stats to be fully restored, as well as the removal of all status ailments and the return of lost limbs, but the girl is permanently removed from the party and is never seen again.
Special event - Altar of Darkness
Should the girl be escorted to the Altar of Darkness within the Gauntlet, she will begin her ascension to divinity as the God of Fear and Hunger. The newborn god serves as the final boss of Ending A; players should be mindful that her death prior to reaching the Altar of Darkness will result in their being locked out of achieving Ending A, and they will instead receive Ending B, where they will engage in combat with the Traces of Gro-goroth.
If the player has her equipped with one or both of her unique items (the Peculiar doll and the Dagger) just before the fight is triggered, the girl will skip one turn per item during her final boss fight; she briefly ceases her attacks to contemplate her former self.
Location and recruitment
The girl can be found crying in a cage at Level 1 - Entrance, sometimes alongside a Guard. If she is inside a room with a closed door, the game will tell you that you can hear a faint sound from the other side before you can open the door. The girl will not talk nor interact with the player in any way initially. The cage can be opened with the Lockpicking skill, a Small key, or a Red vial, which will cause her to join your party if there is room for her; she will not leave the cage otherwise.
Like most other party members, the girl is unavailable for recruitment on Hard Mode.
Dialogue
See The Girl's dialogue.
Dungeon Nights
The Girl appears in the secret dating sim mode, Dungeon Nights, as a NPC. In this mode, she takes the role of a shy young student at the academy, who loves animals. During some days, she can be seen outside the Armor shop petting Moonless.
She is not available as a love interest.
Trivia
- As of the complete release of Fear & Hunger, attempting to “show love” to The Girl no longer results in an immediate game over, instead with her simply refusing instead. It is notable that the Gods of Fear and Hunger do not approve of such conduct from the player.
Gallery
The girl in her cage.
The Girl dead at a Ritual Circle.
References
- ↑ Fear and Hunger Party Members Tier List https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHNUMhOF6Rg&t=162s&ab_channel=All-bonesJones
- ↑ Fear and hunger - the girl speaks (talk skill) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbVt_bJ3ZPA&ab_channel=NoCommentary