God of the Depths

God of the Depths
Overworld Closed mouthOpened mouth
Relatives	Maiden of the Depths (human bride)

Biographical information
Date of birth	Before creation
Place of birth	True Ma'habre (Green Hue)

Physical description
Gender	Uncertain (different sources depict them as both male and female)
Species	Old God

Warning! Spoilers ahead! Proceed at your own risk!

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 of fear and hunger. Their body also serves as a location - entering the god's mouth leads to The Gauntlet, an end-game area.

Lore

The God of the Depths is one of the old deities worshiped by man, before man decided that they had enough of the old world order and wanted to supplant the Old Gods. The God of the Depths is not as well-known compared to the other Old Gods such as Gro-goroth or Sylvian. They are implied to be responsible for the sanity-draining darkness and changing layout of the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger.

From bits of scattered information and talking to their followers in the game, it seems that the god encompasses the idea of revulsion and inescapable darkness. According to Ragnvaldr, the God of the Depths is "worshiped by those who are forsaken and forgotten." The God of the Depths is closely associated with bugs and vermin; many of their followers are insectoid, such as the scarabs, cockroaches, and the Cockroach King. Devotees of this god often seem devoid of self-awareness or higher intelligence, only capable of carrying out simple orders. Besides insects and other small creatures, those that have been exiled or trapped in darkness often turn to the God of the Depths. The Cavedwellers, the Body Snatcher, the Butterfly, and the Mumbler are examples of mindless individuals who worship this God.

There is evidence that the God of the Depths had human worshippers as well. At a certain point in history, a mysterious sect known as the Hermit Mages of the South held the God of the Depths in high esteem. These reclusive practitioners were known for their rare ability to imbue rings with life-draining magic, though little else is known about their practices beyond their name. Moreover, ancient folklore speaks of the Maiden of the Depths, a human woman who was supposedly chosen to be the bride of the God of the Depths.

The skill Mastery over Insects is affiliated with the god and allows one to communicate with such creatures and issue commands. In Fear & Hunger, most creatures that can be conversed with using this skill act highly submissive towards the player and express love towards them as their "master." Unlike other gods, affiliation with the God of the depths is gained through fulfilling the Cockroach King's quests, as opposed to 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.

The deity is affiliated with 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, filled with monsters and lethal traps.

The God of the Depths' hearts can be found in the following three places:

• On Level 7 of the dungeon, in the same area where Le'garde can be found.
• At the bottom of the Tree dungeon in the Thicket.
• At the end of the present-day Golden Temple, where the aged Francóis is found.

In Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, it is revealed that the god died in 1590 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. However, as an older god cannot truly die, the God of the Depths' influence persists, and the Beekeepers stand as a remnant of the God of the Depths' enduring influence in modern times.

Warning! Speculation ahead! Information below is hinted on, but wasn't directly confirmed in-game.

• In Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, if you bring O'saa to the basement of the Mayor's Manor, he will comment on the nature of the strange sacs found inside, calling them "manifestations of the black". This could possibly be another case of Depths' influencing things in modern day.

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.
• In older versions of Fear & Hunger, the player could also sacrifice party members for the God of the Depths. The idea was that the act would alter the layout of the dungeon later in the game, as the deity is linked to the dungeons heavily, but the feature was eventually abandoned before being implemented.
• The God of the Depths is referred to in-game by both male and female pronouns on different occasions, possibly due to different interpretations of the deity's mythology or as a result of Miro Haverinen speaking English as a second language. For this reason, this article was written using gender neutral terms.
• 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 Depths' full head, mouth closed.
• 

  Another version of the previous image, displaying the posthumous version, mouth open.
• 

  The shipwreck of the USS Saratoga and the rusted hole that inspired the appearance of the God of the Depths.
• 

  Symbol belonging to the God of the Depths.

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