The Gods

'Fear & Hunger' has its own deities that rule or used to rule the world in which the story takes place.

The original gods
In the world of Fear & Hunger, the main religion is not yet specified, but there are some books hidden in the mystic libraries informing you about the "Older gods", also known as "old gods", the original gods, or the true gods.

In the libraries of the dungeon of Fear & Hunger, you are able to learn about the three old gods: Gro-goroth, the god of human sacrifice, Sylvian, the goddess of love and fertility, and Alll-mer, the "False God".

Gro-goroth, the god of human sacrifice, wishes for blood to be spilt in his name. If one cannot resist the call of his darkness, he will grant this one a terrible power, yet strong for the sin this one has committed. Gro-goroth is a curious god, more so than many of the other older gods. To relieve the feeling of fear, he wears the bodies and skins of men and women alike. He might still be walking among men, masked under the skin of people and hanging bodies, but his presence is fading. His runic symbol resembles two cutting rings.

Sylvian, the goddess of love and fertility, created men and women at the dawn of time. She wishes only for an act of love in her name, granting you a bond more serious than you could imagine. Both Sylvian and Gro-goroth originate from the green hue, the plane of the older gods. Many believe she left mankind behind a long time ago. Her runic symbol has the shape of an opened eye.

Alll-mer, the ascended one and the last of the older gods, was born in Jettaiah, raised by a virgin mother and supposedly sired by a "False God". He gathered his 12 apostles to bring down the old world order, and usher in a new one (His new world order is called the old world order by the New Gods). Corrupt kings and sultans captured Alll-mer and hung him from the cross, where he ascended into the city of the Gods, Ma'habre. He returned back to his weeping 11 apostles and tried to save mankind with his strength by murdering the Kings and Sultans, bringing back the old world order. Year 0 marks the birth of his new self, and the start of a new calendar. They say his mortal remains still lie in the ancient tomb, hidden somewhere near the ancient city of Ma'habre. His runic symbol is the cross.

The God of the Depths, an old and gigantic being, was still alive during the events of the first game. While her body lies dormant in the altar of darkness, her three hearts are scattered throughout the dungeons of Fear & Hunger. Not usually worshipped by humans, but by anything insectoid and all insect life. She was killed and used as a vessel to birth the God of Fear and Hunger. Her runic symbol looks like a backwards R.

Rher, the Trickster Moon God, also known as the Moon god and Trickster God, is one of the last older gods to still observe mankind. He is a jealous kind and would not share the godhood and the world order with humans and the new gods, because he doesn't believe men should have the same rights as true gods. He has many ploys to diminish the influence of the new gods, but his motivations seem incomprehensible to them. The Lady of Moon and the Pocketcat are his servants, both searching for children. During the events of Termina, he has a new servant, Per'kele, who acts as his voice and observer. His runic symbol is three circles, two above one.

Vinushna, the god of nature, who is the son of Sylvian and Gro-goroth. Currently there is little known about him other than him being a new old god introduced in Termina.

The fellowship and the rise of the new gods
After the older gods left mankind, the kingdoms of the world were slowly rotting away and the grand values mankind once aimed for were displaced by defiled principles and practices. Without the guidance of the older gods and in times of great peril, a fellowship of five people was formed: Francóis, the dominating one, Nilvan, the endless one, Valteil, the enlightened one, Chambara, the tormented one, and then there was Nosramus, the "fifth one", the forgotten one, who never aspired for the same greatness as the rest of the party, whose story bears no listeners.

This fellowship was formed in the year 809 to seek the older gods. Back then, there existed an ancient tomb to the ancient city of Ma'habre that worked as a hub for multiple different planes of existence. A place where a man could meet his maker. It is here, that the fellowship would demand the rights of self-governing for mankind.

Eventually all 5 of them would reach the golden gates of Ma'habre, the very same gates Alll-Mer ascended to 809 years prior that would lead them to their confrontation with the older gods. It seemed like the fellowship had bested all the challenges the gods layed for them, but at the most crucial moment a seed of doubt was planted into the mind of the fifth one: The forgotten one was a scholar of many arts and sciences, and the older gods would use this to their advantage. They revealed the greater scheme of things and the way they directed the flow of mankind. Many people had gone before the same trials as the fellowship. Yet nothing had changed for the better for mankind as eons went by. The fifth one supposedly understood this and thus refused his ascension.

This created a rift between the fellowship and because of it, only the 4 other members proceeded with the initial mission. The remaining fellowship tore down the legacy of the old gods and created a new world order. An age where mankind decides its own fate by choosing its own gods. In the end the fellowship became the new gods and the forgotten one was never seen or heard from again, he simply disappeared. But some notes from him remain, about the black liquid and the creation of new life, almost 300 years after the tale of the fellowship.

The other new gods and the greater scheme of things
It is revealed that there are many more new gods out there, sitting idle in the grand hall of the gods and ruling Ma'habre, after the departure of the old gods. Once the reign of a new god has seen its end, the god resides in the grand hall to let the new ones reign for their time. But these new gods disapprove of Francóis' reign and even Francóis concludes that he is nothing more than just a puppet and everything is pointless. It took him numerous life cycles to understand the greater scheme of things: Time is a cycle, as cliché ridden as that sounds.

Besides the 4 new gods, there is also Nas'hrah, the great wizard of the Eastern Sanctuaries, who acquired immense knowledge of the older gods and still lingers somewhere in the blood pit. He preceded Valteil as the master of the grand libraries, but eventually came to the conclusion that becoming a new god would not change anything. It would just start a new cycle that would reach the very same conclusion. Like Valteil, he began experimenting with artificial life and created an underground laboratory for this purpose. He successfully created empty husks, who don't seem to be capable of doing anything constructive. Something changed at some point, and he developed a deep hatred of the 4 new gods. He truly despises them and desires nothing more than to destroy the reign of the new gods. He isn't even afraid of the older gods.

Nas'hrah was preceded by Bethel, a new god of enlightenment, who created the grand libraries to store the immense knowledge the world holds. Bethel wished that the archives would one day surpass the knowledge and the wisdom of the older gods. Every new god of enlightenment would from then on dedicate their cycle at the libraries to a certain subject they would decide themselves.

The pure god that rivals the older ones
Then there is the Ancient One, a pure creature with a soul that radiates the light of an older god. Therefore, it is not a mere new god, but one that rivals the older ones. The soul has formed itself inside the body of a little girl. The mother of the ancient one is the endless one and the father is a man from the prophecies.

Don't go asking where your faith lies in the Dungeon of Fear & Hunger, many of the dark ones still believe in the Old Gods, even if they have disappeared already.