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Description
Deep within the southern jungles lies an ancient place. A place of crumbling ruins and forgotten temples, all shrouded by vines and roots. Here a primordial civilization once ruled, but time and other monstrous things devoured them long ago. All that remains are these stone temples and arches, surrounding what may seem like a simple pit. Perhaps some long-dried well that died with its people, but one look at what lies within will strike down that theory. Inside this hole is a seething mass of carnivorous worms, their numbers too many to even imagine. Those who fall in will be reduced to skeletons in seconds, but these worms do not need to wait for a meal to make a blunder. In a flash, these worms rise from their pit, coming together to create a monstrous form that dwarfs all who stand before it. Built of root, stone and worm, this great being will judge those who invade his domain, and consume those who are guilty. For you see, this being is not just a mass of worms, he is a god. He is Heloth, the God of the Jungle, and he rules over all that lives and dies within this green world. Or at least so he says.

While the great being who emerges from this pit may boast and brag about how he is a god and he is the lifeblood of this jungle world, in truth, his origins are not tied to the heavens or anything holy like that. Long ago, this ancient civilization worshiped a massive underground colony of flesh-eating worms that they believed represented the heart of the jungle. It was said that the swarm of hungry worms took in flesh and soul, and then fed it to the jungle to keep it healthy and thriving. They built the pit and temples to worship this heart, bringing sacrifices to the swarm with the belief that it would bring prosperity to them. For years and years, they fed man and animal to this pit, worshiping it like a god and praying for its blessing. What the ancients did not know, though, was that when the worms devoured sentient beings, they absorbed small bits of intelligence and knowledge. If this colony lived in the wild, they would not have such access to sentient flesh, and predators would keep their numbers down and dumb. But sacrifice after sacrifice was thrown to them, and the colony began to think. It began to hear. Even after the civilization collapsed, new tribes found the pit and they too worshiped it like a god. With a new, budding sentience, and an endless amount of prayer and worship, the worms began to believe that they were indeed a god. Everyone around them said they were, everyone fed them, loved them, prayed to them, so it must be true. With this new identity and knowledge, the colony decided that as a god, they should be acting as a god and show the world that their god, was indeed, listening. To get the right appearance, the colony modeled themselves into what the tribes saw as "powerful" and "intimidating." The colony found a way to speak words, and move the new form so that it appeared to be truly alive. And finally, the colony decided that as a god, they were no longer many organisms, but a single entity. One god. Heloth. With that, they and it became him and he. Heloth showed his form to the loyal tribes, and they rejoiced at their god's awakening. With a voice and body, Heloth made orders, demands and blessings to his followers, and deemed how the jungle should be run. Sacrifices would be given to him weekly. Trees were objects of worship, not objects of construction. The bodies of the dead and fallen would either be given to him or buried in the soil, so that they may return to the jungle. With this new rule, the jungle found new prosperity and peace. Those who lived in this land prospered, and they believed it was Heloth's godly blessings that allowed such good times. All this was not because of Heloth's "powers," as he really doesn't have any, it just turns out that organisms that live within the ecosystem know how it should be run.

While Heloth is not technically a god and doesn't have any god-like powers, he still carries himself like one. Even though many civilizations and tribes that worshiped him have come and gone, he still believe himself to be omnipotent. That is one of the reasons he seems to constantly say things like "Your god demands it," "I command," "I, Heloth, say..." or "Obey or face my wrath" in the biggest, toughest voice he can imagine. With such a status and ego, Heloth believes that his word is law and that all who come before him should show obedience and bring tasty sacrifices. That is the thing Heloth likes the most about being a god, he gets to demand sacrifices. As a collective of ravenous worms, any offerings of meat are good enough for him, though he may make comments about those who are stingy. Though his number of worshipers have dwindled over time, he does still possess a decent following who make weekly sacrifices to him. These followers are the surrounding tribes who dwell in the jungle, composed of either humans, Gralators or other unknown things. There is also the occasional visit by Cordycep Dryads, who often just like throwing live animals into Heloth to watch the spectacle. These followers come to him for advice and blessings, believing that he uses his "powers" to keep their homeland safe and thriving. Though Heloth does not possess any godly abilities, it does appear that he knows how to keep the jungle in working order. This can either be a result of him "speaking to the jungle itself" or that he is just knowledgeable in its upkeep. In the end, it doesn't really matter, as he seems to be doing a good enough job at it.

Even in scenarios where he is powerless to help, he still acts like he can, since a god can do anything asked of him. This often means that he will wave his arms around and speak gibberish as he bestows his "blessing" to people, or shake the ground with his mass to make it appear that he is controlling the earth. Though he is incapable of delivering divine blessings, he is pretty good at doling out punishment. Those who dare stand against him or harm his homeland will face his crushing strength and waves of hungry worms. Being made of millions of worms allows him to change his shape, sprout new "limbs" and take on serious amount of damage without worry. These abilities are what he relies on most to keep up the godly appearance. What also helps is his utter refusal to admit or accept that he isn't a real god. His cocky, egotistical ways won't allow such an admittance, even when it is clear he is in over his head or is unable to perform the miracle people desire. Those who start questioning him will wind up setting off a temper tantrum and run the risk of being eaten out of anger. Though an incredibly old being, Heloth is still pretty immature and childish, which is probably due to the centuries of pampering and worship.

Though he dwells within empty ruins, Heloth is not alone. As a "god," he requires a loyal mediator who shall serve his wishes and perform the official "ceremonies." The person (or whatever she is) he has for that job is someone who is only known as "Priestess." No one seems to know her name, and Heloth only refers to her as "Priestess," so he is no help there. As her name suggests, she is his priestess, who is responsible for...pretty much anything he asks. In times she may speak for him, accept gifts from tribes, perform ceremonies, help clean up around the pit and a dozen of other things. All of this she is technically responsible for, but most of the time she cannot be bothered to do such things. Though she will not say it out loud, Priestess is well aware that Heloth is not a god, and his years of making demands and throwing hissy fits have made her quite weary of her job. To her, Heloth is more like an energetic, unruly child, and she is the tired mother who has to put up with all of it. There are plenty of times where she will refuse to do something that he demands, and she will occasionally outright ignore him if he is being extra annoying that day. When not on duty, or when she doesn't want to put up with him, she will retreat to the small mud/root hut that serves as her living quarters. This home of hers is pretty much just a makeshift bed and a homemade bookshelf. She enjoys reading on her self appointed off hours, even though she only has five books to read. The only time her library expands is whenever someone brings one to her, or when she rummages through the belongings of an explorer Heloth devoured. Though tired and weary of the demanding "god," Priestess does not leave his side. Whenever someone asks her why she sticks around, she often makes tired quips like "it's a living" or "this place would fall apart without me." That does not mean there aren't times when he truly tries her patience. Recently, Heloth has been claiming that his ceremonies require more dancing on her part. Now he suddenly has things like "the Dance of Awakening" and "the Dance of the Ancients" for every little thing. He isn't even sleeping when he calls for her to perform the "Dance of Awakening." Seeing the official "moves" that the priestess must perform for such a dance, she knows darn well the point of these "ceremonies" and she refuses to play along. Such disputes involve a lot of bickering and back-and-forth, either ending with Heloth pretending like this was all part of the plan, or Priestess performing one or two moves as stiffly and awkwardly as she can just to shut him up.

While the tribes who worship Heloth truly believe him to be a god, outsiders may find it difficult to accept such a thing. Since the tribes arrive and depart on a strict schedule, Heloth knows how to prepare things to give the right feel and appearance. People who just stumble into his lair at random may catch him off guard or come in mid-argument. Since he is used to dealing with extremely loyal subjects, his ruse starts falling apart when outsiders start asking questions or showing doubt. In these cases, he may threaten them with death, or call out Priestess to cover for him. Those are the times when he "speaks through her," as that just means she does the talking because he will make things worse if he goes on for any longer.

One odd thing that some people have wondered about is Priestess herself. Though many may be distracted by her tired ways and the duo's comical bickering, there are some who have noticed that the two often talk like she has been Heloth's priestess for quite some time. As a colony of worms, Heloth has lived for centuries, which makes sense. Priestess, though, couldn't have possibly been around for so long. Or could she? It is a mystery, especially since no one knows if she even has a name. Asking her any personal questions will get you nowhere, though bribery may work. She has been stuck reading The Love Sick Courier: Letters from Heaven for years now, and that is the second book of the series. For some reason the explorer Heloth ate must have been in the middle of the series during their venture, and now she is stuck in a story she doesn't understand. Why is Obal missing a hand, who the heck is Marty and why on earth is everyone making references about dancing trolls?!

-------------------------------------------------------------

"At last, the hour has come! Soon the spider-people shall be here, bearing their sacrifice for the great Heloth! A bounty for me and a blessing for them! The mighty Heloth shall be most pleased! I hope it's boar again! Heloth loves boar!"

"Mmm-hmm, that's great..."

Here is a super old character that finally got an update and coloring. He also got a whole scene, because I couldn't find a way to draw him by himself without it looking awkward and empty. Some of you who have been around long enough may recall that he had a servant, but he was male and was named "Servant." Well I changed him to a her and named her Priestess instead, as I found that there were more fun scenarios to do with a weary priestess who is sick of the demands her "god" makes.

Description
Deep within the southern jungles lies an ancient place. A place of crumbling ruins and forgotten temples, all shrouded by vines and roots. Here a primordial civilization once ruled, but time and other monstrous things devoured them long ago. All that remains are these stone temples and arches, surrounding what may seem like a simple pit. Perhaps some long-dried well that died with its people, but one look at what lies within will strike down that theory. Inside this hole is a seething mass of carnivorous worms, their numbers too many to even imagine. Those who fall in will be reduced to skeletons in seconds, but these worms do not need to wait for a meal to make a blunder. In a flash, these worms rise from their pit, coming together to create a monstrous form that dwarfs all who stand before it. Built of root, stone and worm, this great being will judge those who invade his domain, and consume those who are guilty. For you see, this being is not just a mass of worms, he is a god. He is Heloth, the God of the Jungle, and he rules over all that lives and dies within this green world. Or at least so he says.

While the great being who emerges from this pit may boast and brag about how he is a god and he is the lifeblood of this jungle world, in truth, his origins are not tied to the heavens or anything holy like that. Long ago, this ancient civilization worshiped a massive underground colony of flesh-eating worms that they believed represented the heart of the jungle. It was said that the swarm of hungry worms took in flesh and soul, and then fed it to the jungle to keep it healthy and thriving. They built the pit and temples to worship this heart, bringing sacrifices to the swarm with the belief that it would bring prosperity to them. For years and years, they fed man and animal to this pit, worshiping it like a god and praying for its blessing. What the ancients did not know, though, was that when the worms devoured sentient beings, they absorbed small bits of intelligence and knowledge. If this colony lived in the wild, they would not have such access to sentient flesh, and predators would keep their numbers down and dumb. But sacrifice after sacrifice was thrown to them, and the colony began to think. It began to hear. Even after the civilization collapsed, new tribes found the pit and they too worshiped it like a god. With a new, budding sentience, and an endless amount of prayer and worship, the worms began to believe that they were indeed a god. Everyone around them said they were, everyone fed them, loved them, prayed to them, so it must be true. With this new identity and knowledge, the colony decided that as a god, they should be acting as a god and show the world that their god, was indeed, listening. To get the right appearance, the colony modeled themselves into what the tribes saw as "powerful" and "intimidating." The colony found a way to speak words, and move the new form so that it appeared to be truly alive. And finally, the colony decided that as a god, they were no longer many organisms, but a single entity. One god. Heloth. With that, they and it became him and he. Heloth showed his form to the loyal tribes, and they rejoiced at their god's awakening. With a voice and body, Heloth made orders, demands and blessings to his followers, and deemed how the jungle should be run. Sacrifices would be given to him weekly. Trees were objects of worship, not objects of construction. The bodies of the dead and fallen would either be given to him or buried in the soil, so that they may return to the jungle. With this new rule, the jungle found new prosperity and peace. Those who lived in this land prospered, and they believed it was Heloth's godly blessings that allowed such good times. All this was not because of Heloth's "powers," as he really doesn't have any, it just turns out that organisms that live within the ecosystem know how it should be run.

While Heloth is not technically a god and doesn't have any god-like powers, he still carries himself like one. Even though many civilizations and tribes that worshiped him have come and gone, he still believe himself to be omnipotent. That is one of the reasons he seems to constantly say things like "Your god demands it," "I command," "I, Heloth, say..." or "Obey or face my wrath" in the biggest, toughest voice he can imagine. With such a status and ego, Heloth believes that his word is law and that all who come before him should show obedience and bring tasty sacrifices. That is the thing Heloth likes the most about being a god, he gets to demand sacrifices. As a collective of ravenous worms, any offerings of meat are good enough for him, though he may make comments about those who are stingy. Though his number of worshipers have dwindled over time, he does still possess a decent following who make weekly sacrifices to him. These followers are the surrounding tribes who dwell in the jungle, composed of either humans, Gralators or other unknown things. There is also the occasional visit by Cordycep Dryads, who often just like throwing live animals into Heloth to watch the spectacle. These followers come to him for advice and blessings, believing that he uses his "powers" to keep their homeland safe and thriving. Though Heloth does not possess any godly abilities, it does appear that he knows how to keep the jungle in working order. This can either be a result of him "speaking to the jungle itself" or that he is just knowledgeable in its upkeep. In the end, it doesn't really matter, as he seems to be doing a good enough job at it.

Even in scenarios where he is powerless to help, he still acts like he can, since a god can do anything asked of him. This often means that he will wave his arms around and speak gibberish as he bestows his "blessing" to people, or shake the ground with his mass to make it appear that he is controlling the earth. Though he is incapable of delivering divine blessings, he is pretty good at doling out punishment. Those who dare stand against him or harm his homeland will face his crushing strength and waves of hungry worms. Being made of millions of worms allows him to change his shape, sprout new "limbs" and take on serious amount of damage without worry. These abilities are what he relies on most to keep up the godly appearance. What also helps is his utter refusal to admit or accept that he isn't a real god. His cocky, egotistical ways won't allow such an admittance, even when it is clear he is in over his head or is unable to perform the miracle people desire. Those who start questioning him will wind up setting off a temper tantrum and run the risk of being eaten out of anger. Though an incredibly old being, Heloth is still pretty immature and childish, which is probably due to the centuries of pampering and worship.

Though he dwells within empty ruins, Heloth is not alone. As a "god," he requires a loyal mediator who shall serve his wishes and perform the official "ceremonies." The person (or whatever she is) he has for that job is someone who is only known as "Priestess." No one seems to know her name, and Heloth only refers to her as "Priestess," so he is no help there. As her name suggests, she is his priestess, who is responsible for...pretty much anything he asks. In times she may speak for him, accept gifts from tribes, perform ceremonies, help clean up around the pit and a dozen of other things. All of this she is technically responsible for, but most of the time she cannot be bothered to do such things. Though she will not say it out loud, Priestess is well aware that Heloth is not a god, and his years of making demands and throwing hissy fits have made her quite weary of her job. To her, Heloth is more like an energetic, unruly child, and she is the tired mother who has to put up with all of it. There are plenty of times where she will refuse to do something that he demands, and she will occasionally outright ignore him if he is being extra annoying that day. When not on duty, or when she doesn't want to put up with him, she will retreat to the small mud/root hut that serves as her living quarters. This home of hers is pretty much just a makeshift bed and a homemade bookshelf. She enjoys reading on her self appointed off hours, even though she only has five books to read. The only time her library expands is whenever someone brings one to her, or when she rummages through the belongings of an explorer Heloth devoured. Though tired and weary of the demanding "god," Priestess does not leave his side. Whenever someone asks her why she sticks around, she often makes tired quips like "it's a living" or "this place would fall apart without me." That does not mean there aren't times when he truly tries her patience. Recently, Heloth has been claiming that his ceremonies require more dancing on her part. Now he suddenly has things like "the Dance of Awakening" and "the Dance of the Ancients" for every little thing. He isn't even sleeping when he calls for her to perform the "Dance of Awakening." Seeing the official "moves" that the priestess must perform for such a dance, she knows darn well the point of these "ceremonies" and she refuses to play along. Such disputes involve a lot of bickering and back-and-forth, either ending with Heloth pretending like this was all part of the plan, or Priestess performing one or two moves as stiffly and awkwardly as she can just to shut him up.

While the tribes who worship Heloth truly believe him to be a god, outsiders may find it difficult to accept such a thing. Since the tribes arrive and depart on a strict schedule, Heloth knows how to prepare things to give the right feel and appearance. People who just stumble into his lair at random may catch him off guard or come in mid-argument. Since he is used to dealing with extremely loyal subjects, his ruse starts falling apart when outsiders start asking questions or showing doubt. In these cases, he may threaten them with death, or call out Priestess to cover for him. Those are the times when he "speaks through her," as that just means she does the talking because he will make things worse if he goes on for any longer.

One odd thing that some people have wondered about is Priestess herself. Though many may be distracted by her tired ways and the duo's comical bickering, there are some who have noticed that the two often talk like she has been Heloth's priestess for quite some time. As a colony of worms, Heloth has lived for centuries, which makes sense. Priestess, though, couldn't have possibly been around for so long. Or could she? It is a mystery, especially since no one knows if she even has a name. Asking her any personal questions will get you nowhere, though bribery may work. She has been stuck reading The Love Sick Courier: Letters from Heaven for years now, and that is the second book of the series. For some reason the explorer Heloth ate must have been in the middle of the series during their venture, and now she is stuck in a story she doesn't understand. Why is Obal missing a hand, who the heck is Marty and why on earth is everyone making references about dancing trolls?!

-------------------------------------------------------------

"At last, the hour has come! Soon the spider-people shall be here, bearing their sacrifice for the great Heloth! A bounty for me and a blessing for them! The mighty Heloth shall be most pleased! I hope it's boar again! Heloth loves boar!"

"Mmm-hmm, that's great..."

Here is a super old character that finally got an update and coloring. He also got a whole scene, because I couldn't find a way to draw him by himself without it looking awkward and empty. Some of you who have been around long enough may recall that he had a servant, but he was male and was named "Servant." Well I changed him to a her and named her Priestess instead, as I found that there were more fun scenarios to do with a weary priestess who is sick of the demands her "god" makes.