| “ | Fragments of my soul scream at me. So much knowledge imprinted in each piece. Names, places, feelings. But also corruption, hate, lust. These things are so confused. So many of them are in pain. I wonder if they are like that on purpose. They are made to want something constantly. And always want more. They work to their deaths to fulfill the will of their gods. To move the world forward. Somewhere... Even though they won't survive to see what is at the end. They are an interesting experiment. Maybe when the deed is done, I will create a new, better version of them. For my amusement. | „ |
| ~ Devourer |
The Devourer is the villainous main protagonist of the roguelike game Soulash, and the overarching antagonist of Soulash 2.
Once a god reigning supreme over all creation, he was eventually revolted against by his children, who used a magical artifact to drain his soul of its power and sealed him away. By the start of the game, he escaped into a mortal vessel with the goal of regaining his lost power and exacting vengeance on his treacherous offspring. He is known among mortals as the dreaded "Devourer", a false god come to wreak havoc on the world.
Appearance[]
The Devourer's appearance depends on the race of his mortal vessel, most of which are humanoid, perhaps with some animalistic, undead or inorganic qualities or disfigurements. After ascending back to godhood and leaving his physical vessel, he appears as a glowing blue sphere.
Personality[]
The Devourer is as ruthless and sadistic as one would expect him to be, taking gleeful satisfaction in the deaths of his adversaries. He shows no remorse when killing any of the gods either, save for Emil and Ariel, his first children. He's fairly conceited, as he regards himself as the one true god and refused to listen to the siblings' initial proposals of creating the mortal world. He would also prioritize his own desires over anything else, as Emil and Ariel's willingness to betray their father was a result of being made with his characteristics.
Despite his general unpleasantness, Devourer has a few somewhat redeeming qualities. For one, he genuinely cares for Emil and Ariel despite their treachery and regrets that he has to kill them, wishing they could've ruled the mortal world together if he hadn't denied it initially. While he at first sees mortals as insignificant things to sap power from, Devourer later gains a fascination and twisted fondness for them after learning of their many blights and struggles, and likes to ponder on their values. He struggles to understand certain things like their high regard of gold, and understands morality as simply a system of rules that those considered "evil" would rather disobey.
Biography[]
Long before the creation of the mortal world, the Devourer created all of existence in the form of his home, the Dreamworld, his first two children, Emil and Ariel, and implicitly some of the other gods seen. The eldest gods, having been made with more of Devourer's soul, were the most powerful. Emil and Ariel one day got the idea of creating the mortal world and proposed it to their father, who refused. Determined to proceed with their project, the siblings decided to betray their father by using an artifact to drain his power and seal him away. They then harvested parts of his soul and recycled them to create the mortal world, leaving Devourer in helpless agony.
Millenia passed as new gods were born to rule the mortal world under the siblings' watch, and the Devourer laid dormant in his prison waiting for an opportunity to escape. It came one day in some form or another, and Devourer managed to escape into a mortal's body. The inhabitants of the world were somehow awakened to the Devourer's arrival, seemingly in the form of a prophecy, and were as prepared as they could be to fight him off.
The mortals' efforts ultimately prove to be fruitless, however, as the Devourer slaughters hundreds of them and several gods, absorbs their souls and eventually grows powerful enough that most can hardly touch him. Once powerful enough, he moves onto killing one of the two most powerful mortals in the world: Sandaver of the Black Pyramid, or Alexander the human emperor. The power absorbed from them is enough to open a portal to the Dreamworld, upon which the Devourer abandons his mortal vessel and returns to his true form.
After fighting through a few of the Dreamworld's areas that mimic areas of the mortal world and killing a few more gods, Devourer arrives at his old palace where his first son and daughter reside. They exchange sentiments, Devourer's surprisingly being ones of regret, before engaging in a final battle where the siblings are slain by their father. With the world in his grasp, the Devourer must make a decision on whether or not to go through with destroying it.
Ending 1[]
If the player chooses to destroy and absorb the world, being the canonical choice, then the Devourer will be left once again alone as the first and last being in existence, contemplating to himself in the void. However, he discovers that one piece of his soul is unlike the others and may be of a different origin, meaning he may not be alone after all. Following this ending, the Devourer eventually creates a new world that would serve as the setting of Soulash 2.
Ending 2[]
If the player chooses to leave the world be, then Devourer simply watches the mortals' further history unfold without intervention. The world continues to be plagued by wars and strife, with no end to any of it in sight.