Hickress
God of Rot (a.k.a. Hickory)
Hickress, also known as Hickory in Appalachian folklore, is a haunting embodiment of decay and desolation. This ancient dryad, having delved into the dark arts of necromancy, eventually became a Deific Avatar for the Cosmic God of Rot. Over countless centuries, his form has grotesquely morphed into a skeletal, tree-like monstrosity – a stark, twisted reflection of his once-noble dryad nature. His limbs, now gnarled branches with razor-sharp edges, speak of a long-forgotten beauty turned sinister. Hickress thrives on decay in all its forms, drawing sustenance from the collapse and corruption of life, matter, and even concepts. The more pervasive the rot, the more powerful he becomes, making him a being of formidable might in a world rife with corruption and decline. As such, he works in tandem with Darkwalker as his right-hand man in the leadership of the Soul Archons.
His powers extend beyond mere physical decay. Hickress possesses the chilling ability to induce rot with a mere touch, turning living flesh to putrefaction and blighting structures to ruin. He commands legions of Crawlers – reanimated corpses bound to his will, serving as both his army and his cult, a grotesque following dedicated to the proliferation of decay. These Crawlers are extensions of his will, spreading rot wherever they roam, and further empowering their master. This ability to animate and control the dead only amplifies the dread that Hickress inspires, making him a figure of nightmarish legend.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
To spread rot and decay throughout the universe; to work in tandem with his sister, Aranell, in the cycle of life and death.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
In the depths of Appalachia, where the mist clings to the mountains like a ghostly shroud, Hickress has become a name synonymous with the unexplained and the eerie. An ancient, unspeakable presence, he is woven into the fabric of local folklore, a sinister figure lurking at the periphery of human understanding. This avatar of Rot, once a dryad known as Hickory, has transcended his origins to become something far more enigmatic and fearsome.
His legend seeps into the stories of hikers and locals, often as an inexplicable sense of dread, a chill down the spine when the wind howls through the trees a certain way, or a fleeting glimpse of something monstrous in the twilight. Missing persons in the mountains are sometimes whispered to be his victims, spirited away by twisted, razor-sharp branches in the night. Hickress is the personification of the forest's dark heart, a primal fear of the unknown that haunts the wilderness.
Those who dare to speak of him do so in hushed tones, their stories steeped in the eerie sensation of being watched by unseen eyes, of the woods themselves harboring a malevolent consciousness. Hickress, in these tales, is less a creature and more an embodiment of the forest's deepest, darkest aspects – a force of nature that embodies decay, desolation, and the inevitable demise of all things. In this way, Hickress has become an integral, albeit chilling, part of Appalachian lore, a mythic figure that embodies the enigmatic and often terrifying essence of the wild.
Divine Classification
Cosmic God
Species
Currently Held Titles
Age
Immortal
Spouses
Siblings
Aranell
(Sister)
Children
Current Residence
Often found in forests with many sick trees and in abandoned buildings, particularly farm houses.
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Eyes
Amber, small, round, wide, glowing
Hair
None
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Bark-like carapace
Height
7'1"
Aligned Organization
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