The Maw That Smiles
"You give. You always give. But the hunger is endless."
There are Realms that burn.
Others that freeze.
And a few, inevitably, from desire.
And then there is the Maw.
It does not consume you with flames or ice.
It consumes you with longing.
This is the second layer of the Spiral Hells—a Realm of insatiable hunger, where nothing is ever enough. It is a place of lust, obsession, and gluttony—the primal urges of the soul given form. Here, indulgence is not a reward; it is a curse.
The Realm That Never Stops Wanting
The Maw is not a place of pain.
It is a place of excess.
But excess that cannot be satisfied.
You’ll arrive thinking that here, you can finally give in, indulge every desire, every whim. You’ll think it’s paradise, that you can taste every sin and feel whole.
But this place knows no end. It only knows longing.
The hunger will never stop. It will stretch on and on, no matter how much you feed it.
Desire becomes insatiable, uncontrollable, and each indulgence only makes the craving worse.
It doesn’t matter what you consume.
Nothing will ever fill you.
You are not punished here.
You are invited.
And then you’re consumed by your own desire.
A Landscape of Endless Indulgence
The Maw is not like the Gilded Cage, which carefully builds its walls.
The Maw, you see, lets you fall.
It offers everything, but at a price: you will never have enough.
Here, the landscape bends and shifts with the whims of those who enter. Every indulgence is within reach, and yet always fading when you reach for it.
- Fields stretch endlessly with fruits of overwhelming sweetness, their petals soft and inviting—but they rot the moment they are consumed.
- Rivers of nectar flow like liquid pleasure, but the thirst that follows can never be quenched.
- In palaces made of gold, the walls glimmer with promises that fade once touched, leaving only a hunger that drives you deeper into the labyrinth.
Every step you take is an invitation, but what you truly seek is always just out of reach.
And the Twins—Velas and Vela—guide you.
They walk these streets, arm in arm, offering everything, yet never truly giving. They know the cycle well. They are the embodiment of desire, and they will always ask for more.
The Twins of Desire: Velas and Vela
If you ever think you can understand the Maw, you’ll quickly realise you’re wrong. It is not about control. It is about consumption, and the Twins are its perfect embodiment.
Velas and Vela, brother and sister, born of the same twisted hunger, are everything the Maw offers. They are desire personified—but in two forms: the masculine and the feminine, each a perfect reflection of the other, yet each distinct in their power and beauty.
Velas is the embodiment of raw, masculine desire—he is the urge to dominate, to possess, to claim. His beauty is painfully perfect—his strong jaw, sharp eyes, and broad, commanding posture speak of power, control, and raw attraction. Every inch of him exudes primal lust. The more he takes, the more he needs.
Vela, on the other hand, is the embodiment of feminine allure—the illusion of beauty, the promise of love and fulfillment. She is as gently seductive as she is inaccessible, her delicate features and soft curves captivating all who meet her gaze. But her beauty is designed to torment, to make those around her yearn for what they can never truly have. Her invitation is always half denied, leaving every soul who encounters her starving for what she will never fully offer.
Together, they represent the perfect seduction—the desire to take, to give, to possess, and to never be filled. Their bond is one that transcends simple love—it is obsession, consumption, and need in its most corrupted form. Theirs is a relationship that should not be, and yet cannot be denied.
They feed on the longing, the yearning, the need that their presence creates. The more they give, the hungrier the Maw becomes. You will never escape their grasp. They are the hunger you cannot outrun.
Beyond Veloria: The Maw’s True Reach
Veloria may be the city that catches your attention, but it’s only a small piece of the Maw’s reach. The realm beyond is just as devouring, yet far darker than the city’s golden, seductive streets.
- The Gardens of Carnal Delight: Where every vine wraps around you, offering forbidden pleasures that never last, leaving only emptiness in their wake. The flowers bloom with excess, but as soon as they touch your lips, they wilt.
- The Halls of Infinite Yearning: A place where every wish, every desire is granted—but just as quickly as it is granted, it is taken away, leaving you further starved.
- The Pools of Eternal Thirst: A lake so vast it reflects every desire, only for the waters to pull back, fading the moment you think you’re satisfied.
Each place feeds not just on you, but on your emotions, your longing for what you cannot have. They are the perfect reflection of the twins: they give, but they take so much more than they offer. You are never full, you are never complete. You are always hungry, always reaching for more.
The Gods of the Maw
The gods of the Maw are not the gods you would find in the world beyond. They do not take on many faces or names. Here, the core principles of hunger, desire, and obsession are the gods—the forces that pull at the soul, driving it toward insatiable cravings.
They do not demand worship.
They do not care for offerings.
They simply exist—driven by the hunger that they feed.
In the Maw, these gods are not personalities. They are forces, pure concepts, the embodiments of primal need. Some are well known to the inhabitants of the Maw, like Tyrath, the Endless Hunger, Aurelia, the Seductress, and Glutthar, the Feaster—but there are many more, their forms and names as fluid and ever-changing as the cravings they represent.
Some gods manifest as whispers, as feelings of unbearable longing. Some appear as silent figures, offering promises without ever speaking a word. They feed on every indulgence, and their presence grows the deeper you go into the Maw.
Final Thoughts
The Maw doesn’t care for your reasons.
It doesn’t care for your desires.
It doesn’t care for anything but the hunger.
Here, you will get everything, and yet you will always crave more.
You will consume everything, and yet it will never be enough.
And the Twins—Velas and Vela—will guide you deeper, promising affection, beauty, and pleasure, but leaving you hunger-stricken, because in the Maw, it is never about satisfaction. It is about endless wanting.
You will take everything they give,
And still, you will be hungry.
At A Glance
What Is the Maw That Smiles?
The second layer of the Spiral Hells—a Realm of endless indulgence, primal cravings, and insatiable hunger. It does not force. It seduces.
What Governs It?
Infernal aspects—manifested forces of lust, greed, gluttony, and desire. At their centre, Velas and Vela, the Twins of Desire: embodying the endless cycle of craving, temptation, and devouring need.
What Does It Look Like?
Lush palaces, decadent gardens, and endless feasts, overflowing with temptations and indulgence—each just out of reach. Everything is offered, but nothing satisfies. The realm feeds on your desires, pushing you deeper into a never-ending spiral of need.
Who Lives Here?
Threads who thrive on excess, on indulgence, on craving more—the obsessed, the wanting, the addicted. They are not the damned for what they’ve done. They are the damned for what they desire.
What About the Gods?
There are no gods here in the traditional sense. Only core principles of hunger—desire made flesh. From Tyrath, The Endless Hunger to Aurelia, The Seductress, these gods are the purest forms of craving, manifesting in countless ways throughout the realm.
And the Magic?
Desire-as-power. Lust, greed, and indulgence as forces that shape the realm. The magic here is not cast. It is fed upon. Every indulgence deepens the craving, and the hunger never ends.
Final Thought
The Maw does not hurt you.
It feeds you—
—and that’s what devours you.
Author's Note
This article was a challenging one to write, and I hope it conveys the intended depth and mood without crossing into crudeness. The Maw That Smiles represents a realm of unrestrained desire and primal hunger, and I wanted to portray that darkness truthfully without becoming vulgar.
My goal here is to present the Hells in their true, unflinching light, without romanticizing or sensationalizing them. Please understand this is not fan fiction or an obscene portrayal, but rather an attempt to explore the depths of human depravity through a dark, mythic lens.
I hope that comes across as intended.
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