Levistus
Archduchess Levistus (a.k.a. The Frozen Princess, The Rogue Archdevil, Princess of Betrayal)
Levistus was the lady of Stygia, and possibly the most hated of the archdevils in the Nine Hells. The self-titled "princess" was known for her treachery and was imprisoned in an ancient iceberg, often referred to as her tomb.
Levistus's true appearance was widely unknown, as from the outside of her glacial prison she could only be seen as a small black blot a quarter-mile within the mountain of dark ice. The ice was also transparently blue enough that onlookers could perceive her frustrated posture from any angle. On close inspection, Levistus appeared to be a 6 ft (1.8 m) tall humanoid female with dark hair and an extremely pale complexion, but would be able pass for a human if not for her traditionally fiendish traits; her pointed teeth and coal-black eyes that practically radiated darkness. In the days of her freedom, she wore loose, silken clothing and carried a shining rapier, now donning fanciful garments and other finery when meeting mortals in projected form. When appearing as an aspect, the air around her was chilling and her clothes were always partially frozen and dripping with water.
Personality-
Unable to move her body in her frozen state, Levistus's brooding mind was not only fully aware of her surroundings, but incredibly perceptive as a result of being detained for so long. With few distractions to occupy her mind she could fully concentrate on maintaining and controlling her otherwise unfathomable network of agents and masterminding her plans, in Stygia or otherwise, to the smallest details. Even before her imprisonment, Levistus had proven herself clever, charming and capable, enough so for her to be given control over Stygia in the first place. Regardless however, Levistus, who relished her graceful agility, desired first and foremost to be free of her humiliating and ironic immobility. Levistus almost always challenged her enemies to one-on-one duels to the death, not simply because she normally had the advantage in such situations, but because of her own sense of honour and fair play. Yet, despite the archdevil's strange chivalry, she was also infamously treacherous, having earned a reputation as a traitorous yet dashing debonair. Her own rebelliousness was in fact one of her greatest flaws, as she could hardly restrain herself when given the chance to double-cross someone, even at her own detriment. Her schemes had become more gradually paced and wider in scope while she was imprisoned, but the rakish rogue's inherent nature was to betray, leading her to hasten her plans. Further impeding her was that her typical, devilish megalomania was exacerbated by her blinding hatred and need for revenge after being trapped. Activities-
Having been given centuries to conspire and conceive new plans, Levistus put several deep-running schemes into motion after she was returned to power. Through barely legal contracts and indebting favours, Levistus manipulated diplomats and informants as easily as assassins and soul harvesters. Using her reputation for creating "servants to two mistresses", she created intrigue and mistrust among her rival archdevils even though such servants were uncommon. She plotted to overtake nearby regions of Hell, believing that by stealing territory from her rivals she could obtain the power needed to escape her prison. Despite normally being too busy to manifest an avatar, Levistus used aspects of herself to influence the world. Her aspects preferred the icy oceans of Stygia but mostly handled affairs on other planes since Levistus's trapped state left them uncomfortable. Levistus realized that even with military might, she couldn't take over other circles of the Nine Hells while the other archdevils had equal support from the pit fiends, and that, lacking direct control over her domain, she had to use an unorthodox method to influence it. Amnizus were the trusted courtiers, chancellors and sycophants of Levistus who she gave special treatment to. By convincing the amnzius that they were above the laws of the hells and outside the baatezu hierarchy she further inflated their egos and earned herself their particular favour and loyalty. Not only did the subversive archdevil use the amnizus to carry out schemes against her peers, but her favouritism also caused them to be naturally undermining and suspicious towards pit fiends, going so far as to sabotage the Dark Eight. Levistus eventually decided to go after Asmodeus herself, targeting her most trusted servitors to destroy the Lady of Nessus from within. After Geryon's return however, Levistus was forced into conflict with the Wild Beast, turning Stygia into a warzone. While yugoloths and spare soldiers not sent to fight the Blood War engaged in minor skirmishes, the servants of Levistus occasionally sought out adventurers in hopes they could uncover knowledge capable of permanently freeing their mistress. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Levistus#Realm The Lord of the Sixth, Glasya, held a personal grudge against him for his ancient betrayal regarding her mother Bensozia, even as Levistus made plans to seduce the rebellious princess of Hell. Levistus had his own rivals within Stygia, primarily his archnemesis Geryon. The two had been battling over Stygia for centuries, with Levistus's imprisonment coming just after he retook it. With Levistus immobile and Geryon incapable of savaging him, the two were forced to battle indirectly for control.
Unable to move her body in her frozen state, Levistus's brooding mind was not only fully aware of her surroundings, but incredibly perceptive as a result of being detained for so long. With few distractions to occupy her mind she could fully concentrate on maintaining and controlling her otherwise unfathomable network of agents and masterminding her plans, in Stygia or otherwise, to the smallest details. Even before her imprisonment, Levistus had proven herself clever, charming and capable, enough so for her to be given control over Stygia in the first place. Regardless however, Levistus, who relished her graceful agility, desired first and foremost to be free of her humiliating and ironic immobility. Levistus almost always challenged her enemies to one-on-one duels to the death, not simply because she normally had the advantage in such situations, but because of her own sense of honour and fair play. Yet, despite the archdevil's strange chivalry, she was also infamously treacherous, having earned a reputation as a traitorous yet dashing debonair. Her own rebelliousness was in fact one of her greatest flaws, as she could hardly restrain herself when given the chance to double-cross someone, even at her own detriment. Her schemes had become more gradually paced and wider in scope while she was imprisoned, but the rakish rogue's inherent nature was to betray, leading her to hasten her plans. Further impeding her was that her typical, devilish megalomania was exacerbated by her blinding hatred and need for revenge after being trapped. Activities-
Having been given centuries to conspire and conceive new plans, Levistus put several deep-running schemes into motion after she was returned to power. Through barely legal contracts and indebting favours, Levistus manipulated diplomats and informants as easily as assassins and soul harvesters. Using her reputation for creating "servants to two mistresses", she created intrigue and mistrust among her rival archdevils even though such servants were uncommon. She plotted to overtake nearby regions of Hell, believing that by stealing territory from her rivals she could obtain the power needed to escape her prison. Despite normally being too busy to manifest an avatar, Levistus used aspects of herself to influence the world. Her aspects preferred the icy oceans of Stygia but mostly handled affairs on other planes since Levistus's trapped state left them uncomfortable. Levistus realized that even with military might, she couldn't take over other circles of the Nine Hells while the other archdevils had equal support from the pit fiends, and that, lacking direct control over her domain, she had to use an unorthodox method to influence it. Amnizus were the trusted courtiers, chancellors and sycophants of Levistus who she gave special treatment to. By convincing the amnzius that they were above the laws of the hells and outside the baatezu hierarchy she further inflated their egos and earned herself their particular favour and loyalty. Not only did the subversive archdevil use the amnizus to carry out schemes against her peers, but her favouritism also caused them to be naturally undermining and suspicious towards pit fiends, going so far as to sabotage the Dark Eight. Levistus eventually decided to go after Asmodeus herself, targeting her most trusted servitors to destroy the Lady of Nessus from within. After Geryon's return however, Levistus was forced into conflict with the Wild Beast, turning Stygia into a warzone. While yugoloths and spare soldiers not sent to fight the Blood War engaged in minor skirmishes, the servants of Levistus occasionally sought out adventurers in hopes they could uncover knowledge capable of permanently freeing their mistress. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Levistus#Realm The Lord of the Sixth, Glasya, held a personal grudge against him for his ancient betrayal regarding her mother Bensozia, even as Levistus made plans to seduce the rebellious princess of Hell. Levistus had his own rivals within Stygia, primarily his archnemesis Geryon. The two had been battling over Stygia for centuries, with Levistus's imprisonment coming just after he retook it. With Levistus immobile and Geryon incapable of savaging him, the two were forced to battle indirectly for control.
Comments