Levistus
Archdevil Levistus (a.k.a. Lord of Stygia, Lord of the Fifth, The Frozen Prince)
(https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Levistus)
Levistus was the lord of Stygia, and possibly the most hated of the archdevils in the Nine Hells. The self-titled "prince" was known for his treachery and was imprisoned in an ancient iceberg, often referred to as his tomb. Personality:
Unable to move his body in his frozen state, Levistus's brooding mind was not only fully aware of his surroundings,[14] but incredibly perceptive as a result of being detained for so long. With few distractions to occupy his mind he could fully concentrate on maintaining and controlling his otherwise unfathomable network of agents and masterminding his plans, in Stygia or otherwise, to the smallest details. Even before his imprisonment, Levistus had proven himself clever, charming and capable, enough so for him to be given control over Stygia in the first place. Regardless however, Levistus, who relished his graceful agility, desired first and foremost to be free of his humiliating and ironic immobility. Levistus almost always challenged his enemies to one-on-one duels to the death, not simply because he normally had the advantage in such situations, but because of his own sense of honour and fair play. Yet, despite the archdevil's strange chivalry, he was also infamously treacherous, having earned a reputation as a traitorous yet dashing debonair. His own rebelliousness was in fact one of his greatest flaws, as he could hardly restrain himself when given the chance to double-cross someone, even at his own detriment. His schemes had become more gradually paced and wider in scope while he was imprisoned, but the rakish rogue's inherent nature was to betray, leading him to hasten his plans. Further impeding him was that his typical, devilish megalomania was exacerbated by his 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 he was returned to power. Through barely legal contracts and indebting favours, Levistus manipulated diplomats and informants as easily as assassins and soul harvesters. Using his reputation for creating "servants to two masters", he created intrigue and mistrust among his rival archdevils even though such servants were uncommon. He plotted to overtake nearby regions of Hell, believing that by stealing territory from his rivals he could obtain the power needed to escape his prison. Despite normally being too busy to manifest an avatar, Levistus used aspects of himself to influence the world. His aspects preferred the icy oceans of Stygia but mostly handled affairs on other planes since Levistus's trapped state left them uncomfortable. Increasing Levistus's lacking presence in Faerun was merely one of their interplanar tasks. Levistus realized that even with military might, he 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 his domain, he had to use an unorthodox method to influence it. Amnizus were the trusted courtiers, chancellors and sycophants of Levistus who he gave special treatment to. By convincing the amnzius that they were above the laws of Baator and outside the baatezu hierarchy he further inflated their egos and earned himself their particular favour and loyalty. Not only did the subversive archdevil use the amnizus to carry out schemes against his peers, but his 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 himself, targeting his most trusted servitors to destroy the Lord 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 master. Relationships:
Of all the archdevils, Levistus was likely the most hated by his peers, for who he held a mutual enmity. He was ridiculed and reviled by them not because of his poor standing with Asmodeus, the reason why they would rather not associate with him, but because of his constant attempts elevate himself at the clear expense of others and his refusal to play by established rules. Their combined disdain for the Frozen Prince left him unable to succeed in his plans, since he was one of the few beings whose schemes that they would unite in order to ruin, even those who normally would never consider alliances. His pursuance of freedom further ostracized him from the others, since each archdevil rightfully believed that were he to escape he would likely betray all of the Nine Hells to opposing forces. This applied especially so to Asmodeus, who Levistus held a special hatred for due to his imprisonment and a lack of gratitude towards for his returned dominion. 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. Belial meanwhile, the Lord of the Fourth, was troubled by his reappearance since as a similarly "old school" devil he proved a worthy opponent capable of decimating his armies. At one point he planned to march his armies into Stygia, confident that he could take Malbolge from Malagard afterwards, but the introduction of Glasya forced him to reconsider his plans. His daughter, Fierna, had no interest in taking the frozen wasteland from Levistus and thanks to Glasya had begun to take an active role in managing Phlegethos, forcing Belial to put his plots against Levistus on hold. 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. Levistus also had to deal with the similarly brutal Sekolah, the shark deity of the sahuagin, and the conversely deceptive Set, both of which desired control over his domain. The duke Agares, who had previously been part of Geryon's court, also sought greater power and seemed to be assisting Set in order to depose Levistus. Levistus also had other aids like the gelugon sorcerer Erridon Alaka, who was constantly telepathically linked to Levistus via an arcane ritual, and Zanth, a half-fiend rogue. Both acted on Levistus's behalf but Zanth was influenced by Mephistopheles who often sent lesser devils to bribe him into subtly serving his goals via a commodity seldom found in Hell; the flesh of goodly children.
Levistus was the lord of Stygia, and possibly the most hated of the archdevils in the Nine Hells. The self-titled "prince" was known for his treachery and was imprisoned in an ancient iceberg, often referred to as his tomb. Personality:
Unable to move his body in his frozen state, Levistus's brooding mind was not only fully aware of his surroundings,[14] but incredibly perceptive as a result of being detained for so long. With few distractions to occupy his mind he could fully concentrate on maintaining and controlling his otherwise unfathomable network of agents and masterminding his plans, in Stygia or otherwise, to the smallest details. Even before his imprisonment, Levistus had proven himself clever, charming and capable, enough so for him to be given control over Stygia in the first place. Regardless however, Levistus, who relished his graceful agility, desired first and foremost to be free of his humiliating and ironic immobility. Levistus almost always challenged his enemies to one-on-one duels to the death, not simply because he normally had the advantage in such situations, but because of his own sense of honour and fair play. Yet, despite the archdevil's strange chivalry, he was also infamously treacherous, having earned a reputation as a traitorous yet dashing debonair. His own rebelliousness was in fact one of his greatest flaws, as he could hardly restrain himself when given the chance to double-cross someone, even at his own detriment. His schemes had become more gradually paced and wider in scope while he was imprisoned, but the rakish rogue's inherent nature was to betray, leading him to hasten his plans. Further impeding him was that his typical, devilish megalomania was exacerbated by his 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 he was returned to power. Through barely legal contracts and indebting favours, Levistus manipulated diplomats and informants as easily as assassins and soul harvesters. Using his reputation for creating "servants to two masters", he created intrigue and mistrust among his rival archdevils even though such servants were uncommon. He plotted to overtake nearby regions of Hell, believing that by stealing territory from his rivals he could obtain the power needed to escape his prison. Despite normally being too busy to manifest an avatar, Levistus used aspects of himself to influence the world. His aspects preferred the icy oceans of Stygia but mostly handled affairs on other planes since Levistus's trapped state left them uncomfortable. Increasing Levistus's lacking presence in Faerun was merely one of their interplanar tasks. Levistus realized that even with military might, he 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 his domain, he had to use an unorthodox method to influence it. Amnizus were the trusted courtiers, chancellors and sycophants of Levistus who he gave special treatment to. By convincing the amnzius that they were above the laws of Baator and outside the baatezu hierarchy he further inflated their egos and earned himself their particular favour and loyalty. Not only did the subversive archdevil use the amnizus to carry out schemes against his peers, but his 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 himself, targeting his most trusted servitors to destroy the Lord 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 master. Relationships:
Of all the archdevils, Levistus was likely the most hated by his peers, for who he held a mutual enmity. He was ridiculed and reviled by them not because of his poor standing with Asmodeus, the reason why they would rather not associate with him, but because of his constant attempts elevate himself at the clear expense of others and his refusal to play by established rules. Their combined disdain for the Frozen Prince left him unable to succeed in his plans, since he was one of the few beings whose schemes that they would unite in order to ruin, even those who normally would never consider alliances. His pursuance of freedom further ostracized him from the others, since each archdevil rightfully believed that were he to escape he would likely betray all of the Nine Hells to opposing forces. This applied especially so to Asmodeus, who Levistus held a special hatred for due to his imprisonment and a lack of gratitude towards for his returned dominion. 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. Belial meanwhile, the Lord of the Fourth, was troubled by his reappearance since as a similarly "old school" devil he proved a worthy opponent capable of decimating his armies. At one point he planned to march his armies into Stygia, confident that he could take Malbolge from Malagard afterwards, but the introduction of Glasya forced him to reconsider his plans. His daughter, Fierna, had no interest in taking the frozen wasteland from Levistus and thanks to Glasya had begun to take an active role in managing Phlegethos, forcing Belial to put his plots against Levistus on hold. 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. Levistus also had to deal with the similarly brutal Sekolah, the shark deity of the sahuagin, and the conversely deceptive Set, both of which desired control over his domain. The duke Agares, who had previously been part of Geryon's court, also sought greater power and seemed to be assisting Set in order to depose Levistus. Levistus also had other aids like the gelugon sorcerer Erridon Alaka, who was constantly telepathically linked to Levistus via an arcane ritual, and Zanth, a half-fiend rogue. Both acted on Levistus's behalf but Zanth was influenced by Mephistopheles who often sent lesser devils to bribe him into subtly serving his goals via a commodity seldom found in Hell; the flesh of goodly children.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Physical Description
Body Features
Levistus's true appearance was widely unknown, as from the outside of his glacial prison he 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 his frustrated posture from any angle. On close inspection, Levistus appeared to be a 6 ft (1.8 m) tall humanoid male with dark hair, a neat goatee and an extremely pale complexion, but would be able pass for a human if not for his traditionally fiendish traits; his pointed teeth and coal-black eyes that practically radiated darkness. In the days of his freedom, he 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 him was chilling and his clothes were always partially frozen and dripping with water.
Special abilities
Levistus was a swashbuckling swordsman of legendary prowess that used a combination of precise moves, acrobatic movements and elaborate parrying to fell his opponents. He deflected not only sword swings but also spells back at his foes, albeit only once per day. Normally he fought defensively, using his expertise in combat to ward off attacks if met with a worthy opponent and retreating when in actual danger. Like his styx devil servitors, Levistus could use his touch to drain the memories of others, leaving them stunned for a few seconds and wiping their knowledge of the past, although leaving their skills intact. He normally taunted those who lost their memories with vague hints of their former selves rather than killing them, but a greater restoration spell could undo the effect and those with the will to resist only lost their memories of the past year.
He was resistant to the cold and could manipulate it through spells like wall of ice or ice storm, with his other magical abilities allowing him to enthral and command others or create a symbol of pain. He could summon gelugons and pit fiends, but only called for assistance when his duels were interfered with. In such cases, he created an ice storm to create space between him and his foes and walls of ice to cut his enemies off from each other, summoning gelugons when the opportunity arose. All of this was assuming, unless dealing with one of his aspects, that one somehow managed to free Levistus first. He had to rely on his other spell-like abilities while motionless in the ice; clairvoyance, major image, scrying, unholy aura, and wish, as well as summoned aid, which could appear anywhere he could see through scrying or clairvoyance.
Specialized Equipment
Levistus's favoured weapons were his enchanted rapier and main gauche, the former of which was imprisoned along with him, although he would likely seek more powerful blades if he escaped.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Levistus was an archdevil of immeasurable age, rumored to be even older than Dispater although contested by the Iron Duke's supporters. The Rogue Archdevil was one of the first to attempt to overthrow Asmodeus, having yearned for power beyond his station shortly after first being granted control over Stygia. However, unlike what some believed, the crime that had gotten Levistus imprisoned was far more despicable than betraying the hollow promise of loyalty to Asmodeus, and in truth, made the punishment he received seem generous.
Bensozia:
As the story went, Asmodeus's consort, Bensozia, was travelling throughout Stygia inspecting the layer. Levistus ambushed her, although exactly how and why was disputed. Some said he non-violently approached while others reported that he had first slain all her pit fiend bodyguards with the exception of one escapee, Asmodeus's constable Martinet. Then, Levistus either offered to make her his queen if she helped him oust her husband, confident she would know if he had a weakness, or simply tried to ravish her. When Bensozia refused him, Levistus angrily murdered her and, if her pit fiend guards were still alive by that point, them as well. That was the tale told throughout the Nine Hells but was quite possibly propaganda made to cover up Levistus's true crime and the role of another party. Bensozia was believed to have hated Asmodeus, and if she refused such an offer it would have been for a reason other than loyalty. Instead, the alternative telling described the two as co-conspirators, each selfishly using the other as both a lover and as a means to undermine Asmodeus. However, the arrangement was jeopardized when Glasya became smitten with Levistus during one of his visits to Nessus, and seeing an opportunity to further turn Asmodeus's household against him, began a secret tryst with Asmodeus's daughter as well. Levistus knew too well that Glasya was immature and would react with violent envy if she discovered the truth, and that Bensozia would be similarly furious about his illicit activities, but continued his façade regardless. Eventually, after one of her regular disputes with her father, Glasya fled to Levistus's arms only to find Bensozia already occupying them, turning her already hateful feelings towards her mother into raw, murderous rage. Glasya supposedly killed her mother herself, sneaking into her palanquin later and slitting her throat. Martinet, charged with upholding Asmodeus's regime, framed Levistus for the murder so Asmodeus could save face and slaughtered the pit fiends in order to leave no potential witnesses. If the alternative story was to be believed, rather than a out of fiery fury for his murdered consort, Asmodeus's choice to imprison Levistus was a cold, rational move, done more for the sake of precedent than personal satisfaction. Glasya's hatred for Levistus would also be fundamentally different, not the righteous fury of a grief-stricken daughter but the heartbroken anger of a betrayed partner. She was said to be obsessively focused on Levistus, suddenly switching between rage and pining, although some said her anger towards him was merely a ruse. After imprisonment:
Even before being sealed away, Levistus attempted to make deals with those on the borderlands of the Nine Hells, particularly those not under the control of Asmodeus, and so his influence afterwards extended beyond the Nine Hells. Yugoloths, power-hungry pit fiends, failing dukes of Hell and other outcasts were sought out by the Frozen Prince's agents and made deals with Levistus. Most archdevils were uninterested in Levistus's plans involving the seemingly unimportant outer reaches of the Nine Hells, but by appealing to lesser dukes aiming to reclaim their former station, he gained access to useful spies to plant in their courts. He even fed false information to Asmodeus's double agents, causing them to fall from the Dark Lord's favor and into his own clutches. After being returned to his former station, Levistus shortly began stockpiling a vast quantity of souls in his prison while the devils of his layer starved for such things, sometimes offering feasts of souls to those willing to betray their masters in some way. He had his agents seduce mortals that were already being tempted by the soul harvesters of other devils before bribing them with the souls, the pride of most devils forbidding them from allowing their marks to suffer at the hands of others. While his hoarding ways got him branded as a miser, bribery wasn't the only point behind his behaviour, for in truth his scheme was so unbelievable that most of his rivals likely would question its accuracy and possibility if they were made aware; to starve his foes into submission. A large part of Levistus's network was in the outer regions of Hell above Avernus, known as the Outer Torments. Once finally prepared, pirates trained by specially selected agents of Levistus and kept isolated and secret from one another would block the souls coming in through Avernus. As the servants of other archdevils became hungrier and more desperate, Levistus would use his enlarged coffers to tighten his grip over other layers of Hell. Expecting the Dark Eight, some of which he had pacts with, to turn on Bel due to his failure to prevent the catastrophe and with the help of lesser archdevils like Moloch and Azazel would send Avernus into chaos. This would render Avernus useless in providing souls and allow Levistus had his forces to converge on the forces between the first and fifth layer, leaving the rulers of the sixth to ninth to feel trapped in their own domains until he finally descended on them.[11] Whatever happened to this scheme, it was eventually abandoned in favor of a hastier approach against Asmodeus[3] before Geryon arrived and Levistus was forced to contend with his old rival.
As the story went, Asmodeus's consort, Bensozia, was travelling throughout Stygia inspecting the layer. Levistus ambushed her, although exactly how and why was disputed. Some said he non-violently approached while others reported that he had first slain all her pit fiend bodyguards with the exception of one escapee, Asmodeus's constable Martinet. Then, Levistus either offered to make her his queen if she helped him oust her husband, confident she would know if he had a weakness, or simply tried to ravish her. When Bensozia refused him, Levistus angrily murdered her and, if her pit fiend guards were still alive by that point, them as well. That was the tale told throughout the Nine Hells but was quite possibly propaganda made to cover up Levistus's true crime and the role of another party. Bensozia was believed to have hated Asmodeus, and if she refused such an offer it would have been for a reason other than loyalty. Instead, the alternative telling described the two as co-conspirators, each selfishly using the other as both a lover and as a means to undermine Asmodeus. However, the arrangement was jeopardized when Glasya became smitten with Levistus during one of his visits to Nessus, and seeing an opportunity to further turn Asmodeus's household against him, began a secret tryst with Asmodeus's daughter as well. Levistus knew too well that Glasya was immature and would react with violent envy if she discovered the truth, and that Bensozia would be similarly furious about his illicit activities, but continued his façade regardless. Eventually, after one of her regular disputes with her father, Glasya fled to Levistus's arms only to find Bensozia already occupying them, turning her already hateful feelings towards her mother into raw, murderous rage. Glasya supposedly killed her mother herself, sneaking into her palanquin later and slitting her throat. Martinet, charged with upholding Asmodeus's regime, framed Levistus for the murder so Asmodeus could save face and slaughtered the pit fiends in order to leave no potential witnesses. If the alternative story was to be believed, rather than a out of fiery fury for his murdered consort, Asmodeus's choice to imprison Levistus was a cold, rational move, done more for the sake of precedent than personal satisfaction. Glasya's hatred for Levistus would also be fundamentally different, not the righteous fury of a grief-stricken daughter but the heartbroken anger of a betrayed partner. She was said to be obsessively focused on Levistus, suddenly switching between rage and pining, although some said her anger towards him was merely a ruse. After imprisonment:
Even before being sealed away, Levistus attempted to make deals with those on the borderlands of the Nine Hells, particularly those not under the control of Asmodeus, and so his influence afterwards extended beyond the Nine Hells. Yugoloths, power-hungry pit fiends, failing dukes of Hell and other outcasts were sought out by the Frozen Prince's agents and made deals with Levistus. Most archdevils were uninterested in Levistus's plans involving the seemingly unimportant outer reaches of the Nine Hells, but by appealing to lesser dukes aiming to reclaim their former station, he gained access to useful spies to plant in their courts. He even fed false information to Asmodeus's double agents, causing them to fall from the Dark Lord's favor and into his own clutches. After being returned to his former station, Levistus shortly began stockpiling a vast quantity of souls in his prison while the devils of his layer starved for such things, sometimes offering feasts of souls to those willing to betray their masters in some way. He had his agents seduce mortals that were already being tempted by the soul harvesters of other devils before bribing them with the souls, the pride of most devils forbidding them from allowing their marks to suffer at the hands of others. While his hoarding ways got him branded as a miser, bribery wasn't the only point behind his behaviour, for in truth his scheme was so unbelievable that most of his rivals likely would question its accuracy and possibility if they were made aware; to starve his foes into submission. A large part of Levistus's network was in the outer regions of Hell above Avernus, known as the Outer Torments. Once finally prepared, pirates trained by specially selected agents of Levistus and kept isolated and secret from one another would block the souls coming in through Avernus. As the servants of other archdevils became hungrier and more desperate, Levistus would use his enlarged coffers to tighten his grip over other layers of Hell. Expecting the Dark Eight, some of which he had pacts with, to turn on Bel due to his failure to prevent the catastrophe and with the help of lesser archdevils like Moloch and Azazel would send Avernus into chaos. This would render Avernus useless in providing souls and allow Levistus had his forces to converge on the forces between the first and fifth layer, leaving the rulers of the sixth to ninth to feel trapped in their own domains until he finally descended on them.[11] Whatever happened to this scheme, it was eventually abandoned in favor of a hastier approach against Asmodeus[3] before Geryon arrived and Levistus was forced to contend with his old rival.
Divine Classification
Archdevil
Alignment
Lawful evil
Current Location
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Coal-black
Hair
Dark hair
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Extremely pale complexion
Height
6 ft
Ruled Locations
Comments