Levistus
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game, Levistus is the arch-devil currently ruling Stygia, the Fifth layer of the Nine Hells of Baator
. His unholy symbol is a sword thrust through a block of ice, or a cauldron with chunks of ice floating in it.
was detailed in Guide to Hell (1999).
In third edition, Levistus appeared along with the other lords of the Nine Hells in the Book of Vile Darkness
(2002). Levistus was further detailed in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
(2006).
was crowned King of Hell. Consumed with ambition, Levistus always wanted to take the place of Baator's overlord. Although he shares this scheme with many other arch-lords, Levistus is the most open and direct about it.
Upon his most heinous attempt to take control, Levistus tried to subsume Bensozia
, Asmodeus's consort whom he thought knew very well her master's weaknesses. At that time, Bensozia was leading a routine inspection of the layers with her pit-fiend escort and Asmodeus's constable, Martinet
. While they were travelling across Stygia, Levistus ambushed them and proposed that the Queen of Hell become his consort if she helped him depose Asmodeus. The staunch queen refused harshly and passed him by. Infuriated, the Lord of the Fifth killed Bensozia and her pit-fiend bodyguards while Martinet managed to escape.
Asmodeus quickly spotted the act and punished Levistus by imprisoning him in an iceberg on Stygia. Moreover, the King of Hell gave rulership of the layer to Geryon
, another arch-fiend who ruled Stygia until the Reckoning of Hell
. When the Reckoning ended, Geryon was demoted and banished. Much to everyone's surprise, Asmodeus returned power to Levistus. However, the arch-lord remained trapped still in his ice prison boulder, forced to communicate with his subordinates solely through telepathy
.
Back in charge, Levistus couldn't bring himself to behave. While he can't act physically nor unaided, Stygia's lord still wants to betray and overthrow the Lord of Nessus and blatantly provokes him at any occasion. All the other arch-lords despise and mock him constantly for his derisory condition. Thus, Levistus has no allies among them and tries to raise a cult on the Prime Material Plane to gain more power. His largest cult is the iceberg-based floating city of Icerazor. A fiendish harpy named Azediel controls the city, sacrificing fire-based good creatures to melt the prison of Levistus. Other efforts are made by his servants to melt and chip away at the iceberg, but for each foot of ice that is broken or melted, the cold winds of Stygia refreeze two feet of it. Some devils even swear that if you listen to the wind carefully around the iceberg, you can hear the cruel laughter of the Overlord of Hell.
However, now that Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus and Bensozia, seized control of Malbolge, the sixth layer, Levistus's life is on the line like never before. The Princess of Hell wants him dead for killing her mother. Levistus wishes to turn her against her father and use her in his schemes but such a thing is very unlikely.
is especially eager to take Levistus's territory, and Levistus in turn is trying to sway Gazra
into his influence. It may be only a matter of time before he succeeds, but for the time being Gazra remains loyal to Fierna
.
Among Levistus's greatest rivalries is that with the Egyptian god Set, who also dwells in Stygia in a black pyramid, and plots to take control of Stygia, then Baator, then all of the multiverse. Levistus's cultists destroy temples of Set whenever possible, while Set wreaks havoc on the cities and amnizu of Stygia; the two powers are currently at an impasse. The sahuagin
deity Sekolah
is also attempting to wrest control of Stygia from Levistus, convinced the prince would make a quick meal if he ventured outside his iceberg.
If freed, Levistus's most pressing target would be Asmodeus himself. The archomental
Cryonax
seeks to free Levistus for reasons of his own.
devils as chief chancellors and the following dukes under his command:
Levistus is said to command all the amnizu devils
, whom he encourages to ignore the greater hierarchy and work to betray the pit fiends who ostensibly outrank them.
is the iceberg city of Icerazer, described in Frostburn. It was founded only a few decades ago by the halfdevil
, half harpy
assassin Azediel somewhere in the northern ocean (perhaps the Icy Sea). Because of magic inherent in the fortress's creation through the death of a rimefire eidolon, Icerazer acts as a siphon for the power of the souls of all who die within it. This power is channeled directly into Levistus's prison in Stygia, so that each soul weakens it a little more, particularly good-aligned fire creatures. To this end Azediel, a fanatic worshiper of Levistus and now the head of a powerful cult dedicated to that archdevil, sails the seas looking for fresh victims.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game, Levistus is the arch-devil currently ruling Stygia, the Fifth layer of the Nine Hells of Baator
Baator
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Baator, also known as the Nine Hells of Baator or the Nine Hells, is a lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
. His unholy symbol is a sword thrust through a block of ice, or a cauldron with chunks of ice floating in it.
Publication history
Levistus was first identified as the ruler of Stygia in Planes of Law (1995), and was further described in Dragon #223 (November 1995). His history as part of the Reckoning of HellReckoning of Hell
In the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells into its current form...
was detailed in Guide to Hell (1999).
In third edition, Levistus appeared along with the other lords of the Nine Hells in the Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons &...
(2002). Levistus was further detailed in the Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Contents:...
(2006).
Description
Levistus appears as an unnaturally tall, handsome male human. Aside from his completely black eyes, pointed teeth and his height, no features betray his infernal descent.History
Levistus obtained rulership over Stygia long ago, right after AsmodeusAsmodeus (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Asmodeus is an Arch-Devil: a lord of the game's version of Hell . There he is the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell...
was crowned King of Hell. Consumed with ambition, Levistus always wanted to take the place of Baator's overlord. Although he shares this scheme with many other arch-lords, Levistus is the most open and direct about it.
Upon his most heinous attempt to take control, Levistus tried to subsume Bensozia
Bensozia
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Bensozia was the consort of Baator's Overlord, Asmodeus. She's also referred to as the Queen of Hell.-Creative origins:...
, Asmodeus's consort whom he thought knew very well her master's weaknesses. At that time, Bensozia was leading a routine inspection of the layers with her pit-fiend escort and Asmodeus's constable, Martinet
Martinet (Dungeons & Dragons)
Martinet is a Duke of Hell in the service of Asmodeus, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publishing history:Martinet is first mentioned in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part II" in Dragon #76...
. While they were travelling across Stygia, Levistus ambushed them and proposed that the Queen of Hell become his consort if she helped him depose Asmodeus. The staunch queen refused harshly and passed him by. Infuriated, the Lord of the Fifth killed Bensozia and her pit-fiend bodyguards while Martinet managed to escape.
Asmodeus quickly spotted the act and punished Levistus by imprisoning him in an iceberg on Stygia. Moreover, the King of Hell gave rulership of the layer to Geryon
Geryon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Geryon was an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Wild Beast."-Creative origins:...
, another arch-fiend who ruled Stygia until the Reckoning of Hell
Reckoning of Hell
In the cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells into its current form...
. When the Reckoning ended, Geryon was demoted and banished. Much to everyone's surprise, Asmodeus returned power to Levistus. However, the arch-lord remained trapped still in his ice prison boulder, forced to communicate with his subordinates solely through telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
.
Back in charge, Levistus couldn't bring himself to behave. While he can't act physically nor unaided, Stygia's lord still wants to betray and overthrow the Lord of Nessus and blatantly provokes him at any occasion. All the other arch-lords despise and mock him constantly for his derisory condition. Thus, Levistus has no allies among them and tries to raise a cult on the Prime Material Plane to gain more power. His largest cult is the iceberg-based floating city of Icerazor. A fiendish harpy named Azediel controls the city, sacrificing fire-based good creatures to melt the prison of Levistus. Other efforts are made by his servants to melt and chip away at the iceberg, but for each foot of ice that is broken or melted, the cold winds of Stygia refreeze two feet of it. Some devils even swear that if you listen to the wind carefully around the iceberg, you can hear the cruel laughter of the Overlord of Hell.
However, now that Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus and Bensozia, seized control of Malbolge, the sixth layer, Levistus's life is on the line like never before. The Princess of Hell wants him dead for killing her mother. Levistus wishes to turn her against her father and use her in his schemes but such a thing is very unlikely.
4th edition
The 4th edition Monster Manual mentions that Levistus is still the lord of Stygia.Relationships
The ruthlessly ambitious Levistus ignores the rules the other Lords of the Nine play by, plotting to conquer every other layer of Hell rather than playing at allegiances. As a result, he is universally disliked in the Hells. BelialBelial (Dungeons & Dragons)
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Belial is an Arch-Devil of Hell , lord of the Fourth Hell, Phlegethos. He retained his rule after the Reckoning of Hell, though he now shares this responsibility with his daughter Fierna who serves as his mouthpiece...
is especially eager to take Levistus's territory, and Levistus in turn is trying to sway Gazra
Gazra
Gazra is a pit fiend, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Gazra was first mentioned in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix...
into his influence. It may be only a matter of time before he succeeds, but for the time being Gazra remains loyal to Fierna
Fierna
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Lady Fierna is the ruler of the Fourth Layer of the Nine Hells of Baator. She is the daughter of arch-Duke Belial and his late consort Naome, and currently shares the rulership with her father...
.
Among Levistus's greatest rivalries is that with the Egyptian god Set, who also dwells in Stygia in a black pyramid, and plots to take control of Stygia, then Baator, then all of the multiverse. Levistus's cultists destroy temples of Set whenever possible, while Set wreaks havoc on the cities and amnizu of Stygia; the two powers are currently at an impasse. The sahuagin
Sahuagin
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the sahuagin are a fish-like monstrous humanoid species that live in oceans, seas, underground lakes, and underwater caves. Sahuagin speak their native tongue . With higher intelligence scores, they can also speak two bonus languages, usually...
deity Sekolah
Sekolah
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Sekolah is a powerful devil and the primary deity worshipped by the sahuagin race. His sacred animal is the shark...
is also attempting to wrest control of Stygia from Levistus, convinced the prince would make a quick meal if he ventured outside his iceberg.
If freed, Levistus's most pressing target would be Asmodeus himself. The archomental
Archomental
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, archomentals are powerful exemplary beings of the Elemental Planes and rulers over the elementals. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as such and often grant themselves regal titles like...
Cryonax
Cryonax
Cryonax is a wicked archomental, the Prince of Evil Cold Creatures, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. His symbol is either a blue-white circle within a square or a silver snowflake.-Publication history:...
seeks to free Levistus for reasons of his own.
Vassals
According to Fiendish Codex II, Levistus has amnizuDevil (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, devils are a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal...
devils as chief chancellors and the following dukes under his command:
- AgaresAgares (Dungeons & Dragons)Agares is a Duke of Hell in the service of Levistus, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Agares first appears in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon #75 ....
- 31 companies of osyluths (DR75). Former vassal of GeryonGeryon (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Geryon was an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Wild Beast."-Creative origins:...
. - Erridon Alaka - Male gelugon sorcererSorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, the most generally powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied...
dressed in regal finery. He acts as the eyes & ears of Lord Levistus. - MachalasMachalasMachalas is a Duke of Hell in the service of Levistus, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Machalas first appears in Ed Greenwood's article "The Nine Hells Part I" in Dragon #75 ....
- 11 companies of hamatula (DR75). Former vassal of Geryon. - Trinity - Female hellcat whom Levistus speaks through. She declares the edicts which Erridon and Zanth carry out.
- Zanth - male half-devil human rogue/assassin who is Levistus' enforcer, and surgically removes rival upstarts.
Levistus is said to command all the amnizu devils
Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, devils are a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal...
, whom he encourages to ignore the greater hierarchy and work to betray the pit fiends who ostensibly outrank them.
Realm
Levistus rules from within his iceberg prison near the city of Tantlin. Although unable to act physically, he is fully aware of all that transpires in his domain.Worshippers
Levistus's followers are thugs, rogues, and swashbuckling bravos generally in pursuit of some great betrayal or act of vengeance.Clergy
Levistus's clerics are also known as bladereavers. They favor the rapier, and typically live the lives of solitary nomads. They wear flamboyant, silky garb.Temples
Levistus has few formal temples, as his followers rarely gather together as a group. He is usually worshipped at portable shrines. The greatest center of the cult of Levistus on the Prime Material PlanePrime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
is the iceberg city of Icerazer, described in Frostburn. It was founded only a few decades ago by the halfdevil
Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, devils are a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal...
, half harpy
Harpy (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the harpy is a monstrous monstrous humanoid creature with the lower body, legs, and wings of a reptilian creature.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
assassin Azediel somewhere in the northern ocean (perhaps the Icy Sea). Because of magic inherent in the fortress's creation through the death of a rimefire eidolon, Icerazer acts as a siphon for the power of the souls of all who die within it. This power is channeled directly into Levistus's prison in Stygia, so that each soul weakens it a little more, particularly good-aligned fire creatures. To this end Azediel, a fanatic worshiper of Levistus and now the head of a powerful cult dedicated to that archdevil, sails the seas looking for fresh victims.
Apocrypha
In the apocryphal text Legions of Hell, the Lord of the Fifth Circle is called Leviathan and is said to be an enormous sea monster with a hunger for mortal souls, trapped in a Circle of Hell that can barely contain his massive bulk. He is served by the infernal nobles Nekhet and Krotep, who believe themselves to be the children of Set. He is also served by an aquatic devil called Dagon, Warden of the Stygian Depths, who won fame by thwarting an invasion by Belial.Additional reading
- Baur, WolfgangWolfgang BaurWolfgang Baur is an American game designer, best known for his work with Dragon magazine. He designs role-playing games and also is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast.-Biography:...
, James JacobsJames JacobsJames Jacobs is an American designer and author of role-playing games and texts in the fantasy, horror and the occult genres.-Career:Jacobs has been involved in the roleplaying industry since the age of fourteen, when his adventure "Scepter of the Underworld" was published in Dungeon in 1988. This...
, and George Strayton. FrostburnFrostburnFrostburn is a supplemental book to the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Frostburn provides rules for adventuring in a cold environment as well as an environment known as frostfell, which is a sort of arctic environment with extreme cold.The book contains...
. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
- Cook, MonteMonte CookMonte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
. A Paladin in Hell. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998. ISBN 0-7869-1210-3
- McComb, ColinColin McCombColin McComb is an American writer and game designer born in Evanston, Illinois. He is married to musician Robin Moulder. They currently live in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, with their two children...
. Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1997.