Levina

**Levina** is a minor character in Broken Age.

## Biography

Xelevina Clench was a member of the Thrush in Loruna. However, in their quest for perfection, the Thrush did too much damage to their genetic makeup and needed to collect people from beyond Loruna's Plague Dam. Every fourteen years, the Thrush of Loruna would send out a special ship known as a Mog to kidnap people.

Initially, the villages on the other side of the Plague Dam viciously fought back against the Mogs, making it very difficult to collect people. Xelevina was sent as a Thrush agent to pacify the villages, especially the warrior people of Steel Bunting. Posing as a common human named Levina, she eventually convinced every village that the Mogs would leave them in peace if they simply offered sacrifices to them every fourteen years.

As Steel Bunting was the biggest threat, Levina urged them especially to give up their warrior ways in favor of becoming a baking town. Although she succeeded, and the village was even renamed Sugar Bunting, it still required a permanent agent to be stationed there to keep an eye on them. Levina continued to live there for many years, quelling every question and protest that arose.

Eventually, Levina got everyone to see the routine Mog attacks as a time for celebration. Each village would vote on the maidens that embodied their home's best qualities and dress them in a way to best entice the Mogs' appetite, even building an elaborate arena for the Maiden Feast to take place. The sacrificial girls themselves were eager to be chosen, knowing that they'd be hailed as heroes for saving their village from a Mog's destruction.

### Act 1

Knowing that the latest Mog is due to appear, Levina organizes Sugar Bunting's Maiden Feast once again. She even visits the home of one of the sacrificial girls, Vella. Although impatient to get Vella down to the arena with the other maidens, she nevertheless waits for the girl's family to enjoy one last cake with her. Her family seems proud that their daughter was chosen, except for her grandfather Brommel and Vella herself. Brommel remembers when Sugar Bunting was a village of warriors and detests Levina for taking that away, whereas Vella is uneasy about being devoured by a monster. She asks why they don't just fight against Mog Chothra, and although Brommel fully agrees with her, he's the only one. Levina is horrified by the very idea and warns her not to ruin the Maidens Feast, lest the Mog destroy Sugar Bunting and everyone in it, including her family.

When Mog Chothra arrives, everything goes well until it tries to eat Vella. The girl breaks free of its grasp and escapes on a large bird, ignoring Levina's wails that she's doomed the entire town. But to everyone's shock, Mog Chothra merely leaves instead of destroying everything in sight. Realizing that they've been sacrificing young girls for no reason, the villagers presumably run Levina out of town for lying to them all these years.

### Act 2

Levina escapes back to Loruna. After Vella ponders why the people living beyond the plague dam simply don't rebel against the Thrush, the Thrushmaster responds that ''they took out that fight years ago'', Levina then appears and takes off her hat, revealing a head growth similar to that of Marek, thus revealing her true nature. Her fate after the ending is unknown.

It is unknown whether she or other agents were deployed as covert operatives in other towns. Harm'ny Lightbeard and Marshal Dune are proven to be normal humans. It is possible that Sugar/Steel bunting was seen as a particular threat due to its warrior population and therefore required special attention.

## Quotes

"Let's get this good time over with!"

Vella: "Maybe having some food in your stomach would help you relax Levina."

Levina: "The only thing that will help me relax is seeing you in Mog Chothra's stomach!"

Vella: "Yeesh!"

Levina: "No use mincing words at this point child."

## Trivia

* Xelevina has seen six Maiden Feasts, and as they occur every fourteen years, she must be at least 84 years old. The long lifespan may be due to the Thrush's genetic meddling
* Xelevina's name sounds similar to "c'est la vie," which is French for "such is life." This is suited to her insistence that getting sacrificed to a monster is the best solution for everyone, urging the villages to accept it as a simple fact of life
* The End Credits show Xelevina running away from Brommel as he chases her and the Thrushmaster with his cane