Levin

Art by Sea\_bayer

### Main Campaign(s)

Arcane Academy, Astral Academy, Miss Demeanor, Under Io, Goblins of Io, The Shadow Invasion

**Levin** was a powerful mage that first appears in the campaign Arcane Academy. He was the Headmaster of the Astral Academy and one of the last original Astari left in existence. Levin was an important ally of the Arcane Academy students and also played a major role in the Kaasma Khara Arc of Phase 2, primarily as an ally to all of the involved campaigns, especially the Astral Academy.

## Description

### Appearance

Levin was an Astari, an ancient race of people that once inhabited Io. He was described as tall and thin, with his most notable features being his blue skin and the crown of horns that grow from his head. He normally dressed in the robes of a mage, dyed blue and yellow with a fine gold trim.

### Personality

> *“I’m willing to assist you to come back home. I have no reason nor worldly gain to do so. But I do it, because that is who I am. You seek assistance; you seem scared, worried, terrified, emotional. You seem to need help, and I like to offer it. You arrive here in my Archives, and you are the first denizens of Io to do so. You all have great potential. Great power. Great knowledge. That is who you are. And that should be all that matters."*
> - Levin, Arcane Academy Ep. 7
>
>

Levin, though physically imposing, was a kind and considerate individual, acting to aid those in need with little hesitation. This kindness was not without reason however, as he told Rorn he must prove himself before taking him in, and also assessed the capabilities of the four young wizards before committing to helping them. Once that trust was gained, he was magnanimous, offering all the resources at his disposal to those he felt deserves it.

Levin greatly valued knowledge and showed appreciation for those enthusiastic enough to seek it. He was normally level-heading and logical in his outlook, exploring all possibilities before committing to the correct course of action. The existence of the Inevitable also showed his capacity in creating contingencies to combat the worst case scenario. His patience was also impressive, having to deal with the escalating shenanigans of three different adventuring groups along with his own students.

Despite this, he was subject to irrational decisions, often brought on by the fear of losing his loved ones. Levin showed a great deal of paternal love towards his students, especially towards Tremmer and Gideon. This same love was likely also what allowed him to remember his daughter despite losing most of the memories from before his rebirth, as well as possibly underlying his reason behind the retrieval of the Inevitable. Levin demonstrated that he would pay any price to protect those he cares about, be it the destruction of Kaasma Khara or the willing sacrifice of his own life.

## History

Levin's original self was one of the original inhabitants of the planet of Io prior to the Auroran Invasion. According to Lagos, Keeper of the Eight, he was a key member of Astari society as one of the bearers of The Memory. Specifically, he was known as the Keeper of Divinity. When the Nova was activated, Levin's soul was fragmented along with the rest of his race. The majority of his soul was taken into The Shadow to become a new entity, while a small fragment survived and was propelled into the nascent plane known as The Astral Veil. Here, unlike his kin, this fragment was reborn as a true Astari, which took the name Levin. Levin possessed only fractured memories of what had transpired, and thus started life anew in the Veil. He founded the Astral Archives, a repository of knowledge, and strove to protect and maintain it for the next thousand or so years.

At some point, Levin recovered The Inevitable, an Auroran-made construct, though the circumstances behind this are as of yet unclear. Over time, he reprogrammed the construct to act as his substitute in the event that he should ever meet his demise. In a like minded fashion, Levin also encountered the kobold Rorn, and offered him a place as a caretaker provided he prove his worth.

## Story

### Unexpected Visitors

Levin first appeared reading in the Archives' library when the kobold Rorn brought four lost wizards before him. The young mages questioned Levin about the place they had found themselves in and Levin similarly inquired about the place they came from, the planet of Io. Hearing of their plight, he resolved to aid them in their quest to locate their familiars. He was particularly taken aback by the insistence of Aldoras Thelerian that his residence was an Academy similar to the one they had come from, and offered the knowledge he safeguarded to them. The students expressed interest in learning, with two in particular, Gideon and Tremmer, showing interest in the fields of Chronomancy and Necromancy. Levin turned down their requests and instead offered them tutelage in other forms of magic such as the creation of magical items. During these lessons with Levin, the guilt-ridden Tremmer took him aside to explain his mistake that lead to the death of other students. Levin gave him both information about the creature that slew them, a Cadaver Collector, and also provided him with a phylactery, which can house the souls of the dead.

Levin took the students to the point they arrived at and located two leylines that marked the last individual that traversed the Veil. With a ritual, he was able to project Tremmer and Gideon along the two leylines to ascertain which they need to follow. Once their way forward was established, Levin tasked them with the collection of a type of fungus, a component that allows him to open a pathway through the Labyrinth Veil. He also informed them of a Gith village near this location that could provide them with additional power should they seek it, guarded by a construct created by a mad wizard.

Upon their return, Levin was aghast to learn of their encounter with Khaasma Kara, the malevolent child of a dead god. Inspecting Elenora, he found a mark of Khaasma upon her person, and placed it in a pocket dimension to ensure the being could not track them further. He gave them brief insight into the Clan of Kaasma before sending them on their way. Before they leave, both Tremmer and Gideon expressed interest in returning to study under Levin. Surprised, Levin promised them that he would think on it. Levin then opened the pathway through the Labyrinth and helped guide them when they are waylaid by a band of adventurers that intercepted them.

### Creation of the Astral Academy

Levin, inspired by this chance meeting with these aspiring magisters, began to convert the Archives into a place of learning, rebranding it the Astral Academy. He reached out to other residents of the Astral Veil and received a high level of interest, turning the vacant Archives into a vibrant and busy college. During this time, he reached out to Tremmer, who informed him of what became of them and their current house arrest in the Exodus Academy. Levin vowed to aid Tremmer in escaping the clutches of their Headmaster. Upon hearing of their assignment to slay a yeti, Levin decided that this was the perfect opportunity to spirit them away to the Astral. Once the deed was done, Levin appeared to the four and informed them that he could only take two of them back to the Veil, given the strenuous nature of the transportation. Tremmer and Gideon volunteered and Levin used the blood of the yeti to create body doubles of them both in order to fake their deaths. After a tearful goodbye with their friends, Levin whisked them away to the Astral Academy, and inducted them as his newest students.

### The Return of Kaasma Khara

Levin instructed Tremmer and Gideon up to a point where they could pursue their specialist studies independently. During this time, Levin found a changeling with no recollection of where he came from. Seeing his potential, Levin brought the young man into the school and gave him a new name: Zehani.

After a year, a representative of another scientific institution, the Spire, arrived at the Academy. The representative, Duqhazan, sought Levin's aid in identifying a gravitational anomaly in the nearby Gith village. Levin offered a team of his best students: Zehani, Egg, Tremmer and Gideon. He invited Tremmer and Gideon personally, noting how distant both had become and promising them the means to further pursue their studies soon. He sent the group off and gave them a means of teleporting back. Upon returning, Levin was disturbed to learn Kaasma Khara has returned and was actively consuming and converting the Veil for its needs. He hypothesized that it sought to traverse the planes and arrive in Io, to consume all. Levin then made the protection of Io the Academy's new purpose.

### Recruiting Io's Heroes

In order to fight Kaasma Khara, Levin determined they must research it in a controlled environment. Using divination magics, he created a simulation for the party to fight in order to identify traits of the undead fetus. Though the group was defeated, they did not perish in the simulation and their research helped them unlock new ways to fight this threat. It was decided that the Academy alone was not enough, and they should recruit others from the Astral and Io to assist in the battle.

Scrying Io, Levin located four groups that could assist in the fight against Kaasma Khara; a crew of pirates, a group of warriors from Quethos, a gaggle of rowdy goblins and a gang of insurrectionists lost in a shadowy realm. While viewing the latter, they impossibly caught the attention of a large shadowy being, toying with the soul of a kitsune. The being recognized Levin for what he was, and laughed raucously before the scry was ended abruptly. Levin was thoroughly shaken by this encounter, and the group collectively decided to leave the last group so as not to draw the ire of that creature again. Instead they reached out to the other three groups. Levin met with each one, explaining why he had called them there and the danger Io faced. Convincing the groups proved difficult, with a series of intense negotiations and, in the case of the Goblins, a fight nearly breaking out. Staying composed through it all, Levin set up the simulation for the groups to fight, and offered all of them room and board before they could devise a way forwards.

### Discovery of Kaasma

After dropping the Goblins into the simulation, Levin summoned his task force once again. He informed them that, through a combination of their research and his divination magics, he had potentially located the origin point of Kaasma Khara, which could provide much needed answers. The group retrieved Gideon, who had been researching the means of teleportation, as well as the halfling Khairen, a member of the pirate crew. Levin explained their purpose and Khairen reluctantly agreed to join. Levin gave the group an hour in Io time to conduct their investigation, and teleported them to an undead planet located in the Prime Plane. Once the spell was complete, Levin lost contact with the expedition and attempted to retrieve them. He succeeded but only after the group felled a foul undead beast on the planet. Hearing the team's findings, Levin concluded that the location they visited was the parent of Kaasma Khara, Kaasma itself. With these unsettling revelations, Levin and the Astral Academy identified a weakness in Kaasma Khara, a crystal surgically implanted in its skull. This weakness, along with the voice that spoke to the students while they were on Kaasma, worried Levin and his team that more was going on than they knew of.

Levin then personally escorted Khairen back to the rest of the pirates in the Academy forge. He extracted the Kaasma energy residue from Khairen to create a ring and gifted it to the pirates. He informed them of a task he would have them perform to aid in the fight, involving a Grecko pile. He also introduced them to Egg, who expressed some interest in the task, and engaged once again in negotiations with the crew, setting out their contract in writing.

### The Exodus Academy's Invasion

After the arrival of the Quethosian warriors and their subsequent encounter in the simulation, Levin stepped away to confer with Tremmer, Duqhazan and Gideon regarding their current progress. During the meeting, a lost Lunafiera and Khairen walked in, followed sometime later by the boisterous Captain Layton. Despite the protests of Tremmer, Levin gladly allowed the pirates to sit in on the meeting. Upon seeing the familiars of Tremmer and Gideon, Layton produced Scrum, his adopted squid-like pet. Tremmer noticed that another being was watching through the eyes of the creature and informed Levin. They identified it as the shadowy figure that noticed them during Levin's scrying. Levin secretly informed the pirates they were under its surveillance. The pirates, crushed by this news, agreed to have Levin banish Scrum back to the Miss Demeanor in Io. Levin then projected an image of the entity and the pirates identified it as the Deep One, an adversary of theirs that possess the soul of Captain Armstrong. Levin, as per the contract, agreed to aid them in severing the link between Scrum and the Deep One and retrieving the old mariner's soul.

However, before the meeting could proceed further, Levin was alerted to portals being opened from the Prime Plane and hurried everyone in the room with him outside the Academy. A hostile force of masked mages appeared before them and began an assault. In the resulting battle, Captain Layton turned his blade on one of the mages, killing him and knocking off his mask. The slain figure was revealed to be none other than Aldoras Thelarian, who had infiltrated the cult to warn the Astral Academy.

Seeing Al fall temporarily shocked Levin into inaction, but Tremmer managed to bring him to his senses by proposing they save their friend. Levin agreed, instructing them to retrieve the body and offering to help augment their magic to revive Al. As the pirates and Duqhazan fought the invaders and their leader, Layton returned the body to Levin, expressing regret at his mistake. It was decided that Levin should aid Gideon, using his Chronomancy to rewind time. As they did, time froze for all but Levin and Gideon. Tremmer was frozen as well, but was still able to hear them. Levin confessed that he could not complete this ritual without sacrificing his physical form to do so. He told Gideon to assume the mantle of Headmaster and lead the Academy, stating he did not think Tremmer ready for such responsibility. Gideon reluctantly agreed, and Levin infused his power and soul into Gideon, causing the young wizard to take on some of Levin's physical traits. The ritual was cast successfully, allowing time to be rewound until just before the attack. With the prescience afforded by this, the defenders closed the portals and allowed Aldoras to come through, reuniting with his friends. However, Levin disappeared, leaving only a changed Gideon behind.

### Aftermath

The demise of Levin led to a major setback in the defense against Kaasma. It was the catalyst in a breakdown of communications with the Goblins and the Quethosian Warriors, who defect to Kaasma and abandon the fight respectively. It actively ruined the proposed strategies in fighting Kaasma Khara, both in the form of the simulation and the necessary research expeditions. Primarily, it left the Academy temporarily leaderless, with Gideon feeling unworthy of the position he is to inherit. It also caused a resentment to grow in Tremmer, who felt slighted and confused by Levin's final choice. A rift developed between him and Gideon, who sought him out with concern. Gideon, however, had his own problems, as his body was not strong enough to contain the essence of a being like Levin. It caused him intense pain and Gideon concluded that he would likely die if he did not resolve this issue.

After a unproductive discussion with Tremmer, Gideon meditated and reached out to Levin. He found himself in a memory, where Levin watched a little blue-skinned girl playing. Levin, aware of Gideon's presence, invited him to sit, remarking how clear this vision was now that he has given up his body. He apologized to Gideon for his rash action, explaining that he could not bear the thought of losing any of the four students that he had befriended a year ago. Gideon forgave him and explained his predicament. Levin admitted he should have known better and offered Gideon an alternative; remove his essence from Gideon's body and to activate the construct Levin had being working on in the event of his demise; The Inevitable. Gideon agreed and left Levin in the memory.

Gideon sought out Tremmer one more time and filled him in on the discussion he had with Levin. Tremmer conducted a risky necromantic procedure and successfully transplanted Levin's soul into one of his phylacteries. This action saved Gideon's life and caused his body to revert to its previous state, albeit with scars from where horns had begun to grow. Tremmer and Gideon resolved to bring back Levin in whatever way they could, but agree Kaasma Khara must take priority. Gideon followed Levin's instructions and activated the Inevitable, which immediately assumed its duties as the Astral Academy's new Headmaster.

### The Price of Power

Some time later, the Inevitable assigned the Academy's task force a new mission; to seek out the Crypt of Nycrona, an Astari Lich. Levin had left a message to warn Tremmer about the dangers of the Crypt but the Inevitable deleted it before it could finish. While the group was there, Tremmer communed with Nycrona, who offered him a means to further his goals. However, Nycrona demanded Tremmer use the soul of Levin in order to do so, stating it was the purest and most powerful soul he had ever seen. Tremmer, conflicted by this promise of power, used his necromancy to summon Levin from the phylactery. However, Levin's mind appeared to have rapidly degenerated within the phylactery, causing him severe amnesia to the point he almost didn't remember Tremmer. The young necromancer spoke to Levin in his native tongue in order to spur some memories. However, all he succeeded in doing was making Levin tear up and wonder why these words made him feel so sad. In anguish, Tremmer cut communication and wept before arriving at a decision; Levin's soul was beyond saving and that power must not go to waste. Tremmer then used Levin's soul to make a vital step in his journey; becoming undead. This action angered his fellows, who were not consulted, and irrevocably damaged his relationship with Gideon. Upon paying this price, Levin was truly gone.

### Legacy

Though his choices were brought into question in both life and death, Levin ultimately achieved his mission in defending his former home. Kaasma Khara and the individuals puppetting it were soundly defeated by the united forces of the heroes he summoned, though at a heavy cost. The Astral Academy he founded continued after this victory, opening its doors to all inhabitants of the Astral Veil. The mantle of Headmaster passed back to Gideon Snowfall, who resolved to do his best to honor Levin's position until he could find someone more suitable.

Eventually, the Deep One learned of the demise of Levin from his subordinate Sholo, who acted as his liaison with Captain Armstrong. Sholo commented that the Deep One, Levin's other half, would not be happy with the destruction of his vessel, and it appears that this revelation played no small part in the hasty abduction of Captain Armstrong.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Arch Magister:** Levin was exceptionally knowledgeable of all schools of magic and had been seen using Conjuration, Evocation, Necromancy and Illusion. He was also capable of finding and identifying magical items and signals, such as the Exodus Academy's portals or the leylines left by Alice and Nigel.
* **Master Magewright**: Levin was seen to be adept at the forging of magical items, passing on this knowledge to his students. He was also able to transmute residual Kaasma energy into a magic ring without significant effort.
* **Master of Divination:** Levin's primary focus was Divination, a school he admitted to being an expert in. He used divination to scry across planes, searching for the heroes of Io and locating the planet of Kaasma. His most sophisticated work was the simulation of Kaasma Khara, using divination to replicate the aberration and its abilities to research it.
* **Longevity:** Levin, being an Astari, was over 1500 years old, being born anew after the Nova, and appeared to show no signs of advanced age.
* **Teleportation Magic**: Levin frequently used teleportation magic to transport others across planes. He could create permanent portals between planes and could also create passages through the Labyrinth Veil.
* **Powerful Soul**: Nycrona noted that Levin had an extremely powerful soul. This soul was used in two separate instances to augment the power of other wizards to levels far beyond them; turning back time by several minutes in the case of Gideon and turning Tremmer into a Lich. Even after these feats, there was still a vast reservoir of power left over.

## Etymology

"Levin" is an archaic term of potentially Scandinavian origin, meaning "lightning" or "thunderbolt".

## Trivia

* Levin is the first confirmed Astari to appear in the series.

## Images

### Official Art

Levin as he appeared in Arcane Academy Season 1 Episode 7.Levin's spirit when summoned from the phylactery.

### Fan Art

Levin and Gideon (Original Art by Reikya#9689)Saving Aldoras (Original Art by Terragrim (vincentvyce)#4302)