Leviathan - Elder Evil
Born from the raw and untamed chaos of creation, the Leviathan is a world-spanning entity that slumbers beneath the deepest oceans of Oerth.
Origins of Chaos
Its very presence distorts reality—its restless dreams conjure forth monstrous aberrations, and its stirring body sends waves of destruction rippling across the lands above. While few in the Flanaess comprehend the magnitude of this ancient horror, a sinister force stirs beneath the waves, seeking to harness the Leviathan’s limitless power for its own nefarious ends.
Most myths of Oerth tell of the gods shaping the world from primordial chaos, bringing order to the tumult. Yet ancient legends, whispered by the oldest dragons and preserved in the hidden libraries of the Silent Ones of Keoland, speak of a different tale—one of imbalance, of forces unchecked. When Beory and the other deities of Oerth forged the world, they shaped it with a delicate balance of law and chaos. But excess chaos remained unshaped—raw, unchecked, and uncontrollable. From this imbalance, the Leviathan was born. It is not a god, nor a demon, but the living embodiment of primordial chaos given flesh.
A Sleeping Apocalypse
The Leviathan is too vast, too powerful to be destroyed. Instead, it was cast into an eternal sleep beneath the depths of the Solnor Ocean. Some myths claim Istus herself wove its slumber into the strands of fate, while others say Celestian placed it beyond the reach of mortal understanding. But even in dormancy, the Leviathan is far from inactive. Its unconscious thrashing manifests as hurricanes, tsunamis that batter the coasts of the Tilvanot Peninsula, and tremors that shake the Hellfurnaces. Its dreams spawn abominations—twisted entities that should not exist, horrors that lurk in the deep trenches of the oceans, waiting.
The prophecies of the Suel and the mystic warnings of the Sea Barons foretell the Leviathan’s awakening. Should it stir to even partial consciousness, the seas will rise, drowning entire nations. If it fully awakens, Oerth itself may be unmade, dragged into the churning chaos from which it came. And yet, there are those who would risk annihilation, believing they can control the beast. The Scarlet Brotherhood, the Whispered One’s acolytes, and even rogue elements of the Great Kingdom’s fallen houses have sought the Leviathan’s power for their own ends.
The Leviathan’s Nature
The Leviathan has no desires, no ambitions, no plans—it simply is. It exists as a force of pure destruction, a cosmic inevitability. As it nears wakefulness, natural disasters intensify, monstrous aberrations become more frequent, and entire civilizations may be swallowed by the sea. Once fully awake, only divine intervention could hope to avert total annihilation.
The myths of the Flan and the forbidden records of the Black Academy in Rauxes suggest that the Leviathan has stirred before—each time bringing ruin before being lulled back into slumber. That the world still exists at all is proof that something, somehow, has kept it contained. But for how much longer?
The Leviathan in the Campaign
Legends of the Leviathan are whispered among sailors, dismissed as tall tales of enormous sea creatures lost to the depths. The scholars of Greyhawk and Rel Astra regard it as mere folklore, while the priests of Procan speak of it only in hushed tones. The Silent Ones of Keoland and the reclusive mages of the Spindrift Isles may know more, but they share their knowledge only with the most trusted seekers of truth.
Description
The Leviathan is beyond mortal comprehension—an impossibly vast sea serpent, its form both ancient and primeval. Its very body shapes the world; its spine forms submerged mountain chains, its scales rise as uncharted islands, and its breath fuels undersea volcanoes. Its immense head, unseen beneath the waves, is said to be larger than entire city-states.
Though mindless in the way mortals understand, the Leviathan’s subconscious thoughts churn with chaos. Its dreams ripple outward, warping reality itself. From these nightmares arise great monstrosities—twisted aberrations that lurk beneath the waves, waiting for the call of their master. Most terrifying of all are the Aspects of the Leviathan—lesser manifestations of its vast form, growing more numerous as its wakefulness approaches.
To fight the Leviathan is folly. It exists on a scale that renders conventional battle meaningless. No army can stand against it, no weapon can wound it. Even the gods tread carefully, lest they hasten its awakening. Mortals who understand the threat it poses do not seek to destroy it—only to return it to its slumber, to delay the inevitable for just a little longer.
But nothing sleeps forever.
Dread Leviathan, who spawned monster serpents, Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang,
Their bodies filled with poison instead of blood. Fierce beasts of land and sea who wore their glory like gods, all bedecked in splendor.
Terror overcame whoever beheld Leviathan, From its dread body sprang vipers and dragons, And hurricanes, and mighty tempests,
And fearsome shaking of the earth, And such abominations as even the gods could not comprehend.
So did the world shudder at the stirring of Leviathan.
Gods grant that it lie in peace in the depths for all eternity.
—An ancient tablet carved in Draconic, origin unknown
Aspect of Leviathan
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