Porphyria Levant was a Mélusinian wizard and blood-witch who lived during the reign of Claudius Cordelius. She was known for casting the obligation d'âme on an annemer called Silas Altamont. It is said that she taught Brinvillier Strych (Malkar) everything he knew.
Obligation d'âme[]
Levant was approached by Altamont to cast the obligation d'âme to protect him from the jealous wife of a past lover. She agreed and, after casting the spell, used it to force Altamont to have sex with her on a regular basis. When Altamont threatened to slit his wrists if Levant didn't stop, Levant used the obligation d'âme to forbid Altamont to kill himself.
Mildmay offers several explanations for Levant's decision to make Altamont have sex with her:
- Levant was attracted to Altamont and had wanted to have sex with him for some time before casting the obligation d'âme.
- Levant believed that Altamont was janus rather than molly and thus wouldn't be opposed to having sex with a woman.
- Levant knew that Altamont was molly and forced him to have sex with her because of that fact.
Mildmay indicates that he believes the third explanation is the most likely.
Appearances[]
Levant appears in a story Mildmay tells in the introduction to Mélusine. During The Virtu, Mildmay has what feels like a premonitory dream about Levant and Altamont, and soon after, begs Felix to cast the obligation d'âme upon him, as he feels he'll die otherwise.
Behind the scenes[]
- Porphyria (from the Greek porphyros "purple") is a medical condition marked by improper metabolization of hemoglobin. It has been suggested as a potential real-world explanation for vampire and werewolf legends.
- The Levant (from Middle French levant "the Orient") is a name for the eastern lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Syria and Jordan.