"Do we dream of leviathans or do leviathans dream of us? Are they a story we tell, or are we a story they tell themselves?" - Rat
General[]
Leviathans, also known as "entities", "concepts" or "gods", are embodiments or creations of collective concepts, ideas, stories, songs, etc. Neither good nor evil, their motives are difficult to understand, and very few have any interest in humans. More like forces, rather than physical beings, they seem to exist in both (or between) Earth and The City, but have a much easier time exerting themselves in The City, likely since The City is a world of story and will, as Leviathans are of concepts and story, however, with the right opportunity or resources, are able to manifest on Earth as well. Instances of this include through various bargains, through holes between the worlds, or simply when conditions are right, and they do so in an array of different forms.
Areas of The City change general appearance depending on whichever Leviathan is "winning" in the local area. They are complex entities and as Craig (the man who cannot see faces) says, “we’re ants trying to understand the face of a God". At present, a great deal of them have been asleep for a long time, and it is often proposed that, as they may be the result of our dreams and stories, we may simply be the result of theirs.
Leviathan interactions with the majority of humans generally don't end well for the human, who is often fed on in one form or another, or in some cases, manipulated or experimented on. Leviathans who do interact with humans often have a number of devotees, who generally refer to it as their God (The Choir, The Messenger) or their Boss (The Curator, Moody's). Interestingly, the majority of Leviathans have a level of care for their devotees, and significant or useful individuals are often given power or resources in exchange for their service. On earth, dreams are often an interface between humans and Leviathans. Smaller individuals and non-devotees may still harness a Leviathans power, sometimes through complex ritual, but more frequently in sacrifices: fluids, flesh, memories, and stories in exchange for minor miracles. Some seem to appreciate other esoteric appeasement, which may come across as strange superstition.
Leviathans come in a variety of forms and levels of power, frequently in conflict with one another in order to gain more; if you defeat a Leviathan, you gain a piece of it's power. They can be born and die. Leviathans appear to have their own song, which can be used in some instances to invoke them, and in others is another form of their being. The use of stories in the form of music is a strong catalyst for getting evoking the Leviathans. They have an odd affinity for cassette tapes.
They were mentioned by Rat, The Fisherman's Tape(E14), briefly by Alexa(E11), Melody (E20), and Alice(Golden Age).
Visser (The Choir)[]
First introduced in the form of [a 21-story tenant building in New York, The Visser Building seems tilted from the outside and contains unknowable twists, turns and shortcuts on the inside. A wide variety of people live here, and a persistent number of strange occurrences. The building itself is worn by The Choir, an entity who wants excessively. The Choir frequently exerts itself in the form of song ("The Visser Song" heard at the start of every season 1 episode).
It seems to have preference for feeding on story and soul, though seems to take great interest in stories and lives simply playing out within it. In it's other form, it surrounds itself with a group of devotees, The Chorus. It has a notable number of devotees, historically dealing with the Vos family, before The Visser Historical Research and Preservation Society. It's primary devotee seems to be Samuel.
The Curator[]
An incredibly old and very powerful Leviathan driven by curiosity, it manifests in the form of a museum full of strange artifacts, luring people inside with mesmerising displays and feeding by the audience's observation. "Participants" become lost as it shifts, no longer needing to eat or drink, and are sometimes experimented on or turned to music. It could be best described as "curious".
While most other Leviathans have worshippers or devotees, The Curator simply has employees, who call it their boss. It deals with a very small number of people outside of these, via the proxy of it's Representative. It's other known employee is Lou, who collects artifacts at it's request. It is also responsible for hosting The Contest.
The Messenger[]
First Mention: Season 2, Episode 1
Interested in pleasure and language, The Messenger is associated with sensual experience, dancing, travel, and the sound of wingbeats. The Messenger has a group of dedicates called The Travellers, who can use doors like portals in and out of the city, for the minor sacrifice of story or bodily fluids. One form of it's manifestation is The Radio Station, which it lures people to and feeds on their experience as they choose to forget themselves and simply have a good time.
It's physical form prioritises wings, often heard as wing beats or seen on associated artifacts, such as a music box, or feathers superficially resembling those of a turkey vulture. When manifesting on Earth through Chad, it rearranges his bones and skin to create a pair of wings on it's back.
The Green Lady[]
First Mention: Season 2, Episode 1
A cryptic Leviathan who seems to be associated with nature or plants. Little is known outside of her hatred of LMG, and want to leave The City for Earth.
The Sound/Light/Child[]
A young Leviathan born from the curiousity of The Curator. While modifying Daniel Powell, Rat uses his body to incubate it. Likely ties to radios, audio, recording. The song heard in the theramin room likely belongs to it as well.
Moody's Family Friendly Establishment Chains[]
First Mention: Left of the Dial Episode 1
A leviathan changed by or born of the change Michael Waters created in Blacktop. It has a physical form, like the curator, and one employee, like the representative of the curator which in this case is the Clerk.
Kristos[]
The dying god Nicholas mentions he kissed in Left of the Dial. Carved from marble, he seems to have been a minor leviathan.