Bo Levar, formerly Crucias, was an interplanar smuggler who transported goods across the boundaries of the planes. He was recruited by Urza as one of the Nine Titans and placed one of the soul bombs on Phyrexia.

«I’d be happy to stop contradicting you, Urza, just as soon as you start being right.»

Born in Yotia as Crucias, Bo Levar was a sailor whose career was cut abruptly short due to an indiscretion with the daughter of a Sumifan admiral. Drummed out of the navy, he took to the life of privateering, rising to captaincy aboard the ship Backstab. Despite living as a pirate, he continued his dalliances with the admiral’s daughter every time he was in port and five years after his future plans went awry, he suffered another shock: In his private cabin, he found a small infant wrapped in cloth with a note declaring her parentage. He gave up his life of privateering, becoming an honest business man and eventually becoming one of the richest sea captains on Terisiare, but his daughter developed a sickness which began to waste her slowly away. On the eve of their voyage seaward to find a healer, she died in Crucias’s arms.

For years afterwards, Crucias would dream of his daughter, dreaming of giving her a fitting memorial. Desperate, he began his «Expedition to the End of the World» for the rich bloodthirsty nobles of Argive. He exploited the deaths of thousands for the entertainment of the few as he moored outside Argoth and watched as the armies of Urza and Mishra tore themselves apart. He hated his passengers, he hated making money watching people die, and he hated himself for what he was doing to Nunieve’s memory. And then Argoth was gone. As he and his passengers watched, the Sylex Blast devoured the island itself in light. Less than a mile from shore, Crucias’s ship was caught in the blast, and that was the end of Crucias’s tale. Yet, the beginning of Bo Levar’s story.

Urza approached him early on in planning his Nine Titans. Along with the rest of the Titans, Bo Levar assaulted and captured the caves at Koilos, effectively ending the first phase of the Invasion. The next step was an attack that would destroy Phyrexia itself. They made slow progress down the spheres, suffering casualties to Tevesh Szat’s treachery. After their return to Dominaria he discovered that Commodore Guff already knew how the Phyrexian Invasion would end and convinced him to change their destiny. Levar used his very essence to cast a spell shielding a small colony of merfolk called the Eliterates from Yawgmoth’s death cloud. He gave his life in appreciation of beauty, and his final thoughts were that it was a worthy death.

In Dungeons & Dragons

There is a Sailor background in the Player’s Handbook, but there is also a smuggler specialty for the Criminal one. Should we try to combine them?

As a Sailor Smuggler, you get the proficiencies and equipment from the Sailor background, but you’ll get both features: Ship’s Passage and Criminal Contact, but they are more limited in scope than each on its own would be. Ship’s Passage will work only with similar ships dedicated to smuggling, and Criminal Contact will only work in port cities.

Have you ever created a new background combining two existing ones? Hit the comments below with your ideas!