Bensozia

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Bensozia, the Queen of Hell, where she is described as the consort of Asmodeus, and his staunch supporter. She is described as "personally the most powerful of the consorts", but it is noted that "her influence is entirely linked with that of Asmodeus" and that she only speaks by the leave of Asmodeus. Bensozia seems happy in her position, even though she is not always physically present with Asmodeus, and her natural manner is coldly polite and haughty, seldom revealing her true feelings.

Bensozia has always been described as the chief consort of Asmodeus, but her motivations differ between appearances and game editions. Her narrative role is primarily to serve as a source of conflict between the warring lords of Baator. She is an object of physical jealousy and is invariably murdered under tragic circumstances.

The second edition sourcebook Guide to Hell relates the story of how, in the long ago past, Levistus, the ruler of the 5th layer of Hell, ambushed Bensozia while she traveled through Stygia, slew her guards and then tried to turn her against Asmodeus. When she rebuffed Levistus, he grew angry and slew her. Asmodeus becomes enraged and as punishment he traps Levistus alive inside a block of ice.

The third edition Dungeons & Dragons manual Book of Vile Darkness changes the story a little; in this version, Levistus approaches Bensozia and invited to betray her husband Asmodeus. She refuses and Levistus slays her.According to Fiendish Codex II, Levistus attempted to ravish Bensozia, but he slew her when she would not submit to him. Levistus' treachery is a continual source of conflict between him, Asmodeus, and Glasya.

With the 4th edition re-imagining of Dungeons & Dragons continuity, Bensozia's role and backstory were changed, and the tone of her narrative shifted. In this continuity, she is the corrupted exarch of He Who Was, the benign deity against whom Asmodeus rebelled. Whereas in previous continuity she was a loyal and willing consort, in 4th edition Bensozia becomes Asmodeus' lover only unwillingly. She harbors a bitter resentment against him and plots willingly to undermine and overthrow him. She carries on an affair with Levistus and is eventually murdered by a jealous Glasya.