Overview
Ziyara is a Tenari air mage from Thalcoris, Tazarin's guard, and later a Thalcoris diplomat in dealings with Thalassai. She begins as a hardline defender of Tequaltor during the Xolterra War. She later becomes an early Tenari near Tazarin to question the songs, the hatred of darkness, and the killings around Xalatun under Xoh'Metztli's control.
Character
Ziyara has orange eyes and a blunt, confrontational manner. She initially presses for Eira and Lythariel to be killed or imprisoned because they wield darkness magic, and she objects when Xoh'Tenol chooses Kaelion as Tazarin's successor. Her severity softens after weeks around the Xalmyrran visitors, when she privately admits fear, doubt, and a lack of trusted friends.
Abilities and air magic
Ziyara is a strong air mage and Tenari combatant. In her duel with Eira, she launches herself into the air, hovers, avoids darkness tendrils, tears through a darkness attack, drives wind against a disintegration barrier, and shreds sudden plant growth with wind-shaped strikes.
Her air magic is also used in Aetherion. She and Zephyra lift Arinella, feed wind into windweaver sails, cushion Arinella with air, and clean her with precise gusts after Cassian is nearly killed.
History
Jin duels Ziyara, Razen, and Zayren during his earlier weeks in Tequaltor, defeating all three quickly and studying their techniques. Later, when Eira, Lythariel, Cassian, and Kaelion arrive in Thalcoris, Ziyara stands with Tazarin and Zayren in the pyramid and pushes for Eira and Lythariel to be killed or imprisoned. She kneels with the guards when Xoh'Tenol's shard chooses Kaelion, then directs the visitors toward the Tequaltor War School.
Ziyara later uses a duel with Eira as cover for a secret invitation. At her plain home near the war school, she admits doubts about the Xolterra War and Tenari doctrine about darkness. She values the songs as beautiful parts of Thalcoris identity, questions Xoh'Metztli's control, and directs Eira toward suppressed Thalassai and Thalena history. The Wanderer of Xolterra had once defeated her within seconds using fire, water, earth, air, lightning, ice, resonance, and aether magic. Cassian overhears the meeting during his investigation of wounded Tenari whose minds contain an embedded force he cannot remove.
As the pressure on her worsens, Ziyara leaves Tequaltor and flies south to ask Thalassai for aid. She later stays in Aetherion as a diplomat during Thalcoris and Thalassai's rebuilding, trade, road, and mage-exchange arrangements after the Tenari are freed from control. During this period, she forms a quiet trust with Arinella and flies with Zephyra and Arinella when the sky over Chronasis twists during Thalena's battle with a descended god.
After Tequaltor is rebuilt, Ziyara walks the renewed city with Tazarin, Razen, and Amaril. She backs Thalcoris joining Thalassai under Tazarin as archon of cosmos. During Nerissa's Invasion of Xalmyrra, she joins Tazarin, Razen, and Amaril with the Thalcoris contingent, then carries battle news after Brynor sacrifices himself to contain an essence bomb.
Relationships
- Tazarin: Ziyara guards him and later backs Thalcoris joining Thalassai under his archonship.
- Razen, Zayren, and Amaril: Ziyara belongs to the same Tequaltor circle of guards, teachers, commanders, and advisers around Tazarin.
- Eira and Cassian: Ziyara begins as an antagonist to Eira. She secretly directs her toward the Tenari songs and suppressed Thalassai history. Cassian overhears that appeal and uses it as part of his investigation into the Tenari.
- Arinella and Zephyra: Ziyara flies with Zephyra in Aetherion, carries Arinella with air magic, and later talks with Arinella about Thalcoris's rebuilding.