Zadara
| N Female titan | |
|---|---|
| Home: Sigil | |
| Allies: Rowan Darkwood, Xideous | |
| Enemies: Shemeshka | |
| Pathfinder | |
One of the more reclusive golden lords of the High Houses of Sigil, Zadara of the Merkhants is yet one of the most influential, her coffers having funded countless artistic and scientific projects across the Cage in the decades since her having come to the city. She cuts a striking figure from her nearly 70 feet of height alone, though when walking Sigil, she often uses magic to reduce herself to a "mere" 25. Her skin is a deep brown, her kinky black hair kept closely cropped to her head. She prefers to dress as fashionably as any mortal of human height would, despite the obvious difficulty in production for her frame; she often prefers deep, dark colors, blue especially, and much of her clothing is sewn with a variety of small gems that give her outfits the look of a sky at twilight; since joining the Merkhants, she's further known to wear a diamond stud in one nostril and sandals laced with gold as signs of membership. Though she often puts on a boisterous, emotional show for strangers and prospective clients, she's truly a fairly calculating person who knows how to exploit both her size and the general perception of Arboreans to her greatest benefit.
Though she rarely calls people to her door personally, her doors are open to any who can prove themselves of interest, whether that be friends or companions, or whether that be people with a need for patronage in a project, invention, or business that may draw her interest. She doesn't often out from her manor in the Lady's Ward, but she is sure to make an appearance at any major openings where there may be potential future clients to observe: museums, gallery showings, public demonstrations, anything that meets her own interests in the activities of the mind. As of late, she's shown a special interest in magical experimentation, especially in the general field of the school of Conjuration; Lissandra and Ylem are both believed to have received significant funding from her, though there have been no public statements to that end from either.
History
Originally of Arborea, as with all titans, much of her first centuries of life were spent traveling across the Upper Planes, seeing all there was to see about the other celestial realms and learning the ways of other cultures. Many still remember these early travels, and many relationships and friendships were forged in those early days; most prominently, and the one she speaks of most glowingly, her sponsorship and employment of the twin fallen sword archons Kubriel and Gog. Though none of the three speak of the details of their first meeting, it's known that she met them soon after their fall and agreed shortly after to see to their protection and well-being from that point forward. Even today, they both still serve at her side as loyal attendants, assistants, and occasionally even advisors.
Soon after, the Upper Planes seemed to lose their shine to Zadara, and having gained an interest in mortal lives and cultures she began walking the Prime. Indulging in the arts and sciences of countless worlds, encouraging the best minds of each, her interest in the Material Plane never once flagged. However, her life was to change on arrival of one relatively insignificant mortal realm: the world of Rublia. On this world, relatively unaccustomed to planar travel and with little in the way of magical lore, her stature and vast magical powers led many to consider her a deity from the very first day she strode into its greatest city, and she (having an undeniable temptation brought about by the sudden worship and adoration) refrained from correcting them for years. Eventually, her cult grew so broad that it attracted the attention of Skeartim, a true greater power of the world that her "portfolio" had begun to edge into. Unable to ignore the worshipers that were starting to flow from his own name and to Zadara's, he viciously drove Zadara off-world, who ran to the one place even a deity couldn't follow: Sigil.
In Sigil, trapped due to the wrath of a quite irked god, she quickly grew discontent with her place. Here, neither her form nor her powers were of any note, and while she certainly wasn't destitute, her remaining gold couldn't last her endlessly. While trying to determine her next move, fate intervened in bringing her in contact with a member of the Merkhants. A minor sect, and one she'd never before even heard of, she quickly found herself in large agreement with their beliefs, seeing much sense in their views. Deciding that even if she could not have freedom of movement, she could at least have all other varieties, she soon used her resources to set herself up as a patron of the arts and of the mind. Her quick success at identifying those most likely to find great success in their life (an intuition fueled in part, unbeknownst to any others in Sigil, by her titanic domain: fate and potential) quickly cemented her position as one of the most powerful figures in the city, even if one of the least known. While some of the more established figures in the city sour today at her rapid rise to the High Houses — Shemeshka the Marauder chief among them — others see her skill and found alliance with her; Duke Rowan Darkwood of the Fated has become a well-known friend of Zadara's in the time since his arrival, a suspicious relationship to many but an auspicious one for both their places in the city.
References
- Faction War, pg.124
- Uncaged - Faced of Sigil, pp.118-121
