Zios

Zios is a major character within the world of Animal Jam. He is the guardian of Jamaa alongside his lover Mira, and had fought bravely against the Phantoms when they invaded from another realm. Though he has yet to be seen in-person, he is often depicted in various ancient relics as well as mentioned by the Alphas, on top of his voice guiding the player during The Trials of Zios.
==Biography==
As the guardians of Jamaa, Zios and Mira oversaw and protected all of the animals that live within it. One day, the two decide to give each of the animal species a gift - a magical talisman called a Heartstone. Eventually however, the animals began to grow fearful and jealous of each other, taking their respective Heartstones out of what it now the Lost Temple of Zios to keep for themselves. Drawn to the negative energy the animal's fighting was creating, the Phantoms arrive in Jamaa through dark portals and begin to trap each species within their respective Heartstone.
Knowing that the two of them alone could not stop the Phantoms, Mira and Zios sought out the leaders of the remaining six animal species: Liza of the pandas, Peck of the bunnies, Graham of the monkeys, Cosmo of the koalas, Sir Gilbert of the tigers and Greely of the wolves. They bestowed some of their magic power unto these leaders, giving them the titles of Alphas. With the help of the Alphas, the Phantom Queen was defeated and her army began to retreat. Just when it seemed the battle was over however, the Phantom Queen grabbed ahold of Zios and dragged him through the portal and into the realm of the Phantoms. Desperate to save her lover, Mira flew in after them just before the portal closed, and neither were seen again since.
In The Trials of Zios, the voice of the ancient deity speaks to the player as they explore the temple, telling them to press the four buttons in order to proceed with the trials. From there, the player is put through five tests, rewarding them with one of his masks that will unlock the exit with every test they pass. The test of patience is to water all the plants in the Mother's Spring. The test of wisdom is to correctly match each of the animal pillars to the descriptions that the voice provides in The Sage's Test. The test of persistence is to find and press four buttons by destroying the pillars in The Hunter's Bounty. The test of fortitude is to lead six Phantoms in The Charger's Gauntlet into a Mechachomper. The test of wit is to find the treasures hidden in four of the crates in The Trickster's Gambit by getting Heavy Phantoms to slam down on the crates to break them open. Finally, once those tests are complete, the final test given is to pass a large set of tiles with different types of animals on them by walking only on either the carnivorous or herbivorous animal's tiles.
==Appearance==
Zios' only known form is a giant golden mask with small, turquoise eyes. he has a square head and a human-like face, with some sort of three-part crest at the top of his head and a large chin. He has keyhole-shaped carvings around his eyes, and the sides of his head have the same sort of crest that's on the top, albeit smaller. The corners have jagged swirling structures, and small hexagon shapes are all around the sides.
==Trivia==
*Unlike most other characters, Zios' name does not mean anything and was likely created specifically for the game.
*Originally, the backstory of Zios was going to be that he created the entire universe, and created Mira as well when he felt lonely. After he leaves her for an unknown reason, Mira's tears of sorrow and bitterness form into the first Phantoms.
*It's unknown whether or not Zios has a body, and if his depiction is of his real face or a mask he wears. Due to the protrusions coming out of his face resembling a mane of sorts, it's commonly speculated that his true form is that of a lion.
*Zios' human-like face is the only indication of humans within the game (not counting the non-diegetic educational videos).
*Before the statue's restoration in 2017, if enough players slept beside the destroyed Zios statue in the middle of the Lost temple of Zios, Phantoms and purple smoke would begin to seep out of the rubble (likely in reference to Zios' capture by the Phantoms).
*His floating mask serves as a checkpoint during adventures that players will be revived at should they lose all their health.
==External Links==
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