Zhira of Zerrikania

Art by Alexiel April

**Zhira of Zerrikania**, also known simply as **Zhira** or **Zhira Cyntaf** (Zerrikani Dialect: Zhira "The First") was a witcheress from the School of the Manticore, belonging to the first generation that emerged after the Second Conjunction of Spheres. As one of her nicknames suggests, she was the first successful attempt at applying witcher mutations to a woman in a stable manner after years of study, research, and testing by the sorceress Nasira Faizan.

## Biography

### Early life

Not much is known about Zhira's life before being rescued from a takrisdida by Teirgh, one of the few remaining witchers of the School of the Manticore, around 1361. Teirgh had returned to Bialsuf Alsarea and collaborated with Nasira in restoring the school after his life in the Northern Kingdoms collapsed due to a romantic incident, leading him to decide to return to Zerrikania. The coastal area of the Dragon Sea, where Zhira was found, suggests that her parents were likely ibayame fishermen, but little else is known. Zhira was only a two-year-old child when her entire fishing village, including her parents, perished. Witnessing the dire situation of the girl, Teirgh took her under his wing and brought her to Bialsulf Alsarea, where she would be trained alongside other boys and girls. Over the years, Teirgh became the closest thing to a father figure that Zhira would come to know. And when the time was right, she underwent the latest advancements that Nasira had achieved and became the first successful case.

## Abilities

### Trained Abilities

* Alchemy: A brewing process for making potions, oils, decoctions, etc of the witcher trade.
	+ Witcher Potions- Using alchemy **Zhira** can brew potions that have calculated effects on witchers but are toxic to most other mortals.
	+ Witcher Decoctions- Using alchemy **Zhira** can brew decoctions which are a stronger type of Witcher potion often using monster parts as ingredients, and have stronger effects. Only a few decoctions at a time can be used at once as they are much stronger than conventional Witcher potions.
	+ Weapon Oils- Using the alchemical process and using dog or bear fat as a base **Zhira** can brew oils to coat her sword in to deal more damage to certain types of beings and creatures.
	+ Bomb Recipes- Through alchemy, **Zhira** was able to make bombs with different effects, given her background in the Manticore school she was probably more skilled at this than regular witchers.
* Bomb-making
* Crossbowmanship: While it wasn't a weapon she was originally trained in, **Zhira** adapted to the use of crossbows to hunt monsters. She used her enhanced senses to make highly accurate shots like at a distance or in pitch darkness.
* Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Like other witchers, **Zhira** learned to protect herself without her swords, able to defeat multiple armed opponents while being unarmed. Her enhanced strength and knowledge of both humanoid and monster anatomy allow **Zhira** a better chance unarmed than most people, able to shatter humanoid bones and use monstrous momentum against large monsters to throw them to the ground.
* Gwent
* Swordsmanship
	+ Like most Manticores, **Shira** was thoroughly trained in fencing, particularly the Manticore's Mantikoryn Arvai Sword and Shield Styles

### Witcher Mutations

* Sterility
* Cat-like eyes that grant very acute night-vision - witchers can constrict their pupils to see in blinding light or open them to see in near pitch darkness. This night-vision can be further enhanced with the cat potion, but in general, it is good enough by itself to not require further enhancement. Their entire sensory system is overall enhanced, allowing them to identify the species of animal from the scent of their blood, and detect nearby beings even when out of sight.
* Witchers possess a disease resistance that borders on absolute immunity. This tremendous resistance to disease (which functions in most cases as complete immunity) and a boosted immune system, allowing them to consume large quantities of potions that could prove easily deadly if consumed even in small amounts by a normal man.
* Witchers possess a enhanced peak human condition brought about by training and mutations which results in exceptionally enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance, far beyond any normal or well-trained human, that allows them to swiftly end fights with minimal effort, and perform physical feats non-witchers couldn't hope to match. A witcher's physical skills alone are sufficient to defeat most monsters single-handedly if combined with extensive training and proper weaponry, whereas regular men could only hope to accomplish this in large groups. Witchers have also been shown to shrug off hits that would normally render normal men unconscious. Additionally, they have been known to survive the strikes of powerful monsters such as giants, or other beings possessing herculean strength, that would otherwise kill others with a single blow. Its generally thought a witcher is 10x stronger than a normal man.
* Having the ability to perform simple yet incredibly versatile simple magic in the form of signs. They also develop a sixth sense that allows them to "feel" things around them, be it items of importance or people's immediate intentions. This explains their uncanny ability to track and hunt people and monsters.
* Witchers' possess a Regenerative Healing Factor usually granting quick(er) recovery from injuries. While not instant healing a witcher's healing time is highly unusual taking a fraction of the time to heal as well as surviving more deadly wounds possible. For example when slashed in the neck by a Striga's talons the famed witcher Geralt of Rivia it only took him a few days to heal before he was back on The Path.
* Witchers' possess the ability to receive mutagenic materials from monsters and process it into their being through witcher decoctions. This allows a Witcher to take on traits and the improved conditions of the monster, this is a incredibly dangerous process so a witcher can only handle one or two decoctions at a time, as a inbred safety precaution if a witcher already has two decoctions in their system and takes a third one, the oldest decoction's effects are overwritten.
* It is unknown if a witcher has semi-immortality or a life extension as no known witcher has died of natural causes but witchers have incredibly long lifespans and prolonged youth. While each witcher is different, a witcher's known life expectancy is varied as they usually died in battle.

### Magic

Signs: A simple form of combat magic that witchers use.

## Image Credits

* School of the Manticore Witcheress by Alexiel April

## Notes

* SchoolOfTheLycan and Adalwulf, feel free to expand the article and add your names to the writer tag.

## Trivia

* The ibayame are inspired by the onge people of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. They would be one of the diverse ethnic groups present in Zerrikania, described with darker skin tones. The concept is that they originated from islands in the Dragon Sea. This idea is based on the map of the Bia Thin region, which shows parts of Zerrikania and the Dragon Sea. They would also have settlements along the coast of this sea on both sides.
* Ibayame means sink (in the sea) in the Onge language.
* The takrisdida is inspired by her real counterpart. Tskarishdida is a goddess from Georgian mythology described as a mermaid-like goddess of rivers, lakes, and fish, in Mingrelian folklore, she is described using magic powers against humans.
* Y cyntaf means "The First" in Gaelic.