Ziva

### Relatives

Victor Von Graves (Husband), Overgod†(its complicated), Most current gods(Children) Astaroth(Son), Sharx(Son), Valerie(Daughter)

## Appearances

### Early life

#### Creation of The Petal Bride

*See Zhī zi huā for the original legend*

The tale of the Overgod's wife is often romanticized and cut short, in reality, Ziva's first marriage was an abusive one, where love was not allowed to blossom. Forced to marry who was technically her creator, her father, Ziva was rarely allowed to leave the palace, at days even the bedroom. She was demanded to bear children and raise them to the prophecy's wishes. Despite being constantly exhausted, she lived up to the task, mistakes on her part could have catastrophic results however. Qiyuen was a man possessed with following the visions he was provided, and he did not shy away from raising his hand against her if things didn't go perfectly. Ziva endured as always, staying loyal to her creator, even though the marks on her skin were begging her to do otherwise.

When the set amount of children was achieved, she essentially exhausted her usefulness in the god's eyes, now little more than a trinket, Ziva learned how to play the Zither, so she could seen as entertaining at least. The palace was now filled with music, though its notes were often melancholy.

Most of her original children ignored their mother's presence, as was requested by their father.

#### The Silver Age War

It was no surprise that the godkin started waging war against each other, each one vying for more power. It was a surprise however, that her husband never did anything to halt the war, instead letting it rage on as he sat on his throne, busying himself with the creation of the mortal races. She despised Qiyuen’s inaction, but had no way to voice or show it, instead shedding tears in the dead of night when once again news of another death was reported to the god-king. It was soon, however, that she was turned mad by the bloodshed, her latest grandchild killed in cold-blood by one of its siblings.

Never having learned how to regulate her emotions, it wasn’t a surprise that her only reaction was to lash out. Blood stained her hands as she held the corpse, sobbing, screaming at Qiyuen to stop this senseless war, to intervene. The blank stare her husband offered did not quell the fury and writhing of emotions within Ziva, instead it encouraged her to rip the dagger from her passed grandson’s belt, and point the blade at her spouse. The blade never reached its target, as her own children turned against her to protect their father. A sickening scream echoed in the halls as her punishment was decided, claws dug into her back to rip her wings off, and none of the elder gods dared to look as they saw their mother being cast into hell, Pandemonia.

#### Ruler of Pandemonia

Ziva wasn't the first to be cast into Pandemonia, many of her children were before during the war, and none made it back. The realm was ever-consuming, draining the energy of whatever being entered its premises.

It wasn’t long until her body, too, succumbed to the corruption of Pandemonia. Having wandered its endless path for aeons, all that was left was an undefined form of energy, no longer having limbs to actually walk the roads. She was still alive however, unrecognisable, but alive. By luck or sheer will, Ziva was able to survive, eventually taming the beast of a realm through pure endurance and stubbornness. The realm, having never had a sole citizen for so long, accepted the exiled Goddess as its equal, gifting her a home, as a welcoming for the reformed deity. The form she was forced to carry shifted, a faceless visage now framed by a crown of blackened horns. The mother god was no more, but was instead reborn as the mistress of the devouring realm, the mistress of corrruption.

### Recent life events

#### The Twin Princes

Ziva, was despite her now form, still a maternal person at heart. The years of solitude started to weigh on her and in a desperate attempt for life inside Pandemonia she conjured up all the remaining creation magic she had, shaping it into two forms, twins.

Naming them Astaroth and Sharx, she took a more solid form to care for her new family, the smallest however, Sharx, could not withstand the taintedness of the realm as much as she or Astaroth could. Not willing to see another death of a child, she sacrificed part of her energy to tear open a hole in the realm, and sent Sharx into it so he may have a chance for survival. She currently still suffers from this choice, having an extreme lack of energy when it comes to the overworld.

She would still keep an eye on her wayward prince however, whilst raising Astaroth on her own. To help fill the Cathedral with life, and make sure he wasn’t lonely, she created more hellborne, however none of them turned out as whole as the original twins due to her now lack of energy, and they all ended up malformed. Despite that, the abominations were still treated as family, as sons, as siblings.
Having felt a death up above, she went up to investigate, witnessing her lost son reincarnate into a goblin. Sensing he still wasn’t strong enough, she instead blessed him with his original name, and some of his original powers. She returned home with an uneasy feeling, not comfortable with the mortality of her son, and the inability to truly protect him.

#### The Destruction of Aurisart

It wasn’t long after that Astaroth demanded to see the world above as well, Ziva, unable to say no at the time, allowed him, after a stern promise from the eldest, that he'd be careful. Days passed, and yet no sign from him, worry overtook and it didn’t take long for Ziva to visit the overworld again.

The sight that she was met with, coloured her sight world red with rage. Astaroth was slumped against the ground, clearly maimed, clearly in pain. The trail of blood that followed him clearly led to the populous village nearby. Seeing that her son was offered no aid, painted the picture well enough for her. The punishment for attacking a godling was death. No ancestors of the village would be alive to tell the tale, as Ziva made sure every building, every person, was razed to the ground.

The choice was obvious then. Mankind was left alone for too long, and her traitor children clearly did not keep them in check. It was time for the mother god to return, albeit with an iron fist.

## The End

Victor and Ziva after years and years of torture in Oracle, not having aged a day due to supernatural properties, have left Oracle.

## Appearance

### General Appearance

Keeping true to her former title, Ziva appears, at first glance, quite motherly. A soft, rounded face, framed by two slightly pointed ears. Her body keeps the same theme of softness, being slightly above average in weight, which is barely noticeable thanks to her height. Both her skin tone and hair border on frighteningly pale, a condition she can help due to being born out of a white Gardenia flower. No amount of sunlight seems to affect her skin.

In a stark contrast to the rest of her, her eyes are a deep orange, though they have a tendency to change color value depending on her mood. They've been quite darkened lately, as are the bags under her eyes.

It's quite difficult to see her full form sometimes due to the sheer volume and length of her hair, often decorated with flowers and complicated braids. If it wasn't covering her back, the two, never-healing wounds on her back would be visible, a constant reminded of the wings she lost and the brand on the back of her neck, a mark left behind by her last marriage.

As a vain person, Ziva prefers to switch outfits often. Keeping her wardrobe well-stocked with sets for every occasion.

## Personality

### General Personality

A proud woman, Ziva tends to come across as stubborn and vain, both of which she is, in a sense. Being as old as time tends to make her think she's always right, especially when it comes to matters of magic and ancient subject. In truth, she struggles with modern matters, not always understanding metaphors, customs and the like.

She avoids asking for help at all costs, and despises being cared for. This mostly due to her having been forced to depend on herself only for millennia, and simply being unaccustomed to having someone to count on. Having been through a lot has given her the ability to keep an extremely calm demeanor even at the most critical of times, this can backfire however, making her seem like apathetic (which she is) and cold. When she snaps however, the consequences are often grave, her last burst of anger having resulted in the complete demolishing of Aurisart.

Her favored position is as a listening ear, only interjecting in a conversation when she has been named. The rare times she does take the lead in conversations is when it comes to children, or someone talking about her children. Defending Astaroth Grayhorn, her son, despite his crimes, or scolding Sharx when they've committed a foolish act again.

Ziva is incredibly lacking in knowledge in the fields of love, or emotions in general, due to her past abuse. Together with Victor von Graves, she is slowly healing, learning the basics of life again, and the feelings that come with it. She still has her moments however, where she refuses to come to terms with both her past and her future, resulting in her being non-responsive and meek. She often severely blames herself for the current events happening, pondering if it might be better if she left altogether.

### Likes:

Shapeshifting as a cat, pumpkins, the occasional sass, extensive libraries, blue orchids (As she often compares them to the sculk flowers Victor has)

### Dislikes:

Most of her godly children, unfavorable behavior in front of children (Alcoholism, swearing), the cold, cramped spaces, being seen at a sensitive moment

### Strength/pros:

Analytical, Knowledgeable on the origins of things, adept magic user, extremely resilient and adaptable

### Weaknesses/cons:

Emotionally inept, lack of trust in science, slight superiority complex, refuses to accept help

### Sayings:

"Back in my day-" Often followed by an outlandish custom that hasn't been used for centuries.

"Take a breath, Wildflower." Said against Victor, whenever he's in the middle of a heated discussion

"I refuse to see how this makes sense?" Used whenever introduced to a new concept.

"I'll always be fine in the end." Said whenever she's asked if she's alright.

## Skills and Abilities

* Shapeshifting
* Ancient knowledge
* Zither player

## Extra

### Facts

* Ziva used to prefer having the "High ground" often using the cat perches to sit upon. She is no longer able to do this however due to her chronic illness.
* She's not above keeping secrets, having many she's keeping from Victor and her family.
* She's irrationally attached to Astaroth, despite him betraying and killing her, she's still reluctant to see his death as the only option.
* After losing her hammer, which came with her divinity, she now uses a regular kitchen knife, which is ironic due to her terrible cooking skills.
* She doesn't use the term "proposing" instead saying that she's "claimed" Victor.
* Thanks to being in cat form for many hours, days, years, she has gained some characteristic from the felines.
* She prefers to sleep as cat, mostly due to being weary of Victor's safety.
* Ziva has an extreme sweet tooth, and an extreme dislike for soup.
* Always has something up her sleeve, no matter how irrelevant the situation is.