Zeala

**Zeala** is the Aran'akto of astronomy and trickery. He is the son of Mo'thagrah and Esthra'ag, though he never meets the latter. He is a later addition to the Aran'khutu that goes to great lengths to prove his worth.

## Myths

### Tales of Zeala

Zeala's only presence in the mythos is a series of fables detailing his path toward earning immortality. His journey from a mischievous troublemaker to a mature, hardworking adult is an episodic narrative that seems reminiscent of a book series for children.

The tales start with Zeala as a very young god with the physical and mental maturity of a ten year old boy. His ultimate goal is to gain immortality purely for its own sake, but his mother warns him that he wouldn't get it off of desire alone. As such, he goes about his daily life learning from all the mistakes he was told wouldn't earn him immortality. He learns the moral limits of practical jokes, how to better respect the adults in his life, and how to cope with uncontrollable aspects of the world.

One subject of many of his pranks is his great-grandmother Olakoye. He is often caught and reprimanded for rearranging her stars into crude or otherwise distasteful shapes and words, subjecting the humans down below to some concerning subject matter. As he matures and learns the error of his ways, he realizes the stars could be used more practically. With permission from Olakoye, he creates a system of constellations to aid astronomers and navigators. It is after this creation, at the physical and mental maturity of a twenty year old, that Mo'thagrah grants him immortality.

Themes of mother-son relationships and how trauma affects them also play a role in the tales. Despite Zeala never meeting his father, Mo'thagrah can't help but see Esthra'ag in every misdeed her son commits. Though she tries her best to love him unconditionally and see him as his own person, hearing him talk so much about wanting immortality reminds her too much of the man who stole her blood to attain it. As such, she often struggles with giving him the encouragement and positive affirmation he needs while he becomes a better person. On some level, she still sees an adult who should be held accountable instead of a child who still needs time to mature. This leads to many disagreements between them that go unresolved for years, especially since Mo'thagrah refuses to admit she associates her son with crimes he wasn't even born to commit. As Zeala ages, he eventually learns about his father's horrific deeds and realizes the root of his strained relationship with his mother. By the time they finally talk things out, Mo'thagrah's trauma is much closer to healing, and she is more able to see Zeala for who he is rather than who Esthra'ag was. The two make up at last, Zeala having his mother fully in his corner for the first time in his life.

## Worship

Zeala's biggest claim to fame was, of course, his tales. His exploits remained in the childhood memories of Kentotrans for ages, and many even referred back to the stories to help themselves or their families overcome difficulties. He grew up with his audience and slowly introduced newer lessons that stuck with the populace for a long time. His favorite food in the tales, a spicy green pepper reminiscent of a jalapeno, was often left at Mo'thagrah's altar with the belief that she would pass them on to her son.

Despite Zeala claiming one of Olakoye's divine domains as the Aran'khutu of astronomy, he did not overshadow her in this regard. In fact, her name was still praised more than his as astronomers and navigators studied the night sky. This is most likely due to Zeala's late arrival to the Aran'khutu as well as his astronomy role not being the main focus of his tales. The creation of the constellations was seen more as a culmination of his character development than a representation of him as a whole, so Kentotrans often praised this achievement less than his earlier adventures in his tales. Moreover, the constellations were created with Olakoye's permission and supervision, so she receives credit for allowing them to exist.