Zelia

Zelia Domain Moons, Insanity Symbol a silver crescent moon on a field of black Pantheon Neutral Smite/Bane Smite Critical Random

Zelia is a lunatic in the purest sense of the word. Goddess of the moons and of insanity, the only thing consistent about her is that she is inconsistent, and is completely out of her mind. Zelia may be chaos personified.

Once a great lover of solitude, it is said that the Arkati's move to the moons at the Drakes' behest was her undoing. It is not known, however, if it was the invasion of her privacy or the loneliness that may have ensued after her peers left for Elanthia that unseated her sanity. Whatever the case, she now takes a personal hand in the affairs of the mortal world, just as the other Arkati, blessing her followers with what she considers the greatest freedom of all: freedom from lucidity.

Zelia has a great dislike for Sheru. She feels that his tactic of scaring a person into madness is classless and brute-like, lacking a great deal in finesse and understanding of mortal mentality. There are much better ways to drive someone over the edge. She drives a misty chariot pulled by grey stallions, looking for people in need of her gift.

Zelia's preferred humanoid manifestation is that of a woman with large green eyes and silver hair that always seems to be blowing wildly about her face. There is no trace of sanity anywhere in her expression, and she wears a silver breastplate and grey tunic. In manner, she is unpredictable and insane. Her symbol is a silver crescent moon on a field of black.

Shrines, Statuary, and Holy Places

Cleric Guilds

Displayed in the Prayer Rooms of each Cleric Guild is a state of Zelia. These prayer rooms are considered a holy shrine to multiple deities.

A twisted, loopy grin is smeared across the face of Zelia.  Her eyes are bright with a deranged sparkle that is both amusing and somewhat frightening.  A glorious head of wind-tossed hair billows around her head like tempest-tossed seas.

>touch Zelia
You reach out and touch the statue of Zelia.

Chaotic power fills your mind, as if Zelia herself smiled on you.

Wehnimer's Landing Cleric Guild

Located in the Antechamber of Others is a statue of Zelia. This area is not considered a holy shrine.

A wiry woman with large green eyes and windblown silver hair is depicted in this sculpture.  Her countenance is wild, with no trace of sanity in her expression.  She is clad simply in a grey tunic and silver breastplate.  Upon the sculpture's base is her symbol, a silver crescent moon on a field of black.

Lunule Weald, Ta'Vaalor

Southeast of Ta'Vaalor in the Lunule Weald is a holy shrine dedicated to Zelia. The shrine is located underneath a tree.

[Lunule Weald, Zelia's Shrine]

Worms and insects ooze out of the dirt walls and creep along the floor in this small, squat chamber. In the center of the chamber is a circle of black rocks, the top of each rock is painted with a silver crescent moon. Inside the circle of rocks sits a stone sculpture of a woman with wild hair driving a chariot pulled by four stallions. Moonlight streams in from the opening in the short ceiling, striking the sculpture and casting the shadow of a wild-haired woman on the dirt walls.

>look stone sculpture
Carved in a style that distorts any strict sense of reality, this sculpture depicts a woman with wild hair driving a chariot pulled by four stallions.  The base of the statue is deeply stained a deep ochre.

Charna's Talk of Zelia

Greetin's e'eryone an' welcome ta' Zelia's court.

Ta'night I will be speakin' ta' ye all on tha' Lady Zelia, my Lady.

As I was preparin' fer ta'night I started ta' go through ole tombs tha' I had an' I e'en visited tha' Library o' Aies in Ta'Illistim so tha' I could look at their section on lores.

I found many interestin' thin's there tha' I hope ta' share wit ye, some e'en give light ta' how thin's ha'e gone wit me while un'er tha' Lady's Graces.

First, let me explain ta' ye 'bout ah common misun'erstan'in' tha' many people ha'e 'bout those o' us wha' 'er tha' Lady Zelia's followers.

Many people think tha' in order ta' follow tha' Lady ye ha'e ta' be insane.

This is nae so, as ah matter o' fact, I ha'e ne'er met anyone tha' I would consider sich. Because o' who tha' Lady Zelia is there 'er many different paths tha' one kin follow while lookin' ta' 'er.

She is tha' Keeper o' tha' Moons an' as sich many o' tha' sister's o' tha' Coven follower 'er fer 'er Lunar Gracies. Tha' Celestial Bodies, Tilaok, Makiri, Liabo an' Lornon all fall un'er 'er sphere o' control.

There 'er many wha' believe tha' each o' tha' believe each o' tha' four moons holds a paticulair sphere o' power. Fer instance, as many o' ye know, Liabo is tha' moon o' Light, 'er Peach, while Lornon is tha' Moon o' tha' Dark, 'er horror.

Wha' many people donnae know, mostly cause they donnae see this otha' moon, is tha' Makiri is known ta' be tha' healer moon. She is furthest 'way an' thus nae somethin' we kin see wit our nekid eye. But she is there in 'er green glory offerin' 'er healin' warmth ta' tha' heavens.

So wha' does tha' leave fer Fair Tilaok? Tha' Ruby orb wha' spirals 'round Liabo is believed ta' be tha' orb o' Chaos an' Zelia's most favored retreat. There is ah rumor tha' I found while studyin' tha' works o' Sister Lemandria D'Verethin, which is rutha' interestin'. This rumor wasnae written by tha' Sister but was 'pon ah slip o' paper wedged inta' one o' 'er tome. Tha' rumor stated tha' e'en though Tilaok was tha' Moon o' Chaos, it seemed ta' shift through tha' sky, surroundin' tha' Moon wha' was in tha' most power so tha' tha' proper balance could be held. Meanin', tha' if'n there was too much darkness in Elanthia tha' moon Tilaok would circle Lornon instead o' Liabo.

One o' tha' otha' aspects tha' Zelia has is 'er control o' tha' Sphere o' Chaos. There 'er some wha' beseech tha' Lady ta' gift them with this ability so tha' they kin witstand tha' tides o' battle. Usin' tha' Chaos ta' triumph o'er tha' wicked confusion tha' kin tride o' battlefield an' see them ta' tha' otha' side. I, myself, ha'e made tha' plea ta' 'er fer this as well an' she has ne'er failed me.

Tha' final sphere tha' is wit'in Zelia's graces is tha' o' Insanity, though as I said afore, there 'er nae many o' 'er followers wha' 'er insane. I prefer instead ta' say tha' we 'er mere Touched wit tha' Lady's Graces. In effect we 'er enlightened.

This Enlightenment is tha' sweet, gentle release o' tha' normal bindin' wha' most people fine 'pon their mortal lives. There isnae any true constraint on them, wha' is normal an' drab ta' most o' ye is beautiful an' vivid ta' us.

Those 'er tha' Lady Zelia's Spheres. Now, wha' I will do is speak ta' ye 'bout some o' tha' otha' rumors an' lores wha' surround tha' lady.

As many o' ye know, I am ah seer o' Zelia. An' when last I spoke 'bout milady I was asked how it was tha' I got this gift, this touch o' tha' Sight. It was ah verra good question, put ta' me by Lady Naessi an' it put me ta' thought. 

Wha' I know o' my Sight is tha' I kinnae stop usin' it. I must bring it forward an' use tha' gift, an' e'en when I donnae seek ta' actively use it tha' Sight sometimes comes unbidden. But how did one o' Zelia's Followers git tha' Sight, which is usually reserved fer Goseana 'er Jastev?

I once agin found myself in tha' Library o' Aies diggin' through some o' tha' dustiest, dirtiest an' smelliest o' tomes ye e'er did see. An' there, hidden in tha' library was ah tome 'bout foresight. I began ta' go o'er it findin' many o' tha' thin's I already knew but after ah few hours I found a passage wha' was verra interestin'. An' I will read it ta' ye now.

The page, written in Common, reads as follows:

Of Zelia's limited gift of Foresight a passage from the long forgotten tomes of the Drakes can be noted: Upon one such travel she was brought into close proximity with a pale, beautiful arkati possessed of dark wings. She was so solemn, so cold and distant that at first the emerald-eyed arkati thought her to be a statue crafted by an elven artisan. She approached the statue quietly; her lips pursed as ever in a barely suppressed giggle and reached out to touch the other. As her slender fingers brushed the moss green fabric of the other's robes, she felt once again the desperation, anguish, pain and fear of her birth. The longing of great Cha'Anamos filled her so completely that she fell over in a dead faint. When she came to, some thirteen days later, the statue of the winged woman was gone and only a somber faced man sat at her side.

The page, written in Common, reads as follows:

Jastev stared down at the wild-eyed woman, his eyes betraying nothing of his feelings. It is hard to say what he saw in the youthful appearance of the seemingly frail arkati, but in time one could easily assume that he grew fond of her. Perhaps he saw in her the life he cherished and yearned to see lived, something that drew his eyes away from the visions that plagued his waking days. Whatever it was, Jastev and Zelia became odd friends.

The page, written in Common, reads as follows:

In the days that followed her waking, Jastev explained to Zelia what had befallen her. The woman she had touched was none other then Gosaena, whose power was to draw all death to her for final rest. She had touched the winged arkati while she was held in a deep vision, and the power of the pair touching had overwhelmed the much younger arkati. Seeing only curiosity in Zelia and not seeking more death, Goseana had left her to Jastev's care. The encounter, however, had not left Zelia unmarked. From that day forward, she would be numbered of the handful of Arkati with the gift of foresight; though perhaps to a lesser degree then many of the others.

This, I think, is wha' mayhap be tha' answer ta' tha' day o' Zelia's Warnin'. She must ha'e foreseen somethin' an' given warnin'. Tha' tha' holiday is kinda shrouded in mystery makes me won'er exactly wha' kinda warnin' it was an' if'n it was heeded 'er nae.

One o' tha' otha' thin's tha' I wanted ta' touch 'pon 'bout Zelia is tha' way she has been known ta' touch 'pon a few o' tha' different races o' Elanthia.

Up in tha' far Northern Steppes is tha' Giantkin Clan known as tha' Vaikalimara Clan, ah clan tha' if'n I was ah Kindred I would gladly seek out an' join. This clan is made up only o' woman an' their belief is tha' they 'er tha' Handmaiden's o' Zelia. They survive outside o' tha' natural order o' tha' otha' Tribes an' donnae associate much with any o' tha' otha' races.

There has been in our most recent history one o' these wha' came down from tha' Steppes an' spoke o' tha' prophecy o' tha' trolls o'er last Spring. It should be noted tha' she was ah seer an' tha' many followed 'er. There were dolls wha' were associated wit some o' tha' thin's tha' she did an' I was gifted wit one recently.

Anotha' race wha' is touched by tha' Lady's Graces is tha' o' tha' gnomes who 'er part o' tha' Wendwillow Bloodline. These gnomes 'er verra easy goin' wanders wha' usually travel far an' wide until they find ah place wha' captures their hearts. They 'er ah fickle group, wha' is verra carefree an' I recently found ah passage 'bout them as well in tha' Library o' Aies, though I didnae recognize tha' autha's name nor wither 'er nae tha' tale was true.

The page, written in Common, reads as follows:

Riddled with grief, the arkati wept great torrents of tears upon the dead drake, her silvery tears sliding across his deep violet scales into the thick foliage beneath him. Weeks later a clan of passing gnomes saw the woman still draped across the dead drake, a few stayed behind while the rest of the clan moved ahead. It is said that the Matriach of the Wendwillow gnomes fed her a brew that aided her in forgetting her pain and loss. Years later, the tears of sorrow she shed during those long days would become the first moonflowers.

The page, written in Common, reads as follows:

When she was healed of her hurts, the gnomes packed up to leave but Zelia asked the small matriarch to travel with her. Unable to refuse the strange arkati's request, the gnome stayed with her as travel companion for many years. However, Zelia's mercurial moods, fickleness and mischievous ways caused the gnome to be left to her own for many days at a time. During one moment of calm, some decades later, Zelia hoisted the gnome to her repaired chariot and drew her into the skies. The passage was at once exhilarating and chaotic; causing what was left of the frail mortals mind to unravel into quiet laughter. At the end of the voyage Zelia placed the gnome high in the skies.

Tha' last thin' tha' I wanted ta' speak ta' ye o' ta'night is tha' tale once tol' ta' me by my brotha' Ghrym but wha' was actually written by Lady Laranna MacRoy Raevhaz. This tale speaks o' how lord Phoen found tha' Lady Zelia' ta' be attractive an' how tha' two courted fer ah short time.

You say, "Ye see, it was believed tha' tha' two courted an' tha' Koar wasn't pleased wit this."

You say, "So he spoke ta' 'is son Ronan an' asked 'im ta' send dreams ta' tha' Lady Zelia."

You say, "There is e'en rumor tha' 'e made ah secret pact wit Ivas an' sent 'im ta' Phoen in tha' guise o' Zelia."

You say, "In tha' end Ronan sent visions ta' tha' Lady Zelia o' Phoen wit anotha' woman an' tha' two parted."

You wryly say, "After all, wha' kin tha' sun an' moon hope ta' gain from ah union."

Narusai quietly says, "I was curious about the nature of foresight."

Narusai quietly asks, "Is it merely a warning, or an unchangeable vision?"

Narusai quietly says, "Should it be the latter, I wonder as to what purpose it could serve."

You say, "Well, I ha'e had visions wha' come ta' me unbidden an' they 'er completely unchangeable."

Narusai nods to you.

You say, "Last summer I had one wha' warned o' boats comin' ta' tha' harbor."

You say, "It gave us time ta' muster tha' defense an' git e'eryone out inta' tha' bay."

Narusai nods.

You say, "Some visions ha'e been in tha' manner o' maintain thin's, a balance."

You say, "An' some I ha'e yet ta' un'erstan'."

Speaking quietly to you, Syrellan says, "You would say, then, that the subject of the vision is true, but the circumstances are malleable."

You nod to Syrellan.

You say, "Aye, tha' vision is ne'er ah lie but wha' ye do wit it kin change many thin's."

Syrellan skeptically says, "An interesting perspective."

Narusai quietly says, "To me, it would seem to indicate that those particular visions do not actually represent the future, merely an approximation of a portion of it."

Turinrond coldly says, "The journey, but not the destination."

Narusai smiles.

Charna smiles faintly, her eyes shifting in confusion between Narusai and Syrellan.

You hesitantly say, "I suppose."

You turn to face Turinrond.

You ask, "Ye had ah question?"

Turinrond coldly says, "Somewhat, aye. A moment to phrase, in Common."

Turinrond clears his throat.

Turinrond coldly says, "Ye spake of Zelia's relationship to Chaos, which explains why ye and I dinnae always see eye to eye. My question is this.."

You grin slowly.

You cock your head at Turinrond.

Turinrond coldly asks, "It is said that Marlu also thrives on Chaos. What is the difference in the two Arkati, along those lines?"

You say, "Marlu thrives on tha' destructive forces o' Chaos."

You say, "Zelia thrives on tha' inate power o' it."

You say, "Through Chaos life is made."

Turinrond coldly asks, "These are not somehow related?"

You say, "Through Chaos Creation is born."

You say, "They 'er different forces o' tha' same element."

Turinrond furrows his brow.

Turinrond coldly asks, "So, ye are saying that Marlu uses Chaos to destroy, and Zelia uses Chaos to create, aye?"

You say, "If'n she's o' tha' mind, Aye, I'm sure."

Turinrond coldly asks, "She could destroy as well, then?"

You say, "Any'un kin destroy, it takes greater willpower ta' nae."

Wonders of Elanthia: A Zelian Prayer

This prayer was done during the Wonders of Elanthia event at her Lady Zelia's Shrine.
Nihela removes a length of pale silvery silk from in her grey satchel.
Nihela raises the length of silver silk high above her head and releases it. The fabric ripples in a flurry of peaks and valleys and lands in an uneven heap on the ground.
Nihela unties the pouch at her side and empties its contents onto the fabric. Instantly the silk is aglisten with a scattering of pastel-hued moonstones.
Nihela dips her fingers into the pile of stones and flippantly tousles them around the cloth. Once she is content with the placement, she kneels and lowers her head.
Nihela kneels down.
Eniwein adopts a patient, if tried expression, and begins to make wave her arms at her side in slow movements. Her expression says that she is clearly only doing this to amuse Nihela.
Nihela dramatically says, "I beseech the Lady Zelia;Mistress of the Silver Crescent."
Eniwein curvers her arms into a crescent to the right, her expression bland.
Nihela says, "Keeper of the Moons! Grant us the blessed touch of all that you embody on this evening."
Nihela extends her arms in great sweeping arcs over the stones. She quirks her head, and with narrowed eyes plucks four of the moonstones from the pile.
Eniwein patiently switches the curve of her arms to mimic a crescent on the other side.
Nihela shouts, "The Unbalanced! The Unhinged! The Unusual! And The Unraveled!"
Nihela passionately says, "We draw these from You now, to infuse the remaining stones with the wax and wan of Your ephemeral nature."
Eniwein gestures vaguely in the air, a soft sigh slipping from her lips.
Nihela grasps a handful of earth and tosses the four stones into the shallow depression. She recovers them with the dirt, and positions her hands so they hover over the moonstones left on the cloth.
Nihela dreamily says, "Bathe these stones in Your eternal luminescence. Drawing out the impurities of the tangible world and replacing their cores with the perfect clarity that madness affords."
Eniwein lets her hands flop to her side.
Nihela serenely says, "Inside of each, plant the seed of chaos. Blooming only for those who are open enough to accept Your gift."
Eniwein smiles vapidly, her eyes not meeting anyones and a fine blush touching her cheeks.
Nihela does a flippant hand motion over the moonstone as some odd sort of finishing move and yawns widely.
Nihela claps her hands.
Nihela repositions the silk on the ground and separates a few nicely colored moonstones from the pile.
Nihela drops a length of pale silvery silk aglisten with pastel-hued moonstones.

Spell messaging

Major Sanctuary (220)	This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Well of Life (308)	This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Blind (311)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Target sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Prayer (313)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Others see: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Censure (316)	Target sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Raise Dead (318)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Target sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Others see: Silvery and light, (Caster's) eyes take on a wild, crazed sheen. His gaze falls upon the prone form of (Target) and a strange giggle passes from (Caster). The laughter swells in the air between the pair, taking on a depth and warmth that is contagious. As if the carefree sound becomes something visible and substantial, the air around (Target's) prone form shimmers silvery and raw, as spiritual energy seeps into her.
Intercession	This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Divine Wrath (335)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Others see: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Symbol of the Proselyte (340)	Cast: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Chant: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Miracle (350)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Divine Strike (1615)	Caster sees: {{{1615-1p}}} Target sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! Others see: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Judgment (1630)	Caster sees: This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!

Behind The Scenes

In the I.C.E. Age lore "Zania" was one of the lesser dark gods of Charon (Lornon). It is possible the name "Zelia" was taken from "Zelia Reed", for whom H.P. Lovecraft had ghost-written a story which was not fully published until 1989. It is thematically related (e.g. advanced telepathic races, shoggoths) to stories that apparently influenced The Graveyard, The Broken Lands, and Shadow Valley.

Related articles

• The Gods of Elanthia - Zelia, Keeper of the Moons (official documentation)
• Madness and Entropy: A Tale of Zelia (official documentation)