Zerviah Shizuka Foxx

Zerviah's personality is difficult to decipher with each passing year that she grows older. She is silent, and yet imposing; gentle yet firm, caring, yet stubborn, and a myriad of other things. Being from the Water Tribes, she was very family-oriented, and cares deeply for her loved ones. Their deaths impacted her greatly, but she tends to cover it up especially in her older years. She knows that her time is coming, and has been around for so long that she no longer fears death. She eagerly awaits the day that she can meet her husband and children again, but at the same time, she has not given up. Zerviah has never been known as a quitter, and her stubborn resolve has had a few people believe that she had a good amount of Earth Kingdom stock in her.
Zerviah has always been a fearless woman, never even fearing things like public speaking or government officials. She was always audacious enough to go and do what she pleased, though she seldom found a reason to go above the law. She was brutally honest, telling even the most revered nobility exactly what she thought of them and even alerting leaders what was wrong with the way they were doing things. this sometimes got her into trouble, but she always took any punishments as she deserved them.
Very seldom would she disrespect any actual laws, however, and so over time, she got put into positions of power on her own. She respected these positions, as well as her abilities, and to this day, Zerviah holds a careful respect for power, well-aware of the ways it can go awry. She has a deep spiritual connection, understanding many ways of the spirits, particularly from her own experiences in that regard.
Other than perhaps some friendly rivalries with her siblings, Zerviah had a perfectly functional family that she grew up with, and was taught the traditional values of the family, which she strictly adhered to throughout her life, and taught to her own children and grandchildren. She has a fondness for little children, and despite her aged and sometimes imposing demeanor, she is a very sweet spirit when around young children, whom she loves deeply, regardless of where they come from.
Zerviah is notably stubborn, refusing to take no for an answer when she wants something done. Seldom is this for self-pleasure, however, and more often it is insisting that some sort of strategy or medical practice be done her way. her years of studious practice have made her very learned in these arts.
Zerviah is very wise in her older years, and, as a bloodbender, still remains humble about her abilities and respects them dearly. She is well-aware of the damage they can cause, but since she has never used them for foul purposes, there is no reason to fear her. Even her bloodbending is only used in defense of herself, home, or property (or rather, the Zelgius estate), and she has used it to defend from criminals in the past, both at Zelgius Manor, and in the Water Tribes when she still lived there.
It is not to say that Zerviah is without her flaws. An old woman rooted in tradition, she can come off as very stubborn, and sometimes her bravery turns her reckless. Zerviah is not afraid to have a bit of crazy fun, even in her older years, but ultimately, Zerviah has lived a full life and has made amends with herself, being comfortable with who she is and what she has done. Her final straw was forgiving the Fire Nation for the damages caused over the course of the 100-year war, and she felt she did this just fine after gaining employment for House Zelgius--a Fire Nation family.


Given that Lady Zerviah has had 116 years of skill-gaining, she is quite the talented woman. She has long since mastered the art of waterbending, including using ice and steam, as well as both healing and bloodbending. The latter of the two arts was one that she slowly learned over time for the sole purpose of defending herself against potentially rouge bloodbenders, or other armed thugs or criminals. Like all bloodbenders, however, she is restricted to using it during the full moon (possibly a few of the other prominent gibbous phases as well, but there is nothing proven) at nights. Other times, she uses her powerful mastery of basic waterbending to obliterate her enemies.
As a warrior, Zerviah also became proficient with the spear, and by extension, the staff, since she sometimes used one or the other, using spiked staves for spears, or spears for defensive staves. There were times when waterbending was either unavailable or inefficient, and so she began to carry around a spear, or at least a staff with a pointed end. By extension, Zerviah also became a prominent hunter, often hunting with the men of the clan, even before the Tribe had eased up on their old gender-discriminatory traditions. This too, of course, is a story for Zerviah to tell, but her keen hunting skills have not waned.
A firm believer in good defense, Zerviah also learned hand-to-hand combat, martial arts, and other forms of self-defense. given the wide array of ways that this, as well as spear/staff combat, could be used, she deems herself as an expert at them, but not a master, for she does not believe that it is possible to "master" all forms of spear/staff usage, or all forms of martial arts, hand-to-hand, or self-defense. Nonetheless, Zerviah has a respectable amount of skill in all of these fields.
While Zerviah is not avatar-level in waterbending (for she is not the avatar), she can create reasonable-sized waves that are large enough for her to ride on, as well as make walls and shards of ice, clouds of steam, and massive tendrils of liquids. she is proficient with all the well-known offensive and defensive moves, and also knows the ins and outs of herbalism, which she also combined her healing skills with, which made her quite proficient in the medical field.
Despite these powerful abilities, she seldom uses most of them besides healing, outside of practice situations. she spends her free time keeping her skills up to snuff, but otherwise, is seldom seen using them unless you have provoked her enough.
Even though she is now 116, Zerviah is still deceptively quick and very strong. She is definitely not one to pick a fight with, for despite her small size and aged exterior, there is still a powerful flame inside of this one.


Zerviah is short but very nimble. Always one to dress like a hunter or a warrior, her appearance was often a bit boyish. Her hair was kept in wolf-tails a lot, or generally just but a bit short. In the early days when she had to pass as a boy to do things like hunting or fighting, Zerviah's stubborn ambition got the best of her in such regards. She wore thick, blue trousers covered by fur-lined brown boots on her lower body, a fitting, lighter blue undershirt with long sleeves, and over that, a thick blue fur-lined coat to protect her from the cold. She often wore gloves as well, blue fingerless ones, and she adorned her wrists with a few small tribal bracelets on each arm. she wore a small brown fur-lined poncho over her shoulders, and still wears the same betrothal necklace that was given to her by her husband Ajun almost a century ago.
Her hair is usually done up simply. she has a pair of hair beads just above both her eyes, but instead of the usual loopies, she has a peculiar brad that goes between the two beads. other than that, she keeps a couple of locks longer on each side of her face, and lets the rest hang down. Her large hands and feet are still nimble and cunning, even in her older age, and as she grew older, there was very little about her that ever changed other than her hair growing whiter and her body showing the usual signs of aging. That was to be expected though.
Zerviah had a somewhat intimidating face, with a prominent nose and jawline, thick eyebrows, and an imposing glare. She did not often mean to frighten people, but she often had this expression on her face that made her look like she was about to kill someone.
Nowadays, Zerviah walks at a slow, ambling pace, as if to throw people off. She simply states that she is in no hurry, but if the situation arises where speed is crucial, it is surprising how quickly she can spring into action.
After she travelled to the Fire Nation and gained employment with a noble family there, Zerviah delved into Fire Nation fashion a bit, though never got too into the more revealing outfits, never really even showing her stomach except at the beach. she is often seen in Fire Nation finery, but she prefers her thick, durable Water Tribe clothing much more.
In her earlier years, underneath those layers, Zerviah, like most Water Tribe women, was quite the looker. Age has somewhat diminished that now, but she still shows signs of her sturdy, athletic build that was well-known amongst Water Tribe Citizens.
[also--image of a younger Zerviah. she basically looks very similar, only much older)

Item Name: Spear
Materials: Wood, metal
Description: A long, sturdy spear adorned with a few beads, strings, and ornaments on it that is very Water Tribe in design. Other than Zerviah's personalizations, it is just an ordinary spear.


Zerviah's childhood began years and years ago in the Northern Water Tribe, back in the days when the Fire Nation's tyranny was still gripping the world tightly in its claws. A stubborn little child with a passion for combat and hunting and the likes, Zerviah was very much a little tomboy.
Times were much different back then, back in an age when women of the North were not allowed to hunt and fight the way they are now. however, given Zerviah's sturdy build, she would simply cut her hair slightly shorter and tie it up the same way the men would. Being born the 2nd child of 5, all of whom turned out to be brothers, Zerviah had much more exposure to men than women. Her mother did not mind this either.
Zerviah's childhood was a happy one, learning a bit of waterbending in preparation to become a healer like most women did. however, thanks to the benevolence of her siblings, she also learned a few combat moves in between. Thanks to the safety of the Northern Stronghold, the tribe did not have to worry about the Fire Nation attacks, though the other villages surrounding it slowly congregated into the Northern Capital as the attacks grew in number and strength. However, none of these succeeded.
At the age of 14, Zerviah became an apprentice at a place called Medek's Apothecary, where she learned of the various ways and methods of healing, including waterbending in that style. Zerviah took great interest in herbalism and the likes, but she did not ever forget about her other skills, such as fighting and hunting. When she was not working at the apothecary, she would follow her brothers and father on their family hunting trips. These, as well as the general Water Tribe unity, kept Zerviah very close to her parents in siblings in terms of relationships. Like any family, they had their disputes or quarrels, but that is the nature of any family, and Zerviah's was among the ones that were able to make up to each other when all was said and done.
Zerviah continued dilligently working at the apothecary, and her apprecnticeship soon came to and end as she became official enough to be dubbed a proper healer. It was also around this time that she laid eyes on a fellow named Ajun that had been eying her for a bit of time. the two of them met and she agreed to let him take her out on a date, slowly becoming very good friends. This was the beginning of a legacy.
It was not long after Zerviah became a proper healer at Medek's Apothecary that Ajun made his move. shortly after her 20th birthday, he presented her with a betrothal necklace, and she accepted his proposition. This was a happy year for her family, for Zerviah's eldest brother got married at the end of the same year as well. both of them moved across town, where Zerviah got a little place that was much closer to her apothecary.
Soon, children filled the household, which, as time passed and the war against the Fire Nation raged on, gave Zerivah a more steady income, given the need for healers in times like this. After all, warriors were no good if they were dead. as the Fire Nation increased pressure on the Northern Water Tribe, Zerviah and her family (now with 7 children and an 8th one on the way)felt the impacts of it as well, losing a few friends and loved ones in the process.
The attacks eventually just ceased altogether though, and the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe knew that the Fire Nation had not given up, but instead were just amassing a much larger army. They were not about to let one of the last bastions of free people get away unscathed. they had an old score to settle.
Zerviah grudgingly remained out of the conflict, but she was not about to let that keep her completely down. This was only the beginning.
That was when the infamous Siege of the North occurred. Zerviah was easily able to disappear into the fray, her "disguise" as a boy less than satisfactory, but she had learned how to fight. Observing the moves of other warriors, as well as taking private lessons from her father and brothers, Zerviah's 34 years of waterbending training, hunting, and healing had paid off. She was one of the painted, hooded warriors that fought against Admiral Zhao in the Siege of the North, and she witnessed the Avatar State in action. the salvation of the Water Tribe at hand, the Fire Nation army was soon destroyed, and all was brought back to peace.
However, it did not end there, as Zerviah was soon back in the apothecary healing the wounded from that battle. As time passed, news came from the Earth Kingdom that the Water Tribe was the last free nation in the world. Ba Sing Se had fallen, the Air Nomads had nearly been wiped out, and the Fire Nation was trapped under the tyranny of Fire Lord Ozai. However, one advancement had been made. Thanks to the efforts of a certain Katara, the chiefdom eased up on their restrictions against women, and the moment Zerviah learned of this, she decided that it was high time to take utmost advantage of it.
The next several years of Zerviah's life saw her children grow up, move out, and start families of their own. She continued to learn in the ways of combat, and just because Fire Lord Ozai had been stopped did not mean that the world was at peace. There eventually came a string of succession crises, and the Fire Nation was not done either. Zerviah joined the military, and her cunning sense of tactics and proficient combat skills had her move up the ranks quickly, becoming a rather seasoned general by the time she hit 64. During this time, she travelled the world greatly, because while the tension had not all fully dissolved, most of it had, and travel was once again safe. the Northern Water Tribe became less isolated after that.
During her spare time, Zerviah would often meditate and increase her spirituality, paying the Spirit Oasis frequent visits. Some of Zerviah's skill came from the balance she had between her physical and spiritual sides, and that augmented her waterbending greatly. Now also as one of the most senior members of Medek's Apothecary (Medek herself was still around), she would teach some of the new and prospective healers these secrets, helping them to open their chi and to increase spirituality of their own. It may have just been her and her husband living at home, but she was still very happy.
As Zerviah grew older, she was hesitant to retire from the apothecary, but eventually, she did, deciding that with these military matters still looming overhead, that it was best for her to focus her energies onto the betterment of the Tribe. Furthermore, there were rumors that the Avatar was reaching that point in life where reincarnation would be imminent, and during that time, without a mediator or peacekeeper, the chaos would only spread. over the years, Zerviah also learned of the art of bloodbending, and also learned it herself, but she vowed to never use it unless the situation was truly desperate.
Shortly after her 67th birthday, Zerviah had an experience that she would never forget. During a moment at the Spirit Oasis, she traversed the two worlds and had unspeakable adventures. Such was the strength of Zerviah's spirituality, and it was so strong that she wound up returning there a few more times between her 68th and 80th birthdays and having more adventures on top of the others. She did not get any sort of super-enhancements from these trips... just more knowledge that she calmly collected in her mind.
Despite that she was growing old, she was still very hale, and her medicinal practices kept her in good health as she grew older. Unfortunately for her, however, her husband was not so lucky, and his health began to slowly decline as Zerviah approached 85 years of age.
Ajun's health declined, and despite Zerviah's concerted efforts to save him, he passed away at the ripe old age of 89. Naturally, Zerviah mourned his loss, but she was significantly comforted in knowing that he had lived a long, full, and happy life, and that they had had 9 beautiful children together. Their marriage had lasted 61 years, and Zerviah was certainly not about to give up the betrothal necklace he had given her. No, despite having a couple of daughters that were grown up now, she had refused to hand it on to any of them, keeping it for herself as a cherished reminder of her beautiful family.
The portents were also right about the life of the Avatar, for he passed away a year later, 30 years before the present time. The next couple of years were hectic, even in the Northern Water Tribe. without an Avatar, and with succession crises looming overhead, there was much unease.
Tragedy befell Zerviah with the death of her eldest child, Akito, at the age of 67. He had lived a long time, but Zerviah knew that his death had been caused, and that if he were to die of natural causes, that he would have lived much longer. Unable to get to the bottom of it, knowing that it was simply the civil struggle going on within the North, Zerviah set out for a new home. She had had her life in the Water tribes, but perhaps it was time to move on.
Zerviah soon moved down to the Fire Nation to begin anew. She was not depressed, nor did she have anything against the Northern Water Tribe. However, her time had been long-spent up there, both as a healer, and one of the best generals the Tribe had known in recent years. She had helped lead the tribes to victory numerous times, even during the chaos of the multiple succession crises. She did not take political matters into her hands, letting others handle that, but she took a majority (though not all) of military matters into her hands. Now as she neared a century in age, she decided that it was time to settle down.
She got a job at a Fire Nation noble's estate, having fully reconciled with the wicked nation that had tried to destroy her people half a century ago. she tended the grounds there, quietly doing her work and ignoring the dysfunctionality of that terrible family, and remaining unaware herself of the two children that lived there. But... that was not her business, and the last thing she wanted was to get caught in their affairs. On her free time, she would roam the grounds of the estate (for that was part of the price they paid to have her tend the place), and would continue to keep her skills in check, not wanting to succumb to her old age any time soon. She returned to the Northern Water Tribe twice before her 100th birthday; once when she was 95, for the funeral of her 3rd child, Daiki, who passed away at 71, and again on her 97th birthday, where she attended the funeral of her 2nd son, Rayoma, who died at 74. she lingered a few days each time, mostly to socialize with old friends, but a decade away from a place can change a lot of things, and a newer generation was there and rising. this was not a bad thing, but most of Zerviah's childhood friends had passed on. she figured that her time was soon coming.
Years passed and Zerviah remained. shortly after her 100th birthday, however, something happened at the Zelgius Estate that she did not understand--at first. The family; both the parents and the elder daughter, were found dead in their sleep, murdered, no doubt. Only the younger of the two twins, Sanaki Zelgius, remained. Zerviah was not expert, but it did not take her long to realize who the murderer was, but she again did not think it her business, and so she said nothing of the matter. However, now that she was alone, the child did grow a bit lonely, and being as family-oriented as she was, she took that 19-year-old girl and taught her a few things. she was not sure what Sanaki thought of them, but Sanaki never declined the lessons, and so Zerviah continued them.
While they were not so much tragedies at this age, Zerviah was still quite surprised to see herself outliving three more of her children. Her 6th son, Hiromi, died when Zerviah was 108, at the age of 79. the next year, her 4th daughter, Lyoko, died at the age of 83. two years after that, her 9th and youngest daughter, Zaruma, died at the age of 75. While all of these were long, fruitful ages to die at, it did sadden Zerviah a bit to know that she was outliving her children. No matter the age, no parent should have to bury their child. However, Zerviah was a tough old lady who had seen much war and death in her time, and so it did not depress her to see her children passing on. they left behind good legacies and had lived good long lives. Variki, her 7th son, died when Zerviah was 113, and he was 82 years old at the time.
Uprisings in the north, believed to be connected with the Avatar, arose when Zerviah was 114. This, combined with the death of her 8th son, Minoru, at the age of 81, brought her back to the Northern Water Tribe. She managed to help keep stability there while three chiefs in succession "disappeared". She knew that Zulera had murdered the first one, and after the disappearances of Chief Xaal and Chief Kanoei, she knew the perpetrator was none other than the Avatar. The old woman confronted said Avatar out in the Northern Wilderness, and promptly gave her one of the biggest beatings in the history of Avatar incarnations. She took a small hiatus from the Zelgius Estate, where she lingered around with Misaha, her 5th daughter, and last living offspring. She had plenty of grandchildren either way, and so it was not like Misaha was the end of Zerviah's line.
Zerviah sided with a handful of loyalists who refused to support Firelord Novai's warmongering efforts, and it is believed that this division was part of the reason the Tribe went through so many chiefs in the last couple of years. Then again, she also knew that the Avatar was not helping this at all. Either way, the Tribe managed to stay together with minimal bloodshed.
Zerviah's 115th year of living had her tragically experience the death of her final child, Misaha, who passed away quietly at the ripe age of 87. Now that there was nothing (except grandchildren) for her at the Northern Water Tribe, Zerviah returned to House Zelgius, where Sanaki promptly re-hired her. She noticed quite the change in this woman, but also because she was married with two little children of her own. These two little angels became a light in Zerviah's life, and she saw another reason to continue living. She settled down in the Fire Nation, no longer caring about the deeds of that blasted Avatar, and she hoped that Chief Tyrus would be able to prevent her from making him the next one in line of her little "Schemes".
Even at this age, Zerviah is old, but still hale. she did not skip out on her practicing, and she keeps all of her abilities in check when she is not tending to the estate or the grounds. her skills with manipulating water and even the plants, keeps the grounds looing fine, and as a mother of 9, cleaning up a few messes after a couple of very well-disciplined 5-year olds was a cakewalk.
This is where Zerviah lives today, and can almost always be found at the Zelgius Estate with Tarek, Sanaki, and their children Katsuo and Kaede. She has special and unique bonds with each member of the little family, and while she is quiet and sometimes a little scary-looking, those who know her know that she is a gentle soul.
She took special interest in little Kozue when she came to live with the family for a while, and the two bonded on special levels. Zerviah's spirituality continued to increase, and she remained able to travel to the spirit world in the right circumstances. She bonded so well with the little children, both now 6, that she considers them to be her family on some level. While it might just be consolation for the family of hers that she has lost to the sands of time, it pacifies Zerviah's old bones, and helps her sleep at night. She does not care how long she lives or when the times comes that she must die . She is ready for that time, but until it happens, she will live her life to the fullest, laughing a little perhaps at the irony of her exceedingly long age.

Zerviah Shizuka Foxx

It was a lovely spring afternoon when Zerviah heard the large doors of the estate swing open. Tarek was off studying and Sanaki was rehearsing for her upcoming performance, so she was alone at the estate with little Kozue nearby. The ones who had opened the door had to be Kaede and Katsuo. As she strode towards the door, she learned that she was correct in her assumption. The children greeted her, Kaede excitedly handing her a small batch of flowers that she had stopped to pick on the way home from school. She smiled sweetly at them and led them towards the kitchen. “Now you two sit tight for a moment, and I’ll give you something sweet.” She said in her low, scratchy voice. Despite its tone, there was a very friendly air to it that made neither of the little children afraid of it. It did used to scare Tarek, and that secretly delighted Zerviah for a while. Some bouts of childishness never grow up, and Zerviah regretted nothing. “Do you two want to hear another one of Zerviah’s spirit world adventures?” she smirked at them, handing the two of them a cookie each, “or is now not the time.” “Yeah!” they both chanted simultaneously. “your spirit stories are always so weird…” Katsuo added. “But so cool!” Kaede threw in, and her brother nodded in agreement. “Alright then.” She cackled, “gobble those up and then follow me. This is a special story.” Needless to say, the poor cookies didn’t last long in the hands of hungry 6-year-olds, and soon the twins were excitedly following Zerviah into a living room to hear her story. They sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her, as she sat in her old rocker that she loved. “This is a story about the time me and Kozue first talked.” She smirked. “But Kozue doesn’t know how to talk, I thought.” Kaede exclaimed, “Not in this world… Kozue’s been with me to the land of the spirits though… many times in fact.” There was a hushed silence that fell over both Kaede and Katsuo. They leaned in closer as Zerviah lowered her voice. “Anyways,” she began, “I once found Kozue meditating quietly, and so I decided to join her. after a few hours, she had not moved an inch, and so I got worried about her. I tried shaking her to see if she would snap out of it, but she was in a deep trance. That was how I knew that she had gone to the spirit world.” There was an ‘ooooh’ from both the kids. “So… Aunty Zerviah decides to follow her. I wandered through all sorts of crazy spirit mumbo-jumbo before I found her happily singing and dancing by herself. She seemed surprised to meet me. What surprised me though, was that she could see, hear, and even talk.” “That would be so cool!” Kaede exclaimed, “I wish Kozue could talk.” Zerviah cackled. “well… she can. She has said many good things about the both of you. She told me that even though she cannot talk in the real world, that she is happy that you two are so nice and sweet to her, and that loves you like siblings.” Zerviah continued to explain the story, going on and on until Sanaki came home. When she asked what Zerviah did to keep the kids in such high spirits, the old woman simply smiled. “I just told a little story,” she cackled, “and had a little chat with an old friend…”

Mood: Calm Condition: Old, but Hale

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Type Forum Name Here: Your Goddess, Lord, and Savior... Zul.
=B

Approved I sort of feel sorry for the admin that has to move this thread if it gets fully approved, it's rather heavy.

Seriously though, that was damn good, though this is one natural brown ass I refuse to kiss, thank you very much.

Now that's how a profile should be done. Well written, epic and now also approved.