Zayah Nadine

Councilwoman Zayah Rosalina Nadine (n. Catedral)

Zayah is a Councilmember serving on The Cedar Council.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

For the first five years of her life, Zayah thought she was perfectly normal, an only child growing up in Cedar with two entirely average parents. However, that all changed one afternoon when Zayah was playing by herself outside, and she suddenly began to float. Her mother, who was idly reading nearby, grew terrified and snatched Zayah out of the air before any of the neighbors could see. Zayah's mother had no other choice but to tell her the truth.
Who Zayah believed to be her biological mother was, in reality, her stepmother. Zayah's father, Alder, had an affair with Wren Hagda, the married Chiefmage of the Air Core. Upon discovering the pregnancy, Wren knew that this illegitimate child could ruin her political career, so she disappeared along with her sister to the neighboring country of Vira, under the guise of a work trip. Zayah's father met her there, and the two of them were together for the duration of Wren's pregnancy. After Wren gave birth to Zayah, Zayah's father took her back to his hometown of Cedar, where he raised Zayah as a single father for the first year of her life, with Wren's child support keeping the both of them going. Shortly after Zayah's first birthday, her father met her stepmother, and the two were married and living together by Zayah's second.
The Magi are barred from being elected to the Cedar Council, as the Cedar Council exists to counteract the political and magical power emitting from the capital. As a result of this, Zayah has kept her powers hidden her entire life. She feels no particular connection towards the magic she harbors, and if anything, resents it. It would be a lie to say she hadn't dabbled with it, just to test its limits and its power, but she would never use it for nefarious purposes. Zayah's election to the council hinged on her keeping the secret. To her knowledge, only herself, her parents, her biological mother, and her biological aunt know about her true identity.
Before running for the council, Zayah met her husband, Neel. He was a sweet, tempered man, who never picked fights and seemed to have a love for Zayah so intense that she could never quite figure him out. Zayah has been regarded by others to be mean-spirited, sour, and at times apathetic. She is by far the least-liked woman on the council, and her personality has never changed, not even while she was trying to get elected. She has a surprising amount of charisma that rivals that of Omar Wasem, but it often goes overlooked. Prior to her election, Zayah gave birth to a son, Sai. Luckily for Zayah, Sai was not a Mage, like her. She ran for the council shortly after this, when she knew that no one could find out about her secret. Neel and Sai still don't know.
Zayah has only met Wren Hagda once, after a lengthy journey to Mallowa's capital. It was a visit the entire council made to have discussions with the Magi leaders, and Zayah upheld an entire conversation with Wren, fully knowing that her mother didn't recognize her. She ended the conversation by mentioning how she felt she looked more like her father than Wren, and it was satisfying to see the terror of realization enter Wren's eyes.

Known Languages

Mallowan