Zyxu
Zyxu, often referred to as Zyxu the Mage was a mage of legendary fame. He is the only person known to succesfully cast the Zyxu's Atbash, the only spell known to be cast at magnitued of above ʍ|9, with effects so powerful they can be observed even 10,000 years after his mysterious disappearance.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Zyxu physicality and overall condition is rarely mentioned in their manifesto. The only mentions of his body are in relation to a physical trauma or a change in their gender. No information is attributed to his age, race, eyes and hair shades, or anything else along those line.
Apparel & Accessories
Zyxu goes above and beyond what is necessary to describe their attire. In fact, the main reason Zyxu is presumed to be a Humanoid in the first place is due to his number of limbs and mention of regularly shaving their facial hair. Zyxu mostly chose to wear cloths that differentiate them from the crowd or even from their peers.
Despite the elongated description of clothing in their writings, Zyxu often go into more detail in regard to some items over others. He might casually mention in a single line throwing away a pair of boots that served him for decades, but then invest an entire page to describe a mundane sock he was gifted in his travels, including the suspected number of stitches it was made out of and list the different shades and hues at certain spots of the fabric.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Zyxu's story is a compilation of seemingly unrelated tales. Most stories depict the mage a Human, and most scholars agree that he was belonging to the Netherese people based on his immense understanding of magic. The mage's real name was lost to history and the name 'Zyxu' was attributed to him thousands of years later by researchers in the Conclave of Magi who translated some of its cryptic manifesto and believed the letters to be an amalgamation of his true name.
There are several stories regarding his origins, yet none can be confirmed as true. The most commonly accepted theory is that Zyxu arrived to Edora with the Netheril, and perhaps even filled an important role in their society.
Almost all evidence and traces of Zyxu appear as if they were intentionally struck and erased from history. Evidence of the mage existence and his influence on the Prime Material Realm began unraveling only after the discovery of his manifesto in 1380.
The Atbash
Zyxu's most well known story is the casting of the Atbash. With the help of two or more unnamed but powerful wizards, Zyxu attempted to remove a piece of the Prime Material Plane and transport it to another plane. The spell was considered pure myth, as the materials and powers needed to create it exceeds the known upper limits of magic, namely that of casting at magnitudes of above ʍ|9.
In 1491, while looking for abnormalities in the motions of the Astral Planes, an observation crew in Mirag noticed a strange, impossibly ancient tether between the Prime Material and another unknown dimension. Further investigation of the Conclave and the Order of Xyjil found hard evidence of a magnitude ʍ|10 interference with the weave in the Central Amadels some 10,000 years ago. The lingering effects canceled any and all spells under a magnitude of ʍ|3 and any teleportation or planer movement inducing spells failed regardless of their casting magnitude.
Expedition teams were sent from the Kingdom of Dam Tarihr by the Institute of Stonecunning and Mineral Identification who confirmed the location used to be a jagged, pointy mountain peak before being almost completely flattened.
Investigations of the site continued until 1522, when a group of stonecutters revealed the peak was not eroded, but completely cut in one sheer strike. The energy potential required to perform such a feat was calculated to be 30 times more than can be achieved by simultaneously exploding the entire Dwarven Explosives arsenal present on the continent.
Dueling Cain
In his manifesto, Zyxu express sheer frustration regarding dealing with a human group he refer to often, but only using the Celestial words 'YELED NAHUT'. Chief among his complaints is one pointed at a certain individual only named as 'Cain the Scarred' in his manifesto.
According to Zyxu, Cain tried to cheat him on a deal, and when the mage required his funds back, he was challenged to a duel by Cain in order to 'protect his sense of self importance'. In the manifesto, Zyxu claims the duel lasted for 62 days and 63 nights, that Cain refused to use magic despite being a capable mage himself and despite Zyxu using his entire might.
During the apex of the dual, Zyxu accidentally stuck his wife who arrived to serve dinner to the two combatants. She is killed on the spot, sending Zyxu to a rage that according to his writings, caused him to sink an entire island, killing thousands, then raise it back up only to drown it again to ensure no survivors were left. The act is depicted with causality, as if such feats can be easily achieved by almost anyone. Zyxu's wife is not mentioned anywhere else in his manifesto, prior or after her death. He also never refer to her by name, instead choosing to using a the Celestial word 'NEHAMA'. meaning condolences or solace.
By day 50 both combatants were already exhausted, torn to shreds and barely able to move, speak or hear. Zyxu describes the last hours of the duel as the hardest, having to crawl on his exposed lungs towards his adversary who resulted to do the same, while casting spells by blinking and coughing blood in specific patterns. Cain meanwhile attempted to bite into the wizard's eyes, in desperate, unsuccessful attempts to blind him. The duel finally ends with both combatants agreeing never to set eyes on the other again and a sum of 15 coins of unknown currency is exchanged.
Ekian Cain, a true immortal who fits Cain's description and even shares his name, was questioned about Zyxu, but claimed to have no concrete memory of the wizards appearance, name or even race. He claim he did fought the wizard, however that the duel lasted only 24 days, that he was the one to kill Zyxu's wife and that he was the one to win the duel. When asked to point at the sunken island's location Cain claims no recollection of such event and like most others of Zyxu tales, this too remains unconfirmed. Over the years the tale gained popularity, especially as a children's tale, and even inspired several plays aimed at more mature audiences.
The Warring Courts
Another famous tale somewhat successfully translated from the manifesto is of two courts in the Feywilds locked in eternal disagreement. The two rulers summon Zyxu to share his wisdom with them and act as judges. He reluctantly agrees after they promising him a winged donkey as payment.
Zyxu tours their lands and talks to their people, who reveal to him the two rulers are in fact brothers and that their argument is completely arteficial as they both benefit from the current state of war. Zyxu return to the rulers, demanding they live one century as peasants, and leave him to rule both kingdoms as one. He promise them that after a century he shall pick the most suitable of them to rule over both courts. The brothers agree, and leave the palace.
Under Zyxu's leadership, the unified court prospered, their way of war abandoned and their peaceful future secured. Zyxu teach the people how to cultivate cattle, how to lead water to their crops, how to weave and how to sew. Within five decades the unified court has become the envy of the entire Feywilds and the fey began begging him to become the 'Queen of All Everything'. Zyxu eventually agrees to answer the fey's plea, turns himself into a woman, and becomes the queen of the entire Feywilds.
During her reign, Zyxu had an argument with the Raven Queen while the two are drinking in his palace dining room. They disagree on the necessity of Entropy and how Zyxu sees it as irrelevant and unnecessary. To teach her a lesson, the Raven Queen kills Zyxu, sending his soul to the afterlife.
In his afterlife, Zyxu is welcomed as a hero. Solars cater to her every whim and cupids sing and play for her whenever she went. Festivities held in her name every morning and a grand dance was announced in her honor every night. The stars themselves would often come down to great her and to express their love to the now dead Queen of All Everything. Wherever she went, joy and love wrapped her like a warm blanket.
Zyxu enjoyed the treatment for a couple of centuries, but after a while it became a bore. The same melodies by the same cupids, the same solars saluting her as she goes past their eternal watch posts, the same magnificent food and drinks every night. Zyxu began craving change, action, drama, anything to disrupt the overwhelming love that was constantly bestowed upon her. Eventually even the cupids' smooth melodies began to sound like nails in her ears, the meals became dull to her tongue, the conversations rudimentary for her mind.
Zyxu called for the Raven Queen and told her that she tired from the life of the dead. That she wishes to see the world of mortals again, to experience change and uncertainty like she did before. She admitted her time in the afterlife was a pleasant one, but eventually even the nice things became insufferable. She understood now why change is necessary, why the material planes are the way they are, in constant change. The Raven Queen, glad that Zyxu finally learned her lesson, returned her back to her court.
To Zyxu's dismay, she discovered that in her absence several generations have passed. Her realm shattered after her death and power struggles caused the once unified feywilds to split into two, now fundamentally opposite sides. One was eternal sunshine and spring. Flowers blooming and trees laden with fruit. The other side turned into a frozen wilderness of boreal forests and vast glaciers. With no hope of reuniting the now so distinct courts, and with almost none of them remembering her rule, Zyxu decides to go back to the Prime Material Realm.
While none of the elven civilizations agree with Zyxu's story, it slightly resembles the tale of Zaladar of the Selnarrin's, who was the elven king of the Mytharan Empire and was sent to the afterlife to be thought a similar lesson as punishment for his personal quest for immortality. Zaladar's story however, mentions mostly horrors and nightmares in his afterlife.
Gender Identity
Zyxu's gender seems to be in flux in their writing. They refer to themselves both as male and as female, sometimes using both in the same sentence. Zyxu's stories also mention them changing their gender effortlessly and often doing so just for the sake of change or simply for practicality.
Education
Zyxu mentions little of his education in his writings. He mostly refer to lessons he taught others, and to their sheer incompetence at said subjects. Equaly powerful peers, if those even existed, are never mentioned in his manifesto.
Intellectual Characteristics
If by design or by nature, Zyxu's character in their manifesto is arrogant, self assured and prone to pettiness. Zyxu views himself as better then his peers, and not even comperable to those of other races. His arrogance and self rightiousness is a common trope in the stories that have been translated. While evidence to support his outlandish claims do exists, they are circumctential at best, leading many to assume Zyxu is not a real person but a persona that was used by the real author, who remains unnamed.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Some speculate that Zyxu's motivations are his lust for power and self assurance. Those who delve into Zyxu's writing from a bardic perspective often describe them as a person who struggles to find a worthy goal, who's achievment always end with them being back where they started.
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