Zyna

Goddess of chaos and corruption, Zyna is a jealous goddess of change.

Origin

Zyna was created to represent balance, a direct opposite to Nyx from the creation of the world. Where Nyx was order, Zyna was chaos. Nyx represented fate, so Zyna represented chance. As Nyx became seen as the greatest goddess by people, Zyna became the balance: the villain of her story, jealous of the attention of her older twin. She turned against Nyx and started the Wrath of the Gods by corrupting three of the Ancient Ones: Teruna, Ignis, and Kereos. The thousand years' wrath was bloody and destructive, changing the course of the world forever. With the wrath, Zyna introduced corruption to the rest of the world, sparking jealousy, greed, and violence en masse. When she was captured and locked in the Shattered Plane, she sent a piece of her corruption into the world to continue the chaos she started, hiding in the wings of Celian, the messanger deity.

Abilities and Avatar

Zyna has no set form, but can appear as whatever the person she is appearing to desires most. In art, she is often depicted as a massive hound or vulture. She is almost always depicted as black and red, in contrast to Nyx's black and blue. She has no control of any domain of her own, but her abilties lie in corruption and influence. She can posess others, influence emotions and actions, and spread sickness and violence. It is said that she has a hand in starting some of the most destructive events of history.

In Culture

Aspects of Zyna appear in almost every major religion in Maeovis. In Avonism, she is portrayed as an unnamed evil that permeates the world, the counterpart to Avon's goodness. Magefolk, called Devons by strict Avonists, are said to have gained their magic from her. In Vetexire, she is Eztli, the god of destruction and the opposite of Topec, inhabiting the night and bringing ill fortune. In Nduthet, she is combined with aspects of the other gods to form Auset, goddess of chaos and evil who causes earthquakes and destructive storms.
The magefolk refuse to speak her name out of fear of bringing her wrath upon them, referring to her by epithets such a "Enemy of Nyx" or "Death-giver". There was a small cult of mages who chose to speak her name, believing they had power over those whose name they knew. They intended to bring about a second wrath with them as the generals of Zyna's army. None of the cultists remain, having been either executed or died of sickness. Many years later, an Audhyllic warrior named Erin believed she could earn a position at the right hand of the gods and attempted to bring them back from the Shattered Plane. Her attempts were partially successful, though at the cost of her life.