Cold.

Demanding.

Perfectionist.

Those are just a few of the words that people use to describe Zariya. "Bitch" might be among those as well, with those who dislike her. (Not to mention some of the choicer terms that the people of Garnath call her; the chief cat-caller in this is Rowan the Mrrr.) Yet, she is courtly and well-versed in pleasantries. She can talk to her Aunt Florimel about dresses and gossip as easily as she can talk to her father about fighting and bloodshed.

Those working closest to her say that she is devoted to her Shire and Amber. Her loyalty to King Oberon is nothing less than total zealousness. This loyalty doesn't seem to preclude other relatives however, as she has been noted saying more than a few times that some of her cousins should be shorter by a head.

Zariya is tall for an average woman, standing at around 6' or so in height. She is very lean and athletic looking, keeping her body in top shape. If one favors a very severe look, then she would be considered attractive. As it is, her face seems to be all angles, with sharp cheekbones, a pointed nose, and jutting chin. Her skin is a dusky brown, giving away a "Middle East" type of parentage. Her hair is long, black, and very thick. However, she keeps in a very tight braid most of the time, the braid sweeping down to the middle of her back. Her hands are calloused from hard work, and the nails are short and blunt.

She dresses in loose clothing, mostly of tans and whites, all with an exotic flair to them. While she dresses for practicality and ease of movement, her clothes are of a fashionable cut, even if they are a drab color. When she dresses thusly, she almost always has her scimitar with her, in a plain scabbard on her left hip. She does dress up when the occasion warrants, tending to shock people with bright, attention grabbing colors like cherry red, and flame orange. She does wear jewelry when she dresses in finery, usually all of gold with few stones...normally bracelets, earrings, and the occasional necklace. She rarely wears rings of any sort, and those that she do don generally have some sort of meaning (for example, a signet ring, or a gift).

Zariya's colors are brown, emerald green, and white. Her symbol is a brown wyvern with a green vine in its beak.

Zariya was born in a nameless desert Shadow. Her mother was one of the many concubines to the Emir there, which happened to be Caine. She was raised to be a concubine at first, and when the Emir tried to marry her off to a minor lord in his service (one that was old and fat and balding), she spit in his face and told him to kill her instead.

He was ready to comply. Her mother helped her to escape from the Emir's palace to safety. It was in the wilds that she learned to survive. She took service as a headhunter in another lord's household, and that was that until Caine revealed himself to her and brought her to Amber.

She gets along well with him now, seemingly not offended by him almost forcing her to marry, and then ordering her execution. When seen together, both are often smiling, and she is always deferential to him.

Zariya is deferential to all the elder Amberites, at least openly. Of her cousins, she seems to prefer Dunstree and Alexis the most, but that is probably because they have similar goals for Amber in mind. Others have made an impression, whether good or ill. It doesn't take long for Zariya to form an opinion about them. However, she mostly holds herself away from her family, for whatever reasons. Rarely does she visit for a social reason, even if it is coupled with business.

She hates Scherazade with a passion, bordering on psychotic. She will, however, be in Scher's company if she has to be. After Scherazade, Breyd tops the list next, tied with Rory, though she can at least talk to Breyd. Laszlo's been on her sh-- list a few times as well. A few others have made the list, but that's not been made public. Yet.

Here are any logs of the game, as well as any news articles that pertain to Zariya particularly, whether they be sarcastic parodies or serious news. This section has been divided up into four sections, as the main list was growing pretty big and ungainly. Please select the section you would like below.

Here are Zariya's opinions about her kin and other important figures in Amber. This is by no means complete yet, as she has yet to interact with a lot of people in Amber, but it will be added to by and by.

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.

--William Blake

I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters.

--Solomon Short

The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting.

--Gloria Leonard

If at first you don't succeed, why go on and make a fool of yourself?

--Susanna Pomeory

It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

--Miss Manners (Judith Martin)

Can you see the real me?

--The Who in The Real Me

I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.

--Robert Bloch

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.

--Albert Camus

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

--Bertrand Russell

The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his actions.

--Confucius

Brevity is the soul of wit.

--William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

--Arthur Ashe

It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.

--Oscar Wilde

The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.

--William Shakespeare, King Henry IV

We think so because other people all think so; or because after all, we do think so; or because we were told so, and think we must think so; or because we once thought so, and think we still think so; or because, having thought so, we think we will think so.

--Henry Sedgwick

The graveyards are full of indispensable men.

--Charles de Gaulle

To know all is not to forgive all. It is to despise everybody.

--Quentin Crisp

Nice guys finish last, but we get to sleep in.

--Evan Davis

Don't be so humble - you are not that great.

--Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself.

--Anais Nin

After all is said and done, a lot more will be said than done.

--Unknown

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

--Albert Eistein

But, for my own part, it was Greek to me.

--William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.

--William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

--Aleister Crowley

You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.

--Al Capone

Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.

--Terry Pratchett, Discworld

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.

--William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

--George Bernard Shaw

A witty saying proves nothing.

--Voltaire

Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.

--Bertrand Russell

Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.

--William Shakespear, Hamlet

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

--George Carlin

Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.

--Kurt Vonnegut

What Type of Villain are You?
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The original character concept "Zariya" was created for "Equinox", an Amber diceless roleplaying game. The concept of "Amber" is copyright � Roger Zelazny, and the game is copyright � Phage Press. No copyright fringes of the rpg is intended. The game is run by Craig Lucas. The background is copyright © www.pambytes.com, and is freeware. The line and bullets also are freeware (though I lost the address where they came from). The photographs of Aaliyah have been manipulated using Paint Shop Pro 7. As I am no longer in this game, this page will be modified as I see fit (mostly taking down space-sucking logs) and after that will no longer be updated. This page was last updated January 6, 2004.

Photos of Aaliyah are courtesy of: In Loving Memory of Aaliyah

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