Azur (A-zyer)

Life, water, purity, and mothership all sum up Azur's role as a goddess.

While not directly an artifact, its cultural relevance relates to Azur. The practice of going to shore and holding a pearl originated with her, for everyone claims that once she came to the mortal world, she held a pearl herself. People claim it is the one that holds her cape together whereas other consider it to have been dispersed throughout the waters. The latter is considered to have been Azur spreading her divinity through the oceans.

Divine words about Azur appear in the Scripture of Radiance; it is where the idea of her splitting the continents up came about. Followers often revise the book due to all the speeches she gives to her people and to account for Queen Iferclu and Khein Aegaea's shifting motivations. To everyone's surprise, she has never read it herself. However, she does seem to believe that Saturn, Alternity, and Lodur are emanations of the Creator, explaining their awesome strengths. Even she is not entirely sure, considering she hardly talks to the former two.

The teardrop represents Azur and the Serpere Reefs in its entirety.

All has the divine spark. Such a principle is highlighted through Azur's speech to her citizens, and it is also involved in anima magic. Since everyone has it, that means everyone is worthy of redemption, regardless of how heinous their crimes might be. Everyone deserves to learn and grow and never have that inhibited or prevented, and doing so is worse than any other crime. She shows this behavior by being a pacifist and always capturing her foes rather than slaying them.

Queen Azur always advises against making a holiday dedicated to her. Therefore, no such thing exists.

All the Queen desires is a peaceful, harmonious world.

As most of her body is eel-like, her upper-half is lean but strong. Her form helps her shoot through even the most resistant of currents.

Over half of her body resembles an eel. With a light-blue tone and violet fins, her body pops out against the darkness of the sea. Her webbed hands are more for appearance's sake as she does most of her navigating with her tail. For the humanoid section of her body, her muscles are well-defined from swimming. Reddish-umber skin contrasts against the colder hues of her look, and only a few scars run across her arms and torso.

A round face frames half-lidded eyes, black in color. Violet scales dot her wide nosebridge, chin, and forehead. Always interested in some self-decoration, Azur puts on crimson lipstick and violet eyeshadow, the specks of glimmer shining underwater. If she wishes to change it up, she will go for dark-blue lipstick and some eyeliner. Her cheeks always pop out due to her contouring.

Her curved horns signal to all imugyohs the Queen comes to greet them. Others seldom have them, hence the emphasis put upon them. A spike juts out of each of them, and an indigo shade along the rugged forms further distinguish them. Another notable feature is the sharp tooth sticking out from her plump upper-lip, white like seafoam. When she smiles, it always stands out among the crowd.

Queen Azur formally introduced anima magic to the world, otherwise known as speaking to enliven the unliving. After reciting a command to help oneself focus on the deed, the object does whatever the spell caster commands it to if physically possible. I consider this her special ability due to her unique relationship with it. Although anima magic has technically existed far before she was even born, she was the one who helped mortals understand it. It also helps her embody the role of the goddess of nature to a greater degree.

Her most important piece of apparel is her shroud, signifying her relation to the Acolytes. Though not too involved with their affairs, she visits Enon every now and again to report her findings on her people's behavior. Though her colleaguea and higher-ups can act coldly about her information, as of late, they seem more interested in seeing how it applies to themselves. Such a shift caught Azur by surprise, and to this day, she wondered what or who caused it. Besides that, the pearl keep her shroud togethef bears the Creator's sigil. When she takes her divine form, she holds it with her talons and swoops over the sea, as if showing to hostile parties that she can defend her territory if she needs. However, such a display is rare, considering her pacifistic tendencies.   Minor aspects of her appearance include the blue swimsuit and her makeup. Sometimes, she wears white pearls to the surface.

Azur has always wished to display herself as the elegant Queen of the Serpere Reefs. She wears flowing clothes and makeup at every moment possible, but in contrast to her softness is her short hair. As she desires to make swimming easier, she sacrifices having long locs. She identifies as female and flaunts her gender proudly.

Homosexual

As a young goddess, she listened to Alternity's lectures about the universe. She always wished to get up and leave and frolic about in nature, but once her teacher centered around it, she stayed put. Each day during that period, she scrutinized the tiniest petals and specks of rocks. Alternity brought with them some bioluminescent creatures during one lesson, and Azur realized she wished to replicate that. Due to this, Triadist imugyeoh in the modern era interpret their glowing marks as a gift from the wise hypostasis Nous of the Creator.

As a youth (or the equivalent of a youth for a deity), Azur focused on maintaining relations over the small communities that would spring up over the divided land. She would ensure that no one tried to kill one another, insisting on how all must focus on the Fell God's monsters. If infighting began, then mortals would prove themselves unworthy to survive, and the world would become empty of life. Her negotiating skills proved useful when some of these communities merged and followed her path. Soon enough, she became leader of the Serpere Reefs once the Age of Darkness ended. Now, she reigns supreme over her people, but her kindness never faded.

Queen Azur created the first council, or a group of elected officials meant to assist the executive branch. The council, although not split like other forms of legislation, deliberates on laws and sends their decision to the Queen, where she either signs or rejects it. If the law is rejected, the council may vote to overturn it. This is one of the first examples of a government with multiple branches in Neegavia. Every other one is more akin to a dictatorship, or at least, that was true before Hymn came to power. Queen Azur's choice to structure it that way helped empower mortals and made them more confident in themselves.   Making a treaty with Empress Hymn after she conquered the country helped to supply herself woth soldiers overseas. She was also provided with Riavelon's vast natural resources, formerly locked to only using those within its territory or forced to pay high import taxes on Koyo goods. Not to mention, this agreement helps her better see into the minds of her people; she took inspiration from Hymn and now tries to hear out her citizens on a more frequent basis. Such communication helps strengthen the nation against attacks from Serias and helps to restore faith in the Reefs. Prior to this, people lost hope in their ruler due to remaining neutral against Serias' campaign to reclaim Riavelon, but now that it is working to prevent the enemy kingdom from expanding its reach, patriotism rose up.

As the years pass, she continuously loses the chance to speak with her family members. First, it was her father, Lodur, who swore vengeance on mortals and sought to eradicate all of them. She knew not of his claims, for he saw them as pests doomed to ruin whatever they touched. Hardly knowing him as a young girl, the few times she was able to have a dialogue with him were short. None of it was amicable, Lodur expressing his disappointment in his children. Next came Ignis, who sought to raise the new country Riavelon's people to be hardened. Once inseparable from him, she distanced herself once she learned of the grueling atmosphere he put his citizens through. In fact, to this day, she sees the damage of the country's military programs and its focus on strength above all else continuing to plague the city. Even in Fraenir's reign, those who could not fend for themselves were stigmatized and essentially exiled from their communities. Finally, she and her sister Iferclu could not keep their sisterly bond. The two relied on each other for support during the Age of Darkness and both hoped their father might soon see the error of his ways. However, when the crusaders slew their brother, the two took different sides of the issue. Azur, at this point, was not close to him at all and did not wish to get involved with the aftermath. Iferclu, in the meanwhile, felt the same rage as her father and eventually started harboring the same resentment of mortals as he did. She conquered the country and instated her artificial son onto the throne to Azur's horror, and even though the Queen of the Serpere Reefs maintained neutrality, it was not long until Iferclu invaded her country. Her perspective on the whole situation is she failed her family as a whole, and from this, she began resenting herself.

Azur suffers greatly from anxiety and goes through depression slumps. Her anxiety first stemmed from her father's advances on the world, wondering if she would be doomed to be the same. It later developed into a generalized anxiety of the future and of her family, fearing her sister and her violent ways. Her depression originates from how she interprets herself to be the cause of all the disorder within her family. Had she spoken up to Ignis or Iferclu, perhaps the conflicts of the world would not be raging on. However, such negative emotions are not seen by the public as she puts on a smile and hides it. The few that do know of it are the Acolytes, particularly Stellar.

Azur focuses on the idea that everyone has the divine spark within them, and therefore, they are just as needed to make major decisions as gods. This idea comes into conflict with the ideas of Alternity, for exanple, who believes that the people are inherently flawed and are in need of guidance. Such a belief led to Azur establishing the council of the Serpere Reefs, so she would not rule as a dictator. However, she tends to do what she believes is right given the circumstances. If the council votes to go to war, for instance, then she will do everything in her power to prevent that from happening. She favors a peaceful resolution over a violent one, for she cares for each individual as if they were her family, regardless of their loyalty. Such a moral often causes disorder in regards to the protection of her own nation; if Serias comes and attacks, then she will only send a few troops to fight them off to minimalize casualties. Such behavior has led to great discontent within the population and the council to deny her the option to withhold soldiers for any longer. For the entirety of the Serian-Reef war, she has felt miserable, unable to make full decisions without the help of some of her closest friends like Stellar. However, she also values not looking weak in front of the public, so as to not make them lose hope. Azur recognizes herself as a symbol of her country and knows her neighbors to take her despondence as a sign of weakness. Therefore, she reserves weeping to her bedchambers and to Enon.

Azur will absolutely not murder, even in self-defense. Due to her sheer power as a deity, she knows the damage could prove devastating and potentially cause more harm than good. Therefore, if in a fight, flight, or freeze situation, she chooses to flee or formulates a plan to end the confrontation without spilling blood. Worth mentioning as well is how she views the death penalty as injust, so the practice is completely banned from her country. Instead, she focuses on trying to reform prisoners and sending them back out to be useful citizens, or at least, the laws in place instruct prisonguards and the like to do that. In most severe circumstances, she will pardon those guilty of crimes personally, even if the council disagrees.

In one perspective, one could say Azur's motivation stems from her desire to prevent anyone or anything like her father coming to threaten the world again. In another, one may interpret it as fear to become like him driving her forward. In reality, both of these factors play into her behavior. To make up for the tragedies and atrocities the Fell God brought to Neegavia, Azur promises to make life for her people the best she can. This is why she also insists staying as Queen, for she wants to ensure her vision comes to fruition. At the same time, the stories passed down to her by Alternity and Saturn stress her out, so she also thinks of herself as a figure to guide her citizens back to the path of order.

Queen Azur is a master of anima magic, and from time to time, she takes apprentices to teach them its ways. She can cast it from the mind rather than use words to steady herself, so it often catches her opponents off-guard. She may also cast it on objects bigger than what is possible for a mortal. Some claim that she split the continents a part with her anima prowess while others claim the warring of the gods with Lodur resulted in that. She neither denies or accepts either.   Despite her outgoing demeanor, she fails to empathize with mortals. She tries her best, but their explanations fail to enlighten her. Never has Azur truly been friends with a mortal, failing to open up to one or relying on one to help her with tasks. On a broader scale, of course the council assists with running the Serpere Reefs, but never have they helped the Queen with personal problems. This issue of failing to connect with others on a deeper scale leads to Azur feeling alienated from her peers. At the same time, she never felt like she truly belong with the Acolytes either. One could say her motto in life is to fake it until she makes it, for even despite her cheery grin, deep down, she truly is a miserable woman.

Azur highly prioritizes personal hygiene and loves to apply whatever self-care products are available. She likes to apply makeup every morning, so as to look pretty (to herself) and hide her imperfections. That is not to say that she does it due to them. She loves to apply eyeshadow and lipstick to her face and stare at herself in the mirror, reveling in her beauty. Though, if one came up to her and accused her of this, she would deny it.   Azur loves wine, so much so that she even travels to get ahold of her favorite varieties. She has an affinity for zinfandel in particularly, savoring the fruitiness. Within moments, she empties her glass of the drink and asks for another serving, and everyone looks at her with wide eyes. If being a deity gave her one thing, it would be the poisoning tolerance. To get even the slightest bit woozy, she would need to consume gallons of the drink, so with this in mind, she oft empties barrels within the hour. Due to this, many zinfandel producers advertise their wines as Queen Azur's favorite, but in truth, she prefers an obscure one located off the coast of Koyo.   Although not a frequent meal, she loves pork rusks. She loves eating shrimps and clams, for they are her favorite type of seafood. She loves the color blue, as evidenced by her swimsuit and her castle decor. She prefers the night over the morning as she feels that is when she gets all of her work finished. When walking on land (she gives herself legs), she prefers wearing loose-fitting dresses or blouses with flowy skirts. Jewelry finds itself missing in her wardrobe as she finds the feeling of metal against skin uncomfortable. If given the choice to stay in the castle or take a walk into a forest, she would pick the latter. In regards to books, she prefers fictional prose and poetry, and her genre of choice circulates around fantasy (more fantasy than normal in Neegavia.) However, on occasion, she reads autobiographies from mortals to step into their shoes. Azur prefers serenades over more lively music, and she loves hearing the flute. Finally, she likes the smell of lavender.

Imaginative, Forthright, and Intelligent

Passive, Miserable, and Repressed   Although she wishes to deny it, Azur has an alcohol addiction. She cannot get through the day without having at least one glass of the stuff. Unfortunately, nothing discourages her from drinking it, considering her godly alcohol tolerance. It has been a long time since she has consumed any other beverage, even. Council members attempt to steer her on the right track to no avail.

If on land, Azur bathes at least twice a day, if only for how much she likes water. She has a complicated hair care regime accounting for her time in the undersea palace, so as to not dehydrate it. However, as an imugyoh, it is not as complicated as it might be for a landdweller. Considering her status as queen as well, it explains how frequently she was able to bathe. She washes her face with cold water to shrink her pores, and she applies lotion to her skin to keep it healthy.

Queen Azur established the only sort of branched government in the world until Hymn took power. At the time of its formation, Serias and Koyo were more akin to dictatorships, with little advice given to their heads by different parties. Koyo is more similar to the Serpere Reefs as it began as a mortal-led country, but it soon followed Serias when Samael/Aegaeon took control. She stood steadfast against such types of rule and continued to listen to the council, even when pressured by her sister to take full control.   After years of refusing to support her sister and declining alliance requests, the country of Serias officially declared war on the Serpere Reefs. Figurins took the form of water-breathing creatures and stormed underwater settlements, many of which contained peaceful parties. This was all an attempt to pressure her sister into declaring herself the sole ruler of the nation. However, after some deliberation with the council and personal hesitance, she formally declared war against her sister. Due to this, most Serian troops were focused on the Serpere Reefs, and not many were stationed in territories such as the Lithi Islands. As such, it caused a weakness to form in the Riavelon Empire's defense and ultimately led to its downfall. Once done, Hymn, after ascending the crown, formally signs a treaty and alliance deal with Azur, and now the two countries fight against Serias. However, in response to this, Koyo stops being a neutral party and joins with Serias, causing a world war to begin. Azur continues to rule despite all of these troubles, and though her approval rating has fluctuated over the years, the decision to ally with the Riavelon League earned her great support from her citizens.

Queen Azur is heavily involved with the council, for they are her main relation. She will meet with them frequently through the week to discuss laws, plans, and strategies for the Reefs. Most notably, she is closest to a woman named Myriah, a councilmember who frequently goes on excursions and participates in the rest of society. She often sends boats out with the Queen's permission to rescue stragglers in the sea or to recover bodies. The two dine on clams once she returns, and this relationship is the closest she has to a mortal. She stays close to a lead researcher named Megaera Kynigos, a competent mage who studies in-depth the mortal limit for pneuma production. Because of her research, anima usage in the populace grows with each passing day, and their magical capabilities rival that of the most powerful nobles from Koyo. Queen Azur favors Megaera so much, in fact, that she accepted her request to send troops to help the Freedom Fighters in Riavelon, and it is due to her that the two countries have an alliance to begin with.   As a member of the Acolytes, she seems distant from them most of the time. Although she agrees with the need to keep mortals in check, she does not accept the coldness they harbor toward them. Azur believes to achieve a peaceful society, one must participate in it. This contrasts with the idea that one must not form biases based on those they prefer the most. The individual who she feels most strongly connected to is Stellar, the Brightest Disciple. As the heir to Lyra, Stellar often felt weak and undeserving of her position, and such feelings soon turned to resentment for hef Creator. She then left and often met with Azur, where they would discuss the going on's of the world. However, as of recently, Azur hardly sees her, and when she visits at Enon, she isn't allowed to go into the tree anymore. It despairs her to know that Stellar would be so willing to break apart from her like this, especially with all of her sudden excuses. Nevertheless, Azur respects her privacy and leaves when she seems most uncomfortable, usually when she glances at the door leading inside of the tree. Sometimes, Azur thinks she hears a child's voice from the other side while Stellar insists Saturn is only practicing her magic.

Once, Azur and her siblings were inseparable, staying together as they watched their father rain terror upon the world. They promised each other to never become like him and to always keep their love for people alive. However, this all changed when the crusaders murdered Emperor Ignis, or Azur's older brother. She, personally, could understand the reasoning behind it despite the despair she felt over his demise. Iferclu, her older sister, grew to resent mortals and began believing her father's statements about their inherent vileness. Azur continues to hold hope for them which formed a rift between her and her sister, and now, it has progressed to the point where the latter has declared war on her nation.

Azur carries herself with great confidence, so it makes sense the crowd all turn their heads to face her. She has an infectious smile with a strong voice, so she comes across as a persuasive woman. However, this all hides the self-loathing she harbors underneath. Behind that smile is the cries of one who despise herself. Unable to stop her sister's descent into rage, she stood idle as she then declared war upon her nation. Because of this, she views herself lowly. To reveal such weaknesses to her citizens, especially as a deity, horrifies her more. Azur internalizes the notion that a god must be free of emotions and biases, even though she tries to rebel against it at the same time. For example, Azur might allow the council to exist, but at the same time, she forces herself to not form close bonds with them.   In most circumstances, she comes off as an extrovert, preferring to be in the crowd and conversing with as many people possible. In her private life, though, she prefers to be alone or with a close friend. Such a lifestyle has isolated her and took a toll on her mental health.    Azur is a well-mannered woman by mortal standards. Exemplifying this is how she usually lets others go through the door before her or she lets others take her place in line. If asked about one of her articles of clothing, she will find a way to replicate it and gift it, provided she is given just compensation. She never talks over others unless the situation calls for it, and she never loses her temper over contentious situations. Finally, although she may dislike someone, Azur never talks behind their back.

The Queen speaks with a lilt and often laughs at even the most unfunny jokes. She always sits still during a meeting, even though she gets the urge to move about during it. If alone, she usually reapplies her makeup to prepare herself for other public appearances. Always, Azur insists others drop her title and refer to her by name, wanting to be on the same level as them. On the other hand, her general presence is demanding and gives off an authoritative aura, hence some ignoring her words.

One could say makeup is her hobby, considering she does futz around with it in her free time. As an avid book reader, she often writes analyses on the materials and tries to interpret it in various lenses. Taking quick swims around her territory also fills her with a lot of joy, and when on land, she substitutes it with taking walks. Seashell collecting also makes her happy, and she always accepts requests to make necklaces with them. Finally, she likes tasting wine, as expected. She buys several types with her personal gold and samples them, rating them along the way.

Azur speaks in a light tone with a lilt, coming across as elegant. She has a low voice pitch and always speaks clearly when she can. Always, she greets others as politely as she can, electing for "Salutations" or "Greetings." When departing, she treats it similarly, stating "Farewell." If under serious pressure, Azur may drop a swear, but other than that, she never uses them in everyday speech. The Queen finds metaphors fun and uses them whenever appropriate, perhaps having fun with alliteration at the same time.

Queen Azur would be considered high class as she has a great deal of wealth. However, she has programs in place to lessen the divide between upper-class imugyoh and the lower-class, and she sometimes decides on deals to redistribute wealth whenever necessary. Such behavior greatly angers the richest members of society, but at the same time, they do not wish to be forced into servitude by the likes of Queen Iferclu. Therefore, many immigrate to the shores of Koyo to run their businesses and continue acruing riches.   Her personal funds are used to support programs to support those in greatest need. In fact, she set aside some money to help the Riavelon League recover from its previous oppressive ruler and to help support education in the area. In regards to debts, she owes some money to soldiers in the current war. She tries not to worry about it too much, especially since the current situation calls for drastic measures. However, she dreads thinking of what would happen if she fails to pay her citizens on time.   What income she does have left over is used to support the castle and help afford her favorite wines. Plenty of eyeshadows and lipsticks stay in the island palace, but many stay in water-tight seals so she does not need to travel far. She attends plays when she has the time, appreciating the arts greatly. Azur also focuses on keeping an eye on the research scene, loving how mortals progress with their limited knowledge of the world. Her assets include the two castles and several boats for days-long travel.