Zaira von Monocle

Zaira von Monocle

Full Name: Zaira von Monocle Titles: Baronette; Baron von Monocle (conferred by King Malaky); Baroness; Captain; Medal of Valor recipient

Zaira von Monocle was the daughter of Baron Theodore von Monocle and the late Duchess Liliana von Monocle. Sixteen years old at the time of the events of For Steam and Country and nearly seventeen during The Blood of Giants and The Fight for Rislandia, she served as the protagonist and narrator of all three books. After her father was declared legally dead, she inherited the airship Liliana and rose from a lonely farm girl to one of Rislandia's greatest heroes.

She was born on Day 7 of the Month of Queens, in the 3rd Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign, and inherited her father's airship in the 19th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign, at age 16. She was an only child. By the events of The Fight for Rislandia, her father had been promoted to General and she had a new half-sister, Lilly von Monocle, born to Talyen von Monocle.

Description

Zaira was described as quite lean and of a lithe, fairly short frame—noted elsewhere as shorter than most, such that none of the Wyranth uniforms fit her during an infiltration mission. She had thick, curly hair, noted elsewhere as dirty blonde. She was noted for walking with confidence and appearing taller than she actually was. She possessed the distinctive "von Monocle nose," remarked upon by Harkerpal, and had a strong grip that surprised Marina du Willet upon their first handshake. She described herself as "shorter and more feminine, naturally" and as not gifted with a perfectly feminine body. She grew up wearing farming coveralls and was accustomed to hard physical labor from sun up to sun down. She was small in frame compared to Harkerpal. She was noted as not the earliest of risers.

Her signature attire—adopted from her father's image as an intimidation tactic—consisted of a ruffled white shirt (later described as a blouse and corset), red velvet crimson cape, and black top hat. As she herself noted: "A ruffled white shirt, cape, and top hat. It was a ridiculous look but it was how everyone recognized the great Baron von Monocle." She carried a pistol in a holster and a sword in a scabbard at her hip. In The Fight for Rislandia, she was also observed wearing a loose-fitting Grand Rislandian Army uniform while at Cliffside Castle, exploring incognito without her Baron von Monocle attire.

Early Life

Zaira grew up in a small three-room house on a farm outside Plainsroad Village, where she raised vegetables and tomatoes and brought her harvests to the Gentry family; Mr. Gentry sold them at market on her behalf. She learned to cook from Mrs. Gentry. She attended the village schoolhouse, where she had a teacher named Mrs. Everley, and received some education about the Wyranth Empire's history and advances, though she had not attended school in two years by the time of For Steam and Country. According to notes in The Blood of Giants, she did not attend local school past a very young age.

Her mother died three years prior to the story's events—when Zaira was approximately twelve years old—of a fever that would not break during a cholera epidemic. Zaira did not know until later that her mother had been a duchess. Her father, Baron Theodore, disappeared during the conflict with Wyranth when Zaira was approximately fourteen, and she had lived alone on the farm for more than two years by the story's opening, having barely known her father even before his official disappearance. She was assisted during this period by Mr. Gentry. Her neighbor and childhood best friend was James Gentry, for whom she developed possible romantic feelings. She also owned a pet ferret named Toby.

As an infant, Zaira had met King Malaky at her name day ceremony, though she had no memory of this. Her father told her tales of giants as a child.

By the time of The Blood of Giants, Zaira had an apartment in Rislandia City a few blocks from the palace, reserved for her by King Malaky XVI. In The Fight for Rislandia, the Iron Emperor Ivan visited her at this apartment.

Role in For Steam and Country

The Inheritance

When Baron Theodore was declared legally dead, attorney Matthias du Gearsmith arrived at the farm to deliver the news that Zaira had inherited the airship Liliana. He traveled with her and Captain Talyen von Cravat to Loveridge, where Zaira stayed at the Loveridge Inn. She was given a brown dress with a golden sunflower pattern by Mr. du Gearsmith for the journey. In her father's cabin aboard the Liliana, she found a photograph of her mother and herself at age five.

Despite having no training or experience, Zaira chose to fly the ship. Her first test flight crossed into Wyranth territory and ended in a crash into a forest. She lost consciousness after vomiting at Mr. du Gearsmith's feet and slept for over two days before waking at an inn.

Capture and Rescue

Zaira and James were captured by Wyranth soldiers. When Major Anton invoked her dead father, she spat in his face. She pretended to trip to stall the soldiers and delay reaching their camp. She had knife wounds on her neck from Major Anton's blade scraping her, and noted she had never seen a dead man before. She was also afraid of heights and struggled to climb the rope ladder during her rescue by the Liliana and Captain von Cravat's commandos.

Aboard the Liliana and the Battle with the Wyranth Airship

Zaira wore her father's red velvet crimson cape and black top hat during operations aboard the Liliana, an ensemble the crew came to associate with the Baron's authority, though his hat did not fit her properly. She was trained with a pistol by commandos aboard the ship, though she had not practiced loading bullets. During the battle with the Wyranth airship, she devised the plan to fire cannons into the enemy ship's engine room, and lied to both Harkerpal and the cannoneers by claiming the plan had Captain von Cravat's approval. She killed a Wyranth soldier with her father's sword during the engagement—her first time using a sword—and later slid the sword across the deck to a prostrated crewman. She was tripped by a Wyranth soldier and struck the deck face-first, cracking her jaw, and was held at gunpoint before Captain von Cravat shot the soldier. A medic gave her an elixir that put her to sleep; she woke in her father's quarters next to Toby. It was at this time that Captain von Cravat told her to call her Talyen.

She spent days waiting in the castle looking for Captain von Cravat and read a book on the history of the Rislandia Kingdom and Wyranth Empire's past wars while waiting. She also wore a poofy royal meeting dress provided by the king's servants and attended a strategy breakfast meeting with King Malaky XVI and General Carwell. She was allowed by the king to join Captain von Cravat's crew on the mission against Wyranth.

Infiltration and Rescue of Baron Theodore

For the infiltration mission, Zaira wore a Wyranth soldier uniform. She fired a pistol and killed a Wyranth soldier to save Talyen, firing three shots and emptying her pistol's chambers during the firefight. She asked James to help her load bullets, having never done so before, and swapped guns with him. She rescued her father from the Wyranth dungeon and shielded Marina du Willet from her father's gun. Her father deferred to her decisions during the escape.

During the forest battle, Zaira suffered three bullet grazes and a head wound and lost significant blood; she was given vitality ether to restore her. She fell asleep under a large stumped tree and woke when James fired a flare gun. She shouted "Liliana crew! We need you here! For steam and country!" to signal the ship. She also heard a mysterious male voice in her head giving commands and told her father about it, concluding that a giant might be driving the Wyranth war.

The title "Baronette" was used by Marina and began to catch on among the crew.

Role in The Blood of Giants

In The Blood of Giants, Zaira continued as narrator and protagonist, now holding the title of Baron von Monocle as conferred by King Malaky, though her crew still commonly called her "Baronette"—a title she tolerated but did not prefer. She was nearly seventeen years old at this time and had retained command of the Liliana even after discovering her father was still alive. Her father, Baron Theodore, had been promoted to General and was no longer part of the active crew. Talyen von Cravat had become Talyen von Monocle, serving as a stepmother figure to Zaira.

Zaira had personal experience with the giant's blood serum and received a blood sample request from Dr. du Clockhand. She proposed the mission across the Golgmarsh Ocean to the Zenwey continent to find a cure for giant's blood addiction among Wyranth soldiers. Her father told her to trust her gut before the mission departed.

Palace Visit and Departure

When visiting the palace, Zaira wore a long green dress with goofy shoulders, ruffles along the chest, long sleeves, and a long skirt. For active operations she wore boots, pants, and a cape.

The Zenwey Expedition

Zaira led one of two desert expeditions on the Zenwey continent. She struggled to keep pace with trained soldiers and knights under the weight of her pack. During a scouting expedition she gripped the hilt of her pistol when twigs snapped in the undergrowth. She was captured and bound by warriors, knelt before Seeva, and claimed her identity: "I am Baron von Monocle. That's right." She told Seeva the story of the giant and the blue serum, and drank kava, feeling its relaxing effects.

She commanded the crew to fire on bat-gliders during an engagement, and had a bullet rip a hole through her cape while fleeing. She was grabbed by a giant bat by her cape and lifted off the deck of the Liliana, and was rescued by Lieutenant Colwell, who shot the bat. She ordered Ensign Sams to land the ship and held the command station rail during the crash landing.

She was nearly killed by a Nightman wielding two curved blades, and shouted to distract him, allowing Toby and James to save her. She ordered crew to take out the bat-glider pilots. During a volcanic eruption she stumbled toward the bridge, covered her face with her cape against the soot, and ordered someone to fetch the fire suppression spray pump. She felt empathy for the Nightmen trapped in a burning transport. After the battle she slept through the day, waking in the evening, and went to the mess at one o'clock in the morning.

She also introduced herself to Juiyan as "Baron Zaira von Monocle" and went alone to find him in his control room. She was concerned about Marina's condition throughout the expedition.

She cried after the death of Sergeant Babington.

Captivity Under Oyette

Zaira was captured and became a slave in Oyette's household, working from waking until sleep—scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and working in the kitchens scrubbing pots and pans. She wore uncomfortable, ugly garb and flat shoes during this period. She was forbidden by Oyette from speaking with Rhys or any councilman without his order. She negotiated with Oyette to try to exempt James from the arena fight. She pushed a food cart down the main street toward the Nightmen Arena and cried in the middle of the street before the arena match. She witnessed Sergeant Babington fighting in the arena.

During the escape, she grabbed two explosive bags from an open supply crate and threw one toward the Nightmen. She worried about Toby being lonely and cared for aboard the Liliana during her captivity.

Portsgate and the Shoulder Wound

Zaira sustained a bullet wound to her shoulder and was placed in bedrest before being released by Dr. du Clockhand. She led the landing party at Portsgate and found a girl named Heather in the ruins. She felt responsible for Portsgate's destruction due to her dealings with the Iron Emperor and vowed to earn her father's pride. The girl Heather was later dropped off in Rislandia City.

Role in The Fight for Rislandia

In The Fight for Rislandia, Zaira continued as narrator and protagonist, still nearly seventeen years old and captain of the Liliana. Her father, now General Theodore von Monocle, was a strategic commander in the Rislandian forces and kept a log whose excerpts appeared at chapter headings; King Malaky XVI warned Zaira to keep him from reckless bravado. Zaira herself also kept a log titled Baron von Monocle's Log. By this time, Talyen had given birth to Zaira's half-sister, Lilly von Monocle.

Zaira considered King Malaky as something like an uncle figure. She was jealous of Princess Reina's closeness with James. She felt conflicted between her feelings for James and her growing romantic interest in Ethan von Lantern; she was kissed by Ethan and later watched the sunset with him and held him. She was writing a speech to motivate the crew during this period.

Secret Meetings with the Iron Emperor

Zaira had met with Ivan, the Iron Emperor, on multiple occasions without informing her father, including a secret encounter in her fields outside Plainsroad Village. Ivan visited her apartment in Rislandia City. She had received a marriage proposal from him on two occasions, telling no one about the second. She kept these meetings secret and felt guilt over them, as though she were a traitor. Ivan noted the significance of her von Monocle heritage.

Operations During the Battle

Zaira's cape was shot through during a descent into Rislandia City via rope ladder. She was grazed by a bullet on the ear while climbing the rope ladder, bled from the wound, and was hauled aboard the Liliana by deckhands upon reaching the deck. She dropped to a knee and drew her pistol during an ambush, securing a position between Ethan and Corporal Tyson. She crossed a clothing wire between rooftops to flank a sniper, then shot the gunman in the shoulder and again to stop him. She had previously sustained a gunshot wound and been hoisted up to the ship on rappelling ropes.

She ordered Major Edwin Ral to position the ship above the Wyranth forces and ordered the bomb's ropes cut. She dropped into Rislandia City with Marina and Ethan during the battle. She hid in the back of a Wyranth vehicle under tarps and flanked two remaining Wyranth soldiers with Marina, shooting them. She proposed the plan to head south toward Plainsroad Village to find the Wyranth serum supply and led the mission to find the Wyranth serum factory. She ordered Ethan to warn others and destroy the facility when Wyranth soldiers were spotted. She revealed to her father the existence of the anti-serum and crop-dusting plan, and also revealed that a journal with airship designs had been found in Plainsroad Village.

She recognized her old house still standing near the landing site at Plainsroad Village. She had previously taken the Wyranth serum once, administered by the Liliana's medic; during the events of The Fight for Rislandia she felt nothing from the giant creature, suggesting the serum's effect had passed.

She gave the order to head to Cliffside Castle and explored the castle incognito, wearing a loose-fitting Grand Rislandian Army uniform rather than her Baron von Monocle attire.

She took down two Wyranth soldiers during the palace battle and was taken hostage by General Swift, held at knifepoint. She escaped Swift's grip by stomping on his toes. Following the battle, she received the Rislandia Kingdom's Medal of Valor from King Malaky. She was ordered to rest for several days by doctors, given an alchemic brew of painkillers, and stayed in one of the palace's guest rooms to recover. She wrote in the ship's log book after the battle and fell asleep in her cabin with Toby. She returned to Rislandia City after the battle to report to her father.

Role in The Iron Wedding

The Iron Wedding is narrated by Zaira. It opens in spring in Rislandia City. Zaira is grounded after crashing the Liliana "for a second time" and is living in an apartment with her ferret Toby. Harkerpal's team has rebuilt the ship, but it cannot achieve lift. Ethan von Lantern gives her a crimson dress and takes her to dinner atop the Crystal Spire. They confess their love before he and James Gentry leave on a mission to Nyanzi.

The proposal

At King Malaky XVI's court, the Wyranth ambassador Andrei Zelezo offers an armistice. He also offers the missing airship technology in exchange for Zaira's hand in marriage to Ivan, the Iron Emperor. That night "Andrei" is waiting on her couch and reveals himself as Ivan, disguised by a changeling net. Zaira slaps him and refuses.

After the king declines to order her, Zaira volunteers to accept for the kingdom's sake. Matthias du Gearsmith gives her a micro-camera to spy with, and she asks for Marina du Willet as her companion. She leaves Toby with Talyen von Cravat and baby Lilly, writes a farewell letter to Ethan, and departs south. On the way, bandits ambush the carriage; Marina kills their leader.

In this book Zaira also learns from her father that her mother, Liliana, came from the Tyndree Kingdom.

In the Wyranth capital

In the Wyranth capital, Zaira photographs the automaton gate guards and tours the automaton factory run by Ivan's sister Princess Kristina. During a riot she is seized by Jacin and taken to Kade's underground resistance. She promises only to carry their message to King Malaky, then tells Ivan she got lost.

Ivan reveals the reason for his interest in her. A few recipients of the giants' blood serum, Zaira among them, showed a psychic connection to the giant in Devil's Mountain. Ivan says her giant's blood comes from her mother's side, and that his father had pursued her mother to keep the bloodline pure. In his Devil's Mountain laboratory, their joined hands make an earth crystal glow and shake the cavern. When she learns his automatons have attacked Rislandian troops at Loveridge, she punches him and forces a ceasefire.

The king's death

Crossing the lines alone at Loveridge, Zaira is taken in by Sergeant Wright. He tells her that King Malaky is dead, and she faints. She breaks the news to Ivan herself, presses him to withdraw from Loveridge, and returns home for the funeral. There she sees Queen Reina I begin her reign as "Queen Reina the First."

The wedding

Back in the capital, Zaira accepts Ivan's ring, a white-gold diamond. Aboard the W.S.S. Adventurer she shoots a would-be assassin outside Ivan's quarters. At Carnait Cove, Ethan and James arrive piloting the stolen "Project Mecha" mecha suits at the head of Rislandian troops. Ethan begs her to call off the wedding. She refuses, because she gave her word, and he leaves without an embrace. Kristina later warns her that Ivan truly loves her.

The ceremony is interrupted before Zaira can speak her vows: Nightmen bat gliders and transports attack the cove. From the fortified tower Zaira shoots an explosive bag in the stairwell, collapsing it to seal out the attackers. She then joins hands with Ivan over the earth crystal, and together they split the ground, dropping the wedding grounds and much of the Nightmen force into the sea. Her father later says that the Nightmen numbered five hundred and that her action took one hundred and fifty of them from the battlefield. The effort leaves her unconscious for three days.

Aftermath

Nightmen prisoners reveal the attack was only a scouting force. Ivan and Queen Reina agree to an alliance:

• Rislandian engineers will extract air crystals from the Crystal Spire.
• The crystals will power a new metal-framed Wyranth–Rislandian aerial carrier being built on the Isle du Mystere.
• Zaira will be its captain. The book ends with her acceptance: "I accept the position. When do we take off?"

In The Steam Knight

Zaira is not the narrator of The Steam Knight, but she is seen throughout through the eyes of her childhood friend James Gentry. James calls her "Zair-bear" and remembers pelting her with tomatoes in the fields of Plainsroad Village, where the adults always said the two of them would marry one day. That expectation fades once James becomes entangled with Princess Reina.

During James's knight training, his superior Cid reveals that Zaira has convinced King Malaky to send an expedition across the Golgmarsh Ocean to the Zicree continent, and the king asks for knights to assist.

Ethan von Lantern is "head over heels" for Zaira, whom James describes as "airship captain extraordinaire". On a mission behind Wyranth lines, Ethan confides that "ever since the airship crash, a little light's gone out inside of her" and asks James how to cheer her up. James tells him she has always loved fancy things, and especially fancy dresses, because she had few fine things growing up in the countryside while her father was away.

At the end of Spy Training, Zaira privately tells James and Ethan that the king's health has taken a turn for the worse and that a specialist has been brought in to see him.

Later Career

The following deeds are recorded from sources beyond For Steam and Country, The Blood of Giants, and The Fight for Rislandia:

• Commanded the Liliana in the rescue of her father and the destruction of the evolved giant beneath Devil's Mountain
• Defeated the walking giant during the Battle of Rislandia City by crashing the Liliana into it

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

• Used an earth crystal with Ivan to sink Carnait Cove during the Nightmen attack

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

Relationships

• Baron Theodore von Monocle: Her father, whose disappearance defined her early life. She felt like a little girl again in his presence after his rescue. She barely knew him even before his official disappearance. In The Blood of Giants and The Fight for Rislandia, he had been promoted to General and was a strategic commander in the Rislandian forces, having bequeathed his station to Zaira. He sent her his logs and told her to trust her gut before the Zenwey mission. Harkerpal noted she was "so much like your father it's uncanny." King Malaky warned Zaira to keep him from reckless bravado. He had a baby on the way during The Fight for Rislandia.
• Liliana von Monocle: Her deceased mother, a duchess. Zaira did not know of her mother's title until later. Liliana died when Zaira was approximately twelve. Zaira kept a picture of her.
• Lilly von Monocle: Zaira's half-sister, born to Talyen von Monocle during the events of The Fight for Rislandia.
• James Gentry: Childhood friend, neighbor, and near-betrothed, toward whom Zaira held possible romantic feelings. He assisted her throughout the events of For Steam and Country and The Blood of Giants. In The Fight for Rislandia, Zaira felt conflicted about James and Ethan von Lantern, and was jealous of Princess Reina's closeness with James. James used the nickname "Zair-bear" for her.

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

• Talyen von Cravat: Captain of the Liliana who invited Zaira to join the mission and later asked Zaira to call her by her first name. By The Blood of Giants, she had become Talyen von Monocle and served as a stepmother figure to Zaira. She gave birth to Lilly von Monocle during The Fight for Rislandia.
• Matthias du Gearsmith: The attorney who delivered her inheritance and accompanied her to Loveridge.
• Toby: Her pet ferret, carried on her shoulder. During her captivity under Oyette, Toby remained aboard the Liliana and Zaira worried about him being lonely. In The Fight for Rislandia, Toby was locked in her cabin during operations, and she fell asleep with him after the battle.
• Ivan, the Iron Emperor: Later betrothed. Zaira had previously encountered him as his captive and received a marriage proposition from him on two occasions, telling no one about the second. He visited her apartment in Rislandia City during The Fight for Rislandia. She felt guilt over their secret meetings.
• King Malaky XVI: Zaira considered him something like an uncle figure. He conferred the title of Baron von Monocle upon her.
• Harkerpal: Crew member who noted her "von Monocle nose" and remarked on her resemblance to her father. He noted that her father tended toward being aggressive.
• Marina du Willet: Crew member whose handshake Zaira surprised with her strong grip. Zaira was concerned about Marina's condition during the Zenwey expedition. In The Fight for Rislandia, Marina accompanied Zaira into Rislandia City during the battle.
• Gentry Family: Neighbors who supported Zaira during her two years alone, selling her produce at market.
• Dr. Estrella du Clockhand: Ship's doctor who requested a blood sample from Zaira and later released her from bedrest after her shoulder wound. She was also held in captivity alongside Zaira, James, and Ethan during events in The Fight for Rislandia.
• Lieutenant Colwell: Rescued Zaira when she was grabbed by a giant bat during the Zenwey expedition.
• Seeva: A figure on the Zenwey continent before whom Zaira knelt after capture, and to whom she told the story of the giant and the blue serum.
• Oyette: The Nightmen figure who enslaved Zaira and her crew, forbidding her from speaking with councilmen and assigning her to kitchen labor.
• Sergeant Babington: A crew member whose death caused Zaira to cry.
• General Swift: An antagonist in The Fight for Rislandia who took Zaira hostage at knifepoint during the palace battle; she escaped by stomping on his toes.

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

• Corporal Tyson: A soldier alongside whom Zaira took cover during an ambush in The Fight for Rislandia.
• Heather: A girl Zaira found in the ruins of Portsgate and later had dropped off in Rislandia City.
• Juiyan: A figure on the Zenwey continent whom Zaira introduced herself to as "Baron Zaira von Monocle" and sought out alone in his control room.

Personality

Resourceful, brave, and fiercely independent, Zaira was also deeply insecure about her worth, having grown up alone and without formal training. She was known for quick thinking, "the luck of the von Monocles," and a willingness to act decisively even when she lacked authority or experience—including lying to her own crew to execute a battle plan she believed in. She described herself with the maxim "Farm girls don't lie," though the events of the story tested that self-image. Her stubbornness and fighting spirit were described as her gifts, while physical strength was noted as not among them. In The Blood of Giants and The Fight for Rislandia, she was noted as growing more confident in command, though she acknowledged she still had a lot to learn. She felt empathy even for enemies, as shown by her reaction to Nightmen trapped in a burning transport. She became a symbol of hope and resilience for all of Rislandia, described by those around her as a "farm girl-turned-airship-captain" and praised by King Malaky as someone who stirs crowds—"just like your father."

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

In A History of Rislandia

A History of Rislandia treats Zaira von Monocle as one of the most consequential figures of the late Malaky Dynasty, devoting substantial attention to her origins, her role in several defining crises, and her place in the rediscovery of crystal magic.

Birth and Early Significance

According to A History of Rislandia, Zaira was born on Day 7 of the Month of Queens in Year 3 of King Malaky XVI's reign. The sourcebook remarks that "her birth was described as more significant than anyone could have imagined at the time," a judgment the author frames with the benefit of hindsight. Baron Theodore von Monocle took a two-month leave of absence from the Liliana following her birth—a detail not recorded in the novels—and, according to the sourcebook, hoped from the outset that she would grow to be an adventurer. Theodore left the Liliana to Zaira in his will while she was still a teenager, well before his disappearance made the bequest operative.

Childhood and the Golgmarsh Legend

A History of Rislandia adds one detail about Zaira's childhood not found in the novels: her mother, Duchess Liliana, read her the Golgmarsh legend as a child—specifically to explain earthquakes and to frighten her into good behavior. The sourcebook presents this as a commonplace piece of Rislandian domestic folklore, situating Zaira within the broader tradition of the Golgmarsh Ocean myth before she had any reason to take it literally.

Alone at Plainsroad Village

The sourcebook confirms that Zaira was twelve years old when her mother died and fourteen when her father disappeared, and that she subsequently lived alone on the family farm in Plainsroad Village for two years, tending crops and livestock and receiving only occasional visits from neighbors such as the Gentry family. It notes she received no word from her father's crew during this period. The sourcebook also records that her house in Plainsroad Village still stood after the wars—ransacked but intact—and that her crew later destroyed an iron mine near the village that housed a second evolved giant.

The Giant's Blood Crisis (Year 493)

A History of Rislandia dates the resolution of the Giant's Blood Crisis to Year 493, crediting Zaira with finding the cure through the Zenwey expedition. The sourcebook notes that she remembered childhood stories her father had told about the Zenwey continent, which informed her proposal of the mission. It also records that she was enslaved to Oyette, a Nightmen councilman, and worked as a kitchen cleaner in the Nightmen city during this expedition.

The Von Monocle Luck and Giant's Blood Lineage

The sourcebook offers an in-universe scholarly explanation for what Zaira and those around her called "von Monocle luck": it was, according to A History of Rislandia, later revealed to be her giant's blood lineage giving her heightened intuition. This lineage descends through her mother's side.

Liberation of Rislandia City and the Medal of Valor

A History of Rislandia dates the liberation of Rislandia City from Wyranth occupation to Years 19–20 of King Malaky XVI's reign. The sourcebook records that Zaira initially refused the Medal of Valor, saying "I'm not sure I can accept... I just did what anyone would have done," before accepting it on behalf of her fallen crew. The sourcebook also notes that Zaira was buried under debris in the crash of the Liliana during this period, and that she rallied surviving soldiers after the crash before leading a combined force of knights and army remnants in a ground assault on the occupied capital.

The Iron Wedding (20th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign)

The Iron Wedding event took place in the 20th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign. It records that Zaira refused the Iron Emperor's marriage proposal three times before ultimately agreeing, and that she was interrogated personally by the Iron Emperor during an earlier captivity. The sourcebook also notes that she was manipulated by the Iron Emperor into leaving with the airship, which enabled the Wyranth invasion—a framing more critical of her role than the novels present.

Crystal Magic

Youngest Airship Commander

The sourcebook records that Zaira became the youngest airship commander in Rislandian history upon retaining command of the Liliana after the Second Wyranth War.

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