Zulera Joanna Tallarico

''"My dream is not to live forever, Akhet, dear. My dream is to create something that will." ~Zulera Joanna Tallarico~''

Zulera Joanna Tallarico was a mysterious Madizi inventor and revolutionary from the Matsakan tribe who was famous for her mechanical creations and political uprisings. Nicknamed "The Woman who Changed the World", her wild and unpredictable nature left many people guessing, and to this day many still wonder who she actually was.

She was rumoured to be behind Krippa's mysterious Regiment 648 as its leader and commander, although any further inquiries to her about this claim just resulted in her smirking and walking away.

History
Zulera's past is considered by many to be an accurate reflection of who she was as a person during her life: erratic, thrilling, and full of more mystery than any one person ought to have. In some situations she and her life have been compared to that of a Jalenga, what with her intricate creations, brazen openness about doing as she pleased, and for her cryptic machinations that are still being deciphered to this day.

Early Life
Zulera was the eldest of 8 children born to Zurok Takamatzu, and the only Madizi daughter of the bunch. The youngest child and only other daughter, Zhin, was the family's only Shinzoka child. While it was later revealed that her father, as well as the father of all six of her brothers was a Žkha named Sotega; Zulera spent her entire life not knowing the identity of her father, and as such, grew up without that figure in her life.

Despite this, Zulera grew up with a fairly stable childhood. She took an early fascination with building and designing things, emerging in her teenage years as an extremely talented artist and designer; and then as a gifted mechanist in her young adulthood. She maintained a curious interest in vampirism in her youth that led to certain decisions made during her adulthood, although never became one of these creatures herself.

Adulthood and Career
Zulera never took on a formal occupation, but instead worked as a self-employed architect and machine designer. She was responsible for a great deal of technological breakthroughs, particularly for her home country of Matsakan, as well as the Madizi race.

She has also been indirectly involved in a great deal of military efforts, always willing to sell weapons or machines to the highest bidder. Some, such as The Twins, she gives away freely, although there is no pattern or method to the madness in terms of what weapons she'll freely part with, or when she will offer them. She was involved in the Renkida Vampire Crisis by promising to help dispatch the vampires, and her 'solution' wound up radically changing the overall atmosphere of the region.

Sezonzé & Vampire Crisis
One of Zulera's most notorious claims to infamy was her involvement in the vampire crisis that plagued the province of Sezonzé in the Kingdom of Shioru. The province in question had become something of a gathering place for the creatures of the night, much to the ire of the locals as well as King Koroda. While the vampires agreed to end hostilities, Koroda and his people were not content with the deal which would essentially allow the vampires to continue squatting on Renkida lands. As such, Koroda turned to Zulera for a solution "by any means necessary."

Zulera's solution was an enormous fire-spewing machine dubbed "The Berlinzé California", built in the likeness of a young woman with the same name. Taking advantage of a powerful end-of-summer drought that ravaged southern Shioru, she simply used her machine to bombard the plains with enough fireballs to create a blazing inferno that spread rapidly through the province.

The fires

Zulera City & the Zulerzé
Later in life, Zulera was affected by a powerful magical curse from. She made up for this by (quite literally) singlehandedly building herself a fully-functioning mechanical arm complete with a five-fingered hand. When she covers it up with gloves and shirtsleeves, it is very difficult to tell that it is mechanical--a testament to her craftsmanship.

It was shortly after this revolutionary technological breakthrough that Zulera had the idea of building a city away from the hustle and bustle and chaos of the world to serve as a technological and libertarian hub of sorts where people of all walks could revolutionize the world together. Naturally, she named this fledgling locale Zulera City, as a testament to her honor. Those who helped in its construction and later on various levels of technology and administration, became known as the People of Zulera, or the Zulerzé.

After Zulera City
Zulera became scarce shortly after her magnum opus was completed, when she was defeated in single combat by the Shinzoka Asami Zair Wekera. It was popularly believed that she died, although there were also rumors that she survived, and even a few that believed she apotheosized. Whatever the case, it is clear that she left her mark on the world of Mencu, where to this day, Zulera City stands as a testament to her accomplishments.

Appearance
Zulera's face was well-known across most of Mencu, with her wild hair, trademark smirk, and confident albeit somewhat slouched stride being recognized in most nations. In the later volumes, she was also recognized by her infamous mechanical arm, which many have tried replicating with varying levels of success, but with none managing to reach her level of craftsmanship or quality.

Physical Appearance
Zulera was a short, athletically-built woman who, likely due to her mother's genetics, stands even on the shorter side of a Madizi's height spectrum, standing an inch shorter than her mother. Despite this slight height difference, Zulera is also more athletically built and so has a more prominent muscular structure. While she was a Vartiz, it seemed that Zulera's siren form or any transformation were fairly rare. However, due to her mother's genetics, she was believed to also be able to transform into a very large and powerful red-and-blue leviathan, although this might also have just been her exaggerations.

As a Zaderei, Zulera's eyes were a vivid shade of red, and exuded soft red light under normal circumstances. Her Keiza spanned the right side of her face, though with the dark color of her skin, it could be easily missed were her red eyes not a giveaway of her Zaderism.

Siren Form
While she almost always remains in her humanoid form, Zulera's siren form is a sight to behold. The term "siren" is something of a misnomer considering that it's a name for a Madizi's Stage 1 (or sometimes Stage 2) transformation, but since Zulera is capable of transforming into a massive red and blue leviathan, she is considered a danger regardless of hat form she is in. The most impressive aspect about this is that after she had constructed her mechanical arm, it was also built to be able to morph into a mechanical limb for the sea dragon she became.

Clothing
Zulera wore the standard attire of most Zaderei: a loose short-sleeved shirt, similar loose pants, and plated gloves, without shoes. While most Madizi as well as individuals with an affinity for water tend to wear blue, Zulera's colours of choice were usually golds and reds. She wore her hair down, and while she originally hailed from Matsakan, her clothing usually bore symbols of places such as Krippa or Sayenzi instead. She was also one of few people that wore golden-hoop earrings, and knew the significance they hold.

Personality
Zulera was a self-serving wildcard with seemingly very little method to her madness. Many have observed her and tried to find patterns or tendencies in her behaviours, but with no success. Even her mother and youngest brother often struggled to decipher her methods, despite their close connection with her. She also had a passion for machines, as well as an inherent interest in Tzurendi or other people she deemed important or intriguing. While there did not seem to be a clear definition of her criteria, she managed to cross paths with nearly every protagonist in the series thus far.

Virtues
Zulera was a very amiable and outgoing woman whose bright smile and soothing, motherly voice often exuded an aura of calmness around her. She was also remarkably charitable, selling much of her machinery or inventions for ridiculously low prices, or even giving them away freely at times. She was also a beloved figure among the wily Tzengua, to the point where they would rush to her defense if they perceived her to be in danger. She also had very few qualms with voluntarily assisting someone (or multiple people), although not always for solely their benefit.

While Zulera knew that she was not a very good mother, she at least had the decency to send her three children off to the Serénez Tribes because she knew that they would be well-cared for, because deep down while she knew she lacked the capacity in her current situation, she wanted her children to grow up well, and "with someone who could be their mother much better than she could." When she met Faren, Nadezda, and Fukui as adults, she sincerely apologized to them for abandoning them, but also honestly praised them for growing into such fine individuals.

Vices
In tune with her chaotic description, Zulera was wild and unpredictable, and had no qualms with slaying or making miserable the lives of anyone who would dare try and infringe on her freedoms. She was nearly impossible to "hold down" because of this, and most people found it is easier to goad her along than to try and constrain her. Zulera also had a very subtle obsessive side, with an endless desire to find and meet her father, who she never properly met—or even known that said man is her father. This obsession was part of her drive behind why she invented, and why she even had three children of her own, hoping to draw out his attention after trying to cajole her mother failed.

Zulera's desire for advancement made her ruthless enough that she often did not care who she had to step on to further that agenda. When given the opportunity to expel vampires from Sezonzé by "any means necessary", rather than trying to take a fight to them, her solution was to build an enormous machine that channelled elemental fire and essentially burned the entire province to the ground, vampires and all. While she has bragged about this in the past, she has removed all evidence of her involvement, and given her sometimes dishonest tendencies, even her word was not enough conclusive evidence for the courts to condemn her for it.

Beliefs & Morality
Zulera perceived morality as an arbitrary set of opinions people design for themselves and for societies, and saw them as unnecessary rules and constraints that people made for themselves to try and justify their actions. She did not believe that people need moral codes to treat other people nicely or evilly, and while she accepted that religion has done much good in the world, she remained unaffiliated with any of them and any of the gods herself. She firmly believed that people should pursue their dreams, and that was her own mantra as well, to the end of her days.

Elemental Capacity
Zulera was an incredibly powerful Anima Sensei, and while her affinitive element was Water, she was also a very powerful Fireformer due to the draconic powers of her Shinzoka mother, Zurok. Ironically, Zurok's affinitive element was Light, rather than fire.

Relationships
Zulera was a very famous and infamous woman whose name was known all across the continent and Munjang-Îue as well. She also hailed from a very large family, most of whom also went out and made names for themselves.

Family
Zulera was the daughter of a Shinzoka named Zurok and a Madizi named Sotega, making her a half-blood. She was the eldest of 8 children, with 6 of her 7 siblings also being Madizi, and the youngest, Zhin, being the only other Shinzoka in the family apart from their mother. While she retained a fairly close relationship with most of her family apart from her father whom she does not know, her favourite sibling is Akhet, the 7th of the 8 children. She was also the granddaughter of Munazakro and Kunazera Takamatzu, the niece of Orzon and Ayumi (through Ayumi), and the cousin of Pokana. She was also the sister-in-law of Minali, and the aunt of her and Akhet's children.

Zulera also had three children of her own: twins Faren and Nadezda, and a 3rd child, Fukui, all by the same man. Whether intentional or not, the man she had these children with, named Kuang-Lao, was also mostly absent from the childrens' lives. However, while Zurok was there throughout the childhoods of her sons and daughters, Zulera was not, and thus she left her children in the care of the Serénez Tribes, where they grew up and also adopted the tribe name as their own. She also has a Kumenza named Eka-Zulera.

Friends
It is difficult to decipher Zulera's friends and enemies because of her own erratic behaviour and because so many people have very mixed feelings on the woman. It is abundantly clear that the Tzengua were her friends and that she was perceived as such by them in turn. She was naturally seen as a role model by the Zulerzé, and Zelgiaz Katara considered her a friend as well. Despite the ambiguous relationships she had with most of her family, her mother and siblings also viewed her positively, trumping out any mixed feelings they might have had about her.

Despite her chaotic nature, Zulera was also admired by Zivia because of her world-changer status and because of Zulera's reverence for the Jalenga people. She was also admired by Varsha Zenzi for her audacity and fearlessness in being willing to fundamentally alter the world and status quo.

Enemies
Much like her friends, it is difficult to classify who her actual enemies are rather than just those with a few negative feelings. She has been labelled as an enemy by every single member of the Shinzoka Grandmaster Council, and was rather passionately hated by Princess Iona of the Koldizé Empire due to her (albeit indirect) role in the death of one of her most trusted companions, Garrett. Similarly, Garrett's sister Marian was not all fond of her either. Both Koroda the Elder and Koroda the younger of Shioru also detested Zulera due to her part in destroying their reputations.

Essentially, most government leaders loathed Zulera due to her attempts at dismantling them using various loopholes or wild means. A notable exception to this clause was Liberty from the Krippan Empire, who simply viewed Zulera as dangerous, but did not necessarily fear or dislike her; rather, she is simply neutral about the wily siren.

Role in the Series
Zulera plays a huge role in many volumes of the The Crest of Zabutur series,

Trivia

 * Were Zulera not a Zaderei, her eyes would have been electric blue.
 * Zulera is the namesake of the page's admin, Zulera301, with the 301 referring to Zulera's Reference Number.
 * Zulera has a Kumenza named Eka-Zulera.