Crown of Zivia (artifact)

''This is an article about the artifact. For the article on the book with the same title, see The Crown of Zivia.''

The Crown of Zivia is a powerful Jalenga artifact that was popularly considered the source of Jalengan strength across Mencu, as well as a symbol of the people's unity. When its owner, Queen Zivia, fell in the Great Jalenga War, it was popularly believed that this marked the true decline of the Jalenga people, and indeed their extermination marked the end of the 181st Age and the dawning of the 182nd Age. The crown, in turn, was taken into possession by the Renkida Champion who slew Zivia, where it remained for much of the 182nd Age before being stolen, which in turn set off a great deal of the events in the associated volume, The Crown of Zivia.

History
The Crown of Zivia was created by and owned by Zivia Severa Vizori, who invested a great deal of power and energy into it, which in turn helped her rule as the most powerful queen in Jalenga history. While she originally crafted the artifact in the early 172nd Age, she added various powers and enchantments to it over time to augment and increase its power and abilities. Oddly enough, despite it being a crown, it was more a symbol of her crafting and creative prowess than her symbol as royalty, for Zivia would not marry into royalty until the 181st Age.

The crown is a mixture of several precious metals, including a gold and silver alloy, and inlaid with amethysts and other purple gems that both match a Jalenga's core as well as the color of female Jalenga Cores. Despite their many magical and alchemical abilities, Zivia forged and crafted the item by hand and using naturally occurring materials, giving the crown a more "natural" place in the world. The final ingredient among these precious metals and stones to prevent it from being prone to elemental manipulation was solid Aether, which kept it from being manipulated by magic. In theory, the crown was still destructible, but no one managed to do such a thing for nearly a dozen Ages.

181st Age
When Zivia married Prince Ajun and ascended to the Sayenzi throne, the crown became more of a symbolic item, and rumours began to spread that some of Zivia's own power and life force were put into the crown. Races outside of the Jalenga took interest in it, but it was not until the Great Jalenga War that the crown became a target to try and seize. Shortly after Zivia's defeat in 2102, Zivia's crown was taken by the Zukuren general that defeated her, and while it was not the cause of the war, it was symbolic of such.

The next 4 centuries or so consisted of the Crown changing hands, often through violence, as people tried tapping into the power of the old artifact and hoping to unlock the secrets of the Jalenga that the now-reclusive race was making much more secretive. Rumours and myths began to surround the object, and as time passed it became more and more difficult to discern fact from fiction. Sometime shortly before the Jalenga's final migration in 2548, Zivia managed to use a mix of her own treachery and deceit as well as the deviousness of many loyal Kumenza to get the crown away from mortals and back into her own hands. Records of its location and existence disappear after this.

When when and the other Jalenga migrated northward to march on the Realm of the Gods, it is unknown what became of her crown, but shortly after the Jalenga vanished, the end of the 181st Age was heralded, and so the crown spent the remaining few months of the age in unknown hands.

182nd Age
With the Jalenga gone, their lands were plundered and explored, with many eager treasure-hunters and power-seekers aiming to find this mythical artifact as the 182nd Age dawned. Much like it did in the latter end of the previous age, it carved a bloody path through history when it was discovered, until it once again disappeared from the public. This crown felt much different from the one people remembered from the previous age, with this one feeling like it hummed with actual life energy.

This crown was actually Zivia trapped (or perhaps voluntarily) in an inert form, while the real crown was still in one of the vaults of Pikas-Jorgomna, locked behind a simple puzzle code of the old Jalengan language,

Properties
The crown was composed of a mixture of natural substances and a touch of Jalengan alchemical and magical mixtures. Zivia disclosed its exact composition and style to no one, although she claims she wrote a cryptic volume that is somewhere in the deep recesses of the archives of Pikas-Jorgomna.

Composition
While the exact amounts of each material are unknown, it is indeed-known that the base metals include Platinum, Gold, Metallic Aether, and at least two other superheavy elemental metals, which are chemically kept in place with the aether coating. It is also inset with radiant amethysts, which emit a glow not unlike the Jalenga Cores. It was somewhat flexible but nigh-indestructible, with metallic aether's natural resistance to magic keeping it from being destroyed through magical means, the value of some of its base metals keeping it coveted, and the volatility of some of the heavier elements making it dangerous to handle (save for Zivia herself, who knew its composition well enough to handle what came her way). Overall, the crown was also very visually appealing, being considered one of the finest artistic masterpieces of Jalengan society.

Attributes and Abilities
While many of the crown's alleged abilities are merely the works of fiction and exaggerated tales (some of which persist to this day due to some particularly charismatic storytellers), some of the claims about the item having powers are actually rooted in truth. The most common claim is that the crown grants its wearer the abilities of a Jalenga, which to many mortal races meant immortality and nigh-invincibility. Zivia herself has confirmed that the crown makes it easier to focus elemental energy, but whatever other powers it has remain a secret with her.

Role in the Series
The crown of Zivia played a major role in the book of the same title, although after Zivia reemerged, a series of major events took most of the world's attention away from it. Princess Leto knew of the truth of Zivia's crown, and as such, the actual artifact did not appear in many of the early books save for when Zivia took its form.

The Crown of Zivia
The actual crown of Zivia is briefly seen early in The Crown of Zivia in the possession of Isikiro. However, she brought public attention to crown that was actually Zivia in a shapeshifted form, knowing that she could not be contained. The crown that Leto gets her hands on is actually the real Zivia, while Isikiro retains the actual crown for the entirety of the book. Whether or not Zivia is made aware of this remains unclear.

The Crusade of Zulera
While the crown of Zivia does not formally appear in The Crusade of Zulera, the imitation crown that Zivia often morphs into is seen many times, and the crown is mentioned by both Zivia and many other intrigued characters.

The Shadows of Shinzoka
The crown is mentioned a few times in The Shadows of Shinzoka, and while a few particularly zealous Kagero-Kiza agents hunt for it, they are unsuccessful in finding it.