PRT Threat Assessment: Ziz

PRT Threat Assessment: Ziz

Photo of Ziz snapped by a PRT agent in Sioux City, December 2nd, 2004 

Note: Agent was immediately assaulted and the camera destroyed after this picture was taken. This photo was the only one recovered from the memory card.

Cape Name: Ziz

Real name: ███████ 

Disposition: Vagrant. [Endbringer. She’s an Endbringer.]

Location: Ziz wanders the globe, primarily concentrating her visits in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Midwestern United States. Lately, she has also been spotted in Central Europe. 

[Holy shit we had better hope no one can put two and two together and get Endbringer. At least so far she’s keeping this quiet, but what the FUCK are people going to think when they realize it’s the Simurgh who’s been visiting her old stomping grounds!?]

General Information: Ziz is suspected to be one of what are being classified as “Uplifted Animals,” in this case, a Northern Whitefaced Owl, a species native to central Africa. She first received an Anemo Vision on or about July 13th, 2004, at which point she began her globe trekking. 

Ziz’s pattern of behavior is somewhat erratic and unusual. She will approach a seemingly random person, then berate them volubly, before forcing them to listen to her sing a song. Oddly enough, after hearing her song, people report feeling much better, and indeed several have said that Ziz saved their life or prevented some great misfortune. 

Ziz’s own comment on the matter is, quote, “Fuck off you stupid humans.”

Since her first appearance, Ziz has gotten into various fights and scuffles with known villainous capes, as well as a few confrontations with authorities. As of now, PRT troopers are strictly forbidden from initiating or escalating conflict with Ziz, and are ordered to intervene and de-escalate any conflict with local authorities. The proper procedure is to discretely observe, notify the Protectorate, and interview the individual Ziz was interested in only after she has completed her ritual. 

[We’ve finally figured out what she’s doing. She’s defusing the psychic bombs she set. It’s chilling to realize just how many of them there are and were, and that this went largely unnoticed by the Protectorate. In our defense, we only had three samples to work with, and we’d just begun to pick up on the fact that there was something wrong with the survivors of the Simurgh attacks. As best we can tell, after their second battle, the Simurgh was forced to go around and stop the destruction she’d set up by Kusanali. We truly owe the Dendro Archon an unbelievable debt. The Simurgh seems distinctly unhappy about this situation, but so far she’s continued this pattern with no interruption, and we see no reason to stop her.]

Personality: Ziz is an acerbic and arrogant individual with little use for human company, save for those she strong arms into buying her food, as she is apparently penniless. She is also extremely averse to any authority figures, as is somewhat usual for Anemo Vision Holders. She does not suffer fools, and constantly insults and berates all those around her, even the people she’s seeking out. In fact, especially the people she seeks out. In contrast, the people she victimizes seem eternally grateful to and even fond of her. 

She has on occasion sought out the company of Lesser Lord Kusanali, apparently much to Ziz’s own consternation. It is not known why, exactly, she seeks out the Dendro Archon, or what they discuss, but Ziz is notably more polite and less foul-mouthed after these discussions, at least for a day or two. 

[Kusanali is apparently keeping the Simurgh on a rather tight leash. I suppose we now know who came out the victor in their battles in Baghdad and New Delhi, though frankly, that wasn’t ever in question. To this day, Kusanali insists they were a tie, but she is apparently the only being on the planet who could consider subduing an Endbringer to her will and making the Simurgh do community service “a tie.” One wonders what she would call a victory.]

Classification: Brute 2, Mover 5, Blaster 3, Shaker 2, Striker 1, Master 4

Brute 2: Ziz has a non-human biology that makes her sturdier than average. Combined with her Anemo Vision, and she’s a lot tougher than she looks. That said, she doesn’t appear to take hits very well, preferring to stay out of the way of anyone truly dangerous. 

Mover 5: Ziz has the ability to fly on winds she summons with her Vision. She doesn’t possess wings capable of flight, though the tufts of feathery hair she has do resemble them. Even so, she can fly at speeds of up to 150 mph, and has a maximum altitude of over a mile. She’s been known to cross the ocean in this way, though she frequently takes a plane instead, much to her annoyance. How she pays for the tickets isn’t known. 

Blaster 3: Ziz can fire off bolts of Anemo energy, often from above. These blasts are strong enough to break bones and destroy small structures, and combined with her aerial maneuverability makes her rather dangerous in a fight. 

Striker 1: While she can still use her abilities in melee range, Ziz is much less of a threat up close, and prefers to keep her targets at a distance. Still, don’t underestimate her, as she’s been known to tackle and pin down people who try to resist her song.

Master 4: We’re not completely sure exactly what Ziz’s song does, or why she chooses her target. It does have a clear effect on those she sings to, with them reporting better sleep, improved mood, and especially increased good luck (verified by Thinker analysis, their Fate improves dramatically). While it seems harmless, those who hear it should be vetted just to be safe. 

[True Classification: Brute 9, Thinker 10, Master 11, Blaster 7, Shaker 10, Striker 4, Changer 5]

[She’s the mother fucking Simurgh. The above is just for the grunts. You should still be pissing your pants if you ever see her. Best we can tell, that’s just a shell or illusion she leaves in the upper atmosphere. She’s fully capable of going full Simurgh at any moment, though the only time we’ve ever seen that happen is in Kazakhstan where she just about killed the Sleeper when he tried to attack Lesser Lord Kusanali. It would have been touching if it wasn’t so pants-wettingly terrifying.]

Recommended Strategies: 

Do not confront Ziz. While harmless isn’t the right word for her, she’s a non-threat. Let her sing her song to those she chooses, and try to prevent any conflicts. Do not under any circumstances attempt to imprison her. The last squad that tried that was found tied up and hanging upside down from telephone poles. None of them were exactly hurt, but it was deeply embarrassing for us, and we’d prefer to avoid a repeat. 

[She’s the Simurgh. Who is apparently committed to doing good deeds and erasing her past wrongs. You and absolutely everyone else are completely forbidden from rocking this boat. The only possible exception is to keep her as far away from Eidolon as possible. For some reason, she really hates him.

Addendum: Well. Now we know why the animosity.]

Addendum: She has recently joined the Tone Deaf Bards, and is now touring with them. Troopers are advised not to approach her for autographs. The last one to try it ended up with a wedgie that required medical treatment. 

[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. WHAT DO WE DO!? She’s singing before massive audiences now! WHAT DO WE FUCKING DO!?]