Zinzerena

Zinzerena was the drow goddess of chaos and assassins. She lost her portfolio to Lolth after being killed during the Time of Troubles, but managed to return as the drow goddess of lies, assassins, and illusion after the Second Sundering.

Description
Zinzerena appeared as a cloaked and masked drow rogue in height.

Personality
Reports of Zinzerena's character varied over time between true malevolence, mere amorality, or some combination of the two. While she did teach her followers the value of being cruel, she was an advocate of survival by any means necessary.

Abilities
As a mortal, Zinzerena was a superb illusionist and a brilliant assassin. She moved with astounding agility.

Possessions
Zinzerena possessed a magical cloak of resistance whose defensive powers fluctuated randomly and a magical shortsword that secreted a powerful venom that paralyzed those it struck.

History
Zinzerena was born on a world other than Toril. Her mother hid her from the priestesses of Lolth by faking her death when she showed a natural aptitude for illusions. She taught herself magic over several decades after acquiring several spellbooks and settled into the life of an assassin. She proved to be an exemplary assassin and gained a great reputation over many centuries, as she was never caught and her victims never survived.

Stories told of her exploits caused many drow to see her as a hero. The Oerthan deity Keptolo sponsored Zinzerena's apotheosis, after which she stole a fraction of her benefactor's power, earning his enmity. Pursued by several members of the drow pantheon for her activities, Zinzerena came to the city of Menzoberranzan on Toril, where, in the wake of the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR, Lolth found and slew her, subsuming Zinzerena as one of her aspects in order to attract the worship of drow who would otherwise rebel against her and to see if the act would increase her own divine power. Post Second Sundering, Zinerena managed to return and gain back the portfolio of assassination, lies, and illusion.

Rumors & Legends
Tales of Zinzerena's exploits were many, and often tailored so that the events occurred in the locality where the tale was being told.

One tale told of how she obtained her magical cloak and sword. While contracted to assassinate a beholder, it was attacked by a slaad. She waited until the battle between them was over and the slaad defeated before killing the weakened beholder and taking the sword and cloak that the slaad had brought with it to the fight.

A second, more famous tale, presented Zinzerena as an entity much older than she actually was. Having been contracted to murder the matron of a drow house by the matron's younger sister, she studied her target for days before making her move. Once she had infiltrated the house, she was betrayed by her employer who, with her sister, wished to start their own guild of assassins but felt that they had to destroy their most powerful competition first. Once she had been torn apart by web golems, her remains mysteriously disappeared. The tale said that the day after this event, drow discovered their magical abilities of darkness and faerie fire.

Interpretations of the legends suggested that Malyk and Zinzerena were either lovers or siblings.