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Pa'u (meaning "Priest") Zotoh Zhaan was a Delvian. She was immensely strong, terribly dignified, and 812 cycles old at the time she escaped from Peacekeeper custody; although 812 cycles would be considered ancient for most races, Zhaan's comparable Human age was roughly 40 years.

Delvians are a highly spiritual race, thoughtful and peace-loving. Zhaan had reached the 10th Plateau in the Delvian Seek, a search for perfect understanding and unity with all life. ("Rhapsody in Blue")

As peace-loving and gentle as Zhaan strove to be, she carried a dark burden. Because her lover, a leader among the Delvians, was proceeding with plans to give control of their world to the Peacekeepers, Zhaan murdered him in a manner most cruel. During an intertwining of her lifeforce with that of her lover — an encounter both spiritual and sexual — she used her spiritual powers to overwhelm him and kill him, an act that nearly drove her mad. ("Rhapsody in Blue")

In prison Zhaan brought herself back from insanity step by small step, nurturing a higher, wiser power in herself that could keep the dark forces in her soul under control. She was not entirely safe, however. At certain times on Moya's perilous voyage, Zhaan broke faith with herself, or was forced to, and she permitted her dark side to emerge in order to save the people she loved from even greater evils. ("That Old Black Magic" and "Picture If You Will")

After wrestling with this darkness, Zhaan finally returned to the Seek, more committed than ever to its precepts. Following her frightening encounter with Moya's Builders ("Look at the Princess, Part 1: A Kiss is But a Kiss," "Look at the Princess, Part 2: I Do, I Think" and "Look at the Princess, Part 3: The Maltese Crichton"), she also rededicated herself to protecting Moya and Pilot. Her bond with Stark grew deeper, as well, and she planned to spend her life with him.

Unfortunately, this future did not come to pass. Zhaan chose to expend nearly all her hard-won spiritual energy in a quest to restore Aeryn Sun to life. She succeeded in raising Aeryn, but Zhaan was fatally weakened in the process. ("Season of Death") While Stark and the rest of the crew searched for a planet where Zhaan's plant physiology could recover, she herself grew resigned to a peaceful death. When disaster struck Moya once more, Zhaan seized the chance to save the ship and crew she loved by sacrificing herself. ("Self-Inflicted Wounds, Part 2: Wait for the Wheel") Her death was an act of bravery that exemplified the values of her long, rich life.

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