Zbóan

Zbóan is a term used in the mythology and literature of the fictional archipelago of Vestria. In the most common tradition, Zbóan designates a legendary entity linked to fog, tide, and coastal landscapes. The name is said to derive from a Vestrian root meaning watcher or guide of the dawn, though exact etymologies vary across tales.

The creature is described as a shapeshifter associated with maritime fog. In folklore, Zbóan can appear as a tall, pale figure cloaked in mist or as a serpentine water-dweller with a crest that glows faintly in dim light. Its presence is often tied to the moment when land, sea, and weather meet, and it is said to manipulate mist and currents to mislead or warn travelers.

Zbóan is usually tied to specific coastal habitats such as rocky shorelines, hidden coves, and fog-bound lagoons. Traditions recount rites and offerings performed at dawn or during storms to gain safe passage or to grant a fisherman luck. Some stories portray Zbóan as a guardian of submerged reefs and a keeper of nautical secrets, while others cast it as a peril to those who provoke the sea.

In modern fiction and collected folklore within the world of Vestria, Zbóan functions as a versatile symbol of boundary, mystery, and environmental memory. It appears in regional tales, maps of imagined coastlines, and contemporary fantasy works, where its role ranges from benevolent helper to capricious trickster.