Val'Beldrobbaen

Specters of days past who watch events from above, the Beldrobbaen are a clan far past their prime. Their numbers and influence have dwindled dramatically since their time of greatness through disasters, lost wars and social change. Though weakened they maintain their defiant grip on their Val title, standing tall against the waves of change so intent on sweeping them away and hoping for a day when they may recover from the tragedies that so consistently befall them.

## History

The Beldrobbaen and the Balvhakara ancestors originated in the southern region of Phariasta, and at an unknown time these ancestors fled north into the Underworld. The Balvhakara formed in Nuqrah'shareh from the remnants of those commonborn left behind by the fleeing nobility, who would later become the Beldrobbaen in Chel'el'sussoloth. The early Chelian settlers were among the first of clans to arise within drow society as vassals of the Sharen during the 3rd Century Wars, and one of the very few of those clans to survive to the current era. The Beldrobbaen had at one point seen a great rise to prominence, second only to the Sharen. Their downward fall began with the changes in drow culture. Newer generations held less reverence for the dogma of old which the Beldrobbaen held so dear. In the face of progressive sociological changes the culturally immutable Beldrobbaen found themselves losing power in favor of other clans that more readily embraced change.

The greatest blows to the Beldrobaen clan's prominence came within the last couple of decades. A supposed attempted assassination attempt against Waes'soloth by a Nidraa'chal-affiliated slave led to the wholesale purging of all slaves within the clan, the servant caste replaced with golems. Hardly a decade later a teacher at Orthorbbae lost control of her seed, succumbing to demonic possession. This latest incident wiped out nearly an entire generation of the Beldrobbaen's women; only Naal'suul survived, left a tainted shell of her former self.

Currently the Beldrobbaen persists as a mere shadow of its former glory. In this grave time the clan holds itself together by the memories of its once powerful status, the respect it garners from its long history and the sheer willpower of its Ill'haress.

### Notable Event: The District War

In the aftermath of the Nidraa'chal Uprising, the The Beldrobbaen had lost much land and its fair share of members. When war broke out yet again, they were obligated to aid the Vel'Sharen in the Sarghress rebellion, and maintained a defensive stance in the war. They successfully checked Sarghress forces near First Landing until Vloz'ress assassination of the false double forced Waes'soloth to publicly declare the Empress dead, and withdraw their forces from the battlefield. In the aftermath of the District War, the demon wave unleashed by Vloz'ress summoners reached as far as the Beldrobbaen fortress, and Kharla'ggen's puppet strings cost the clan many lives, in a time where the Beldrobaben have few to spare. In the aftermath of the war and three years following, Zala'ess negotiates with their Balvhakara cousins to send numbers to help renew bloodlines and repopulate the clan. However, these negotiations fall through due to war exhaustion, and the Balvhakara elected to retreat back to Nuqrah'shareh--much to the dismay of many.

### Notable Event: The Flower Plague

Snadhya'rune's threat of a mind- and body-altering spore virus reached the halls of the clan via Verthandi's message, following the wake of her meeting in Felde. Rumors flew wildly of which house was infected or not, and drastic measures had to be taken in order to maintain order within the clan. As a result, Waesa'soloth temporarily lost control of her clan: one of the fortress' stalactite towers crumbled in an explosion, members were being attacked left and right, and a Dev'ess was discovered with a strange root growing out of her head. Worst of all, the main cause of the hysteria stemmed from a young Valborn girl who also attended Snadhya'rune's party, and threatened to infect the entire clan with vials of poison.

Luckily, a request for aid from the Val'Jaal'darya had been sent out--breaking new ground in Bedrobbaen culture, for they had previously despised the Jaals and their work. It turned out that Illhar'ess Asira'malika wished to join hands with the Beldrobbaen against those who sought to manipulate their clans, referring to Nidraa'chal agents.

## Culture and Politics

Among the most orderly of the Chelian clans, the Beldrobbaen hold to their ancient customs with obdurate determination even in the face of the ever-shifting society outside of their walls. Formalities, most dating back centuries, are prevalent in their everyday life from style of dress to behavior. Digression and restraint are core tenants of Beldrobbaen culture; shades of black and gray dominate nearly every visual facet of the clan and rarely are voices raised to a high octave. Most outsiders see members of the Beldrobbaen as soft-spoken and emotionally distant, and in light of the events of the past few decades many rightfully add mournful to that list.

One of the most prominent aspects of Beldrobbaen culture is their high reverence for the spider, a tenant that has faded nearly completely from most of contemporary drow society. Driders and the intelligent Awares, ostracized outside of the walls of clan, are more than welcome within.

While the doctrine of the Beldrobbaen doesn’t hold up outside of the clan, its long and rich history alongside its ferocious will to survive demonstrated by the Ill'haress Waes'soloth has garnered much respect among the other Vals of Chel'el'sussoloth, and none of the other clans are actively at war with them. None the less, their vulnerable state has forced the clan to make their political steps carefully so as to garner minimal resentment from the bigger fish.

## Clan Fortress and Properties

The land under the Beldrobbaen’s control has shrunk alongside their loss of personnel. Whatever notable property they hold outside of the clan fortress has yet to be seen.

## Clan Members

### Houses

Because majority of those who call themselves Beldrobbaen are of Val lineage, a large amount of houses formed from the remnants of the exodus from Phariasta. Over time, this number whittled down to a handful due to great misfortune, war, and the declining birthrate within the clan. Known houses in the clan include Ka'shatriya, Azaeloth, Shessembrae, Delbara and Dizen'ralith

An article about the houses based on information from podcasts can be found here.

### Former Members

*This article reflects events up to Chapter 56**.***

1. ↑ http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=12634