Nega'fanea Val'Illhar'dro

*Appeared in chapters*                  16                 33 34

Drowolath

## Family

* Jhal'na Val'Illhar'dro - daughter
* Sorane'saniil Val'Illhar'dro - grandson
* Balsii Val'Illhar'dro - cousin

Illharess and the Fourth Queen of the great Illhar’dro, Nega'fanea oversees an expansive mercantile empire that appears to be cracking under the pressure of being spread too thin.

## Appearance and Personality

Born in in the Illhar’dro satellite city of Val’Raveran, Nega’fanea is a master of negotiations and always aims to make decisions in the name of peace and stability. She is considerably less assertive than her militant cousin Balsii, with her mind on the interests of the whole of her empire and relations with other organizations rather than just the Illhar’dro only. Nega’fanea is also known to show kindness to her enemies when others would not.

Appearance-wise, Nega’fanea has dark green hair with teal streaks. She wears a silver diadem with a single blue-green gem, with two strings of pearls connecting to the bridge, drapes across her cheeks and encircling her ears. The Illharess usually is seen wearing floor-length dresses sporting the clan colors of teal, dark green and white.

## Biography

### Arc I

#### The Illharess Council Meeting

Zala’ess had called on all leaders of the nine Great Clans to join her for the first Council Meeting in decades, and it is here that Nega’fanea makes her first appearance. She is the first to call for the clans to lay down their arms for just long enough for citizens to enjoy the upcoming Moon's end Festival. She also gives the subtle warning that it would upset the Illhar'dro greatly if festival plans were to be cancelled. When Rel'lumia Val'Nal'sarkoth brings up the topic of the Black Suns, Nega'fanea explains their reasons for existing and that Chel should not relax with the threat of the Siyah'khorshed still alive and well. She also warns that Chel should focus their warring efforts outward before it's destroyed from within by itself and from without by the Black Sun tribes.

This leads into Nega'fanea pushing for the other clans to join her in expanding the boundaries of Chel'el'Sussoloth, as such things are already done in the Illhar'dro capital, Nuqrah'shareh. The Illharess expresses that the cities can only hold so many before the need to expand and conquer land becomes the primary issue, and preaches that prime opportunities out in the worlds await those that seize them. However, many object to her suggestion, and Nega'fanea brings up a difficult topic: degeneration in the later generations. The thinning of the bloodlines and the possibility of birthing mutant Xuile'solen is a feared notion to speak of in any family, and Nega'fanea warns that this will be the results of the Drow civilization if they do not make efforts to expand. With this driving into the minds of the other illharesses, she then declares that her clan will act in the interests of colonization, stating that the Imperial Queen no longer cares for her people.

Nega'fanea joins in the conversation of clan-held schools by stating that Nuqrah'shareh also has such an established method, but Zala'ess interrupts the meeting with the announcement that the Val'Sarghress have commited great crimes, with the supposed slaying of the Sharen emissary being the last straw. Nega'fanea ponders the actions of the Sarghress, believing that they have become a rogue clan within Chel'el'Sussoloth's borders.

### Arc II

#### The Nuqrah'shareh Civil War

##### Betrayal

Because of the unrest boiling over the Illhar'dro in Chel have withdrawn seven years ago at Nega'fanea's discretion, and now reside within the capital, Nuqrah'shareh. Unfortunately, the conflict had followed them west and now the once beautiful city is caught in the midst of a civil war.

During a skirmish on the Illhar'dro's palace isle, Sandaur finds Nega'fanea on the top floor of the Guest Palace discussing matters of the war with Agneya'mukhi Balvhakara and Quian Jie'yen. Even in the midst of battle, Nega'fanea expresses concern for the public's lack of food and resources and stresses peaceful means to end the conflict, while the other two present call for swifter and harsher actions on the riots and invading mercenaries. Sandaur begs pardon for interrupting, but Balsii is close on his heels and points out that the cause of the unrest in Nuqrah lie with Nega'fanea's decision to allow refugees from Chel into their city.

As she draws closer to Nega'fanea, Balsii claims that the empire has begun to show weakness under the Queen's rule, pulling out a hidden sword from her umbrella and jamming it under the Queen's chin. She calls for the forceful removal of Nega'fanea for being incompetent when the Illhar'dro needed a strong leader like her in this time of need. Balsii asks for approval from those present but is met with a solid NO from the Balvhakara matron, the Jie'yen ambassador and Sandaur, and Nega'fanea takes this chance to to and convince Balsii and her guards to stand down with spellsong (showing mercy to her cousin despite having a sword at her throat). However, Balsii counters the order with her own spellsong and orders her guards to kill Sandaur, meanwhile stabbing Nega'fanea through the chin and impaling her tongue.

##### The Sharen Offensive

With the help of Agneya'mukhi and two Balvhakara warriors, Nega'fanea escapes the Guest Palace and flees to the Jie'yen Isle, and is later is greeted by the now Empress Zala'ess Vel'Sharen and 500 of her own warriors and bloodline. Zala'ess's reasons for seeing Nega'fanea are simple: in exchange for aiding the retaking of Nuqrah'shareh, Zala'ess wants Nega'fanea's forces to aid her claim to the throne versus her sister Sarv'swati, as well as Nuqrah'shareh's forces to return to Chel and fight the Sarghress war machine.

At first, Nega'fanea is hesitant given that as she is now, her loyal followers are not enough to face the Sarghress, the Kyorl'solenurn and the Sullisin'rune. Zala'ess explains that as things are now, winning the war would be futile when the Overworld is the future as the Queen said seven years ago, adding that Zala'ess was highly interested in the ancient artifact that the Illhar'dro engineers had brought back to life (much to Nega's displeasure). The Illharess has no choice but to allow Zala'ess into the fold, showing her the situation at hand with the rebels, the lack of resources throughout the city, and how the Balvhakara and Jie'yen plan to aid loyalists in retaking the Palace Isle. Both Shi'tua Jie'yen and Agneya'mukhi insist that their combined strength will to the work without the aid of the foreigner Vals, but Nega'fanea wants to hear what Zala'ess has to offer to them.

Later on, when the tide of war turns against Balsii, it is she and Commander Rei'shiid that head for the Jie'yen's gates to surrender. Even still, Nega'fanea shows mercy to the commander for failing to heed her summons, and to her traitor cousin for tearing a rift into the clan. In exchange for her life, Balsii offers Nega'fanea and the other leaders information on who had been backing the coup--foreign clans from Chel, presumably led by Shodun Val'Illhar'dro (in truth, it was the Nidraa'chal via Kalki and Snadhya'rune's students).

## Notable Quotes

“…It is indeed peace that must be sought. Let us forget our dissentions for a moment.” – at the Illharess Council Meeting