The Vel'Sharen Coup d'État

*Occurs during chapters*
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At the peak of the Nidraa'chal war, a coup d'état was staged against the Val'Sharess Diva'ratrika Val'Sharen. Three of her daughters had secretly orchestrated the war in order to silently take control of the Chelian empire. Though Diva'ratrika has long since been left for dead, the three traitorous sisters still hold the reins to Chel'el'Sussoloth and the Vel'Sharen clan.

## Major Influences

### Diva'ratrika's Rule

Diva'ratrika was a fair leader, but a firm one. After centuries in her shadow, her daughters began to grow restless and hungry for power. Snadhya'rune in particular never got along with her mother, and would have preferred to rule drow-kind free of the old-world traditions Diva clung to.

## Event Timeline

### Demonology and the Nidraa'chal

Snadhya'rune had been spending a vast amount of time researching demons and nether studies in attempts to make drow more resistant to demon-based attacks. Her relentless experiments eventually lead her to develop seeding rituals that prevented fae from being possessed against their will. Though it left the fae tainted, weak seeds would leave the subject feeling little difference after the procedure. She marketed this as a vaccination against demonic possession, and eventually the supporters of this research became the foundations of the Nidraa'chal.

Diva'ratrika was strongly opposed to these methods and tried to put a stop to the shadowy organization. She had no idea what Snadhya'rune had been the start of it all. It wasn't long before Snadhya, Zala'ess, and Sarv'swati had all tainted themselves.

### Year 1082 - Coup d'état

The Nidraa'chal eventually formed a plan to take over the empire. Behind concealing masks, they started open battles in the streets and waited for the empire to retaliate with a full-scale war effort. This destroyed much of Chel'el'Sussoloth, leaving the Empress relatively undefended. Snadhya'rune, Sarv'swati and Zala'ess attacked the Val'Sharess in her own tower, and succeeded in pushing her into retreat. Trapped in her throne room, the girls destroyed the hallway outside, permanently sealing Diva'ratrika within.

They left her for dead and blamed the state of the tower on Sil'lice Val'Sharen, their sister who refused to bend to their story. The remaining daughter of Diva'ratrika, Nishi'kanta Vel'Sharen, was forcibly tainted and manipulated into submission. The trio then undermined the authority of Diva'ratrika's strongest followers, the Val'Dutan'vir Imperial Guard, and eventually had them expelled from the clan through ghastly subterfuge performed in part by Nir'naya.

Their charade complete, the Vel'Sharen sisters told the public that Diva'ratrika had gone into hiding in the wake of Sil'lice's attack. In her place, her remaining daughters would start to take responsibility for various aspects of the clan. The ruse worked, and the whole of Chel'el'Sussoloth still believes the Val'Sharess to be alive.

## Aftermath

Though for the most part Chel'el'Sussoloth viewed the Nidraa'chal menace as a dispelled threat, the peace between the ruling clans grew tenuous with the continued absence of Diva'ratrika. The sisters have used various techniques to convince the public of Diva'ratrika's continued reign, including a parade given by a dark elf body double and a procession for a biogolem that mimicked Diva'ratrika's aura. These tactics, though effective enough for the commoners, have done little to restore balance to the anxious clans.

### Battleground: Chel'el'sussoloth

Main article: The District War
With Diva'ratika's disinterest apparent, many of the clans slowly prepared themselves for war and/or removed their support of anything but their own territories and members. This eventually exploded into a major conflict that put two major alliances against each other with all of Chel caught in the middle.

*This article reflects events up to Chapter 39**.***