Sarv'swati Vel'Sharen

*Appeared in chapters*  0\*         9  11     16 17  19      25     30       37     42\*  44 45  47
*Appeared in side stories*  Tale of Colonies

## Deceased

### Trivia

* Affinity - Earth Sorcery
* Advanced Foci Training
* Military Strategy

* Nickname - Aunt Siksi
* Rendered Quain'tana barren

## Family

* Diva'ratrika - Mother
* Snadhya'rune - Sister
* Zala'ess - Sister
* Sil'lice - Sister
* Nishi'kanta - Sister
* Ashu'athama - Brother
* Nihi'liir - Daughter
* Vidhi'yani - Daughter
* Sun'ya - Son
* Anin'dita - Granddaughter
* Daksha'yani - Granddaughter
* Al'tesh - Grandson
* Nori'ga
* Ty'tose
* Sorn'mal
* Xharidil'uit
* Two unnamed daughters

Sarv'swati is the second daughter of Diva'ratrika Val'Sharen and the military commander of the Vel'Sharen clan. Before the Nidraa'chal menace, Sarv'swati proved herself to be a valuable military commander on and off the field.

She became a capable rival of Quain'tana Val'Sarghress. When the Val'Sarghress earned their place of power among the ruling clans, several battles were waged to knock the Sarghress down a peg or two. Sarv'swati and Quain'tana fought personally, and Sarv'swati managed to seriously wound Quain'tana's abdomen with her blade. Though the Val'Sarghress retained their position in Chel'el'Sussoloth's hierarchy, Quain'tana herself was rendered barren, creating an internal problem with the Sarghress main bloodline.

## Appearance and Personality

Sarv'swati is a deliberate and taciturn woman, more than willing to fight for what she deserves. She does not lose her temper readily, though she expresses it explosively when sorely pushed. She is a tall and imposing figure, and she is usually seen in her teal plated battle armor. A brilliant strategist and soldier, Sarv'swati is uncontested as the commander of the imperial troops.

Sarv'swati has an increasing rivalry with her sister, Zala'ess. Both women eventually hope to lead the clan, so they have been undermining each other in attempts to secure the highest position for their respective bloodlines.

Her crown bears five purple gems, and her long blue/purple hair is dyed black at the ends. She wears teal and grey.

## Biography - Background

### The Vel'Sharen Coup d'État

Main article: The Vel'Sharen Coup d'État
Sarv'swati and Zala'ess joined forces with Snadhya'rune during the Nidraa'chal uprising. They both opted to become tainted, and they agreed to assist in assassinating Diva'ratrika while the clan's forces were occupied with the war effort. They forced their mother into her throne room and sealed the entrance, effectively leaving Diva'ratrika for dead as they took over the clan. They told the public that Diva'ratrika survived, but framed the assassination attempt on their sister Sil'lice. Sarv'swati took over full military command of the Vel'Sharen army.

Soon after the war, the Vel'Sharen clan began to mandate tainting for all its members. One of Zala'ess' daughters, Vy'chriel, rebelled and refused to become tainted, and she was killed by her protector twin Yaeminira. Zala'ess wanted to kill Yaeminira for this, but Sarv'swati prevented her from doing so by reminding Zala'ess that a rebel can't be allowed in the royal family, and in order for her honor to be safe Zala'ess should just let Yaeminira take her real daughters' place. Zala'ess reluctantly agreed, but she never forgave the true Yaeminira for killing her daughter.

### Sarv'swati and Zala'ess

Years later, Sarv'swati began to grow nervous of Zala'ess' ambitions. When Zala'ess started making a clear bid for power that would ultimately endanger the whole of the Vel'Sharen clan, Sarv'swati sought help from Snadhya'rune. Snadhya'rune advised Sarv'swati to let Zala'ess squander her resources on her war with the Val'Sarghress. The other clans would lose faith in Zala and her bloodline would thin, securing Sarv'swati's place at the head of the clan. Sarv'swati did not like the idea of sacrificing *any* Sharen, even if they were of her sister's line, and assumed there must be a better way to put Zala'ess in her place.

She realized that the war with the Val'Sarghress was going to happen, so against Snadhya'rune's advice, she did what she could to repair Zala'ess' mistakes. She hosted a parade with a fake body double of Diva'ratrika to re-affirm the public's belief in the Val'Sharess. She also challenged Farasank Siyah'khorshed for dominance over his tribe. She won, and she added the Black Sun forces to her own to bolster the Vel'Sharen army.

Without regard for Zala'ess' troops, she prepared her line for war.

## Biography - Arc II

Main article: The District War
15 years later, Sarv'swati and her troops were knee-deep in war with the Val'Sarghress faction. Even when Zala'ess pulled her army out of the war to aid in the civil war occurring in Nuqrah'shareh, Sarv'swati and her Black Sun allies still fought relentlessly to hold the line. She began to prepare a fighting contingent comprised entirely of slaves to serve as cannon fodder against the Val'Sarghress war machine. She is paricularly pissed when Kio'nel Sharen gives her a report of failure from Dariya'ko, only to receive more bad news from a survivor of Quain'tana's attack on the colony. In her rage, she executes Kio'nel on the spot and prepares for war.

### Vel'Sharen Defeat

However, despite her efforts, Sarv'swati's legions slowly fall apart to sabotage, abandonment and Sarghress incursions. She lost support of the Beldrobbaen when her false Empress was exposed by Kiel'ndia Vel'Vloz'ress. At the final battle before the Council Building & Val'Sharess tower, Sarv'swati's legions melt away to the desperate Sarghress push as the Earth Tribe makes the call to fold. She is reminded by Tlu'rath that Sarv'swati squandered her forces in the bid for control, and that the war was lost. In her madness, Sarf'swati fires a barrage of earth arts at the sealed Val'Sharess throne room but it fails, and Sarv'swati is left alone and crying for her mother to come back. Just as the Sarghress hordes come racing through the tower for her, Nir'naya appears on a floater and whisks her away.

Now defeated, Sarv'swati is declared missing by Sarghress forces, but is in reality hiding out in the Vloz'ress domain to observe Zala'ess' actions. It is here that Nir'naya urges her to settle the score with Quain'tana once and for all as the Illhar'ess is being led to Zala's base by Sabrror. She doubts Zala'ess will continue the war efforts, but rather surrender on the spot to Sarghress dominion to save her own skin. Nir'naya continues her prodding, causing Sarv'swati to consider the suggestion of a duel with Quain'tana.

### Sarv'swati's Final Decision

As the Sarghress and Sharen alliance troops finish off the Vloz'ress-created horror, Sarv'swati swept into the battlefield to issue throw down the gauntlet at Quain'tana's feet. Zala'ess intervened by angrily issuing an order to her bloodline to kill her sister, but they were no match for the Second Daughter's powerful earth affinity and foci fire arts. Captain Nir'naya blocked any one else who would interfere with the honor duel.

Quain'tana officially accepted her challenge by declaring that sixty-nine of Sarv'swati's line where imprisoned after she fled the Val'Sahress tower defensive, prompting the older woman to strike with an upward chop. Quain'tana easily blocked the attack--noticing that Nir'naya's blade was coated with a black poison--but not before being blown away by Sarv'swati's air foci. With the distraction, Sarv'swati took aim at the other woman's face, landing a poisoned slice on the face. Further into the fight, Sarv'swati uses that time to raise herself into the air with her earth affinity, while moving to crush Quain'tana. When the Sarghress leader's latent high sorcery disabled the attack, the two fell into intense combat once again.

in her hubris, Zala'ess fires a small amount of her own earth affinity towards Sarv'swati's foot, removing her sister's ability to leap away with air sorcery. This gives Quain'tana the opportunity to downward chop straight into the Second Daughter's skull, ending her centuries-long reign.

## Notable Quotes

*"I do not like sacrificing our own for the sake of resolving this power struggle. Zala once cowered before us. We could avoid butchering our family."* --speaking to Snadhya'rune while discussing Zala'ess' power grabs.

*"You are nothing more than a demagogue, an idea for those miserable wretches in the streets who hunger for what we have, for what we have done. None of them could understand what it is to rule this shithole of a cavern. But, you might soon, and those who follow you will turn on you once they realize the truth."* --speaking to Speaking to Quain'tana during their final duel.

## Character Concept

Official concept art of Sarv'swati, Dutan'vir Path.