View source for Chrys'tel Vel'Sharen

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{{Character
 | faction = Vel'Sharen
 | status = Overseer for the Empress
 | race = Ver'drowendar
 | talents =
* Blood Sorcery
 | family = 
* [[Diva'ratrika Val'Sharen|Diva'ratrika]] - Grandmother
* [[Zala'ess Vel'Sharen|Zala'ess]] - Mother
* [[Shinae Vel'Sharen|Shinae]] - Protector Twin
* [[Tehur Vel'Sharen|Tehur]] - Sister
* [[Suna'madhuri Vel'Sharen|Suna'madhuri]] - Sister
* [[Yaeminira Vel'Sharen|Yaeminira]] - Sister
* [[Yami'ni Vel'Sharen|Yami'ni]] - Sister
* [[Kiri'dharma Vel'Sharen|Kiri'dharma]] - Sister
* [[Saph'ala Vel'Sharen|Saph'ala]] - Sister
* [[Nau'kheol Vel'Sharen|Nau'kheol]] - Brother
* [[Phani'lath Vel'Sharen|Phani'lath]] - Brother
* [[Zuhur Vel'Sharen|Zuhur]] - Brother

 | trivia = 
* Double Agent for [[Sil'lice Val'Sharen]]
* Has poor bladder control when nervous
* Rumored to be dating [[Kedren Balvhakara]]
* Owner and rider of [[Cahal]]
}}
[[Category:Can be featured]]
<section begin=feature />Chrys'tel is a younger daughter of [[Zala'ess]] and an Imperial Vel'Sharen Overseer. She and her protector twin [[Shinae]] have been exploring the dark secrets of her family's history.<section end=feature />

Chrys'tel went to school with [[Shinae]], [[Faen]], [[Kyo'nne]], [[Kiel'ndia]], and [[Naal'suul]]. The group was fairly close until Faen accidentally killed one of her teachers. Soon afterwards, [[Ariel]] kidnapped Chrys'tel for questioning about Faen. While kept prisoner Chrys'tel found out that [[Sil'lice]], a supposed traitor, was alive and that Ariel was born illegitimately of a [[Zhor|giant spider]] and a drow. She was also told by Sil'lice the truth of the [[The Vel'Sharen Coup d'État|Vel'Sharen conspiracy]]. Chrys did not believe any of it, but began to grow seeds of doubt. She was rescued by [[Syphile Val'Sarghress]]. The questions she had continued to fester, and she started investigating against Shinae's best advice. Chrys'tel eventually persuaded Kiel and Naal to help, ultimately resulting in Naal's death.

She continued the quest for truth and eventually was marked as an ally and double agent of Sil'lice Val'Sharen. She is now an Overseer for the Empress of Chel'el'Sussoloth.

==Appearance and Personality==
[[File:Chrys_Young.jpeg|140px|left]]
Chrys'tel is a natural leader with an attitude to match. She is proud, headstrong, and determined in her endeavors, and is empowered by the knowledge that she is a descendant of the most powerful ruling clan. When her faith in her clan was shaken, it disturbed her greatly, forcing her to channel her energies towards a relentless quest for truth.

Chrys' attitude to those she considers lower than her is generally haughty and dimissive. With age and understanding she has become more diplomatic, but she still sometimes holds to her ingrained Vel'Sharen pride. She naturally takes command of most situations, and is skilled at uniting people in the causes she pursues.

Her relationship with her protector twin has been rocky. She has a tendency to take advantage of her position and force Shinae into undesirable sitations, but Shinae is equally as likely to lash out at Chrys'tel for anything that she doesn't agree with. Chrys'tel slowly found it difficult to trust Shinae, but with the knowledge that tainted drow are truly ticking time bombs with a short fuse, she pledge to be a better sister to Shinae in the time she has left.

In her youth, Chrys'tel almost always wore her single-eyed circlet and short dresses that showed her wealth freely. She wore her hair in long twin pigtails. She now dons the uniform of an Imperial Overseer of Zala'ess' lineage with her hair tied back in a practical bun. Her crown now bears three eyes with rounded points, a nod to the modified circlet Shinae made for her at the end of Arc I.

==Biography - Arc I==
===Early Childhood===
As is [[Vel'Sharen]] custom, Chrys'tel was paired with a protector twin at a very young age. The girl she was paired with was named [[Shinae]], and they have spent most of their lives at each others' side.

Chrys'tel was very young when the [[Nidraa'chal]] uprising took place, but remembers bits and pieces of the time before that. She was tainted as a child when mandatory tainting became law in the Vel'Sharen clan.

===Orthorbbae===
Chrys'tel was sent to school at the [[Orthorbbae]] to become educated and to form political connections for her family. She roomed with [[Faen'arae Val'Sullisin'rune]], an empath she considered weak and soft. She tried to harden Faen up for her own sake, but Faen remained afraid and compassionate.

Faen and Chrys encountered [[Ariel Val'Sarghress]] injured and bleeding in the basement of the school. Chrys'tel immediately expressed a hostile attitude towards Ariel, mainly because Ariel was a younger female student who wasn't worth saving if she couldn't help herself. Faen sympathized with the injured girl and tried her hardest to heal the girl as Chrys left them both behind. When Faen brought Ariel back to her room to heal, Chrys'tel yelled at her for being weak-willed.

After the incident which left their friend [[Naal'suul Val'Beldrobbaen]] badly tainted, Faen became noticeably more agitated around the taint. Faen tried to explain her fears of demons to Chrys'tel, but the Sharen mocked her for them, calling her "Mad Eyes". Despite her efforts to save Faen from her own weakness, Faen descended into crippling anxiety. Chrys'tel placed the blame for this on Ariel, whose compassion for Faen was only encouraging her softness.

[[File:Val_Girl_Squad.jpeg|thumb|250px|left|From left: Kyo'nne, Chrys'tel, Naal'suul, Shinae, and Kiel'ndia during their time at school.<ref>{{ChapterRef|7|12}}</ref>]]
After Ariel left the school, Faen's condition only worsened. Chrys'tel, in a final effort to save her roommate, arranged for Faen to take summoning classes. She figured that if Faen could only face her fears and learn to master the demons that plagued her dreams, she would be free from the empathetic fits she was experiencing. Faen reluctantly agreed to take part in the mandatory tainting ceremony required for these classes.

However, on the way to the ceremony Faen collapsed in a fit. Chrys'tel's cousin, [[Nihi'liir]], grew quickly impatient and slapped Faen to force her to her senses. Faen snapped, and the emotional overload hit everyone in the vicinity, knocking Chrys'tel senseless. When she came to, Faen was in a strange trance, Nihi'liir's arm was destroyed, and the [[Sate'ja Vel'Sharen|teacher]]'s mind was lost entirely. When Faen came out of her state, she panicked and fled.

A month later, on the next school break, Chrys'tel was walking with her friends down the streets of [[Chel'el'sussoloth]] when she spotted Faen in a nearby alleyway. She followed Faen, but was ambushed in a sneak attack by Ariel, who had used her high sorcery to shapeshift herself into Faen's form. Ariel questioned Chrys'tel on what really happened at the Orthorbbae, and Chrys'tel told her everything. The two fought, and Ariel managed to subdue Chrys'tel.

===Prisoner of the Sargress===
Chrys'tel was taken back to the [[Val'Sarghress]] fortress as a prisoner. While she was held captive, she was tormented by [[Sil'lice Val'Sharen]], the supposed traitor behind the Nidraa'chal uprising. Sil'lice took delight in shattering Chrys' view of her clan and replacing it with the truth - that Chrys' own mother and aunts were behind the coup and that Diva'ratrika had been dead for decades. Sil'lice told her that the Nidraa'chal secretly won the war, and that the widespread tainting was the proof. Chrys refused to believe it, so Sil'lice prompted her to check the basement of the Orthorbbae and the Val'Sharess tower the next time she had the chance.

Chrys'tel was driven to despair by Sil'lice's harsh ways. Just when she had assumed all hope was lost, a stranger showed up at her cell. It was Syphile, a tainted Sarghress [[Val]] that had just been stripped of her rank and exiled from the clan. Syphile promised to help Chrys escape in exchange for a position in the [[Vel'Sharen]] clan. Syphile also told the young Vel'Sharen that Ariel was born of a spider [[Awares|aware]] and was thus not a drow at all. Chrys agreed to do her best for Syphile, and the two escaped to the Vel'Sharen palace.

After some initially rough handling, Chrys'tel was eventually allowed audience with her mother, [[Zala'ess Vel'Sharen]]. Chrys'tel told Zala'ess that she escaped from the Val'Sarghress with Syphile's help and insisted that Syphile be made a noble. Zala'ess laughed and said that she had no use of a Val'Sarghress reject. Chrys persisted until she managed to negotiate a deal. Syphile would be allowed to train with the Vel'Sharen, after which she would attempt to assassinate Quain'tana. If she succeeded, she would be given a place in the Vel'Sharen clan. If she failed, she would be at Quain'tana's mercy. Syphile agreed, and Chrys'tel went on to tell her mother what she had learned. Zala'ess ultimately expressed great pride for her daughter's work during her time with the Val'Sarghress.

===Quest for Truth===
{{Main|Chrys'tel's Quest for Truth}}
[[File:Chrys'_Discovery.jpeg|thumb|Chrys'tel is shocked to find Val'Sharess tower in ruins.<ref>{{ChapterRef|17|16}}</ref>]]
====Alliance====
Sil'lice's words still buzzed in the back of Chrys'tel's head, and she began to grow restless with questions. She found herself unable to confide in Shinae, but still needed to prove Sil'lice wrong. She stole one of her mother's crowns, and used the keystone to gain access to the Val'Sharess tower, which she found in ruin. She also visited a cousin who left for the Illhar'dro just before the war broke out. She began to question him about Diva'ratrika, but was interrupted by a tainted guest of his that kept her from probing too deep.

Unsettled by what she had seen and still yearning for answers, Chrys'tel caved and told Shinae about Sil'lice's story of Diva'ratrika's death and Zala'ess' conspiratory cover-up. Shinae intially chastised Chrys for even thinking about Sil'lice's garbage, but Chrys convinced her sister to help dig deeper. Shinae didn't like it, but she knew she had no choice but to follow and protect Chrys. 

The girls teamed up with their schoolmates - [[Kiel'ndia Vel'Vloz'ress]] and [[Naal'suul Val'Beldrobbaen]]. Kiel and Naal promised to explore the basement of Orthorbbae with Chrys, so long as Chrys and Shinae would later provide support in Kiel's quest to revolutionize the Vel'Vloz'ress clan. With that, the young girls set out to change the world.

====Orthorbbae's Secrets====
At the Orthorbbae, the girls followed Chrys' lead. They eventaully recruited Chrys' younger brother [[Nau'kheol]] and Naal's younger brother [[Khal'harror Val'Beldrobbaen]] to the cause. They stole a keystone of [[Snadhya'rune Vel'Sharen]], the headmistress of the school and one of the Sharen sisters Sil'lice accused of killing Diva'ratrika. They used the stone to open a conspicuous door in the basement of the school, revealing a large freezer filled with bodies.

They soon stumbled across the body of [[Sate'ja Vel'Sharen|Sate'ja]], the teacher that Faen had accidentally mind-wiped with her empathy. Just then, the group turned to find Sate'ja standing in the doorway, alive and able-bodied despite her frozen presence on the table beside them. The teacher attacked, and the group fought back valiantly. They soon discovered that they were battling a corporeal summon of Sate'ja - an abomination the teens never thought possible. 

Sate'ja eventually gained the upper hand and stabbed Naal'suul through the heart, prompting Naal to lose control of her seed. She sadly apologized before she transformed into a demon and consumed Sate'ja on the spot. The group quickly retreated from the freezer and sealed the door behind them, much to Kiel's fury. Chrys apologized for her loss and promised to do everything she could to help Kiel in her problems with the Vloz'ress.

The group left, Chrys feeling defeated with the horrors she had seen. She dragged a reluctant Shinae to the Vel'Vloz'ress fortress to help Kiel as best the could. They provided moral support for the downtrodden girl, and Chrys eventually opted to leave the key to the freezer with Kiel. They watched and assisted as Kiel'ndia secured her place as the de facto leader of the Vel'Vloz'ress clan.

====Final Steps====
After returning to home, Chrys'tel was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of things. After seeing a tainted summon kill a Vel'Sharen slave, listening to her mother's continued lies, and meeting with the palace's [[Yakuise Val'Kyorl'solenurn|seer]], she knew she needed to return to Sil'lice for answers.

After a brief reunion between her school friends, Chrys'tel tried to depart for the Val'Sarghress clan. Shinae begged her not to go, but Chrys was unsure if she could even trust Shinae anymore. She threw her crown at Shinae's feet and said that is she wanted Chrys' title, she should just take it and go. She left Shinae behind, but relented to Nau'kheol when he pressed her.

[[File:Chrys'_Apology.jpeg|thumb|Chrys'tel reconciles with Shinae.<ref>{{ChapterRef|32|40}}</ref>]]
Chrys and Nau arrived at the Sarghress fortress and just barely made it inside when Snadhya'rune and [[Mel'arnach]] made a scene at the main gate. They met [[Diva]], a servant who claimed to have worked for Val'Sharess Diva'ratrika before the uprising. Chrys'tel was excited to hear what the girl had to say, and all three of them entered Sil'lice's tower together.

They were met by [[Kadara]], who immediately assaulted them with a crossbow. She severely injured Nau's foot and threw the protesting children into a pair of iron maidens. She meanwhile pulled Diva aside to give her a foot massage. When Sil'lice finally arrived to release them, Nau had collapsed of exhaustion and blood loss. The distressed and beaten Chrys'tel desperately pleaded for the truth and told Sil'lice that she no longer knew what to do. Sil'lice simply said that all she could do was survive until an opportunity presented itself. She gave Chrys a token to mark her as part of Sil'lice's faction, and sent the two young Vals back to the Vel'Sharen palace to serve as double agents.

Chrys'tel returned to home to find that Shinae had modified her crown to feature a rounded point. Chrys'tel accepted it warmly, and promised Shinae that in the time she had left she wanted them to be better sisters.

==Biography - Arc II==
[[File:Chrys'tel_Overseer.jpeg|thumb|left|Chrys'tel as an Imperial Overseer.<ref>{{ChapterRef|34|1}}</ref>]]
===Nuqrah'Shareh Civil War===
{{Main|Nuqrah'shareh Civil War}}
Chrys'tel eventually did rise high enough in the ranks to be promoted to Overseer. She lead Zala'ess' forces when they departed for Nuqrah'Shareh to aid in the Civil War that had broken out there. She and Nau fought back against the rebels, searching for the traitor that had caused the apparent rift. The traitor, [[Balsii]], eventually conceded defeat, but the rebel forces stayed strong in their efforts to gain control of a weapon the Val'Illhar'dro clan was rumored to possess.

Chrys, Nau, [[Yami'ni]], [[Jiaan]], and [[Quar'imar]] set out on a mission to retrieve the unknown weapon. They arrived too late to find that the weapon was actually a zeppelin airship, and they lost Yami'ni and Jiaan on the way.

In hopes of intercepting the ship, Chrys and her allies went to the surface on an Illhar'dro trade route. They found a nearby colony had been ambushed, and the evidence left behind pointed directly at the Val'Sarghress clan.

===Zala'ess' Return to Chel===
A handful of messengers were sent ahead of the army marching from Nuqrah'shareh, among them Chrys and Nau. They find themselves in the Beldrobaben districts where they come across [[Kiel'ndia Vel'Vloz'ress]] being pursued by [[Nir'naya]] and other Imperials. The siblings manage to fool Nir'naya that the vloz'ress is dead using Chrys' blood sorcery, but not before hearing Nir'naya's warning for Zala'ess: she was the one that helped the siblings' mother for years and Zala'ess is to be reminded that neither Sarv'swati nor Nir'naya will look kindly on her charade to become Empress.

Kiel then informs Chrys and Nau of what happened at the Beldrobbaen fortress, of how she assassinated the false Empress Sarv'swati placed  on the throne with insider help from [[Khaless Sharen]]. Chrys'tel immediately recognizes that Snadhya'rune may be behind these events as well in addition to the Nuqrah'shareh civil war and the conflict at Machike'shikumo. She demands her friend to bring her to Khaless and Snadhya the next time they meet, which Kiel mentions there being a party in Felde hosted by her aunt and agrees to get Kiel'ndia out of the Beldrobbaen territories alive. [[Nemea'tari Delbara Val'Beldrobbaen|Nemea'tari]] is seen listening into their conversation.

===The Felde Investigation===
{{Main|Felde Gathering}}


===The Search for a Cure===
{{Main|The Flower Plague}}

===Vel'Sharen's Leaders===
Upon her return from the Nal'sarkoth fortress, Chrys'tel is informed by Sorn'mal of Zala's sudden recovery. Immediate suspiscions of Nidraa'chal meddling prompted the young overseer to seek Nir'naya's prison for questioning--Chrys'tel believed that Zala'ess' order to install a new Captain of the [[Imperial Guard]] meant Snadhya was using Nir'naya as a lackey. With [[Sarai]] and Sorn'mal, she discovers that Nir'naya had been brutally tortured by Sarghress interrogators and this was unable to lead. Her fears are dissapated when she hears the confirmation from [[Al'tesh Vel'Sharen]] that her mother negotiated with Snadhya on terms and conditions of ruling, one of which was promoting Chrys'tel to Captain.<ref>http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11735</ref>

==Character Concept==
<gallery>
Image:Chrys_nigthwear.jpg|Concept art of Chrys'tel's outfit in the beginning of Chapter 31.
Image:Concept_Chrystel.png|Official Chapter 50 concept for Chrys'tel.
</gallery>

{{Last update | 50}}