Drowtales/Characters/Val'Sullisin'rune Clan

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The Clan as a Whole

Background Information:

The Sullisin'rune were the second of the four Great Clans in the Council of Nine to rise to power and are actually one of the oldest clans in Chel, with origins dating back to the Moons Age. Although formerly a clan of warrior empaths, following their defeat by the Sharen early in Chelian history they turned into a clan associated with decadence and incredible wealth. Famous in-story for throwing lavish parties and being made up of skilled empaths, the Sullisin'rune are nonetheless a powerful clan and were instrumental in getting the Sarghress Val status. In the Moons Age, the Sullisins had their own nation, the capital of which was known as Thalamani, which unfortunately was lost to demons. As a last resort, the then queen, Koma'lawen, took her people to Sharess' queendom as refugees and the Sullisins helped Sharess make her last stand against the demons on the surface world, leading to a period of peace and cooperation. By the time of the Moonless Age hostility between the two nations had again grown rife, causing a deep rift between the Sharen and the Sullisin'rune, despite the latter clan being officially on civil terms with the Sharen.

• Deadly Decadent Court (Ash'waren certainly seems to believe so at least, only trusting Salan'dara, and to a lesser extent Faen.)
• Defeat Means Friendship (with the Sharen, at least on the surface)
• The Fashionista (In-universe they ARE this trope, though the Illhar'dro come close)
• The Hedonist (pretty much their clan philosophy, at least on the surface)
• Knowledge Broker (its heavily implied that the lavish parties they throw are often just fronts for gaining information on other clans)
• Last of Their Kind (this appears to be the case for Ash'waren, as her mother and sisters were all killed in the Sharen/Sullisin'rune War, leaving her as the sole heir to Sullisin'rune leadership)
• Martial Pacifist (what they morphed into after their defeat by the Sharen)
• Massive-Numbered Siblings (Ash'waren claims that she has more daughters than anyone else left alive in the world, and she's likely not exaggerating. To put this into perspective; consider Zala'ess Vel'Sharen who is acknowledged within her clan to have a horde of children and in Chapter 34 directly states that she brought 500 of her lineage with her to Nuqrah'shareh, and then think about how many children Ash'waren must have had to have outnumbered even Zala'ess...)
• Mind Rape (a proper application of empathy has this effect, as Chrys'tel, Nau'kheol and Yami'ni find out in chapter 37. It's also shown to be able to perform a type of Mind Control.)
• Panthera Awesome (their clan animal)
• A Party - Also Known as an Orgy (a frequent part of their celebrations)
• Proud Warrior Race Guy (formerly, though there are still a few who uphold the traditional ways)
• The Remnant (their numbers were severely cut by the Sharen/Sullisin'rune War, and it's implied that Ash'waren has as many children as she does to try and make up for it)
• The Spymaster (as seen in the Knowledge Broker entry above, its implied that the Sullisin'rune operate a network of spies through their many contacts and that this is what they essentially became once they were defeated by the Sharen)
• Tiger Versus Dragon (in their war with the Sharen, though they lost, and the Sullisin'rune clan page reveals that this rivalry goes much further back than the end of the Moons Age)

Ash'waren

Ash'waren Val'Sullisin'rune

The Ill'haress of the Sullisin'rune, Ash'waren is known as "Devil-Eyes" for her famous Mismatched Eyes and her alliance with the Sarghress.

• Antiquated Linguistics (one hint to her true origins as a Dark Elf is when she uses formal speech not usually used in the setting, best seen in her conversation with Faen here on the last panel.)
• Bare Your Midriff (her outfit has been compared to Jasmine's)
• Break the Cutie (she not only survived the fall of her homeland and the exodus to the Underworld but later watched her clan be defeated by the Sharen, and she seems to still have a chip on her shoulder about that. The broken part of her personality becomes a lot more evident after the timeskip.)
• Broken Bird (if you read between the lines, there are hints that her partygirl persona is an act and/or a coping mechanism to deal with what she's been through, and chapter 36 confirms this)
• The Chessmaster (like most of the other Ill'haresses, and even gets a Lampshade Hanging in official art where she's shown holding a Quain'tana puppet. It's also interesting to note that the second one has the string tied to the Quain puppet's sword arm broken off.)
• Cloudcuckoolander (has this image due to her lifestyle, and the fact that she doesn't recognize Faen as her daughter suggests part of it is true, and it's possibly even deconstructed later in chapter 36 in a very un-funny fashion)
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass (her empathic abilities are so powerful that she could really mess you up if she wanted to, just look at what Faen can do and turn it Up to Eleven and you get an idea of what you're dealing with. In chapter 36 Faen unfortunately finds this out firsthand)
• Curtains Match the Window (well, one window, since one of her eyes is blue while the other is red, or possibly a very dark orange. Interestingly, it seems her red eye was originally green (^[1])
• The Empath (possibly the most powerful one in The Verse)
• Ethical Slut (she has a very open view of sexuality)
• Facial Markings (the two blue tattoos on her face, as well as the jewel on her forehead)
• Foe Yay (its very possible that her relationship with Diva'ratrika in the past was like this, judging by the story of the Sullisin'rune defeat^[2])
• Foxy Grandma (and how! Especially considering that she's really a Dark Elf)
• Glowing Eye Of Doom: (Terrifies her daughter, Faen, with this during a fit of rage and paranoia, though it may have just been in Faen's head)
• Good Bad Girl
• Hello, Nurse! (in universe and out)
• Homoerotic Subtext (boatloads with Quain'tana. If a partially-canon side story is taken at face value they're also lovers)
• In the Hood
• Jedi Mind Trick (to hide that she's a Dark Elf)
• Kill Me Now or Forever Stay Your Hand (she did this to Diva'ratrika in the aftermath of the Sharen/Sullisin'rune War, and in exchange for swearing not to rise against them again Diva spared her. It's also not hard to infer that one of the reasons Diva gave in was because she knew Ash'waren was also a Dark Elf)
• Looming Silhouette of Rage (Does this to Faen when accusing her of betraying her loyalties to the Sullisin'rune clan in favor of the Sarghress. And the sad part is that she's probably right that Faen cares more about Ariel than her at this point, though there is a good reason for this. And subverted a page later in an unexpected bit of Mood Whiplash. It's also possible that most or part of that was in Faen's head.)
• Loophole Abuse (her partnership with Quain'tana essentially allows her to do this in regards to fighting the Sharen, since while she said she wouldn't attack them again, they never said she couldn't support someone who would)
• Mismatched Eyes
• Mood Swinger (goes from absolutely terrifying to surprisingly calm in the space of a single page, though it's possible at least some of that was Faen's empathic projection)
• Mrs. Robinson (in addition to Foxy Grandma, she also qualifies as this, since as someone who's been alive since the Sharen/Sullisin'rune War not to mention a dark elf she's significantly older than most of her lovers. Also qualifies in that it's been subtly implied that she might have something ^{[dead link]} going on with Kel'noz, who's roughly a third of her age.)
• Obfuscating Insanity (a lot of people think she's insane, but it seems to largely be an act.)
• Parental Neglect (if the fact that when told that Faen is back she has to be reminded who her own daughter is, and then asks which one she is is any indication)
• Pet the Dog (the last bit of her conversation with Faen, especially considering what had happened before)
• Properly Paranoid (after the timeskip, her paranoia over servants poisoning her might seem like she's overreacting, but remember that we've seen another character very nearly die from poison, and Waes'soloth killed all of her servants after one of them attacked a child in the Beldrobbaen, so it's not that far-fetched. There's also the fact that she seems to be sporting a scar over her heart that wasn't there before, suggesting that someone really did try to kill her during the timeskip and may have nearly succeeded, and if nothing else Khaless is within the dome as The Mole for Snadhya'rune)
  • And when the chapter switches back to Nuqrah'shareh, Sullisin'rune are in the city, and it's later all but confirmed that the three empaths assisting in taking "The Weapon" are Nidraa'chal agents.
• Really Gets Around (infamous for it, and the fact that she has a literal horde of children and can't remember who all of them are is one of the results. Chapter 36 heavily implies that she has so many children because she was the last of her family after her mother, sisters and aunts were all killed during the war with the Sharen)
• Really Seven Hundred Years Old (even by the standards of the setting she's one of the oldest characters, since as a Dark Elf she's at least 1000 years old)
• Reclining Reigner
• Red Eye Take Warning: (Averted prior to the timeskip. Played straight afterwards. Or maybe Double Subverted, if it was all in Faen's head. Or something.)
• Secret Test of Character (apparently inflicts this on Faen in Chapter 36. Luckily Faen seems to have passed it.)
• Tomboy and Girly Girl (girly girl to Quain'tana's tomboy)
• Unexpected Successor (implied, since Ash apparently had older sisters who died in the war with the Sharen, and she was likely never expected to rule. Also has shades of Reluctant Ruler, especially after Chapter 35.)

Salan'dara

Salan'dara Val'Sullisinrune

One of Ash'waren's older daughters, she functions as both her mother's personal attendant and (according to Kel'noz) an ambassador for the Sullisin'rune to form ties with other Chelian clans. She loves simplicity and sits beside her mother in the Council.

• Distaff Counterpart (to Kel'noz, and shares his role as the only member of her family who seems to have her head screwed on straight)
• Facial Markings (a crescent moon under her left eye)
• Fashionable Asymmetry (along with her one facial tattoo, her outfit has one bare arm and one covered arm)
• Living Emotional Crutch (seems to be this to her mother, and in chapter 36 Ash's flying off the handle might be because she's not there)
• Mismatched Eyes (like her mother and sisters)
• Multicolored Hair (has light blue hair with yellow bangs)
• Only Sane Man (considering who her mother is, she seems to fill this role, and even has to remind Ash'waren who her own daughter is)
• Parental Favoritism (it's pretty obvious that she's Ash's favorite daughter)
• Promotion to Parent / Parental Substitute (she seems to be more of a mother to Faen than their actual mom, apparently is in charge of checking up on her, and most tellingly, has to remind Ash that Faen's her daughter)

Faen

Faen'arae Val'Sullisinrune

One of Ash'waren's daughters and Ariel's best friend (or more, depending on your viewpoint) who was forced to flee after causing the accidental death of a teacher.

• Beware the Nice Ones (sweetest kid around... and already has a substantial bodycount)
• Blessed with Suck (Empathy is an extremely powerful skill, but there are good reasons many empaths go mad)
• Break the Cutie (goes through a lot of this, especially in the following link. Beware of spoilers!...)
• Cute Mute (after being rescued. Comparisons to Casca came quickly. Seems to have recovered during the 15 year timeskip)
• Damsel in Distress (a rarity in the drow world among females, but due to her disposition and the fact that so far she's only accidentally hurt people she's this)
• Empathic Healer
• Everyone Can See It (after the timeskip, her relationship with Ariel, which Mel directly asks her about)
• Generation Xerox (along with the above trope, Ash'waren teases Quain'tana about how Faen and Ariel look like miniature versions of themselves)
• Hates Baths (after the timeskip, and with good reason given what she witnessed in Nagyesced.)
• Hime Cut (as the daughter of the Ill'haress to a high-ranking clan, she definitely fits The Ojou status, her sweet and gentle personality the Yamato Nadeshiko archetype, and her hairstyle is styled as a Hime Cut because overall the webcomic is heavily influenced by manga and anime archetypes.)
• Living Emotional Crutch (to Ariel, and Ariel seems to serve this purpose for her as well. Chrys'tel also accuses Ariel of holding Faen back from becoming stronger by being her crutch.)
• Mismatched Eyes (one blue eye and one purple eye, showing her heritage)
• Morality Pet (after the timeskip, to the rather disillusioned Ariel)
• Nervous Wreck (Thanks to her traumatic past, as well as her empathy, she does not react well to stress and shivers quite frequently)
• One Head Taller (was this to Ariel when they were younger, but reversed after the timeskip where Ariel is now One Head Taller than her. Receives an amusing lampshading in one extra page, where the one time Faen got angry at Ariel was when she realized that Ariel was now taller than her.)
• Power Incontinence (can't control her powers, and this was a big problem both for herself and everyone around her. She gained some control over it during the time skip. It still seems to take a lot of effort just to influence the likes of Suu'be to be more receptive to Ariel's requests.)
• Prophet Eyes (protip: if her eyes go white, run! Being mauled to death by a wolf is one of the better fates that awaits you)
• Romantic Two-Girl Friendship (with Ariel, and after the timeskip it seems to be less friendship and more romantic, at least on Faen's side, even though it hasn't yet progressed to outright romance. It's also implied that they're sharing a bed.)
• Scars Are Forever (after the timeskip, the marks around her eyes from the trauma in Nagyesced are still there)
• Secret Test of Character (subjected to this by her mother Ash'waren in Chapter 36. Luckily she seems to have passed it as Ash'waren now decides that she and Salan'dara are the only two daughters she can trust.)
• Self-Harm (after the timeskip, is shown to scratch herself until she bleeds whenever she is distressed)
• Shrinking Violet
• Shy Blue-Haired Girl (certainly fits this trope, especially in the early chapters)
• Tareme Eyes (In sharp contrast to Chrys'tel)
• The Empath
• Troubled Fetal Position: (Essentially does this when being terrified by her mother)
• When She Smiles (post-breakage. The heartwarming is Over Nine Thousand!)

Yafein

Yafein Val'Sullisinrune

Faen's cousin and one of Ariel's first friends at Orthorbbae. Unfortunately he and Ariel are not on good terms in the wake of Faen's disappearance due to Ariel's killing of Maya when Yafein accidentally hit her Berserk Button. He appears after the timeskip in Nuqrah'shareh, where he's captured by Balsii's agents and held hostage.

• Bookworm
• Butt Monkey (and his luck is no better after the timeskip, see Tempting Fate)
• Ill Boy (in his first appearance Kel'noz references the fact that he was originally supposed to wait a few more years to come to Orthorbbae because of his "physical condition")
• Nerd Glasses
• Non-Action Guy
• Put on a Bus (Didn't appear since Chapter 6 or early 2008 until the tail end of Chapter 32, where he was Put On A Bus again, though about a month or so actually passed in story between appearances. A rather ironic version, as it was Ariel who left the area the first time around. He then appears in chapters 33 and 34.)
• Replacement Goldfish (after the timekskip, Perl, his Light Elf slave, seems to have been chosen because of her resemblance to Maya. The fans' reaction? Squick, especially since Maya was his Parental Substitute, so it adds an Oedipal slant to their entire relationship.)
• Tempting Fate (in chapter 33, he states that he'll be safest on the Illhar'dro island "in the eye of the cyclone" since they wouldn't want "some weak, insignificant Sullisin'rune, such as me". Cue chapter 34, and guess who's being held hostage with everyone else?)
• Took a Level in Jerkass (after the timeskip, in a big way).

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1. ↑ Word of God is that her eye color in that one sidestory is reversed from what it actually is because of an artist mix up, while the final page of the story confirms that it was the green eye that changed color
2. ↑ the part where they sleep together is not specifically in the script that was written by the author, the rest is