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[[center: [- [[Characters/{{Drowtales}} Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValSarghressClan Val'Sarghress]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValSarghressClanMainValFamily Val'Sarghress: Vals]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValSarghressVassalHouses Val'Sarghress: Vassal Houses]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClan Vel'Sharen]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClanSnadhyaruneAndHerBloodline Vel'Sharen: Snadhya'rune and her bloodline]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClanSarvSwatiAndHerBloodline Vel'Sharen: Sarv'swati and her bloodline]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClanSilliceAndHerBloodline Vel'Sharen: Sil'lice and her bloodline]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClanNishiKantaAndHerBloodline Vel'Sharen: Nishi'kanta and her bloodline]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelSharenClanZalaEssAndHerBloodline Zala'ess and her bloodline]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValSullisinRuneClan Val'Sullinsin'rune]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesVelVlozRess Vel'Vloz'ress]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValKyorlSolenurn Val'Kyorl'solenurn]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesIllharDro Val'Illhar'dro]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValBeldrobbaen Val'Beldrobbaen]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesValNalsarkoth Val'Nal'sarkoth]] | '''Val'Jaal'darya''' | [[Characters/DrowtalesTheNidraaChal The Nidraa'chal]] | [[Characters/DrowtalesOtherClans Minor Clans and Clanless Characters]]]]-]
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[[quoteright:171:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jaaldarya_6833.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:171:Jaal'darya clan symbol]]
One of the clans to rise to power in Chel after the decline of the Sharess religion. The Jaal'darya originate from the fallen nation of Damadi, but moved to and then were forced to leave Mimaneid. Something of a WildCard in Chelian politics, they nevertheless supply technology and healing arts not seen amongst the rest of Chel so no one can actually afford to oppose them.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:General]]
* AnimalMotifs: The [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=166 biogolems]], which are sterile and technically not a species due to this, are the closest thing the Jaal have to a clan animal.
* ArtificialLimbs: Besides making replacement limbs, they also make tails and wings for themselves.
* CulturalBlending: The Jaal'darya seem to have been based on a mixture of Arabic, Middle Eastern and North African cultures. In-universe, their members originate from several different cities, including Damadi, Mimaneid and Chel.
* DealWithTheDevil: Many of their deals are like this, for instance [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]] paying for [[spoiler:Kalki's birth]] was said to have drained her assets for nearly a year, and it came with massive strings attached. This is also why [[spoiler:Quain'tana refused to pay for them to give her a child]].
** The Jaal'darya podcast also says that if they were to do something like [[GenderBender turn a male into a female]] (something [[spoiler:Kel'noz]] is said to have considered) so he could have children they would probably want the first child.
* DeepCoverAgent: Wafay believes that [[spoiler:her mother is in fact a Nidraa'chal agent]]. And to make it worse, [[spoiler:she's been developing the parasitic flower]]. [[OhCrap You can panic now]]. Also, [[spoiler: Wi'am]] is implied to be one as well.
* DoesNotLikeMen: To varying extents. To the outside world, they present the appearance of an all female clan. They almost always cover themselves up in the presence of men but wear whatever they want around other Women. Some Jaal'darya despise men, while others feel sorry for them and want to [[GenderBender turn them into women]]. Despite this reputation however, [[spoiler:they actually do have plenty of men within their secluded fortress, and they seem amused when the Sarghress visiting them react with surprise]].
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Morally Ambiguous Mad Scientists Have Standards]]: The Jaal don't seem to have many scruples, and are willing to use things up to and including [[spoiler:[[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7045 biological warfare]]]], but it's heavily implied that even the Jaal'darya don't fool around when it comes to demons. As for the [[spoiler:biological warfare]], that is apparently the work of one clan member [[spoiler: who may actually be a Nidraa'chal agent]]. The clan as a whole isn't thrilled when they are confronted with evidence of this scheme.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: As mentioned above, the Jaal'darya seem to be based on an amalgamation of Arabic, Middle Eastern and North African influences, e.g. their clothing style and names such as Femi, Rani, Wafay and Asira/Malika etc.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the Jaal'darya podcast, the writer of the comic mentions that besides entire clans bargaining with the Jaal'darya, it's also possible for an individual to make a bargain with one member of the Jaal that the rest of the clan may or may not know about. In hindsight, this was pretty clearly referencing [[spoiler:Kalki's birth]].
* HiddenElfVillage: Their fortress is hidden on a giant lake somewhere in the Underworld.
* HomosexualReproduction: Their ultimate goal is to eliminate the need for men entirely when it comes to procreation. [[spoiler:As Kalki demonstrates, they succeeded]].
* InTheHood: A frequent part of their fashion
* LadyLand: Even more so than typical drow.
* MadScientist: Pretty much their clan's [[PlanetOfHats Hat]].
* NobleFugitive: [[http://www.drowtales.com/sidestory_worldsetting.php?order=chapters&id=5 Twice over]], once from their homeland of Damadi and again from Mimaneid.
* NoBiologicalSex: WordOfGod is that the Jaal's biogolems technically do not have a physical sex, and thus are sterile.
* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: The Jaal'darya take significant efforts to keep their knowledge a secret, even from one another. As a result, [[spoiler:when Femi dies, Snadhya'rune loses control over her PoisonAndCureGambit, since Femi was the only one who knew how to make the cure and her other Jaal'darya agents lack all access to any notes she may have kept]].
* ProfessorGuineaPig: They use themselves for experiments.
* ShroudedInMyth: The entire clan, and a Daydream story about the clan is explicitly non-canon [[http://forums.drowtales.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=16305 except for certain bits]]. It's also suggested that they deliberately play up certain things [[spoiler:such as the idea that there are no men in the fortress when in fact there are quite a few]].
* StalkerWithATestTube: It's implied that some of the few situations where they put up with males involve them trying to gain access to certain bloodline powers.
* StrawFeminist: WordOfGod describes the Jaal'darya as an extreme feminist cult, but played with in that drow society is already matriarchal, so the word "feminist" has very different connotations than it does in the real world.
* UterineReplicator: Part of their research into HomosexualReproduction included the creation of golems who can carry children to term. The Daydream story about the clan has the first versions being made out of one of the potential mother's limbs[[note]]which they can then replace with a biogolem version of the limb after the fact that's more or less identical to the original[[/note]] making what's essentially a clone of the mother in the process, but later versions could use the mother's blood for the same purpose.
* VetinariJobSecurity: The Jaal'darya are correctly regarded as being manipulative, but they hold the monopoly on their technology, which everyone wants and/or needs, so no one can afford to oppose them.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Wile their methods are extreme and basically amount to a {{Gendercide}}, they seem to honestly want the drow race to survive, and Asira makes a [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=5583 very good point]] against the Sharen's "wait it out" policy.
** They also [[spoiler:[[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7045 deliberately infected a group of unknowing Relic Hunters]] with an ancient fungus as a back up plan in case of a Sharen reprisal against them, since even tainting won't protect them if their bodies are rotting. Given what we know about the Sharen, the Jaal's actions, while disgusting, make a surprising amount of sense]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asira'malika]]
[[quoteright:198:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/asira.png]]
!!Asira'malika Val'Jaal'darya
The Ill'haress of the Jaal'darya, little is known about her outside of her appearance in chapter 16.

%%* FemmeFatalons
* MeaningfulName: "Malika" means "Queen" in Sanskrit, and the ''Origin of the Jaal'Darya'' story suggests that "Malika" may actually be a suffix that the leaders of the clan take in addition to their names and a royal title, since Asira'malika was originally known as Asira'sima in that story before taking leadership. "Asira" also means "chosen" in Arabic, which fits with her title as the Seer of New Ways.
* MilkyWhiteEyes: Her irises, at least, are white. Her schlera are actually a dark brown or dark red.
* NoblewomansLaugh: "[[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=930 Ku ku ku]]!"
* ProfessorGuineaPig: The reason her skin looks the way it does is because she tried to make herself look like a Dark Elf. It didn't work.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her clothing, which leaves her stomach completely bare, though this may be to show off the fact that she appears to be pregnant.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wi'am]]

!! Wi'am Val'Jaal'darya

A Jaal'darya friend of Mel'arnach's. She also helped [[spoiler:create Kalki]] and in Chapter 44 [[spoiler:is revealed to have restored Zhor to his dark elven body]].

* ArtificialLimbs: Gave herself a tail.
* ChekhovsGunman: Not her, but [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=484 the biogolem]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6850 she gave Mel]] appeared all the way back in Chapter 8, and she finally appears on panel [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6838 in Chapter 25]].
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:When the Imperial Tower collapses, she falls out of it, presumably to her death.]]
* EvilutionaryBiologist: And she is probably one of the best in her clan considering what she has been able to achieve.
* FacialMarkings: Has prominent tattoos over both eyes.
* ForScience: Probably the motivation behind most of what she does.
* FromACertainPointOfView: What she tells Mel, mainly that [[spoiler:Mel's egg]] was being used for "an experiment" but what Wi'am left out was that said experiment was [[spoiler:Kalki]].
* MadScientist: Can be inferred based on her membership in the Jaa'darya, not to mention [[spoiler:the whole thing with Kalki]] ''and'' [[spoiler:creating a new body for Zhor]].
* SecretKeeper: For [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]], involving [[spoiler:Kalki, up to and including getting one of Mel's eggs to make her]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She uses some pretty extreme methods to [[spoiler:make Kalki]], described by [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]] as "horrifying", but she seems genuinely happy when seen with [[spoiler:[[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=6842 the infant Kalki]]]]. It's also heavily implied that [[spoiler:she's actually a Nidraa'chal agent]] given that [[spoiler:she appears at Snadhya'rune's gathering in Chapter 44]].
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Seems like she has become this to Mel'arnach, judging by the latter's reaction to her appearance in Chapter 44, claiming to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9655 not remember her]] despite earlier referring to her as a "someone [she's] known for a long time" and [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9631 waving to her]] when she arrived, as well as Mel'arnach's shock that Wi'am [[spoiler: tricked Mel into giving her eggs to her to create Kalki on Snadhya'rune's request]] in Chapter 25.
** [[spoiler: This eventually builds up to Mel'arnarch [[http://drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=13000 cutting her tail off]] when she tries to prevent her from talking with Snadhya-rune about lying to her about her children being dead..]]
* WildCard: It's implied that she might be this to her clan; twice has she done experiments for [[spoiler: Snadhya'rune]] outside of any personal gain for either her clan or herself and in Chapter 44 she doesn't seem to have a problem appearing uncovered in front of Zhor [[spoiler: now in humanoid male form]] despite standard Jaal'darya practice. She even comments to Mel'arnach on [[spoiler: Zhor's]] ''delicious posterior''.
* YoureInsane: [[spoiler: She cries this out when Mel'arnach cuts off her tail.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Femi]]

Wafay's mother and the daughter of Rani, Femi was first seen in the extra of [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=7028 Chapter 26]] on a trip to surface world [[spoiler: to retrieve the parasitic flower]].

* EvilutionaryBiologist: [[spoiler: Chapter 44 sees her handing out vials of poison to attendees at the Nidraa'chal gathering, which is heavily implied to be extracted from the parasitic flower from pre-timeskip Chapter 26. The effects of the poison effectively cause the infected individual to [[BodyHorror rot from the inside out]]. Snadhya'rune intends to use this as a bio-weapon against her enemies]].
* DeepCoverAgent: Wafay at least believes that [[spoiler: she's really a Nidraa'chal agent. She is later confirmed to be working for Snadhya'rune with her appearance at the Felde gathering in Chapter 44.]]
* InTheHood: Often seen wearing a cape.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:A Sarghress member of the Fallen Legion steals her work and leaves her to bleed to death. This throws a big wrench in Snadhya'rune's plans, since she was the only Jaal'darya that knew how to create the antidote for their PoisonAndCureGambit]].
* MadScientist: Her work with the [[spoiler:parasitic flower]] definitely qualifies.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Subverted, she does not look very much like her daughter Wafay, save for sharing the same hair color.
* TomboyishPonytail: Femi wears her hair in this style and her character design depicts her as somewhat stockier and more broadly built than the average drowolath female.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wafay and Sata]]

!! Wafay Val'Jaal'darya

A young member of the clan who debuted after the 15-year {{Timeskip}}. She is the daughter of Femi and the granddaughter of Rani (a character appearing in Daydream). Wafay [[spoiler:suspects that her mother is a Nidraa'chal agent]], causing her to seek out the Sarghress.

* AnimalEaredHeadband: Her hood gives her the appearance of having cat ears, which considering her clan, is a very real possibility, though Wafay herself doesn't have any.
* AnimalEyes: Her eyes sometimes become narrow slits like a cat.
* AscendedExtra: Not Wafay herself, but her grandmother Rani was first featured in a Daydream story describing the rise of the Jaal'darya in Chel.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow
* {{Fangirl}}: Is one of Quaintana's many admirers. Her perception that the Sarghress are mercenaries that fight for justice is why she comes to them [[spoiler:to get help against her mother's possible machinations]].
* {{Irony}}: Her SpannerInTheWorks role to [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]], in light of the fact that they both went against their mothers behind their backs, but while Wafay is motivated by honest concern about [[spoiler:the parasitic flower]] and puts herself at great risk in order to seek help [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]] is motivated by pure self interest.
* PluckyGirl: She has to be this in order to navigate the war-torn city on her own and seek the aid of another clan based on a suspicion, mainly, [[spoiler:that her mother is a Nidraa'chal agent and is planning on using the parasitic flower as a weapon]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Unexpectedly acts as one for [[spoiler:Snadhya'rune]] by alerting the Sarghress to the existence of the [[spoiler:parasitic flower]], which culminates in [[spoiler:Femi's death and the theft of the antidote, which leaves Snadhya'rune scrambling to find a replacement who can recreate it]] all thanks to a little girl.
* TheStoolPigeon: The Whistleblower Wilma variety, regarding [[spoiler:her mother's apparent Nidraa'chal membership, and the existence of the parasitic flower]].
* ValuesDissonance: An in-universe example. At one point, she sees a mother who was forced to drown her infant son due to poverty. Out of sympathy, Wafay suggests she sell her babies to the Jaal'darya, failing to understand that most drow consider being made into a golem a FateWorseThanDeath. Wafay is perplexed at the mother's angry reaction, since she considers it better to live.[[invoked]]

!! Sata
Wafay's biogolem, he seems to be her protector.

* NoBiologicalSex: Like all Jaal'darya golems, Sata technically doesn't have a biological sex, though WordOfGod has used [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/?p=3711#comments male pronouns]] to refer to him.
* OculoThorax: His actual body, though he can be put into a golem suit that looks more like a standard body.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fia'nova*]]
!! Fia'nova Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Pitdragon[[/note]]
A Jaal'darya summoner [[spoiler:and Nidraa'chal agent]] present at Snadhya's gathering in Felde. She is the twin sister of Dia'heira. Appears in Chapters 44 and 46. Her concept art can be found [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Fianova_news.jpg here]].

* CloudcuckooLander: Even by Jaal'darya standards
* CreepilyLongArms: Has golem attachments that give this impression.
* DueToTheDead: She mourns [[spoiler:Femi]]'s passing and tenderly carries her body while lamenting her fate. She is the only one of her colleagues that does. The others are merely annoyed that they will have to pick up her work.
* FishEyes: Shown to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9618 have these]] in the third panel.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: According to her sponsor, underwent the same manner of fusion with her seed as Kiel, but didn't actually realize it and should basically be considered a Vel'Akar[[note]]sapient demon ala Khaless[[/note]] now.
* VerbalTic: Dahling.
* UncannyValleyGirl: Kiel's demon prince Bast even says that she "stinks of demon"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Erel'maeyl*]]
!! Erel'maeyl Val'Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Jaibyrd[[/note]]
A Jaal'darya bio-engineer [[spoiler:and Nidraa'chal agent]] attending Snadhya's gathering in Felde, during Chapter 44. Xis concept art can be found [[http://jaibyrd.deviantart.com/art/Erel-maeyl-Val-Jaal-darya-394264392 here]].

* {{Hermaphrodite}}: Referred to as such by their creator.
** {{Troll}}: Apparently loves using this to cause confusion.
* MathematiciansAnswer: When one askes if they are male or female.
* WineIsClassy: Described in their concept art as being a wine snob.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visapa*]]
!! Visapa Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Solona[[/note]]
A Jaal'darya bio-engineer attending Snadhya's gathering in Felde, during Chapter 44. Her concept art can be found [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ch44_visapa_news.jpg here]].

* AnimalMotifs: Wasps and other insects.
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Apart from the veil really doesn't seem to mind males seeing her body, given her wardrobe.
* YouthfulFreckles: Possesses yellow ones on both her face and shoulders.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Vual'raisa*]]
!! Vual'raisa Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Exastiken[[/note]]
A Jaal'darya engineer attending Snadhya's gathering in Felde, during Chapter 44. Her concept art can be found [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ch44_Vualraisa_news.jpg here]].

* AdmiringTheAbomination: She's fascinated by strange bio-golems.
* AnimalMotifs: Sharks and octopi.
* AnimalEyes / ExoticEyeDesigns: As part of her ''modifications''.
* BioAugmentation: Described in her concept art as having undergone "partial mermaid modification".
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's a competent engineer... but more than a little odd.
* {{Sleepyhead}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aman'ita*]]
!! Aman'ita Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by leopardwerecat[[/note]]
A Jaal'darya botanist [[spoiler:and Nidraa'chal agent]] present at Snadhya's gathering in Chapter 46. Her concept art can be found [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ch46_Amanita.png here]].

* GardenOfEvil: She created and tends to one of these.
* NerdGlasses: Half-moon spectacles.
* PoisonIsEvil: She studies and uses poisons heavily. She is tasked by Snadhya with [[spoiler: replicating Femi's work on the flower poison, after the latter's death]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dia’heira*]]
!! Dia’heira Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Pitdragon [[/note]]
A cold and calculating Jaal'darya administrator, she is the twin sister of Fia'nova and Gia'trosa's mother. She is also Felis'nuul's "creator". Appears in Chapter 50. Her concept art[[note]]Drawn by her sponsor[[/note]] can be found [[http://pitdragon.deviantart.com/art/Dia-heira-Jaal-Darya-sheet-update-585794909 here]].

* BloodMagic: Possesses a blood affinity.
* {{Clerk}}: Albeit a high-ranking one.
* FemmeFatalons: Wears an ornate golden claw on one of her fingers.
* ForScience: As is common with the Jaal'darya.
* GoodWithNumbers
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Her Dutan'vir lover served as this. She has become substantially more ruthless and aloof since their death.
* SavagePiercings: By far the ''least'' extreme body modification she's made to herself.
* {{Workaholic}}: One of the ways she copes with the loss of her mate.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Felis'nuul*]]
!! Felis'nuul Jaal'darya*[[note]]Created by Lordpanther[[/note]]
A somewhat unstable Jaal'darya loyal to Snadhya'rune. She was modified with rabbit-like features by Dia’heira. Appears in Chapter 50. Her concept art can be found [[http://www.drowtales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Felisnuul.png here]].

* BunniesForCuteness
* CombatPragmatist
* InTheBack: Has no qualms with dispatching foes this way.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Her preferred weapon.
* {{Tsundere}}: Behaves this way toward her "creator", Dia’heira.
[[/folder]]


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