Val (title)

A Val (female: Vale) is the title for Velurean nobility. A territory owned by a val is known as a valedra and the system of Velurean nobility is known as valdom.
== History ==
The families which form the root bloodlines for modern valdoms were descended from the earliest settlers of the planet Velure. About 300 colonists arrived in the Orion IV system from Earth in 2830, and established the first human habitation in the Old Lands. These colonists, armed with Atlantean technology, harnessed the raw materials around them to establish a working civilization, and their resilience and knowledge of the environment earned them the respect of later settlers arriving from Earth.
Eventually, these settlers used their knowledge to help set up and manage industrial development on Velure, allowing them to amass substantial wealth and influence over the colonization of Velure. The large swathes of territory claimed by the original settlers, as well as their wealth, were passed down from generation to generation and thus the importance of these families grew to a pseudo-aristocratic level.
Velurean citizens recognized the families as an elite class among Velureans, and treated them as nobility. They were given complete control of affairs in the Old Lands, and they were consultants or owners of most operations in the Interfluve. While they held no de jure political powers of any kind, as business magnates 
they could indirectly influence government policy.
== Titles and Styles ==
It is sufficient to refer to a val simply as Val/Vale. Officially the Irin Republic does not stylize or add titles to names, but Velurean custom is to append Honoured First, First or First One to their name. In this context, one may also refer to their family name as "of family" as well as their valedra. For example, instead of Svefer Zemuk, the customary title is "Honoured First Svefer of Zemuk, Val of Tretis Colony." 
Many vals often have a coat-of-arms, like many citizens. They also have banners, which are officially recognized by the Irin Republic and fly over their palaces and valedras.
When trying to refer to the leader (matriarch/patriarch) of the family, sometimes the term Valmist is used.
== Wealth and Society ==
Vals are amongst the wealthiest individuals in the galaxy. They reside in private residences known as palaces, located in the midst of thousands of acres of pristine wilderness. Palaces hold all the amenities of any normal 
residence, but have many other features such as private shuttlepads, rinsball fields and offices. Lesser valdoms will house their entire families into one palace, but larger valdoms often have a central palace and smaller palaces nearby. Palaces are constructed in a neo-Atlantean style, with a mix of Old World and alien influences that has come to be known as traditional Velurean architecture.
A typical val will have several dozen projects under their influence. These range from operations in the Interfluve to distant planets. They will also invest as much as they can into new business opportunities, and use their financial acumen to help the Velurean government create fair policies. A val also has a responsibility to see to the well-being and safety of residents of their valedra, which are usually workers or citizens of microcities located in the territory. Small security forces are found in the larger valdoms, while typical vals will have a few bodyguards.
There are often tensions between valedra, due to conflicting business or personal interests. To help peacefully resolve these issues, as well as to have an internal monitor to police corruption or illegal activities, a val is elected by their peers every 6 Velurean years to be the Arbiter of the Valedra. The role of the Arbiter of the Valedra is to act as an unbiased mediator, to sit down opposing parties at their own palace and come up with a plan of action beneficial to all of Velure. This gives them power and prestige amongst the valdoms.