Valterius

Valterius Valencia, often shortened to "Val," is one of the protagonists in the Legacy of Sorrow and the brother of Kara, one of the series' most influential figures. Often serving as comedic relief, protector, warrior, and diplomat, Valterius is a man of many roles, and avails himself to those better than any other person could in his position. He is one of the oldest Vampyres, only being superseded by Kara, Sonya, and Schillinger (known as the Creature during the time period in which he was converted). Although his incredible strength - a supernatural ability descended from Kara's telekinetic powers - made him a formidable opponent, Val is seen just as often at the bar, with his wife, or consoling his sister as he is on the battlefield. 
Val's mannerisms in the first entry of the series, Sorrow, properly invoke his sense of chivalry, honor, and loyalty to those in his circle of family and friends, but he has just as easily put his life on the line for the citizens of Aerael. Seeing the near-monster his sister evolved into due to repeated trauma, loss, and hardship, Valterius ensured that he would never fall victim to the darkness he knew he was capable of, and therefore coped with much of his life through either humor between his friends or heartfelt discussion with Alice: his true love and eventual wife. 
Val's character arc is deeply embedded in the nature and path of his sister, as he follows in her footsteps in the pursuit of ending their centuries-long war. Siblinghood had become something of a secondary concern as he grew to understand the ways of the world in a capacity separate from Kara's experiences. With several points in their lives creating a divergence of perspective, Val frequently revisited his place in the world and settled on a mentality that allowed him to thrive in nearly any conditions, so long as he was able to protect his sister, his family, and his people. 
== History ==
Valterius (Val) was born a Duke within a noble family in 1663 many years prior to the Dutch-Franco War. He was raised an heir-apparent to a small but strategic plot of land in the Netherlands that bordered and encompassed docks and ports of entry for trade, and was considered a valuable asset to his aging parents. At 8 years old, the word of war spread to his father, who tasked him with his sister's (Karalynn's) responsibility and safekeeping as they were sent away to a British nobleman - a friend of the family - until the war was over. At the age of 20, he received word that his parents were killed and land seized, but refused to tell his sister or their close friend Sonya for fear that the girls would be used for bargaining by the cunning lord that was entrusted with their care. This decision mattered little, as the lord was killed unexpectedly in an accident caused by Kara and Sonya. 
In 1686, their flight from the land and away from persecution resulted in the Creature infecting both Kara and Sonya with the Vampyre Virus. Valterius took the Creature's attack personally, as it was his decision to take the starving, tired girls through a heavily-wooded path to the coast of England rather than taking the longer route on traditional roadways and routes. This led to the brutal "animal" attack, which Valterius valiantly defended against with nothing but a decorative hunting dagger stolen from their former lord's manor as an item to later sell for sustenance money. Remaining uninfected, Valterius struggled to grasp the existence of whatever creature had attacked them, lamenting his decision to take shortcuts as the now malnourished girls were clinging to life from heavily-bleeding wounds across their bodies. 
Val finally reached the coast with both girls alive and bartered with a local fisherman (with more than a few hefty threats as insurance) to hide and safeguard them until the girl were recovered enough to leave. The fisherman accepted the proposal, taking what few riches Val managed to steal from their previous home and giving Val the opportunity to work for him in exchange for additional money. As Val started to work relentlessly, he was defeating the fisherman in their daily hauls, outperforming the seasoned professional through sheer willpower and strength in pulling up huge hauls of net-caught fish. This led to a quick buildup of wealth to cover their escape from England, but the girls' health had turned dire in the days following their arrival. Within the same hour, both girls lost their respective pulse and turned an ashen color: sure signs of death to both Valterius and the fisherman. After several minuted of mourning, the girls began to breathe again on their own and woke slowly to see their infected, lacerating wounds heal in front of their eyes. 
The fisherman, sure of black magics or witchcraft, had no time to turn them in before Valterius subdued him and began to tie him up. Before he could explain that he had no ill intentions for the fisherman, the girls were driven into a random frenzy, killing and feeding upon the man while Val hopelessness watched. Knowing that it was the same style of attack that the girls had suffered, Val recognized that they had been changed into something different, although after feeding, their personalities were that of regret, sadness, and troubled minds. Val gathered his funds, raided the fisherman's home, and began planning an escape aboard one of the ships headed to England's Colonies across the Atlantic Ocean. After recognizing that these "feedings" - no longer uncontrollable attacks, but now solemn and life-threatening cravings - were necessary, Val kept the girls hidden while bringing back known criminals or thieves for them to feed upon. After a short time, they boarded the ship Jeffries under the names Peter, Elizabeth, and Mary to seek refuge in a land far from their homesteads. 
(Note: The Jeffries - a ship of Penn's Fleet - and the names of its occupants are available through true historical records here: (Chester PA roots, n.d.) This is an event considered to be "altered true history," using true accounts and accurate historical records to blend the Sorrowverse mythology, history, and timeline with that of the real world).
After landing in Pennsylvania, they moved quickly north to avoid the consequences of having fed upon multiple crew members in secret, dumping the bodies overboard in the dead of night to avoid any evidence. Although they had not been accused, Val moved the trio to Salem, Massachusetts and established an anonymous life under their new names. In 1692 (five years after landing in Pennsylvania), Sonya accidentally exploded a campfire after being attacked by a man dissatisfied with her response to a courtship offer and instigated the Salem Witch Trials. Within moments, Val and Kara both knew that it was a manifestation of whatever the women were becoming, and they left Salem, leaving both a mystery and their aliases behind.
In 1695, Kara noticed Valterius' progression of visual aging, although only slightly, and the thought of losing her beloved brother to the sands of time became too much of a thought to bear. She at first attempted to bite him in the middle of the night to convert him without his consent, but his light sleeping habits led him to stop her long enough for a conversation to take place. After deliberation, Valterius voluntarily accepted conversion and became a Vampyre alongside them. Knowing they had stayed young and beautiful since their infection, the three of them planned ways in which to secure a peaceful future by way of political scheming and proper work placement. Moving to Philadelphia, they were unexpectedly attacked by the Creature once again, but their combined power drove him away. The mystery of how he had managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean was a mystery, barely appearing human, but was quickly answered at the rumors of a merciless pirate that was roaming coastlines and sacking towns at will. This led to the first iteration of the term Pyrates and their safety was now something to be heavily considered. 
Expecting that result, he began working in a series of jobs that each lasted a short while until making the acquaintance of one Benjamin Franklin: a traveled man with the passion to forge a successful business. Valterius and Franklin got along very well, spending hours in the long nights of Pennsylvania winters discussing morals, ethics, and law to such an extent that each of them needed breaks to contemplate the depth of their conversations. In 1727, Franklin established the Junto, an organization that shared the ideas and perspectives of an intelligent collective to reach general consensus upon which the framework of certain human rights were agreed upon (Britannica, 2023). 
His first attempt at a long-term romantic partnership was with a woman named Sarah in Philadelphia during the early 1750's. Sarah was a midwife during the opening of the Philadelphia Hospital in 1752, which was a project that Val followed closely during its inception. Sarah and Val were together for three years, during which time he had nights away in secret to feed on the sick or dying for sources of blood. Sarah confronted him after one too many nights gone, and with no desire to involve her with his "curse" of Vampyrism, he falsely admitted to seeing another woman. Sarah pleaded with him to stay and reform his ways, as she was confused and hurt due to his typically chivalric and benevolent nature as a caretaker and potential husband. Finally, Valterius exposed his fangs at her and lifted the four-foot-wide boulder outside of their home to convince her of his monstrosity. She cried for days, staying by his side in spite of the revelation, until her religious beliefs forced her to leave his side late at night many weeks later. Valterius never saw or heard from her again, and neither did anyone in Philadelphia.
To cope with this loss, Valterius helped Benjamin Franklin grow his businesses and empires while Franklin was away on business, in exchange for paltry sums and anonymity, but their friendship led to Valterius becoming politically involved in the concept of the Colonial separation from England, leading to the American Revolution. Val, Kara, and Sonya each had their own use for the war: Kara and Sonya to feed on British soldiers and Val to increase his learning and level of influence to safeguard a homestead for the now-powerful women. Kara began honing her skills in combat, often sending letters to Val detailing their conquests and sending coded messages that detailed the progression of her and Sonya's telekinetic abilities. In 1777, the girls took advantage of a particularly brutal winter and staved off attacks by the British during the incidents of Valley Forge. Meeting two injured girls, Alice and Catherine (Krystal), Sonya and Kara converted them and brought them back to Valterius for safety once the roads were clear enough for safe passage.
Valterius swore off romantic involvement with humans, although he saw Kara and Sonya begin to convert humans in dire need throughout the American Revolution and realized that a relationship with someone of their species may eventually be possible. The sisters Allison and Catherine were under strict orders to remain under Valterius' care to learn reading and writing. As he raised the pair and taught the sisters of their new life's meaning, the virus sped up their physiological growth and imbued them with supernatural abilities. Taking extra time with Alice to help teach patience, meditation, and mindfulness to control her fiery outbursts, Allison began to fall deeply and madly in love with her tutor. More than once, her clothes would burn away from an 'accidental' combustion, and Val would be subjected to her attempts at sexual persuasion. His perception of her age (being eighteen at the time but a hundred years his junior) led to a sense of guilt as he held back his own feelings until nearly ten years later in 1788, when he realized that she truly was a grown woman and was capable of making rational decisions about her desires. When he asked her suddenly if anything had changed about the way she felt, her clothes turned to ash and they both informally agreed to an exclusive relationship.
In 1811, Valterius was abandoned for several years by both Kara and Sonya (albeit at Sonya's protest) as they sought to find refuge away from the Creature without Valterius, Alice, or Krystal being at risk of being caught in the crossfire. Their absence lasted for fifty years, with Val refusing to give up hope that they would one day return and reunite with him. He remained dutiful in his mission to educate and train the sisters to use their abilities wisely, which came in handy during the several attacks they suffered from the Creature and - eventually - Vampyres who professed being a follower of the Creature. This back-and-forth lasted until the return of Kara and Sonya, where after hearing profuse apology and solemn regret, he forgave them both and developed plans for the safety of the group of five. Sonya became something of a best friend during this time, as Kara was buried in plans and machinations while Sonya saw the same, grander scope of the situation that Val did. As a result, they bonded, and their like natures worked well to serve the developmental concept of a unified Vampyre people. 
Kara established the city of Aerael in the mid-19th century (construction beginning in 1862) while building a civilization to rival the growing enemy faction. Kara's involvement within the conflict stemmed from a hatred for the Creature, which was understood well by Valterius, but supported by his vow to her protection rather than an outright hunt to find him. Oftentimes, Valterius was used by Kara as a sort of psychological anchor, tethering her to a life away from her pursuit. As such, he was kept separate from her missions (she would leave in secret) so he would not be put through the same hardships and danger. Their kinship led to distinct development of their individual personalities, and although Valterius is a skilled fighter, his decades in politics and fear of his sister's demise kept him away from violence more often than not. This was repeated throughout Aerael's construction and subsequent improvements, and Val became known as the liaison between the citizens of this new, hidden society and the mysteriously feared woman that would come and go. 
While Valterius joined her on many occasions, Kara's absences and brutally victorious results started myth not only among human, but in Vampyre culture, as each of Kara's successful missions led to her citizens both respecting and fearing her. As much as Val and Sonya guided the development of the city, Kara's direct approaches reflected leadership qualities that Aerael respected and adopted, turning her into their informal "Empress". 
Valterius tempered the fear within the city, vouching for Kara's humanity while Sonya was always happy to speak with the citizens of Aerael freely. As the Creature went without being seen for nearly a hundred years, his influence had only grown and culminated in the Second World War. Val became a key mediator between the Nazi party (as a spy) to help Alice, Kara, and Sonya follow the trail of the Creature. This led to the events within the flashbacks of Affliction: Dr. Signmund Rascher (Nazi brutalist) was revealed to be working with the Creature's right-hand man, Kilkovf Strevieg, and knew the Creature by his now-human name: Robert Schillinger. This provided additional motive for pursuit, and Val became more active in the aggressive, militaristic missions to hunt him down. 
The details of Kara's traumas in 1988 were unknown to Val, as he was only told by Alice and Sonya (in coded messages from the Soviet Union to America) that she had been tortured. He was crucial to Alice and Kara's escape from the USSR, and to his dismay, was subjected to "rotations" immediately upon their return: long periods of spycraft and intelligence gathering in remote locations. Although he wanted to help his sister with whatever she had been through, he knew that she would only ever be safe once Schillinger was dead, and obeyed the wishes of Alice and Kara during that time. Kara's humanity began to reform in a cold, calculating, and sadistic manner through the 1990's, with Val failing to obtain the reasoning without giving up his efforts. 
After the events of September 11, 2001, Kara's Counsel had enough information to know that a war was being instigated to allow Kilkovf unfettered access to funding for Schillinger through the sale of Russian arms to citizens, militaries, police forces, and terrorists in the Middle East. This led to a series of missions, one of them being the 2015 trip to Afghanistan that starts the beginning of Affliction and the earliest events in the Legacy of Sorrow timeline. 
==Personality & Beliefs==
Valterius was considered by Sonya to be studious and contemplative in his early years, favoring learning over physical labor or hunting. While he was taught to read and write at a young age, he passed this information on to Sonya and Kara in secret, feeling ashamed that he was seen as the more valuable of the siblings and given additional privilege when they were not granted the same. As such, he grew to enjoy diplomacy and politics: the same genetics that gave Kara her sense of power and poise reigning supreme in Val's mannerisms as well. 
Although his intelligence is often the subject of jokes, Valterius is an exceptionally gifted individual, with his IQ tests scoring just north of 145. His relationship with Alice worked well because of this fact, as Alice could talk to him about her medical work just enough that he could follow along and wake a witty joke when the time arose. His knowledge base in a multitude of subjects gives him an advantage in a variety of situations, but he often "plays dumb" to hear the ideas of others and gain their perspective before forming an opinion. Out of silent spite, Valterius has secretively been an active member of Mensa since 1997 and frequents their online forums under the username BenchPress1k. 
Valterius is religiously ambiguous, raised as a Catholic but casting aside a sense of religious belief for many years. He is largely agnostic, but considers his Christian roots to be something of a lingering presence. He prayed often with Jared and spoke for hours on end on the metaphysical consequences of higher powers, enjoying the conversation more than the results of the discussion itself. His kinship with Kara has led him to be an icon within Aerael for the treatment of women and children, as he would often go out of his way to ensure his chivalry never faded with time. Val's sense of understanding and apparent friendliness even led Krystal to be her first confidant when she came out as lesbian in 2001, favoring him over her own sister in divulging the secret. Along with Sonya, Val was largely regarded as the highest form of decency, positivity, and trustworthiness to Vampyres for decades on end. 
==Description==
Valterius is six feet and two inches tall, fluctuating between 230 and 250 pounds depending on how physically taxing his lifestyle is during a period of time. His hair is dark in color, but shows streaks of blonde when grown past a few inches (on rare occasion) and is most notable in his beard. His eyes are a deep brown, but have almost an orange glow in direct sunlight. While he favors a classic pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he can be found in paramilitary gear on mission or in a suit on his best-dressed days. He was described by Jared as "a silverback gorilla with manners," his physique intimidating to most who didn't know him. He carries himself modestly, frequently joking about his weight and eating habits despite being physiologically exceptional. This is in part due to his Virtuoso mutation, which assumedly aided in the development of his musculoskeletal system and provides strength that even his musculature doesn't explain. It's been theorized that Val has the same form of telekinesis that Kara, Sonya, and Schillinger shared, but requires a physical touch to move the object. This has not been confirmed by Alice or her researchers. 
==Titles==
===Bones===
A codename used by Alice in the 1980's during an endeavor to escape with Kara from the USSR and return to Aerael. Origin was due to a lack of another appropriate callsign and Alice finally resorting to an old reference to his size.
==Relationships==
While Valterius tried to invest several times into relationships, he was usually the higher contributor within the dynamic, and would often feel underappreciated. His first attempt at a long-term romantic partnership was with a woman named Sarah in Philadelphia during the early 1750's. Sarah was a midwife during the opening of the Philadelphia Hospital in 1752, which was a project that Val followed closely during its inception. Sarah and Val were together for three years, during which time he had nights away in secret to feed on the sick or dying for sources of blood. Sarah confronted him after one too many nights gone, and with no desire to involve her with his "curse" of Vampyrism, he falsely admitted to seeing another woman. Sarah pleaded with him to stay and reform his ways, as she was confused and hurt due to his typically chivalric and benevolent nature as a caretaker and potential husband. Finally, Valterius exposed his fangs at her and lifted the four-foot-wide boulder outside of their home to convince her of his monstrosity. She cried for days, staying by his side in spite of the revelation, until her religious beliefs forced her to leave his side late at night many weeks later. Valterius never saw or heard from her again, and neither did anyone in Philadelphia. 
Valterius swore off romantic involvement with humans, although he saw Kara and Sonya begin to convert humans in dire need throughout the American Revolution, and realized that a relationship with someone in their world would be possible. The sisters Allison and Catherine (later known as Krystal) were converted early in the Revolutionary War, and were under strict orders to remain under Valterius' care to learn reading and writing. As he raised the pair and taught the sisters of their new life's meaning, the virus sped up their physiological growth and imbued them with supernatural abilities. Taking extra time with Alice to help teach patience, meditation, and mindfulness to control her fiery outbursts, Allison began to fall deeply and madly in love with her tutor. More than once, her clothes would burn away from an 'accidental' combustion, and Val would be subjected to her attempts at persuasion. His perception of her age (being eighteen at the time but a hundred years his junior) led to a sense of guilt as he held back his own feelings until nearly ten years later in 1788, when he realized that she truly was a grown woman and was capable of making rational decisions about her desires. When he asked her suddenly if anything had changed about the way she felt, her clothes turned to ash and they both agreed to a relationship. 
They were formally engaged in 2015, minutes after Kara and Jalix's wedding, and were married by Jared the following day. They have two children: Jared Donovan Valencia (JD) and Annemarie Vivian Valencia, as well as several nieces and a nephew from Kara's children. 
== Expanded Universe - Epilogues ==
(SERIES-WIDE SPOILERS AHEAD) 
Some of the following content is considered to be Expanded Universe, and is not expressly stated in the series: 
Alice and Val were inseparable for the remainder of their lives, and evolved from Val hand-stitching soft leather for her clothing (the only fire-resistant clothing material widely available in the 18th century) to commissioning special-order scrubs for her with the inscription The Hot One when she became the United States Surgeon General in 2039. While marriages in Aerael and Vanaheim were often unofficial to the United States Government unless paperwork was forged out of necessity for couples that lived outside of Aerael, Valterius 'remarried' Alice in 2037 under Amelia's new Marriage Equality Act, which was a federal law that made all marriage between two people of any gender, whether human, Vampyre, or both, legal and binding without the need for a religious officiant (instead following the legal procedures associated with the practice). Amy herself served as the governmental officiant for the wedding, and Kara and Sonya signed as witnesses to make their marriage finally legal after centuries of love for one another. As a wedding gift, Amy's restructuring of the United States Government led to new federal holidays, and one was dubbed Commitment Day (first observed June 12, 2037) to honor and celebrate romantic and familial relationships with Alice and Val portrayed as the story behind the holiday. Theirs became one of fable and spiraled out of control in popular media. A popular romance/comedy show was filmed based on their relationship entitled Passion in Fire and was largely well-received by critics and audiences. Valterius and Alice refused to watch it, citing personal reasons. 
In the epilogues of Despair, Alice and Valterius have two children: Jared Donovan Valencia (JD) and Annemarie Vivian Valencia. Both names are in honor of fallen family, with JD's name in memory of Jared Demetrius Thompson and Annemarie's name and initials originating from Annabelle(Violet). While Annemarie would go on to graduate from the renewed New Harvard School of Law at the age of 18 and eventually be appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in her late thirties, JD worked in the field of particle physics and would have two physical principles named after him: the observed dark-matter interaction on gravitational fields known as the Valencia-Knorr Law of Balance and a new link between General Relativity and quantum physics known as the Ridge-Valencia Principle. The children buried both of their parents during the same week in 2078, with Allison passing in her sleep peacefully the day after their three-hundredth anniversary together and Val passing in the same manner the following evening. They hold a specially-appointed joint plot in Arlington National Cemetery in honor of their contributions to the new world and the reformed United States, and in 2084, the New Harvard School of Medicine was renamed Harvard's Valencia College of Medical Sciences. Both of their children hold an active membership with Mensa.