Valexien Victus

> ***"I would sooner put my house to the torch than bend the knee to your drunken usurper cunt of a Primarch."*** - Valexien to Antraxes Mehrkuri's peace delegation
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Valexien Victus Verrikinus was the youngest child of Fabien Victus and his wife, Matidia Verrikan. He had an older brother named Adrien Victus and an older sister named Fabia Victus. He was named for House Victus' ancient founder, Valexus Victus, whose widow, Aritaea Sparatus, fought beside Aurelion Aurelos and became the first Primarch of Bostra. Unlike his siblings, Valexien chose to remain on Bostra after Adrien's anointing as Primarch of Palaven, presiding over the Bostran side of the family in his brother's name.

During Adrien's reign, Valexien's Bostran side of the family was at the height of its power, its future secured with a fruitful bloodline. However, this bright future would be erased during the illegal reign of Antraxes Mehrkuri, who sentenced all but two of Valexien's family to death for their leadership roles in the Bostran Rebellion. Antraxes executed Valexien's wife, son and daughter-in-law, and grandson and granddaughter-in-law in front of him with his pistol, before finally turning the gun on Valexien and shooting him in the head. He forced Fidellion Victus, Valexien's grandnephew, to watch as he carried out this vile act, in an attempt to break the younger man's spirit.

On Antraxes' orders, their remains were cremated to send a chilling threat to any Bostrans thinking of continuing the rebellion against his rule - daring to defy him meant risking one's immortal spirit, in addition to their mortal body. The only survivors of the purging of the Bostran side of House Victus were Valexa Victus and her younger brother Septimus, Valexien's great-grandchildren, who were spared on the grounds they were both only children at the time.

On the orders of Fidellion, Valexien's ashes were interred by Justinien Victus in the Victus family vault, located in the Petraean Necropolis on Bostra, alongside those of his murdered kin. After Fidellion became Primarch of Palaven, he would undertake a pilgrimage to Bostra every year, to honour their sacrifice on the anniversary of their deaths, as is Bostran religious tradition. Fidellion would carry the survivor's guilt from his family's murder for the rest of his life, the pain of which would later fuel his desire to return House Victus to its previous strength of numbers.

Valexien's great-grandnephew, Sairus Arterius, would later cite the murder of Valexien and his kin as the reason for his unlawful killing of Erinia Mehrkuri, Antraxes' daughter, whom he beheaded in front of her father in what was supposed to be a duel to first blood.

*Primarch* Domitia Sparatus, Valexien's primatial successor, erected a statue to honour his and his family's martyrdom. The statue depicts the family's likenesses and stands proudly in Petraea's main forum. It is regularly visited by mourners who leave lit candles, spiritual offerings and letters of condolence. Valexien stands at the centre of the piece, wielding the Primatial Sceptre of Bostra in his left hand and a Bostran duelling sword in his right. The statue's inscription lists the names of the deceased, followed by the brief but poignant statement: *"Martyred in the name of freedom."*