Valera

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Deacon Valera was an officer of the Silver Circle and later a member of the Nurmendemar. She was part of the group that travelled to Tarabrenth to recover the shield of Sandamar. Valera had issues with the diminishing social power of Silver Circle members after the revival of the Nurmendemar. In Tarabrenth, Valera befriended the spy Luka.

She joined the Winter’s Hand to help spy on them for the Nurmendemar. On her first mission she was sent to Curaheim to help collect taxes. On the way there the group was accosted by monsters and split. She arrived in Curaheim with Jessie, Zonah, Deryl, Tarron, and Zek, to find it occupied by Drel’Mareath under the command of the Dawn Priest. Along with the other Hand members she helped organize a resistance and eventually freed the town. Valera travelled with Zonah, Tarron, and Deryl to finish the fight with the Priest. She helped kill the Drel commander and bury a vault of the clay soldiers. After the fight Valera and Zonah went north to search for Selviir.

## History

### Life in the Silver Circle

The rank of Deacon was a prestigious position in the Silver Circle. Valera was a respected leader in the cult, known for the care she took of her followers. She followed Thèandìl in the mission to defeat the Order of the Burning Palm and honor Selviir. When Luka came south from Hundred’s Keep to rally the remains of the Circle for an attack on the Burning Palm’s main town, she and her soldiers followed him. However, after the victory the Silver Circle was incorporated into the Nurmendemar. Valera felt betrayed. She had loyally followed Thèandìl for the past five years and felt discarded, but like most members of the Circle she stayed in the Nurmendemar Territory. She made a life for herself and tried to spread the word of Selviir. In AeP 447 when a mission to Tarabrenth was being organized she volunteered to go in part to prove the Circle still had a place.

### Of Shields, Stories, and Hammers

She met Alekiai, Aspen and the other four in the longhouse of Agnoor. After short introductions the group hiked through the harsh winter to the camp of the shaman Morgar. He gave them more information on the item they were going to steal from the king. It was an old shield that once belonged to the king of the Nurmendemar. He used it in battle against Hlesmil and survived. The Palm had sold it to the crown and the crown refused to return it. Morgar also told them where they could meet Luka, who was now a spy in Tarabrenth.

On the multi-week trip to the capital Valera enjoyed her time at night looking up at the stars. Despite the bitter cold she was happy to sleep under the sky. Every night, she helped Alekiai secure the campsite. Valera also came to respect Staavin. The man had secrets about his past and his powers. As a follower of Selviir she understood secrets and came to trust him. On the second night, to escape the sheer winds, the group camped in an abandoned tower. Aspen suspected it was from the War of Ascendance. While Tiihbid and Calvin explored the tower, and Aspen and Willa set up camp, Valera went with Alekiai to secure the outside. He couldn’t shake a bad feeling, but Valera and the others found no danger and made camp anyway. The next day they ended up in the middle of a blizzard. Because visibility was limited, when most of the group found shelter, Aspen the one leading didn’t notice. Valera helped bring them to safety. When the group encountered the White Badgers, Valera was injured in the surprise. She ran back directing the others. After the defeat of the monsters Aspen tended to Valera’s wounds.

When they arrived at Tarabrenth, Valera recognized Luka. She was the only one of the group who had met him before. As he brought them into the city, the two talked about life now that the circle was gone. He mentioned things weren’t that different since he had always lived away from Silver Circle territory. She began to think about moving away. Perhaps to Tarabrenth. To help with the preparations for sneaking into the castle, she and Luka went to speak with a former Silver Circle member named Gerild. He had left after the merge and started a business. Valera talked him into giving them directions to one of the King’s vaults. In return she promised to keep secret that he helped them and find him something from the vault. After moving through the tunnels she tried to sneak up on the King’s soldiers but was spotted. So she led them back to her allies who knocked them out. Her trust in Staavin was rewarded when he picked up a sword from the guard and communicated with it. At least enough for half the directions. She used what Gerild told her to take the group the rest of the way. Outside the vault she knocked out one guard. She helped disarm the trap that was on the shield and took a painting for Gerild and along with most of the group made her escape.

### The Tale of Storms and Clay

Valera stayed in Tarabrenth for another month before joining the Winter’s Hand. She enlisted in the mercenary group partially to spy on them for the Nurmendemar, and partially to move farther north, closer to Selviir. On her first mission she was assigned to a group going to Curaheim to collect taxes. Valera was not the only rookie on this mission. She was joined by Deryl Dunderheim, Tarron Kesvin, and Zonah Safar. They were put under the command of a Hand veteran named Jessie. The initial leg of the trip took them from Tarabrenth to an outpost on the border of the province Tellish. During this part of the journey, the rookies were responsible for cooking, keeping watch, and setting up camp. They avoided some light hazing, and the work let them get to know each other. They spent one night in the outpost, the last time they would get to sleep in warm beds for a while. Valera left a note at the outpost, paying for it to be delivered to Luka. The contingent of Hand spent another eight days on the road before entering a blizzard and being attacked by White Badgers. In the fight, Valera tried to organize the ranks of Hand, helping the rookies escape with Jessie and a man named Zek.

In the morning the group continued north. The plan was to meet any surviving members in Curaheim. That night they were attacked by a band of Drel’Mareath. They defeated the Drel but Valera noticed that the right limbs of each clay soldier was painted red. She found this similar to the ritual in the Order of the Burning Palm where new members scarred their right hands in flame. She said nothing about it to the others. The next day they reached Curaheim and found it occupied by Drel’Mareath. They decided to set up a base from which they could try and free the town, agreeing that defeating the Drel was more important than anything else. Valera went east with Zonah to scout around a frozen lake. The group eventually decided on a location in the west. After setting it up and resting, they went to fight another group of Drel’Mareath. This one was escorting workers from the town. They freed the workers, including a woman named Rayna.

When the group returned to camp, Valera questioned Rayna about the village. Rayna described how Curaheim was under the command of a woman called the Dawn Priest, who could control the Drel’Mareath. The Dawn Priest was planning on marching her army away when the snow melted. Valera suspected that this priest was an agent of Nezeril. Zonah disagreed, claiming if that were so, the Legion of the Dancing Winds would have stopped her. Valera noticed how much Zonah spoke of the Legion, but when she asked, he denied he was part of it. Using Rayna’s information, the group began to prepare for another fight. Valera later spoke to Tarron about his experience in the Tunnels of Tarabrenth. She also went with Tarron to scout the Dawn Priest’s coal mines. The group decided to attack that spot next. They struck at night, defeating the Drel guard. But in the fight a Drel’Mareath Witch tried to blow up the mines. Valera ran in to get the miners out. She was able to rescue most people but had to leave someone behind.

After rescuing the miners the group layed low until they were summoned to a hill nearby. A human follower of the Dawn Priest waited there with hostages, including Rayna’s son. Along with a townsman named Carl, the rookies freed the hostages and killed the human followers. Valera helped kill one with a lucky throw of a knife. However that night the group had to flee their camp, as the winds carried the sounds of an approaching army. Valera helped lead the fighters among the townsfolk and the remaining Hand, to the north. They had an encounter with another human follower of the Dawn Priest. Valera questioned her. She revealed that she worshipped the Priest as a god because the Priest had innate magic. After this she exploded in flame and a barrage of fire came down upon the Hand. Valera was lightly injured. That didn’t slow them down and they crossed the frozen lake to attack Curaheim. They fought against a Drel’Mareath Behemoth who tried to drag Valera beneath the lake. She was rescued by Jessie and Tarron. After defeating the Behemoth, they entered town. Valera found the journal of the Dawn Priest. As she suspected, the Dawn Priest was a former member of the Burning Palm. The journal also contained the steps for a spell to enchant someone with innate day magic. Valera hid this from the others and destroyed the part of the journal where the Dawn Priest described killed a holy man. Valera, Zonah, Tarron, and Deryl went after the Dawn Priest, following a map in her journal to a vault of Drel'Mareath in the frozen waste. They killed her and destroyed the vault. After the fight, Valera spoke with Zonah and showed him the ritual. He ate the pages, destroying the rituals. Then they went north together, guided by the wind in an attempt to find Selviir.

## Appearance

Valera was a little bit shorter than most people, she had short black hair, wore a dark grey cloak and a modified Silver Circle amulet. She had a light grey scarf and dark grey robes. Valera carried three daggers meant for throwing and had fur lined boots. She kept all the baldes hidden beneath her robes. In deference to the Nurmendenmar she wore a green belt with a silver buckle.

## Heraldry of the Unified Nurmendemar

The Flag of the Nurmendemar after their victory over the Palm and unification with the Silver Circle. Valera represented the Silver aspect of this flag.

Valera met Staavin right before their trip to Tarabrenth. She respected him for his secrets. Valera knew the power of keeping information hidden and trusted Staavin because of it.

In AeP 441, Valera was one of the Circle members who rallied behind Luka to fight at Hundred’s Keep. There she gained respect for him as a leader. She encountered him over five years later in Tarabrenth. The two bonded over the diminishing social power of the Circle, and their joint desire to leave the Nurmendemar territory. However they both shared a respect for Thèandìl.

Valera had a slight resentment of the Nurmendemar. She felt that the old members of the warrior dynasty were treated better in Agnoor than members of the Silver Circle. She felt the Circle had earned their place. She tried to spread the word of Selviir but found many unreceptive.

Zonah earned the trust of Valera by being reliable in a fight and resolute. They watched each other's backs and went North together to find the God of Night.

## Powers

Valera was a skill on field leader. She could inspire her soldiers and was a master at tactical positioning her squad. However Valera didn’t have any experience managing full armies, so her skill only extended to a few soldiers at once. She was also skilled at knife throwing. Valera also was one of the few people in Var’Tareen who possessed an enchanted item. She had a damping cloak that allowed her to move unheard.

After several fights with Drel’Mareath, Valera became adept at killing them. She knew the weaknesses of the clay soldiers better than most.

## List of Appearances

**Campaigns**

1. Of Shields, Stories, and Hammers
2. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session One: The Blizzard’s Bite
3. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Two: The Grip of Frost
4. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Three: The Winds that Blow
5. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Four: The Sunshine’s Lost
6. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Five: The Force of Cold
7. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Six: A Host of Force
8. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Seven: In Frozen War
9. The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Eight: Beneath the Cold