Valeros
The iconic fighter, Valeros2 (pronounced VAHL-err-ohs),3 is a male human of Chelaxian1 descent from the nation of Andoran.
Meet the Iconics
Valeros was born on a quiet farm in Andoran, where he grew up listening to the tales of traveling soldiers and dreaming of adventure and exploration. Though this longing only increased as he grew older, so too did the demands of helping his aging parents run the farm, and slowly but surely the mounting responsibilities of agricultural life quashed any possibility of travel or seeing the world. Finally, just a month before a marriage of convenience to a local farmer's daughter could lock him into place (but not before he'd sampled a few of the joys of married life), Valeros came to the realization that the door to a storybook life of adventure was at last closing for good. Seized by a sudden, desperate need for a larger life than cattle and corn, Valeros packed quietly and left in the middle of the night with no more than a change of clothes, some pilfered food, and an old axe handle to discourage any ruffians who might seek to divest him of either. It was to become a theme that would follow him for the rest of his life.
In the years since, Valeros has come a long way from the wide-eyed young man who sought only the joy of exploration (and maybe a pretty, worldly girl or three to regale with his stories). Life on the road, it seems, is much harder than the bards' tales, and adult Valeros has the scars to prove it. Discovering himself to be a deft hand with a sword, Valeros quickly fell in with the rough-and-tumble mercenary crowd, there learning the dirtier, grittier facts of warfare. Though none could deny his prowess with a blade (or better yet, two), Valeros's association with various mercenary groups never seemed to last for long. There was his time as a guard for the Aspis Consortium, which ended when certain shipments kept coming in light under Valeros's watch (never mind that the exploited locals were dying for lack of grain, and only needed a little to make it through the winter). Then there was the stint as a freelance bounty hunter, during which Valeros discovered that it's a lot easier to hunt down escaped murderers than it is to haul in a young woman on the run from a loveless marriage. And of course, there was the infamous incident with the Band of the Mauler, to which Valeros will only say that he was positive their leader had been crushed under that cave-in, or else he never would have touched the man's wife.
In the end, after acting as hired muscle for dozens of different employers, Valeros finally realized that the only way to keep from getting blamed for things which weren't his fault—not really—was to go into business for himself as an adventurer, traveling with those who properly appreciated him and letting those who didn't fall by the wayside. And if some of those companions happen to be pretty women, such as a certain Varisian sorcerer or elven rogue, all the better.
While admittedly not the best at following orders, Valeros is an extremely talented two-blade fighter, easily earning his keep in any group through the tenacity and absolute fearlessness—some might say thoughtlessness—with which he flings himself into combat. Despite his reputation as a bruiser and scofflaw, Valeros has picked up a fair bit of education here and there during his travels, and can even read (something his "respectable" parents never learned to do). A worshiper of Cayden Cailean—the only god who properly understands the need for freedom in the common man's existence—Valeros takes an easy-come, easy-go approach to life, wealth, and relationships. Though a fan of fine weapons and creature comforts, the only object he's never without is the tankard on his belt (for you never know when someone might offer you a drink). Noble at heart, and fiercely loyal to those few who manage the considerable feat of establishing themselves in his affections, Valeros nevertheless hides such sentiments under a jaded and crass demeanor, frequently observing that there's nothing better than "an evening of hard drinking and soft company."4
History
Early life
Valeros was born to subsistence farmers in rural Andoran. As a young boy, Valeros struggled with academic pursuits, perhaps due to dyslexia, and dreamed of becoming an Eagle Knight. His father, Jamek,✝ wanted a simple life for the boy after his brothers, including one named Johkhan, had all died following their wizard mother, Valeros' grandmother, in a life of adventure.5
Career
Valeros acquired his iconic swords while employed by the Aspis Consortium, saying that while they tend to conduct disreputable business, they like to have well-equipped employees.6
The spurned farmer's daughter who Valeros abandoned at the altar eventually confronted him after her father put a bounty on hauling the fighter back home. Valeros admitted to having been an idiot then—and at her prompting, to still being an idiot—and apologized for hurting her. She did not necessarily forgive him, but also acknowledged that she was not exactly angry at him anymore either.7
Valeros later found himself in the stocks after a drunken night in Crowstump, and after regaining his freedom he was hired by a caravan headed to Korvosa through Bloodsworn Vale. Along the way, he met and befriended fellow guard, Amiri. In truth, the caravan was transporting a diabolic relic called the Sycorian Stone, which Valeros and Amiri were magically compelled to return to its abandoned temple in the Vale. When Valeros was commanded to kill Amiri, he threw off the influence of the caravan sorcerer's spell. The sorcerer, Zemora, revealed her plan to sacrifice Amiri to release the devil Sycorius from within the relic, but Amiri killed her. In order to make up for their promised wage, which had been a lie from the start, the pair sold the Sycorian Stone to the Jeggare Museum, where they parted ways—but Valeros was unaware that Sycorius had possessed Amiri's body. In Korvosa, Valeros met up with his longtime adventuring companions, Seoni, Ezren, and Merisiel, and from there the adventurers found their way to Sandpoint, where they met Harsk and Kyra.6
Inhabiting Amiri's body, the devil caused trouble around Korvosa until it drew the ire of Pathfinder Society Venture Captain Sheila Heidmarch, who hired Shalelu Andosana to capture Amiri. Sheila imprisoned the possessed barbarian deep inside the Society's Magnimar Lodge, until the day that Sheila asked Valeros and his party to slay the devil. Merisiel used the Soulsplitter, a magic dagger, to bloodily tear Sycorius's spirit out of Amiri's body, and Kyra saved Amiri's life by healing the resulting wound. For their heroics, Lady 8
After adventuring in Kaer Maga, Valeros, Ezren, Kyra, Merisiel, and Seoni attended the Pathfinder Society's Grand Convocation, where they met the goblin alchemist Fumbus. Together, the party and Fumbus saved the city of Absalom from an attack by the elven alchemist Damiel's alchemical golems.9
Valeros, Ezren, Kyra, Merisiel, and Fumbus went on a voyage to Arcadia, where they were shipwrecked. In Arcadia they met Fumbus's friend the inventor Droven, and together the adventurers worked to build a new ship powered by an alchemical engine to sail back to Avistan.10
Life as an adventurer
Associates
Valeros has been romantically involved with the inquisitor Imrijka.11
Valeros's most longtime companions are Ezren, Kyra, Merisiel, and Seoni. These friends came into conflict with Seltyiel's party: Damiel, Meligaster, and Oloch.12
Valeros and his friends have spent several adventures traveling with the dwarf ranger Harsk, and at various points have also allied with Amiri,8 Lini,13 Quinn,14 Fumbus,9 and Droven.10
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Paizo described Chelaxians as a separate human ethnicity until Pathfinder Second Edition, when they were retroactively redesignated as being of Taldan descent. See Meta:Chelaxian (human ethnicity).
- ↑ . “Chapter 4: Iconic Characters” in NPC Codex, 284. Paizo Inc., 2012
- ↑ . “Appendices” in Campaign Setting, 247. Paizo Inc., 2008
- ↑ . Meet the Iconics: Valeros. Paizo blog, 2010
- ↑ . Spiral of Bones 2, 1–3. Dynamite Entertainment, 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 . Pathfinder Origins 1. Dynamite Entertainment, 2015
- ↑ Obsidian Entertainment. Pathfinder Adventures "A Fighter's Tale: Valeros" DLC. Obsidian Entertainment, 2017. Game Direction by Nathan Davis.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 . Pathfinder Origins 6. Dynamite Entertainment, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 . Fumbus. Dynamite Entertainment, 2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 . Wreckers Reunion. Paizo Inc., 2021
- ↑ . Spiral of Bones 1, 4. Dynamite Entertainment, 2018
- ↑ . Hollow Mountain comics. Dynamite Entertainment, 2016
- ↑ . Pathfinder 4. Dynamite Entertainment, 2013
- ↑ . Runescars. Dynamite Entertainment, 2018