History

Some of Val's past is described by her as she tells the group about her abusive master. As he taught her and she grew into woman hood, he would try and force himself upon her as repayment for his time, room, and board. One night, she had reached her limit and when he tried again, his breath stale with alcohol, she cast upon him a spell that not only turned him inside out, but also kept him alive. Her plan was to leave him like that for a while, then eventually return him to normal. During that time, she had met Master Leist who picked up her teaching, and then eventually sent her into the future, by a hundred years. She realized that she had left her former master in that state, but Leist later revealed that he had found the old instructor and dispatched him after learning his spell of turning a being inside out.

In the second book, Annihilation of the Lich, it is revealed that she and Striketrue had married and that she was pregnant. Shadowrage was upset by this union, and had to be subdued by Striketrue. Val returned to A'rillian where she gave birth to a son she named Christopher, after Strike's mentor Father Christopher Grey.

As she was performing her royal duties as Strike's wife, her child was kidnapped from Charlenya's care and taken to the Lich Trasta. In a fit of anger, she turns her power against the crowd of bystanders that did nothing to prevent her loss. After a few days, with crowds starting to form to demand justice for their deaths, she fled to the Outer Kingdoms to look for her child with Char's help, and eventually meets up with her husband.

Val's personality begins to change as the evil set upon the land from the Tome of Leist, changes her. She becomes more evil and thoughtless until Strike hits her with the flat of the Archangel blade in an attempt to protect Char from her. After that, she realizes who she had become and meets her fate trying to amend for her crimes.

Her tragic death delivered by Archangel is something that Strike deals with on a near daily basis.

Appearance

With a small, thin frame, someone could mistake her for weak, but her power is makes up for that. She has shoulder length dark hair, and pale skin. She is self conscious about her hands and their appearance, so she wears black silk gloves to conceal her claws from the world as she uses her power. Often, she will wear robes with hoods also to conceal her eyes, which turn black like Shadowrage's when she is in her casting state.

Powers

She, like Shadowrage, use the power of darkness. Her power doesn't completely develop until the second book, after she has had Shadowrage for an instructor. It is also by his request that she begin to teach Shaun, his son, the power. Her abilities do not vary as much as Shadowrage's, but she is strong enough to take on five Naites at once as shown on the road to Minavin, or the three red dragons that attacked the ship, Providence, she was on as it approached the Tibernary docks.

Defenses

Valerianna has two defenses that she uses. She can cast an immovable shield, which can deflect physical attacks as well as energy ones. Her skin is also extremely tough, almost like that of suits of armor stacked one on top of another. Any normal attack from a non-magical weapon basically has no effect on her.

Weaknesses

The only known weakness revealed so far is from the Archangel sword wielded by her husband Striketrue. This holy weapon has made the scales even again with regards to the balance of light and dark power.