Valanous
Thexolino Unilavalanousi (3020-3130), more commonly known by their political name Valanous, and occasionally known as Valanous VI or Valanous of Angibala to distinguish them from previous senators and consuls of that name, was a Weunese politician and lawyer.
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Early life
Unilavalanousi was born in the agricultural district of Angibala in Weun's northern hemisphere in 3020. The child of two wajwoshi farmers and a district magistrate, Unilavalanousi showed early promise academically, and upon their graduation from the Royal Academy of Angibala, enrolled at Ithica Iniversity and would graduate with a degree in Pentarchate law in 3036. Unilavalanousi would subsequently serve as a lawyer in the Weunese capital of Rinajuen, before returning to Angibala to run as the Weunese Improvement League candidate for the Senate under the name of Valanous in 3052. Victorious in their election due to the incumbent's ongoing scandals, Valanous would manage to hold onto their senate seat for thirty-seven years as a competent defender of the region's agricultural interests, before being elected third consul in 3089.
Consulship
Valanous would serve as Third Consul of Weun for three terms, from 3089 through 3107. Initially elected with the promise that they would serve as a level-headed and logical counterbalance to the firebreathing Quirine and the sensitive Xhorine, they found themself politically endangered by Quirine's sudden decision to not stand for reelection in 3093 out of "boredom"[1] and her replacement by the coolly methodical Lija, who fulfilled the same role Valanous was aiming for but with considerably more charisma. Although Valanous avoided being ousted in the 3095 elections by successfully deflating the bold and daring persona of their opponent Theoposz, it was clear that if they were unable to pivot to another personality in the eyes of the public, they would be done for.
An opportunity came in 3096, with the Ultima Upsilon incident. Valanous, who had been head of the Senatorial Committee on Intrapentarchic Harmony and who had been appointed Voice of Great Weun to the Pentarchate following Quirine's departure, was the first of the consuls to retract their authorization of the extradition of the Upsilon Thirty-Seven to the Iridium Throne in a somewhat scathing speech, and to their delight, found their flagging poll numbers the highest they had been since 3091. In response, Valanous began to lean heavily into the idea that they were an outspoken defender of freedom and justice against those elsewhere in the Pentarchate who opposed such things, in particular the Iridium Throne. This strategy culminated in Valanous's aggressive negotiating tactics during the First Congressmoot and the subsequent attempt on their life, which vindicated them in the eyes of the public and allowed them to comfortably win reelection in 3101. This stance also considerably inflamed tensions between the member states of the Pentarchate, and the hostile relations it created between Weun and the Throne were a key factor in Varuk Mai MMCV's rejection of the First Congressmoot's results and the subsequent War of the Three Mais.
Ultimately, however, Valanous always came across as more of a grumpy bureaucrat than a valiant hero. For a different configuration of consuls in a less troubled time, this might have been enough, but as the least popular member of the Lija-Xhorine-Valanous triumvirate, they were always going to be the odd one out, and in 3107 they came in third in a tight three-way race that featured the return of Theoposz as the "voice of reason" candidate and was won by the Royal Admiral and war hero Angeunos.
Later life
Valanous would spend several years as a lobbyist before returning to the Senate in 3122. In 3127, they, along with twenty-two other senators who called for Quellidora Rex to abdicate following the revelation that she had provided covert support to Varuk Mai MMCVI during the War of the Three Mais, were arrested and detained in the secret prison-aerostat Station 109 in Zebraka's upper atmosphere by the Royalist faction during the opening days of the Zebrakan Wars. The ultimate fate of Station 109 and those imprisoned on it is unknown, but it is assumed to have been destroyed during the Triarchate intervention in 3130, and its remains are presumed to lie deep within Zebraka's mantle.
Legacy
Although a competent statesperson, Valanous's confrontational stance towards the Iridium Throne proved destabilizing to the Pentarchate, and they are in many ways directly responsible for the escalation of the Pentarchate Succession Crisis, for good or ill. Although never particularly positively regarded during their own lifetime outside of the Upsilon Ultima incident and immediately after the First Congressmoot on Succession, their principled (if politically expedient) opposition to Varuk Mai and "martyrdom" at the hands of Quellidora Rex have led to them enjoying a minor resurgence in popularity in recent years, particularly on Weun.
- ↑ In fact, to grant her the opportunity to flee into Extralegal Space to avoid the consequences of an ongoing investigation into her finances that would ultimately see her charged with massive tax fraud.
- Academician Khalnik (talk) 19:23, 17 January 2019 (PST)
