Valiteen Merrick

Valiteen is completely hairless, a condition that unsettles him and often draws awkward attention. To reclaim some expressiveness, he draws his eyebrows on every morning—carefully shaped depending on his mood. He keeps his workshop tidy and his clothes grease-stained but well-kept, often donning tools like accessories. He moves with a kind of distracted energy, constantly thinking about a dozen things at once.

Family

• Father: Gorvan Merrick – a solid, quiet laborer who believes in strength over words. He taught Valiteen the value of hard work and honesty.
• Mother: Kessa Merrick – a kind but sharp engineer who inspired Valiteen’s technical skills. She helped him build his first mechanical arm at age ten (just a prototype!).
  Valiteen deeply loves his parents, and while they occasionally clash over his recklessness or emotional decisions, their bond remains unbroken.

Key Life Events and Relationships

Loss of Kailly

Kailly was a close friend and fellow thinker—someone who pushed Valiteen to challenge assumptions. They were caught in a Dark Syde attack during a raid on a supply shipment outside the camp walls. Kailly shielded others and died from the blast. Valiteen still keeps the scorched corner of Kailly’s notebook in his toolbox.

Disappearance of Ted

Ted was an old friend from Valiteen’s childhood, known for his bizarre sense of humor and wild theories. Ten years ago, Ted went out beyond the wall on what he called “a hunch” about a hidden transmitter. He never came back. Valiteen continues to believe Ted will return with some wild story, even though it’s been a decade.

Promotion and Demotion

Valiteen’s sharp eye and technical know-how led him to discover a covert smuggling operation within Camp Hope’s infrastructure. Using his engineering knowledge, he tracked how power and materials were being siphoned from official systems. His investigation led to the exposure of Wilt Ignatz Ware, a criminal involved in the scheme. For this, Valiteen was promoted and granted his own workshop with assistants.

However, after his relationship with Jasper fell apart, Jasper falsely accused him of stealing engineering supplies—leading to a five-month jail sentence. This damaged Valiteen’s reputation, and Russel Tolly Crisp used the incident to push for his demotion. 

Adversaries

Wilt Ignatz Ware

Valiteen discovered that Wilt was illegally rerouting supplies and sabotaging infrastructure to benefit a black-market network. He turned over evidence to the authorities, leading to Wilt's public disgrace.

Wilt sees Valiteen not just as a threat, but as the one person who destroyed his power. Now, he wants to make Valiteen suffer—personally, slowly, and completely. Wilt will only handle matters himself and wants to unravel everything Valiteen cares about.

Jasper Goyo Vinci

Jasper and Valiteen had a passionate but chaotic relationship. After the breakup, Jasper framed Valiteen for stealing restricted tech from the Engineers’ depot—planting the parts in Valiteen’s quarters. Valiteen served 5 months in jail for the crime, though he never confessed.
Now demoted and disgraced, Valiteen burns with anger. He will never forgive Jasper for what he did and sees the betrayal as a permanent, festering wound. Jasper, meanwhile, remains furious and would kill Valiteen if he could do so without consequence.

Russel Tolly Crisp

Russel believes Valiteen is a liar and a thief—two qualities he considers absolutely incompatible with the ideals of the Engineer faction. Russel has made it his mission to keep Valiteen down, constantly questioning his work, motives, and loyalties. To Russel, Valiteen’s very presence in the Engineers is an insult. He’s quick with biting remarks and has the influence to ruin Valiteen’s career permanently.