VALENAVALENA
Real Name: Valena
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-73012) human magic-user
Occupation: Witch
Group Membership: None known
Affiliations: Yob-Haggoth the Unspeakable;
although she hated the villagers, she helped Brak slay the dragon-thing that plagued them
Enemies: Brak the Barbarian, Jonel, local villagers, unidentified dragon-thing
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Hell-Woman," "Witch-Woman" (both from Brak)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly a temple-home in an unidentified northern region/nation of Earth-73012
First Appearance: Chamber of Chills#2 (January, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Her powers were mostly unrevealed, but she could perform some enchantements and sorceries, invoking Yob-Haggoth's name, involving evil actions, blood and homicide.
Some spells just required only the
invocation, while other rituals involved a cauldron (and fetid smoke).
She quite likely performed sacrifices (perhaps even human sacrifice) to
Yob-Haggoth.
She certainly had some human skulls and skeletons in
her temple-home; how and from where she obtained them is unrevealed.
History:
(Chamber of Chills#2 (fb) - BTS) - The witch Valena worshipped Yob-Haggoth the Unspeakable, praying for his aid from his red-steaked altar.
As an elderly woman, Valena lived
in a stone temple-house, a short distance from a little village, who
knew her to be a witch. She hated the villagers, especially young
beautiful women, and the villagers appreciated her to be untrustworthy.
An unidentified dragon-thing, spawned by an unidentified wizard ages ago, repeatedly marauded the people of the village. The villagers eventually hired Brak the Barbarian, who needed funds to support his journey to Khurdisan the Golden, to slay the dragon. Advising Brak that the dragon-thing could only be slain by a combination of sword and magic spell, they apparently sent him to work with Valena to this end; however, they also warned Brak that Valena could not be trusted.
(Chamber of Chills#2) - Brak
traveled to Valena's house, requesting her aid against the dragon-thing
and the need for her help while acknowledging her hatred of the
villagers and her treacherous nature. Valena agreed to help only if
Brak paid her, and he gave her half of the hiring price from the
townspeople. She then informed Brak that the dragon-thing could only be
slain if he followed her instructions exactly: The beast must be slain
when the sun was at its zenith the next day while Valena worked her
spell. Additionally, if he laid eyes on another human being within one
hour afterward, her spell would make Brak kill that person, or else the
fanged monster would rise again.
(Chamber of Chills#2 - BTS) -
Having had no choice but accept Valena's assistance, Brak warned Jonel,
an attractive young villager with whom he was (at least) friends, that
she must tell the villagers that no one must follow him on his mission
or Valena's spell would fail to work.
(Chamber of Chills#2) - The next day, as Brak prepared to face the dragon-thing, Valena cast her spell to empower Brak's broadsword.
(Chamber of Chills#2 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently aware of the relastionship between Brak and Jonel, Valena traveled to Jonel's father's house and told him and Jonel that Brak was wounded and needed help.
(Chamber of Chills#2 - BTS) - After Brak had slain the dragon, Jonel approached and called out to him, and Brak was unable to stop himself from turning to look at her.
(Chamber of Chills#2 (fb) - BTS) -
However, the bright sunlight blinded Brak, so that he could not see
Jonel. While still not looking at her, Brak groped for and grabbed her
sash, which he used to blindfold himself. He then add Jonel guide him
back to the treacherous Valena's house.
(Chamber of Chills#2) -
Less than an hour later, as Valena worked over a boiling cauldron, the
blindfolded Brak appeared at her door. Greeting him as "barbarian," she
asked if the task was done, and when he confirmed that it had just been
done, she assumed that he had been wounded due to the binding over his
eyes...she appreciated that she had seen the binding material before.
Pulling off the blindfold, Brak told her that it
was from around the waist of a girl whose beauty Valena had hated, and
that he had worn it so that he would see no one until that moment.
Valena futilely told Brak to stay away from her
as he asked her if magical power wasn't enough for her and if she had
to destroy beauty in others.
Valena threatened to show Brak power, and she invoked Yob-Haggoth
to destroy him. The lights dimmed and smoke whirled as energy emanated
from her palm, but before she could act -- and possibly backed by the
spell -- Brak fatally stabbed her with his sword.
Valena's death scream reached Jonel's ears outside the temple, and the summoned presence vanished.
(Chamber of Chills#2 - BTS) -
After confirming Valena's fate to Jonel, Brak wondered if there truly
was a spell to help him slay the dragon-thing or had he simply done it
alone with his sword.
He concluded that he would never know...
The story in Chambers of Chills is very similar to the legend of the Worm of Lambton. Here are some elements:
This profile was late addition to the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Brak's stories and characters.
After I got most of the way through this profile, I
realized the Dragon-Thing didn't get a profile, so I'll work on one for
it in the next week or so.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Valena should be distinguished from:
  Valena lived in a stone temple-house, a short distance from a little village. It contained the cauldron from which she performed her rituals to invoke and summon power. --Chamber of Chills#2/3 |
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First posted: 10/08/2026
Last updated: 10/08/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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