Valen

"Our Home. Home a proud and industrious people, eager to prove their worth to their companions, filled with the light of reason, hope and understanding - once burned to a cinder by the traitors that so despise progress, innovation, and the unfaltering march of change. They would cast us into the darkness and have us fighting amongst ourselves for eternity had they had their way. They failed - not by chance, nor by the Emperor's selfless sacrifice for us. They failed by the sheer grit, determination, and the unwillingness to surrender of those who remained Loyal to the Emperor and His Imperium. We will rebuild, we will endure - we will cast back the traitor into the foulest, darkest pit that they might never climb from - and we will walk alongside the Emperor once more, another era of burgoning peace, prosperity and progress. Hope might be naive but that is our way, that is the way of Valen.""

- Queen Yan Shen I, 021.M31

The Homeworld of the legendary 42nd Valen Rangers. The Imperial Civilised World of Valen is the second planet in the Six planet, Binary Star Valen system, being the only one which is capable of supporting life. The Planet's proximity to it's parent stars has left it with a hot, dry climate which led to the evolution of foliage and animals capable of surviving such intense temperatures. The long rolling plains that dominate Valen are covered in long desert grasses, or the few trees hardy enough to grow from the planet's otherwise fertile soil.

Temperatures however grow more temperate the closer to the poles, often with large, often untapped forests that spread for thousands upon thousands of miles, while jagged mountain ranges pierce the sky. Valen's ecosystem is designed to be extremely hardy, resistant to extremes as a result of it's hash, often frequently violent shifts in the planet's seasons. As a result of it's harsh climate however - the animals present on Valen are often hulking beasts that are as tall, if not taller than most men - akin to Terran felines, and often prove savage in their bestial nature.

Valen itself is governed directly by the Shen Dynasty - an Autocratic Hereditary Monarchy that serve as the guardians and protectors of their populace - often expending great wealth as to improve the welfare of their citizens - each ruler having been instilled with a great sense of duty to their people since Queen Yan Shen I. Under the Shen Dynasty Valen has proven to be a very successful Imperial World since voluntarily joining during the Era of the Great Crusade - providing millions of troops for the Imperial Army and the then reformed Imperial guard throughout it's long history, while further maintaining a small orbital shipyard - inside of which a small fleet of frigates and corvettes have been constructed - acting as the system's PDF gunboats. Valen is also rudimentary fortified with a small series of ancient fortified bunker complexes - along with the planet's natural terrain housing many key military installations.