Valyes

Valyes was a Lord Cardinal of Gallifrey who was chosen by the High Council to be acting Chancellor to replace Braxiatel. (BFG: Insurgency) As Chancellor he ran the Time Lord Academy but quickly revoked many of the privileges given by his predecessor to off-worlders. He was deeply conservative and did not approve of President Romana's liberalisation of Gallifreyan society. Romana's Academy experiment fell apart under the stewardship of Valyes, with bomb explosions killing numerous students, and the rest either evacuated or taken into protective custody.

During the Civil War he sided with the Imperiatrix Pandora and Inquisitor Darkel. Following the former's defeat at the hands of Romana and Leela, he assumed the acting Presidency as he was the next highest ranking Time Lord. He had explained his collaboration with Pandora as trying to bring her rule down from within her own circle. Valyes restored the High Council dismissed by Romana when she declared herself Imperiatrix, and they called for a new Presidential election. As there was no Vice President, he made Lord Matthias Lord Cardinal with special security responsibilities, and later resigned as Acting Lord President due to the machinations of Darkel whom he attempted to name as his successor. Romana disputed the legality of his actions as she was still technically President. Matthias also claimed that as acting Chancellor he was Valyes' rightful successor.

During the following election Valyes was the Lord High Returning Officer - another office he had acquired over the years - however his moment of glory was cut short by the arrival and return of Braxiatel, who claimed the Presidency for himself and then named Lord Cardinal Matthias as his successor. Valyes then served as Lord Chancellor to President Matthias.

Valyes was a member of the old guard on Gallifrey and was very old fashioned and opposed to change. He proved himself to be easily manipulated by those more clever than him, especially Darkel, and he was also obsequious in the extreme. Valyes seemed to be a born politician who would use the law to suit his own purpose, however he appeared to have more faith in his own ability than others did, and this faith was misplaced.