meyvn | [ history. ]

born ξ ξʹ (xi sixty - his given name is the lowercase version of the letter, chosen as a reminder that he must always remain humble. his surname is the number sixty, chosen because six is a revered number in Gallifreyan culture. his name in its entirety is a pun on the letter ξ.)
thinks he's around seven- or eight-hundred years old
just began his fourth regeneration
chose the name The Maven at the Academy after becoming the youngest known expert on intergalactic disarmament
worked in the Celestial Intervention Agency as a risk analyst
left Gallifrey during the overthrow of the High Council to put his theories into practice and become a peacekeeper
currently travels with the Corban as negotiators and arbiters of peace

I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
( Mahatma Ghandi - Young India, Volume 1, Issue 52; 1919 )

From a young age, xi was fascinated with the visions that inspired Rassilon's principles of non-intervention. Convinced that the traditional interpretation of both the vision and principles was incorrect, xi decided he wanted to reinterpret the principles for the modern era. If the premise of non-intervention was to create a check against Time Lord hubris and prevent a Gallifreyan empire, then first the idea of empire and war must be totally understood. He wanted to know the circumstances that led to war and what variables were necessary for lasting peace to be forged. After doing well in his initial studies, xi began focusing on historical analyses. Patterns began to emerge: charismatic leaders, nonviolent movements, a unified people -- untold situational variables, certainly, but for a Time Lord no insurmountable feat. As a result of his studies--saturated with atrocities done in the name of gods and men--xi became an extreme pacifist. He also began to believe that there were instances in which an individual was obligated to act and interfere.

It was at the Academy that he met the Corban, and they instantly became comrades. The Academy was not a place to encourage subversive thought, so xi kept the majority of his more extreme conclusions out of his published work. In the Corban, he found someone with whom he could openly discuss his views and have them be challenged.

In his sixth year, xi culminated his studies in a thesis on the Forward Battle of Privator8 that gained recognition from the Galactic Peace Union. By graduation he had renamed himself the Maven because of his reputation as the premier authority on historical non-intervention during times of war.

In all my travelling throughout the universe I have battled against evil, against power mad conspirators. I should have stayed here. The oldest civilisation: decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core. Power mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans... Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compared to us. Ten million years of absolute power. That's what it takes to be really corrupt.
( The Doctor - The Ultimate Foe )

After leaving the Academy, The Maven spent a century and a half working for the Celestial Intervention Agency. His expertise on treaty negotiations and armistices made him an invaluable asset to the Agency as they sent Time Lords to diffuse volatile situations. He was one of many analysts who researched the conditions and provided suggestions to assure the best possible outcome. The Maven sought out a position with the Agency because it seemed to enact what he believed: that intervention was sometimes necessary to prevent extreme loss of life or disaster. During the first century of service, the Maven believed the Agency pinpointed these crucial moments in time and worked tirelessly towards that goal. During this time he met the unconventional Time Lords used as agents (the Doctor included) who influenced him greatly in his beliefs.

As he advanced into a more trusted position and had access to more secrets, however, it became increasingly clear that the Agency selectively broke Rassilon's non-intervention principle not to foster peace but in the interests of Gallifrey. In time, the High Council's web of machinations became clear to him; he saw Rassilon's nightmare of an imperialist Gallifreyan empire realized in every proclamation and mission.

According to official Gallifreyan records, The Maven has been counted missing since the revolution following the Doctor's trial when it was revealed the High Council had tampered with The Matrix. The Maven had already been considering leaving the planet, becoming increasingly convinced that whatever good he could do for the universe would not be from within Gallifrey. The revelation of the High Council's betrayal was the catalyst that led him to find the Corban and tell her of his plans. Agreed in both conviction and resolve, they took a TARDIS (a move made famous by the Doctor and now legend among younger generations of Time Lords) and ventured together into the universe for the first time.

If we believe that humanity may transcend tooth & claw, if we believe diverse races & creeds can share this world as peaceably as the orphans share their candlenut tree, if we believe leaders must be just, violence muzzled, power accountable & the riches of the Earth & its Oceans shared equitably, such a world will come to pass. I am not deceived. It is the hardest of worlds to make real. Torturous advances won over generations can be lost by a single stroke of a myopic president’s pen or a vainglorious general’s sword.
( David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas )

For the last five centuries (approximately -- so easy to lose track) the Maven has used all the analytic skills he'd honed at the Agency, sending himself and the Corban as representatives into the most extreme warzones. The work is dangerous, frustrating, and often futile -- but it's work they both believe must be done.

Although they would have returned for The Last Great Time War, the Maven and the Corban had pushed themselves into a temporally unstable region, trapping themselves for a decade while they attempted to broker peace between two warring worlds. The Maven regrets not being there during the destruction of his people, and believes had he been present he might have been able to change the outcome by brokering some kind of accord. That possibility haunts him now as he continues to travel with the Corban and save as many as they can from the unnecessary brutalities of war.