#ch: valeria saverna

[druidgroves]

“I’m not interested in being easy on the eyes, I want them to flinch, think twice before they reach out their callous hands to bruise. I want to be a constant reminder to men that not everything is theirs for the taking.” x

[druidgroves]

i'm always running from something i push it back, but it keeps on coming

[druidgroves]

20 + ur current fav !!

ahhh thank u jas <3

microfic prompts

Brynjolf’s back hits the stone wall just as Valeria’s mouth meets his, her hands griping the buckles of his armor like a lifeline. She kisses him like she’s going off to war, like if she doesn’t kiss him hard enough he’ll disappear beneath her hands. Hands move up to the back of his neck, fingers threading through his hair and tugging ever so slightly.

“Eager to get me alone, finally?” he asks when she pulls away for a moment, the both of them out of breath.

There had been too much shit going on that day, so many new guild members to sort through and deal with now that the guild was properly back on its feet with Valeria at the head of it. She goes back in for another kiss, rolling his bottom lip between her teeth just hard enough to elicit a groan from him.

When she pulls away again, there’s that predator’s look in her eyes as she says, “Meet me at Honeyside after dark. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, she releases her hold on him and turns around to walk back through the halls of the Cistern like she hadn’t just pressed him up against the wall and kissed him senseless.

[druidgroves]

“What’s the story behind those scars, eh?” “A skeever did it. Do you have any other stupid questions?”

[druidgroves]

🔪🔪🔪

(click for hq)

[druidgroves]

some thoughts on my new girl

she’s the only child of wealthy winemakers back in cyrodiil. a very precious business to her father, as it had been in the family for several generations.

however eventually her family went into debt & started borrowing from predatory sources to keep the business afloat.

one such source was another noble family rumored to have ties to the thieves guild in cyrodiil, but of course this could never be proven. they had a son around valeria’s age named magnus who had a thing for her that she did not reciprocate.

he probably pursued her a lot throughout their youths & she just did not like him lol. probably punched him once.

when valeria’s father couldn’t make good on the money he owed the family, they started sending men to rough him up. eventually, he ended up bed ridden after a particularly bad interaction. the men left with the threat that if they didn’t get their money soon, he’d loose something precious to him.

valeria’s father thought they meant they would just take the winery from him as a way of paying back his debt, so he slept with a dagger under his pillow & the deed to the winery, failing to realize that they meant his own daughter. so, while he was up for weeks out of paranoia that they’d take the deed, his own daughter was kidnapped right under his nose.

and because they’re Broke, he can’t send people to take her back.

so valeria sits in the basement of a safehouse outside the city for a while. sometimes magnus would come visit her, tell her he’s sorry for what his family is “forced to do.” subtly implies that if she really loved her father, she could help get him out of this mess by merging their families through marriage & his debt would be erased. basically using this as a way to get what he wants + what his family wants.

valeria tells him to go fuck himself & that she’d rather rot than suffer the thought of marrying him.

and because he’s a petty asshole, magnus let her do just that. valeria has no idea how long she was down there for, only that it was long enough for her to sus out the identities of the guards + their schedule. she manages to get one of them to talk with her for a while, building up a rapport until she manages to sneak the dagger off his belt & slit his throat with it. she goes on a well deserved rampage of slaughtering the men keeping her captive, earning a few face scars in the process. then, she sits & waits for magnus to make another visit.

when he comes by, valeria ambushes him but fails to completely get one over on him, resulting in the fight that gave her the rest of her facial scarring. she does kill him though.

with how much money, power, & influence magnus’ family has, valeria knows there’s not much she can do that they won’t pay someone to cover up. so she leaves cyrodiil without ever saying goodbye to her family & ends up in skyrim.

she’s naturally pretty quiet & light-footed, which lends itself perfectly to being a thief. she’s better at general swiping & breaking & entering thievery than straight up pickpocketing though.

she ends up joining the thieves guild tho & does their whole quest instead of the dragonborn because my dragonborn didn’t ever join the guild lol

[druidgroves]

alone in the dark.

Fandom: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Notes: I wrote 8 pages & 4k of my girl Valeria’s origin story. Enjoy <3 TW: Kidnapping & what I consider to be game-standard violence.

Valeria couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen sunlight. The memory of the sun’s golden rays kissing freckles into her skin had all but disappeared, making room for more recent ones full of the dark, damp room she’d been held in for gods knew how long.

At this point, she didn’t know what the Marcellus family was hoping to gain by keeping her here. Her father’s winery had been in the red long before he had started borrowing from the Marcellus’, but that had only made his debt to them more attractive. At first, they had sent letters reminding Octavius Saverna of money owed, most of which went ignored by the man, either out of negligence or fear, Valeria could never tell. Then, there was one day her father had come home from the winery with a bleeding lip and a black eye. Her mother had startled the entire household with the shriek that had come out at the sight of him. Still, he continued his borrowing and despite this, the winery and household funds kept dipping back into the red.

Nothing really changed until a knock was heard on the front door of their crumbling estate, Octavius a bloody, broken thing on the doorstep. A knife had stabbed a written warning into the wood: If the money owed to us is not delivered by the end of the month, you will lose that which is most precious to you.

Lavinia’s shrieking at a simple busted lip and bruised eye was nothing compared to what had come out of her then.

Bedridden from the incident, the Saverna patriarch had been at a loss for what to do. Valeria and her mother had been telling him for ages to just sell the winery, be rid of the thing that was milking their coffers dry, but he wouldn’t hear it. The winery had been in his family for as long as he could remember and he was loath to give it up. So, out of what Valeria could only identify as pride with a healthy dose of fear, Octavius slept with the deed to the winery and a dagger under his pillow for the next few weeks.

Of course, this did little to keep his daughter from being kidnapped out of her bed.

She had woken up to a blade pressed to her throat and a hand over her mouth. A man in a hooded cloak had stood over her, whispering into her ear that if she valued her life, she would come with him silently. One blindfold, gag, and disorienting trip from her estate later, Valeria was unbound in a small, barred room with a guard at the door.

The room had three stone walls and one barred one, making it more akin to a cell. A bed was shoved into one corner as well as a wash bucket in the other, and a small table with a single chair sat in the center. The only light was offered by the single torch in the hallway leading to the room itself. She was fed once in the morning and once in the evening, but eventually time began to blur together the longer she stayed there and she couldn’t make sense of anything other than the rotation of the guards.

The first one to talk to her she learned was named Claudius. His turn in the guard rotation was every six meals if Valeria counted them right. He had a friendly face and couldn’t have been much older than herself at twenty-three. He was the only one that tried making conversation with her in an attempt to make sure she didn’t go mad.

“Last lad we had in here started bashing his head against the wall after a few weeks,” he had told her, nodding toward a dark stain on the stone. “Wouldn’t want to see that again.”

If it weren’t for the fact that he was holding her prisoner, she may have genuinely enjoyed their conversations. She learned that he was originally from Anvil to the south and was still sweet on a girl from there. Sometimes he’d try to pry out information about herself, but Valeria left anything she told him vague and unimportant. She wouldn’t give any of them the satisfaction of knowing a gods damn thing about her.

Some time later, after she had built up enough of a rapport with Claudius, he told her she should be expecting a visit soon, but he wouldn’t tell her from whom. His lips were sealed until purposeful footsteps were heard coming down the stairs at the end of the hall, Magnus Marcellus approaching in all his finery.

Valeria felt her blood boil at the sight of him.

In all of the chaos of her father’s injuries and her kidnapping, she hadn’t spared a thought for the man. He was heir to the Marcellus fortune and, most importantly, all debts owed to them. She’d known him in her youth when he spent much of his time chasing her skirts despite her aggressive disinterest. He had dark hair kept perfectly swept back and darker eyes that she knew had been pinned on her since she was a girl. His smile, crooked as it was, hid all of the worst parts of him–she remembered hearing rumors about his sadistic tendencies as they grew older, how he hit the servants in his family’s employ and often shouted abuses at anyone he deemed below him.

“Leave us,” he told Claudius when he stopped in front of the cell. The guard did as told, giving a slight nod toward Valeria when he was far enough away that Magnus couldn’t see him. The young noble’s gaze fell on her, the torchlight of the hallway casting half his face in shadow as he smiled.

“You should know I told my father that this was overkill,” he began, pacing the short length of hallway in front of the cell, all the while keeping his eyes on Valeria, who said nothing. “I asked why we couldn’t keep you in the city instead of out here in the woods. It’s a horrid ride out here, you know.”

Valeria looked at him flatly, “I wouldn’t know. Your man bound and gagged me when he stole me from my home.”

“‘My man?’ No, no, these men were hired by my father. Still, they answer to me in his absence,” he said, then cocked his head. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? Have they touched you at all while you’ve been here?”

The sudden concern threw Valeria off for a second, but she shook her head after a moment. The guards hadn’t even stepped foot inside her cell the entire time she’d been there.

“Good, good,” he grinned, “I’m glad to hear they haven’t tarnished your beauty. Or your virtue.”

She nearly opened her mouth to tell him that ship had long since set sail, but bit her tongue. Instead, she fixed her gaze on him and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to give you a choice.”

A choice? What was he playing at? The look on her face must have betrayed her thoughts, as Magnus continued.

“I can take you from this cell, back to Skingrad,” he said. “You’d be able to see your family. Your father is healing quite well, by the way. He’s been trying to find someone, anyone, to come after you, but given that he was borrowing coin from us for a reason…no one’s found it in themselves to try out of the goodness of their own heart.”

“Can you just get to the point already?” Valeria hissed.

“Tsk, tsk, my dear, is that any way you should be talking to the man who has your life in his hands?” he asked with a sarcastic pout. “Come, let me look at you. I want to see you properly when I ask you this.”

For a moment, Valeria debated whether or not to get up from where she had been sitting on the bed. Eventually, her natural curiosity and the need to keep Magnus’ ego from having her throat slit then and there won out. She got off the bed, bare feet padding their way over to the cell door where he stood.

Magnus took his time giving her a once over. She knew she must have been a terrible sight–she hadn’t had a proper bath in weeks, it felt like. All she had was the wash bucket and its rarely changed water. Her raven black hair was a rat’s nest and she was still wearing the night gown she’d been wearing when she was taken. In the torchlight, she could see whatever tan summer had given her beforehand was faded and she had no doubt that dark circles had formed under her eyes. Despite her current appearance, Magnus seemed happy with whatever he was looking for.

“You value your family, yes?” he asked.

Valeria nodded.

“Would you do anything to help them? To clear away the debt they’ve accrued?”

There was only a small amount of hesitation before she nodded again. The smile Magnus flashed her in the shadow of the torchlight, fire reflected in the umber color of his eyes, made her regret her silent answer instantly.

“Then marry me.”

Valeria couldn’t hold back the disgust rising out of her. She took a step forward, scowling at him through the bars, “I’d rather rot than marry you.”

Magnus choked out a laugh at her response. He almost looked shocked that she would dare deny his hand, but the surprise disappeared when his arm shot through the gap in the bars, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. His fingers dug into her jaw, her cheek, trimmed nails digging crescent moons into her skin as he spoke.

“Then rot you shall,” he hissed, voice low and malicious. Whatever charming front he put on for the world was gone, replaced with the entitled want that sparked his many rumors. “I stand here with an offer to save both you and your wretched family and you spit in my face? You are ungrateful, Valeria Saverna. Enjoy your time in the dark.”

He let go of her face with force, pushing her back when he was done and swiftly took the torch off the wall. Valeria watched as he marched down the hallway and disappeared up the stairs, leaving her in the pitch black dark.

 ----

However much time passed between then and the next time she saw light, Valeria didn’t know. All she could focus on was the hunger gnawing at her insides. Claudius hadn’t returned after Magnus’ departure, and neither had any of the other guards, leaving her alone as could be. It could have been a few days or even a week before she heard footsteps coming down the stairs again. She scrambled towards the cell door, nearly knocking over the chair and the table in her haste.

With the footsteps came the glow of torchlight, and eventually, the face of Claudius holding a bundle in his other hand. He didn’t say anything as he put the torch back in its sconce on the wall, nor did he say anything when he shoved the bundle through the bars and into her hands. Valeria tore it open, revealing half a loaf of bread, a few bits of dried meat, and a wedge of cheese with a touch of mold. Despite her aching hunger, she picked around it and did her best not to gorge herself; she didn’t know if they were intent on feeding her regularly again.

She didn’t know why she thanked him when she was done, but she did. He didn’t reply or even look at her, just kept his eyes forward as he leaned against the stone wall outside the cell. He looked tired and a little bit anxious, his fingers tapping the hilt of the dagger strapped to his belt. An idea began to form in Valeria’s mind.

“You’ve been the only person to show me any kindness here,” she told him. “What happened to that?”

No answer.

“Whatever happened to that girl from Anvil? Rhona, right? Do you still send her letters?” she asked, trying her hardest to elicit some sort of response. “Do you miss her? What if it was her down here in the dark for days on end? What–”

“Boss said we’re not allowed to talk to you anymore,” Claudius finally relented, but he still didn’t look at her. Was that guilt in his voice?

“How would he know?” she asked.

Claudius fidgeted where he stood. “I’m just doing what I’m told.”

“Claudius.”

That got him to face her.

Valeria pressed herself against the bars, pushing her face out through the gaps as far as she could. Her hands held on loosely to the bars near his hip. She looked him in the eyes, holding his gaze as she spoke, “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Please, just talk with me, or else I might end up like the poor sod who bashed his head in.”

Before he could respond, his dagger was shoved through the underside of his chin before bursting through his tongue and into the top of his mouth. Valeria pulled the dagger out with a sickening squelch, looking on as Claudius slipped down the bars, choking on his own blood and unable to call for help. When he was finally done twitching, she knelt to the ground and did her best to pull his body closer to the bars. He didn’t have any keys hanging from his belt, but as her hands patted him down, she felt a bump in his pocket. She fished the key out, and after some maneuvering, managed to unlock the cell.

Dagger still in hand, Valeria pushed the cell door open, pressing against it with her shoulder in an effort to push Claudius’ corpse out of the way. If there was anyone else in the building, however big or small it was, they didn’t give any indication that they were aware of what was happening in the basement.

When she reached the stairs, she saw that they led to a single door, and if she put her ear to it, she could hear someone moving around on the other side. There were the sounds of someone scuffling around, dragging their feet across the floor, and then a faint knocking. After a moment, two voices had begun to converse.

“Boss’ son is supposed to be coming around again,” one of them said.

“By the Nine, again? Last time he was here he left in such a rage I thought he was planning on burning down the house with everyone inside,” the other replied. “I’ll go let Claudius know.”

Shit.

The sound of feet making their way towards the door Valeria hid behind made her grip on the dagger tighten. She pressed herself against the wall behind the door, trying to make herself as small as possible. At first, the person on the other side simply knocked. She remembered that if the guards ever needed to talk to each other while one was busy guarding her, they’d knock on the door until they got an answer. After the first knock went unanswered, a second came, then a groan of frustration. Valeria’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest like an angry skeever.

“I know you’re down there talking with that woman even though you’re not supposed to, answer the door already.”

A beat.

Another knock.

The click of the door latch.

A man came through the door. He didn’t even make it to the third stair before Valeria pounced, the both of them tumbling down the stairs together. Valeria yelped as her head hit the sharp corner of one of the steps, and the man yelled out in surprise alongside her. Sounds of their struggle echoed along the stone walls, only quieted by the dagger finding purchase in the side of his neck.

“Larrius? What in Oblivion is going on down there? Claudius?”

With frightening speed, Valeria pushed the dagger in deeper before bringing it across the man’s throat as he tried to grab at her. Gasping for breath like a fish, he mirrored Claudius in choking on the blood that poured from the wound. She pushed him off of her just in time to see a second man at the top of the stairs, holding clawed weapons in each hand.

For a moment, the two just stood staring at each other. The man, wide eyed and confused, and Valeria, covered in blood and looking like she’d been to Oblivion and back, did not make to move against the other.

“Let me go and we can both escape with our lives,” Valeria said, though her white-knuckle grip on the dagger did not loosen.

Then, as if the man had only just realized he was in a superior position at the top of the stairs, her only way out, he charged down them with surprising grace. Valeria put up her arms in an attempt to block the clawed weapon he had, only to earn three perfect gashes across her forearm. A cry of pain left her and she nearly dropped the dagger as the man attempted to swipe at her again, managing to duck under his arm just as the claws slashed past her shoulder. Blinded by the pain and her own fury, Valeria ran at him, dagger outstretched before her in an attempt to stab at her captor. She was met with a quick slash across the left side of her face and the subsequent rush of blood. The force behind it was enough to send her to the ground, clutching the side of her face with her free hand.

Valeria rolled out of the way as the man lunged at her again. Reflexively, she slashed blindly in his general direction, the blade slicing the back of one of his knees. The man stumbled before falling, giving her just enough time to stand up and kick him in the back to keep him down. Not wasting the opportunity, she pinned him to the ground with her knee and yanked his head up by the scruff of hair at his neck.

“Looks like I’m the only one walking away with their life,” she growled, and drew the blade across his neck. Her grip in his hair stayed until the light left his eyes, and after he had stopped gurgling, she threw him down onto the floor and stood.

Save for the ragged breaths coming from her, everything was silent. Three dead men laid on the ground before Valeria, having met their end at her hand. Blood still trickled from what would eventually become jagged scars on her cheek, her arm, her waist. She dropped the dagger and flexed her fingers, working out the cramp that had accompanied her prolonged grip. Stepping over the bodies, she walked up the stairs, leaving the dead at the bottom.

After making sure the rest of the house was empty, Valeria spent the next few hours cleaning herself up. She took an actual bath for the first time in what felt like forever, the water warmed by the fire she made in the hearth. She took her time gently washing her new wounds, then scrubbed the grime from her skin and the oil from her hair. She only got out of the wash tub when the water turned cold, then set about the house in an attempt to find other clothes to wear and cloth to cover her injuries.

In her search she found a simple shirt and pants as well as a pair of boots. The entire ensemble was ill-fitting all around, but it was better than a beige nightgown that had once been white. Bits of food were in the kitchen and, in one of the bedrooms, a bow and a sheath of arrows. Valeria took them both back into the front room, setting up shop for what she knew was to come.

Magnus Marcellus would be making a visit soon, and she had no intentions for him to leave after.

 ----

Valeria did not sleep at all that night.

She sat in a chair, her back to the dying embers in the hearth, her newfound bow in her lap and sheath at her hip. She couldn’t risk falling asleep and letting Magnus get the jump on her. The guards had said he would be visiting today, probably coming to taunt her again. This time though, he would not be on the other side of prison bars that kept him safe from her rage. He would be at the mercy of her arrow, one that had never missed whatever target she set her sights on. She had learned some twisted sort of patience during her time in the dark and did not mind waiting a little longer for him to come.

Soon enough, her patience paid off when the sound of galloping hooves was heard outside. Valeria nocked an arrow, pulling the bow string taut and pointing the arrow at the door in front of her. A key rattled in the lock and then Magnus stepped through.

“Dreadful ride, boys–”

Whatever words he had left to say dried up in his throat at the sight of Valeria and her bow. She couldn’t help but relish the way his eyes widened with fear at the knowledge that she could let loose her arrow at any moment.

“Hands up, Marcellus,” she ordered him, “and close the door.”

He did as told, stepping further into the house and kicking the door closed.

“Now, Valeria–”

“Shut the fuck up or this arrow makes its home in your eye socket,” she hissed. “What were your words? Wouldn’t want to ‘tarnish your beauty,’ was it? Now walk.”

She nodded towards the door to the basement and he stepped towards it. She kept her bow trained on him the entire time, never wavering.

“Open the door.” Tentatively, Magnus reached for the handle and when he opened the door, the faint smell of blood and decomposition assaulted the both of them.

“Go down.”

The two of them descended the stairs in silence. When they came upon the slowly bloating corpses of the guards, she heard him suck in a surprised breath.

“If you don’t want to share their fate, step into the cell.”

To his credit, Magnus could be very good at doing what he was told when sufficient pressure was applied. He stepped over the bodies of his father’s men and into the cell, hands still raised where she wanted them. When he was far enough inside, Valeria made quick work of shutting the door and locking it behind him.

“What now then?” he finally asked, standing somewhat awkwardly inside the cell. “Are you just going to leave me here? Is this your idea of revenge? If I don’t return by dawn my father will send people for me.”

Slinging her bow over her shoulder, Valeria took the torch off the wall beside her and began to walk towards the stairs.

“I doubt they’ll get here in time,” Valeria said over her shoulder, and kept walking.

“What? What do you mean? Where are you going?” Magnus demanded, throwing himself against the bars of his new cell. “You spiteful bitch, I will have your head on the executioner’s block!”

Valeria turned to face him one last time.

“You left me in the dark to starve, Marcellus,” she said. “I do not plan on being so merciful. If I’m lucky, there won’t be much of your corpse left to recognize.”

As she ascended the stairs, she ignored the man’s shouts and left the door to the basement open behind her.

 ----

Half an hour later, she had gathered every flammable thing she could find. Magnus had stopped yelling at some point, probably taken to sulking in a corner.

Valeria looked down at the pile of old rags, bed covers, pillows, linens, clothes, and more, gathering up whatever she could hold and distributing them in small piles around the house. She started in the bedroom, the room furthest from the front door, knowing she had to be fast. Holding down her torch to the pile on one of the beds, she set it alight and made haste to the kitchen, the hallway, and then finally the front room until the house had a fine layer of smoke hanging about it. Taking up her bow and sheath again, she tossed the torch down the basement stairs and called out, “I hope you like the heat.”

“What did you do?! Do not leave me here! Valeria!”

Valeria opened the door and stepped outside, feeling the warmth of the slowly setting sun on her skin for the first time in who knew how long. She walked towards Magnus’ horse still tied to its post, ignoring how she could still hear him shouting over the flames already enveloping the house. If the fire didn’t get to him, the smoke certainly would.

She calmed the horse before climbing in the saddle and adjusted her bow slung over her shoulder. She didn’t know where she would go, but she knew she couldn’t stay in Skingrad. Possibly even Cyrodiil given how far the Marcellus’ reach extended.

With one last look at the burning house behind her, Valeria rode off into the sun without a word.

[druidgroves]

for the tes alphabet: NOBLE + Nim aaaaand TRICK + Valeria!!

ahhh thank u !!! my two fav girls <3 skyrim oc ask meme

Nim

Nord: What’s their overall option on the Nordic people of Skyrim?

Considering Nim herself is a snow elf, she isn't very fond of them! Obvs she's met a few Nords that weren't all "sKyRiM bElOnGs To ThE nOrDs!!!!1!!" & she was nice to them, but overall she's not too keen on them lol

Outsider: How would your muse respond to being call this upon arriving in either Markarth or Solstheim?

She's pretty used to it at this point so her general response is just to shrug it off & roll her eyes lmao just let her do what she needs to do & she'll be gone.

Beauty: How does your character tend to their appearance? Do they wear any special armor or clothing during their day to day activities?

Nim isn't very vain, but she does take pride in her appearance & tends to it when her & the gang have like. downtime in whatever city they're currently in. Like when she's just running around Whiterun, her hair is neat & she's wearing a simple dress. When she's running around Skyrim, she's got heavy armor (that I headcanon she had enchanted to be lighter--she just wanted more bodily protection than what light armor can despite not being physically fit enough to withstand the weight lol).

Lich: How dose your muse view necromancy and the undead?

She thinks it's creepy & weird & hates that she has to keep going into tombs full of them to learn more shouty dragon words </3

Education: Did they receive a formal education growing up, or did they learn a trade from their parent(s)?

She learned most of the magic she knows from her mother, but for general schooling she didn't really have much of it due to the whole. forced into hiding because she's a snelf. but she & her family did, at one point, take shelter in a temple to syrabane for a while, & it had lots of books & such that Nim def read. Current day, she's still reading a lot in an effort to catch up on what she missed.

Valeria

Thalmor: What’s their opinion of ‘elven supremacy’ and the aldmeri dominion?

As an Imperial, she understandably dislikes the Dominion & obvs doesn't subscribe to the whole "elven supremacy" thing.

Reading: Can your muse read, if they then what’s their favorite book?

She's very educated considering she was once a noblewoman, but I don't really picture her as a big reader. Her favourite book would probably be Surfeit of Thieves.

Inn: What dose a typical visit to an inn entail for your character? What foods do they normally order?

The inn she frequents the most would be the Bee & Barb, though she doesn't stay there. She'll go up there to have a decent meal every once in a while & sometimes Brynjolf will tag along. She always orders something warm, like a stew.

Companions: Dose your character have any close friends or traveling companions?

Her closest friend would be Vex in the Thieves Guild! The two didn't get along at all at first due to how similar they are, but eventually they became thick as thieves (ha) & whenever they're together it's always trouble.

Kindness: Dose your muse donate to any temples or help any beggars?

She for sure gives out coin to the poor--I imagine that after she takes over, the Guild starts to go back a little to their roots of robin hood-esque crime where they can (unfortunately Valeria sees Maven Black-Briar as a necessary ally to keep the Guild up and running).

[druidgroves]

— UNUSUAL MUSE ASSOCIATIONS

Tagged by @denerims​ & @cameronburke​ <333 thank u guys !!

Tagging: anyone who wants to ! <3

Nínim - Skyrim

seasoning: saffron weather: snowy :) colour: blue sky: the aurora over skyrim at night magical power: elemental magic house plant: snowdrop ! weapon: short sword subject: history social media: instagram product: i dont get what this is asking candy: blue raspberry anything fear: losing everyone she cares about part 2: electric boogaloo ice cube shape: c u b e method of long-distance travel: walking :) art style: art nouveau mythological creature: fairy piece of stationary: glass dip pen three emojis: ❄✨📖 celestial body: the moon

Valeria Saverna - Skyrim

seasoning: cloves weather: slightly humid summer evening colour: black sky: the rich oranges, pinks, & reds of a sunset magical power: invisibility house plant: devil’s ivy weapon: short bow subject: math social media: she simply would not use social media product: i still dont get what this is asking candy: cinnamon hearts fear: being made helpless ice cube shape: crushed ice method of long-distance travel: horse- ! art style: romanticism mythological creature: harpy piece of stationary: leather bound planner three emojis: 🔪🏹🖤 celestial body: jupiter

[druidgroves]

i think if valeria saw brynjolf in a pony tail she would get legitimately flustered & refuse to speak to him until he let his hair down again. couldn’t even look him in the eye.

[druidgroves]

more valeria thoughts

i truly think she could be besties with vex bc i didn’t know much about her before making valeria & theyre similar in a lot of ways & even have facial scarring lmao (at least w/ the mod i have of her). like i think they would fucking hate each other at first just on sight but then after a little while they start being friendly & eventually it gets to a point where if anyone sees them go off on their own to talk in the cistern everyone can automatically assume they’re 1) gossiping about stuff they pick up on going through peoples things in town 2) plotting the take down of someone they both hate or 3) genuinely just chilling with each other bc it’s been a while.

however their first few interactions would be like trying to introduce two feral cats to each other.

i also think she could be good friends with karliah. i hate the idea that she just stays in the twilight sepulcher at the end of the thieves guild quest because she’s spent so long by herself that i don’t think she should be so lonely anymore!! valeria would respect her a lot.

generally valeria is kind of quiet but when she talks she can come off as very intense. she doesnt put a lot of emotion in her voice. but it’s easy to make her laugh, people just don’t really try due to her Vibe.

she finds a stray cat in the ratway during a routine sweep, with two dead skeevers nearby. she slowly befriends it & takes it back to the cistern. brynjolf gives her some shit about it but the facade quickly shatters when the cat rubs it’s head against his hand & immediately begins to take to him more than valeria. valeria is like wtf you stole my cat. bryn just “are you jealous, lass?” & she “>:| no.” (yes)

despite this the cat sleeps between the two of them later on when they’re ✨an item✨. the cat does not ever really get a name other than “Cat” or “Kitty” because neither of them are that imaginative lol

i think valeria would be good at parkour in the “quick escape from a place i just broke into” kind of way. jumping off balconies into the perfect tuck & roll. scaling buildings in riften just to sit on the roof. that kind of thing.

if anyone ever has the audacity to ask outright about the scars on her face she just tells them “a skeever did it” & leaves it at that. i imagine the only person she ever tells is brynjolf, but like, way later into their relationship.

speaking of, their relationship is so dumb. it’s a years long waiting game of who’s going to admit their feelings first &, surprisingly, bryn is the first to break (i imagine he says it when he thinks she’s asleep next to him but SIKE). by this point mercer is dead & valeria is guildmaster so she freaks out a little & disappears on a job on the other side of skyrim for at least a month the next morning because hm! she thinks she might love him too & she doesn’t know how to deal with all of that.

when she comes back bryn does the classic “sorry lass, i’ve got important things to do” as a way to keep the space she put between them by leaving. this pisses her off because when it comes to him she can’t take what she dishes out & then that’s when she realizes Hm. Maybe I’m the Problem.

they do eventually make up & valeria apologizes for disappearing. and then they have lots of makeup sex

overall they try to keep their whole thing on the down low because it wouldn’t do to have any underlings getting too big for their britches & claiming valeria plays favourites. vex knows ofc (she probably helped put together the job valeria disappears on for a month lmao) & probably delvin.

[druidgroves]

amazing how i made valeria to be my “evil” skyrim girl but then i started developing her backstory & gave her a weak spot when it comes to children & a crush on brynjolf 😔

[druidgroves]

her name is valeria, she’s an imperial, & she’s part of the thieves guild. that’s all i got about her rn

[druidgroves]

unfortunately i think valeria would have some minor daddy issues due to the fact that her father, upon hearing “if you dont pay us back we’ll take that which is most precious to you”, assumed the loansharks were talking about taking the family winery from him & slept with the deed & a dagger under his pillow for two weeks but then some hired muscle ended up kidnapping his daughter right out of their home.