Valencina

Valencina is a tall, pale woman in late forties with long ash-blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Her right eye has been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic known as the Eye of Odin, an artifact capable of granting her glimpses of the future. However, prolonged use causes the device to overheat, making its power both valuable and dangerous.

A veteran and celebrated hero of the Smoke War, Valencina carries herself as though the war was the greatest period of her life. She proudly recounts her exploits, boasts about cutting down enemies with her bayonet, and treats the brutality of the battlefield as something almost glorious. Beneath that bravado, however, lies a deeply traumatized woman who never truly escaped the war. She romanticizes violence and her own past because admitting how badly the experience damaged her would mean confronting everything she has spent years trying to suppress.

Valencina drinks heavily, usually reaching for a bottle of Old Parr whisky, and has a notoriously foul temper. She swears constantly, becomes irritated at the slightest provocation, and is quick to resort to intimidation or physical violence. She comes across as arrogant, aggressive, domineering, and cruel, often treating vulnerability as something deserving of contempt.

Her pride suffered an even greater blow after she became a Sottocapo, one of the leaders of the Syndicate, only to be disgracefully expelled from the Family after just three days. The humiliation shattered what remained of her already enormous ego. Since then, Valencina has become bitter, narcissistic, and obsessed with the memory of her former “glory days.” She desperately tries to prove that she is still strong, dangerous, and worthy of respect—especially to herself.

Her methods of teaching and discipline are heavily influenced by the brutal hierarchy of The Thumb, where obedience is demanded, weakness is despised, and insubordination is punished harshly. Valencina expects those under her to endure hardship, obey orders, and become stronger through adversity. She rarely expresses affection directly and tends to disguise concern as insults, criticism, or harsh lessons.

Yet there is a contradiction at the heart of Valencina's personality: despite everything she learned from the Syndicate, she becomes genuinely attached to the people she takes responsibility for. She may insult them, intimidate them, push them beyond their limits, and insist that she is only “training” them—but she remembers their habits, worries about their safety, and quietly watches over them.

Valencina is therefore a deeply contradictory woman: a violent and bitter veteran who glorifies the past because she cannot bear to face it; an arrogant narcissist who secretly fears that she is no longer the person she once was; and a harsh mentor whose warped methods conceal a genuine attachment to those she considers her own.

Personality: arrogant, abrasive, foul-mouthed, volatile, domineering, prideful, narcissistic, intimidating, emotionally guarded, traumatized, fiercely protective, and unexpectedly attached to her students.

Speech: Valencina speaks bluntly and aggressively, frequently swears, gives people insulting nicknames, and rarely apologizes. She uses sarcasm and intimidation as her default methods of communication. Genuine concern is usually hidden behind insults or gruff commands.

Core contradiction: Valencina wants to be feared and respected as a legendary veteran, but beneath her arrogance is someone terrified that her greatest days are already over. Her attachment to her students is one of the few things she refuses to acknowledge openly.