Sapphire (Character)

Sapphire
Basic Info
Race	Nord
Gender	Female
Level	PC×1.5 (10–25)
Class	Thief
Faction	Thieves Guild
Rank	Member
Essential	No, until "Taking Care of Business"
Respawn	No
Ref ID	000C19A5
Base ID	000C19A3

For other uses, see Sapphire.

"I don't have any business with you, so get out of my face."

―Sapphire

Sapphire is a Nord member of the Thieves Guild residing in the city of Riften. She is originally located in The Bee and Barb there, but if the Guild is joined, she will relocate to the cistern of The Ragged Flagon.

Background

Sapphire was conceived during the year of her mother and Glover Mallory's relationship. When Mallory realized she was pregnant, he ran because he did not want to end up a farmer.

As a young child, Sapphire lived on a poverty-stricken pig farm with her mother and a man she believed to be her father. One day, bandits attacked the farm, killed her unarmed parents, and abducted her, repeatedly violating her. One night, after gaining the bandits' trust, she took a dagger and slit each of their throats as they slept. The village remained in ruin for years afterwards.

Sapphire later joined the Dark Brotherhood, but left after being recruited to the Thieves Guild by Brynjolf. Glover, after recognizing his daughter in Riften, couldn't bear to confront her and fled to Solstheim.

Interactions

Stabilized

Upon entering Riften, Sapphire can be overheard arguing with Shadr, the stablemaster's hand, over paying his debt. After the conversation has finished and she has walked away, Shadr will ask the Dragonborn for help regarding Sapphire.

Dragonborn

In The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn, it is revealed that, despite her story, her father is actually Glover Mallory and that Delvin Mallory is her uncle. This is revealed after completing Glover's quest on Solstheim by retrieving the improved Bonemold Formula for him. He will give the Dragonborn the key to his basement, which contains leveled loot, the unique Blackguard's Armor, and a letter addressed to Sapphire.

The letter details how Glover and Sapphire's mother met and fell in love, and how Glover believes he failed her for not being there to protect them when the bandits destroyed her village. If it is delivered to Sapphire, she will give you an Exquisite Sapphire, which has a base worth of 5000 septims.

Routine

Initially, Sapphire is rarely seen in the Guild's hideout in the Ratways and is most often found above-ground, especially in the Bee and Barb. After completing her miscellaneous quest involving Shadr, she often makes her way down to The Ragged Flagon - Cistern.

However, after Mercer Frey betrays the Guild, and the Dragonborn returns with Karliah, she returns to stay in order to protect the hideout.

Dialogue

So, will you tell me your real name? "Look, I don't really know you. I don't even really know anyone here. Why do you care anyway? It's not like we're family. This is a business."

Something had to make you this angry. "Look, you want to know about me? All right, I'll tell you. I'll tell you about the time I was a young girl, barely out of her teens... living on a pig farm in the middle of nowhere. Didn't have a coin to spend between our entire family. Ate the same slop we fed our livestock."

Sounds horrible. "Oh, wait... it gets much better. How about the fact that our farm was attacked by bandits, and that they killed my entire family who didn't even brandish a weapon against them. Here's the best part. They took me as a prize, and violated me for a fortnight. Tossed me from bandit to bandit like... like..."

You don't have to continue. "It's fine... I had to tell someone I suppose. Carrying around a weight like that... it hurts after a while. Cuts you inside like a dagger to the heart."

How did you escape? "Over time, I managed to gain their confidence. Then one night I grabbed a knife, waited until they fell asleep and cut their throats. I never returned to that pig farm you know. There's nothing for me there. So that's my sad story. What do you think?"

You still never told me your real name. "Maybe one day, just not today."

If the Dragonborn has been expelled from the Thieves Guild:

What have I done wrong? "Settle your accounts with Vex, and then we can talk."

Stabilized

If the Dragonborn is not part of the Thieves Guild:

I wanted to talk about Shadr's debt. "I knew that stupid kid would try and find a way to weasel out of his debt. Look, this is really simple. I lent him some gold, he promised to pay me back and now he says he's broke. End of story."

You and I both know this is a setup. (Persuade)

(Success) "All right, all right. I guess I made enough from his shipment. No need to waste any more time threatening a stable hand. Tell Shadr he doesn't owe me anything."

(Failure) "I don't care, a deal's a deal."

I'll just pay it off for him. (<BribeCost> gold)

(Success) "Don't know why you'd help a stranger like that, but a septim's a septim... don't care where it comes from. You can tell Shadr his debt's been paid."

(Failure) "You don't have enough gold to pay it off, and I'm not cutting any deals."

Drop the debt or answer to me. (Intimidate)

(Success) All right, all right! Take it easy. No idea why you'd care about a stranger so much, but this isn't worth a fight. Tell Shadr I'm forgetting about his debt."

(Failure) "Ha ha! Are you kidding me? I've got the entire Thieves Guild at my back. What've you got?"

Forget it. I'll be back. "You can go back and forth all you want, he just needs to pay."

If the Dragonborn is part of the Thieves Guild:

I wanted to ask you about Shadr's debt. "Back off, this action's all mine. No room for anyone else in the Guild on this one."

Do me a favor and drop the debt. "Why should I bother? I've already made a bunch of coin off of his shipment, so anything else I squeeze out of him would be a bonus. Oh... wait a second. I see what this is. You want me to cut you in or you'll rat me out to Brynjolf. Tell you what. I'll give you a share right now if you forget the whole thing."

You've got a deal. "Now you're talking. Oh, if you see Shadr, remind him he still owes me that debt."

Forget it. I'm going to speak to Brynjolf. "Woah, woah. Calm down. Let's just think about this for a moment. Sigh. You win. Tell Shadr he can forget the debt."

If the Dragonborn is Guild Master of the Thieves Guild:

I wanted to talk to you about Shadr's debt. "Oh, you heard about that, huh? Uh, sorry boss. I was going to speak to Delvin about cutting the Guild in, but I forgot. You aren't angry about it, right?"

Cut me into the deal, and I'll forget about it. "Yeah, I figured it would be like that. Here you go."

Forget the debt with Shadr or you're out. "I got the message. Consider it forgotten, boss."

Conversations

Shadr

Sapphire: "I'm really getting tired of your excuses. When you borrowed the money, you said you'd pay it back on time for double the usual fee."
Shadr: "I know I did. But how was I supposed to know the shipment would get robbed?"
Sapphire: "Next time, keep your plans quieter and nothing would have happened to it."
Shadr: "What? Are you saying you robbed it? Why? Why are you doing this to me?"
Sapphire: "Look, Shadr. Last warning. Pay up or else. All I care about is the gold. Everything else is your problem."

Vipir the Fleet

Vipir: "So, Sapphire. Can I do anything for you, or more to the point... to you?"
Sapphire: "Vipir "the Fleet." The only man who's foolish enough to name himself after his bedroom prowess."
Vipir: "You stupid cow. You don't know what you're missing."
Sapphire: "No, but I know that you're going to turn up missing if you keep up this kind of talk."

Sapphire: "You know, things are really starting to move around here. I mean, look at the place. I've never seen so much merchandise."
Vipir: "Yeah, it's really something else, isn't it?"
Sapphire: "At this rate, the Guild won't be such a laughingstock anymore."
Vipir: "I agree. It'll be nice to get back the respect we lost in the last few years."

Quotes

• "Well, hey there. What can Sapphire do for you?"
• "Want to talk? Go ahead."
• "Back from a job, huh? Hope it went well."
• "They call me Sapphire because I love to steal them."
• "Don't get me wrong, I'll steal any gem that isn't nailed down. But there's something about those blue stones that gets my blood boiling."
• "When people ask my real name, know what I tell them? Don't ask."
• "Sure I might have some dirt in my past, but that's just ancient history."
• "I'm a deadeye marksman, lethal with a blade and dangerous in bed. And it only gets better from there."
• "Last time someone cheated me, I cut off their hand. Still have it actually."
• "Look, if I was a little harsh before, I just wanted you to know it's because you were new. Know what I mean?"
• "Brynjolf's looking for you. Something about becoming the Guild Master." ―After starting "Under New Management"
• "Wait until the ceremony is over, then we'll talk." ―During "Under New Management"
• "Well, looks like you're running the show now. Good luck." ―After completing "Under New Management"

Trivia

• If her inventory is searched via pickpocketing, she carries around two sapphires. This is possibly a reference to her name.
• Sapphire is the only Thieves Guild member who seems to do jobs outside the Guild's radar. Though Delvin and Vex have private jobs, they are no secret, and Sapphire seems to be keeping cuts for herself.
• On certain occasions, Vipir the Fleet will make advances towards Sapphire, which she declines rather vehemently.
• A note mentioning Sapphire can be found in the Ragged Flagon - Cistern. It tells the reader to "keep their eye on Sapphire," but there is no mention or later reference to what the note means, specifically.
  • It's possible that it refers to her jobs outside the Guild's radar, as stated above.
• Despite being unavailable for marriage, if the following console commands are used on her, she has dialogue concerning marriage:
  1. addfac 19809 1
  2. setrelationshiprank player 4
• Her father Glover Mallory is a Breton, and she is a Nord, which implies her mother was a Nord.
• Despite sounding like an assumed name, according to Glover Mallory's letter, 'Sapphire' is her actual name. 
• Despite the fact that Glover Mallory was not living with Sapphire at the time the bandits attacked, Sapphire claims that both her parents died. This suggests that she could have been raised to believe someone else was her father.
• It is stated in the Official Game Guide that she was a member of the Dark Brotherhood, but left to join the Thieves Guild for more money.
• If Sapphire is attacked and killed while she is talking to Shadr, even while sneaking and undetected, no one will care except for Maul and Brynjolf, who will find and attack the player character, even though they are hidden. Since Maul is essential and Brynjolf is invulnerable to all attacks, this will result in an endless fight. If one desires to kill Sapphire, they can cast Fury on her, or simply wait until she enters the Bee and Barb, where she can be killed with a sneak-attack.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Sapphire (Character). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   Sometimes the Dragonborn can't talk to Sapphire after accepting the quest from Shadr. She will just continue to say "I have no business with you." Completing the Thieves Guild questline should fix this. However, this may be caused by originally not offering to help Shadr, then accepting the quest the second time. In one case, reloading a game saved prior to speaking with Shadr and offering to help may avoid the issue. The problem can also be fixed by using the following command on Sapphire then wearing the Amulet of Mara, which will force a dialogue with her:
  • addfac 19809 1
  • The bug can also be fixed by speaking to Shadr and accepting his quest after joining the guild. When next speaking with Sapphire, there will be two dialogue options: one to talk about Shadr's debt and one to get her to tell her story.
• If the Dragonborn does not partake in dialogue with Shadr the first time they meet him when he is arguing with Sapphire on the bridge in Riften, then it can be difficult to find him afterwards. This obviously means that Sapphire will remain in the Bee and the Barb rather than the Ragged Flagon - Cistern. If this is the case then Shadr might be around the lower walkways of Riften (the same level as Elgrim's Elixirs, etc.), around 3am-5am, or inside the Riften Stables after 6am where he may be sleeping.
• Sapphire can be killed in public, and the Dragonborn will not gain a bounty for it. However, the Thieves Guild will abandon the Dragonborn unless the necessary reparations are made: Speak to Vex and bring her 1000 gold to reenter the Thieves Guild.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn