Marian Valardin
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| Marian Valardin | |
|---|---|
| Social Rank | 3 |
| Fealty | Valardin |
| House | Valardin |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 30 |
| Religion | Pantheon |
| Vocation | Soldier |
| Height | 5'7" |
| Hair Color | Dark Auburn |
| Eye Color | Venom Green |
| Skintone | Cream |
| Family | |
| Parents | Marcel Greenmarch |
| Siblings | Marius Greenmarch, Monique Greenmarch |
| Uncles/Aunts | Muiryn Greenmarch, Maeve Greenmarch, Murdoch Greenmarch |
| Cousins | Edain Valardin, Alis Valardin, Isabeau Valardin, Vance Valardin, Tabitha Valardin, Beaumont Valardin, Aurelian Valardin, Sophie Valardin, Malorie Valardin, Niamh Greenmarch, Fiachra Valardin, Rowan Greenmarch, Neve Greenmarch, Eirlys Greenmarch, Tristram Valardin, Katarina Valardin, Umay Valardin, Mercedes Valadrin |
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Description
Marian is a striking, if hard-looking woman. Lean and long of leg, 'sinewy' is a better descriptor of her build than 'lithe'. Make no mistake, Marian is strong, and tough, and doesn't fit the picture of a Valardin knight at all - but appearances can deceive. Hers borders on sinister, with long, thick hair shaded so deeply red as to look burgundy. A thin scar bisects one eyebrow, continuing down over a sharp, high cheekbone. It calls attention to those flashing eyes, venom green and almond-shaped. When she smiles, it's most often a crooked affair, curling up just at one corner of her wide mouth. Her chin is strong, her hands and arms (and the rest of her, besides) criss-crossed with the faint scars that often decorate a knife-fighter.
Personality
Marian Valardin, formerly Marian of the Green March, is not a complainer. She endured much during her life as an Abandoned, raids and battles with other tribes, and the Valardin knights, and once she even managed to tumble down a steep embankment while running drunk. She yanked out the branch that had stabbed into her thigh, dragged herself back up to the path (leaving a bloody trail behind for the joy of forest predators), and said fiercely to whomever or whatever might be listening, "I'm still here." A dozen times, she should have died. A dozen times, she refused. Despite her eventful life, and her personal sorrows, she maintains a surprisingly gentle manner. She doesn't pick fights, but she's more than willing to end them - though any youthful delight she felt in the display of her superior fighting skills has faded to weariness, and regret. Her personal code of honor is perhaps a touch more wild and ferocious than what House Valardin might preach, but it is unassailable.
Background
Marian was a member of the Green March Abandoned, a chieftan's daughter with several raids and duels under her belt (literally! She liked to hang trophies from her belt) when peace was brokered between their tribe and the Valardin of Sanctum. Of course, that's not the whole story. In truth, Valen, son of Radley and Prince of Valardin, was part of a hunting expedition that was captured by the Green March. Marian's father was determined to murder off the party and ransom the young prince back to his family. Fate had other plans. Marian found she admired the young man's bravery in the face of his captivity. He argued passionately for the lives of his men, and stated he could make sure the Green March, so close to Sanctum lands, could coexist in peace if he were released and allowed to make the case to the High Lord. Marian's father scoffed at this, but in secret, with his advisers and his daughter, he couldn't help but consider it. Other tribes of Abandoned had been growing withdrawn and strangely quarrelsome, and an offer of peace and inclusion couldn't be dismissed outright.
Some of the knights with Prince Valen were less than thrilled with his proposed truce, and when the Chieftan brought them before him, a particularly gruff man insisted on fighting the tribe's champion for the freedom of his comrades. Amused, the chief looked towards his daughter. . .who nodded her agreement and drew her two swords, the Twin Fangs. The battle looked close, at first. The Valardin knight was much taller and stronger than Marian, and had been given his shield, but she fought like a dervish, dancing around him and flicking her short swords out to sting at any exposed flesh. It was clear that he was tiring faster than she, and the outcome seemed all but decided in Marian's favor, when the man she was fighting broke away and lunged for her father. In the resulting scuffle, Marian took a wound in the side, and was shocked to look up and find Prince Valen standing over her, protecting her from further harm as the tribe subdued the wayward Knight. When all was said and done, the knight was dead from a half dozen wounds, Marian was bleeding, and Valen had no objections to the fate of the attacker. He helped Marian to her feet, tenderly, and soothed her embarrassment by voicing aloud his own shock at the dishonorable conduct of his knight. His apology was so genuine, the Chieftan didn't even object when Marian came to him later and begged for the chance to see if the Prince really /could/ negotiate peace for their tribe. He knew, even if she didn't, that her heart had already been lost to the fair young heir.
So it was that the Green March tribe became the Greenmarch family, vassals to House Valardin. For her part, Marian married Prince Valen in that forest, and though Radley was adamantly opposed at first, his son eventually won him over, too.
They were happy together for several years before the fateful massacre at Sanctum. Having lost her husband, the former Sword of Valardin, she was given the title herself. Now she has come to Arx, partly because her former home reminds her too much of the love she lost, and partly because her still-keen instincts tell her a storm is coming, so she must be near to her Lord. She won't fail her family again.
