[b]Name:[/b] Marianne Delacroix
[b]Sex:[/b] Female
[b]Age:[/b] 25
[b]Race:[/b] Human
[hider=Appearance:] [img]https://moonlitsaki.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/alphamax_sonia-art.jpg[/img]
She has long raven hair as black as the night.  Her skin is nearly as pale as snow in stark contrast to her hair,  with deep dark-brown eyes.  She stands at a height of 5'8 and weighs a solid 120 Ibs. Her body is athletic and limber; hardwon and earned from her rigorous training and conditioning from a young age.[/hider]
[b]Personality:[/b] [hider=] Kind, courteous, and empathetic to others; she is generally warm and compassionate to all who meet her. She treats those who are in positions of authority with high regard, being well-mannered and respectful. Dedicated to her family and to the People, she has a strong sense of duty, justice, and liberty instilled within her. In the face of adversity and hardship, she stands as firm and strong as a mountain. Noble blood giving her a confident and prideful bearing, she carries herself with the air and grace befitting of someone of her status. Although raised to be a lady, she can be somewhat headstrong and stubborn in her beliefs. Sometimes, her ox-headed ways can make her come across as one with an overbearing personality, openly speaking her mind on whatever comes across her mind. She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong, good and evil,  though sadly she is not well-educated to the ways and goings-on of the world. Having been sheltered and 'protected' during her youth. [/hider]
[b]Skills/Talents:[/b] [hider=]
[b][u]Fencing/Swordsmanship[/u][/b] - Adept with the blade, she typically aims for vital spots and organs using a thrusting/stabbing style of fighting. If unable to strike an enemy down quickly, she'll attempt to whittle them down. Disarming them however she can or working reduce the opponent's combat effectiveness. Not a purely offensive fighter, she can nimbly evade and counter using parries and ripostes with the grace of a dancer.

[b][u]Archery[/u][/b] - Though not as adept as she is with the blade, she has basic archery skills. Not the best marksman in the world, she can generally hit her target most of the time. Be they moving or stationary and only relatively close targets. High speed targets and targets at farther distances being rather difficult for her to track and engage.

[b][u]Hand-to-hand combat[/u][/b] - Should she ever find herself disarmed, she is not at a complete disadvantage in combat. Though lacking in physical strength as she specializes in agility and speed, she uses a basic fighting style with simple kicks, punches, elbows, and knees supplemented by a simple understanding of counters. Should she encounter an opponent much larger and physically stronger than her, she can quickly find herself overwhelmed in a prolonged engagement. Heavily armored foes are the bane of her existance.  This is her weakest area.

[b][u]Horse-riding/Mounted combat[/u][/b] - Taught how to handle and ride a horse from a very young age, she can even conduct battle while mounted horse-back. Though, to a much lesser and reduced extent of course. 

[b][u]Sorcery/Magic:[/u][/b] In the Delacroix family's attempts to rear and raise well-rounded and versatile knights, Marianne was taught the basic fundamentals of mana and how to use mana to create and weave spell casts. Though she is fascinated with the  concepts of magic and desires to learn more, her best efforts thus far have only allowed her the ability to use one of two spells. The first being a straight upgrade to her swordsmanship, imbuing her weapon with the power of Lightning to increase the lethal effectiveness of her sword attacks. The second spell collecting and coalescing her mana to create an electrical orb of lightning with which she can form into a javelin to throw at distance targets. Both spells taking her considerable time to use as she only currently has the skill to use them after reciting relatively long incantations as opposed to a single word. [/hider]
[b]Equipment/Weapons:[/b] [hider=]
[b][u]Side sword[/u][/b] - A long and thin steel blade suited for thrusting and stabbing. Slashes with this sword typically leave only shallow wounds, though its edge is sharp. Due to its thin size, it's prone to bending and flexing under moderate force.

[b][u]Buckler[/u][/b] - A small steel shield on her left forearm used for blocking light attacks and strikes.  Against foes wielding large, heavy weapons her buckler can crumple and fail. Forcing her to rely on her evasive abilities as it is unable to withstand against brute force.

[b][u]Light Plate Armor[/u][/b] - She wears thin and light, but strong steel plate armor protecting most of her vital spots and joints while allowing her full range of motion and mobility. Unhindering to her agility and speed, if only marginally. [/hider]
[b]Biography:[/b] [hider=] Raised from birth to be a proper lady, she tries to not let her noble lineage inflate her ego. She was trained to be an exceptionally skilled warrior with a true compassion for others and a thirst to serve her country and its people. With a desire to prove herself and bring honor to her family's name, she was born with an ironclad resolve. Having been raised in a loving and nurturing environment, it clearly shows in her daily interactions with others. 

The Delacroix family being a rather eccentric and odd bunch, her family's order of succession is by competence particularly in general magical/combative skill, ability, and quality of character. Instead of by order of birth, age, or gender. Being the youngest of three, she has two older brothers who were unable to be held to the standard she set. Easily earning herself the title of [i]'Tet de la Croix'[/i] with the eventual passing of her father and mother. 

The noble Delacroix family has served the  land of Thaln for generations, producing and providing  honorable Knights from their bloodline to defend the people of the kingdom.  A code of tradition is heavily upheld and reinforced within the family. Devout followers of Church of Reon, the Delacroix family heavily sides with the Iron Rose Knights and believe their existance completely necessary. Their current ways to remain unchanged and unchallenged. It was long ago decided that for the Delacroix family, to produce a Knight each generation that could be allowed induction into the Iron Roses was the highest honor. Once satisfied that a child of the family was of age and sufficiently trained, they would send them off on what they considered to be a pilgramage in an attempt to be scouted by the Iron Roses and earn a chance to be knighted. [/hider]
[b]Oddities/Quirks:[/b] [hider=]
The noble Delacroix family  had long ago been established in the countryside of Thaln, she speaks with an odd throaty/nasal accent. Her speech punctuated with strange words from her native tongue that makes it difficult for some people to understand her dialect at times. The same going for her in her interactions with 'foreigners'. 
 [/hider]

[All credit for the character artwork goes to Takayuki Tanaka!]