Description: A first glance, Marius seems a man built for the hard life of the wild places, with broad shoulders and the thick, rough muscle of years of practical work, rather than lean, trained muscle. His sharp eyes, green like the first leaves of spring, miss little and often focus on nothing, taking in all of his surroundings at once. His smiles and scowls, however, transform him into a charming, handsome man, especially when his sunset auburn hair is kept and styled as men of the Compact might. His voice, when speaking, is a smooth, engaging sound, capturing the attention of those around him. When in the midst of rage, he is the thunder in a torrent, the quaking of the earth, powerful and primal.

Personality: Marius is proud to be a prodigal. Luckily, he understands his pride and can use it to his benefit more often than it gets him into trouble. He is proud of where his people came from, proud of their independence, and proud of their fight for that independence. He makes no apologies for it, even as he works to learn their place in this new world of the Compact. He is a bright man, however, and a charming defuser of combative situations, a trait that often saved his life when he was the chief diplomat for the Greenmarch tribe of Abandoned rather than a nobleman. If he's uncertain, he waits, watches, learns, and then acts with confidence and decisively, usually to his benefit. He often finds quiet, rueful amusement in not being some wildling savage like many would expect him to be, and works very hard to keep people off kilter with their preconceptions.

Background: The Greenmarch Abandoned were one of the most powerful tribes in the Greenwood north of Sanctum, managing to survive independently for the thousand years since the Reckoning. For a thousand years, they resisted House Valardin and its vassals, the large tribe of Abandoned holding the Greenmarch Glade against any attempts to subjugate them and living an independent life that refused to bend the knee. Marius was raised believing his sister, Marian, would succeed his father and be the one to lead the new generation of Greenmarchers in their long, hardfought independence, melting back into the deeps of the Greenwood whenever threatened by House Valardin. Marius was proud of the Greenmarch Abandoned's way of life, and he was content to act as a spokesman for the tribe, brokering truces with other groups of Abandoned to be certain that the Greenmarch could stay at peace. He never expected to rule, knowing that his older sister Marian would succeed their father, but was dedicated to keeping the Greenmarch safe and out of reach of their enemies in the Compact and outside of it.

When a prince of House Valardin was captured, everything changed. Marian saved the prince and convinced their father to entertain the possibility of rejoining the Compact after a thousand proud years of independence, and to Marius' shock, his father and the tribe agreed. He supposed he should be happy, as it guaranteed the safety and security of his family, but that still meant bending the knee to his ancient enemies. Complicating the matter, his father made it clear that he would be securing this new alliance by a marriage to one of Valardin's vassals, much as his older sister did by marrying her Valardin prince. And once Marius married, his father would step down as the last chief of Greenmarch and allow his son be the first Marquis of House Greenmarch.

Much of Marius' misgivings were snatched away when the first potential match was introduced, the Lady Simone Telmar. He was prepared to fight the match out of sheer frustration with seeing his people become mere vassals to their enemies, but he couldn't helped but be charmed by Simone's good humor, her effortless grace that showed no disdain at all for his way of life, and keen insight into the complexities of the newest noble House of the Compact. Years of acting as the diplomat for the Greenmarch made him recognize a kindred soul that understood people and how they interacted in a way he never did, and to Marius, he felt as if it was fate to meet the woman so quickly. He decided it would be a waste of time to meet any of the others, and agreed to marry.

Now as the new Marquis Marius of House Greenmarch, he finds himself as the new lord of the newest house in the Compact, and a prodigal forced to deal with the Peers of the Realm as an equal. All his talents as a diplomat will be forced to be put to the test on a stage he never expected to find himself on, but to keep peace for House Greenmarch he would do anything... even smile at his onetime enemies while learning the games of Arxian politics.

Relationship Summary

Acquaintance:

Aurelian - Marian's cousin by marriage. Nice guy.

Friend:

Edain - Prince who holds my fealty

Family:

Muiryn - Uncle. Couldn't do this without him.

Monique - Youngest sister.

Marian - Eldest sister. Should have been in charge.

Neve - Cousin and household whirlwind

Simone - Inestimable wife without equal