Rivienne Delacroux
❝Freedom gave her the wings to fly, now she seeks heaven beyond the sky.❞
Elegance and beauty delicately portrayed in a canvas marred with stories. A woman easily noticed by flesh of bronze, which has been graced many times by the rays of sun, and tresses of gold adorned in flowers and leaves. A body hardened from battle, yet accentuated with gentle curves, she is still a tomboy trying to discover her femininity. Enveloped in mystery, she hardly gives away information as to what truly lies beyond this facade of lovely smiles and fanciful words.
And she very much likes it that way.
NAME: Rivienne Juliette Delacroux-Marcellus
ALIAS: Bowmaiden, Songbird
RACE: Elezen
CLAN: Wildwood
PATRON: Azeyma, the Warden
CITZENSHIP: Gridania
AGE: 32
HEIGHT: Six Fm, three im
WEIGHT: 155 ponz
OCCUPATIONS: Tracker, Hunter
MARITAL STATUS: Taken
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
A body sculpted for agility, it has seen many hardships and paint a picture across this canvas of sun-kissed flesh, one that depicts a woman believing herself a weapon. It is perhaps the exotic appearance of this Wildwood that drew the attention of others; despite the compliments received, Rivienne does not accept this as a fact and finds her flaws disfiguring. However, what accents her natural loveliness is the skin upon her cheeks, that always seem to be aglow, perhaps slightly burned from the sun, and accentuated with a beauty mark underneath her right eye. There are scars that are found on both shoulders, down her arms and across the ribs. Her back and limbs are muscular but well hidden underneath the loose clothing she wears when hunting.
Her hair, originally the color of midnight, now is cut short and kept light. Flowers, leaves and twigs, are oft found woven in her golden tresses. Much like the gold of her hair, her eyes are stunning when warmed by tenderness, though glittering and cold when in combat. They are windows to a soul still mending, shrouding emotion and simply allowing others what she only desired for them to see.
She laughs, she smiles, though only a few close to her know full well the taciturn demeanor she has. Rivi is naturally stoic, withdrawn and at times distant. She's not much of a social butterfly but does allow others to approach in conversation with her. Respectful, and never one to be crass, Rivienne perhaps is the depiction of a Lady when in the presence of others. But, when left to her own devices and back into her element, which are the woodland realms, she is a woman attuned to nature itself. She is intuitive and adapts to dangerous situations she is placed in, finding the adrenaline rush to be invigorating.
"She is but a child of wonder and full of intrigue, kept clear away from the troubles of the world, and allowed to embrace the beauty that was presented to her. I wish for her to grow up and not be marked my titles or pawned off to men of power. She will grow up to be free."
The last child of Gabrielle and Lairemont Delacroux, sister of Marceloix, Lanceloix and Louix, Rivienne was their shining light, a prayer answered. At an early age, her mother taught her the necessary lessons she needed, little talents that she manifested within her child. The art of sewing, though she was never good at such, and harp playing, in which she also tended to become distracted, were never really mastered. Much to her mother's dismay, the little girl, she was training to be lady like, turned out to be far too infatuated in what her brothers were doing. This slight obsession only grew worse as she became old enough to try and handle the eldest son's weapon, causing injury to herself. Upon notice of her unsatisfied curiosity, Marceloix took it upon himself to take her under his wing. If she wished to fight, he would start her off at the ripe age of ten years. Lessons of becoming a lady were forgotten and the beautiful art of combat became her desired craft.
Even if bound by blood, their training was not meant for the faint of heart. Her mother watched, at times with anxiety, as the heavy blows came to her daughter's body. Though they didn't intend to be malicious, she found such acts disturbing. As for Rivienne, she accepted each challenge given to her by Marceloix, who at this point, had been training her on maneuvering around her enemy and avoiding contact. Her father, who was not present mostly do to his work, would chastise her brothers whenever possible, regardless on how they swore that it was Rivienne that wanted this.
Lanceloix and Louix, twin-born, were the ones that showed their sister how to arm herself. They gave her a bow, a quiver full of arrows, and introduced her to the hunt. At her adolescence, Marceloix gave her trials and at times left her alone in the wilderness to fend for herself, to develop her keen senses to the world beyond the sanctity of their home. At fourteen she was knowledgeable in using her bow, but close combat was something he bested her at.
Marceloix becomes an integral figurehead in her life upon the disappearance of her mother, who had taken her leave and belongings during a tumultuous storm, a moon before Rivienne's namesday. Not only was he a brother, but now a father as well, since Lairemonte abandoned everything to seek his vanished wife. He, along with the twin brothers, provided her with the love and care, substituting their parents. For a long period time, after the pain subsided in their hearts, Rivienne and her brothers were at peace, until talk of rest reach the borders of their forest home. Marceloix takes it upon himself to seek further protection for his family, thus leaving to Coerthas to reestablish their family name. What returned from him, was a broken spear, which stirred the actions of her brothers..
Her brothers took their leave from their homestead before talks of War had reached their ears, before Calamity claimed the lives of many. She was left with her father, though his life was claimed when Dalamud released the dreaded Bahamut. Her motives, her memories, were forged in the heat of those fires. She roamed the Shroud, assisting those that still drew breath, vowed herself to the reconstruction of the Twin Adder, though she would not enlist herself to the service at that time.
The forest beckoned her and she focused primarily at preserving the sanctity of the Shroud; she took it upon herself to work along the side of the Wood Wailers. Though it was not enough that she was patrolling the woodland realm, but she trained with the archery guild to further develop her skill.
Eventually, her devotion became an obsession.
And soon, a profession.
"I have carved this path with blood and tears; alas, such rivers hath already run dry and what is left is but a shell of a woman who knows only the perfume of ones lifestream. Am I a wretched creature to have loved combat so? Nay, this is what I was born to do, to serve my countrymen, and at times, become a villain to preserve it. My heart has naught but love for this land, I shall protect her, against all odds."
A softened body became hardened by strenuous trials. Her brother's will to shape her into a weapon was fulfilled and Rivienne became just that, going as far as following his regimen in hopes to surpass him in strength. However, she would never know if such was accomplished. Her endeavors were not ignored, for she was sought after by serpents to work under their banner. She declined once, due to her desire to not be affiliated with any form of military branch, however, Rivienne knew that working with them would open paths to the world beyond Twelveswood, beyond her forested lands. Ultimately, this would clear a way in her search for her siblings, to learn of their tales.
There was a catch, of course, when it came to working for the Adders, Rivienne desired freedom, above else, to continue her work in the Shroud and maintain some semblance of normality. It is then that she chose to become an agent and played the role of reconnaissance. Perilous tasks were granted to one eager to carry out orders. Such assignments were tests of her mettle, and also to pit her techniques against others in the same field as she. Her vocation was to remain shrouded in secrecy, and not even her name was to be uttered among agents much like herself. Bowmaiden was her name now, a true snake in the grass, one who worked best in the shadows.
"What he desired most was a song, a song of olden days forever lost to us. A song that defined our youth, a memory carved in our hearts. I sang to him, I sang to him for this is all I could do whilst he rested in my arms... and drew his last breath, a feeling still warm upon my cheek."
Unkind has been her guided path, for her body, after moons of serving the serpents, has proven to be a testament of such. Tales were bore into her very flesh, tales of sorrow, tales of victories, and many loses. In her search for the truth, she found that the family tree had become weathered and lost many of its limbs. Marceloix was first to perish, that much she knew, but one of the twins, Louix, was ill-fated to let his last breath pass whilst in her arms. Coerthas wove a cruel tale of betrayal and loss, it is there that she faced her destiny and found that living in ignorance had been blissful. The world around her burned to ash when truth surfaced of her brother's demise, and the path he took to keep safe those he cared for. By the hands of their own mother, he found his way to the embrace of the Fury; by the hands of a jealous man, Rivienne was to meet the same end.
He left a physical memory upon her flesh, a blemish above her breast from a wound meant to take her life; another was on her abdomen, where an arrow should have finished her off. Alas, her time was not meant to come to an end and her meeting with her brothers would have to wait. She was discovered in her dire moments of life and nursed back to health under the care and supervision of House Fortemps. Visited by Lord Haurchefant, she was protected for some time, though he could not guarantee her safety once he left her under the care of the Adders that sought her.
