Marius

Mari was a proud Lord born into a noble family. He was intelligent, cunning, and a natural born leader. His brothers and sisters always came to him for advice, even though he was younger. When Marius was twelve, his father decided he would be promised a marriage contract with Alix de Pontarcy, a Duchess in France. 

For many years, Alix and Marius were tolerant of one another. They did their duty as a couple and successfully kept their Court afloat. Over time, Marius became weak and his wife and council did most of the governing. His wife joyfully announced her pregnancy, though Mari was incredibly suspicious since they hadn't shared a bed in well over a year. Mari soon understood Alix's intention was to slowly kill him and act as Regent until her child could assume the position. Alix made sure any contact Mari tried to have with his family was intercepted. He was helpless against her scheme several years in the making, and eventually it would end him. 

Nearing his expiration, Mari was approached by a young scullery girl. She claimed to be part of an ethereal army composed entirely of Gods, and she promised this army could help Marius. He agreed to accept any assistance he could get- after all, his life depended on it. The servant girl explained that the army commander was a powerful King would visit the kingdom soon, and Marius would need to find a way alone with the King. If Mari could perform this task before the poison finished him off, then he would be permitted to join the Celestials. This task proved nearly impossible, as his wife Alix had been attempting to seduce the King upon his arrival. She would soon need a replacement husband once this one was dead, the mysterious King was an optimal choice. 

Alix's aunt Rohesia was always a quiet woman, she kept very quiet while her niece ended the lives of men who had worn out their usefulness. Knowing that Marius must now fully grasp what was happening to him, Rohesia resolved to do him a kindness and send his final words to his family. Though when she went to the room of a dying man, she was met with a person surviving on sheer passion. He leveled with Rohesia, begging her to simply pry Alix away from the King for but a moment. Hesitant, shy Rohesia agreed to his final (or she assumed his final) request. Truly she assumed that Marius could do nothing to save his own life at this point, and saw no harm in luring Alix away from the King. 

Using the frigid stone walls of the Castle to keep himself upright, Mari weakly stumbled to the lounge, expending the last of his energy. Collapsing at the King Commander's feet, he was lifted effortlessly. Mari then found it an impossible task to keep his eyes open, sleep called him so sweetly... until he somehow snapped back to life, and strength entered his body again. Almost mechanically, the successful Marius searched for his lovely wife. Upon finding her, Alix was entirely shocked to see what she assumed was Marius' ghost. Begging for a chance to repent for her crimes, Mari summoned a rapier from air and slayed her where she knelt. This action ultimately led to the meek and indecisive Rohesia becoming Duchess, who immediately stopped the ill treatment of servants and made everything marginally better for everyone. 

Marius joined the King, eventually revealed to him as Apollo, and served in his Celestial Army for countless years. Due to being so very close to death upon his initiation to the Celestials, Marius has a particular influence on the veil between the living world and the dead. At times, Mari will use the influence to distract enemies, revealing their deceased loved ones during battle. 

Luciana, a rather patriotic Celestial who believes none love the army more than she, considers Marius a role model. His seniority and dedication to Apollo might have one think he was one of the group's most loyal members. One would think wrong. Sometime in the mid nineteenth century, Marius happened upon an Astral residing in a lake. This type of Astral was once a human who drowned themselves after becoming heartbroken. Instead of being granted the death they wished for, this person was transformed into a bitter Siren. Despite it being his job as a Celestial to eliminate all Astral beings, Marius saw a tragic humanity in the creature and could not bring himself to perform his duty. That day he left the lake, but found himself returning every few years to make sure the siren remained unharmed. Currently, Mari harbors the illegal Astral in his swimming pool, and oddly enough, the Astral doesn't seem to mind the company.