Simone Delacroix

## Overview

Having recently arrived in the Americas in order to seek out the Man or Woman that turned her Stepmother Anna-Marie into a vampire, Simone has joined the Subsect (a group of Hunters) along with a handful of others. Both annoyed by and tolerant of her companions, she actively does her best to assist the group while looking out for her own secretive goals and motives.

## Appearance

Simone Delacroix, or simply Mona to some, was a fairly uncommon sight for what one would expect when they imagined a woman in the late 1700s. While she shared a certain overall appeal with other French women she seemed to lack the overt femininity and beauty most other noble or prestigious women possessed. Overall she had a rather boyish figure with almost no curves in her body shape- this was also in part of her slightly broader shoulders and back. For the most part she seemed to have a degree of lankiness about her features and shape, yet should she ever expose skin or parts of her body one could the muscular definition of her form.

Toned and athletic from years of fencing, acrobatics and comat education there was no surprise in the fact that she carried herself in a rough almost overbearingly militant way. Her walk, talk, expressions and physical appearance all structured and rigid from training and what might've been believed to be discipline. Also from her practices and duels she seemed to acquire a handful of scars that were noticeable against her pale skin. The most prominent of them being on her forearms and parts of her back- her left hand was actually scarred on the palm. While most of them look incredibly clean and small there are a few that are jagged and ill healed- bubbled up or discolored.

Overall she wasn't terribly unattractive but she was far from traditionally beautiful, with slightly wider almond eyes, high cheek bones, a well fitted nose and a small mouth with full lips all complimenting the squared jaw and more oval shaped face. Of course it helped that her mousy brown hair more often than none rested along the edges of her face with some pieces occasionally falling in her eyes- taking away the sharpness in her facial structure to some extent.

## History

Sebastien Marcel Delacroix was an accomplished and prestigious mind during his lifetime. A native of Touraine, in France, he was one of the foremost Professors in the realm of Medical Science. Having a fondness for study and the occult it was little surprise he belonged to the residential Hellfire Club, the Ravensmeet, and when not instructing delved in the world of Hunting. His wife, Anna-Marie, was a proper lady however and had little love or care for such pursuits, regarding his secondary work as brutish and outlandish; even heretical. Since their marriage had run cold over many years the two of them had seen fit to take lovers and only met for occasional tea and discussions of money. Yvonne Roux was Sebastien’s primary mistress and the mother of his only child, Simone

Born on Valentines Day in the year 1745, Simone was a child who spent more time watching the world around her cradle or the arms holding her than crying. Yvonne was of course joyous over her birth and even Sebastien found a degree of happiness in finally having a child. Yet? It was shocking more to him that Anna-Marie would have the greatest of excitement in the child’s birth. Yvonne and Anna-Marie bonded regardless of their differences and proved to be an inseparable pair, taking turns caring for Simone and even singing together to lull the babe to bed.

As a child Anna-Marie and Yvonne both made sure that Simone would have tutors constantly in and out. Politics, mathematics, history, poetry, fencing, dancing, equestrian… and a handful more were forced on her at an early age; but where some would say they pushed her too hard, instead Simone strove to rise to the challenges and turned her lessons into games. By her near-teens she’d proven to be the athletic sort, demolishing most of her fencing competitors and even several teachers along the way. Sebastien decided when she was eleven that Simone would likely excel at hunting. So, against the approval of both wife and mistress, he snuck his daughter out and brought her to the Ravensmeet to see the others at the Club.

Enchanted by the sudden burst of knowledge she began reading their notes and stories, books about the occult, and even seeking them out for conversation when her father would allow it. Sebastien was slapped at least four times by both Yvonne and Anna-Marie who had hoped that Simone would grow up absent of the knowledge of Sebastien’s wild excursions. Now Simone herself revelled in this new knowledge and at the age of fifteen joined her father and the Ravensmeet on the hunt for a ghoul believed to have been made by a lone vampire. The group was successful on finding the ghoul but it was definitely not alone. Two other ghouls joined it, both dogs, and they were forced into combat.

Sebastien immediately took up protecting the young Simone but with her rapier she blinded one of the dogs when it charged for her and thrust her blade into the rib and lung of another after it’s been bashed. The party as a whole had tried to stop the girl but her flighty steps and much lighter body allowed her to move so quickly that none of the men had been quite able to grasp her. While no severe injuries came from it, they were able to subdue the ghoul and eventually after months, kill the vampire. Simone became a regular at the Ravensmeet to ire of her mother and step-mother but nonetheless they did their best to preen and keep the girl pretty and stylish, and always cunning.

Life of course is unfair and Simone came home one night from the Ravensmeet to find the chateau’s doors open and blood pooled on the floor… drag marks indicating whatever caused them had been taken to the drawing room. Simone took up her rapier and went striding hard into the room- prepared to fight whatever she encountered… almost. Her eyes widened when she saw Anna-Marie holding Sebastien’s head back and her mouth bloodied and fangs out. Suddenly aware that she had dropped her sword she could hear the bell-like laughter of her stepmother. Rage consumed her when she saw Yvonne’s body pale and bloodless, and before she could truly react the Toreador lunged for her.

Grabbing Simone by her arms she laughed and taunted her, but promised not to eat her daughter. Anna-Marie kicked away the rapier and gave the girl a kiss on her cheek before walking off, promising to return when she had sharpened her skills more and it would be a fairer fight. Simone was left on her knees, staring at the corpses of her father and mother- vowing to hunt down and kill the Toreador at all costs.

When Simone went back to the Ravensmeet in an attempt to informed them of what had occurred she found most of the club murdered and bloodless. Vowing revenge for the multiple dead she promptly waited until day and then began constructing a trap. When the next two nights had passed Simone, disheveled and tired began to consume large sums of booze- which drew out Anna-Marie, who’d fully intended to embrace the girl. The Toreador was frustrated and near furious that the Simone would kill herself rather than live to the challenge but before she could make her way fully over Simone uncovered a mirror. Stunned to look at herself and the garment she was wearing, Simone took her booze and spat it on her stepmother.

Outraged she’d stained the dress the Toreador swiped her back and knocked her into a wall. Simone could barely get up in time to grab a handful of smoldering ashes- burning herself in the process, and throw them on the boozed area of Anna-Marie. Not sparking and only burning her it gave her time to get up and promptly throw a light oil lamp at her. Igniting the Toreador and sending her into utter screeching and mess, Simone quickly beheaded her and almost immediately collapsed from a mixture of pain, sorrow, and stupor.

When the final mess had been cleaned up she vowed to rebuild- to be more careful. After completing several more years in education among other hunting clubs she decided to venture out to the Americas in order to hunt wilder and bolder prey… and rumored the maker of her stepmother. Carrying her father’s locket and her sword, she hoped that one day she might make a difference- even if Anna-Marie had only been a vampire for four years.