Maron S. Beloved

\*Played by Stary105 (Sketches\_Sydney#2549)

> "These tales of yore are meant to entertain and nothing more. May they inspire your imagination, strike emotion into your heart, or at least give you a chuckle at the poor quality. May the infinite world bless you on your travels dear stranger." -Maron of Ta'Tan
>
>

## Professor Maron S. Beloved

Painting of Professor Maron S. Beloved at Scholar's Rock

### Aliases

Professor Maron S. Beloved;
Professor M.B.;

Maron Beloved;

Duchess of Astrea;

Stary;

Maron Cogton

### Relatives

Morgana Delacour (mother);
Daniel Cogton (father);

Viola Delacour (maternal cousin);

Charlotte Delacour (maternal cousin);

Douglass Delacour (maternal cousin);

Margaret Delacour (maternal aunt);

Sapphire Illus-Beloved (adoptive daughter)

Andromeda Illus (adoptive daughter)

Raine Illus (co-parent of Sapphire and Andromeda)

Warren "Washer" Cogton (half-brother)

Madeline Cogton (paternal cousin)

### Affiliation

Ta'Tan (previous)
Astrea (previous)

Scholar's Rock (current)

### Occupation

Royal Farm Hand (previous);
Duchess of Astrea (previous);

Librarian, Lead Scholar, Author (current)

## Biographical information

### Marital status

Duchess Aerenne (m. 475 4E) (previous);
Engaged to Raine Illus (current)

## Physical description

##### Personality

A reserved and quiet soul, Maron has spent most of her life dedicated to study. She tends to be quite civil and not put herself as the center of attention, especially if the situation is dangerous.

While known for her passions in literature and artistic expression, Maron is quite socially awkward, often being the subject of culture shock after moving from Ta'Tan to Astrea. In spite of this, she is generally well liked by her peers for her positive, peaceful attitude, and her ability to listen. She is a bit of a daydreamer, constantly coming up with scenarios and thought experiments in her head. This has lead her work to be fantastical, both in an architectural and novelist sense. However, this has also lead to a tendency of overthinking things and a near constant subconscious state of worry, leading her further into her isolationist tendencies.

Despite it all, she attempts to put her best foot forward for the world around her and help those around her, even when it may be at the cost of herself.

##### Messenger Bird

Maron's messages are delivered by specially trained snowy owls. These snowy owls are collectively known as the Scholar's Rock Postal Service (SRPS) and can commonly be seen perched on trees, cliff-faces, or the top of the main library tower. Maron's personal owl is a 25 inch (63.5 cm) long, 49 inch (124.4 cm) wingspan male known as Alinar. He is known for traveling near silently and occasionally loosing incoming messages to the wind. When handling him, Maron can be seen with a leather glove on her right hand.

### History

##### Origin

###### Early Childhood

Born in Ta'Tan during the second month of 458 4E to her parents, Morgana Delacour and Daniel Cogton (alias: Augustus Conal Beloved), Maron's early childhood is mostly unknown.

She is believed to have spent most of her time on her mother's family's small farm. Her mother's side of the family were almost entirely Bee-Zuloz (both honey and carpenter), believed to be one of the few if not the only zuloz of this variety. Fearing violence and unequal treatment, only the most human members typically left the boundaries of the household, either physically restricting or blaming their zuloz features on strange, supposedly human, deformities.

Maron appeared somewhat human at an early age (aside from her segmented hands). As she grew, however, more and more zuloz features became pronounced. Her mother, one of the most human looking members of the family and fearing for her daughter's safety, attempted to cover up her features with mittens, bulky fabric, and large cloaks should she ever need to go out.

Occasionally, Maron's father would bring her to the docks or the market on day trips, often when the rest of the family was occupied with harvests or selling produce. At approximately the age of 4, Maron and her father returned from one of these day trips at the docks to find the entire estate burned to the ground and no trace of her mother or extended family in sight. It was believed to be a group of anti-zuloz extremists that destroyed the home, leaving practically no trace of the family's existence aside from a few half-charred mementos and Morgana's heart shaped locket she had loaned Maron for the day.

Maron and her father moved closer toward the city center following these events. They talked rarely of their previous home, in part due to grief and in part due to her father's increasingly crowded schedule to meet ends meet. Maron spent most of her time alone in the house, learning to garden simple produce from the garden, read from books her father had on hand, and looking to the shoreline from her window. Maron never went outside the house without her father.

###### Isolation Period

When Maron had reached the age of 12, her father received correspondence from a friend of his in Lamian territory. Apparently there had been word of a bee zuloz family working at a refugee camp that matched the description of Maron's mother and extended family. With haste, he packed his bags to go, but left Maron behind at home. He told her that Lamian territory, as dangerous as it was during the time, would be a death sentence for her. He instead elected one of his closest friends, an old bat zuloz guards-woman named Yara, to watch over Maron, promising her he would be back before the next spring.

Maron's father never returned, believed to have died at sea chasing delusions. Maron managed her household, making what she could off of produce she gardened and fabric she spun. Leaving most of her interests by the wayside, Maron further fell into isolation, never leaving the house outside of business. Yara's visits became less frequent with her waning health, eventually stopping entirely with her death in 472 4E. Maron dedicated herself entirely to her work, often neglecting her own health for large period of time: letting her hair grow extremely long, her clothes coated in mulch, and her eyes unfocused.

###### Moving to Astrea

Only a month before her 17th birthday, Maron heard word of a colonization effort to the new lands of Astrea while in the market. For reasons somewhat unclear, she decided to make a new life in the territory. Guided by the royal guard, Skyla, Maron kept mostly to herself during the first month of her stay. Having been kept out of contact with most people for almost 12 years, she did what she knew best, setting up a portable textile store in Westray Square and a small "reading tree" to relax herself when she could not work anymore. She found residence in the public housing owned by Percivial Mourningwood.

No longer having to worry about up-keeping land payments, Maron found herself with time to relax, something foreign to her for practically a decade. She began rediscovering her hobbies, specifically literature, and began writing feverously. Many of her more famous works such as "Out of Body", "Pris Somera", "The Ritual", and her most famous "The Machine" came from this time period. She also kept a journal, totaling over 120 pages across two volumes.

Maron eventually found herself in a platonic engagement and eventual marriage to the Duchess Aerenne at the age of 17. They were married in a duel ceremony also featuring the marriage of close friends Banana and Sauce. Later, Maron and Aerenne were declared the Duchesses of Astrea in a ceremony at the capital of Ta'Tan (following the declaration of various baronies). Their relationship was described as wholesome and very sweet, often motivating each other and spending large swaths of time alone together. They even had a secret passage connecting their two room in Percival's housing estate.

Maron would continue becoming more social overtime, forming close bonds with the "brewmates" Banana and Sauce (often acting as their lab rat), Zero Ounna, Percival Mourningwood, and Sarah Hellsmire. She would assist in many public works projects, such as the construction of the Westray Brewery School, the Astrean Pathonic Church, and the Astrean Post Office.

##### During the War (Disappearance)

Prior to the events of the war, Maron had claimed to have had "prophetic visions" of the end of the current world as they knew it and a restructuring of both national powers and the terrain itself. This was outlined in her book "Out of Body", although the legitimacy of these visions, even in her own opinion, are questionable at best.

Regardless, Maron spent much of the build up of the war studying strange fissures in the mountainside she had discovered on a journey to Windrip. Many of the materials decribed by her have not yet been identified by earthly nor nether explorers, implying the existence of another plain in which they could be found. Maron continued to study these strange formations, possibly as a way to escape the political unrest brewing around her.

One morning, after leaving a note to the Duchess Aerenne saying she would be back shortly, Maron was believed to have gone to the largest fissure in the woods, and was never heard from again. Many believed she had died due to the environment, murdered by Followers of Arydathy, or later had died following the evacuation of Uthya. These rumors are false.

In reality, Maron had fallen through a dimensional fissure opened due to the frequent use and construction of nether portals in the over-world (they acted as fast travel within the empire). Maron wandered a multiverse she could hardly comprehend, her body morphing to suit the changes overtime. During her travels, she had at some point encountered Luna Stellasol, seemingly having interacted regularly enough to have formed a friendship.

The more world's Maron traveled, the more she began to loose hope in ever returning home. Still, she closely held her mother's red heart locket, a symbol of the world she once knew and the people that she had held dear.

##### Current

###### Return and Founding Scholar's Rock

After 7 years had passed within her home world, Maron had managed to find her way back home. Disoriented and unaware, she found herself in new lands with barely any remnants of the world she had left behind. Through word of mouth, she eventually learned of the fall of Ta'Tan and greater Uthya, the deaths of most of her friends and spouse, and power vacuum that now existed within this new terrain.

Dishearted, but determined as always, Maron established the settlement of Scholar's Rock with the assistance of her old associate, Argore, in an attempt to preserve the knowledge of the old world and the history of the new. Managing to salvage most written works from the Astrean library through an anonymous donation and through the recruitment of two new Scholars, Lilliput and Quinn Fellcrest, Scholar's Rock began growing at a moderate pace.

Maron, now going by the title of Professor M.B. as shorthand, soon found herself in an alliance with the former Empress, Tatiana, in an attempt to reestablish and reinvigorate the Pathonic faith (as they were the only two practitioners left). Maron was dedicated to this alliance, even agreeing to hide the Thaustein holy book, in an attempt to hold on to a sense of normalcy from the old Empire. This alliance, however, would end in tragedy following Tatiana's death in the Five Minute War, a death following Maron's departure from the Congress due to illness.

The original scholars of Scholar's had begun disappearing before the events of the Congress, first Quinn Fellcrest, then Argore's tragic death at sea, and finally the disappearance of Lilliput. Left alone in Scholar's Rock, Maron once again found herself prone to isolation, working on infrastructure to keep herself busy and never changing out of the cloak Argore had gotten her.

Maron soon found herself one of two members of Scholar's Rock. Hema Tenor, after previous inquiry and a tour around the nation, joined the ranks of Scholars as an apprentice. Though they have not had much spoken interaction, they appear to have similar goals in preserving the literature of the region for all to appreciate. Hema Tenor was an infrequent presence in Scholar's Rock and has now presumably gone the same way as the previous Scholars.

###### Fresh Start and New Year

Following the events of the Second World Congress, Maron has interacted with the Knights of Valthoth leader, Sapphire Hellsmire. After sitting by her and comforting her following a sudden storm of lighting and accidentally drinking Absinthe, Maron, as well as Raine Illus, traveled to Thaustein to formally draft and ratify the paperwork to adopt Sapphire Hellsmire. Both Raine and Maron serve as Sapphire's adoptive mothers and all three parties have a copy of the original adoption certificate.

Maron was one of the many witnesses to the wedding of Possum and Nokturix as well as the following tragedy of Autumn Wynnsbur's experimentation and death. Maron was amongst the first to discover the scene of the crime and attempted to distance herself and Sapphire from the scene. The various disturbing books found at the scene currently resides in Scholar's Rock's restricted section.

On New Year's Day 483 4E, Maron was again witness to a violent incident. Lancelot Mourningwood, under severe psychological distress, ended his own life in front of a crowd of spectators. Maron, despite being heavily intoxicated at the time, still expressed distress and showed concern for the whereabouts of Phoebe Rekavor following Lance's death. Maron has not set foot in the park since.

Maron and Phoebe later met again when both traveled to Northwood. There, both of them discovered Andromeda Illus in Raine's basement below the Northwood docks, sheltering from a storm. Both of them attempted to be hospitable to Andromeda, in spite of the confusion of her appearance in Nothwood. Andromeda did not say much other than Raine intended to take her in. Maron stayed with Andromeda after Phoebe had left, promised to stay in touch, before departing again to Scholar's Rock. Upon returning to Scholar's Rock, Maron received mildly damaged postage from Raine Illus informing her of Andromeda. The letter had clearly been lost in a storm and was meant to be delivered weeks prior. Maron immediately sent Raine a panicked response informing her that she had met Andromeda and to head back to Northwood immediately. Both of them stayed in correspondence as Raine returned to Northwood.

###### Ghosts And Gay Thoughts

Maron has acted as a maternal figure to both Sapphire and Andromeda, leading her to eventually discover the latter's ability to see ghosts. This allowed her to get in correspondence with her friend, Sarah Hellsmire. Maron, surprisingly, did not react particularly strongly to the existence of ghosts, implying that she either believed in them prior to these events or simply did not have the energy to react. She has spoken with Sarah Hellsmire quite a few times since.

Maron came to encounter Madeline Cogton while walking along the pathways of Scholar's Rock. Maron brought her to the market by the capital, where she could commonly be seen selling medicines and offering her services as a doctor. Madeline would soon come to reside in Scholar's Rock, setting up a secondary office and a room for herself. Maron came to have a sisterly relationship with Madeline, earning her the nickname "Mads".

Madeline and Sarah Hellsmire, as the resident spirits of Scholar's Rock, would frequently talk to Maron as she went about daily life in Scholar's Rock. They would often provide their input on Maron's personal affairs, most notably, with her love life. It was through this pestering that Maron eventually revealed to Sarah that she had a crush on her ally (and co-parent of Sapphire and Andromeda), Raine Illus.

Madeline encouraged Maron to pursue this crush, although Maron remained hesitant for quite some time. Eventually, after conversation and "encouragement" from Sarah Hellsmire, Maron and Raine admitted to liking each other and began to pursue a romantic relationship. When announcing this to the individuals at Scholar's Rock, they were met with both congratulation and confusion, as some had thought they were already a romantic pairing.

[not currently up to date]

### Notable Events

##### Pre-War

* Presumed death of her maternal family (early, 462 4E)
* Disappearance of her father (late, 470 4E)
* Travel to Astrea (early, 475 4E)
* Publication of her first book (early, 475 4E)
* Marriage to Duchess Aerenne (mid, 475 4E)
* Establishment of the Astrean Brewery School (mid, 475 4E)
* Becoming a Duchess of Astrea (mid, 475 4E)
* Disappearance (late, 475 4E)

##### Post-War

* Reappearance (mid, 482 4E)
* Hiding of the Thaustein Holy Book (mid, 482 4E)
* Attendance of the first, second, and third World Congress (482 4E)
* Adoption of Sapphire Hellsmire (late, 482 4E)
* Attendance of Possum and Nokturix's wedding (late, 482 4E)
* Discovery of Autumn Wynnsbur's death (late, 482 4E)
* Witnessing Lancelot's death (early, 483 4E)
* Discovery of Andromeda Illus (early, 483 4E)
* Meeting Sarah Hellsmire's Ghost (early, 483 4E)
* Meeting Madeline Cogton’s Ghost (early, 483 4E)
* Confession of crush on Raine Illus (early, 483 4E)
* Began dating Raine Illus (early, 483 4E)
* Discovering her maternal family is alive (early, 483 4E)
* Assisting Northwood following the Battle of Breezeveiw (early, 483 4E)
* Discovoring Madeline Cogton's secret past (early, 483 4E)
* Threatening Phoebe Rekavor (early, 483 4E)
* Contact with Luna Stellasol (early, 483 4E)
* Reconciliation with Phoebe Rekavor (early, 483 4E)
* Discovery of ruins outside Scholar's Rock (early, 483 4E)
* Contact with Warren Cogton (early, 483 4E)
* Date with Raine Illus (early, 483 4E)
* Comforting Madeline Cogton (early, 483 4E)
* Celebrating Madeline Cogton and Phoebe Rekavor's engagement (mid, 483 4E)
* Engagement to Raine Illus (mid, 483 4E)
* Discovering Vivian Velarosa (mid, 483 4E)
* Getting stabbed by Jarka Baník (mid, 483 4E)
* Meeting Viola Delacour (mid, 483 4E)
* Learning that her and Warren Cogton are half siblings (mid, 483 4E)
* Changing name to "Maron Cogton" (mid, 483 4E)
* Celebration of Sapphire's birthday (mid, 483 4E)
* Discovering the body of Quinn Fellcrest in the ruins (mid, 483 4E)
* Exposure to dangerous levels of magical energy (mid, 483 4E)
* Began working on a Scholar's Rock constitution (mid, 483 4E)
* Meeting Artemis Illus (mid, 483 4E)
* Kidnapped by Jarka Baník (mid, 483 4E)

### Trivia

Character Design

* Maron's character design is originally based on the hivelings from the game Hollow Knight.
* Maron's design originally featured four eyes and no antenae, but this was later changed (partially due to the art of zerolxna (zerolunaa#2232)).
* Maron originally did not have a lastname, it came about due to a gif of her in a "my beloved" locket.
* Maron's middle intial "S" is meant to stand for "Stary" as an excuse for why characters might call her by her player's in game username (Stary105) in rp.
* Maron's lack of glasses in the current day is canonically due to breaking them when disappearing from Astrea. Out of character, her player forgot to put them on her new skins.
* Maron's need for glasses is inspired by her player's own terrible eyesight.
* Due to haveing a partial exoskeleton (hardened limbs), jokes are occasionally made about Maron have an above average amount of bones.
* Maron has a large spot on her back in between her wings. This is referencing the real-life appearance of carpenter bees.
* Maron has 33 different skins/outfits (and counting!)

In Character facts

* Maron never learned to fly as anyone who would have been around to teach her was gone early in her life.
* Maron has conflicted feelings about her family, especially her father, unsure if their actions were justified in the end.
* Maron made frequent attempts to hide her zuloz features in her earlier years, fearing the same fate as her maternal family.
* Maron thought of Astrea as her first true home since her mother's estate burned down.
* Maron's favorite flowers are dandelions , peonies, oxide daisies, and orange tulips.
* Maron is biromantic and believed to be somewhere on the gray-asexual spectrum.
* Maron's locket contains dried and pressed dandelion, a smudged paper with the word "yes" written on it, and a small sketch she made of her current family.
* Maron's coat and sash were given to her by Argore as part of the Scholar's Rock uniform. The current version has many visible repairs.
* Maron frequently wears flowers in her hair, a habit she picked up from Aerenne.
* Maron likes visiting Anterra because she finds it's citizens entertaining and loves the amount of plantlife they can support.
* Maron enjoys making soup and offers it as a form of hospitality.
* Maron's mental state is in a near constant state of mild panic.
* Maron is known to sew and create artwork as a hobby, making most of her outfits and decor herself.
* Maron's wings flutter when she is excited or flustered
* Maron had no idea she could manually move her wings until recently

### Image Gallery

The final note left by Maron in AstreaMaron's most common apperance in the old empireMaron's attire in Scholar's RockMaron and Raine Illus's adoption of Sapphire