Marni

Little is known about Marni's origins or where she came from. According to Marni, her mother abandoned her as she already had numerous sons and saw no value in a girl. By her own claim, she was stronger and more helpful to her mother, but her mother never once expressed gratitude. Eventually she and her mother left together one day for a walk, but this was merely a ruse to discard Marni at a church loyal to the Fell Dragon Sombron. Raised in the church, Marni was able to receive the love and gratitude she was never given by her mother and her natural talents eventually caught the eye of the Fell Dragon sect. She and Mauvier were scouted by Zephia who, alongside Griss, formed the Four Hounds, who Marni considered her family.

Marni is first encountered in Destinea Cathedral shortly after Sombron stole the Emblem Rings from Alear. Led by Veyle's darker personality, she joins the other Hounds in pursuing the Divine Dragon's army, though they are eventually able to escape.

Marni returns at Solm Castle after Zephia brainwashes Princess Hortensia to attack, but the army is repelled by Alear and their forces, and Marni flees with Zephia and Mauvier. Later, as the Elusian Army heads to Firene, Marni is aboard one of the ships with Mauvier and is informed that the Ring of the Azure Twins has been stolen by Rosado and Goldmary, forcing them to change course in chase. By the time they find the pair on the beaches between Solm and Firene, they have joined forces with Alear, and Marni is repelled once more by the army. They arrive in Firene just as the Divine Dragon's army begins to do battle against the darker Veyle, having learned the truth of her personalities from Zephia, but are forced to flee with Veyle and the other Hounds. Marni witnesses as Veyle's kinder personality awakens and returns the Ring of the Holy Knight to Alear, to Zephia's horror.

Later, after Sombron grants Zephia a helmet designed to permanently do away with the kinder Veyle, Marni is delighted to learn that Sombron is still satisfied with their work and gladly accepts the task of facing the Divine Dragon at Elusia's port. As Mauvier expresses concern over Zephia and Sombron's plan with the helmet, Zephia orders him to join Marni, to her frustration, as she wished to take the glory for herself. As the Divine Dragon's ship approaches, Marni reveals to Mauvier that she had stolen the Rings of the Young Lion and Dawn Maiden, intending to use their power to recover more rings. Although Mauvier warns her that Sombron will not be pleased, Marni insists that he go along with her plan, but in the end, they are both defeated and the rings recovered by Alear. When they return to Zephia, they confess that they lost the rings, and though Marni clings to the hope that Zephia and Sombron like them too much to care, Zephia savagely punishes them and leaves their unconscious bodies behind as she and Griss move forward with their own plan.

As Veyle has now been put under the helmet's thrall, Mauvier decides to seek out the Divine Dragon, fearing for the Fell Princess's safety. To this end, he has Marni prepare a ship to Lythos, where Zephia, Griss, Veyle, and Sombron are headed, while he approaches Alear in secret. Marni is shocked to see Mauvier arrive with the Divine Dragon's army and refuses to ally herself with them, but when Mauvier suggests that she stay behind, she reluctantly agrees to the truce only until she is reunited with Zephia.

During the journey to Lythos, Marni learns from Mauvier the trauma Veyle had sustained as a result of her identity as child of the Fell Dragon, as well as the fact that Alear is her sibling and all she desires is a true family with Sombron and Alear. Marni relates Veyle's history to her own, believing Veyle to have suffered much more than she had, though Mauvier and Alear are surprised to learn of Marni's own sad origins. Nonetheless, Marni maintains her plan of rejoining Zephia and Griss in Lythos, though she shows hesitance upon realizing that Mauvier will be her enemy, despite claiming to hate him for never showering her with praise.

When they do encounter Zephia and Griss, Mauvier willingly absolves Marni of any guilt in bringing the Fell Dragon to Lythos, and Zephia allows her to rejoin them. However, upon seeing Veyle under the effects of the helmet and learning that the kinder Veyle is effectively dead so long as the helmet remains intact, Marni is unable to fight her growing conscience and calls Zephia out for going too far before attempting to break the helmet and free Veyle with her axe. The blow is knocked back by a magical shield and Marni drops her axe, leaving her vulnerable as Zephia approaches her with a dagger, stabbing her through the stomach as the ultimate punishment for her betrayal. Mauvier runs to her side as she dies, and with her dying breaths, she asks him to tell the true Veyle that she's done a good job, should she be freed from her mental prison. Marni's death is the final straw for Mauvier, who fully sides with Alear in the ensuing battle against Zephia, and for the rest of the campaign against Sombron.

Marni's sacrifice proves not to have been in vain, as her strike managed to crack Veyle's helmet, allowing the true Veyle to seep through following the battle, and after Alear has been killed by Sombron, break the helmet entirely, permanently doing away with her darker personality.

During the credits as Mauvier and Veyle are helping repair villages and towns, the two come across a young girl whose attire is similar to Marni, reminding the two of her.

Marni initially expresses contempt towards Veyle as well, due to the Fell Princess's favored position as a child of Sombron. However, after learning of Veyle's tragic past and Mauvier's closeness to her, Marni begins to show signs of empathy towards Veyle as well as regret that Mauvier will soon become her enemy due to his defection. This later culminates in her betraying Zephia in order to save Veyle as she resolves to listen to her own conscience, suggesting her previous cruelty was due in part to her emotional immaturity, and the realization that others have suffered the same or worse than she has enables her to identify right from wrong. However, her efforts at saving Veyle also demonstrate her continued impulsive nature as she chooses to act without considering the consequences, leading to her death at her adoptive mother-figure's hands.

Etymology

Marron is the French word for chestnut as well as a French word for brown.

Trivia

• Marni shares her English voice actress, Sarah Williams, with Madeline from Engage and Mist and Laevatein in Heroes.

Gallery

See main article: Marni/Gallery.