Maru — Definitive Character Reference
Meet Maru as she appears throughout the Cynidicea Chronicles: a Shadar-kai rogue, scout, archer and infiltrator. This visual dossier accompanies her locked character blueprint and records the approved features that must remain consistent in future adventures.
Visual reference v1.1 · Written canon locked v1 · Original approved references take precedence if a generated detail conflicts.
The Shadow of Cynidicea — Character Canon
Identity & Appearance
Maru is a female Shadar-kai rogue, approximately 5 ft 7 in (170 cm), with a lean, athletic build, ash-grey skin, pale grey-gold eyes and pointed ears.
Her long silver-white hair may be worn loose, half-braided or tied back. Her approved facial likeness stays constant across all poses, lighting and expressions.
Armour & Silhouette
Dark, close-fitting, weathered leather armour, functional straps and buckles, practical boots and a long, tattered travelling cloak. Her equipment must support quiet movement, scouting and infiltration.
Dirt, blood, scars and scratches from individual encounters are not permanent facial markings.
Twin Shortswords
Two matching shortswords, with consistent blade profiles, guards and hilts. Each has its own low-profile black leather scabbard at the left or right hip, angled approximately 45 degrees rearward for a natural draw.
When fighting with two blades, she holds exactly one shortsword in each hand; her bow is stowed.
Shortbow & Stealth
Her shortbow and back-worn quiver serve her ranged scouting style. When drawing the bow, both shortswords remain sheathed at her hips.
Archery scenes must show exactly one arrow, one continuous bowstring and a plausible grip and nocking position. No duplicate or floating equipment.
The Complete Locked Character Blueprint
The original blueprint illustrations are shown below, with the complete canon specifications presented as website-styled text and tables. The white document pages have been removed.
MARU
SHADAR-KAI ROGUE | DEFINITIVE CHARACTER BLUEPRINT — LOCKED CANON v1
Cynidicea project • Compiled 4 November 2026 • Source hierarchy: Master v4.3, approved character sheets, then eleven newly supplied visual references. Canon locked by user approval on 4 November 2026.
1 Identity lock
| Identity | Maru / Marou; female Shadar-kai elf; rogue / scout, archer and infiltrator. |
| Approved stature | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm); lean, athletic, agile. Do not exaggerate musculature or stature. |
| Skin | Ashen-grey, distinctly grey rather than ordinary pale human skin. Lighting can shift its apparent tone. |
| Hair | Long silver-white hair, flowing or partly braided; no unapproved permanent change in hairline or texture. |
| Face | Use approved FACE panel as governing likeness as the fixed facial master; angular elven structure, pointed ears, focused expression. |
| Costume | Fitted dark leather armour, layered straps/buckles and practical bracers/boots; dark, plain, weathered cloak. |
2 Facial identity and visual comparison
The newly supplied clean frontal portrait offers unusually useful detail for eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hairline and cloak fastening. It is an approved supplementary frontal reference; the APPROVED CANON FACE panel remains the governing facial master where the two differ.
Face continuity checklist
Discrepancies requiring a decision
| Face reference priority | Approved sheet FACE panel vs. clean portrait maruface(2).png; exact likeness is not identical. |
| Facial marks | Visible in several action images, absent/subtle in clean portrait and some sheets. |
| Hair arrangement | Loose waves, partial braids and pulled-back styles all appear; allow styling variation unless one fixed braid pattern is requested. |
| Decorative hardware | Gold-toned star/compass clasp in some images; optional scene-specific styling, not mandatory. |
3 Outfit, construction and equipment
Construction rules
Weapon design
Two matched short, straight, practical blades with credible guards, hilts, edge geometry and grip. Use close-up approved sword references for exact decorative pattern; do not infer measurements from perspective-distorted action shots.
4 Two exclusive combat configurations
Mode A — shortbow
Mode B — dual shortswords
Action reference: rainstorm dual-blade dash. Use for movement, wet fabric and sword-hand intent, not as a replacement for approved facial geometry.
5 Scene-reference extraction
| Rainstorm dash | Two-sword dynamic movement; wet hair, torn cloak, blade handling. Scene-specific water and expression. |
| Torchlit temple stealth | Side profile, half-braided hair, crouch and sword readiness; torchlight not baseline skin colour. |
| Shadow-magic escape | Urgent expression and hair motion; supernatural purple effects are scene-only. |
| Resting with party | Relaxed seated posture and scale context; other character renderings are not Maru identity authority. |
| Outdoor party portrait | Full-height scale and cloak silhouette; compare to 5 ft 7 in canon. |
| Blood Moon infiltration | Close side-profile, cloak/armour layering, two hip-mounted scabbards. |
| Lightning Door | Low stealth crouch, shortbow carry, quiver and side-on occlusion. |
| Arena creature battle | Aggressive sword combat and flexible armour; blood, wounds and torn fabric are not permanent traits. |
Image-quality and canon precedence
The explicit “APPROVED CANON” two-page sheet and Master v4.3 take precedence over cinematic scenes. The grey-background sheet is a valuable supplementary construction guide. Where newer art conflicts, document the conflict rather than averaging the features.
Reference filenames from this review
6 Production blueprint & approval gates
Recommended final visual sheet layout
Pre-generation acceptance tests
Awaiting explicit approval
| Facial master | Does clean frontal maruface(2).png supersede the approved FACE panel, or remain secondary? |
| Facial marks | Permanent subtle marks, scene-only marks, or none? |
| Clasp and earrings | Are gold star/compass brooch and dangling earrings mandatory or optional? |
| Hair styling | Fixed braid arrangement or scene-dependent variants? |
STATUS: LOCKED CANON v1 — approved by user. Conflicting cinematic details are illustrative, not replacement identity references. Historical older “scabbard placement unspecified” wording in the retained v4.2 material is superseded by the later explicit two-hip / 45° rule in Master v4.3.
7 Canon lock — final decisions
Facial identity
The APPROVED CANON sheet FACE panel is the fixed primary likeness. The clean frontal portrait maruface(2).png is a secondary construction reference for facial details only when consistent with the primary face.
Facial markings
No permanent facial scars, scratches or markings are required. Marks in action scenes represent temporary dirt, injuries, dramatic shadow or scene-specific effects.
Hair
Long silver-white hair and its established hairline are fixed; loose waves, partial braids and pulled-back practical styling are all allowed without changing her identity.
Jewellery and clasp
Gold-toned star/compass clasp and dangling earrings are optional scene-specific accessories, not compulsory canonical equipment. Do not introduce them by default to overwrite the approved outfit.
Equipment
The two separate matched shortswords, left and right rearward 45-degree hip scabbards, practical shortbow and quiver, dark armour and plain weathered cloak are locked. Archery and dual-sword combat modes are mutually exclusive.
Precedence
Master v4.3 and the explicit APPROVED CANON sheet govern. New cinematic images supply pose, lighting and construction evidence only where compatible. No automatic identity changes from generated action scenes.
Character Overview
Maru is a Shadar-kai thief who fled the Shadowfell after being accused of murdering her own master. Skilled in stealth, infiltration and poisoncraft, she now wanders the Material Plane searching for answers behind a mysterious toxin that changed her life forever.
To most people she appears to be little more than a travelling burglar and information broker. Few realise every venom sac, poisonous fungus and rare herb she gathers serves a larger purpose.
The Streets of Shadowfell
Maru grew up in the backstreets of the Shadowfell where survival depended upon remaining unnoticed. From a young age she learned how to move silently, watch carefully and disappear whenever danger appeared.
Unlike other thieves she cared little for jewels or coin. Her fascination focused on dangerous things: strange fungi, monster venom and rare alchemical ingredients.
These unusual interests eventually brought her to the attention of a mysterious poisoner who served the Raven Queen.
The Poisoner's Apprentice
Under her master's guidance Maru learned extraction techniques, toxin refinement and the hidden properties of rare ingredients gathered from across the planes.
For the first time she felt she had purpose.
Everything changed in a single night.
The Black Vial
One evening Maru returned to the laboratory and found her master dead.
Ironically, one of the Shadowfell's greatest poisoners had been killed by poison.
The laboratory had been stripped clean. Every formula, ingredient and vial had vanished.
Every vial except one.
A strange black bottle marked with the symbol of the Raven Queen remained on the workbench. Only traces of the poison remained inside.
The vial had been left deliberately.
A Material Girl
Suspicion quickly fell upon Maru. Rather than face judgement for a crime she did not commit, she fled the Shadowfell and crossed into the Material Plane.
She carried only her tools, her knowledge and the mysterious black vial.
Skills & Expertise
- Stealth
- Lock Picking
- Sleight of Hand
- Poison Crafting
- Alchemy
- Scouting
- Burglary
- Infiltration
Campaign Adventures
With nowhere left to run, Maru meets the charging Pit-Wolf head-on. Steel, instinct and sheer determination keep her alive as the beast closes in for the kill.