Delacroix Family

Delacroix Family
Type	Family dynasty; occult guardians
Founded	1668 (arrival in Verdant); line established 1691
Leader	Margot Delacroix (current)
Headquarters	Delacroix's Tomes and Treasures, Main Street, Verdant
Affiliation	House Subconium; Order of the Hemlock (historical)
Members	9 generations; matrilineal line
First appearance	Making the Grades: Kelly's Unveiling

About

The Delacroix family is the oldest continuously operating family line in Verdant, Connecticut, with roots stretching back to the town's founding in 1662. The family has served for over three centuries as guardians of dangerous occult artifacts, stewards of the Delacroix family vault, and holders of a seat within House Subconium. The line is matrilineal — the Delacroix name passes through the mother in every generation, and fathers are absent, unacknowledged, or simply not discussed.

The family's most prominent living member is Margot Delacroix (Gen 9), current owner of Delacroix's Tomes and Treasures and House Subconium legacy member.

The naming pattern

Every woman in the Delacroix line has been named some variant of the founding ancestor's name: Margot, Marguerite, or Margaret. The pattern has persisted across nine generations and nearly four centuries, with one deliberate exception.

Marguerite (Gen 7), after killing Elias Roarke in 1929, decided the chain needed to end. She named her daughter Eloise, outside the pattern entirely, and raised her without knowledge of the family's true history. It was the most consequential act of mercy in the family's history. It was also, indirectly, the cause of Verdant's worst modern crisis: without a prepared Delacroix, the Hemlock Veil went unrenewed in 1971 and 1981, and the Satanic Panic came to Verdant with unusual force.

Eloise eventually understood the cost and restored the name with her daughter Margot (Gen 9). She restored the name. She did not restore the preparation.

The role of the Delacroix line

The Delacroix family has historically served two functions within Verdant's occult infrastructure:

Guardianship — protecting and maintaining the Delacroix family vault, which holds dangerous artifacts including The Darewright Jar, The Anklet of Inevitable Accord, and Stones of the Rolekeeper
Operational — serving as the tactical arm of the Order of the Hemlock and later House Subconium, doing what needed to be done when preservation alone was not enough

The clearest example of the operational role is Marguerite (Gen 7)'s infiltration of Elias Roarke's inner circle over years, culminating in using the Anklet to compel him to kill his family and himself in 1929.

The Ashburne connection

The Delacroix line is permanently intertwined with the Ashburne line. Marguerite of Quebec arrived in Verdant in 1668 and became Eleanor Ashburne's lover. The first Margot Delacroix (Gen 1) was biologically William Ashburne's daughter and was raised by Eleanor after Marguerite's departure. The founding Delacroix naming pattern was established by Eleanor's act of grief, not Marguerite's intention.

If the Ashburnes are the Hemlock Veil's spiritual stewards, the Delacroixes are its tactical guardians. The two lines represent complementary and occasionally conflicting approaches to the same responsibility.

The birthline

Generation	Name	Born	Notes
Gen 0	Marguerite Delacroix	c. 1645, Quebec	Founding ancestor. Arrives Verdant 1668. Eleanor Ashburne's lover. Founded the Order of the Hemlock c. 1694. Performed the 1706 Veil modification.
Gen 1	Margot Delacroix	October 31, 1691	Daughter of William Ashburne and Marguerite. Raised by Eleanor Ashburne. Named by Eleanor in January 1692 — not by Marguerite. Founding ancestor of the matrilineal line.
Gen 2	Marguerite Delacroix	c. 1710	Details not established in canon.
Gen 3	Margaret Delacroix	c. 1748	Details not established in canon.
Gen 4	Margot Delacroix	c. 1783	Details not established in canon.
Gen 5	Marguerite Delacroix	c. 1820	Details not established in canon.
Gen 6	Margot Delacroix	c. 1850	Details not established in canon.
Gen 7	Marguerite Delacroix	c. 1897 (d. 1969)	Order of the Hemlock operative. Killed Elias Roarke with the Anklet (1929). Spent 40 years as artifact guardian. Broke the naming pattern by naming her daughter Eloise.
Gen 8	Eloise Delacroix	c. 1937 (d. c. 2007)	Raised outside the tradition. Ran the shop as tourism. Eventually understood the Veil lapsed on her watch. Had Margot out of obligation.
Gen 9	Margot Delacroix	May 25, 1976	Current generation. Owner of Delacroix's Tomes and Treasures. House Subconium legacy member. Protagonist antagonist of Comply.

Open questions

Whether the naming pattern carries a functional magical significance or is purely cultural tradition has not been established
What Marguerite (Gen 0) did with the placenta and birth blood she collected after Margot (Gen 1)'s birth has never been accounted for
Whether Marguerite (Gen 7) told Eloise anything about the family history before her death in 1969 has not been established
The fathers of each generation are unacknowledged — whether this is circumstance or deliberate practice within the family has not been established