| The Noble House Devaux | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Founded |
~ 11,300 K.C. Eldre'Thalas |
|
Seat |
Suramar City |
|
Leadership |
Lady Maelle Devaux (alive) |
|
Heirs |
Morgane Devaux (eldest child) |
|
Allied Houses |
House Mathieu |
|
Retainer Houses |
House Gauthier |
|
Regalia |
Amulet of Ky'lintha |
|
Race |
Shal'dorei¹ |
House Devaux is is a middle-tier noble Shal'orei household and hereditary bearers of the Amulet of Ky'lintha, the legendary lunar and arcane infused necklace donned by their ancestor Ky'lintha during the war of the ancients.
As Suramar became settled, much of their standing derived from the visible display of might the powerful relic demonstrated, and the family came to live a quiet northeastern district of the Court of Stars.
The Legion was has divided House Devaux, with their eldest son accepting fel infusions eagerly, to the displeasure of Matriarch Maelle Devaux and her eldest child, Morgane Devaux.
House Devaux officially are staunch supporters of Grand Magistrix Elisande, but with Morgane in self-imposed exile following threats on her life for refusing fel infusion, Lady Maelle herself the victim of a brutal beating at the hands of felborne seeking the amulet, have quietly thrown their support to the Crescent Resistance.
Morgane has lived at Shal'elah since going into exile following the recapture of the Amulet of Ky'lintha by a Highguard force led by Entilzha Firesong. Although initially wary of the "pale elves", Morgane and Entilzha have come to develop mutual respect and friendship which paved the way for a formal if secretive alliance between their respective households.
History[]
Toreth and Maelle Devaux married and initially lived in the rapidly growing city of Eldre'Thalas, where Toreth's impressive skill with the arcane had earned him a place among the Shel'dralar order. Toreth and Maelle were initially close, giving birth to a daughter, Morgane Devaux shortly after marriage and well over a thousand years prior to the War of the Ancients.
Toreth's work with the Shen'dralar would soon consume him, moving his family to Zin-Azshari where they knew none. Over the course of two centuries though seldom spending time with his family, Toreth and Maelle had two more children, a son N'Shanro and energetic daughter Linna.
Maelle and Morgane were largely on their own caring for the younger children, though Toreth's work in pushing back the Aqir and titanforged alike and aiding the establishment of Shandaral, in modern Crystalsong Forest and the northernmost extent of the vast Kaldorei empire.
The place of House Devaux among the Highborne was secure, granted titles, incomes, and a manor house in an exclusive well shore district quite close to the palace. Morgane showed much promise as an arcanist herself, and studied diligently in Zin-Azshari, finding a knack for divination and calling upon the vast energies that flow from and between the stars in addition to that of the Well.
Toreth's risky endeavors would in time catch up with him, as the order to endlessly expand the empire, and Toreth's eagerness to please his Queen, saw him bogged down and vastly outnumbered by titan constructs and mechgnomes, battered by cold and snow the likes of which he'd never imagined.
Toreth Devaux fell along with much of his unit in the Storm Peaks, the rash of failures leading to the Highborne's decision to fortify their presence at Shandaral and not push into the mountains beyond. Maelle, now matriarch, was originally from Suramar and had much in the way of family there. Upon her husband's death, she and her three offspring moved East to the smaller yet elegant beyond words jewel that was Suramar, as jewel Maelle always held a soft spot for.
Lamenting the loss of her husband and seeking to move on, Matriarch Maelle Devaux used the funds from their estate in Zin-Azshari to purchase lands outside Suramar to add to House Devauxx's holdings, lands that would provide steady incomes from furs, silk, and agricultural goods, produced by lowborne laborers. The family spent much of their time in their manor in Suramar City, holding the view as was common of the day that the wilds were for lowborne and druids, seldom visited their country holdings. The exposure Morgane and her siblings would have with the natural world limited to the manicured leypetal gardens in and near Suramar.
Morgane grew into a well-rounded arcanist with the wealth of magical minds to learn from in Suramar, and when the world around the city began collapsing, she was among those whom gave of their strength to form the shield that saved much of Suramar. Initially life wouldn't seem all that different, though not leaving the city willingly and not being able to, some believing the whole world destroyed, very much focused matters inward.
The game of houses grew heated, with nobles eager to curry favor with their savior - Grand Magistrix Elisande. Morgane and N'Shanro were both arcanists and grew quite close; Linna had sought to be a priestess of Elune though with that avenue closed she developed into much of a socialite, seemingly frivolous at first though her relationship with Thorel Mathieu would lead to a strong alliance.
Servant families sworn to Devaux came to include Houses Gauthier and Raymond, and when House Dumas fell into strife following the questionable death of their patriatch, House Devaux vis–à–vis held suitable trust to end the conflict, absorbing the remaining Dumas into their service as well. Houses Sanguine, Vidal and Sherimone were among others allied with House Devaux at some point over the long years; Morgane had refused marriage, growing deft at the game of houses and manipulating the energies of the Nightwell as their skin grew darker, she'd no interest in children or a family during the dome era.
Linna's marriage would see a brief alliance with the powerful House Vidal, one opened the doors to the increasingly exclusive Court of Stars, where Lady Maelle came to reside in the small but elegant manor she retains to this day. Morgane and N'Shanro spent long nights plotting how to overcome the strongarm tactics along with N'Shanro's friend Harbin, with whom Morgane became briefly romantically involved but rejected an offer of marriage due to little political gain.
Harbin Bertrand would not forget what he perceived as betrayal so easily, though immediately he did nothing, fading into the background and marrying a woman named Adalie whom Morgane knew little of save that she was reckless and irresponsible with magic.
Sipping arcwine on the Evermoon Terrace and delving into the mysteries of the Nightwell, though none of House Devaux gained a vaunted Advisor position, the amulet of Maelle's sister Ky'lintha, now in the possession of Maelle Devaux, held Elunic power rare under the shield, and infused with the waters of the well of eternity and bearing with it the legends of Ky'lintha's exploits against the Legion, House Devaux held respect, and life was generally peaceful until that fateful day.
Lower Shields[]
Not among the inner circles of the Grand Magistrix, House Devaux had only the word of others to go by when the shield came down, the same demons they had resisted all those years ago entered the city as "allies". Morgane and her mother were deeply suspicious, but believing the First Arcanist and those whom acted against the alliance dead, or soon to be worse than dead, armed guards and demons anywhere one might look, saw little choice but to accept it at first.
A group of N'shanro's friends, including Harbin, whom Morgane had not spoken with in centuries, volunteered for fel infusions, and N'shanro did what he saw as his part; in a conversation beforehand where Morgane expressed concern, N'shanro was adamant this was something he needed to do to protect his family from the likes of House Stelleris, long term rivals many of whom were infusing.
Morgane began to notice the change after the first wave. In addition to the physical changed, her brother grew abrasive, speaking of little but the endless might of the Legion, how he yearned to feel more of their power. Morgane hoped it a trend, but as the infusions continued the brother she knew ceased to exist, replaced by a creature so violent Morgane no longer felt safe along with him after she spoke fondly of the peaceful times before the Legion. He lashed out with fel magic, destroying much of the kitchen in a senseless rage.
Knowing this to be the true face of the Legion and that it was no different than before; these demons did not have the best interests of the Shal'dorei in mind. Morgane lived among staunch loyalists in the Court of Stars, though hearing of arcwine shortages in the south, despite the Court being flooded with it, she arranged through a longtime retainer and courier, Merigold Dumas, to redirect some of her wines to the southern districts.
Coming to speak at length with Merigold about the situation and how she lamented it, he revealed to her his role in the Crescent Resistance, what remained of opposition to Elisande's plans. If they could not remove the Legion, they could at least assure elves did not wither away as arcwine sat in plain sight.
Morgane Devaux's close friend and ally, Thorel Mathieu, gained similar sympathies after his father, Fourth Telemancer Kadremis, was exiled seemingly purely based on his work with Chief Telemancer Oculeth, known to have been part of the failed coup. Thorel was enraged, believing his father dead or his mind gone, but there was frustratingly little they could do with security so tight. Able to tip the south of planned raids and divert them needed arcwine, all while publicly declaring rebels traitors and affirming a willingness to die for Elisande should it be necessary, she and Thorel could bring about no true change, simply help elves survive.
Soon Morgane was the one worried about survival. After she'd politely refused fel infusion, stating she'd long served the Grand Magistrix as an arcanist and such was her proper role, threats began, notes written in blood, then she awoke to an assassin tripping one of her wards, her Stop Time catching his dagger just in time, as fel oozed from it onto her bed.
Morgane was strong with wards, and with her retainers acting as clandestine guards and informants, survived a number of additional attacks against her person or to discredit or rob her. Her mother Maelle however had no such talents, and while she was left alive, a band of felborne thugs storming her villa in the night made out with the Amulet of Ky'lintha, leaving Maelle bloodied, her home a disaster.
Morgane was enraged, though decided to cover up the theft, for knowledge the amulet had been taken might encourage other rivals. Able to divine that the amulet had been taken west, into what she believed Azsuna, Morgane knew she could track it down but also knew how much she lacked experience outdoors, and as her skill in divination and affinity to the amulet was known, it reeked of a trap..one Morgane closely considered facing head on.
A Drop of Hope[]
Anguished about their hopelessness and lack of any true plan, good news finally came through in the means of a message from Thorel's father Kadremis. His body had eroded but he hadn't withered, speaking of being saved by "Quel'dorei", something they'd long ago called themselves, though these elves were smaller and pale skinned, Kadremis spoke favorably of their magics, something which the stubborn old elf saying of an outlander was seemingly unthinkable.
Seeing no other option, and knowing her enemies would be searching for her in Azsuna, not light-skinned elves, she passed a coded message asking for help finding the amulet, and with information on its properties. Kadremis, whom was able to get a telemancy pad concealed near Morgane's residence operational, spoke of an elf named Entilzha Firesong's willingness to return the amulet to her, apparently having lost his own home and family to the Burning Legion.
Morgane was skeptical of his motives; wanting the amulet for himself was quite likely, but was relieved at word the amulet had been recovered, the telemancy beacon configured to take her to a remote location to retrieve it from this Lord Firesong.
Exile for the Soul[]
While the meeting with the Quel'dorei was pleasant if formal, Morgane immediately began to worry when she'd heard details of the item's reclamation; five civilians freed from cages the Felborne were holding them in, the amulet apparently retrieved from a Magistrix Bertrand...was Adalie truly calling herself that now? Adalie had apparently attempted to restore the Amulet's Elunic properties using the tormented souls of Elune Priestesses at the Temple of a Thousand Lights, and she was informed by the Quel'dorei that the people in cages were to be used as "fuel" as legion technology ran on souls. It seemed absurb, but those boats leaving that none returned from....
Vortaria Ara'lith had been able to use her own Elunic abilities, after which Morgane began referring to the Quel'dorei as an Elune Priestess despite in fact being only partially trained, to bring harmony to the amulet, releasing the souls but maintaining the restored lunar strength, strength Morgane was incapable of harnessing.
Thorel along with Entilzha and Vortaria were attempting to convince her to join Kadremis in exile, speaking of a hidden base called Shal'elah with ample arcwine stores. Morgane felt herself needed in the city and was torn...but as they were discussing, a felborne ambush led by none other than Harbin Bertrand, his "Magistrix" wife having failed, came upon them with overwhelming force.
Morgane thought she was going to die there, though as the attack commenced, a concealed team of Quel'dorei struck back, Entilzha an Vortaria joining the fray allowed her to see why Kadremis has spoken highly of Entilzha's magics; it was as if the elf could see leyflows.
What should have been a slaughter turned to an intense battle, with Morgane giving Vortaria the amulet. Able to harness both the lunar and arcane energy, Vortaria combined with Morgane's time stop spell allowed them time to escape, Kadremis teleporting them to Shal'elah as soon as he was able. Exile was no longer a question now; Harbin and his "Magistrix" would not relent until she was dead. Entrusting Thorel with her duties in the city, Morgane Devaux remained at Shal'elah
The Thera-dora[]
Almost immediately after her arrival, a number of the elves freed from the felborne and the worst fate possible expressed a desire to fight, though having no training. They were capable though, and needed, and with others arriving, Morgane along with Entilzha and Vortaria agreed to test them in all areas, train whom they could. Morgane was appointed Magistrix and lead commander of the self-titled Thera-dora ("truth seekers").
With Shal'dorei growing adept at skills they hadn't ever had the thought or opportunity to consider; the young woman Calindra Lemoine developed into a fine Ranger, a "Farstrider" the Quel'dorei called it, an the magical bow Entilzha gave her allowed Calindra to wield her birthright in ways she'd never imagined.
Morgane proved a strict but fair commander, impression on each the opportunity to widen their use of their magical birthright to supplement any newly learned skill, and Calindra's 1st Shal'elah Ranger unit was the first to become operation, Calindra involved in the defeat of the Dread Overlord Mimirarn, the last major Legion commander in Azsuna. The Thera-dora continued to grow, as did an unlikely friendship between Morgane, Entilzha, and Vortaria, the latter two planning to soon marry, something which seemingly developed at Shal'elah.
Devaux-Firesong Alliance Treaty[]
Morgane was initially polite though internally dismissive of much the Quel'dorei said beyond tactical knowledge, history not known to her, though as Entilzha and Vortaria began formulating plans for after their wedding and after the war, seeking out winelands to serve as income producing lands, documenting their ancestry for a Suramar marriage license, and proving as committed as any to averting another genocide, apparently like the one they'd gone through in Quel'Thalas, from taking place in Suramar.
Morgane was impressed by the deftness with which they played the game of houses, and foresight expressed by few, thinking of her own future after the war, even if pardoned her brother was gone, lost to fel madness, and would either die in the liberation battle or be slain afterwards. With the city no longer domed, much would change, outsiders would be in the city if she liked it or not, and warned of more nefarious elements seeking Suramar as a prize, sought her mother's permission to move towards formal alliance with House Firesong.
Lady Maelle Devaux agreed to formal talks; her being transported to them in the dead of night via a telemancy route accessed underground. Maelle remembered Dath'Remar Sunstrider, and his blonde hair, quite well, and seemed interested in the legacy he'd built, refusing to be denied his birthright, turning a thankless exile into a glorious nation.
With the impressive development of the Thera-dora, Firesong's deep knowledge of the nature of noble politics and already applying some of the oddities of Suramar, spellcasting worthy of one called a "High Elf", and above all, what had grown into a deeply personal passion to destroy Elisande and preventing another Legion genocide of elves, warmed to the notion of an alliance.
Morgane and Entilzha were left to hammer out the details, with both Maelle and Salandra Firesong granting their approval after. The major points of the alliance are as follows:
- Goodwill and friendship between House Firesong and House Devaux (excluding of course N'Shanro and those close to him, but having been drawn deeply into Felborne circles, N'Shanro scared off many Devaux retainers, whom readily looked to his mother and sister). The Houses pledged to mutually aid one another however was feasible.
- The strength of Shal'elah trained Thera-dora will be evenly divided between Devaux and Firesong interests after the war, though established retainers of each house would remain as such.
- Trusted Devaux retainers would immediately begin to serve as eyes and ears for Shal'elah and House Firesong, as well as couriers and message runners when warranted and safe. This arrangement helped to locate Maelynn, a House Lunastre retainer whom served nicely as a replacement arcwine courier.
- Evacuations requested by Lady Devaux, whom insisted on remaining in the city herself, would be expedited and carried out as quickly as possible. With increasingly skilled Thera-dora teams, three such requests have been received and fifteen of seventeen total elves requested moved to Shal'elah were, with the other two falling to demonic attacks during the escape effort. A Thera-dora team is on standby at all times to act on evacuation orders with a 10 minute deploy timer.
- A mutual exchange of arcane spells and knowledge. This stipulation only pertains to Entilzha and Morgane, as they've both the magical talent and relationship to speak of sensitive or other non-public magics. Entilzha's time magics have improved notably, as did Morgane's combat shielding.
- After Elisande's fall, House Devaux will adamantly support a reasonable House Firesong claim to a manor in the city, sharing some of their own holdings if needed, Likewise, House Firesong is pledged to aid House Devaux in re-establishing country holdings and assets of their own, and with retainers committed to House Firesong's redevelopment of the Bergerac Vineyards and surrounding lands, a suitable share of incomes derived is earmarked for House Devaux.
- Harbin Bertrand and his "Magistrix" are considered high value mutual targets, and will be disposed of as such.
- House Firesong will aid actively aid House Devaux in acquiring and developing lands adjacent to their own, with Quel'Thalas trained rangers charged with training Devaux retainers to act of guardians of said lands, its population and goods.
- Saving elves from the soul engine is the highest priority, though its recognized, regretfully, that not all can be saved without breach of confidence.
- Lesser houses sworn to Firesong and Devaux respectively will remain as such, though their resources will be used per the terms for the betterment of both houses.
- The formal instrument of alliance is to remain confidential until such a time as Grand Magistrix Elisande and the Legion are gone, at which point the alliance and dated documents will be made public, a public ceremony held.
- House Devaux and House Firesong recognize each other as kin, of the same blood with none professing directly or indirectly the superiority of Shal'dorei over Quel'dorei or vice versa.
- Any changes, exceptions, or special requests, are to be handled in the spirit of kinship and unity this agreement highlights.
- N'Shanro Devaux will be dealt with by House Devaux, though with aid from House Firesong if requested.
- Houses Mathieu, Shadegrove, and Ara'lith are bound by the terms of this agreement, though unless an exception is made, orders will be given via the house with the established relationship
- Both Houses will strive to maintain peace and order in Suramar City, contributing their own forces and the Thera-dora to the planned Aran'delar of Suramar, working to avoid violence between elves, and if it must transpire, assure anything larger than a duel is pushed away from populated areas.
- The Amulet of Ky'lintha is recognized as the property of House Devaux, but as no Devaux can tap its full lunar and arcane power, the necklace is lent to Vortaria until such a time as Maelle or Morgane request it back, with one lunar cycle provided as a buffer if active combat is still taking place. Verbal agreements state the amulet is Vortaria's until the war ends, but as the lawful propety of House Devaux their right to take possession is recognized. Entilzha will work with Morgane to develop a replica for public, non-combat display, and as a decoy.
- Use of the terms "lowborne", "commoner", and the such are not fitting ways of referring to a valued ally and such speech by any bound directly or indirectly by this agreement merits a firm tongue lashing, with punishments increasing in severity for any repeatedly speaking or acting counter to the themes of mutual aid and friendship. Each House maintains the right to have elves repeatedly acting in a way that is not suited to working according to the spirit of kinship reassigned to tasks not pertaining to this treaty.
- Genealogical records will be searched as matters calm, identifying possible carrier of the Devaux bloodline among the Quel'dorei and of the Firesong line among the Shal'dorei. This detail may create complexity depending how any such figures are aligned, and full investigation is to wait until after liberation.
Legacy[]
With the alliance rather new its premature to discuss its lasting impacts, though the alliance has solidified the operation of Shal'elah and the Thera-dora, as well as provided information which proved vital to re-establishing an arcwine smuggler. The spirit of friendship and kinship between Entilzha and Morgane is growing stronger, and the upcoming Wedding of Vortaria Ara'lith and Entilzha Firesong looks to be an opportunity to further solidify the alliance, with each side making all possible efforts to assure the terms work for both.
Entilzha and Morgane are currently on close terms and feel they can work through any conflict.
Notes[]
¹Per treaty point 19, the presence of the Devaux bloodline among the Thalassian population (Quel'dorei or Sin'dorei), is to be investigated after the war, as is the possibility of Firesong blood remaining in Suramar.