Lady Devon Khournas
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke as Lady Devon Molliela Khournas nee Volen
CHARACTER BRIEF
Full Name: Lady Devon Molliela Khournas nee Volen
Byname: The Ash Witch
Age: 26 Standard Years
Planet: Imperius; Formerly the Moon of Ignis
Paramount: The Paramount House of Khournas
House: House Khournas
Title/Profession: Lady; Formerly Sergeant in the Ash Legion
Position: Assistant Castellan of the Blackspyre
FAMILY PHYSICAL STATS
Spouse: Lord Sir Victor Khournas
Y. Lord Zayne Grantham (d)
Height: 1.57 Meters
Father: Lord Nathaniel Volen Weight: 55.79 Kilograms
Mother: Lady Arianrhod Peake Hair Color: Various
Siblings: Young Lord Kadmus Volen
Lady Eirene Volen
Various <Open for Creation>
Eye Color: Grey-Blue
Children: None


Background

O Death, rock me asleep,
Bring me to quiet rest,
Let pass my weary guiltless ghost
Out of my careful breast.
Toll on, thou passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

- Anne Bolelyn, 1536 O.E. (Old Earth)

Lady Devon Molliela Volen was born the second eldest child of Lord Volen of Mare Maris, though so little of her memories recall the underwater villas of the capital city. Sometimes, in her dreams, she could see the soft haloes of light that was the Haven sun shining down through the waters, or perhaps a memory of reaching out with her small hand to touch the barrier that kept the ocean at bay. They are all just dim fragments of a life that that ended on the last day of the generations-long feud of two lesser vassal Houses — Iblis and Tout — under the Ouroboros of House Grantham.

Her father, the Lord Volen, seeing an opportunity at a burgeoning alliance, promised his daughter and support the House Iblis despite the fact that Mare Maris had no business throwing itself into the inner politics of Ignis. Soldiers of the underwater havens were provided to bolster Iblis's numbers, but this only, in turn, caused Grantham to step into the fight and thus provided its Legion to defeat both Iblis and Volen. A deal had been made, however, and Lady Marah Grantham demanded that Lord Volen uphold his promise and give his daughter to Ignis, but it would be Grantham that would benefit from the match instead of their vassal. It was that which sealed young Devon's fate as she was sent to the fiery Pit as a ward and hostage of the Granthams until she was old enough to marry one of Marah's sons.

At first, Devon mourned bitterly and sorrowfully for her home. So unlike Mare Maris, Ignis was a terrible, ugly Hell whose ash clouds blotted out the stars and rivers of lava seemed so hostile. She was cloistered in her room for weeks, completely inconsolable. No more than six years of age, it was unsurprising to most that the young Volen girl could not cope with her fate. And then she met Young Lord Zayne Grantham. He had been strictly forbidden from looking in on the weeping girl, but being seven and stubborn, he defied his mother and snuck into young Devon's chambers. What he found was a small and fair girl curled up on a chair turned purposefully away from the red-glowing windows. She was hugging a bright orange octupus plushie to her chest, face buried into it to muffle her sobs. Almost ashamed at what he saw, he intended to sneak back out before she noticed him, but an ill-placed step sent him tripping over a chair, and thus his cover was blown. This event resulted in what would become a close friendship, and eventual affections.

Zayne was the one who helped Devon out of her dark times, and into a brighter future. Her childhood eventually turned toward happiness as she ran about the onyx cathedrals and spires that made up the Pit. She eventually stumbled upon the Sorcerer's Circle of Ignis, where the Awakened began to nurture her youthful abilities and gave her even more purpose.

While Zayne began to pursue the life of a knight in his late childhood and throughout his teens, Devon was instead drawn into a more medical profession. She was accepted into the youth program at the Academ where she specialized in emergency medicine applications while also being trained by the Academ sorcerers. She would eventually spent eight years with the Academ program, graduating with a prepratory degree that would allow her to advance into the college programs. Over this time, Devon and Zayne became very close — so close that they eventually started a romantic relationship that came to its peak when they were both eighteen.

After Zayne was knighted on the eve of the Midsummer Feasts, he immediately went to his mother and asked that a marriage be arranged between him and Devon. Marah was not surprised by the request as she had been monitoring the relationship between her hostage and son very closely. It also appeared that Marah had been expecting such a request, and since Devon had always been meant to marry one of her sons, and she had grown quite fond of the girl, she allowed the betrothal to proceed. The pair were wed on All Hallow's Eve in the Grand Chantry.

Their marriage was a happy one, and Devon proved to be a savvy politician for the Grantham House. While she continued to attend her medical career on Landing and training within the Sorcerer's Circle in the Pit, she also started to take over duties and jobs that Marah passed along to her, grooming her for maintaining the Grantham household. However, two years after their marriage, only days after her twentieth birthday, Zayne died. It had been an accident according to all reports. There had been a breech in one of the foundries where Zayne was assisting in repairs. He was one of seven who were swept up in the rivers of lava that burst from the breech. They promised Devon that his death had been instantaneous, but still the grief was almost unbearable. Just like every other member of the family, she was charged to grieve for her husband's loss for no more than a year and a day. On the night of that last day, she would be expected to be prepared to move on. She could not.

It took her husband's uncle to fully pull her out of her sorrow. Lord Sir Jacob "Flint" Grantham, who had a fond relationship with his nephew, came to see in on Devon while she grieved. She had become thin and listless, unwilling to do much of anything. Marah, despite knowing she was her lifelong hostage, was almost ready to release her back to her Mare Maris family, even if she no longer truly belonged there. Flint, unwilling to see the woman slip into her own madness, did only what he knew best: he trained her. It took him months to strength her body and resolve, and for her it was all about doing something, anything, to take her mind off the pain. Though she was too old to being a knight's training, and her medical training was advanced enough, the two branches of skills came together in the form of a field medic. She would fight alongside her brothers and sisters, while also being there to offer fast patches and pull the heavily wounded aside for more severe medical attention. She was accepted back within the Circle, where she began to focus on combat applications of her Awakened abilities.

She spent four long years training, first alongside Flint, and then alongside other members of the Legion. Her own funeral was held when she was twenty-two, and she began to serve in the Legion as medic. When she was twenty-seven, after several House skirmishes, she was awarded the rank of Lieutenant. She still works closely with Lady Marah on internal House matters, but since Lady Ashleigh is meant to become heir, Devon maintains much of her focus on the battlefield.

Recent Background

Characteristics

Description

Despite her petite height of a few inches over five feet, this woman has a tall and noble presence. She has been molded to bear a subtle hourglass figure with just enough hips to swish and sway and a small bosom; her limbs are long and lean from acts of war, but she lacks the truly athletic bulk of Knights. Her skin is as pale as wintry peaches with just the faintest hint of freckles, though it is battered by scars. Her hair is a mass of waves that lash about her narrow, oval-shaped face and spill down to the middle of her back; it is colored a wide variety of unnatural hues with golden-white roots. Narrow brows arch gently over her eyes, which are the color of crystalline bottled glass. Her nose ends in a soft point and her mouth is full and pliable.

Quirks

  • Child of Water, Woman of Fire: Lady Devon Grantham was born on Mare Maris to the Lord of the watery moon. However, when she was very young, she became a hostage of Ignis after the Water Lords dared to interfere in House Grantham affairs.
  • Constantly-Changing Hair Color: Devon daily changes her hair color, usually choosing unnatural colors. She has done this since she was young, and it has become a characteristic of the medic.
  • Second Marriage: Once married to the Young Lord of Ignis, she was widowed at age twenty. She has remarried to Lord Sir Victor Khournas in a political match between her house and his.
  • Devoted to the Crone: In the wake of her husband's death, Devon became a devote follower of the Crone.
  • Politically Savvy: Devon has proved to be a strong political advocate for House Grantham, and now for House Khournas.

Musical Inspiration

  • Disturbed - "Inside the Fire"

Devon. Won't go to heaven.
She's just another lost soul,
About to be mine again
Leave her. We will receive her.
It is beyond your control
Will you ever meet again?

  • Annie Lennox - "Love Song for a Vampire"

Come into these arms again
And lay your body down
The rhythm of this trembling heart
Is beating like a drum
It beats for you - It bleeds for you
It knows not how it sounds
For it is the drum of drums
It is the song of songs

  • Thrice - "Stand and Feel Your Worth"

Wake, stand and feel your worth, O my soul.
Kneel and know the word that can save us all.

We are fuel and fire both. We are water.
Wed with wine and ghost.
We are wrought with breath and dirt, washed in second sight.
Woven through the earth, wreathed in rings of light.

Stand and feel your worth, O my soul.
Kneel and know the word, come to die.

We will wield a second birth, whet our wits and knives.
Wrap our knees in earth, wrap ourselves in light.
Wake, we will weigh and drink this cup.
We will burn, but we will not burn up.

On the Grid

Known Associates

Orelle The Paramount House of Orelle : As my family's liege, I have little ire toward the Orelles. Their lack of faith in the Six will always be their weakest trait, but their promise of achievement and advancement almost makes up for that.

Grantham House Grantham : Mare Maris was where I was born, but Grantham is my family.
Flint Lord Sir Jacob "Flint" Grantham : My dead husband's uncle, and thus my uncle. He gave my life purpose once more, and was one of the view who witnessed my funeral so many years ago.
Ashleigh Young Lady Sir Ashleigh Grantham : My husband's sister and heir to the Red House and Ignis.
Odette Lady Sir Odette Grantham : A cousin of my husband's house. More to come…
Beden Lord Beden Grantham : My husband's brother. More to come…

Dalton House Dalton of Inculta : The Servants of the Light, and the most important resource suppliers of the Ring.
Helena Lady Doctor Helena Dalton : A fellow in the medical world, Helena is eager to help me with my own research in the Hostiles while also developing a friendship.

Larent House Larent : The Sky People.

Volen House Volen of Mare Maris : My blood family, the ones who gave me up when I was so young. I hear my brother has been doing well as the heir of my watery place of birth. Perhaps we will see each other again. Soon.
Kadmus Young Lord Lieutenant Kadmus Volen : My eldest brother, though we have not seen each other since I was six and he was eight. He blames Grantham for my life, for my period as a hostage, but he must see that I am more than a child raised in The Pit.
Eirene Lady Eirene Volen : My younger sister. It was so good seeing her again. I hope that she can help me bridge the gap between Kadmus and me.

Recent Logs

Recent Memoirs

Gallery

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