. ✧ . * . ˚ ━━ ｢ ALP NAVRUZ, CIS MAN, HE/HIM. ｣ welcome DEVMIR SARI, the GENERAL of THE NIGHT COURT, to velaris! it is well known that the 32 / 620 year old ILLYRIAN is HONEST and LOYAL. it is a lesser known fact that they are also IMPULSIVE and RUTHLESS. however, it is a gold siphon that flares to life in the blink of an eye, an undying loyalty to those who have shown their hearts, a silent plea for mercy that goes unanswered, and a promise to someone who is no more that is worn around the neck of a warrior that truly define who they are. in the shadows, their alliance with PRYTHIAN makes them a force to be reckoned with. truly, who knows what to expect of them. cauldron save them, mother hold them.
ABOUT.
There is nothing that compares to life in the Illyrian war camps. To those who have never set foot in one, the Illyrians seem barbaric and ruthless, but to those who have been there…they know the truth, and it’s far worse than what the outside world knows. Though Devmir is now in a position of power, he sits in the inner circle to the high ruler of the night court, his journey to get there has not been easy. Everyone he has ever loved has been taken from him and the horrors of war have destroyed the once childlike view he had of the world.
Six hundred and twenty year ago in an Illyrian war camp, a mother gave birth to the little winged child who would one day lead armies into battle and bow before the high ruler of this land. Devmir was a quiet and introspective child, but he was fierce with an Illyrian blade from the moment he’d learned to wield one and he was most at home among the clouds with the wind on his wings. Though his father was cruel and his siblings were fearful of the man, Devmir never looked away from the monster who hid behind the mask of a loving man. He knew the secrets that hid beneath the surface but he was never afraid. Everyone in his family knew that once Devmir was old enough, strong enough, he would stand up to their father and things would change. And so they did.
Devmir entered the Blood Rite as soon as he was skilled enough, becoming one of the youngest of his time to ever reach a Carynthian title by reaching the monolith at the end. When he returned home, his father was gone, in fear of what Devmir might do now. A new era for the Sari family began. By the time the war came around, Devmir was an elite warrior, his six gold siphons proving his power to all who fought alongside him. Friends were lost in that war but more were made and when they emerged victorious, Devmir had formed a brotherhood with the current high lord.
He served his high lord until the day their new ruler, Rhaeya Einar, came to power. He swore his allegiance to her and kept his armies in line during the transition, knowing that it could be a time of unrest as the Illyrians adapted to a new ruler. While he was simply the general of the armies, Devmir always knew his place was at his ruler’s side. He would be faithful and true until his dying breath and everyone in the inner circle knew his loyalties ran deeper than anything else. Devmir would lay down his life for any of them if needed.
After Amarantha and on the cusp of another war, is when Devmir met Xamira. She wasn’t his mate and he knew that, they both did, but it didn’t matter. Devmir swore to give her everything she ever wanted or needed. She was one of the few people who had never looked at him as some Illyrian brute but had seen past his rough exterior into his soft heart and loved him for it. He promised Mira that once the war was over, they’d have a life together that they’d dreamed of. All the plans they’d made were going to come to fruition the moment there was peace in their lands and he could guarantee her safety. He gave her a gold ring before he left. He came home at the end of the war to the ring in a little box, blood stained and tarnished, and a reminder of how cruel war could be.
Since Mira died, Devmir has been different. He wears the ring on a chain around his neck always and reminds himself daily that he is still moving forward for her. That someday in the next life he will find her again and he will give her all the things he promised her in this one. Though his heart is kind, Devmir has no qualms about the ruthless and dark nature of his position. He knows what he must do to protect his home and his family and he is willing to cut down a path with his blade through their enemies if need be. Anything to protect Prythian. Anything to protect Velaris.
morena strolled around him for a few steps, clutching on her notebook that was mostly filled with keywords and doodles. she did not actually need it as her memory was sharper than ever, rather she needed the other person to take her seriously. she stopped for a moment to look devmir in the eye a slight smile forming on her face. " and why can't i be ? if it's one thing you should know about me it's that i'm interested in a lot of things. that makes me a great listener, " morena responded and took a seat beside him. " don't you think that you are playing too much into that stereotype ? the monster one ? perhaps you are considered as such because you think that ? " she wondered out loud, looking up at the sky. in truth, she was purely interested in illyrians and not only them to write knowledge down for the day court library she spent too much time in, and she was very lucky for devmir to have agreed to meet with her. the fact that he as most illyrians she had seen of were attractive obviously also peaked her interest. was it the genes ? the last of his words made her giggle out loud in combination of her inner thoughts, but she stopped herself soon enough to turn to him in surprise. " and how exactly would you know that ? "
Her questions amused him, perhaps because he'd had a few drinks before meeting her, and brought a slight smirk to Devmir's face. "What makes a monster anyway? Is it the truth, the acts of violence committed in the name of protection? Or perhaps the legends and the tall tales that are spun to children of Prythian about the barbaric nature of my kind?" Though he couldn't deny that there had been some truly horrific parts of Illyrian history, those who believed only that and chose not to look into the present or the future were part of the problem.
His devilish smirk widened a bit at her last question and he shrugged, letting his wings spread, elongating the cartilage and bones to expand across the room. "Personal experience?" Devmir cocked a brow at her as he stretched his wings and groaned at the tension being released before drawing them back in closer to his body, more relaxed now.
the frown on his face is hard to ignore, that much he is sure of. though the usual anger it displays is replaced now with 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲, and elias is unsure of just how much devmir can take in his drunken state before he is pushed away. he doesn't want to be overwhelming, but it is hard when it seems that is the only approach he knows.
" because you have a duty to uphold, " he replies, taking a step closer, hands ready to catch the other if need be. " our lady and our court need you right now. this, " he says, pointing to his temple, " needs to be sharp. and because i love you. "
so long ago, elias would have never been able to say such a thing. it is unheard of among men to show weakness in the form of their emotions, but he's learned in his old age that it does not make him lesser, it only makes him 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. he stands by his statement with sincerity as he gazes at devmir, and he lifts a hand to clasp his shoulder. elias' eyes fall to the necklace hanging around devmir's neck, and then back to his eyes.
Devmir was ready to roll his eyes at the list of reasons that Elias was spewing about him needing to stay sharp and focused with everything going on in their realm right now. He already knew that, it wasn't like Dorian and Aziz hadn't already said as much. His high lady was a little more subtle in her encouragement to get his act together but he knew she thought the same as well. What none of them seemed to grasp is that the only person he'd ever loved and shared that part of his soul with, had been ripped away from him in an ugly and unforgiving way very recently. Was he not entitled to some time to grieve?
But the last reason Elias gave him made Dev tense up a little bit. And because I love you. His dark eyes dropped to look at his feet and he sighed, running a hand through his messy curls. He knew Elias loved him. Hell, the man was the closest thing Devmir had to father and he would have laid down his life for the man if he were asked. Of course he loved him too. But hearing those words from an Illyrian of that age was something that took him by surprise.
"I do not..." He huffed at the mention of how he smelled but he got to his feet anyway and winced in the harsh sunlight as they stepped out into the day. "The lot of you keep acting like I haven't had my entire fucking life taken from me. As if I should just be fine." He finally grumbled after a few moments of silence.
aziz could not help but smirk, and release a small laugh as they looked across to the general of the night court. he kept his expression neutral, allowing the other to get out everything they wanted to say. "ah but," aziz said, his smirk now growing as they looked to the other. "you said nothing about shadows." and it was truly, they hadn't. and while aziz usually did ignore the shadows it was fun to tease and mess around with devmir. "you might be faster than me, but are you faster than the shadows?"
He simply did not have the capacity to roll his eyes any harder or he would have tried to. "In the inner most parts of your soul, you are evil and conniving." Devmir joked and made his way into the tavern, taking a seat at the bar. He really shouldn't be here at all but he wanted to spend some time wit Aziz outside of the court and responsibilities and pretend that things were normal again for even a few moments. In a world without the love of his life, he needed something that felt comforting and his family was exactly that. "I suppose the first round is on me then." He raised a hand to the bartender to bring over a couple drinks.
"I don't know how they conduct business in the spring court." Devmir started as he set down the letter he was writing and turned his eyes on the spymaster. "But in the night court, it's considered bad manners to sneak up so silently on someone. The only way to garner my forgiveness would be to sit and have a drink with me I'm afraid." He suggested, curious about the fae across from him. He hadn't really been surprised by her presence, even a shadowsinger could only be so stealthy around someone who was trained as skillfully as Devmir was. "What brings you to Velaris today?" It was none of his business but he was always curious when he saw people from other courts in his home.
He leaned back in his chair, turning his face to the sun above and closing his eyes as the rays warmed his face. "Why are you so interested in Illyrians anyway? What more is there to know besides that we're monsters disguised as fae?" Devmir joked, the way most of Prythian saw his kind was less than favorable and he had to assume that Morena's intentions were just as clear as anyone else's would have been. Outside of the night court, very few people would give him the time of day, even as a respected warrior and general who had saved many of their asses in the last war against Hybern. "If this is some plot to determine the truth behind the correlation of wingspan and...other things, I regret to inform you that it certainly is not true."
"I'm not drunk, Elias." He insisted, though he certainly was, and quite early in the day if he were being honest with himself. That wasn't really something Devmir was in the habit of doing lately though. He sighed and looked past his friend, the older and wiser of the two, and at the fae passing by behind them on the street. He was sat outside a little tavern when he'd decided to go inside and have a couple of drinks, it was only a couple he was sure of it. Though his demons wouldn't quiet after the first one, he knew eventually that the voices, the memories, would silence themselves if he consumed enough. "Why are you worried about it anyway?" Had Elias even asked him that or was he imagining that part too?
"That's it, you're cheating. You have to be." Devmir frowned and folded his arms over his chest. He couldn't ever just take a loss as a loss without arguing about it with Aziz first. "You winnowed or something, there's no damn way that you beat me here again." He shook his head at the other male and eyed him suspiciously. "We said no winnowing, no flying, last one here has to buy the first round and I know I'm faster than you." He very likely was not but he simply was not willing to let go of this just yet. The inner circle of the night court were his family, and aziz his brother, but he'd be damned if he let his brother win this easily.
"Hello Shadowsinger." Devmir smiled coyly as he approached her, wings tucked in tightly to his back as he strode towards the female. He'd asked her to meet him here after being in touch with the summer court about a possible favor. "Your high ruler reports to me that you may be able to help me." While the armies of the night court were well prepared to handle any threats that might show arise in Velaris, there was always more to be learned about what was lurking in the shadows. Who better to look into those shadows than a shadowsinger themselves? "I trust you've been informed of the nature of this favor I come to ask?" He raised a brow, curious if the high ruler had indeed shared that information.
