The peace that formerly reigned in Terra Nova has eroded, now little more than a memory. War ravages the continent. Disputes divide kingdoms; ideals divide families. The quest for power consumes absolutely and indiscriminately. None are immune to its allure.
Who will rise and who will fall? Only time—and ambition—will tell.
UPDATES
05.26.2023
2 month character creation hold for all existing members begins 6/5/2023. Ended 8/5/2023.
10.29.2023
Change in how times flows. Was 4 IC seasons, now only 2 IC seasons per 1 OOC year.
5 whole years of Heir Apparent goodness! When I started the site, I knew I was hunkering down for the long haul, but I never could have predicted the numerous twists and turns this roleplay site has seen. Hundreds of plots, characters, and members have come and gone, all leaving marks on the site. I am so very thankful for those who have invested. Because you keep coming back, keep getting on, and keep writing, Heir Apparent has the legacy it does today. Three cheers to us!
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 4, 2023 6:36:04 GMT -5
[For @alinore, before Big Bad Wolf]
Even though Aldrich spent a lot of time at the military wing, he barely ever roamed around the castle. He simply didn't have much to do there, unless he needed to see someone about something, and even then most of those conversations took place in the military wing. For some reason though, that day he did find himself walking around the palace courtyard. It seemed too idiotic for words, but someone had stopped him on his way to the castle, one of the younger soldiers, and had told him that some farmer commoner had been on his way to the market when one of his sheep escaped. Abbott had stared at the man in disbelief for a moment, not because of the story, but because he dared to bother him with this.
Luckily for the soldier, the man didn't have much to do, which left time for him to go looking for this stupid sheep. Of course the sheep had ran off in the direction of the castle, and it was beyond him how no one had tried to stop the animal. With a groan he had made his way over to the palace and he quickly found the animal roaming around the courtyard. It didn't occur to him that these animals were prey animals, and that catching the woolly creature wouldn't be as easy as he had imagined.
He ran after the sheep for a few minutes, but the courtyard was spacious, and the animal always found a way to escape his grasp. He lept forward, scaring the animal some more and it ran straight into the legs and skirts of a woman. Aldrich groaned some more and rubbed his face as he made his way over to the woman while the sheep crept away again.
On any given day, Alinore expected to encounter some form of creature. Even in polite society, they were nearly impossible to avoid, and the only question was whether the offender, dressed in fineries and walking on two legs, would be bovine or boar-like or sheep-like or perhaps nothing more than a mongrel who needed to be taught not to bite its betters. After all, most of the nobles who frequented these stone halls were tragically easy to sort into their respective categories, while the commoners, naturally, were all like ants: numerous, insignificant, and there to be stepped on.
Suffice to say that while bleating was not uncommon in these parts, actual bleating from an actual sheep was.
The sheep did not knock her down, though not for lack of trying. With the poise of a proper Nevermerean noblewoman, Alinore recovered from the unexpected assault and upon hearing the officer’s approach, turned her unimpressed expression upon him. Though she did not frequent the military wing herself, she remembered what she had learned during her six years of service, and from the markings on his uniform, she could tell that he occupied a position of lesser importance, one given to men who could be fooled into believing that the morsel of authority they were given made them as powerful as a king. Perhaps there were two sheep in the courtyard.
“Officer Abbott,” Alinore said as he approached, having taken a moment to recall his name. “I see you have chosen to herd sheep instead of soldiers today. You are a man of many talents.” And one who was clearly being used to his full potential.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 5, 2023 18:21:23 GMT -5
He had been so focused on the animal that he hadn't noticed that it was Alinore Thornhill that the sheep had run into. She looked unimpressed, almost like nothing had happened while in reality it wasn't that common to be almost mowed down by a sheep in the courtyard of the castle on a casual Hiems afternoon. Aldrich politely bowed his head to the lady, but in the same movement turned to see where the sheep had gone.
"It sure seems like it", he responded, holding a hand above his eyes to look at the sheep without being disturbed by the piercing, watery winter sun. "Some soldier came running, tellin' me about a loose sheep. It is s'posed to be sold at the market today, but the woollyback doesn't seem to agree with that." He then put the hand down, letting it hang loosely besides him while turning his gaze towards the woman. "It didn't hurt ya, did it?"
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Feb 5, 2023 18:22:45 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
A lifetime spent in court had taught Alinore a great many skills. Chief among them was a penchant for feeding the the nobles of Nevermere insults disguised as flattery, but as Abbott continued speaking, she thought perhaps the talent was wasted on him. She hardly needed to illuminate his shortcomings when he highlighted them himself so clearly.
“I see.” While he searched for his wayward charge, she considered him with the court-perfected expression of polite disinterest, her hands folded neatly in front of her. An officer who took orders from his subordinates, and one who couldn’t even control a sheep? She wondered if his promotion had been one of pity rather than prestige.
At his inquiry, she let silence linger between them for a moment before, with a slight head tilt and a quirk of her lips, she replied, “I am unharmed, thank you for asking, Officer Abbott.” Another pause. “It does, however, appear as though your target continues to elude you. Do you require assistance?”
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 7, 2023 6:16:43 GMT -5
Wasting her precious time thinking of insults that she didn't even voice was indeed time that was lost on him. The officer didn't care what this woman thought of him. Just another noble woman that had had it way too easy her entire life. Foreign affairs, he didn't get the appeal. What pride could you get from being able to talk to others? At least he psychically did something with his life.
"Assistance?" He laughed and shook his head. "It's just a sheep, ma'am, but go ahead, if you want. Use your magic to conjure a wolf to devour it, for all I care. This isn't what I get paid for."
Alinore raised an eyebrow as she considered the officer standing before her. He may have been a noble in name, but the many years associating with the rabble had clearly caused him to forget his manners. Or perhaps he’d simply been unable to learn them in the first place.
“Indeed, it is just a sheep, Officer Abbott,” She agreed lightly. “One you have been tasked with retrieving, yet I can’t help but notice that only one of us has come into contact with the creature.” A moment passed as she let the observation sink in before she tilted her head slightly and continued in the same delicate tone as before, “Now, I confess myself rather confused. You are an officer in His Majesty’s military, are you not?”
She would pause to give him the opportunity to answer. If he withheld a response, then she would continue as if he had provided the only answer he could that would not have him appearing an utter fool: “Yes, Lady Thornhill”.
“You are at the service of the king and his people, be that fighting for your country or training new recruits or assisting a citizen in need.” Having served her mandatory six, Alinore knew that to be true. She might have laid down her sword in favor of a more delicate lethality, but that did not mean she forgot its teachings. “Today, our people require you to return a wayward sheep.” The slightest of pauses before she concluded, in the same mild tone:
“Therefore, I would posit that catching it is, in fact, exactly what you are being paid to do.”
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Mar 14, 2023 4:55:09 GMT -5
He cursed that Goddess that most of these damned witches seemed to believe in for sending them women as insufferable as lady Alinore Thornhill. He did not respond to her obvious rhetorical question and instead crossed his arms while looking down at her, even though he was barely taller than she was.
"You seem to forget, my good lady, that I could order any recruit or soldier to catch this sheep, if I wanted to. But as you may or may not know, but I hope you do, given your occupation, that war is upon us. So I would rather let the soldiers train than burden them with having to catch this animal."
Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the sheep was trotting in their direction again. The second it passed by them, Aldrich moved his foot, putting it in front of the animal's legs, which caused it to trip. Then he slowly turned around, removing a rope from his belt and tying it in a way that made a leash out of it. He put the lasso around the sheep's neck and turned towards the minister of foreign affairs.
"It's all about tiring out your opponent and waiting for the right moment to make your move. You should come by when I'm training the cadets, it might help to freshen up your knowledge on the basic principles of combat", he said with a genuine-looking but oh so sarcastic smile on his handsome face.
Alinore had not forgotten that he could order any recruit or soldier to catch this sheep. It was, after all, the reason why she was unimpressed that he had decided to do so himself, despite whatever flimsy excuses he offered up. As an officer, his time ought to have been more valuable than that of his subordinates, and yet here he was, wasting it - and hers - with menial tasks that could be performed just as incompetently by any one of his new recruits.
If he struggled this much with catching a single sheep, she briefly considered how difficult he would find catching up to multiple opponents far more capable than a farm animal on the battlefield. Perhaps they ought to set aside some wood for his pyre now.
When he issued his invitation, one that she safely assumed was nowhere near as genuine as the accompanying smile suggested, Alinore arched an eyebrow at him. “I thank you for the generous offer, Officer Abbott. As my time in Arynn Frey has shown me, even the best among us can always learn something new.” Her tone stayed mild and her mannerisms as gracious as ever. “However, I find myself well-aware of the basic principles of combat, and in the spirit of such growth, I think it prudent that I extend to you an explanation as to why.” A pause.
“It may lack your swords and your blood, Officer Abbott, but do not forget: lives can be destroyed just as easily on the marble floors of my domain as they can on your battlefield.”
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Apr 11, 2023 11:15:00 GMT -5
He didn't hear anything apart from 'bla bla bla' in his head while Alinore was talking, but he kept that fake professional smile on his face while pretending to listen to whatever she was on about now. When she paused, he thought she was finally done talking and he almost started to move but she opened her mouth again. Keep it together, Aldrich, he thought to himself.
"I wouldn't dream of forgetting", he responded, not sure at all what he was actually replying to. "Enjoy the rest of your day, lady Thornhill. I'm going to return this sheep now."
If she didn't stop him by talking again, Aldrich would leave the courtyard to bring the sheep back to its rightful owner.
A man whose pride had been wounded had a certain look about him - features froze in an ostensibly polite expression while a defensive impotence entered the eyes that was often followed by a fumbling attempt to save face - and the man standing before her wore that look very well. Perhaps next time he would remember how to properly address a woman of her standing.
Though she wouldn’t hold her breath.
Nevertheless, Alinore was, for the moment, satisfied, and her pleasant smile came easily. “See that you do.” The words were delicate, and the nod that followed them even more. “Good day, Officer Abbott.” Already her mind had turned to more important matters, and her body was soon to follow as she left him and his sheep behind.