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!
[for @kaveri and @keion , before the Eldouir attack]
Evening had fallen in Elyusian and with it came the daily question of what to do with their free time. Knowing now when Kaveri would be finishing work, Kester had started making the active choice to meet him as he finished his shift. Walnut may have had a hand in the decision, but she also quietly wanted to make sure he was still around, still okay - or at least as okay as any of them were. Sometimes she accompanied him back to the tavern, where they did their best to talk instead of argue, but today, she wanted to bring him elsewhere: the sea.
Kester and Walnut had first glimpsed it in the square where she’d conversed with Bowen, but it was his cousin, Clovis, who showed it to them for real. And now they wanted to introduce it to Kaveri and Nephys, too.
“Hi Kaveri!” It was Walnut, of course, shouting at the top of his metaphorical lungs as he scampered down the street toward the other Dresmondi. “Hi Nephys! How was work? Did you get a lot done?” Upon reaching the ram, he would stand up on his back legs to touch noses with him in their customary greeting before turning and waving a paw at Kaveri. Then, as he had every other day, he would assess the library with a tilted head, as if he knew anything about construction. “Looks good! It’ll be good as new in no time!”
Kester followed the river otter at a more sedate pace. Casting a silent nod at Kaveri and Nephys, she relayed through Walnut, Are you free now? We want to show you something.
Walnut nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah! You guys are gonna love it!”
In their explorations of Elyusian, they had found a staircase that led down to a little beach, and if Kaveri and Nephys were amenable, it was toward this that they would begin to lead the other Dresmondi.
The Dresmondi had been an unknown entity residing in Arynn Frey for some years now, though Keion had yet to really form an opinion on them. He had not spoken to or met a single one of them as of yet, but he needed to. They were now a part of Arynn Frey, whether they or anyone else wanted them to be, and therefore the Blackwoods needed knowledge of them.
It was not hard to learn where one might find the Dresmondi hanging about, and that was how Keion ended up near the library that was in the midst of repair, meandering, listening, and watching.
Nephys was standing on the sidewalk just in front of the building, looking up at it as Kaveri came down the ladder and wiped the sweat from his head with the back of his hand. As the slaves who had been helping work on the building began to file out, back to...where ever it was that they belonged, Kaveri was grabbing his bag and searching through it for his shirt. The tip of the ram's head in the opposite direction had Kaveri following his gaze, which landed on the otter that was sprinting across the street toward them. Hey, Walnut, Kaveri said as Nephys dipped his head down to meet Walnut's nose. Work was work, the much taller Dresmondi answered while pulling on his jacket.
"They do not have much longer to go. The structural damage has been fixed, now they need only replace the stones on the outside," Nephys informed the otter, as Kaveri had neglected to do so. The man wasn't in the best of moods. Kester's warning about both of them being followed had not been one he'd taken seriously during the initial conversation. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt it'd be best if he kept his wits about him. So after that night, he had decided to stop drinking until he got back to the Dresmondi encampment by the border.
Picking his bag up, he tossed the strap over his shoulder and stared down at Kester, his eyes jumping somewhat around at the people passing. Show us what? He asked, though Nephys was already turning to face the two. He knew very well that Kaveri didn't want to go anywhere. He wanted to go to his room, where he didn't have to be weary of the eyes of others, and could rest.
"Lead the way, then," Nephys replied to them regardless, because as much as Kaveri didn't want to wander around the city, he also didn't want to fight.
Still standing on his back legs, Walnut straightened up, flattened his expression, and pressed both hands to his side. “Work is work,” He repeated to Nephys and Kester, shifting his weight side to side slightly as he spoke in an obvious impression of the man who was pulling on his jacket. The teasing only lasted another moment before he rolled his eyes and turned back to the tall Dresmondi. “Come on, Kaveri,” The river otter pleaded with him. “You gotta give me something to work with here! If you’re not careful, you’re gonna turn out like those two.” He gestured to his own human and the ram with his hands.
Kester, who had caught up to him, crossed her arms and looked down at him, unimpressed.
Thank you for the update, Nephys, She told the other dyr in lieu of acknowledging her own dyr’s antics. When Kaveri grabbed his bag and looked at her, Kester held his gaze as her eyes danced across his face. Knowledge of a person was not so easily discarded as friendship, so even now, after spending years orbiting each other like strangers, she could still read the nuances of his expression. It meant more to her than she could properly communicate that it had not slipped into an unintelligible drunken stupor since they had first reunited.
Walnut spoke up before Kester could answer Kaveri’s question. “It’s a surprise!”
Kester glanced at the river otter, who had turned to the ram. “Please, Nephys, can I ride on your—“ He was in the middle of asking the other dyr when he interrupted himself to share his human’s words with Kaveri, the mental tone change making the different speaker obvious. Apparently, it’s a surprise, Kaveri, but I think you’ll like it. Walnut, who was as talkative as Kester wasn’t, had a tendency toward such behaviors. “—back? My legs are tired.”
If the ram obliged, the otter would climb onto his back before the four of them set off down the street. The staircase in question wasn’t exceedingly far away, but it also wasn’t as close as Kaveri likely would have liked. In contrast to his human, who had long become accustomed to relying on her dyr to fill uncomfortable silences, Walnut kept up a near constant stream of chatter while they made their way there. As was typically the case when they were on the move, his attention jumped from one thing to the next, and so did his conversations.
“How long do you think it took them to lay down all these stones for a street?” He was in the middle of saying, having just watched Kester’s foot catch on a slightly raised cobblestone that caused her to stumble and swear in a loud exhale. If he was on Nephys’ back, he would shift to peer down at the cobblestones. “They don’t even have Earth dyrs to help them! Why would they go through all the effort when the ground is perfectly solid without a layer of rocks?” He turned to look at the taller of the two Dresmondi walking beside him. “I bet you would know, Kaveri, you’ve been doing construction. Well, carpentry, I guess, but they’re pretty similar, aren’t they?”
Kester paused and looked down at her dyr with narrowed eyes. Sometimes I don’t understand how we share the same soul, Walnut.
Keion's attention had snagged on a particular little group of Dresmondi and their animals. Dyrs, he reminded himself, is what the animals were called. He happened to be walking in their direction as they moved towards him, clearly in the midst of conversation, and yet not a single word was uttered amongst them. How oddly fascinating.
He continued towards them, intending to pass by and perhaps only offer a small smile when the female Dresmondi tripped over a raised stone, cursing out loud. Keion's eyebrows raised at the vulgarity but, realizing the opportunity presented to him, he threw out an arm as if to catch the young woman.
"Oh, are you alright? You must watch your feet around here, these roads have certainly seen better days." He offered the girl a shining smile before looking to the man with her, and at last at the ram with... and otter riding it? His smile faltered a bit though his eyes crinkled in amusement.
Kaveri watched the display by the otter. Any other time he would laugh, maybe even pick the otter up under his arms and swing his body around in a circle as means of punishment (not a very good punishment, consider Walnut loved it). Today, though, his mind was not where it should be. He was on edge, anxious, and the sweat on his head returned even after he'd wiped it away multiple times, and even despite the cool weather.
"I found it to be quite entertaining," Nephys replied without laughing, but there was a tinge of humor in his tone that confirmed his words. He was a hard dyr to get an exaggerated reaction out of, unless it was irritation. In response to Kester's appreciation, he bowed his head - just as Walnut was requesting a ride, and the otter was grabbing him by the horns and climbing up onto his back before he could think to answer. "Already taking advantage of me again, hm?" He asked, but he didn't really mind.
Tired eyes met Kester's once more, clearly unamused by the notion of a surprised but not making the effort to mention that, either. He just followed along as the others went, hand gripping the strap of his bag, eyes floating around them at all times. Probably for looks, Kaveri answered of the stones, figuring that the Arynnite's just wanted everything to look nice and perfect.
Speaking of the Arynnite's, though, as Kester stumbled over one of said stones, a man had been passing by. As the stranger took hold of Kester to catch her, Kaveri quickly moved forward, coming close to Kester, his fist clenched and ready. It took him a moment to calm himself. A deep breath. "He was only making sure she didn't fall," Nephys assured Kaveri, pleading with him to step back. Finally, he did.
"Thank you," he forced himself to say after a moment, rubbing his forehead free of sweat. "Sorry to disturb your walk."
He'd also relay anything Kester might want to say to the man, but Kaveri remained alert, just in case the guy made a move for her.
“Thank you, Nephys,” Walnut said, with some combination of good-humored exasperation and relief. “I’m glad someone here has a sense of humor.” He looked back at Kaveri and Kester before moving to climb onto the ram’s back, intentionally misinterpreting his bowed head. “You know it’s bad when Nephys is the one laughing, right?”
They walked, and Walnut carried on his mostly one-sided conversation until Kester stumbled on the cobblestone. She hadn’t been expecting the intervention from a random stranger, and it showed in her expression of surprise when her hands met an Arynnite’s arm instead of the air as she tried to regain her balance. Eyes went first to the stranger’s face, returning the smile with one of her own, before she apologetically let go in the next heartbeat and righted herself. Simultaneously, Kaveri made his presence known with a protectiveness born from a near-lifetime of friendship and primed by the recent events of their past. Turning, Kester put a hand on his arm, not quite pushing him back, and reassured him through Walnut, I’m fine, Kaveri.
When he took a step back and offered both gratitude and an apology, she looked back at the Arynnite and, with a smile, nodded the confirmation to his question. “Thank you,” She told him, and as always, her breathless voice was difficult to hear.
Figuring that would be the extent of their interaction, she gave the Arynnite one last smile before casting a glance at Kaveri and then back toward the dyrs. With a tilt of her head in the direction of the sea, she invited them, Shall we keep going?
Keion's sharp gaze missed nothing as it moved from the girl to the large male that immediately stepped forward, fist clenched at his side. It was but a moment before the same man stepped back again, giving the woman space once more. More silent communication, it seemed.
Keion's friendly smile never faltered as he dipped his head, "You're quite welcome, madam," before he looked back to the protector at her side. "Oh you are not disturbing me, far from it actually. I love seeing our newest residents enjoying our fine city as much as those of us who have lived here our whole lives."
It was not hard to figure out where they were off to, not as the girl silently communicated with her companion. He noted that, too. She seemed to mostly avoid speaking all together, and when she had thanked him he had barely heard her. But he didn't plan to let their conversation end there. "You have had an easy time integrating here, I hope?"
When Kester looked back at him, Kaveri nodded. He wiped the sweat from his head again, eyes still on the man. He spoke kindly, confidently, with an air of intelligence and the same smile a lot of the other Arynnite's he'd met had. It was the kind of look that unnerved him. He didn't feel like he could trust any of them, not really. None had ever done anything to hurt him directly, but he knew that ultimately, the Arynnite's didn't think they belonged there. Because they didn't. They belonged in Dresmond, but it had been stolen from them.
Before they could walk off, the man was speaking again. Kaveri clenched his teeth again. It was rude not to respond, and the last thing they needed was to draw even more attention. "We're just in the city for work," Kaveri said, forcing a polite smile toward the man. "But it's...really nice. Everyone has been kind so far. We can't complain." He looked back to Kester, and then the man. He hadn't introduced himself yet, and had no intention of doing so unless the man did so first. Why is everyone so interested in us? Surely plenty of other Dresmondi have been here to work on the wall. We're not special. It's suspicious.
Everything was suspicious to Kaveri right now. Being six or seven days sober didn't make him the most trusting person, but at least he was keeping his cool.
Kester figured wrong: that was not the extent of their interaction. Before they could make their leave, the stranger spoke up again, and common courtesy dictated that they turn to acknowledge him. Perhaps because she knew him so well, she could read the tension in Kaveri’s frame as he addressed the Arynnite, which she hopefully tempered with a nod of agreement and a smile should the stranger look toward her.
We may not be the only Dresmondi to have entered Elyusian, Kester pointed out. But how many others have you seen while you’ve been here? Their kind were few and far between this far north. The Arynnite was likely as curious about them as the rest of his people, just savvy enough to disguise his desire to gawk with politeness - newest residents enjoying their fine city and all that.
“Hey! Who’s that?” Walnut, who had turned back to see what the delay was, now offered the Arynnite a friendly wave. “Do you think he wants to come to the—” He abruptly cut himself off as he realized how close he came to spoiling the surprise “—come to the surprise with us?”
Kester glanced at the stranger who had so quickly struck up a conversation with the two refugees. Doesn’t seem like he wants to leave us alone.
“Well I want to keep going!” Walnut declared. “He can come with us if he wants!”
Kester eyed her dyr for a moment before looking back at Kaveri. Pretty sure that should be a group decision.
Not a stranger to reading body language, Keion was well aware of the tension lining the male Dresmondi's features, but of course there were so many reasons why he could be feeling that way, and Keion didn't really have the time to dissect all of those, so he chose to appear ignorant to it.
Smiling as if pleased by the man's answer, Keion bobbed his head in a nod, "I am very glad to hear it. Arynn Frey is a marvelous kingdom with much to offer for those that take advantage of it." His gaze flicked from the man to the woman, whom he offered a wink. Of course, he had expected this answer. Who would complain about someone if they were given refuge?
More silence stretched between them, and Keion began to feel a bit off kilter with the constant silent conversation that he was not allowed to be a part of. Blinking as if in surprise, he started, "Oh I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm so sorry for my lack of manners. My name is Keion Blackwood." He reached out a hand, offering a handshake to both in turn.
Kaveri didn't know what the man meant by taking advantage of all that Elyusian had to offer. Just in walking down the street from the library to the tavern, he felt constantly judged and scrutinized. There was no doubt that some of it was projected, but some of it was legitimate. The way it seemed to him, the Arynnite's thought the Dresmondi lucky to have saviors like themselves, and daring to walk around their kingdom as if you belonged gained you little more than stares and criticism.
When offered, though, Kaveri reached out and shook the mans hand. The name offered had him tilting his head, familiar to him by now. "Blackwood. I met a girl not long ago who called herself Blackwood." By now, he'd come to the understanding that Arynnite's had two names. A first name, like the ones Dresmondi used, given to them by their parents, and a second name, that belonged to the family. Though he hadn't met many Arynnite's that spoke often of their families, the Blackwood girl had seemed to be very proud of hers. This man, too, seemed proud. "Don't know what her other name was, but she could change her hair whenever she wanted. Does that mean she's related to you?"
Once he let go of the man's hand, he took a step back, shaking his head somewhat at Walnut's obvious excitement over meeting yet another Arynnite, another possible 'friend.' "Sorry, I don't know if it's rude to ask that or not." He knew it was better to play it safe. He had casually run into the Prince of Arynn Frey soon after arriving in Elyusian, and Kester had somehow ended up being followed by one of the Ministers. For all they knew, this guy could be in charge of all Arynnite's magic of the smartest guy in the kingdom, or any other number of titles. Nothing would surprise him at this point, but he preferred to be cautious.
Smiling, Kester nodded her apparent agreement with the man as he winked at her and sang the praises of his kingdom. Then, with an apology, he introduced himself.
Blackwood. Kester recognized the name as soon as Kaveri did, but before she could even nudge him about it, he had already commented on it to Keion. The Blackwood girl that he had told her about had asked oddly probing questions about the connection between a Dresmondi and their dyr, likely curious as to the nature of the way they shared a soul. Interrogations were not entirely uncommon in an isolated kingdom full of individuals who loved to learn, but Nephys had said that hers had made him uncomfortable. Kaveri might have been drunk and answered more than he should have, but Kester trusted the ram’s instincts as much as she trusted her own.
Even as she shook this Blackwood’s hand with another smile, a quiet suspicion began coiling in her gut as she waited for Keion’s answers to Kaveri’s questions. Did this Blackwood share the other Blackwood’s disconcerting interest?
It seemed to him that while he had been buried within his office, Calanthe had been incredibly busy keeping the Blackwood name alive on the streets of Elyusian. He was so surprised that the Dresmondi knew of her that it slipped through his careful mask, and he blinked once before recovering.
"Oh yes, that would be my niece, Calanthe." He smiled at the little group again, "No, it is not rude to ask about one's family. But I do hope Calanthe was respectful and welcoming to you both. She is quite young and has very little experience with the world outside of our city."
He remained smiling, waiting for the Dresmondi to hopefully fill in the blanks of what Calanthe had spoken to them about.
Kester's reticence was one Kaveri would have shared even if the paranoia of sobriety hadn't been crippling him. There was an alternate version of himself, a past version, that would never have hesitated to welcome this exchange of information. For so long it had never mattered, but everything about Arynn Frey was deceptive, it's people most of all. Even the way they looked was deceptive. Much like Prince Akagi, the man before them didn't seem to be much older than Kaveri and Kester were. In realty, he could very well be ten, twenty years older. In his drunkenness, Kaveri had found that to be interesting. Now it just made him uncomfortable.
"Niece?" He asked first, because the word wasn't quite familiar to him. He knew it meant a relation of some sort, but in what way, he couldn't be sure. "She was nice," he said, shrugging. "She just asked a lot of questions about my dyr. She was really...curious." Calanthe. Now he had a name to put to her face, and another eerily kind family member for them to watch out for.
"She made it out like it was a big deal to be a Blackwood, but I didn't think Arynnite's cared that much about family," Kaveri said, his tone filled with genuine curiosity. "That's why it stuck out to me. Hope I'm not getting her in trouble or anything." Kaveri didn't really care if he was, but he hoped the comment would make things awkward enough to force the mans departure.