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!
Regan and “Bellatrix” arrived just before twilight, portaling directly into the room that had been prepared for them. Even with the seriousness of the task ahead, Regan couldn’t help but be vaguely amused by Othello’s taking on a female form. He wielded the form clumsily at best, which was perhaps to be expected.
Seeing this, Regan had mentioned that perhaps it was best if he were in his actual body when they went to retrieve Isolde under cover of darkness. The collar and him using his gift were sure to give him away in any case. The likelihood that he might misjudge the power and abilities of his current form was too great a risk. But for now, the disguise was worth it.
When they’d arranged their equipment and darkness fell, Regan sent for Captain Woodwick. She also instructed that he should bring a trusted soldier to act as a “gopher” for Othello during their stay, as the man would be mostly contained to their room. It had to be someone that could be trusted with Othello’s presence, but Regan trusted Warren to make that judgment call.
Othello would still be in his (her?) female form when the two arrived. Regan would be stripped down to the bare basics of her uniform: boots, trousers, and a tunic with the laces loosened in the front. Regan maintained no need for modesty around Othello. They’d lived together for months, and Regan was pretty sure they’d seen one another in every uncomfortable way possible. Plus, she’d become less fastidious about hiding her scars as of late. Her vanity had reset itself. They were now simply a fact of living, like anything else.
Both she and Othello were going about their business. Regan was checking each of her knives for sharpness before slipping each one back into place.
“How you doin’ over there, Belle?” There was an unmistakable tease in her tone.
The primary application of his Gift, which is Metalkinesis, is the mental control over magnetism and the manipulation of both ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Level 10; Arynnite ship with the ability to both fly and submerge fully under water. THE DROWNED CANARY.*Temporarily deactivated*
Post by Othello Allemeade on Jun 11, 2023 15:39:53 GMT -5
Othello had dived into character. Belle found it hard to not walk like a towering brute even though the woman herself was hulking and strong of frame. She had still fashioned a scarf around her neck to hide the collar, when she stalked behind Regan from the portal she was dressed in a simple uniform with light pieces of armor such as arm bracers and shin guards but she passed enough as just a soldier.
As they waited Bellatrix couldn't help but 'feel herself out' dark skinned hands ran through over dark hair that was braided down one side of her head, from there she rubbed down her hips to feel her own backside, "oh nice,"
[/i] she almost jumped out of her skin hearing her voice so soft and girly! It didn't stop her from then giving her breasts a squeeze, she felt her nipples harden, and she...giggled...Regan had asked something and Belletrix snapped at attention, "me, right. Well the two things I've been wondering is if I could get pregnant like this? And can we fuck with Woodwick juuust for a bit?" she gave her best pouty face, how would that go?[/blockquote]
Warren had known that Regan and Othello would be in Cambria. The Commander had mentioned it when Warren had been reassigned, but he hadn't been told exactly what they would be there for. His instructions were clear enough: arrive, prepare a private room for Regan and another female soldier (one that Warren didn't recognize by name, though he didn't immediately question it), decide on a single confidant to bring in with him, and wait for Regan's call. Where Othello factored into this, he wasn't sure. Maybe he would be joining them at a later time, so for the moment it was just better to follow orders.
As soon as they stepped foot in the territory, Warren carried out those orders. He would have done it all the same, regardless of who it was for, but he couldn't deny that he was glad he'd be able to see Regan, if only for a little while. He had no idea how long he'd be away in Cambria, or how long she would be there, but anything was better than nothing.
He'd chosen the soldier for the task while still on the boat to Cambria: @berengar. He'd felt that Lieutenant Terach would be too noticeable, and since he would be helping Warren keep stock of all the soldiers brought along, Terach had enough on his plate. As for Octavius, Warren simply didn't know the young man quite as well as he knew Ber - Ber could be trusted, and Regan already knew him as well. That made the choice simpler.
A couple of days into their stay, at nightfall, Warren got her message. He'd just gotten back from making rounds in the barracks, ensuring the soldiers knew their schedules, and was already dressed. He wasted no time and heading back to the barracks to fetch Ber. "Mr. Stormcrest," he said, just barely leaning in through the door frame. "Come with me, please." Warren, of course, hadn't given Ber any kind of warning about this. He didn't really know what they were needed for either, so he figured he'd wait and let Regan answer the questions. He'd wait there for the young man to do what he needed to in order to get ready, and then lead him toward the room in silence.
Then he'd knock twice. "It's Captain Woodwick," he'd announce, and wait for Regan to let them in.
You know, Ber thought with a sinking heart as he watched Woodwick poke his head around the door frame and look at him. A lot of things are different in Cambria. This, unfortunately, is not one of them. Truly, when Woodwick had been promoted to captain, he had expected to see less of the man, who, ideally, would have been increasingly stuck behind a desk and buried in paperwork. Their mutual deployment to Cambria, however, made it apparent that this would not be the case. Utterly resigned to whatever the captain wanted from him now, the soldier barely even blinked at Woodwick’s customarily enigmatic order to follow him to some mysterious location. Would it kill the man to give a little more detail, just once?
If there was another dead body in a chest somewhere, Ber was going to throw something at him.
He had literally just climbed into his bunk, too, ready to relax for a little bit before calling it a night because someone had given him an early morning patrol the next day. With a quiet sigh, Ber jumped down and changed back into his uniform before reluctantly making his way to the door. They walked in silence - also typical - and the soldier’s gaze leapt from one shadowed building to the next in an attempt to figure out where they were headed until he found himself standing in front of a random, nondescript door with the captain. Brow slightly furrowed in confusion, he stood by while Woodwick knocked and announced himself with the air of someone whose presence was expected.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jun 12, 2023 7:53:31 GMT -5
Regan snorted in amusement and disgust.
“Maybe you should think on other things, you pervert,” Regan teased, though there was a serious truth behind it. They had to stay focused, though Regan idly wondered if she’d been suddenly given a male form if she wouldn’t be a bit distracted. The answer to that was likely yes. But Regan killed that thought before it could grow legs.
When she heard the knock Regan set her knives down and hustled a little too eagerly to answer it. She cracked the door open to see Warren, color immediately rising in her cheeks. For a second, she just stared, looking like she was about to kiss him before she snapped out of it.
“Come in.” Her eyes flickered to Stormcrest who stood behind him, stepping to the side to let them both in. When Ber came through, she grinned at him, surreptitiously giving his arm a light punch. Once the door was securely shut, Regan turned back to the group with her hands on her hips.
“Well then,” Regan said with a sigh, “Wa—Captain Woodwick, Mister Stormcrest, I’d like to meet ‘Bellatrix’.”
The primary application of his Gift, which is Metalkinesis, is the mental control over magnetism and the manipulation of both ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Level 10; Arynnite ship with the ability to both fly and submerge fully under water. THE DROWNED CANARY.*Temporarily deactivated*
Post by Othello Allemeade on Jun 16, 2023 8:53:37 GMT -5
Bellatrix stood when the door was knocked on, though the curious brown eyes didn't miss the eagerness of Regan answered the door, interesting but she thought it best to not dwell on it for now. She did push her tits up and smooth out what cloth she wore when Woodwick AND Berengar, the most seductive smile spread across her face as she stood at attention.
"Captain Woodwick," she said with a devious smirk, a wolf like smirk full of pearly whites, "and who is this little slice of meat," Bellatrix stepped toward Berengar about as gracefully as a man disguised as a woman under a potion that makes a man a woman and has to learn to be as graceful as a woman disguised by a potion that turned a man into a woman could she did a little lap around Berengar pinching a cheek and winking at him, "you sleeping with big momma handsome?"
Then she turned her attention to Woodwick winking, "but a man with a beard is fine too."
When Regan first opened the door, he stifled a smile and instead let his eyes roam over her quickly. She seemed well, though in more of a state of undress than he would have expected given she knew he was bringing someone and hadn't known who it would be. Still, he met her eyes and briefly directed them between the other woman in the room, and then Stormcrest. As much as he would have liked to close the distance between them, they had to get this meeting out of the way first.
He stepped inside and turned to face everyone, nodding his head to the other soldier as Regan introduced her. Before Warren could introduce himself, she was speaking and he watched with some amusement as she made her way over to Ber. The woman seemed awkward in movement and sure in speech, which was an odd combination for a woman taller than Warren.
Brows lifting high on his forehead, Warren turned to look at Regan when Bellatrix asked if Ber would be sleeping with her. Then he received a wink of his own, and narrowed his eyes in confusion, and suspicion, as if he suspected the new woman was playing some kind of game. He'd only gone a little less than a week without shaving, and while the scruffiness along his jaws had begun to thicken, he hardly had a beard.
The realization hit him fairly quickly, if only because he knew that none of his soldiers would speak to their Captain in such a way without expecting punishment. Most avoided speaking to him altogether. "This...is not going to fool the Cambrian women should they spend any amount of time with him." Warren said, circling Othello and looking him over in a new light, until he came to stand next to Regan. "Can he use his gift like this?"
Despite Woodwick standing beside him, Ber couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face at the sight of Regan when she opened the door. He’d had no idea she would be in Cambria too, and though she undoubtedly had some sort of important reason for being there, her surprise appearance evaporated his annoyance at the captain for dragging him around the village after dark.
Still grinning, he weathered the friendly hit as he followed Woodwick through the door, though his excitement morphed into more confusion as he glanced around the little room to find a fourth person. Admittedly, Ber didn’t know much about the Huntsman’s duties, but if anyone were to accompany Regan to some other kingdom, he would have expected to see Othello by her side, not some unfamiliar woman named Bellatrix.
An unfamiliar woman who was apparently quite keen on becoming very familiar very quickly.
The predatory smirk with which she greeted Ber had him stiffening slightly as he held her gaze and his ground, keenly aware of the audience they had. He watched her as she circled him and protested the unexpected pinch with a brief “Hey!” that she seemed to ignore in favor of… winking at Woodwick? The captain put it together faster than Ber did, but the soldier wasn’t far behind.
At the mention of the man’s gift - all but confirmation of Bellatrix’s true identity - he turned an assessing gaze on the Champion as well. Woodwick might have been interested in the functionality of Othello’s gift, but Ber had more pressing questions to ask. “How’d they get you looking like that?” A pause, and then: “Wait, are you, like, actually a woman?”
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jun 16, 2023 12:17:19 GMT -5
There wasn’t an eye roll in the world big enough to encapsulate Regan’s bemused annoyance at Othello’s little show. She allowed it for a minute, delighting a little in Ber’s suffering as Othello played his little game. But when his attention turned to Warren, irrational irritation surged like a flash of fire. Yes, she knew it was Othello, but her lizard brain—or perhaps wolf brain—jumped to a jealous defense quicker than she would have liked. Regan’s face would turn serious and her brow would furrow.
“That’s enough of that, I think,” She said sharply, looking at Othello with a scolding raised eyebrow before she turned her attention to Warren and Ber.
“The…transfiguration potion is an imperfect precaution,” Rega said, “We have reason to believe Othello would be recognized here for the wrong reasons. I don’t plan on him leaving this room until tomorrow when we go to collect the governor, at which point hopefully no one will see either of us coming. But if he has to leave this room, which hopefully Stormcrest can assist in preventing, at least we have…this.” She looked Othello up and down, now managing a smirk.
“But his gift does work this way, so that’s not an issue.”
The primary application of his Gift, which is Metalkinesis, is the mental control over magnetism and the manipulation of both ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Level 10; Arynnite ship with the ability to both fly and submerge fully under water. THE DROWNED CANARY.*Temporarily deactivated*
Post by Othello Allemeade on Jun 16, 2023 15:15:06 GMT -5
Bellatrix grinned despite being scolded, oh my was Regan the jelly and biscuit kind? This made Belle eye Woodwick a little closer now, what was their deal? Was Kat truthful? It wasn't the time to ponder on Regan's complicated love life.
"you boys don't have to worry about me," Bellatrix claimed as she sauntered to her fold out bedroll, "I got no rhym or reason to go out, I just want to nab this bitch and be gone no problems," she made the motion of wiping her hands clean and dusting them off, "No sense in rousing up the masses."
Reagan's jealousy went entirely unnoticed by Warren as he looked back and forth between the group while they spoke. He had figured that the pair were being sent to nab someone, but no one had told him exactly who they were after. The fact that everything in the military came down only on a need to know basis often frustrated Warren. He understood keeping certain information from the soldiers, but from the leadership too? Had he been told that they were coming for Isolde, he could have helped prepare in the days leading up to Regan’s arrival. If the timeline was a single day, there was little he could do to aid her and Othello, besides strictly what was asked of him.
He was a man more than used to following orders as they came, but it was becoming increasingly obvious now that he was Captain that a lack of communication from up above was preventing them from moving forward. But, that was not something that anyone currently in the room could do anything about.
“Transfiguration potion,” he said with a nod, looking back at Ber. “Yes, Mr. Stormcrest, he is actually a woman. I’ve never seen one used before. It’s fascinating.” He took a breath and began rolling his tunic sleeves until they reached his elbows. “So you're going after Isolde.” He scratched the scruff along his jaw thoughtfully. “And once she’s gone, we bring the rest of them back to heel.” Turning to Regan, his expression remained neutral and serious, though he was equally concerned. “I think the Commander underestimated how many of the women here follow that goddess. Taking Isolde by surprise will give you the advantage, but is that going to be enough?”
He hadn’t had the time to stake out Isolde’s quarters or her guards and he didn’t like the idea of Regan going in blind. He knew she’d gotten by just fine for this long without his help, but it was different now. “Commander Usher told me to give you whatever aid you needed. Tell me what you need.”
Ber, who saw Regan as more of a friend than a superior these days, stilled at the abrupt sharpness in her town and looked over to see no trace of the humor that had previously softened her expression. Grin fading somewhat, he glanced between her and Othello, not sure what about their interaction had led to her pulling rank and cutting it short. He might have expected something like that from Woodwick, for whom fun was a foreign concept, but he knew that Regan had a sense of humor.
Before he could think on it properly, however, the huntsman and the captain began to speak, and his thoughts scattered in multiple directions at once toward metal tornadoes and vengeful Cambrians and how strange it must have been to suddenly inhabit a body that wasn’t his own. Concern beat out curiosity as he recalled an entirely separate conversation – Othello, albeit under a potion that hid his identity, was in Cambria, where a former Chieftess wanted to kill him for daring to fight back and survive her twisted game – but the words flying around him moved beyond that point and dragged him along with them.
Despite the discussion they’d had back in Skia about how to replace Isolde with Odina in a peaceful manner, the Captain Commander appeared to have already thought of a plan – one that seemed to be as new to Woodwick as it was to Ber. That little curiosity was noted and set aside for further examination because right now, the soldier found himself nodding alongside the captain. “One of them—“ He told them what he knew about Revna, which likely included only her name, title, and significance to both Isolde and the Cambrians “—led a prayer, and they all prayed. If something goes wrong and everyone finds out what’s happening—” Metal tornadoes had been involved in Othello’s… collection, hadn’t they? And Othello himself was many things, but subtle was not one of them. “—then it would be like…” His voice trailed off as he searched for an appropriate analogy. “…like someone trying to remove the king.”
A shitshow.
Personally, it hardly mattered to Ber which piece of shit sat on the throne, but plenty of others, including half of the occupants of this room, would take great issue with a foreign power invading Skia to kidnap the king. No, what he found himself more worried about at this time was the rebellion that he and the others would be tasked with quelling should Isolde’s removal go anything less than unnoticed.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Jun 19, 2023 12:52:49 GMT -5
Regan took a deep breath.
“Isolde is not a king,” She said, looking at Ber with what she hoped was kind reassurance, “She’s a criminal accountable to the kingdom she, supposedly, serves. She’s attacked her own people and preyed on their weaknesses. Perhaps some Cambirans will take her arrest personally, but those dissenters can be delt with. Once Isolde is far, far away.”
She turned to Warren.
“If I could have given you more notice, I would have, but there was no other way. Not even the Commander knows why we’re here; you two are the first. Do what you need to do to prepare for the possible backlash, but nothing to rouse suspicion. Focus on making ready for the governor’s instillation.” Regan smirked. “We’ll take care of the rest. The Priestess is no match for Belle and I—” She glanced at Othello, “Ain’t that right?”
The primary application of his Gift, which is Metalkinesis, is the mental control over magnetism and the manipulation of both ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Level 10; Arynnite ship with the ability to both fly and submerge fully under water. THE DROWNED CANARY.*Temporarily deactivated*
Post by Othello Allemeade on Jun 21, 2023 6:50:00 GMT -5
Belle giggled, "oh you know it girl," as she spoke she was snapping her fingers, "we're going to pop off," and Belle crossed her arms looking at Berengar, "You'll be okay sugar, you are a smart kid you and Woodwick together unstoppable and our plan is solid...plus we all have me," she said confidently, even as a woman Othello was very confident in his abilities, "there is no I in team, but there is a M-E."
Regan was right. Isolde was not a king, and her followers did not make up a whole kingdom. But he couldn't discount what Ber was saying, either. Regardless of the numbers, every one Cambrian woman was strong enough to fight two or three Nevermeran soldiers almost single-handedly. Regan and Othello were extremely strong, with gifts that the likes of Warren and Ber did not possess. If things didn't go their way, and the number of Cambrians who followed Isolde was even more than expected, the whole thing could go south quickly.
He could speak directly with Ber a little later about backup preparations. He didn't want to call it all out in front of everyone. Regan seemed confident in their plan and approach, and the last thing he wanted to do was put her down. She'd struggled enough with doubting herself, and the best thing he could do right now was support her. Technically that was his role anyway. This was her task, and if she and Othello did pull it off as easily as they hoped, it would certainly make things easier for them in putting Odina Ellis in the governor position.
Why, though, had the King neglected to inform the commander? What was the point of the secrecy when their goals were the same? "Alright," Warren agreed, without much more he could say on the matter. "We'll be prepared to give you back up, should you need it." Since he couldn't even outright tell his soldiers why, he'd have to rearrange their schedules. Put the stronger, more experienced soldiers on patrol, tell them to keep a close eye on Isolde in as general a sense as he could. Most of them wouldn't ask questions, but they would after the fact. It would be obvious he knew something was going to happen, if anything did happen. And half-truths and outright lies didn't inspire trust in a leader.
If he weren't so wrapped up in how frustrating this all was from a leadership standpoint, Othello's farce might have been amusing. At the moment, it only made him feel tired. Unstoppable was not at all how Warren felt. "I'm glad you're both confident," he said, though Regan's admission that she couldn't speak of the mission before had him frowning more deeply in thought of the day before.
"A Nevermeran man came to dinner last night and announced that there was to be a gathering tomorrow morning. He was shouting about it all afternoon. Is this part of your plan? I didn't recognize him, and I haven't been informed of any gathering. Is it meant to be a distraction?" He blinked then, recounting something else she had said. "Wait, attacked her own people? What are you referring to? The Commander only told me that she was turning the Cambrian's against us using the All-Mother."
Last Edit: Jun 21, 2023 13:03:22 GMT -5 by Deleted