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!
It'd taken her a little over a week but she was back in Elyusian and Verula had maybe been back in her work shop for a day. The place she certainly felt more safe than her own home at the moment. She hadn't even gone home before she holed herself up into her workshop. The shop side was closed, and she wasn't working any commissions that had come in during her absence. If anyone even bothered to look around the back of the shop, they'd certainly see some of the windows cracked open and the furnace blazing, but nothing else going on.
Her hair was pulled back roughly, a little bedraggled as she slumped to the floor. Her tan lines were certainly more pronounced though she felt a lot of her was like that, even if it wasn't true. All she'd been there to do was just study some of the existing glass equipment and see what she could improve, and she hadn't even been able to do that. All she'd done was hide and sneak out instead of actually doing anything useful.
Hells, she hadn't even gone home to clean herself yet, choosing to hide in her workshop. There were dirt and tear tracks streaking her face and she knew she looked a mess but sitting on the floor of her workshop, glass shards all over from various pieces she'd broken on accident with shaking hands, she didn't care about her appearance if anyone did find her. Verula couldn't even be bothered to care that Laxi was scratching the lock off the door to let someone in, not with the sounds of what she now knew were bodies hitting the deck and yelling echoing in her head.
He had been looking at the inside of his office for far too long. His joy at being back in Arynn Frey hadn't lasted very long once he learned of Cyrus's disappearance and since then he had been busy sending out correspondence to the extended Blackwoods in an attempt to solidify himself as the new Crown of the family. It was tedious work, made worse by his underlying grief of losing his brother.
Deciding it was time for some fresh air, he had left for a walk of the city and immediately remembered his promise to Verula about taking her for dinner once she was home from her trip. He had forgotten in the chaos of reorganizing their lives without Cyrus and had not even sent someone to check if she had returned. Changing his course for her workshop, he quickened his pace when he spied the familiar shop and it appeared that she was indeed there.
He reached to open the door and was surprised to find it locked. He shook the handle, trying once again to pull the door open without any luck. He reached up and knocked, attempting to peer through the windows to see inside. Something was wrong. His senses were immediately on edge as he looked around, turning back to bang on the door once more.
He was met with the sight of the little glass dragon appearing and beginning to scratch at the lock inside. Further alarmed, Keion kept banging on the door even as Laxi worked at the lock, shouting Verula's name. He wasn't certain if Laxi could actually break the lock off, but he was certain he could break the door down if the little dragon could at least weaken the lock.
Laxi scratched and bit at the wood around the lock on the door. Nails dug in and gouged at the wood around the fastenings while teeth pulled at the bolts. The little glass dragon may not have been gifted with strength by its creator but it had been given the typical stubbornness of a cat and what was now her standard near indestructible enchantment. So while it would take the glass creature a few minutes to really loosen anything up to be of any use, Laxi still managed it and then got out of the way for the much taller human man.
At some point Keion realized he just had to sit back and wait for Laxi to do what work it could to the lock. He stood on the other side of the door, bouncing on his feet anxiously as he continued to look through the windows into the shop, trying to find any clue of what had gone wrong in here.
Laxi stepped away from the door and Keion acted, immediately slamming his shoulder into the door. Once, twice, three times and then the door gave way, banging open against its hinges and causing all of the glass pieces inside to rattle. Keion swooped in, on high alert as he cast his gaze around the shop, not immediately finding anything wrong. He moved quickly, knowing the noise he had made breaking through the door would have alerted anyone inside.
He pushed his way through the room, going straight to the doorway to Verula's shop and not hesitating as he stepped inside, looking around until he found Verula sitting on the floor, glass littered all around her. A quick assessment showed her in quite a state of disarray that he had not seen from her before.
He stepped toward her, his movements slow as he kneeled in front of her and gently took her hands if she let him, "Verula, what happened? what is going on?" he asked while trying to catch her gaze.
Verula startled at the physical contact, emphasized by a small hiccup that left her throat and she started to jerk away until she realized who it was. She didn't think that anyone would come looking for her, either. Then she was grabbing his hand like a lifeline, while trying not to squeeze the life out of his hand.
"I- The expedition. It- we were attacked." She managed to get out the words between tears before she leaned forward into his shoulder.
He held her hand as tightly as she held his, scanning over her from head to toe to find any apparent physical injuries. Finding none, he simply wrapped an arm around her when she leaned into his shoulder and held her lightly, allowing her the time she needed to cry out whatever emotion was wrapped up inside of her.
But Keion's years of military training were still running at full speed, and eventually he pushed her back softly, gripping her shoulders and once again trying to catch her gaze. "Who attacked you? Tell me as much as you can with as much detail as possible." He hadn't known the nature of her expedition or why it would have given someone reason to attack it, but he was going to find out, and someone was going to pay.
Verula was grateful for the human contact, that Keion had felt whatever need to come looking for her as she sobbed into his shoulder. When he pushed her back, it took a moment for her to realize it was so he could see her when he asked her what happened, not that he was pushing her away to just leave her there. The glassmajer brushed away some of the tears on her face, suddenly a little self-conscious.
"I'm not sure but I know they weren't fellow Arynnites. And I didn't recognize their accents either, so probably not from the other civilized kingdoms." Still she told him what little she'd heard before she'd managed to get out, though she wasn't certain how helpful it would be. It wasn't like she'd heard any names or anything useful at all, not that she thought any ways.
"I was only on the ship to see what I would be able to update and nothing else. I wasn't even part of the expedition itself, so I wasn't much involved with them."
He listened intently, his face growing both more somber and more angry as her small tale unfolded. There weren't too many details to go by, but he understood one thing for certain: Another kingdom had attacked on those ships, and thus had attacked Arynn Frey.
He dipped his head in a nod, "Thank you for telling me." He studied her face for a moment before pushing on, "My understanding is that another kingdom attacked the ship you were on. This information will need to be passed on to the royal family, as it is an attack on Arynn Frey and we will have to respond to it. You can either come with me and tell them yourself, or I can pass on the information for you. Which would you prefer?"
Verula took a breath, and then another as she focused on his voice. She nodded along, confirming that his summary covered it all. She was still a little shaky now that she was more aware of herself, so she gripped part of her skirt with one hand while she wiped at her eyes with the other.
"I could. Go, I mean." She glanced down at the glass littering the floor around her with a wince. "I probably should, right?"
He watched the change come over her, a small quirk lifting the corners of his lips with a bit of relief and appreciation for her self control. He stood up slowly and then offered a hand to help her up off the glass covered floor.
"It would probably be more meaningful if you spoke about it yourself, that is true." Once she was up off the floor he would survey the scene, grimacing a bit. "Would you like to clean up here before we go? Or we could go now and clean up afterwards. I will assist you."
There wasn't really room for arguing in his tone. It was a simple statement, a fact that he would be there to help and that it was his priority after speaking with Akagi Llewellyn.
Verula took the offered hand, brushing off her skirt with the other once she was standing. Both to get out some of the nerves and to clear her skirt of any possible glass shards. She'd rather not trek broken glass through the city if she could help it.
"Cleaning it later, after, probably. It'll give me something to do afterwards, with my hands." Her words were a little rambling, but she wasn't talking herself out of going. Her brain was just going a mile a minute in circles. Then she realized she hadn't let go of his hand when he'd helped her up and she let go. "And, thank you."
He dragged his eyes over her as she stood, once again assessing for injuries of any kind. His gaze ended on her eyes as she thanked him yet again. The corners of his mouth twitched up in the faintest of smiles. "I never turn away from someone who needs assistance, Miss Verula."
Then he took a step away, motioning for her to follow. "Come, the quicker we speak with the Prince, the quicker we can get you home and relaxing." If she followed him, he would lead her from her shop and to the Palace where he would immediately send a servant off in search of the Prince, insisting on seeing him right away.
Once they were brought before Akagi Llewellyn, Keion would bow slightly and start the conversation, "I'm very sorry to interrupt your day, Prince Akagi, but we have urgent news about an attack on some of our ships."
Shrine Magic
Akagi wields a saga enchanted naginata, that when touched allows the wielder to cast bright red orbs that explode on contact. Akagi can cast single orbs or produce up to four orbs in a powerup to cast at once for a bigger explosion.
Post by Akagi Llewellyn on Aug 7, 2022 18:55:04 GMT -5
The Prince was brought from his palace office (not his workshop as usual) with message that Keion had urgent news to share with him, gathering his bag Akagi followed the slave. Upon entering his eyes found not only Keion but the young enchanter @verula someone he had requested once before to make an enchantment for him and his wife.
Their presence and Verula's current state brought upon him fear and concern, "Keion and Verula? What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked looking at Verula with great concern.
Verula followed Keion, nerves and anxiety swirling in her gut on the way to wherever the Prince was, and then waiting for him to join them. She didn't know if he would believe her, even though Keion did. But she hoped he would.
When Akagi Llewellyn addressed her, she was too emotionally drained and wrung out to do much else than give a slight bow before she spoke. "The expedition I was on, it was attacked."
Shrine Magic
Akagi wields a saga enchanted naginata, that when touched allows the wielder to cast bright red orbs that explode on contact. Akagi can cast single orbs or produce up to four orbs in a powerup to cast at once for a bigger explosion.
Post by Akagi Llewellyn on Aug 22, 2022 15:29:34 GMT -5
Alarm bells began to ring in the Prince's mind and he looked between Keion and Verula, his mouth falling slighlty agape, "Attack? Please try and tell me as much as possible Verula," then concern creeped in as he looked the woman over, "but first are you hurt? Do I need to send for a healer?" what kind of Prince would he be if he didn't care about a citizens health?