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!
She froze immediately when the change came over Hiram, knowing she had messed up. She didn't back away from him as he approached and forced herself to hold his gaze. He would see the understanding in her eyes, but she held her tongue, not trusting herself to speak in this moment of his anger. Not wanting to say anything that would make it worse. She simply listened and absorbed.
Only when he fell quiet, and then screamed at her, did her eyes darken and she finally opened her mouth, "Yes Hiram, I understand." She wouldn't apologize, because apologies were worthless. She would simply have to do better. "The witch dies first so she cannot use her magic, nor unleash her wolf."
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Aug 8, 2022 20:12:18 GMT -5
Adeline was wise. She was a product of ruthless Eldouir training. There was a time when Hiram had done the same thing: kept his mouth closed and stayed quiet. Stared ahead while he was screamed at and beaten. It had served to make him stronger, and then, when he became the strongest, he became the one who got to scream and beat. It was a toxic cycle in the family, but they were the Edouirs, and it was effective. Where before Adeline might have hesitated, might have died because of it, now she knew better. If she did die because she waited then it wouldn't be for lack of training. It would be her own weakness.
"Yes." He hissed the word as she changed her answer, reaching up a hand to cup her neck if she didn't move. "And how will you kill the witch?"
Adeline didn't move away from Hiram, but she didn't lean into his touch as she had done many times before them. With their gazes locked, she crooned her answer, "With a spike directly through her pretty little mouth and out the back of her skull."
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Aug 24, 2022 12:39:28 GMT -5
Hiram bobbed his head up and down, moving it far more than was necessary, overemphasizing his approval of Adeline's method. If he did his job of training her right, she'd live. If she heeded his words, she'd live. This was all he could do for her. He couldn't literally take her power and use it himself.
Releasing her, Hiram returned to his former stroll, recovering his previous calm.
"You are destroying an army when a man comes hovering over the earth, holding an obscure object in his hand. He calls for you to stop. What do you do?"
Adeline blinked a bit at Hiram's next questioning. It was so oddly specific, she wondered who he was referencing and if she should be able to already know who it was. But she didn't allow the distraction for long, knowing Hiram wouldn't wait for her answer.
"I put up defenses against the army and turn on the man. I sever his hand, as I don't know what the object is or what it does and then I kill him quickly just as I did with the witch."
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Aug 31, 2022 13:38:26 GMT -5
Hiram hesitated in his walking, as if he might turn on her, once against displeased with her response, but then, instead of yelling, he simply nodded his head. It was one way to address the situation, to be sure.
"If someone has an object then consider it an Arynn Frey Enchantment. After killing the man, retrieve the object. Cover it in ice if you need to prevent another from taking it up. Get to it first, no matter what." He'd look at her intently as he said that bit before returning to his stroll. Things were about to get a little more personal.
"We are all together in a new place, about to attack, when an Eldouir suddenly turns on me. They use their gift to retrain me." He was thinking of a particular one, of course, but he didn't say that.
A neutral Hiram was almost as bad as an angry Hiram, and Adeline shifted in place at his mere nod to her response. She had answered incorrectly, she could tell. Her frustration rising, she wanted to shout that she was doing the best she could, but she knew that would probably illicit an actual punishment from Hiram. She had seen those punishments and she wanted nothing to do with them, so she remained silent, only pressing her lips in a thin line.
Before, Adeline would have scoffed at the idea of another Eldouir attacking the head of the family, but after witnessing Elena lash out at him, she was under the impression that the family ties were not as strong as they once were, for whatever reason. That did not mean that she was a traitor like the others. "If we are in a new place, then I would kill them. We would not have the time to deal with traitorous family members in a kind way, as you did with Elena, if we are on the move."
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Sept 7, 2022 14:21:15 GMT -5
Hiram smiled at her response. Good. Loyalty to the head was everything, wasn't it? There was always a wayward Eldouir or two, and surely every one of them had some sort of negative thoughts about the head of the family. But if any of them wanted something to change then they simply had to change it. Until then, it was the Eldouir way to honor the head. To obey the head. To protect the head.
"You think I am kind?" Hiram laughed, not threateningly, but with disbelief.
The corner of Adeline's mouth quirked up at Hiram's laugh, and she tilted her head as if contemplating his question. "Elena attacked you and you rightly defended yourself. You could have left her as she was, missing an eye, as a punishment. You could have even killed her. But instead you took the time to heal her, so yes, I think you're incredibly kind."
Standing up straight again, she flexed her fingers at her sides, mentally preparing herself for any other questions he may ask her.
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Sept 14, 2022 12:32:25 GMT -5
Hiram listened to Adeline's reasoning, his smile turning into something a little more sour as he remembered Elena's impudence.
"I did not heal her because I am kind." He told Adeline, a darkness crossing his face. "I healed her because she is Eldouir. She has a gift that is valuable to our family." He shook his head, eyes still on the younger woman, teaching her a little lesson in his reply. "That is the only thing that saved her life." Had her gift been less than what it was he might have killed her. Had she had no gift he surely would have.
Adeline listened, and she learned. Mistakes could be overlooked if you were powerful and useful. If you were weak and still tried to act out, you were just a problem with a simple solution.
She nodded, both in response to his explanation and his conclusion of their training, crossing her arms behind her back, "Will that be all for the day, then? Or do you require anything else of me?"
Post by Hiram Eldouir on Sept 15, 2022 13:07:07 GMT -5
Hiram, having started to leave, glanced over his shoulder with a raised brow and a smirk.
"Well, if you wanna fuck me then let's get to it." Offhanded and lewd, he extended the offer in case that was the conclusion the expectant question sought. If it wasn't, then he'd shrug a shoulder and continue to leave.
Tired and annoyed by what had mostly been failure today, she wrinkled her nose at Hiram and crossed her arms. "Not what I was asking, but thanks." She'd watch him walk away before making a noise of displeasure and heading for her room, tired and annoyed with herself for getting so many questions wrong today. Clearly she still had much to learn.