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!
“Never.” Grem chirped his response. Luka would have said they’d never been lucky a day in their lives, and although Grem might have argued that point, this was one instance in which he was inclined to err on the side of doubt. From his perch on the tree, he watched the Lorendalers, ready to ignite the pair of them should the need arise.
On the ground, Luka arced her glare from the curly-haired Lorendaler to the tall one to Kezia before Zevran beat her to whatever pithy punch she had in mind. Her attention snapped from Kezia back to the pair of foreigners, arms still crossed over her chest while the brim of her hat flopped over her ears.
She couldn’t blame them for the way they were acting. For Alys and Grant to assume they’d be welcomed with open arms was a joke. She was positive neither of them thought it, but the fact that they were already not knee deep into exchanging magic or blows with weapons was a promising start. A slow smile formed on her face, which might not have been a great reaction but she was more comfortable with death than they might have realized. Her gaze lingered on the one with the strange gravitational pull towards him.
“Last I heard the Dresmondi didn’t want to ask for help. Coming across Fintan had been the first that I had come across a Dresmondi seeking out help from Coheed and Nevermere.” She looked back at Grant. “We come with the potential of a lot more help than just the two of us. A whole lot more. But we need information.” She decided to be the one who made the first more. With her hands at her sides, she took one step, then another, slowly moving forward if none of them tried to halt her. Her voice lower now as she was closer. “Alys,” her hand came out for one of them to shake. Even if she was strictly looking at Zevran.
“It’s a good thing my magic isn’t afraid of death,” she finally answered. Finally dragging her eyes from Zevran to flicker over the others.
Post by Grant Delaney on Sept 12, 2022 20:34:16 GMT -5
Well if they thought Grant and Alys were Lorendalers Grant supposed it was only natural that this was going so well. Last batch of Lorendalers that came through seemed to make a right mess of things.
"Not here to play hero. We're here to find out what the hell's going on," he said, not correcting the man's assumption. He tilted his neck a little and tried not to get too tense when Alys went forward. Well, she had all the magic power, here, so he supposed she could take care of herself. Even if his equipment suddenly felt very heavy on his back rather than in-hand.
If a group of friendly fellows like this hadn't been killed in five years then Grant wasn't convinced of the danger--apart from no one apparently trusting anyone else.
"Coheed was the beginning of the end for Dresmond. Why would we ever seek their help?"
Clearly there were still lies being spun for them. They had mentioned Lorendale, but now also Nevermere and Coheed. How could they trust people who couldn't even tell them what kingdom they were from?
But it seemed he wouldn't have much longer to make his decision as the woman started towards him. He held his ground, hands tensing on his daggers once more. Rune remained silent, but small swirls of shadow kicked up around her paws as she stared the woman down.
Then she was in front of him and reaching out a hand and introducing herself. He glanced between her face and her hand. He knew this was a decision for his group and not just for himself and so he did not take it lightly. After what probably seemed like a long stretch of silence he grimaced and, swapping both daggers to one hand, reached out and took her offered hand.
"Zevran," he said, then glanced behind her to the man once again. "Madness is what's going on here. If we thought our kingdom was in ruin after the Coheed attacks, that was nothing compared to what has happened the past five years."
His gaze flickered between the two once more. "I still expect to be told more of you two before we give you the information you're after. Trust is not so easily given here. But we can talk back at our camp." He turned to the side, motioning for Alys and her companion to start moving. If they did, he would fall into step next to Alys.
The moment that passed seemed to last a year. Her hand lingering in the space between them, long enough that her eyes even flickered to the taller man beside the one that demanded her attention without trying. But then, electricity ran through her as his palm met hers and it took everything in her not to gasp at the touch. She knew it was one sided when he seemed to easily continue on and explain that they expected more explanations at the camp.
Alys glanced back at Grant, ensuring he’d be in step with her as they started walking. The darkness shifted to the side, Alys knowing to look for it, sliding through the trees and ground as it kept the two Nevermeran’s close. Spreading itself out over the ground and moving along the way.
He walked beside her, her hand flexing for a moment before she forced it to rest at her side. Her eyes moving towards the others, then their dyrs, at least the ones with their Dresmondi, and make note of any that didn’t have their dyr with them. “We saw the storm yesterday, the way it darkened the sky suddenly. We knew it wasn’t natural, which is what drew us in to see what was happening.” She told him, Zevran, while her eyes cut to the sides to look at him.
Though she walked beside him, she was following his lead. Her shoulders back as she walked, as if she was used to having to look proper next to people. While she wanted to linger on him, she didn’t. Forcing herself to glance around, keeping alert and aware, and glancing at the shadows.
Zevran was completely oblivious to Alys's attention fixating on him. To him it was just a normal hand shake and if he noticed any tension in her walking beside him, he chalked it up to the tension of the current situation. While they walked, he gave Rune instructions to pass quietly on to the group. Mainly to Grem, to keep flying around to check for any possible ambushes. To the others, to simply stay on alert just in case. Alys had mentioned magic and there was no way they could know what she was capable of doing.
"Hmm," Zevran grunted in response as they drew closer to their camp. "We were practicing. It's quite spectacular to see and use all of our elements together."
Upon arriving at their camp, Zevran grabbed his harness for his daggers, throwing it on so that he could keep his weapons on him. Then he proceeded to lean against a tree, propping one foot against it and crossing his arms across his chest. "How about a truth for a truth? You go first."
They were practicing. The question she wanted to ask danced on the tip of her tongue ‘practicing for what?’ but she could have easily chalked it up to being equivalent to military training. Dresmond was no longer a massive walking question mark, but there were still things they didn’t know about the kingdom. Especially since the Eldouir’s had moved in. That part of their kingdom and ways of life, she was sure, had drastically changed. “It was quite the sight.” She commented, her eyes roaming the camp in case there were any others hiding and waiting to surprised her and Grant.
Alys didn’t get far from Zevran, letting him harness and then push back again for it. She felt her lip quirk at the childish game he offered to play with her. And a small part of her wanted to laugh. Except she didn’t. Only that hint of amusement softening her freckled features. She could’ve ask him what he wanted to know. But instead she let the first truth go: “We were truly sent here to gather information. So much is unknown about Dresmond to begin with, but even more so since the Eldouir’s arrived five years ago.” She glanced at the other Dresmondi. “We know a lot tried to flee, and currently reside in Arynn Frey. But are now pushing into Coheed,” Kaalim had told her it was more than just Fintan, “which is one of the last kingdoms I had expected to hear that from.”
She locked back onto Zevran after she confirmed Grant was right at her side. “What is happening here? And I’m not asking for a shrug and a glaze over of the story. But what is actually happening to Dresmond and it’s people?”
He watched her closely as she spoke, noting the way her features seemed to have softened a bit and it allowed him to relax a bit more as well. Seeing no reason to distrust the information she gave him, he glanced around the camp at his friends before he launched into his own truth.
"When the Eldouirs came to Dresmond five years ago, they attacked all of our caravans. Some fled, as you said. Others fought back and were slaughtered for it. The rest surrendered and were all forced into this place we've come to call Elderkeep."
He paused for a moment, considering before speaking again. "They stay holed up in their estate for the most part, but they've brainwashed our fighters into their own personal military. The rest are so poor or so desperate to get into the Eldouirs good graces that they willingly attack and kill each other for scraps."
He stopped, grimacing at the tale of their people before looking to Alys again, "Who sent you to gather information? Where do you actually come from?"
Alys listened intently to the story, putting together little bits of information together that she already knew and filling in the bits they didn’t with what he shared. Elderkeep. Something about that seemed darker than it should have. But maybe it wasn’t the name but what it implied.
“You thought we were one of the Dresmondi who would attack your group.” She concluded, not really needing him to confirm it to know it was true. Though he was quick to carry on with their truth for a truth game. Which was why her eyes flickered to Kezia this time, looking to the small woman as she spoke. “I wasn’t lying when I said you have probably seen me in Lorendale.” She told her, then glancing back to the others. “I met Fintan in Coheed.” Truth.
“We,” she glanced up at Grant before around the to rest of them. Still eyeing the one who pulled her hat too tightly down on her head. “are from Nevermere.”
Small truths for the amount of information he had just given her. He offered a nod to confirm why they had been so hostile, but nothing more than that.
Zevran's knowledge of outside kingdoms was fairly limited and so the fact that they were from Nevermere meant very little to him. It was still not the information he was truly wanting from her.
"And what does Nevermere want with information here? You said you could offer much more help than the two of you. What kind of help?"
Figuring the woman would probably protest at his lack of truth, he offered something small. "There is something called Tribute that is coming soon, where the Eldouirs demand sacrifices from us and give us brands to show favor. The more brands, the more favor you have with them."
“To help, to understand.” She leveled him with a look as she realized just as much as Dresmond was still a mystery, Nevermere was too. While they have flexed their magic in four kingdoms, they hadn’t here yet. And Alys knew that truly, the power shown wasn’t their full potential. Not to date that is. “The help of restoring Dresmond back to the Dresmondi people. Not under the rule of the Eldouir’s. It’s come to our attention they have started to travel outside of Dresmond. And we want to protect our people.” She felt that was obvious for anyone though.
His information on tribute had her raking her eyes over each of them. “And what favors do you potentially gain from the Eldouir’s?” She doubted anything good. Or worth what was put into the tribute itself. “How soon does it start?”
He couldn't help the small wave of hope that coursed through him, easing a bit of the shadows from his eyes. They wanted to help them get Dresmond back. At least, if they were really telling the truth. He didn't think they had much room for doubting anymore.
He snorted at her next question. "Favors? None. It only means that you'll probably have some real food to eat and clean water to drink." His eyes roamed to Ermir, thinking of all the things he had sacrificed simply to keep Eldouir favor for the tavern and to help others.
"And it starts any day now. Usually at the end of Aestas." He paused, studying her face for a long moment. She was quite pretty, he thought off-handedly.
"If you are quite serious about helping us, you would have to move fast. And don't expect help from any of the Dresmondi inside the city beyond us. Even if they don't like the way things are now, they're all too afraid to act against them."
Alys knew hunger. She had been unable to buy it at times while she was a commoner. She knew the pangs that could twist ones stomach and the dizziness, the mood swings. She knew those because she had lived them. But never did she have to think about fighting and killing for such a thing. Those means of being so barbaric were horrifying. She had sworn her children would never know the hunger she had, but what Dresmond was going through…
Tribute was to start any day now. Which meant that Alys was now studying all the reasons why they shouldn’t push further into this place they called Elderskeep. Why this, their meeting this group, was possibly the best option out of everything that could have happened. “But if there were more, to fight the Eldouir’s, would they help?” She asked, her military mind already turning over thoughts. Because she wouldn’t also send her people on a mission that was guaranteed to bring them all death. “Or would I find myself battling gifted and Dresmondi?”
She had done both. Separately. But navigating all the elementals plus gifteds who had a wide range of gifts? That might take some time to get prepared. They would want a more strategic approach. Or more than her mind was assuming in those few moments. “I can’t promise anything right away,” she was honest, a gentle sorrow softened the corner of her eyes. “If it starts soon, would they notice if you were not there? The four of you…” then she paused, her eyes flicking to the dyr at Zevran’s side. “Eight, my apologies,” she seemed to direct specifically to the dyr. Like she knew that it was far more aware than the average animal.
Zevran shifted slightly, dropping his gaze to study the ground as he grimaced and thought about how to answer her questions. Would the others help? It was a hard question to answer at this point. It had been so long. But...
"I believe if the others saw that there was help and that the Eldouirs weren't actually untouchable, they would jump in to help. But, you will most certainly go up against both Eldouir and Dresmondi. As I said, they took our fighters and broke them down. Tortured them. Now they practically worship them. Some might defect but the others..."
His mouth set in a grim line, wishing there was a way to save them. They had already lost so many of their kind. "The Dresmondi who have roamed to Arynn Frey and elsewhere may also help, if they are not too scared to return."
At her question of if they would be missed, his head raised again, his eyebrows knitting together. He glanced around at the others before slowly answering her question, "Ermir would be. He's fairly well known by both Dresmondis and the Eldouirs. But the rest of us, perhaps not so much. Why? What is your plan?"
Stockholm syndrome. Forced to survive the worse reality and adapting to it. Obsessing over it if needed. It was beyond sad to think about, which meant sending help of any kind, from any kingdom, would result in loss. More lives lost to an already small number of Dresmondi. She bit her lip for a moment, chewing on it as her hands came to rest on her hips.
Alys met his gaze, watching him try to piece it all together befor eventually asking. Her eyes flickering to the other male Dresmondi before she looked back to Zevran. What was her plan? She didn’t quite know what was the best angle to tackle this. Stay? Help with whatever they were practicing with? She knew that wasn’t an option. It put Grant in danger, herself too. That was not the mission.
“Maybe,” she knew this might be a long shot, “one or two of you come with us. To speak to our king and even perhaps the other Dresmondi…” thinking of Arynn Frey. “I feel coming from you,” her eyes locked onto his, “it’s more powerful than what I could ever do with words.”