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!
Temperance really hadn't expected to be able to relate to most Nobles. She was often stuck somewhere in the middle -- a little more wealthy and educated than the average commoner but much less so than the lowest ranked of the nobility. Even so, Romulos story resonated with her. She and Thomas had spoken at length about what they would do to protect their own families. "I feel the same, Lord Cortell. I have three siblings, and now Thomas, and I think I'd be happy to protect them in the same way if it were in my power. Granted, my sister Constance is a much more frightening individual than I could ever hope to be, but we all have our strengths."
She took another drink of the tea as Gunne explained to Romulo what potions they were talking about. "I'm not sure how much my suggestions will help, but if nothing else I hope they continue to help ease the pain. I'm sure Lady Cortell will be able to figure out the perfect combination and you'll feel like new in no time. Much of potion making is trial and error, but it's thrilling when you finally figure out what you've been working on."
Thom had a hard time relating in general, to most people. Internally, anyway. He could gabble on and make conversation when the moment called for it, and he was good with people, but drawing any sense of relation with those he barely knew wasn't exactly a strong suit. Well, fake it until you make it, that was the age-old saying, wasn't it? He couldn't even really relate to the necessity of protecting one's family because... well, no father, his mother was gone, and his brother was fairly far beyond help at this point. Of course, he would protect Temperance from anything, because, well.. the reasoning there was obvious enough.
"If my experience watching Temperance is any indication, it's essentially all trial and error, isn't it?" he chuckled, shooting her a little glance. "And I'm not sure if I was any help, or if I was more of a distraction than anything else, but she hadn't shouted me out of the greenhouse yet for my suggestions, so... I guess I'll take what I can."
Post by Edith Byron on Sept 22, 2022 4:11:54 GMT -5
Gunne was happy to hear Romulo would protect her and the kids the same way he had protected his sister back in the days, although she would never want him to get hurt again. When Temperance mentioned a sister, lady Cortell looked at her. "What does your sister do, if I may ask?"
The conversation shifted to potions. "Thank you, dear", she said facing Romulo. "Eventually we'll find the potion that can cure you, I'm sure of it." She glanced around the room, looking at both of her guests. "Trial and error is indeed important, as long as it doesn't cause the pain to get worse."
Post by Romulo Cortell on Sept 22, 2022 9:30:49 GMT -5
Romulo looked at her softly knowing that she would never want him to get hurt again for her, but when you love someone as much as he love her and the kids, he would give life and limb from them all. The way she promised that they will find a potion to cure the pain. "We will dear cause you are amazing." Squeezing her hand softly. He love hearing about her potions. He then looked back at their guest.
"Thankfully they haven't been many that made the pain worse, at the moment the current one helps keep it at a level where I can do most day to day task, is dose make me drowsy sometimes though. Which is hard when Ruben want to play soldiers most day." He laughed softly
"Don't be silly, Thomas. You're always helping me. Even when you're distracting me." She smiled and met his glance. She'd done this kind of thing a time or two or twelve when she was younger. Either joining her parents for tea with others, or meeting suitors her father had arranged for her. She liked people, and often felt like she could get a good read on them. But that didn't always mean she was great at conversing with them. In that way she was much like Thomas, a fake it til you make it kind of situation. Though she hadn't been sure exactly what to expect of this little tea party, she was enjoying herself, even if she was still a little nervous. She finished off the tea in her cup, and went ahead to refill it.
"Constance is a Lieutenant in the military, I believe she commands her own group of paired soldiers as well. It's her life, she genuinely enjoys it and I'm very proud of her. What of you, Lady and Lord Cortell? Do you have siblings?"
She nodded as they spoke of the potion. Temperance wasn't too sure about being able to cure such an old injury, but if anyone could do it, the nobility could. They had the kind of endless resources and time necessary. "I'm certain you'll figure it out together and Lord Cortell will be good as new. I understand the difficulty, though, my pain potions often cause drowsiness as well, at least when the patients are still getting used to them. It seems a difficult thing to avoid. There's still so much we don't know about the human body and brain."
Thom took another biscuit from the tray, listening quietly with that same small smile. He wasn't entirely certain that distracting her from work could really be called anything like 'helping', but so long as they were both happy with the arrangement, there wasn't any harm, right? Well, it wasn't all that important a point, in the end. So long as they had each other, there was little else that really mattered, all things considered.
"I'm rather familiar with the drowsiness myself." he chuckled, resting a hand on his side for a moment. "Temperance was kind enough to make me a potion to relieve my own pain, and though it was most effective, I only take it in quite small doses so I can remain awake through the day. Of course, she's always quick to remind me that there's no better way to heal than sleep as well.... but I do have to get some work done from time to time."
Post by Edith Byron on Sept 24, 2022 7:56:35 GMT -5
"Oh, interesting", Gunne replied, making herself sound more invested in Temperance's sister being in the military than she actually was. The Morrigans really weren't the biggest fans of the military, but there was no need for her to tell their company about it. "I do have a brother, yes, Keelan Morrigan. He's a merchant, a trader, and he's very good at what he does. I believe he'll be meeting with the king soon to discuss working for him. So, just like you, I am very proud of my brother." She offered them a smile. The woman didn't like the fact that Keelan wanted to handle the international trade for Nevermere because it meant he'd be working for the king, but she had learnt to keep her mouth shut about these matters to people that shouldn't know her family's affairs.
"We talked about that last time we met. Have you ever thought about doing your own research on the human body and brain? It seems like something you're interested in, and Goddess knowns we could use more information on the subject." She laughed slightly. Then she turned to Thom. "Sleep can indeed do wonders, as long as you're able to fall asleep at night." She didn't elaborate, but she had of course been referring to the sleep she was losing over her worries when it came to having a third child.
Post by Romulo Cortell on Sept 30, 2022 12:37:47 GMT -5
Romulo noticed the time on the wall and realise he need to get going. He kissed Gunne on the forehead. "I am sorry everyone but there a meeting I need to attand to, i couldn't rearrange." He looked at his wife, "I will see you later dear." He smiled softly with love in his eyes with also a hiding meaning behind it to.
He slowly walked over to his kids Ruben and Timea didn't want to let go "if you don't let go i won't read to you tonight." As soon as he said that they let go because they learnt that if he said that he will carry that through. "Nice meeting you two and if you need any help you two please you know where to find me."
"Oh, thats wonderful. I wonder if my father has ever worked with your brother before. I don't usually pay much attention to his work, but he trades with many merchants so it's possible. Either way it's always nice to see one's siblings doing well for themselves." Temperance immediately felt guilty in saying it, knowing how things had ended up with Thomas's brother, but she knew he wouldn't begrudge her for it. It was never her intention to hurt him and Thomas had seemingly made peace with how his family had ended up. Still, she wondered if he'd thought any more about her offer to help his brother with his addiction.
She smiled when Gunne backed her up about sleep. Thomas really did do his best to make sure that he was getting his rest and not working too hard while he was healing, but she wished he could take more time off. "See, Lady Cortell agrees, Thomas. You get up so early in the mornings when you could stand to sleep in just a bit more." She did wonder why Gunne might not be able to sleep, and could guess at a few reasons but really didn't want to pry into her business.
"I have actually thought of it, I've been studying up more on biology lately and I'm interested in looking further into the effects of certain herbs or magic on the body and brain, but it's really slow moving. There's time, though." Temperance's grin had widened again, proud that Gunne would have such confidence in her to do things of that sort. She knew Thomas would support her regardless, but the problem was the test subjects. "Are you working on anything particularly new or unique, Lady Cortell? As far as potions go?"
As Romulo stood to make his exit, Temperance stood as well and offered a curtsy. "I'm sorry to see you leave so soon, Lord Cortell, but thank you so much for chatting with us today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day."
There was something there, but this being an informal occasion, Thomas wasn't about to pry any deeper into the connections between Gunne's family and the king. Well, connections might not be the right word. Something quite the opposite, perhaps. Still, best not to poke his nose into that without due cause. Or mention too much about his own recent employments. Just a quiet smile and a little shrug at her comment about sleeping, that was all. "To be fair, I haven't had any trouble sleeping at all ever since meeting Temperance." His hand reached over to squeeze hers softly. "And it's not because she's slipping me potions with dinner. I think." The grin took any of the sting out of the teasing, leaning over to kiss Temperance's temple.
One eyebrow lifted slightly at Romulo's sudden statement, but he put it aside easily enough with another small shrug. "Well, some things just have a way of interrupting our fun, don't they? It's been a pleasure, Lord Cortell. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other at some point, or at least hearing more, if your wife and Temperance have anything to say about it. Enjoy your day."
When the conversation shifted to the topic of sleep, Temperance told Thomas that Gunne agreed with her. A small smile was visible on her face as she listened to the couple going back and forth about how one should sleep more, and how the other said he already slept better since meeting her. She laughed when Thomas mentioned the potions. "You can never be sure with a witch", she joked.
Gunne listened when Temperance explained that she had been thinking about it, nodding along from time to time. "Skia wasn't built in a day", she replied kindly. "You have all the time in the world to spend more time researching biology and herbs." It was nice of Temperance to return the question, but Gunne felt sad that she couldn't exactly share any exciting news. "I'm afraid not", she said before taking a sip of her tea. "I've been wanting to start a new project lately, but I'm not sure what I could do." She looked at Ruben and Timea. "Or when."
She was a little surprised to see Romulo get up but quickly realised he indeed had a meeting they had forgotten about. "Goodbye my love", she smiled, watching as he went over to the children. Then he left the room, and Gunne turned towards her guest. "I'm so sorry, Romulo told me he had a meeting he'd have to attend but I seem to have forgotten about it. Let's blame that on good company." She winked, hoping the couple didn't mind the sudden goodbyes her husband had said.
Her smile remained as Gunne reminded her that she still had plenty of time. "You're right, and it's easy enough to do the research while I work, luckily," she replied. She understood what Gunne meant to a degree, and once again there was that reminder about how children took up so much of ones time. Temperance remembered being in the garden with her grandmother even when she was just a toddler, so she hoped that her own children would enjoy it just as much. "I understand that. It feels like everything has been done, doesn't it?" She sighed. "Well, if you ever need help with anything, let me know. I'm happy to help."
As Romulo departed the group and Temperance and Thomas sat back down once more, Temperance took another of the cookies and took a small bite. "No need to apologize," she said once she'd swallowed the cookie down with some tea. "I'm sure you both stay busy. I'm just glad he was able to join us for as long as he was."
Her attention turned back to the children and she was smiling again as she finished her cookie. "I know your children are still young, but have you begun teaching them anything specific yet, Lady Cortell? A musical instrument or perhaps you let them see you or Lord Cortell while you work?"
Thomas settled back down into his chair with a little stretch, adjusting himself to get comfortable once more. That was the one thing about having injured ribs that just kept rearing its head. No matter where you were or how you were positioned, there was always that little niggling bit of annoyance that kept poking and prodding, and you could never get quite as comfortable as you intended. Masking that little grimace with a sip from his tea, he leaned back again, reflecting on the conversation.
"We understand, of course," he agreed with Temperance, rolling his shoulders into a small shrug. "It's not all that often that either of us have the free time with our own jobs to come out for something like this. One could hardly begrudge your husband for having his responsibilities come to interrupt."
With another small smile, he glanced over at the two children, another small smile rising unbidden to his lips. Of course, he and Temperance didn't have children, though the topic had arisen from time to time, notably where her parents were concerned. It was still a thought that could be somewhat concerning to him, given his past, but nowhere near as terrifying as it had once been.