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!
The hours before nightfall passed at an excruciatingly slow speed. Regan, who normally looked about as approachable as a drenched alley cat, couldn’t stop smiling, which earned her a few curious looks from her fellow guards. She was anxious and excited, her stomach tied into knots as she watched the sun creep ever closer toward the horizon.
Finally, finally, it was time.
Regan shed her armor down to her tunic, leggings, and boots before making her way to Cassian’s study. Arriving, she knocked, smile still pressing against her cheeks no matter how much she tried to contain it. Regan sought the unknown; any new thrill or possibilities that witchcraft had to offer she reached for with both hands. This was no different. But beyond that, there was something else as well.
Kennet’s words to her in the infirmary hadn’t been forgotten. Nevermere deserves more than an orphan with a chip on her shoulder. She’d been right. This was Regan’s chance to do more, to be more—for Cassian and her kingdom.
Arriving, Regan rapped on the door, waiting for permission to enter.
Last Edit: Sept 14, 2022 15:30:33 GMT -5 by Regan Lassiter
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 15, 2022 13:09:46 GMT -5
"Come in." There was an edge to his voice as he said it, but it was an invitation nonetheless. Cassian was at his desk, still pouring over papers, clearly looking swamped in all that had transpired in Nevermere during his time away. There were many moving parts now that they had more land and more citizens, and managing everything was a task and a half. He needed to hire more hands.
The king looked up eventually and would see who had entered.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:10:25 GMT -5
Regan, chin deep in enthusiasm, didn’t register the edge in Cassian’s tone. When she entered, her eyes were wide and shining as they fixed on the king. Her smile managed to squish into a flat line of professionalism, but only just.
Regan stood before him at attention, waiting, heart going a hundred miles a minute.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:24:04 GMT -5
Cassian’s gaze followed Regan’s movement right up to his desk. He knew why she was here. He had told her to come back. He still had every intention of making good on his offer, only the timing was bad.
Or maybe it was just right. Maybe stepping away from the maddening twister that was being king and shedding his skin for a coat and running under the night sky was exactly what he needed. This was his run with Alys, but she was gone. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she had been gone for many years.
His eyes were fixed on the awkward woman before him. She was not beautiful like Alys, nor was she as professional and polished. She wasn’t Alys. She would never be. But she was something else. Something powerful and valuable in her own right.
A light lit in Cassian’s eye. He abandoned his quill and stood rather abruptly.
“Let’s go.” He said decidedly, moving to the door, diving into his pocket for his key.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:25:35 GMT -5
Regan’s smile broke free from its constraints and spread with wild excitement across her features. She breathed deeply, resisting the urge to burst into flames for lack of any other way to release her enthusiasm.
Regan moved out of the way, following close behind the king with quick and eager footsteps.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:25:56 GMT -5
The portkey did it’s duty, just as it always did, and when the king opened the door of his study the scene beyond was in the woods rather than in the castle corridor. He stepped through, not looking to see if Regan had followed, knowing she would. They were at the cabin again, the one that was stocked with various things the king might need, all hidden inside the dusty structure so that it appeared to be abandoned. In the past with Alys they had used a simple stump to store their clothing, but Cassian had stepped it up a knotch.
He looked down at Regan, deflated in comparison to her near bursting state, and said,
“Undress to ensure you have something to put back on.”
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:26:09 GMT -5
Regan followed Cassian through the door, looking about the cabin they now found themselves in as if it were a magnificent dining hall. All she’d ever wanted was to be part of something. To matter. Now, in this dingy little cabin, she felt like she was finally finding that purpose she’d been hungry for. Regan’s eyes snapped to Cassian when he spoke, involuntary color rising to her cheeks.
Oh. Right.
With a silent nod, Regan bent down to pull off her boots. She tilted her body away before wrestling her tunic over her head and stripping down to nothing. Clothes in a pile, she turned back to Cassian, shifting awkwardly in her skin as she ran a nervous hand through her hair. Her smile remained as her eyes bounced from of the contents of the cabin back to the king.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:26:22 GMT -5
Cassian followed suit, removing his shirt first, followed by his shoes and then his pants. Unlike Regan, no blush came to his skin, and he didn't look to her. He didn't care to see her. His eyes had already fallen upon every private place that Regan possessed and there was nothing in him that longed to look again. She was a woman, quite simply, and he was a satisfied man.
The king led the way out of the cabin, his olive buttocks serving as Regan's guide. He tipped his face up towards the moon for a peaceful beat before he welcomed the change. With a groan he doubled over and his skin began to rip away, his hulking brown werewolf form bursting through. It hurt every time, but with time he found that the pain became more bearable. Especially when the fullness of his strength and freedom overwhelmed him upon being fully changed.
He turned his head to observe her, and if she looked ready to run then he would run.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:26:42 GMT -5
Regan, a perpetually unsatisfied creature, did look upon Cassian as he turned to exit the cabin. She blinked rapidly to refocus on the task at hand, and whatever color rose to her face was cooled by the evening air. Her heartbeat picked up again and the fire in her chest burned more brightly.
When Cassian’s skin started to fall away, with an excited growl her claws broke through her skin and her fangs extended. Fire started to catch on her fingertips, though it didn’t spread further. The exhilaration and animal hunger eclipsed any anxieties she might have had. All that mattered was the chase. The thrill of the hunt.
When Cassian turned to her, he'd see the hellhound in its fully-fledged form. With a glimmer in her eye, her smile twitched into a broad grin before she tossed her head back and howled. Regan would run when Cassian did, following him with all the speed her muscles could muster.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:26:47 GMT -5
He paced himself, listening for his company, ensuring she kept close to his heels. They wound through the forest, dodging trees by centimeters, throwing up leaves in the wake of their claws, breathing in the cool, fresh night's air and, in that moment, living for it. Living for the moment and nothing more. It was everything for Cassian. He was not a king, not a husband, not a father, not a brother; not anything. Just free. Just alive.
His path wound them up the side of a mountain and to a rocky precipice. Cassian charged to the head of it, his front claws catching the edge to keep his form from launching over. In this place he howled for the first time, a deep, guttural cry to the moon.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:27:15 GMT -5
Regan ran, pushing herself off trees and rocky ledges for additional speed. She could feel the life in the forest around her; smelling animals and humans that had long passed by. Above it all, her senses were hyper-focused on Cassian, pursuing him with every ounce of strength and speed she possessed. Regan felt weightless, her skin crackling with the warmth of sunshine as the fire spread up her arms.
She clawed and vaulted after Cassian up the mountainside. When he stopped, Regan skidded to a halt next to him, landing on all fours as if mimicking the form that was just out of her reach. Cassian howled and Regan followed, tossing her head back and sitting back on her knees. The fire caught over the rest of her body as her flames licked the sky.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:27:31 GMT -5
For the duration of his howl she was forgotten. Only when it ebbed, when his maw slowly closed, cutting off his sound, did he notice that she was at his side. His hulking head swiveled, brown eyes falling to rest on the naked little pup, observing her pathetic attempt to howl. Something moved in Cassian. A pity. A sympathy. A sense of...of something.
He lowered down towards her, entirely rapt by this little she wolf. She hound...thing.
After a moment of observation, he started to move, jerking his head to indicate that she follow, though it was unnecessary. He would descend the steepest part of the mountain until they reached more even land and then begin to sniff, attempting to find something to hunt.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:27:42 GMT -5
As the more powerful creature moved toward her, Regan's big, glowing eyes looked up at him in wonder. It was a desperate, needful gaze, one accompanied by a faint, pleading whimper.
Regan eagerly scrambled after Cassian. Seeing him sniff, Regan followed suit, testing the air with the one sense she knew would surpass his. She padded quietly through the forest, weaving for about ten or so feet before she caught a scent. It was several creatures wrapped up into one--likely a family of deer or elk. Regan grinned and looked to Cassian, indicating her head in the direction of the herd. If she were a hound, her tail would be wagging, her ears pricked hopefully.
In possession of a magical necklace that wards off offensive magic attacks against him, a ring that allows him to suppress magic, and can turn into werewolf at will.
Post by Cassian Rainecourt on Sept 19, 2022 13:27:55 GMT -5
Cassian was two steps behind her, only catching the scent after she had shown indication of finding one. He yipped in glee before taking off after the scent, his pace significantly slower in order to keep behind Regan and allow her to stop when she needed.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:28:13 GMT -5
Regan followed the trail with light footsteps. As they grew closer, her stops were less frequent and her chase gathered speed. The scent grew stronger, as did the intensity of Regan’s bloodlust. It wasn’t long before her flickering eyes fell upon an elk with broad antlers sipping from the stream. Two does and a younger male grazed nearby, but Regan’s eyes fixed on the largest one before they turned to Cassian, shining with excitement. She’d defer to him now: her king, soon to be her alpha.