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 travel back was longer. She knew that they'd be spending so much more time traveling back which meant that they'd be hunting for food or finding things to gather. Alys felt more badly for Grant who was a literal house and she was sure he had never known true hunger until this trip. For her? This was a thing in her past coming back to her. So she had helped set up a few little snares and caught a few hares. It would have to do.
After the group ate, Alys sent Grant to sleep while she kept watch. She had released the original summoning that had been circling and protecting them. But each night she'd find a new one to watch over them. Circle their camp. She had made sure to do it out of sight of the Dresmondi, not wanting to startle them more than she thought they already were when they had seen the flying one that got them over the canyon.
So she waited until Grant seemed to nod off before she stood and went to the edge of the tree line, scanning and listening for anything she might not find normal. A full moon was rapidly approaching. She could feel it in her urge to shed her human skin and run. Made her roll her shoulders a little while trying to be still. The energy building in her, and the wolf wanting to meet Zevran face to face. She had fought her the first full moon. Had run off far enough that she was able to distract herself with a summoning for most the night.
It would be a few moments before she'd draw a blade from her waist, ready to pull the summoning for the night when she heard footsteps behind her, making her turn to look over her shoulder...
This would certainly be a trip he would not soon forget. Well, as long as he lived long enough for it to become a fond memory. A story told and retold over a crackling fire. It had taken him a few days into the trip to finally relax and decide the Nevermerans really weren't a threat. Between the potions and the terrifying creature seemingly summoned out of no where that flew them across the canyon, he knew Alys had not been bluffing about her powers. If they had wanted to harm them, they certainly would have by now.
Sleep still evaded him, though. Each night he lay on his back and stare up at the stars, thinking only of those left behind in Dresmond. Every night he wondered if Tribute had started yet. Had Luka still given herself to the Eldouirs? Would Ermir take another brand?
It was no different tonight, and he huffed and rolled to his side, curling in on himself a bit. He knew he couldn't fail them. He had to convince this leader of Nevermere to help them. He had to convince the Dresmondi in Arynn Frey to return to help as well. If he couldn't accomplish either of these things, they were all as good as dead.
The sound of movement broke through his brooding and he opened his eyes in time to see Alys walking away from the group. Rune had lifted her head as well and watched quietly, standing at the same time as Zevran so they could follow her. They all took turns remaining on watch at night, so he was not worried about her wandering off. But he was especially restless tonight and so he might as well join her.
Except, as he approached he noticed the glint of metal in the moonlight. Realizing she had a blade drawn, Zevran slowed his approach, coming to a stop as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Something wrong?" he asked quietly.
Seeing Zevran, that shiver ran down her spine again. She wondered if it would ever go away, as it was something she couldn't explain and she didn't understand the overwhelming desire to just be near him. It was infuriating in a way, and yet she found herself longing for him. Which it had taken a lot of her to not show that, or at least so she had thought. Hoping to not scare him off.
She shook her head, "No, nothing is wrong." She paused, turning slightly towards him so he could see the weapon easily in her hand. Alys didn't want to catch him off guard with it. "Each night I have been sending out a summoning... to circle us at camp. Just to ensure an extra layer of protection." She spoke softly. He might have seen the scarring across her arms from where she had been too reckless in her younger years. When she didn't care if she was scarred. But she had been trying better in the most recent years.
"If you are squeamish." She flashed an apologetic smile, "I'd look away," she would only wait a moment before slicing her arm and a dark, whispy shadow creature emerged. Glowing green eyes blinking at the two before it followed the witches command and zoomed out to start its prowling around them. She sheathed the blade before she worked on pulling a small vial from her pocket, barely dabbing some of the liquid to her finger as she then spread it over the wound. Slowly, it stitched itself back together.
"You should rest," she told him. "I can keep watch for now. Or well," her eyes flickered to the darkness moving through the forest. "We can."
Zevran didn't look away at her warning, but he did wince as the blade drew across her arm, blood running down in rivulets. He stared back at the creature that appeared and a small growl sounded from Rune's throat before it flew away. Zevran glanced down at Rune who was crouched at his feet, shaking his head a bit.
*'Their magic is very dark and very strange,'* quipped Rune. He had to agree with her, though Alys's voice brought his attention back to her. Watching her use what was some sort of healing liquid, he shook his head, "I've already tried. And if I can't sleep, I might as well make myself useful."
Taking a few steps closer to her, he looked quizzically at her arm, "So you have these liquids that can heal you, and the ones which turned you invisible. You summon those... awful creatures from your blood. What else can you do?" He was beginning to feel a bit inadequate. Rune sneezed at his feet, feeling quite insulted.
The growl that came from the dyr, who has had heard him call Rune, made her own hackles raise for a second. Figuratively, but she quickly pushed it away and gave the dyr a small apologetic smile, the summonings were never something easy to accept. Even if you grew up with them.
She understood the feeling of not bring able to sleep, though she did it occasionally during their trip this far. Especially the days she used her craft. Which was every day of their trip. But it was him stepping closer to her that had her looking up to him. Brown eyes studying him as he studied her arm. Which she extended for him to examine if he wanted to in the dim light.
“What else can you do?”
Her smile grew, “So much more.” She admitted. Because it was true. And not just the things she could do as a witch. Her eyes flickered towards the glow of the firelight before she looked a bit more into the darkness. “We have four types of witchcraft. Every witch can do all four, but we usually specialize in an area or two.” Her eyes locked back onto him, the urge to be closer was strong but she rocked back on her heels. Not wanting to scare him. “I specialize in summonings,” then glanced down at Rune, “and incantations. Bursts of force or fire mainly. But I can’t control it quite like a fire dyr could.”
Alys moved her attention back up to Zevran. “But I’m getting better at potions. And we have quite a few cursemakers who could possibly make you cringe more than a summoning might.” She teased. “What do you two control?” She asked, looking between them.
He listened though he felt like he could barely wrap his head around all that she said. So much power contained in one person, and there was an entire army of them in Nevermere.
"And Grant? Is he the same way?" he asked before looking down at Rune and shrugging. "Nothing nearly as interesting as your powers. We control the darkness."
A small shadow detached itself from the ground then, barely visible in the dark of the night. It rose in the air and moved towards Alys, wrapping itself around her arm, appearing almost as a whisp of smoke, and then it faded to nothing.
Zevran shrugged, "It was one of the more useless elements even during the days of our caravans. But it's what we have." But back then, no one thought in terms of the power of their magic. They all worked together to live and to maintain the land. So much had changed.
He studied her quietly for a moment before glancing around them, "Well, if we're both not going to sleep, maybe you could fill me in on what to expect when we get to Nevermere? Would you like to walk or sit?"
Alys looked towards the mountain of a Delaney back towards the fire. “Not quite. Men don’t have the magic, women do.” She answered, staring at him. “But they pack a mean punch.” Not to mention the secret that the men, those below twenty nine now, turned into werewolves. But Alys did that as well. The only female to do such a thing (to her knowledge at this point).
The idea of controlling darkness had her tilting her head before she saw the shadow wrap around her arm. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she swore the spot it touched her was cooler than the rest of her. Her dark eyes shining with amazement as it seemed to wave across her arm before disappearing.
“It’s only useless if you say it is.” She looked quickly towards him. “They used to say that about us,” she admitted, “witches.” There was a time where they were more suppressed and getting any sort of training was was for nobles. Not the commoner women. “Besides,” her eyes zeroed in on Rune, “I’m sure they’d disagree.” A small laugh, followed by a silence. One she almost filled as both man and woman seemed to just look one another over. Studying each other.
“Walk. Even though that’s all we’ve been doing… maybe it’ll get us ready for when Kezia and Grant take over.” She would turn to start onto a small game trail, expecting he and his dyr would be right beside her. “Where would you like to start? The people, the kingdom, royalty?” The curly haired witch asked.
Last Edit: Sept 21, 2022 21:00:57 GMT -5 by Deleted
The corner of Zevran's mouth tilted up in a small grin at Alys's fascination with the small tendril of darkness. The smile grew a bit wider as she addressed Rune directly, and Rune whined her agreement with Alys's statement.
"Yes, I should watch out before she attempts to smother me in my sleep tonight." He reached down and ruffled the fur on Rune's head and she play nipped at him in turn. "Truly, she's the better one between us. The wise, old fox."
He fell into step next to her as they moved onto the path, wandering slowly with his hands tucked into his pockets, thinking about what to ask. "Hm. Well, in Dresmond we don't have royalty. Or, didn't have royalty. But I hope it's quite a different concept than what the Eldouirs have imposed on us?"
Though laughter didn’t tumble from her at the moment, her eyes said everything about the humor she found in his words. To be a fly on the wall as the two communicated. Just like she had seen with Tana and Fintan, and now with the two in front of her. “I won’t stop her,” she let the humor filter her words as they moved. Mainly because she got the feeling Rune wouldn’t do such a thing.
Their steps were muffled by the grass, an occasional crunch of a twig or dry leaf sounded under their foot. That was, until he finally picked where he wanted to start. “Quite different.” She would attempt to ease him. “Cassian Rainecourt, our King, is not a cruel man,” she believed that in her heart. “He is selective with his words, he thinks things through before acting or speaking. He wants facts over stories.” She glanced over at Zevran. “He has a wife,” Alys normally avoided talk of the Queen. “And children.” She kept her eyes down casted on where they were walking.
“He has a council who holds power as well, practically shadows the Queen in a way. Lady Kennet Delaney,” she told him. “His Majesty was interested on hearing Fintan’s words on behalf of Dresmond. But… things got a bit complicated in Coheed. And we didn’t run back into Fintan.” Slight regret was on her voice. “He and I had spoke. He told me about some of the horrors that the Eldouir’s have put on your people.” She glanced up at him. “I’ve seen the destruction a few of them could do. It took a rather large summoning to help drag down the dragon gifted. With the help of another woman.” Cambrian…
“Telling the truth will be the best option, explaining what has been happening to your people,” she slowed and turned towards him with a step. “If you didn’t have royalty, how does your society work?”
He was listening intently, trying to absorb everything she was saying. It was important for him to understand as much as he could of the King beforehand. He needed to know how to convince him of their plight.
His eyes widened slightly at the mention of a dragon, though he didn't ask any further questions. He didn't want to know, really. Truth be told, he had done all he could to stay away from the Eldouirs and knew very little of what gifts each of them possessed.
"Before the Eldouirs? Everyone was equal here. There was one exception and they were known as The One. They held the medallion that was used in the ceremony where our young were given their dyrs, but... that has been lost for some time now." He trailed off, going quiet for a moment as he was reminded of the pain that came with the medallion disappearing. With knowing there would be no more dyrs and no more magic.
He cleared his throat and continued on. "But even they were not really treated as royalty. We all lived together, worked together, raised the children together. Traveled wherever in our caravans. Nights were spent around campfires drinking and dancing... among other things."
He flashed a lopsided grin at her before his face fell into a grim look again. "But that is all ancient history now. Now we are ruled by the two Eldouir Queens. Bah." He kicked a random stone and it skittered through the grass, bouncing off a tree with a soft thunk.
Just as Zevran wanted to learn as much as he could, the same was true about Alys. She wanted to know because she was coming back with extra. Not just her and Grant’s word on what they had heard in seen in Dresmond. But now they had a first hand account, two who could answer all of Cassian’s questions. Also… Alys needed to know why she was drawn to him. Thus far, all she had noted was the fact that she didn’t feel this towards any of the other Dresmondi. So it wasn’t them as a people. It was him.
He spoke on no hierarchy in their society. Except for the One who held some medallion. She already knew her next question, and couldn’t help but let it tumble. “What is the ceremony? Do you find your dyrs in the wild? You aren’t born with them?” She was genuinely curious, and as she realized:; more than one question tumbled out, she tucked her chin down and gave a small, sheepish laugh. “I apologize,” she said softly. Even though she wanted to ask more about the drinking and dancing and… whatever he meant by other things.
Though that smile of his gave her a hint. It made color flood to her cheeks, just a touch. But her own face drew more serious as his did. “Two queens? And what of Hiram Eldouir?” She asked, rather confused… he had been the biggest issue. Always.
Last Edit: Sept 25, 2022 10:05:05 GMT -5 by Deleted
An easy smile fell on Zevran's face as Alys fired her questions at him. It had been so long since he could speak on the way things used to be in Dresmond.
"Don't apologize for asking questions. It's nice to reminisce about those days. The ceremony is where our children were given their dys and their names. They would sleep in sand in what we called the Cave of Names. They were either deemed worthy enough and would wake and emerge with their dyr and with their name, or they were not and remained within the sand."
He winced, thinking about what had become of that sacred place, "But with our medallion missing, we could not hold anymore ceremonies, and so none of our children have received dyrs or their actual names in many years now."
The darkness covered the way her cheeks reddened slightly at his hint of the nightly activities of Dresmondi, and so he only grimaced at her next question. "That one took over our Cave of Names. He desecrated that sacred place, made it his home. That's where they hold the Tribute each year, the only time we're permitted to travel outside of Elderkeep. I do not see him around the actual city much though." He shrugged, thinking it was probably for the best that this Hiram was not around much if Alys was asking after him specifically.
"Is there anything specific I should know when speaking to your King? Do I need to... act in a specific way?"
His answer only fueled a million more questions. Things she desperately wanted to dig into. If Nevermere was going to be involved, she wanted every piece of information that he’d give her, because anything could be an angle into how to get around Hiram and the rest of the gifteds he had there. Plus the Dresmondi that they had already been told about who were brainwashed to worship them. She didn’t like the idea of such minds being against them. Because for her, they were the unpredictable. They might see the surge of power from the witches and fight back. Or they might push harder to figure with the gifteds.
But she knew she was pushing for answers but hadn’t given back as many. So she waited for his questions, which she found easier to answer. “Respectful. A quick bow,” she turned to face him, bowing at the waist in the way a man usually would. Not deep, but enough to be respectful to someone who was not their king but was respected for the title they held. “And stick to ‘Your Majesty’ when addressing him directly unless he tells you to otherwise.” Alys had fallen into ‘My King’ a lot of the times, but she had a different relationship with him.
“Be honest. We need to know what we are up against if you can. Anything could be useful.” She had stopped walking after her bow and was watching him. “Which is why I have a lot more questions.” There was a small smile, but she knew they wouldn’t be easy questions. “Where are the Eldouir’s if they keep the Dresmondi all within Elderkeep? Do they patrol Dresmond?”
He watched her cut the bow, a bit perplexed by the whole thing. He supposed it was just a simple sign of respect in their land, but it would be awkward all the same. Still, he committed her words to memory.
He stood looking at her now, his hands still tucked in his pockets. The dim light from the moon was catching in her curls, highlighting them in the silvery light. He couldn't help but appreciate her beauty in that moment, so there was a bit of silence that stretched between them.
"Oh, they're also within Elderkeep. They have this home built behind walls. Sometimes they come out to roam, but for the most part their Dresmondi military are the ones who move around to keep everyone in line."
She liked this, whatever it was that passed silently between them under the pale moonlight. She shouldn’t, not as much as she was, but she was practically purring as he looked at her. It was exciting and made her heart race unlike anything before, and that wolf… it pushed at the edges of its confines within her. Wanting his touch, wanting him… yet she focused on his words. Eyes darting to watch them form on his tongue.
So they have grown lazy, or at least appeared to. Compared to what they had been doing in the past. She tucked that away too. “Nevermere is mainly overcast. So enjoy the sun here while you can. And… I hope you don’t mind the seaside.” She got the urge to touch him again, so she shoved her hands into her own pockets, doing what she could to help lessen the feeling.
“You said the medallion was lost, and that children haven’t received their names… are you not named by your mother or father?” She asked, wanting to connect more pieces. “Where do you find your dyrs if… if you are buried?” She looked down to Rune, as if she could hear her voice.