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 Queen was dressed in as much finery as was possible in a place like Dresmond and her thick curly hair teased at her cheeks as she walked with a bounce in her step.
A pronounced bouncing spring of those curls was evident when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as she caught site of a familiar Dresmondi, one who had kept herself close since the beginning.
But it was less about the sight of the woman in general that has halted her steps as much as her appearance. While never particularly appealing, she was even more of a horrid state today. Without trying to hide the look of disgust on her face she even took a half step back before addressing her. “What the hell happened to you?” she practically sneered.
Last Edit: Jan 8, 2023 11:42:35 GMT -5 by Elena Eldouir
Tazmin’s nose was permanently bent out of joint. Well, perhaps it always had been, but now it was literal rather than metaphorical. It did seem it was possible for the usually foul woman to look worse. But she did, and Tazmin was going to make everyone beneath her pay the price.
She’d been spending the day doing what she always did: bullying new recruits. Before Taz’s torture and humiliation had been inflicted with a sense of humor. Now, she looked at them with a sneer, delivering her orders and injuries with a malicious sadism that was new and—to the little Dresmondi under her thumb—frightening. They didn’t dare comment on her rearranged features, though more than a few had been caught staring and paid the price.
Stalking home, Tazmin didn’t notice Elena until she was nearly upon her. After a moment of surprise, she broke into a grin, popping out on one hip, looking a little more like her old, cocky self. Tazmin didn’t intend to let the Eldouir see she’d been shaken. She would forge ahead. Unbreakable, unstoppable, and with a vengeance.
“Hiram happened to me,” She shrugged, as if it were nothing to be concerned about, “Tribute’s supposed to cost ya something. Wasn’t expecting him to give me a night in paradise, and on that front, he didn't disappoint.”
It was a facsimile of pride. The arrogance didn't come as easily as it had before.
Post by Elena Eldouir on Jan 8, 2023 11:46:36 GMT -5
Hiram. Of course. It really should have been her first guess she supposed. Though it was the idea of 'a night in paradise' with him that made Elena cock her head in question. She didn't see the appeal. Why would Hiram be interested in rolling around in the sheets with Tazmin? He had much better picks of the litter than her.
"So...was the beating before, after, or during?" she asked. Was this punishment or some twisted part of Hiram's pleasure. Both made sense, given that it was Hiram they were talking about. She glanced down at the hyena beside Taz and her nose scrunched up slightly. These two were quite the unattractive pair, weren't they? She wondered if Dresmondi were ever disappointed by the dyrs they ended up with.
“During.” Taz stated bluntly, still with the same maniacal grin on her mangled face. Whatever mirth her smile might have held didn’t reach her eyes. It was there the crack in her confidence could be found. The real damage that Hiram inflicted lived there.
“I suppose I have you to thank, in a way,” Tazmin continued, still puffing out her chest as if she owned the world, “You accepted my offering. And so, my queen,” Taz dipped her head, “Thank you.”
Rikki had moved a little closer to Elena. He was panting at her feet, drooling a little, staring up at her with his big yellow eyes while wheezing with nervous excitement.
Post by Elena Eldouir on Jan 13, 2023 12:28:36 GMT -5
During. Well, that tracked. Elena had spent time with many of Hiram's toys before, enough to be familiar with the way their eyes held the story. Though Taz was smiling, a smile that wasn't unlike that of her hyena, it didn't reach her eyes. It rarely did if she was being honest. Hiram took what he wanted, he had never been much of a giver, and it was rare indeed to find someone who could accept such a beating with actual joy. Elena felt for Taz, though she wouldn't admit it.
"Well, it was a memorable offering. One with more devotion and true sacrifice than most." She remembered it well. She'd given up on her own sister. Even an Eldouir wouldn't do that. If there was one thing that the Eldouirs took seriously it was family loyalty. Yet she had not seen the same sentiment in most dresmondi. Family just didn't have much of a place here it seemed.
She looked down at the hyena and a small scrunch wrinkled her nose at the way the creature drooled. "What was your dyr's name?" she asked Tazmin while still looking at the hyena.
Tazmin shrugged. A memorable offering. Yes, she’d certainly been going for the dramatic and it was good to know that she’d succeeded in attaining it. Even now, Taz didn’t regret her choice. She’d spent enough time in the Dresmondi dirt. If a little pain and humiliation were all it took to bump elbows with greatness, then she was willing to endure it.
At his mention, Rikki’s feet started to tippy tap with unbridled excitement. Taz rolled her eyes, giving the hyena a half-hearted kick so he’d stop staring at Elena as if she were a prize to be coveted.
Though she was. She certainly was.
“Rikki,” Taz responded with an eye roll as the hyena regained his footing and spun in an little circle. “Don’t mind him, he’s…a fan." Rikki panted.
Post by Elena Eldouir on Jan 15, 2023 14:03:35 GMT -5
A dresmondi's relationship with their dyr was such a fascinating thing. It could be so different from one pair to another, more than Elena would have expected. I mean, a dyr was literally part of their soul yet there were times in which the relationship was less than pleasant. It was odd. What would it be like to be at battle with oneself like that? Especially when their health, or their life at least, was so vital to your own. What a complicated relationship.
She did like the idea of someone being a fan of her though. There was some who feared the Eldouirs, okay most had some sort of fear of them. But a fan, a true fan, that was more of a rarity. It made her look at the dyr with at least a little less distaste. "Wouldn't it be funny if you ended up with a Tasmanian devil?" she asked, looking back to Taz. "Cause your name. Taz and Tas." She waved off her own joke, not expecting a response. Perhaps it was rude to suggest a different dyr. She didn't know.
"How long ago were you injured?" she asked, wondering how fresh the wounds were.
Elena’s joke was entirely lost on Taz. She raised an eyebrow as Rikki continued to pant at Elena’s feet. Taz wondered whether the hyena would explode from over-excitement. He’d always had a few screws loose. She supposed she was to blame.
“Couple days,” Taz shrugged, “Was going to go back to see him but…” She waved at her twisted visage, “Not lookin’ like this.”
Post by Elena Eldouir on Jan 22, 2023 19:10:09 GMT -5
If Elena had not been an Eldouir...if Hiram had not been an Eldouir, then she might have questioned Taz in why the hell she was going to back to see the man who had done that to her face. However, Elena was perfectly aware of why. If there was anyone you wanted to earn the approval of, in whatever form that might look it, it was Hiram. At the very least, you didn't want to be on his bad side. The man was a terror. Elena loved that about him. It was because of him that they got to where they had up until this point. But that didn't make him a pleasant person to be around very often.
"I'm sure he'd take you either way," she commented but wasn't exactly encouraging her to do it anyway. "I have some salve that might help it heal faster if you want," she said. Being raised in a household such as this, you had to find ways to recover physical injuries as quickly as possible.
Taz was stupid, but she wasn’t a fool. Hiram wasn’t after her for her good looks; why else would he have pulled that skinny little princess Xanthe from the pack when Taz had offered herself up on a platter? But it was the principle of the thing. Taz wasn’t to be able to look Hiram in the eye and not feel like she was a mangled mess of dogmeat looking back. Call it confidence, call it vanity, call it whatever you like.
“That’d be swell, my queen,” Taz dipped her head, a flicker of something lighting behind her eye. It was like she noticed all of a sudden that Elena was also someone worth oggling just as much as Hiram was.
Taz wasn’t the brightest bulb, but at least she was still on the shelf.
“Shall we follow you, or…?” Rikki panted, seemingly about ready to piss himself with excitement.
Post by Elena Eldouir on Jan 26, 2023 21:30:20 GMT -5
Taz could have denied but Elena could appreciate someone who accepted a gift when it was offered to them, even if the gift was as seemingly small as a salve. "Yes, come this way." She looked down at Rikki, being sure to sidestep him enough to not only avoid tripping on the creature but also to avoid stepping on any slobber that may have dripped onto the floor.
She led the two of them in the direction of the training ring where the outermost room attached to the estate held various weapons, armory, and other military tools. Through that room was another smaller room where there were a few tables and some cupboards with supplies. "Sit," she ordered Taz, pointing to a table, and she began to rummage through the cupboards for the salve.
Finding it she turned back Taz and had a flashback of when she had their Coheedsman captive in a room like this after his capture. That had turned into one of the hottest experiences she could remember. She was pretty sure this experience would not end quite like that one. The memory had her eyes glaze over momentarily before she shook her head and moved to the table and opened the lid of the salve. "Are there any wounds that aren't currently visible?" she asked.
Taz strutted after Elena. Despite the state of her face, having the attention of an Eldouir had given her a much-needed boost. She was on the inside. Getting the attention she long deserved—even it if wasn’t quite what she expected.
When instructed to sit, Taz did just that (though not without some discomfort). Rikki happily took up a place near Elena before Taz shot him a dirty look and the hyena backed off. He was an insufferable weasel, just like his Dresmondi.
Elena’s question took her aback. She looked almost embarrassed, brow furrowing as she shifted uncomfortably.
Post by Elena Eldouir on Feb 6, 2023 18:00:03 GMT -5
Elena looked down at the hyena as he settled himself close to her. It didn't take him long to move, however, and Elena could only assume it was at the instruction of Taz. The woman's body language at her question made her actually feel pity for the dresmondi. Elena had a strong sexual appetite. She had had many partners over the years of varying length and intensity. Beyond her own family members there were others that stood out. The Coheedsman, Victor, Honora...each one had tucked themselves into her very being in a way that was beyond mere physical satisfaction.
Though Elena was certainly one to nudge against boundaries and had never held back from making someone uncomfortable, she had never merely taken what she wanted in the way that many of her family members did. She didn't find satisfaction in being with someone who didn't want to be with her, at least on some level. She also never caused harm. At least not beyond little bites or scratches or slaps when the situation presented itself. So while she would never try to chide the head of the house, she had never really approved of Hiram's style of doing things.
She dipped her finger into the salve and leaned in closer to Taz as she began to apply it over the visible injuries on Taz's face. Her touch was as gentle as it could be, not wanting to cause more pain than was strictly necessary. She worked in silence until she'd applied it over every mark that she could currently see. "May I apply it to the other places?" she asked. She did not demand. In fact, there was not even a note of expectation in her voice. She was giving Taz the choice. An actual choice.