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!
It was big news when the soldiers in Coheed and Cambria had been summoned back home. They had been away from a number of years at that point and being told to come home was nothing small. Bex was wildly curious about what their experiences had been like and was itching to find out. Too bad she wasn't exactly a social butterfly. She might just have to use her rank as an ice breaker instead of small talk.
She was walking through the various training areas and passed by the archery wing. She had been making an effort over the years to really try to encourage witches to use their magic with their hand to hand combat skills in order to perform better. Theoretically, every witch should be more combatively skilled than their male counterparts.
As she was strolling by she spotted a young woman who she knew to be a newly returned solider. She picked up a bow and a pack of arrows as she moved to the target next to Elletta. As she shot the arrow towards the target she muttered an incantation and the arrow split itself into ten separate pieces, each one landing in a circle shape around the center of the target.
"You just got back from Coheed, didn't you?" she asked the witch next to her.
She'd been at the range for a while. Probably, at the very least, a full candlemark and a half. She was taking the time to really work through her arsenal, even if it was just the two bows she'd had for a while now. She'd started with her longbow, spending the time to really work her form even though it was muscle memory at this point. But her bows were also cathartic, where she could just focus on the motions, her muscles and repeat it. It was soothing and she could afford to sink more into that repetition in a way that she couldn't in Coheed.
Elletta had only just strung her shortbow and let loose a handful of arrows when someone entered the range. Which, that was fine, she didn't have ownership of it though her eyes darted towards her longbow leaning next to her pack. A habit at this point, after someone had tried to make off with her bow back in Coheed in the early days. Her eyes shifted back to her target, bow lowered as she saw the other person notch an arrow and shoot it iin her perifery. Then the arrow split and it was ten, and why the hell hadn't Elletta thought to try that before? She was certainly gonna play with that later.
Okay, lady's voice, so another witch and not a guy. " Yes'm. Ain't been back that long but definitely missed it 'ere."
Bex pulled out another arrow and notched it as the girl beside her answered. She was a pretty little thing, the kind girl that gave of the impression of not being much of a threat. Yet she was a solider who had been leaving in a hardened place for years now. Bex appreciated a woman that was more than was she might be perceived to be on the surface.
She let loose a second arrow, muttering another incantation. This time when the arrow hit the target the whole thing turned into stone. "I've seen Coheedsman before but never spent any time with them. What was it like? I can't imagine it was a...particularly friendly environment."
She tucked a loose strand of her short hair behind her ear with a tattooed hand as she took her eyes away from the target and towards the young woman.
Elletta blinked at the target turned stone and then to the witch. Because, hells and all its bells, she had to learn that one. She was going to ask only to mentally be brought up a little short because this was an older witch, one who looked like she could break her in half. Probably would, and she wasn't sure if she'd say thank you for it or bite back. Actually, Elletta was pretty sure she'd bite back but this witch would definitely smack her down easy as pie. She wanted to be like this woman now. New role model acquired.
"Coulda been worse. The constant sun was... weird. And yeah, not the friendliest but made do. Most of the men were not fond of us women but a few weren't bad. Made one particular friend with a blonde guy, real punchable looking face. Decent for a spar at the drop of a feather. The women were definitely skittish." She rolled her shoulders and pulled two arrows from her back, lining them up and firing them simultaneously. Her best non-magic trick with her bow, firing multiple arrows at the same time. They hit just above center. "It wasn't that bad, but it wasn' Skia."
The darkness that was a constant in Bex's eyes grew even darker as the woman spoke more about Coheed. No, Bex would not be a good fit there. Perhaps that was one of the reason why she hadn't been send there. For a woman who was so focused on women superiority, being in Coheed would have been too much for the Lieutenant. But only in the way that doing some real physical and magical damage in a place where they were trying to make peace type of 'too much'.
"I can't imagine being somewhere like that. It makes me respect Cambria, I'll tell you that much. They may be savages who have little more than extra strength but that is merely due to their birthright. They stood up against their male inferiors and made a life of their own. Good for them."
"Thought 'bout takin' a Cambria post ever came up but alls I got was here or Coheed last go 'round and chose to stay there instead." There was definitely a tightness to her shoulders that was at odds with the attempt at a casual tone. There was certainly alot more that had gone into her choice to stay in Coheed than come home to Nevermere. Had nothing to do with what Coheed had offered and everything to do with her family. Which now her mood was a bit in the shitter and she wasn't going to pop off some arrows in that kind of mindset so she lowered her bow to her side completely.
It was odd to Bex to imaging anyone from Nevermere actually choosing to remain in Coheed. But everyone had their reasons and not everyone had Bex's attitude about the newly acquired kingdom. She too lowered her bow, resting the bottom on the ground and propping up her elbow with the other end as she turned her focus on the woman and their conversation.
"I have. I was there when Nevermere aided in Cambria's fight against Coheed. And now here we are, with both kingdoms under our thumb, interesting how the tides change," she said with a tone of thoughtfulness on top of her Neveremeren pride.
Elletta let out a low whistle. If she'd been given the choice of Cambria, she probably would have taken it. Definitely at the start because her and Octavius had had plans. And then the plans began to change and she stayed in Coheed and grew in a different way than she'd ever expected herself to. Before Coheed, she hadn't been much of one for a brawl but now, it wasn't something she was opposed to. She was certainly rougher and tougher than before she'd left Skia.
"Well damn. Sounds like you seen some stuff. D'you say it's much more different now, then? Or only just a lil bit?" She hadn't been sent to Coheed till it had been under Nevermeran control for at least a year so she wasn't entirely sure what had changed and what hadn't over that bit of time.
Bex gave a little shrug and she thought about the question. "I haven't been back personally since that battle, my focus has been here. From what I've heard, it's a little of both. There has been some change, especially now that they are under Nevermere's rule, but there are plenty of things that remained. I supposed I can't know that for certain though," she said.
"So, would you say your goals or attitudes have changed after spending so much time in Coheed?" she asked.
It was at this moment, now that she wasn't focused on her bow or the targets across the field that she realized that the other witch was not just another soldier like she was. The question popped the little memory haze around her head and she saw the insignia of a lieutenant on the witch's uniform. Oh. Well. If she'd realized from the start then she would've put more effort into her speech for sure, smooth out her words so they weren't as backwoods.
But she wasn't being called out on it so she supposed it wasn't a bad thing. "Well... It didn' scare me off from bein' a soldier." Considering she re-upped her contract.... "I'd prolly say I'm better at rollin' with the punches, literally or not. Learned to adapt an' all kinda on the fly in some cases."
As for the goals, the last clear goal she had on paper had been pairing. She hadn't bothered to change that on her paperwork because she had made some assumptions but they had turned out wrong without warning. "As for my goals, assumin' you mean bein' paried, I'm not tryin' for it but I'm not opposed to it."
Bex had not made any assumptions at all. Elletta was not a paired solider so Bex did not have any sort of access to her paperwork, though she could have possibly asked to see it. She had no reason to do so though, having never really spoken to the woman before. So she didn't know that she had once shown interest in being paired.
Of course, that was what Bex was subtly trying to ask. At the moment the most Bex could do would be to suggest her to the paired Captain though even if the Captain approved it would then need to go up to the Commander for final approval. Bex personally wanted to see more paired soldiers, who wouldn't want to increase the ranks of their own division? But she could do little more than show curiosity towards the archer. "I wasn't assuming anything," Bex replied. "Rolling with the punches, a fine trait to be sure."
It was good to know that the woman might be interested though and it got Bex's wheels turning in her mind.
She didn't know if the other witch, since she was more than just a soldier, had looked at her file before talking to her. Maybe she had, maybe she hadn't. Elletta wasn't sure and was wondering a little if the other woman hadn't sought her out with the way the conversation was going. Which, that wouldn't be the worst thing, she supposed.
Elletta cracked a bit of a sardonic grin. "Well, it was an unfortuna'ly somethin' I'd learned before even comin' to Skia for the first time for trainin'. Seems to've served me pretty well, though."
Bex, who had never been much good at small talk, was starting to struggle to find things to say. This was made more clear by the way she rubbed the back of her short hair with her palm and her gaze wandered back to the targets. She usually would just find a way to dismiss herself but she was trying to get better at it.
So she forced herself to turn her gaze back on Elletta and asked the first thing that came to mind. "Where are you from?"
Seeing someone of an upper rank being a little more uncomfortable around her was an odd experience, even if it was awkwardness in general. Which it seemed like.
"Jus' some small little village, closer to the border." It was a slightly stilted answer, a bit awkward and a bit not wanting to deal with the associated memories.
Bex didn't notice any hints that might have told her that Elletta didn't want to talk about it. So she unintentionally continued to pry. "Which border?" she asked. "Cambria or Coheed?" While both were now part of Nevermere they had not been when Elletta was growing up. "Do you prefer the country or the city?" she added too, wondering now if she was starting to ask too many questions.