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!
Aldrich Abbottclucked and looked entirely taken aback by it. From his safety in the crowd, Ber let out a disbelieving exhale in lieu of a laugh, jaw dropping open for a moment before be regained control of his expression. Biting the inside of his cheek, he watched as the officer attempted to explain himself to Regan Lassiter , who looked entirely enraged by the entire affair. That - and the bark to fall in line - sobered the soldier up quickly, even though technically he had done nothing wrong. With the rest of the soldiers in the audience, Ber stood at attention, doing his best to become just another face in the crowd.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 5, 2023 18:02:20 GMT -5
The soldiers fell into line when Regan Lassiter told them to. Aldrich himself was still behaving like a chicken, walking silly while he tried to make his way over next to her. He didn't feel like he needed to line up with them since he was the dupe of this. Someone had cursed him and he could only guess it had been one of the witches, just now. Someone didn't like his drilling methods. But little did they know there was a strategy and idea behind it all. Doing push-ups while having someone on your back was a way to show how strong you really are, and it also formed a connection. The other soldiers would see who was the strongest, and they'd train with them. Of course, putting @torsten on Zarha Sliva 's back was just a little... amusement. The young girl was strong, but she needed to realise that there were limits to her strength and that she had to learn how to be okay with them. Mosse was a big soldier, tall and trained, having him on your back would be basically impossible to lift with a push-up. But it didn't matter now, because someone didn't understand this strategy and had instead decided to play a little game, a game Aldrich didn't appreciate.
The drill officer was glad that Regan stepped in. He had a lot of respect for the Huntsman, and was happy that she was there to take the word while he couldn't. He was still clucking like a chicken and he did not like that. Mosse had made a big mistake talking to Aldrich like that, and if he had had his voice, he would have made this loud and clear. A personal vendetta wasn't something they could use in the military right now, with war on the horizon.
Posting order: Regan Lassiter first, then it doesn't matter
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Feb 5, 2023 18:04:40 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
Post by Regan Lassiter on Feb 5, 2023 20:22:19 GMT -5
The clucking officer was, for the moment, forgotten. Regan would no doubt have words for him as well, but for now, her focus was on the soldiers who—if they were smart—had lined up before her. Despite her recent mentorship of Othello, Regan was no trainer. Her closest point of reference was to these privates who were just now setting out to prove their competency. She’d been in their shoes, and when she had she’d grabbed and scraped for every opportunity she could get her hands on. No task was too difficult, no exercise too humiliating.
Where had Nevermere gone wrong?
She would walk up to @torsten, getting within inches of his face (even though she had to crane her neck to do so): “I’ll get to you later, “ She hissed before turning her fury on the wider group.
“Alright,” Regan started, walking up and down the line with her eyes on fire, “I’m going to give the witch who slung the curse the opportunity to present herself. One chance: that’s all you get. If you don’t…the whole lot of you will face the consequences of her actions.”
Regan stood back, arms crossed, glaring at each soldier, one at a time.
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Feb 5, 2023 21:02:03 GMT -5
Rhedara fell into line at Regan Lassiter 's orders like everyone else did. She was sweating bullets. She hadn't done something this stupid since she was in training. In her mind, she saw her whole military career launch itself into a chamberpot with a sad little squeak. What had she been thinking?
That was the thing, she hadn't been thinking at all. She had let her temper get the best of her. Again. And she had let her temper place a curse on someone. Again. Only this time it was a superior officer that was just doing his damn job. And for what? A split lip? And oh, Terra Nova, Lassiter was frightening. She couldn't even think of how funny Aldrich Abbott looked strutting and clucking like he was. As it was, it was taking all the gumption she had stored in her body to remain rigid and to not crumble into a weeping heap of stress.
When Lassiter gave her ultimatum, Rhedara considered not saying anything. She would get away with it...there had been no witnesses. Maybe. She thought of the peers that had been around her when she slung the curse. She was sure that she had been quiet while she worked the magic, but what if she hadn't been as quiet as she thought? What if one of them snitched on her, or worse, what if they all took the punishment and then they later found out she did it? She would need these people watching her back one day, and the sort of resentment that comes with a group punishment didn't lead to good things.
She took three deep breaths to make her brave enough to take one step forward out of the line, and another one for her to give herself up, "It was me, Ma'am."
Post by Regan Lassiter on Feb 5, 2023 21:55:19 GMT -5
Regan turned slowly to face the witch that had stepped forward. She didn’t recognize her but studied her face so it could be remembered. She closed the space between them with a few measured strides, looking down at her with narrowed eyes. For a long time, she just stared at Rhedara Shannon before she turned her attention to the entire group.
“You all have a job to do here,” Regan barked, still staring down each soldier as if she were talking to them alone, “now you may not like it all the time,” She looked at Rhedara Shannon, “nor will you always like the people telling you to do it,” She looked pointedly at @torsten, “but treat it like anything other than a privilege and you don’t stand a chance in what lies ahead.” She paced up and down the line. She looked at @katerina.
“Private Winters will be conducting the rest of the exercises with Officer Abbott's...assistance. The two of you—” She looked at Torsten and Rhedara, “Come with me.” Regan turned on her heel to exit the training yard. She’d pass Aldrich Abbott as she left, stopping and leaning in close. “Get control of your soldiers, officer. That’s your job.”
She’d carry on, expecting @torsten and Rhedara Shannon to follow.
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Feb 5, 2023 22:14:29 GMT -5
Rhedara stared right back at Regan Lassiter...not out of defiance, but petrification. She was doomed. She might as well wrap herself in a funeral shroud right now. When Lassiter told her and Tor to follow, she did with the air of someone going to their own funeral. She promised herself that whatever happened, she'd try to retain some dignity...even if the dignity was her not wetting herself.
Torsten remained expressionless and at rigid attention. He nodded an acknowledgment of Regan's command, did an about face and exited the area, following swiftly behind her and looking straight ahead.
Kat was….. surprised to say the least. And also slightly annoyed. She had tried to blend but apparently that hadn’t worked, and now she was in charge of a group of people she had no knowledge about. But she had done this in coheed, she could do it here.
Looking at Zarha Sliva and @berengar , as well as the rest of the poor saps that were there, she nodded her head at Stormcrest. She knew he wasn’t shit and maybe knew the younger group they were with. ”Right, enough of the push ups, 10 laps with this one” Her head jutted towards Zarha, “and then Stormcrest and I will sort you into sparing pairs.” Like it or not she was in charge and she wasn’t going to let anyone forget it.
It wasn’t hard to quietly disappear into the sea of faces when there were a handful of others absolutely determined to keep the attention on them. Well, better them than him.
Mosse had doomed himself the moment he had decided that insulting a superior officer entirely unprovoked sounded like a good idea. Ber would not have expected it of him - the man had seemed reasonable enough the few times they’d interacted - but he would remember the other soldier’s inability to control himself going forward. And then there was Shannon. Cursing a superior officer, knowing that she would have to stay in his vicinity, required audacity that bordered on stupidity. As every respectable street rat knew, the first rule of breaking the rules was to not get caught. A thief never lingered near his mark after a successful hit, and if there was going to be a crime, there had to be an escape route.
Because neither of them had planned for one, Regan had made one for them: through her. He liked the Huntsman, but he would take dealing with an angry Abbott over dealing with an angry Regan any day.
As for himself? Ber wasn’t even supposed to be here. While the Huntsman departed, with the two fools following in her wake, he had every intention of abandoning everyone to the non-existent mercies of @katerina and a thoroughly humiliated Aldrich Abbott . But it was not to be. Her nod was the only warning he had before the witch revealed that if she was forced to participate, he would be too. As the rest of the soldiers started on their laps - he had chosen to interpret his apparent inclusion as Winters’ assistant-of-sorts alongside the fact that this wasn’t his training session as justification for her instructions not applying to him - Ber approached the witch with whom he was only somewhat familiar.
Dark eyes glanced over at the clucking drill instructor before he had to look away again lest the smirk reach his face. Shannon may have been stupid, but that didn’t mean her curse was anything less than hilarious or what the man deserved. He kept his voice low when he said, sardonically, “Welcome back to Skia.”
Zarha stood to attention as the huntsman spoke, she has much respect for the woman, she also trained her and in her eyes, Zarha can learn a lot from that woman. She has the power and strength that Zarha wish that one day she might poses. However when she left and left Winters in charge to train them even though they are same rank Winters is more experienced.
Starting her laps there was times where she felt like she needed to speed off knowing that she can go faster then everybody here, everybody was slow here. trying so hard to work as a team.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 6, 2023 4:51:58 GMT -5
To say Abbott was angry was an understatement. He was livid, furious and all the other synonyms you could think of. He appreciated that Regan Lassiter had stepped into the yard to discipline the soldiers but he was extremely annoyed by the fact he simply couldn't do it himself anymore because of this clucking. Regan had given the responsibility of the training to Winters, which was even more humiliating. Now he was just supposed to stand next to these snotnoses? No, he wouldn't have that.
After Lassiter, Mosse and Shannon had left the premises, he waited until the first lap was completed before putting up his hand. "Bok bok, we're done- bok, for the day", he spoke (or clucked?). He waited for a moment to let the other cadets arrive.
"Bok bok, as soon as this wears- bok, off, we're all going to have a word." The cadets nodded. He then looked at @katerina and @berengar with a bit of hatred and a whole lot of don't you dare talk back about the training being over in his eyes. How dared they take over his training without consulting with him first? This training was over. If he couldn't run it, it was done. But Shannon would pay for it. And so would Mosse.
Kat shook her head with a cackle. "I'm sure you hoped I'd never return, but we can't always get what we wish for." Maybe Stormcrest wasn't so annoyed with her, but she certainly would have been. Look at them now though, about to run a training session together.
Well until Abbott decided to do some more squawking and look at them all pissy like a child. Raising an eyebrow at him, Kat wasn't sure why he was acting more of a fool. But if he didn't want to train his cadets that was on him and not on her. And it wasn't like she was about to go tattling.
"Well, guess you'll let Lassiter know you cancelled her orders then. Good luck with them sir, they seem like a tough group." Turning on her heel, Kat left, no plans to stick around with the clucking officer.
Winters cackled. “Yeah, well,” He agreed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. “Maybe next time I’ll get lucky.” Turning his attention toward the soldiers, he watched as they started their laps. Standing and talking while other soldiers ran was an entirely new perspective, and surprisingly, not one that he entirely minded; up until this point, he had always been the one doing the running. It was a little nice being on the other side.
At least until Abbott decided to cut everything short and dismissed everyone. Ber paused. Regan’s orders superseded the drill instructor’s, but it didn’t take a genius to recognize that the further one got from Abbott before his inevitable explosion, the better. The only problem was— Winters voiced the thought that had apparently run through both their minds. As far as Ber was concerned, Abbott could be the one to inform the Huntsman that he was overruling her orders.
So the soldier simply nodded, offered a neutral “Sir”, and finally continued on his way to the mess hall.
Post by Zarha Sliva on Feb 6, 2023 16:53:57 GMT -5
Hearing this happen she was unsure what to do, is training over? She doesn't want it to be over. She watched as Ber and Katrina exit the training yard. "Sir, with your permission, may I stay behind and carry on my training?" Standing to attention waiting for his answer. She want to work on areas that she feels like she need to work on.
Curse was funny and did he deserve it? but at the end of the day he got where he was somehow, he wouldn't of got to his position without the hard-work and dedication to being a soldier and she doesn't have to like the man to respect him. He might push us, but he only push us because he seen the horrors we haven't seen yet.
If he allowed she would start on doing some sit ups which she always struggle doing but would still work on them.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 7, 2023 6:11:36 GMT -5
With a grunt he watched as Winters and Stormcrest left. The feeling of liking Winters had vanished now. While her idea of letting Tor sit on Zarha's back had been appealing, the way she spoke to him now wasn't as great. What would Lassiter care that he cancelled his training for the day? He'd be back, even stronger, once this curse had passed and he'd be drilling the cadets like never before. He snapped out of his thoughts when the voice of Zarha reached his ears. Most trainees had already left the courtyard together with the older soldiers, but this woman didn't get the hint, apparently.
"Bok bok, what do I care", he replied, turning around and leaving the training yard. He didn't like this Zarha character. She was too much of a try hard, and even though he did admire passion, hers was bothering him. Being aware of your strengths was more important than just training until you dropped. Without saying another word, Abbott returned home.