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!
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 4, 2023 6:44:25 GMT -5
[For @elletta, set before Big Bad Wolf]
The objective for that afternoon? Finding Haider. He had trained the woman for a little while, just before she moved to Coheed. Even though it was a short amount of time, he had noticed that she was a skilled soldier, and being transferred to Coheed also wasn't just something to dismiss. She had definitely proved herself, and now she was back. He had heard talk about it, and decided to go look for her himself. Not necessarily to welcome her back, but because he wanted her to come to one of his drill trainings to demonstrate combat moves with him for the younger cadets.
The officer opened the door to the dormitory and put his hands on his hips. "Haider!" he barked. She'd have to come to him. He wasn't going to actually look for her.
She'd just gotten off shift barely an hour ago, had stripped off her outer most layer leaving the thin top that she wore under her uniform, and she had just settled in for a round of cards with a handful of other witches after she'd done her routine maintenance on her bow. A little something to finish winding down from the monotony of her shift, even if it was a nice way to reacquaint with Skia. At least she'd reconnected with a friend who'd not been sent off like Elletta had and they'd been paired together for patrols. So part of it had been Avara pointing out the changes that had happened while she'd been gone.
Of course, it was her luck that she'd barely make it through the first round of cards before her name was barked out. Cards laid down, she rolled to her feet and grabbed her the top of her uniform, pulling it on. Well, she'd thought the voice a tad familiar but seeing the officer rang a bell finally by the time she approached and snapped to attention. "Yessir, what can I do for you Officer Abbott?"
She might've thought him an asshole back in training but it had certainly saved her own ass when she was deployed. It sucked but was worth it and it had been agreed upon in whispers that they'd be much worse if it hadn't been for his training, short though it had been.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 9, 2023 8:18:04 GMT -5
He tapped his foot while he waited, but then Elletta turned around a corner and came into view. The man folder his hands behind his back and straightened the latter a bit to look more intimidating. "First of all, welcome back", he said. Kindness wasn't something that came naturally, but it couldn't hurt to welcome her back to Nevermere. "I'm doing a drill training in a bit and want you to join me in demonstrating combat techniques. Dummies aren't that entertaining, after all." He didn't care that she had just finished training herself, those cadets needed some discipline and a good example.
"Thank you, sir. Good to be back." For all that the rumor mill and gossip mongers liked to run their mouths about how much they disliked the man as a trainer, Elletta would be the one to point just what exactly the man's training actually accomplished. Especially using her own experiences. She wasn't saying they had to like the man, but to at least give credit where credit was due since they were important lessons he was teaching.
If he started to move, she would follow behind at his shoulder. "Of course sir. Which ones in particular, sir?" Abbott was also the officer she tried the hardest to maintain proper diction with, though she did try with any rank and file above her.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 27, 2023 14:04:54 GMT -5
He nodded at her response. A good response. Not too sentimental, not too long. Just how he liked it. To the point and nothing more. Refreshing to have a soldier do something that didn't annoy him. He instantly liked Elletta a lot more. Even more when she just agreed to the training without protest or too many other question. Again, just the question that mattered. Who they were going to demonstrate a fight for.
"Just some of the newest recruits that have voluntarily joined. You know I'm too busy to train the twelve year olds." He chuckled at his own words and made his way to the training yard, where the young cadets, eighteen and up would be waiting for him -- and now also for her.
Once they got there, he stood in the middle of the field, hands on his hips. "Alright, everyone. Y'all better pay attention today. Me and Haider here are goin' to show you what a swordfight looks like. He lookedo ver at Elletta before picking up two wooden training swords and handing one over to her.
"First, she'll demonstrate the starting position you want to be in when gettin' ready to fight someone."
Elletta followed and at the comment of training the twelve year olds, she wrinkled her own nose with a huff of amusement herself. She was pretty sure no one actually liked training the kids, and that was remembering what she was like at that age. Certainly much more timid and too eager to please the ones that had gotten her out of her home life.
Once in the training yard, she stood at attention till she was addressed and then took the offered training sword. She was here to be the human training mannequin used to demonstrate lessons today, not to talk after all. She tested the balance (even if it was a wooden training sword, it was good practice to familiarize yourself with the balance of any new weapon) and then sank into the starting form. Ready for the next command.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Mar 10, 2023 5:38:01 GMT -5
The cadets and the drill instructor watched in silence while Elletta got into position, feeling the weight of the sword and assumed the starting form.
"First of all, you should have noticed that soldier Haider twirled around the sword in her hand for a bit. If you're using a weapon that's not your usual sword, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with its weight so it doesn't surprise you when you take your first swing." He walked around Elletta, pointing at her position. "Then, once you know your sword, you get into this position. Firmly plant your feet and look at your opponent. Preferably already try to figure out a technique and look for weak spots."
Aldrich assumed the position himself once he was standing opposite the woman. "Now, miss Haider will attack me, and afterwards we will take a moment to discuss why she chose the technique that she will use."
Elletta was usually a soldier that wasn't singled out or given much praise given that all she had been aiming for being a good career soldier. That being said, under her hair she could feel the back of her neck warm.
At the prompt, because this was a training demonstration for teaching, she went a little slower in order for the cadets to more easily see her form. It was a basic strike, one more designed to test the defense of the opponent first.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Mar 27, 2023 7:35:37 GMT -5
He easily blocked the attack, but nodded at Elletta before turning to the young recruits again. "This attack wasn't meant to be an offensive one. You can even see it as a defensive one. By using this basic move, Haider was able to test the waters and see how I would defend myself. That's useful information for the rest of the fight. Know your opponent before trying anything risky or heroic."
He turned back to Elletta and got back into position. He would now be swinging his sword from above, so Elletta would have to block it above her head. This was a move that lots of soldiers struggled with in the beginning, especially when they had to do a counterattack and move their sword quickly and swiftly.
Elletta brought her sword up, a slight bend at the knees that would help her stay balanced if this had been an actual hit in combat where one couldn't afford to be knocked to the ground because they couldn't take a hit. Locking swords wasn't enough though, she would follow with a counter to disengage their swords and put space back between them. A move that could flow into a full counter attack instead or give a witch space to cast a spell.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Apr 27, 2023 9:05:43 GMT -5
Elletta and Aldrich proceeded to show training techniques and moves for another hour or so. Occasionally, Aldrich paused the demonstration to explain to the soldiers why they chose the attack, and what the benefits of it were. Elletta proved to be very helpful, and it was way better to show moves with an actual opponent instead of a dummy. So after the soldiers were dismissed, he thanked Elletta for her help, and he would head back to the barracks to take a shower.