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 seemed the man with Zevran was still in some shock as he directly almost scolded the Dresmondi. She could feel herself growing a bit self conscious about the interaction, looking between them as if she’d pick up the pieces. Until Zev’s voice seemed to confirm that this man, @berengar, knew a lot. Wide eyes cut to the side as she looked up to him. ‘A lot?’ her face seemed to ask Zevran. It struck her then… that perhaps she had misstepped in not explaining the differences in society here.
She had assumed he’d know, marriage alone. His time here to see that it wasn’t an open feast for all. She couldn’t help the slight color to her cheeks, but turned her attention at the other bowed. She dipped her own chin as Zev’s arm suddenly lost its grip for her. Was he suddenly ashamed? They had danced around one another for so long, but now knowing the status she held… did he find himself ashamed?
Alys’ had only gave his arm a small squeeze as she chose the easiest thing to acknowledge: the compliment. “Thank you, you look might fine as well.” She smiled, easy and with only a bit of reserve to be in her eyes. “I don’t believe we’ve been in the ring together before. Are you a paired soldier?” She inquired, before glancing up at the Dresmondi. “And how did you two meet?” Alys tried to read Zevran. His sudden distance.
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2023 18:05:35 GMT -5 by Deleted
The primary application of his Gift, which is Metalkinesis, is the mental control over magnetism and the manipulation of both ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Level 10; Arynnite ship with the ability to both fly and submerge fully under water. THE DROWNED CANARY.*Temporarily deactivated*
Post by Othello Allemeade on Feb 22, 2023 18:27:00 GMT -5
Time waited for no man, tonight it seemed would be the day Othello boldly would go where he was never gone before. He had cut dead across the ball room and approached the band waving madly at them and the music stopped which caught a few eyes closest to the gifted man. No one could hear him as he pulled from his fancy pants pocket a piece of parchment and it looked like he was discussing with them what was on the parchment, then he was handed a lute when he turned to face the growing eyes staring back at Othello, he grinned awkwardly but in all sense of the word Othe felt boldly super confident.
"...hi, lord's and ladies uh," he was speaking fairly loudly now as he tuned the lute a few times, "I doubt this is practical but I'm a man of many impracticalities...I wrote this little diddy when I had the free time...anyways...enjoy..."
Othello turned his back a pang of nerves seemed to sweep through him and he nodded to the harp player as she adjusted herself in the seat and began to play a slow but heartfelt few cords.
When Othello began to sing his deep booming voice mixed with the choir was melodic,
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide No escape from reality"
The climbing strum of the lute echoed in the ballroom, the rest of the band joined in bringing about a fancy new sound...
"Open your eyes Look up to the skies and see I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy Because I'm easy come, easy go Little high, little low Any way the wind blows Doesn't really matter to me...
.....to me...."[/I]
Othello still hadn't turned, fighting the swell of ranging emotions. What had his drink of liquid courage done to him?
After Zevran cheekily admitted to sharing a lot of details, there was a moment in which Ber’s smile froze on his face while his insides shriveled up. He steadfastly did not look at the King’s Witch lest she somehow read in his eyes precisely what details the soldier had been privy to. Suddenly, the rest of the ball room seemed very interesting. He noticed servants with trays of the punch meandering through the crowd and silently willed one to come their way. Ideally sooner rather than later.
@alys ’s voice had him turning back to her as she returned the compliment, and in doing so, he couldn’t help but notice the way Zevran had pulled away from her, hesitation written in every inch of his body. It seemed no one was fully comfortable here. Well. On the bright side, it was unlikely that this interaction could get any worse, so without any idea of how to fix this, Ber soldiered on. “No, ma’am,” He answered her question. “I finished training a couple years ago.” Too inexperienced to be a paired soldier, and possibly too young for her to have paid him any mind. “Zev and I met— Oh!”
A movement in his peripherals caught his attention, and he turned with no small amount of relief to see someone with a tray approaching. Gratefully, Ber traded his empty cup for a full one, downing it as if he was in a tavern rather than the throne room, before grabbing another. After the revelations of the past few minutes, he thought he could use all the liquid courage he could get. It coursed through his veins, warming him anew. “I think,” He said, distributing drinks to the other two and using the opportunity to steer the conversation (and his intrusive thoughts) firmly away from Zevran and Alys and what they had done in the bedroom. “Another round is in order.” The words tumbled easily from his mouth, and a distant part of him marveled at his strong the punch was. Ber raised his cup. “Cheers.”
And he threw back that cup too, before taking a fourth to nurse as he finally returned to the question at hand, feeling far more equipped to handle a conversation with the King’s Witch now than he had been two drinks ago. “I ran into him and Rune walking through the castle one day,” Ber explained, gaze sliding from the woman to the man at her side. “Invited him out to the tavern with me, we hit it off, and the rest is history.” He grinned, a genuine one now. “We spar a lot. He’s real hard to beat when Rune’s involved, with her magic and all, but Zev, I think you’ve definitely gotten better at holding your own without her, too.”
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Feb 22, 2023 20:14:37 GMT -5
@raff's sudden change in mood was so jarring that it took a moment for his words to penetrate her impassioned thoughts. She was still pressed against him even as he let his arms fall to his sides, so she did not see him glare at Elodie. Instead, she wondered if she had said something wrong. Normally, she might have been hurt at what she was seeing as rejection, but under the influence of that very strong punch, she instead found herself being filled with a lust-fueled annoyance at the interruption.
She stumbled after Raff and tried to remember who it was that had gasped, but Rhedara was having trouble. She sipped at her drink which had just been refilled and scanned the crowd in an attempt to jog her memory, but all she could focus on was figuring out how to get Raff to kiss her again, and the more she drank, the more ideas filled her head.
She reached out, and if he lets her, she'll stroke his arm, trailing her hand down to his hand. "Hey," she said, "Don't worry about what society thinks. We're filthy commoners, what do they care? Besides," she stepped closer to him with an impish smile, "I might need an alibi soon."
Elletta had found herself finishing the rest of her drink without thinking, raising an empty glass to her lips while she'd been watching @bex. Curiosity had been building, had her start leaning in to the space against what would have normally been her better judgment.
Then someone had crashed into her and there was a harsh snarl ready on her tongue. With a hamd on their arm, she turned to give them a piece of her mind, even if they'd caught her- "Tav!"
What had been harsh annoyance and a snarl immediately turned into delighted sunshine and smiles. Feeling bolder and braver, she let herself look Octavius Wulfbrand over, not noticing the blush rising to her cheeks. "You look really good tonight. I mean, you always do but- yeah. You look handsome."
Post by Elodie Atwood on Feb 22, 2023 21:29:23 GMT -5
Elodie was too caught up in her own merriment to notice the disgruntled @raff, doubled over with giggles. By the time she looked up again, he and her tavern friend had gone. Eldoie chuckled to herself and finished her punch. She placed it on a passing tray and planned to snag another, but found the filled glass snatched by another soldier nearly right from her fingers.
Elodie made a disgruntled little huff, brow pinching together in frustration as the drink thief stalked off. Harrumph. Though the night was still young, not a single person had tried to speak to her so far. Elodie was used to being the belle of the ball, making this a rather humbling turn of events indeed.
Looking about the room for more punch, she spotted a tray that seemed to be full. People were taking up the glasses like mad. If Zarha Sliva decided to go for the same tray, she and Elodie would arrive at roughly the same time. A bigger male soldier tried to shoulder her out of the way, but the tiny Elodie ducked under his arm and snatched up the last two cups of punch, shoving the other in the hand of a nearby witch (a miss Zarha Sliva perhaps?).
Warren's eyes narrowed somewhat at the officers reply. His head tilted, and the slightest smirk appeared on his face. It was one of mixed emotions, as if he was both confused, but also found that confusion funny. "Oh, I apologize, Officer Abbott, you must have misunderstood," he paused, "but I wasn't asking for your permission." He could feel Regan Lassiter 's eyes on him, but he kept his on Aldrich for the moment. The way she leaned into him only gave him more confidence, and he was just about to reach for her waist when the attendant appeared. He made it clear he was there for her, and Warren mimicked Aldrich, giving the Huntsman space to receive the message.
He nodded when she spoke of leaving, eyes narrowing once more as she leaned in to say something to the Officer. They remained on him, again, until Regan pressed against him. "I will," he met her eyes and replied quietly. The warmth of her hand lingered even after she was gone, but he didn't turn to watch her go. His eyes snapped back to Aldrich Abbott and he stepped forward, leaving just enough space between them for the cups that hovered in their hands in front of them.
"I suggest that you keep your filthy hands to yourself, Officer. Drill instructors aren't that hard to come by." He met Aldrich's eyes and though it was an unclear threat, it was a threat all the same. He might have remained there to await Aldrich's rebuttal if Zarha Sliva hadn't walked up but when she did, he took a step back. It didn't even occur to him that she had complimented the Officer the same way she had complimented him. Though he had finally turned his gaze away from Aldrich to glance at the young woman, he didn't quite hear what she'd said over the roar of the crowd and the noise being made from the direction of the band. Whatever the two of them had to discuss, Warren had no interest in it.
If Aldrich was distracted enough by the young woman not to pop off at the mouth, Warren would finally wander away, likely before Zarha returned with the drink. He'd search the room for where Regan went, but meander over toward the band to watch Othello Allemeade 's...performance...while he waited for the Huntress to handle whatever business she had. She was his only concern.
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2023 23:09:41 GMT -5 by Deleted
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 23, 2023 4:11:04 GMT -5
It was a good thing that Zarha Sliva had appeared when she did. @warren 's words filled Aldrich with rage and if the woman hadn't appeared when she did, he would have given Woodwick a piece of his mind. For now, he kept his opinions to himself. Woodwick was his superior, but this was a ball, and Regan wasn't his property, so Aldrich could do as he pleased. He would not be keeping his hands to himself like the Captain suggested.
He was annoyed now. He wanted that dance, but he also didn't feel like fighting with a Captain, especially not one that had just threatened him over the Huntsman. He'd have to see how the evening went. Regan Lassiter had told him that she'd be back for a dance, so he hoped she'd come find him herself so he wouldn't have to deal with Woodwick who was waiting around like a lost little puppy.
But Zarha Sliva had appeared and complimented Aldrich, for which he did not care. He had asked her why she wasn't bothering some other soldiers instead of him and had asked her to go get him a refill them if she was so desperately to talk to him.
The young woman responded by saying no one was as interesting as he was. The officer raised his eyebrows and could feel how her fingers lingered on his when she took the cup from his hand. With mixed feelings he waited until she returned. Zarha was a pretty girl, but she was a cadet and she was so young. He would wait until she would return, but if she didn't return quick enough, he'd just go fetch himself a drink. For now Othello Allemeade's voice was distracting him. "What is a Lorendaler even doing here", he mumbled. He didn't have anything against Othello per se, but he simply didn't know the man's history and why he was in Nevermere, working together with Regan.
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Feb 23, 2023 8:49:23 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
Post by Zarha Sliva on Feb 23, 2023 6:32:57 GMT -5
Zarha looking around for a drink tray, as she walked around she had a rare smile on her face, normally this sort of smile is reserved for when she was training, in her happy space, there was a odd sense of spark, joy in her eyes. As this new sense of confidence filled her body. As she was set out for another glass of whatever was in that cup she felt one entered her hand, when she saw a beauty standing in front of her. Elodie Atwood .
"I don't know what more powerful, this drink or how beautiful you are or both?" She smiled softly but what was she saying. She wouldn't say these things normally, however it too late now.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Feb 23, 2023 12:44:31 GMT -5
The fire was just under the surface of her skin. She could feel it. There were only two things that could quench the flames, but without anything to fuck or fight at present, Regan settled for another glass of punch. She snagged one from a passing tray, quickly tossing it back before smacking the empty glass down. She could still feel the tickle of Aldrich Abbott ’s breath on her cheek, feel the strength of @warren ’s body against her own. Regan took a deep breath and started to count.
1…2…3…
Hot, bothered, and frustrated, Regan just wanted to get this over with.
Zevran stuck out like a handsome sore thumb. He stood alongside @alys , who had her arm tucked in his. They were close enough to one another that Regan paused to raise an eyebrow. She hadn’t really given any thought to why the Dresmondi was here (it wasn’t any of her business after all), but she hadn’t realized he and Alys were still so friendly. They had traveled together for some time, she supposed.
That’s where Regan’s train of thought ended. She had job to do.
The taste of the punch still on her tongue, Regan made her way through the crowd. Most people, be it out of respect, wariness, or curiosity, moved out of her way—enough that her approach would likely be noted by @berengar , @alys , and Zevran in advance of her arrival.
When she approached the group, she acknowledged the others with a quick nod and a polite smile before focusing on Zevran.
“The king wants you gone. I’m to escort you out.” Her tone was callously blunt. Maybe under other circumstances, Regan would have been better at dressing the request up in more polite language, but she was too busy trying to count in her head to attempt something that did not come naturally.
Last Edit: Feb 23, 2023 12:47:21 GMT -5 by Regan Lassiter
He let Ber continue talking with Alys, his attention fixated inward in an attempt to grapple with all of his emotions and bring them under control. Surely if it had been that big of a deal, Alys would have told him about it beforehand. Or wouldn't have bothered doing anything with him to begin with.
He was pulled from his thoughts as he watched Ber down cup after cup of the drink they'd been handing, raising an eyebrow a bit. He soon followed suit, though, downing the cup Ber had handed him and grabbing another. If Ber could do it, so could he.
Ber's grin drew one on his own face, and he raised his cup a bit in thanks to his friend. His mouth opened, about to respond when the crowd around them seemed to shift, pulling his attention away where he spied Regan Lassiter approaching them. He hadn't spoken with her since she had shown him the beach, perhaps she had come to fix that and catch up a bit.
But Regan only stopped and announced that the King did not want him here and he was to be tossed out, like one might do with garbage. The clamor of the crowd fell way, a dull roaring filling his ears as every single negative emotion he'd had while in this blasted kingdom seemed to collide in one big explosion. He vaguely registered Rune shrinking away mentally from the strength of the anger that raged inside him, though she loosed a growl at Regan, already having a dislike of the woman who was now causing her human to feel such strife.
Zevran's eyes flashed dangerously, a humorless laugh barking out. "Of course, how dare the Dresmondi filth deign to mingle with his precious Nevermerans. I'm so sorry for offending His Majesty with my very presence. No need for an escort, I'll toss myself out on the damn street." His words were loud, no care given for the scene he was obviously creating as he shoved his cup into Regan's chest and attempted to brush by her and storm for the doors, Rune close on his heels.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 23, 2023 13:35:30 GMT -5
Zarha Sliva was nowhere to be seen, and Aldrich was starting to get very bored. His eyes were still on Othello Allemeade, which meant he didn't realise what was happening a little further away with the Dresmondi and his entourage. Othello's voice captivated the officer and before he knew it, his feet were taking him to the stage where the tall blonde man was singing his lungs out. With ease the dark-haired Nevermerean climbed up on the stage and threw his arm around Othello's shoulders.
"Mamaaa, Just killed a man, Put a knife against his throat, sliced it good, Now he's dead Mamaaa, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away Mama, oooh, Didn't mean to make you cry, If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters!"
He was getting into his himself now. Something about singing together with someone you didn't really know but still felt a connection to somehow felt good. He never wanted this night to end. He had grabbed a drink along the way to the podium and was now eagerly taking sips of it.
A delicate little hand ran down his arm and took his right hand in hers. Raff looked down at Red and smiled at her comment.
"Ya might need me to lie ya an alibi Red? Are ya thinkin what I think yer thinkin...?"
With his drink refilled and held in his left hand, the pair could easily stroll to the nearest corner for a bit of privacy despite the crowded ball. Raff looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eye, having a pretty good feeling that he could guess what her deliciously devious little mind was cooking up. He upended the glass to down haff of it and frowned at it for a moment. Normally he avoided that crap because it was too sweet, but for some reason, it was decidedly stronger. Just a couple glasses of it were hitting him more than it usually would.
A couple guys started singing loud and drunk and Raff swiftly thought that if these Nevermere soldiers started a group song, he was outta there!
With his right hand in the girl's and his left holding the glass, the only thing he could do was follow behind Red with a smile. He shrugged and turned his full attention onto Rhedara, whispering in her ear with an evil grin,
"How am I suppose to pull you closer if both my hands are trapped?"
Last Edit: Feb 23, 2023 17:14:31 GMT -5 by Deleted
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Feb 24, 2023 11:24:29 GMT -5
Octavius's eyes followed @bex, a weak, "Hey, you don't need to...leave..." escaping his lips, but it was likely she didn't turn to acknowledge them. So he looked down at @elletta, a grin spreading across his face.
"You think so?" Who was he fooling? He knew she thought him handsome. The two of them had always been a good looking commoner pair, hadn't they? "Thanks. You look pretty pretty yourself." Whatever else he might have said was taken from his lips as the loud words of Zevran met his ears. He used his height to his advantage to look out over the crowd to see Regan Lassiter and @alys confronting the situation (or so he assumed). The man was creating a scene, and as a soldier of Nevermere, Octavius' instinct was to be at the ready. With a hand still around Elletta, he unconsciously moved them both closer to the scene, his face stony, providing the backup he knew the King's Witch and the King's Huntsman didn't need.
As Bex stalked off she snatched another drink in passing and at least sipping at it this time. At least she thought she had been sipping on it but by the time she reached the edge of the room it was empty in her hand. Maybe she had spilled? She hadn't. Feeling that anger still growing in her chest she turned back towards the room to find the tall Octavius Wulfbrand moving with @elletta towards a larger group of people.
Her mind was so abuzz with the heightened emotions inside of her that from here she didn't notice the commotion that was beginning. She stared daggers into the back of Octavius' skull and while keeping herself in the shadows at the edge of the room and no one else in earshot, she started to mutter quietly under her breath. They were familiar words to her, words she practiced time and time again with the man she had once been paired to, words she had taught others in her position in the paired soldiers.
With the incantation directed at Octavius, she encouraged his werewolf transformation to begin.