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!
Elaxi was okay at hunting. But unfortunately, not great, and there was only so much time in the day. It had been one of Ermir's extra duties, and yet again she was feeling the loss of the guy who had been the glue. And there was little to nothing she could do about the matter.
Except look for help elsewhere. And so she had asked around, and everyone at the tavern had plenty of opinions. One girl got brought up a couple of times though. A hunter that was a bit of a loner, and that was just fine with Elaxi. Better actually, someone alone usually would be willing to bargain and that's what she needed.
Thus Ferb and Elaxi found themselves walking towards the caravan that was apparently hers. Do you think just showing up at her caravan is a good idea? What if she's unstable like Eirwen. But she brushed off Ferb's concern, although he kept his guard up as Elaxi smiled at a passerby. "Have you seen Aydin?"
Aydin was in their wagon, skinning the two rabbits that Ember and her had caught earlier that day. The little critter moved around on top of the table, looking at what the Dresmondi was doing. His ears twitched.
"I'll never get used to them looking like me."
Don't be ridiculous, they're at least five times your size.
"I know but still. Who's to say you wouldn't hunt me if I wasn't your dyr?"
Ember come on now. You're too small, even as an appetizer.
The jerboa jumped in disbelief at Aydin's words, who was just laughing to herself. Ember didn't appreciate the joke as much as Aydin did.
She was still working on the rabbits and unbeknownst to her, someone was looking for her outside. The person Elaxi had approached to ask about Aydin shrugged before nodding towards the caravan. "Probably just in there, you know." The passerby wasn't of much help, but luckily for Elaxi, Aydin just left the caravan to toss out some of the skin and useless meat that she wouldn't be working with.
Elaxi scrunched her nose at the less than helpful passerby but then woman walked out with animal skins. That was probably going to be Aydin, or at least she figured it was an easy assumption. If not, it wouldn't have been the first time she called out the wrong name. That was just the journey.
"Aydin?"
Ferb stood protectively in front of his Dresmondi, not sure that surprising a trained hunter was still the best idea. But Elaxi liked to see the best in her fellow Dresmondi. At least the one's that hadn't turned to the dark side.
They dropped the useless meat in a hole she had dug a few metres away from her wagon, one she covered up with some wooden boards to prevent the rotting meat from stinking up the place, or someone tripping over it. On her way back, she heard her name. Aydin looked at the woman who had spoken it. They turned their body towards them and crossed her arms. "Depends on who's asking, and why", she replied.
"Another dyr that looks like it would eat me. What's up with all these Dresmondi's and their murderous dyrs?"
Don't be ridiculous. Since when are you so obsessed with and anxious about getting eaten?
So this was Aydin. She was... smaller than Elaxi had expected. But then again, sometimes that meant you could move through a crowd quicker, so maybe it did make sense on second thought. Before she let herself get derailed with such thoughts though, Elaxi refocused on the task at hand.
"My names Elaxi, I work at the Last call, and was wondering if you'd be up for some trading. Heard you are a good hunter." She didn't see a point in lying to the girl, being direct was usually the best in her opinion. They could talk in circles for hours otherwise. And Ferb didn't have the patience for it.
The woman that had asked of she was Aydin introduced herself as Elaxi. Apparently she worked at the tavern. And she had some sort of a business proposal. "You heard correctly", Aydin responded, leaning against her wagon. "I'm interested. What would you trade me for?"
Elaxi nodded her head. Maybe she had something to give the girl, but she also didn't know what she wanted or needed. All she knew about Aydin was that she could hunt. So she supposed that was more of a question for the huntress herself. "What do you want in trade?" Even before Elderkeep, bartering had been the Dresmondi way. Now they just bartered there way to survive rather than to live.
Aydin thought for a moment. What did she want in trade? "Whatever to keep a Dresmondi and their dyr alive", she said, a slight smile creeping onto her face. Just some vegetables now and then, perhaps some stuff to fix her bow. A sense of community would be nice, so it would be good to help provide for the tavern.
Elaxi looked at the girl. "Vague and always changing it is." She didn't bother to mention that staying alive in Elderkeep was never going to be easy. And certainly not something she could trade for. Unless she wanted to trade her soul to the redheads. That would keep you safe, turning your back on your fellow Dresmondi came with a price though. "We can decide each time what it's worth and go from there. Deal?"
Vague and always changing didn't sound like a good deal, but it was a good deal to her. It meant they could discuss what she needed when she brought meat in return. It was a rare sight, but Aydin offered the other Dresmondi a small smile. "Sounds good to me." She would move forward and extend her hand so Elaxi could shake it. A deal wasn't a deal unless you shook hands.
She'd still be careful. Accepting a trade didn't mean that she wouldn't be cautious about who she was doing business with. But this woman worked at a tavern. It wasn't like she was working for a one-man operation. Perhaps this could be the start of something new.
"Come by the Last Call then next time you go hunting. I'll be there." She'd had less time for her own pursuits after Ermir's death, a frustrating thing. She had liked doing her own thing, but couldn't do that when you suddenly had two children that weren't your's and the prior tavern owner had seemed to juggle an insane amount of tasks.
Waving her goodbye, Elaxi and Ferb swept away, back to the tavern. It would be great if Aydin came through, but even if not they were going to have to put some serious effort into bringing food into the tavern.
"I will", she promised. It would be nice to have a purpose. She was a good hunter, and trading would definitely help her a lot. Especially when she didn't have to be worried about being ripped of. Their gut was telling them they could trust Elaxi, for some reason. It didn't seem like it would benefit her to scam Aydin.
So the Dresmondi waved back as Elaxi and her dyr left.