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!
After finishing a session working on her enchantment, Calanthe made her way up to the Blackwood library. She usually preferred the royal library, but there were some things that you just needed to look into from home. In this case a little homework from her uncle, and it had her diving into the complexity of the best ways to harness a soul. Various materials, how length of extraction could effect things, and other important things to learn about.
A tome from Holumius seemed a good place to start, and so grabbing it Calanthe made her way to her favorite reading spot in the Blackwood estate. It was a bench by a stained glass window, and where she had always sat when Cyrus had been in meetings. There was a familiarity in it, and with things were changing rather quickly, she needed a little bit of that familiarity.
While she had always had a soft spot for her niece, she seemed to develop a new sense for the young woman since Cyrus's disappearance. Intentionally or not, Calliope had discovered she had a knack for finding her niece in the quieter moments when she was missing her brother. So it was no surprise that she happened upon Calanthe's reading spot, and for a moment, the older woman just stood in the shadows out of sight.
"Holumius was a bit dry for me but your father enjoyed his writings."
Five years ago, Calanthe would have snapped the book shut when her aunt spoke and bounded over. Asking for training assistance, or just to spend time with her. But she had changed, shifted, and so she looked up from her book with a soft smile. She still scooted over enough that Calliope could sit next to her or at least closer.
"Sometimes when it's dry it's good and other times it's total bull." That's something her father had often told her when she threw a book down in frustration. And here she was now, pushing through without him to remind her.
Calliope sat next to her niece in the nook and glanced over her shoulder to see which passage she was reading. She didn't grimace at he familiar text, because she was an adult and this was not a time about her.
"You certainly take after your father, all those smarts up there but that tenacity is all you." She grinned, like she was sharing a secret. "If you look on the inside cover, if you know what to look for, you can tell that the binding was replaced. Because your father launched it across the room after he got frustrated with it the first few times before it made sense to him."
Calliope wasn't comparing Calanthe to him completely but also giving her a little reminder that she was very much her own person too.
Calanthe wanted to be like her father, desperately. But she also wanted to be her own woman, her own Blackwood. It was quite conflicting but for now she just smiled and nodded her head at her Aunt's comparison and compliment. Because it was nice to be told something was all her own, despite feeling like it was just another quality from one of her role models. And that she was just a collection of parts.
Laughing she held her finger where she was and flipped to the front cover, moving her finger over the spin until she found the imperfection. She could imagine her father throwing it across the room in frustration. It wasn't like she had often seen her father angry or he had ever lashed out, but he had always been serious about his work. And it was better than picturing where he might be currently.
"When you were growing up, was Uncle E always so... him?"
Well.... that was certainly a question. She let her breath out in a hefty gust as she leaned into the alcove wall. "More or less, yes. With your father and Keion being older than the both of us, we were expected to get along like they did. Except that did not happen. Until we were both older, we didn't get on much." She didn't mean to make them sound contentious, because they weren't but they weren't good friends, per se.
"Mhmmm." Calanthe let her fingers trace the break in the binding. It was fixed, patched up like it hadn't happened. Her finger scratched at the stitching, pulling at it a bit. Maybe if she pushed and needled enough she would be able to find her father like the fault in this book. Or maybe she was just supposed to patch over it.
Either way she had her aunts and uncles, and at least that was something. Her siblings too of course, but they were in it with her. "Thanks Auntie Calli. For everything." Smiling at her aunt, she was extremely thankful, even if she didn't say it all the time. It was hard to admit she needed help, but she didn't have to with them.
Calliope reached over, carefully telegraphed, to pull her niece into her side. It sucked, her brother being gone, but it was always a kick in the teeth whenever she remembered that her niece was missing her father too. It sucked, she hated it, and unfortunately she couldn't always go to someone else for herself.
But she could be there for her niece, a choice she would make every time. "Anything for you, Calla-lily."
Nestling her head on her aunt's shoulder was familiar, despite the fact that she know had to crane her neck to do so. She had once been small curled up by Calliope's side, but now she felt like she was outgrowing the comfort. She needed the discipline and structure that her uncle was providing, the occasional soft moment was welcome though.
"I know."
Smiling she sat up and raised an eyebrow. "What about some more secret memories about Cyrus. Things around here that, well you know, are still him"