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 a lot more stressed than she had been in the past few years. It wasn't that Elderkeep was a relaxing place by any means, but Ermir had made things a lot easier. He had taken the brunt of a lot of things, and now none of them wanted to step into that roll. She had a kid to think of, Cyrus didn't have the charm, and Fessy preferred to be a night owl. So for now they were just all picking up and dropping the ball constantly, which was tough on all of them.
Somedays were better than others though, and today was supposed to be one of those days. If of course she managed to get all of her work done at some point. Drystan, despite being part of the worst family ever, was at least still allowing her to see her son. And while she wasn't exactly good at being a mom 24/7, she liked the short little bursts that she got to see.
She was finishing up in the garden, her favorite task she had saved for last, and was humming to herself as she worked. Dresmondi songs were strong songs, and it was going to help her get through the rest of her work. Then it was an afternoon to get to enjoy time with her son. Even if it meant time with a red-head, a sore subject these days around the Last Call.
Drystan might be an Eldouir but he could be very discreet when he wanted to be thanks to his Gift and now was certainly one of those times. He hadn't been in Elderkeep when the cards had fallen in a less than pleasant way that led to Ermir's passing. In fact he hadn't even found out when he'd returned but a bit later which was something that he was not pleased with. But without putting Elaxi in a more precarious position or under more scrutiny, he wasn't able to do anything about tat lapse in communication.
Mist coalescing under the cloak so that his features were visible again beneath the hood, he rapped his knuckles on the wall by her garden where she was working but did not approach any closer until she allowed him to.
Elaxi heard the familiar knock. The familiar pattern and force. But she didn't look up, the only silent protest she could have in Elderkeep. Because while it wasn't directly Drystan's fault, he had been gone and yet again his brother had randomly killed another few Dresmondi. Because that's how it worked, they lived at his whims. As if there wasn't enough chaos in the the jail that was Elderkeep.
"Are you going to dawdle for a moment or is there extra time in your busy schedule." Rooting around the weeds, there wasn't a lot of work left, but she kept herself focused on it rather than the misty man she knew was standing there and watching. He had abandoned Elderkeep and he couldn't just sweep back around and expect her to throw a welcome home party.
Drystan lingered for a moment, just watching as she worked before he spoke again. He could force her to tolerate him, could ignore any protests and do as he pleased but this was not a situation where he wanted to do that. He'd never done that with her, not if he could help it. Part of it, he was the father of her child, their child.
"Only if you allow me to." There weren't many who challenged him the way that she did, not physically, but in other ways. The last person who had really pushed him in such a way had been Bryce Allemeade. In some ways, Elaxi almost pushed him more. "I am sorry that I was not here."
It was funny, it really was hilarious. The idea that she had any control in Elderkeep. Drystan was kinder to her than any of his siblings but that didn’t mean she could leave or speak against them. She could talk back and she could tell him the honest truth, but only so much. They were the rulers of a kingdom no one seemed to want, the misty man being the occasional exception. But all the same she didn’t trust him, shouldn’t trust him. That’s what had gotten Ermir killed, trust in the goodness that didn’t exist.
But the apology was too much to handle and she curled her hands into fists in the dirt, the soil getting under her nails in an attempt to ground herself. ”Sorry won’t bring him back, nothing will.” She wasn’t the same, she wasn’t as good as he was, and now others might suffer because of it. ”We needed you, Elderkeep needs you here. I-” Cutting herself off and shaking her head Elaxi looked at her hands in frustration. Because when Hiram walked the streets so did death.
Last Edit: May 21, 2023 19:50:56 GMT -5 by Deleted
Drystan didn't move, didn't feel that he had the permission to do so. Just because he had the ability and power to do as he pleased didn't mean that he wanted to or took pleasure in it. He was a man of self-imposed rules and boundaries compared to the rest of them. Morals, perhaps, depending on who you asked.
Unfortunately, it had meant that he had chosen the wrong priority and it had come with a cost. Even with all the information he had on hand, he'd made a mistake that could not be fixed. This was why he tried to not make snap decisions because mistakes like this were the results.
"I know. In the moment, it had seemed best to ensure that Zevran was not followed." He had barely the time to follow after leaving her with a vague 'I'll be back' at the time. Certainly a mistake. "I was wrong. I should have returned sooner."
Elaxi didn't understand why following Zevran had been so important. He had slipped away and abandoned all of them, so either kill him to prove a point or focus on what had been important. Up until now he had been focused on the lives of the Dresmondi in Elderkeep, but distraction had come at a great cost.
"He ran away, it never should have been a priority over the rest of us." Not being part of the Claw herself, Elaxi had no idea why Zevran had gone away or was interesting to follow. All she had known was that Ermir and the ginger Dresmondi had been talking alone a lot and Zevran was gone. Logic followed he had run away and abandoned all of them.
Pausing in her work for a moment she finally looked up at Drystan. "This place is chaos without you here, and it has lead to meaningless death every time."
Drystan bit back the urge to sigh as he stood there, an awkwardness to his stance. Not from the fact that he was talking to her but because he knew that from her perspective that she was correct. But he also was invested in certain goings on that followed the Dresmondi man's flight from the country with the witch that had crossed the border, and that was information that he was not quite certain that she was aware of.
Each decision was on a knife-edge these days with consequences on either side. It was a matter of mitigating what he could, even with walking such a fine line. And there was no fixing or repairing the damages done when death was a common consequence.
"I promise that unless my hand is forced, I will not leave if I can help it." He stepped forward, a half step, before he lowered himself to join her in her work if she would let him. It would let him talk quieter as well. "And certainly not without so little warning again."
Elaxi was frustrated. With Elderkeep, with the apparent leadership, and with the fact that Dresmond would never be the same. These red-heads had messed everything up and acted like it was fine. That there weren't lives on the line, and the most direct threat was the bloody recluse that only came around to fuck with everyone. And no one could do a damn thing about it.
Except his family. They could make this place better. Drystan could make this place livable. "You and Adeline could change this place. Make it something real, not the chaos that it is every time you leave." She didn't have the bad experiences that some of the men did with Adeline. So far all she had seen was a woman who gave people what they needed.
"Killing upstanding citizens doesn't make sense ever. Someone else should leave next time." Pausing in her work her fists clenched in the dirt, it was hard not to explode at Drystan. He had responsibilities here, and she didn't want her child or her newly adopted children to get killed because bloody Hiram felt like it.