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!
The Eldouir Estate was...rather boring, at times. On the occasion that Adeline didn't need Xanthe, she often got stuck helping the other Dresmondi servants but more than anything, she just felt like she was in the way. They had built up a routine by now. They knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing, when they were supposed to be doing it, and who they were supposed to be doing it for. Xanthe had not been around long enough to pick up that routine yet, and so one of the servants instead had to instruct her, which more often than not just pissed them off.
And Xanthe really didn't want to be there, anyway. So when she could, she would slip away and avoid the other servants all together. They just didn't like her, and she could understand why. Brought to the estate, personally, by Hiram and made handmaid to Adeline, they didn't feel they could trust her. Could she really blame them?
Today was one of those days that she had managed to slip away. Adeline was otherwise occupied and Xanthe had slipped outside for some much needed fresh air. She and Savi sat by the wall, watching the soldiers train. It was never pleasant to watch. It hurt, in fact. But it was a good reminder, as if she needed one, that the soldiers, in a way, were no longer Dresmondi. They were Eldouir, too, in everything but blood and hair.
"Another one down," Savi said, sadness mixed with apathy flooding into Xanthe's chest. She said nothing in return. Only reached her hand up to scratch beneath his ear.
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2023 22:28:02 GMT -5 by Deleted
Post by Eirwen & Yule on Apr 16, 2023 14:39:08 GMT -5
Eirwen wasn't the same build she had been so many seasons ago and this past Hiems the tall girl who was now nineteen (she didn't know the numbers or really just how old she was; she just went with whatever Yule had said) had packed on weight so she could firm up her muscles. She was getting stronger and she was getting faster, Eirwen was hellbent and determined to live up to the expectations of @alistair when he came to collect her for training.
It was evident that of the Dresmondi soldiers currently trading that Eirwen was the best of the best of them, she didn't need Yule to be a badass. She was currently mowing through the training being held in the yard striking down one with a spinning backhand, then kicking another to sweep them off their feet, and she followed that up with a furious scream bringing a knee into ones gut before grabbing that girl by her hair flipping her forward onto her back.
"weak! pathetic! run! all of you you until you puke!" Eirwen barked just before kicking the girl trying to stand in the ribs to move her along, she looked at Yule before producing two vials of water which she broke on the ground (it was a trick she had learned from the Ice Queen) so her dyr could freeze the water into sharp unforgivable ice sickles to chase the other soldiers. Eirwen had no authority per say she was just psychotic and most of the current lot feared Eirwen, they didn't push to fight back because Eirwen didn't have a problem killing. In truth Eirwen just wanted qualified soldiers to present to the Eldouir, how embarrassing it must have looked to see such a young girl leveling "soldiers".
The green eyed Dresmondi would walk to get water but her eyes spotted someone she hadn't seen since Hiram carted her off from Tribute with the now dead Tazmin. Eirwen stalked toward the watcher as a totally different person then what was just seen: she was bubbly and smiling, playing with her braided dark hair, and her eyes were cold and distant like the element of her dyr.
'Eirwen what are you doing?'
"Going to introduce myself from the other whore. If the Blood God likes her, well I gotta make the effort right?"
'she was there when Ermir was killed...she's going to need to be treated delicately.'
"Was she? Hmm."
"what's your name?" Eirwen called out to the woman.
As the girl came stomping up toward she and Savi, Xanthe's knees folded and she forced herself as close against the wall as she could, reaching out to toss her arm across Savi as if she could protect him, or herself, from the soldier she'd just watched bossing all the others around. Though the girl wasn't Eldouir herself, Xanthe knew well enough that she'd have to play it carefully with the soldiers, too. They could be just as dangerous.
"Uhhm," Xanthe stared up at the girl, a little surprised that her demeanor seemed to have completely changed in the transition from shouting at the soldiers to storming up to where Xanthe and Savi sat. "I'm Xanthe. I was just watching, but I can leave if it's bothering you." She wasn't sure what else to say, or do. She couldn't think of a reason that the girl would come up to her, but then again, maybe she had spoken to Adeline. The Queen had said that she wanted Xanthe to train, to strengthen herself up - was that what this was about? Even so, Adeline wouldn't take well to Xanthe getting herself injured, either. "I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted some air."
Post by Eirwen & Yule on Apr 24, 2023 5:10:26 GMT -5
Eirwen giggled, "don't be stupid silly, air is free and you could never interrupt what's going on here," letting go of her braid Eirwen would sit down beside the woman awkwardly close, "Xanthe," Eirwen repeated the girls name a few times each time sounding sweeter but recording the name to memory, "that's a pretty name, I'm Eirwen and that chicken is Yule...we uh...we were friends with Ermir. We heard you were there that day," she plucked strands of grass aggressively, "you killed that useless fucking bitch Tazmin, yes?"
Xanthe was startled by the girl in more ways than one. The way she spoke was in such stark contrast to the demeanor she'd taken just minutes before with the soldiers. It was overtly friendly and positive, and then she was plopping down next to Xanthe so close that their arms touched. Xanthe had no idea why the girl had any interest in speaking with her. Most of the soldiers ignored the castle servants as far as she could tell since arriving.
But then, as the girl continued, Xanthe realized why. She looked away from this new girl, Eirwen she'd said, and her dyr, a chicken named Yule. Her eyes met Savi's, and her lips tugged downward. It hadn't been all that long ago, and the sight of Ermir, the feeling of Hiram's chest pressed against her back as she swung that damned axe into Taz's throat...it made her clear her throat and lick her lips nervously.
"I'm sorry, then, that you lost him. Ermir was one of the best men I've ever met." She hadn't known the man very long, but he had faced Hiram with a smile. That knowing smile haunted Xanthe. Threatened to water her eyes, though she held it back in order to avoid looking weak. "And yes, I killed her. She deserved it. Sounds like you knew her."
Post by Eirwen & Yule on May 3, 2023 12:32:30 GMT -5
Eirwen added, "He's was the ONLY good person in this whole stinking place," and as Xanthe confirmed that she had indeed killed Tazmin that's when she knew, "oh I know the bitcb and her dumber than rocks flea bag dyr, she embarrassed me and I don't like that so she got exactly what she fucking deserved...and you got me," she pulled a small blade from her belt loop and slid the blade across her palm without making a single phased look before offering it to Xanthe, "I..we are sisters now. And we, yule too, will make sure while you are around us that harm shall never come to you..."
The only good person in this whole stinking place.
Well, Xanthe wasn't sure she could argue. The only other person Xanthe knew that she considered to be good was Embric. Embric was worth everything Xanthe had done. Knowing that he lived was all that had mattered that night. Nothing else. But Xanthe couldn't have known Ermir would get involved. She couldn't have known that Taz would keep breathing long enough to rat him out. She couldn't have known that Ermir wouldn't try to escape, or hide. Or that he'd be brutally slaughtered in front of her.
In a way, Ermir's death was Xanthe's fault, too. But she couldn't tell this girl that. This strange, strong girl who pulled out a blade and cut her own hand. No, his death was Taz. It had to be. "It is on Taz. All of this was on her. You did what you had to do. Ermir did the same. For all of us." Savi's whispers of reminder only drew Xanthe's eyes away from the girls bleeding hand and up to her eyes. Eirwen. Yule. A soldier, maybe not all that different from Taz in some ways. But different enough.
So Xanthe nodded, and held her palm out to Eirwen for the girl to slice, as if it wasn't strange at all. As if any of it made sense. "Sisters." She agreed, and once the slice was made in her palm, she was clutch Eirwen's hand in hers. "I was Kushti, like Ermir. I need to get stronger, like him. I need to learn to fight. Queen Adeline wants me to be useful, so that's what I need to be. Can you help me?"
Post by Eirwen & Yule on May 10, 2023 6:54:56 GMT -5
Eirwen was so elated with joy she couldn't hide it (even if she wanted to) so she held the woman's hand tightly meshing warm sticky blood that for Eirwen felt good. Wholesome. As her new sister asked her question Eirwen's grin grew wider (if that was possible), "Absolutely I can," she was beaming containing it wasn't happening, "Kushti huh? Dijila for us, born and raised and raised again. But I can make you a fighter, it won't be easy...you can spot a bear but you can't change a spotted leopards stripes as my Pa use to say," she giggled while Yule pecked the ground at their feet, 'that's not right is it?' but Eirwen ignored her dyr, "sisters! Ahh! I've never had a sister."
Born and raised, and raised again. As she felt their blood mixing, Xanthe thought of those words. She was a soldier of the Eldouir, and it made sense she would feel that way. But what didn't mean sense was her compassion and care for Ermir. Not because he wasn't everything she said he was - he mostly certainly was, and Elderkeep was a crueler place without him. But why would any of the Dresmondi soldiers care about the other Dresmondi? So much so that they would wish death upon one of their own, another who had been so loyal to the Eldouir, Taz?
Either way, it seemed to work to Xanthe's advantage. Whatever had happened to this girl, she was at least a little mixed up, but if she was willing to help Xanthe train that was all that mattered. "Dijila...you really were born a fighter, huh? That must be why you're so good at teaching them out there," she said, nodding her head toward the soldiers who Eirwen had been bossing around before.
The saying, while it made no sense, did bring a bit of a smirk to Xanthe's face. She reached down a grabbed up some dirt, wiping it on her hands to stop the bleeding across her palm. She could wrap it up properly later. "You've definitely got your work cut out for you. I've never been much of a fighter, but I'm determined. So don't go easy on me, sister." She said, grinning. Nothing Eirwen could do to Xanthe would ever hurt more than what had happened that night. "Do we start today, or...?"
Post by Eirwen & Yule on Jun 1, 2023 17:04:27 GMT -5
"now," and Eirwen jumped up offering her new sister a hand up and she'd pull @xanthe behind her heading to the weapon racks, "grab that stick or staff," Eirwen would walk away heading to the center of the sand pit without a weapon, "show me what I'm working with...."
She took Eirwen's hand up and followed her to the weapon racks. Xanthe was a perfectly good archer, but this was a different kind of combat. She grabbed the staff and followed Eirwen to the sandpit, blinking when the girl insisted she show her something. Anything. She didn't really want to show the girl just how weak she was, but she'd never swung a staff before.
A sigh, she nodded, took something akin to an offensive stance, and swung the staff toward Eirwen's arm almost like it was a baseball bat.
Post by Eirwen & Yule on Jun 10, 2023 8:06:14 GMT -5
Eirwen caught the bo staff and even though it did sting in her palm, "No," she giggled, "Go back into your offensive position and hold still," Eirwen circled Xanthe correcting her footing and hands, "you could break your wrists. You have to think of this bo staff as an extension of your arms and you have to think a head when in combat, that single swing could have been more, now do it again but think high and low, combo strike me..."
Eirwen caught the swing of the stick, and if it hurt Xanthe couldn't tell. She'd thought that the swing had been a pretty hard one, but apparently even that had been so weak it hadn't even fazed the soldier. "Okay," she said with a nod, and did as asked. Eirwen walked around and correct the way she stood, Xanthe almost lost her balance when her feet were kicked into a wider stance but she didn't let herself fall. When she was finished, Xanthe frowned but nodded. She'd seen people do it before, surely she could do it too.
High and low. She stepped toward Eirwen, keeping the stance as the girl had taught, and aimed the stick first at her neck, and the second hit belatedly toward her stomach. She had paused between hits, first wondering if she should go for Eirwen's legs. The stick wouldn't be enough to take out her knees, and the shin would hurt, but it wouldn't be enough to stop any real fighter or warrior. So she'd chosen to hit the abdomen, but it would have taken her so long to make the choice that it would be predictable.
Post by Eirwen & Yule on Jun 15, 2023 19:02:57 GMT -5
Eirwen took the blow to the neck had expected quickly to be swept off her legs because that's the way she would have attacked with a staff but Xanthe hesitated for that split second...that was all it took for Eirwen to chop with the front side of her hands across the woman's wrist to break the hold on the staff before delivering a spinning back hand across the girls cheek...
The staff was knocked from Xanthe’s hands and she hadn’t expected Eirwen to follow it up. The backhand connected across her jaw and the force of it sent her stumbling back in the sand. It had nearly knocked her down, but by luck she’d caught herself. Her hand moved to her face, as if rubbing it would help, but it didn’t. “I see,” she said with a nod. Her face hurt, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to show any weakness now. So she stepped forward and picked up her staff again.
“Let’s try again.” She said, and this time swung the staff first at Eirwen’s head and then at her knees in quicker succession.