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!
Julius had some trouble with the amount of attacks and how quick they came. Berengar was definitely the better fighter of the two, but the young soldier didn't back down. He tried his best to block every move, but that was a bit of the issue: he was blocking more than doing attacks himself. So he decided to go for a bigger move and lifted his sword with the intention of swinging it down. A block above the head would be necessary to avoid the sword.
The body had a way of telegraphing large attacks like the one Fletcher was attempting, especially to an opponent who was trained the same way and learned the same techniques. Uniformity may have played a role in making Nevermere’s military strong, but it was also a weakness in its own right: everyone who fought the same way would almost certainly lose the same way, too.
Ber saw the attack coming, and when Fletcher was too far into the motion to change course, he prepared to step to the side to dodge the blow. A loose sequence of events had formed in his head, wherein he could avoid the hit, press his advantage while the other soldier’s defenses were so open, and then attempt to disarm Fletcher and end the match. Perhaps victory wasn’t a priority, but who was he to pass up such an opportunity?
Before he could take any action, however, a shout cut their match short. Somewhat dissatisfied with the interruption of something he would have preferred to end himself, Ber stepped back and lowered his sword. Shoulders rising and falling with the exertion of fighting a human as opposed to practicing on a dummy, he turned to Fletcher and held out a hand. A quick handshake and perhaps a muttered compliment, the brief interaction was both the typical show of sportsmanship and one born of respect for an opponent who refused to back down, even if he was outmatched.
With the match complete, Ber would glance toward Aldrich Abbott for direction and do as he was told accordingly. In the absence of clear orders, he would do what only seemed reasonable: move to the side, stepping away from the cleared area and toward the back of the crowd, while the next pair of soldiers were called forward to begin their match.
Last Edit: Apr 25, 2023 14:19:02 GMT -5 by Deleted
Fletcher should have seen it coming, but he didn't. That would be staff duty for sure. @berengar managed to disarm Julius. He didn't have to pick up his sword, because Aldrich Abbott shouted (in the next post, what is a timeline anyway) and that was the end of the match. So he stood there, nodded at Ber again and looked at the Lieutenant.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Apr 25, 2023 15:03:45 GMT -5
Aldrich had stood there with his hands behind his back, overlooking the spar between @berengar and Julius. The latter of the two seemed nervous, and his performance wasn't one to write home about. So after a while, Aldrich raised his voice. "Okay, that will do." He would wait for the men to stop their fight and face him again.
"Stormcrest, well done. You have shown that you can sense your opponent's weaknesses and use them to your advantage. I'm glad to see your injury isn't preventing you from being able to do a series of quick attacks. Your opponents in a war might be as nervous as Fletcher but if they're a determined soldier, be aware that openings like the one he left by bringing his sword up and then down, will be less likely. Overall, good job."
He then turned to Fletcher. "I'm afraid you still have quite a lot of training ahead of you, kid. We'll discuss this later."
Then, to the both of them, he said: "Thank you, now, join your fellow soldiers and sit back."
He had noticed that right before the pair began to spar, @torsten had entered the courtyard as well. "Mosse, you're late", he simply said. "That will have its consequences, just like it will have consequences for Elodie Atwood ." He waited a moment before he continued to speak. "You will be paired with Joan Conrad." Another soldier that didn't have a partner yet.
He then turned towards the rest of the soldiers. "The next pair is Zarha Sliva and Octavius Wulfbrand . If you'd please get ready to spar."
- POSTING ORDER @warren , then either Octavius Wulfbrand or Zarha Sliva to start the three posts each sparring session. - The sparring will go as follows: each character gets 3 posts, so soldier A, soldier B, soldier A, soldier B, soldier A, soldier B, then Aldrich again and then Warren. Just spar with your partner during these posts. Other people are not supposed to post until they have to spar. - Summary/reminder: the order of the teams after this team will be Elodie Atwood and @elletta , and then @torsten and Joan (Aenwyn )
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Apr 25, 2023 15:05:29 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
Post by Zarha Sliva on Apr 25, 2023 16:08:45 GMT -5
Zarha watched as Ber and Julius went first, Poor Julius his nerves was showing through and that was possibly what got him. Like they all were nervous but when it came to going out to war they can’t let emotion get the better of them.
If this was a real thing then he would have been dead. Plus in a war nerves could get more than just yourself killed. Zarha knows that Octavius has a few years on her and is more of a skilled fighter than she was because of it.
Zarha tries to remember everything that Warren, Abbott, and even Regan have ever taught her over the past couple of months. Pace herself, and use both strength and speed. So when it was hers and Octavius go to spar, she take a deep breath and walked to the middle. “Good luck.” She nodded her head to Octavius.
She waited till the orders were given, remembering the Abbot say it was not about winning it about the technique shown through this. That Technique was the most important process in this situation.
Zarha knows that if she was to at least stand a chance to fight against Octavius she needs to catch him somewhat of guard. So Zarha went in starting to swing from the left then just as she got close enough she tries to switch it to swing in a diagonal fashion from right to left bottom to top. She tries to hit him hard enough to knock him off balance to try and keep him on his toes.
If he tries to attack her she will try black him with her sword.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Apr 26, 2023 7:31:04 GMT -5
Octavius sucked up his pride and fell into place when it was his turn. He recognized his opponent as the woman he’d briefly encountered that one day…but he didn’t fixate on the recognition. He had a spar to do. Something to prove.
He began in the starting formation that he taught all soldiers to assume, one with one foot in front, opened in him at a 45 degree angle, and two hands on his raised sword, prepared to either be on the offense or defense as necessary. He would maintain this ready position constantly when not either attacking or blocking.
His opponent chose to be on the offense, so Octavius braced himself as she approached, eyes flickering over her stance, the way she held her sword, and where her eyes were set, gushing her intention. With his sword already raised, it was prepared to move to catch her blade, parrying. He kept his blade close to his body, avoiding large movements. If he took it further, after all, it would open him up in a way he didn’t want to be.
She recovered from her attacks and he moved in for his own, engaging in the dance of swordsmanship while not truly trying to hurt his opponent. He’d done enough Nevermerean military hurting for a lifetime.
His attack was a simple, routine downward cut. Assuming she blocked, he would use the momentum of their bouncing swords to following with a side slash.
Post by Zarha Sliva on Apr 27, 2023 4:52:18 GMT -5
Okay that didn’t work, her gut reaction would be normally keep on swinging and swinging till it was done. However, she has the feeling that Abbott was keeping a close eye on her pacing as well as her technique.
Zarha noticed that he was doing simple movement which can be useful but a lot of soldiers do know them. So when he did the downward slashed followed by a side slash she used the momentum of her sword to follow throw the blocking. She did this by parring her sword.
The next move is more of a swing to try and get him to open up more well she tries to keep herself protected from any attacks.. She was switching herself to try and be more defensive at the same time. During all this she was holding back the speed she would normally swing at.
Remember the technique that Abbott taught her with the basket on her back with stones in. but this time with her arms.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Apr 29, 2023 6:27:52 GMT -5
Octavius had nothing to prove here. He knew he was a competent soldier, but maybe if his superiors didn’t see that then he’d get put on dish duty and there would be something easy with that. Safe. Humiliating too, but okay. He had already permanently humiliated himself.
Octavius trained soldiers in the military. He had a certain amount of skill and intuition to get him there. Thus, as his partner attempted to open him up, he intentionally countered by closing off more. She was switching to defense so he stepped forward into offense, executing a series of attacks that would surely back her up and have her showing how skillfully she could defend herself.
Post by Zarha Sliva on Apr 29, 2023 7:06:41 GMT -5
Okay, so he closed off more, interesting. Zarha know he was a good soldier however today she was proving herself but focusing on her technique. So when he started coming forward with the offense. She started to go backward, however with the skills that Regan taught her she managed to block each one.
On one of his swings Zarha tries to perry around him and kick him in the back on the knee to try and get him kneeling. If she was succesful she would point her Sword towards Octavius neck. If she wasn't she would try and keep her sword as close as possible to block anything that came her way. In the end she would offer Octavius Wulfbrand a headshake before she looked back at Aldrich Abbott waiting for what he got to say.
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Apr 29, 2023 7:39:35 GMT -5
Zarha’s maneuvering was indeed skillful—more skilled that Octavius had previously given her credit for. She skillfully moved around him and did manage to kick the back of his knee, though it did not bring him to the ground. Octavius always kept his sword up, blocking her attempt to bring it to his neck while recovering his footing.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Apr 29, 2023 7:55:31 GMT -5
"Good", Aldrich said, which would put an end to the sparring session. He waited until the soldiers had faced him before he would speak.
"Zarha Sliva, good job not trying to win. You listened to the instructions, which made it easier to assess your skills. I'll remember that. Well done. You're a good soldier with a good technique, and even though you're young, you're a valued private."
He then turned to face Octavius. "Octavius Wulfbrand , I'm glad to see you're out here again." He paused a moment, but decided to say what was on his mind. "What happened at the ball wasn't your fault, and nobody will keep it against you. If they do, you're always free to come see me about it and we'll deal with it. Just like Zarha, you're a valued soldier and your technique is great. It was an interesting and good spar. You two will surely serve us well in the war to come."
He crossed his arms and nodded once. "You two can join the rest. Thank you."
Once they left the open field, Aldrich would look around. Next up were Elodie Atwood and @elletta . The female latecomers. "Atwood, Haider. You're up."
- POSTING ORDER: @warren , then either Elodie Atwood or @elletta x3, then Aldrich again. - The sparring will go as follows: each character gets 3 posts, so soldier A, soldier B, soldier A, soldier B, soldier A, soldier B, then Aldrich again and then Warren. Just spar with your partner during these posts. Other people are not supposed to post until they have to spar.
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Apr 29, 2023 7:56:15 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
Spar after spar, Warren mumbled notes off for his assistant to write down. He cared less about evaluating the soldiers in the moment and more about making note of similar weaknesses across the field. However, after each spar he did note that rather than belittling their shortcomings, Abbott instead praised them for what they did write. Whatever was done wrong could be worked on in the future, for those who weren't eventually dismissed. All in all, as expected, the soldiers assessed so far were doing well. Like he had told Ms. Sliva, it wasn't so much about winning against their respective partners as it was showing their skill and adaptability.
He had been disappointed by the late arrival of both of the next soldiers that Abbott called, especially Elletta Haider, but he knew her to be a capable soldier and one who, despite ending up on staff duty due to her tardiness, had no reason to be dismissed. With a nod, he continued to watch.
Elletta stepped forward into the field, eyeing Elodie Atwood. She hadn't interacted much with the other witch, even before her training was split between two different fields. With a roll of her shoulders, she let her body loosen up just enough to be prepared to either dodge or retaliate. Perks of the occasional spar with Othello and her time in Coheed was learning how to not be overly tense because if the muscles were too tight then reactions were harder, and you could hurt yourself more unintentionally.
Sinking into her preferred stance, a little looser than the standards taught in Skia but still recognizable, she was ready and watching Elodie. If the other witch struck first, she would block and start in with a testing offense. She knew her strengths and was more of an adaptable fighter. This was an assessment so she wasn't going to go hog wild like she did in her spars with the Coheedman, knowing that that would not be the best idea.
Post by Elodie Atwood on Apr 30, 2023 21:26:01 GMT -5
Elodie watched the other soldiers spar with growing dread. Lady Atwood was a skilled witch, but one better suited to brewing potions and weaving curses in the confines of a coven rather than on a battlefield. She’d joined the military not out of natural inclination, but because her kingdom had called for soldiers, and she had responded.
When Octavius Wulfbrand stepped into the center, images of the ball flashed before her eyes. She could see the boy’s head, rolling on the floor and stopping at her feet, eyes staring vacantly upward. Elodie blinked several times to clear the image and refocus on the present. Shame burned in her as she scrunched up her brow.
What right did she have to wallow in self-doubt? They’d all suffered the same horror, but here they were, each one of them taking up their swords again. What was she going to do? Throw away her principles out of fear? When called, Elodie lifted her chin and stepped forward in a lady-like glide.
Elodie Atwood lifted her weapon with poise. She was smaller than the other witch and knew she would be better suited to strike first than try to absorb a blow at the outset. After a calming, disciplined breath, Elodie took a few swift, lunging steps forward before swinging at Elletta from the left, before twisting her sword at the last moment to come at her from the right.
Elodie approached the spar like a dance. The placement of each blow had a delicate formality to it as opposed to a rough-and-tumble grit.
Elletta's looseness, instead of being tightly coiled, certainly helped her as she blocked most of the hit with her own weapon but she caught a little bit of it anyway. It didn't faze her and she kept moving instead. Watching for an opportunity as she parried Elodie Atwood's weapon out of the way and immediately followed through with a strike of her own. Testing her defenses.