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!
Post by Elodie Atwood on May 3, 2023 18:08:49 GMT -5
Elodie’s defenses were shaky. She barely countered @elletta’s maneuver, putting her sword in the way just in time to block it. The weapon wobbled in her hand, almost becoming unseated. Elodie took a deep breath and tried to push back onto the offense with a couple of graceful—or trying to be graceful—slashes.
Maybe Elletta had different expectations, even for an assessment spar, from her time in Coheed in general or maybe it was just because she was used to spars with Othello. Either way, she was a little let down but it was a test and not a fight to the win.
So she pressed forward and parried away the slashes to make openings in Elodie Atwood's form. Her form shifted, a little more relentless and dominating that most witches were with physical fighting as she took advantage of the other witch's shaky defenses.
Post by Elodie Atwood on May 5, 2023 8:21:30 GMT -5
Elodie held strong for as long as she could, still relying on her elegant form rather than physical strength. But eventually, @elletta was able to best her, unseating her sword so that it fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on May 5, 2023 9:31:11 GMT -5
Aldrich sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, that's enough", he said, which would make the girls put an end to their sparring. Perhaps the difference in experience hadn't been fair, but he was rather disappointed with Elodie Atwood . She was twenty, so it wasn't like she had just joined the military. She had been through numerous trainings.
"@elletta ," he then said deciding to start with her, "Great form, great technique, I expected nothing less."
And then Elodie. "Elodie Atwood , I'm not sure what I just witnessed. You could've just as well dropped your sword and the outcome of this spar would have been the same. You have a lot of work to do, Atwood."
He kept his eyes on her for a while before he'd address the both of them again. "And you were both late. Haider was still in medical training, which I can excuse this once, but see that it doesn't happen again. As for you, Atwood, you we're just late. Punctuality is also a skill you must possess. Next time, you're on time, no exceptions. I hope I've made myself clear. Now, you're dismissed."
He would wait until they had moved from the field before calling forward @torsten and Joan Conrad. "You're the last pair. Good luck."
- POSTING ORDER: you know the drill by now, first @warren unless Heather decides to skip a turn, then either @torsten or Joan but since I'll be playing Joan, Torsten can go first. We're almost done, people!
You're late?! Really? Thanks DI Obvious. So others had been late too? He hadn't seen or heard DI Abbot asking why Elodie or he were late. And it was very suspicious that he was suddenly playing the part of an -almost- decent human being. Oh the dark clad woman must be why. Again his gaze flashed back to the Captain and he wondered if he was being strong armed by the DI as every witch and soldier was. As a Lieutenant, Woodwick had never had the authority or temerity to order a mandatory like this, so Torsten could only rationalize that the DI had called the orders using the Captain's authority and then invited him later. The Captain said and did very little and it was soon made clear that it was purely the DI that was running this show. As usual, no words were the best reply to give anyone at this point.
Regardless of what Torsten did right now, the DI's opinion of Mosse would stay unchanged. Until the DI had driven out Tor like he did Rhedara, the lash of the whip would stay unrelenting. He'd be demoted until he was essentially forced to resign out of total shame. Like all the other things, he pushed it down to think about later.
Remembering firmly his last training session with the Captain, he moved toward Joan and stood squarely. If Torsten could remember the arcs in this, it would allow him to easily catch anything coming at him from above or below. With his sword held pointed at mid range and starting in a solidly balanced stance he nodded politely to Joan to begin.
Joan had been in the military for quite some time. She had seen Torsten a few times, but they had never sparred before. She was ready though. He allowed her to begin, which was nice but not necessary. In a fight against an enemy, they wouldn't wait either to charge at you. She moved forward, raising her sword a bit but not so high that it would be an above head attack, and aimed for Torsten's upper arm of the one he was holding his sword in.
Torsten moved his sword in an upward arc, as Captain Woodwick had shown him, using the shield move for his sword. Making the other person attack first was part of the strategy and he aimed the sword to lift beneath the hilt of Joan's sword pommel and raise it up and to the side to disarm her. Mosse moved his right leg forward, putting some muscle into it as he'd been taught, in following the correct method. Done right, it could disarm Joan, done wrong, it would shove their weapons together and close any distance between them.
Disarming didn't work, she was prepared for a love like this and she moved her arm in the same direction of her sweep, maintaining a hold of her sword. It was not because Torsten had done the move wrong, but she had simply been prepared for it. They were close together now, so she lifted her knee to kick him in the groin.
Joan pulled the most dirty, obviously girly thing on the planet that had nothing to do with training or combat--just an expected, typical groin shot. Which every man knew to expect from women. Tor blocked the attempt easily, turning his body sideways and swinging his sword tip to stop just in front of her kneecap as a deadly warning, still being careful not to make full contact. If Joan moved her knee at all anywhere near him, Torsten Mosse wouldn't hesitate to use his sword in full measure.
It was good that he saw it coming. Even the dirty tricks were ones you needed to expect. She grinned a bit and set a step back, ready for another swing, but Aldrich's voice sounded and caused her to stop.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on May 5, 2023 13:07:22 GMT -5
"Okay, thanks, you two", Aldrich said. He would wait for them to face him before speaking again.
"Conrad, that was a dirty trick. Normally I'd appreciate this, but I wanted to see more actual technique. Everybody knows how to kick someone in the groin."
And then @torsten. "Good job, Mosse. Even though Conrad prevented you from showing your full potential, I got the gist of it. Good thinking with letting her go first."
"You're dismissed." He then clapped so get everyone's attention. "Okay everyone, that concludes this assessment. You can all go back to your duties now, and you will receive information about the results in the next few days."
He'd wait until most of the soldiers had started to move, and then he headed over to @warren.
"Captain", he said, greeting the man. "Would you like to discuss the assessment in my, or your office, or shall I send you a copy of the letter I'll write to Captain Commander Usher?"
- that's a wrap everyone! @warren is still welcome to post, other characters are assumed to have left.
As the assessments ended, Warren made a final comment or two to his assistant, who nodded and promptly made his way off toward the offices once more. When Aldrich approached, Warren nodded to him. "No need to discuss. I believe that your initial reactions to the assessments were on point, and any further elaboration is unnecessary. I would like a copy, yes, and if I have any notes to add I will send them to the Commander as well. I intend to meet with some of the soldiers from today, to speak with them personally about their performances. Overall, though, I feel they, and you, have done a good job. I appreciate your tireless work in organizing today's events. Once the Commander gives his final words, we'll talk more about what to do going forward."
He watched as the soldiers began to file away. Handing the reigns over wasn't easy, but at least Aldrich seemed to be taking what he had said to heart and improving upon himself as well. That was a relief, given that Warren would be leaving soon. He needed to know his soldiers would be in good hands. "Thank you, Lieutenant." With that, he turned and made for his office once more.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on May 7, 2023 4:57:58 GMT -5
He had never been one to seek for another person's approval, but he was happy that the Captain appreciated his work, and that he voiced it by literally telling him. Aldrich nodded. "Thank you, Captain", he said. It felt nice to have done a good job, and that everything had went according to plan. Okay, there had been some latecomers, but things could have went way worse. The ball had proved that things could go completely wrong. He had indeed sought to improve himself and him behaviour, and while being 'nicer' felt unnatural, it did made things easier. He'd have to find the balance between being himself and being a Lieutenant.
Warren left, and Aldrich would do the same, but first he put away the training swords and looked over the courtyard once more. A sigh left his lips. The assesment was over. All that was left now was sending the letter to the Captain Commander.