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!
Quinton had been away from home for most of the day handling matters of business. His business had been concluded about an hour beforehand, but he was not yet ready to return home. The manor was in a disgraceful state of disarray, and he was quite sick at the sight of it. He would have to sack his decorator and find a new one. A competent one. But for now, he just wanted a drink and maybe a bite to eat if the tavern food didn’t appear too repulsive.
The Bronze Lion was as sure a bet as ever that he could enjoy a drink without too many low born rabble bothering him as he did so, so that is where he went. He entered and found the place blessedly empty for that time of evening. It would surely start filling up shortly, but for now he could have his pick of the seats. He approached the bar, sat, and ordered a brandy and would watch the room as he sipped the beverage.
Post by Elliot Moore on May 15, 2023 11:33:00 GMT -5
Elliot had always been lucky enough not to look too much of a low noble, even though he technically was. His family was quite wealthy for a family of baronets and the business he used to own had profited him as well. For that reason, and that reason alone, people normally didn't give him any looks when he entered the Bronze Lion. But today, even if someone did notice that he wasn't part of the high nobility, he wouldn't care. He had reported Ikisina earlier that day, and had roamed around the city for a while after before eventually making his way over to the Lion. The man didn't feel like being at his own club right now, even though he would have been safe there. Having a gentleman's club where women weren't allowed to enter certainly had its benefits.
Elliot headed towards the bar and sat down on one of the empty seats, next to a tan man. He still looked good and as nicely dressed, but it was still visible that something bothered him, and that he wasn't feeling well, emotionally.
"Your finest wine", he said when the bartender looked his way. "The whole bottle please."
Post by Quinton Featherton on May 16, 2023 20:34:14 GMT -5
Quinton was barely into his drink when another noble entered the tavern. He studied the man, noting his fine clothes and his manner of walking. He did not know the man, but he could tell that something was bothering him. What wasn’t bothering anyone these days? If one was gifted, one was worried about the gifted being represented in court, if one was not, one was worried about what the gifted population would do when no one was looking. If it wasn’t about those, it was about women in Quinton’s experience. How dull.
The other noble decided to sit next to Quinton and the count would have simply acknowledged the other man with a nod of his head had he not ordered a whole bottle of wine to apparently drink by himself.
When the bartender left to fetch the bottle of wine, Quinton decided to break the silence, “Expecting company, my lord?”
Post by Elliot Moore on May 17, 2023 6:06:50 GMT -5
The barman had nodded reluctantly, and did what Elliot had asked of him. He dragged a hand over his face, and let out a little sigh. He put his hands down in the bar again and looked over to the barman, but redirected his attention to the man sitting next to him. He chuckled, although the negative headspace he was in made it sound less sincere than he had hoped.
"Oh no. Just for me. Wine is easier than thinking." He tapped with his index finger against his temple as if he had just said something incredibly smart.
The bartender returned and placed a glass in front of him, together with the bottle. "Get me another glass, please", he said, before looking at Quinton. He could share some of this wine with him.
Post by Quinton Featherton on May 19, 2023 17:17:26 GMT -5
The man chuckled, but was obviously in poor spirits. What had happened? Quinton didn’t really care, but social niceties dictated that he should at least show interest, so he put on a sympathetic face.
“Ah,” he said, “One of those days, hm? Port or scotch is my poison of choice when I want to drown away my thoughts,” he drank from his cup, “but wine—especially good wine—is a decent alternative,” the other man had the bartender bring another glass, and Quinton tilted his head to show approval. He could well afford his own, but one did not pass up a free drink.
“Since we are sharing the bottle, do you mind me asking what has you in the mood to drink?” A pause, “I am Count Quinton Featherton, by the way. Forgive me for my breach of etiquette, I too have had a trying day.”
Post by Elliot Moore on May 20, 2023 14:56:58 GMT -5
The man knew his drinks. Elliot could appreciate that. He liked port and scotch, but there was something about a good bottle of wine. He had a big wine cellar at home, and he prided himself on having a good collection. "You're definitely right, my lord", Elliot responded, a corner of his mouth slightly lifting in a smile.
The older man poured a little bit of wine into one of the glasses and lifted it, bringing it up to his nose. He swirled the liquid around and studied the smell for a moment before taking a small sip and swirling it around in his mouth. He nodded, satisfied with the flavour, and added more wine to his glass before pouring a glass for the stranger.
"Baronet Elliot Moore, nice to meet you, lord Feathertop", he responded with a smile. There was no point in lying about his status. He was merely a baronet. "It seems like we have both had a trying day then." Elliot sighed. "Someone I thought I knew turned out so be someone completely different", he explained. That would do for now, right?
Post by Quinton Featherton on May 23, 2023 10:35:07 GMT -5
Quinton chuckled as he took the glass, now filled with wine. He also went through the ritual of tasting the wine for quality and notes. He sniffed it, inhaling the fruity notes then twirled the glass, looking for the legs sticking to the glass to see how sweet the wine would be until he finally sipped some, holding the liquid in his mouth so that it properly coated his tongue before swallowing. Very good. A hint of cherry and raspberry with some spice he couldn’t quite put a name to…cinnamon perhaps? No, it was nutmeg. Interesting, but good.
“A pleasure,” he said after the introductions were made, a pleasant smile on his face. He listened to what was troubling the baronet and made tittering noises, “Ah, the pitfalls of our social class,” he made his voice sound as if it were full of melancholy, “We all wear a mask to a certain degree. Inevitable, but unfortunate when they show you what they truly are,” another drink of the wine, “A shame that this person made you feel out of sorts, Lord Moore. My problem seems trivial in comparison,” he chuckled, “I am about to fire my decorator. She has taken a year to redecorate my manor, and hardly has anything to show for it. It isn’t fit to be seen.”
Post by Elliot Moore on May 24, 2023 14:01:09 GMT -5
Elliot huffed and took a sip of his drink. He definitely agreed with Quinton. He turned slightly towards him and pointed at the man to emphasise what he was about to say. "That's the issue with women these days. They think they can just exist and that we'll be on our knees thanking them for doing the bare minimum." Was he projecting? Oh yes, definitely. "With all this make-up they put on, you'd think they wouldn't need another mask."
He was getting closer to some kind of a mental breakdown. He turned to face his glass again and stared at the liquid for a moment before taking another big sip. "This whole kingdom has gone to hell ever since we got a queen. What do women know about leading men? It's ridiculous." Elliot took another big sip of his wine, not even appreciating the flavour anymore. He just wanted the alcohol. He must have lost his filter on the way over to the bar, because he was speaking way too freely. "Forgive me, my lord. I'm normally not this... aggitated. It's just this person. Using her womanly ways on me while she should have known that I wouldn't stand for it."
Last Edit: May 28, 2023 11:26:29 GMT -5 by Elliot Moore
Post by Quinton Featherton on May 29, 2023 19:28:21 GMT -5
“Women are little snakes disguising themselves as innocent puppies, aren’t they?” Quinton chuckled into his glass, “Liars and cheats in such prettily wrapped packages…makes it difficult to not want to unwrap them, does it not?” He was pause to look at his drinking companion to gage his face before continuing, “A shame that one seemed to take advantage of a natural instinct. Was she trying to get your money? If so, how typical of a woman.”
He sipped at his drink and listened to the man rant more about the follies of women and how a queen would only ruin Lorendale. Those words said in the wrong ear may have some negative consequences for the baronet. Luckily—or perhaps unfortunately—for Lord Moore, Quinton was just the sort of man to utter such words to. He himself did not have one opinion or the other about a female ruler, but the baronet had given Quinton another way to get his claws into what he was seeing as another tool to hang in his shed. When Lord Moore’s glass got close to being empty, Quinton would take the bottle and pour more into the glass.
“Say nothing of it,” he put on another friendly smile. Yes, trust me, it said, “What does a woman know of politics? I heard her solution to this blasted issue with the gifted erred on the side of inane. I was not present for it, but I heard about it from a trusted friend.”
Post by Elliot Moore on Jun 4, 2023 12:06:50 GMT -5
He was glad that after the rant he had went on, that the man next to him hadn't excused himself and left. Elliot normally didn't spoke out like he had, let alone about an entire part of the population. "I can only assume it had something to do with money. I took her in because she lived in a bad neighborhood, and because she was in danger and this is how she thanks me." He huffed angrily and took a gulp of his wine, which he also normally wouldn't do. He liked to cherish every sip.
He gave the man a thankful looked when he refilled Elliot's glass. Quinton's smile made him feel at ease. The man understood him and didn't judge him for what he said. It was a nice change of pace. Ikisina was always judging what he said. She didn't want him to kill the barons that had been after her. She didn't like when he said nice things.
"Don't get me started in the Gifted issue", he grumbled. He wasn't sharing his stance on it, perhaps not yet. His opinion regarding the whole situation had drastically changed over the course of the past two days. Ikisina had made him an ally, but now he wasn't so sure about being their friend anymore.
Post by Quinton Featherton on Jun 9, 2023 20:13:36 GMT -5
“Sounds like a greedy, ungrateful chit!” Quinton made sure his face was as outraged as his voice, “She was in your debt and took advantage of your kind heart,” he shook his head, “A wicked sort of woman, indeed. I trust you’ve reported her to the proper authorities?” He drank from his cup, “This cannot go unpunished.”
This Lord Moore fellow seemed to be relaxing. Excellent. It was tempting to push harder for what Quinton was wanting to hear, to put in his little cabinet of dirty little secrets to pull out for favors, but he refrained. It was bad form to spook the prey by pouncing too soon. This man would make a fine asset if Quinton could find just the right finger hold.
He would continue to fill Elliot’s drink when it threatened to be too empty. Drunk lips were loose lips. People said all sorts of things they’d rather hide away when they were plastered enough.
“Strong feelings about the gifted, Lord Moore?” He kept his tone light, still friendly, so trustworthy, “A sticky subject nowadays, but if you wish to discuss it, I can be very discreet. Sometimes even we men have to talk through an issue, do you not agree?”
Post by Elliot Moore on Jun 19, 2023 17:35:53 GMT -5
Finally someone who actually understood him. The way Quinton reacted was the way Elliot had hoped that @dresden would react when he had told him what had happened. Dresden's reaction had been an enormous disappointment to the baronet. "You bet I did. I threw her out yesterday and went to report her first thing this morning. Let's hope they believe me and not let her acting fool them."
Quinton filled up his glass when it was running low, which caused Elliot to relax a bit, and so did his tongue. It was becoming loose. Sharing is caring! So he would be sharing the wine, and his thoughts on whatever matter was brought to the table. And for now, the topic seemed to be the Gifted. Elliot had plenty to say about them.
He shrugged, a little bit out of proportion/exaggerated due to the wine. "It's a shame it has become such taboo to talk about it. Everyone is praising them nowadays and if ya dare to say somethin' that isn't one hundred percent positive, they'll have yer head", he said, putting less effort into speaking properly. The alcohol was doing its thing. "I used to not have much of an opinion on them, y'know? Ikisina made me believe they weren't all that bad." He didn't even realise that he had named her just then. "But what have they ever done for us? The Eldouir are evil, I don't even know what the Allemeades try to do, and so many if them aren't even registered. Poor little Ikisina wasn't even registered! I didn't even think to ask about that before I invited her to stay with me. 's A good thing that that Lady Steward made her get registered. Otherwise there wouldn't even be proof of her being Gifted." He blew out some air in disbelief of the whole system, and the attempts of rekindling the non-Gifted and Gifted community. "I don't trust any of 'em, lord Featherton. None of 'em."
Here's to hoping Quinton wasn't Gifted himself, right?
Post by Quinton Featherton on Jun 22, 2023 18:22:28 GMT -5
“Good man!” Quinton would give him a light slap on the back, “We can’t let behavior like that go unpunished,” he lifted his glass, “Here’s to justice striking the deserving.” And he would drain his glass—barely two glasses, for his port was still sitting by his arm nearly untouched.
Quinton would continue to listen to the other man, nodding at the appropriate moments, putting on a smile here, a frown there. Everyone wore a mask, and Quinton would unabashedly don several in the same minute given the proper chance. Now he wore the mask of a trusted friend, a bosom companion. It was working well. The man had spilled arguably treasonous things to him, and he had the name of another creature. Too many eyes would likely be on that one, so any playing would have to wait until the interest in her little scandal waned.
That was fine. Waiting was part of the fun.
“Yes a shame,” Quinton agreed heartily, “A crying shame that we cannot talk about what needs to be said. They are capable of much harm,” a sip of his drink, a little refill of the other man’s, “I would know personally,” he would keep his own comments vague enough that the baronet would not be able to use it against him, but it wouldn’t hurt to dangle a little bait, a little something to solidify the bond of brotherhood he’d forged. It was amazing what one could do with shared pain.
Post by Elliot Moore on Jun 27, 2023 16:22:57 GMT -5
Quinton's approval did more than the man could possibly even know. This was a defining moment for Elliot. He had been on the brink of becoming anti-Gifted, and Quinton was doing everything right to pull him down in the dark abyss of hatred. Elliot could feel the rage under his skin. All those Gifted were foul.
He didn't care who heard it, which was reckless and dangerous. Luckily, he sitting next to a man who would be able to understand his sentiments.
Elliot looked up when the man said he would know personally. It was vague, so the older man was intrigued. "So you have experience with Gifteds as well?" he asked, while thinking about all the ones he had met, which weren't a lot, really. He knew Ikisina, and he knew about Remiel and Honora. All others he had ever met had been successful at hiding their Gift from him, such as Oriana and Tallis.
Post by Quinton Featherton on Jun 29, 2023 10:41:31 GMT -5
Quinton took the time to drink from his glass—or so it would appear. He’d tipped the glass to his lips, but he did not allow the liquid to enter his mouth. No need to make himself just as drunk as his new little tool. Not that he easily succumbed to spirits, but experience taught the count to be cautious in his dealings.
“Oh,” Quinton shook his head as if he were recalling a memory most horrid, “He was my valet. The first I had as a boy,” he set his glass down and let out a melancholic sigh, “He was as close a friend as a servant could be, I thought he was somebody I could trust with any task,” and truly that valet had been. Most loyal servant a noble could hope for, “We even knew he was gifted—my parents were sympathetic to their plight,” he shook his head, “They should not have been. He’d been slowly killing off my family, one by one for years. Poison,” Quinton fought to not smile, and covered his mouth, trying to pass off his glee of the memory for rising emotion, “He had poisoned me along with my parents. I am told I was lucky to survive,” he looked over at Elliot, “so you see, I too know what it is like to have an ungrateful gifted in one’s life.”