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 Rhedara Shannon on Oct 7, 2023 20:26:35 GMT -5
Rhedara thought that her little fix on her near flub had been seamless and subtle. However, the way Keelan was approaching her made her suspect that she’d been perhaps a bit clumsy in her excision. Goddess, was she off her game, or was she always this clumsy in her words? Maybe Raff had been right and she really was too easy to read.
It was difficult to keep her own composure as he approached her the way that he did, and she feared that she wasn’t very successful at it. She felt her eyes get wider and wider as he got closer and closer, and her cheeks felt warmer and warmer as he repeated her words back to her. Did his lips touch her ear, or was that just his breath making it seem like it? She moved away a little more from the shock of the sensation than anything else. What was happening? Had she unknowingly pulled a lever or accidentally done something to his liquor? Did he have too much liquor? He didn’t smell like he’d had too much.
“Um,” was the most clever thing she could come up with to say. If she could, she would scoot far enough away so she could look at him, although she knew she’d probably not read anything from his face. She scrambled for something to say, “We all put on fronts, my lord, whether we need to protect our hearts or not,” she bit her lip without knowing it, it was a horrible habit she’d yet to break, “But I would understand if that man were afraid to love. Opening yourself up to someone else…can be very painful.”
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Oct 11, 2023 17:18:37 GMT -5
Keelan responded with a grunt and stood upright never breaking that locked in eye contact, "Love is pain," then he turned away and walked toward a closed wardrobe that he opened and rifled through, "I don't think that I can love, truly, I'm not like others Rhedara. I feel as though I'm broken," he grabbed a old bottle of liquor and removing the old cork Keelan turned the bottle up drinking heavily for a few seconds before stopping, "I'm marrying for power..."
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Oct 13, 2023 22:00:58 GMT -5
Rhedara found herself unable to look away from his stare, even as the whole exchange left her feeling flummoxed. Never had she thought that she’d be discussing love with any boss of hers, but there they were. That the subject came up on the heels of her own shattered relationship well…she was unable to deny that love was indeed pain, “Yes it is,” she said, not realizing that she’d voiced what had only been meant as a thought. The backs of her eyes felt hot, although she did not notice this until she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. Mortified, she’d try to scrub it away before Keelan would notice. She hated to cry, and she especially hated people seeing her cry.
He turned toward a wardrobe in search of something, and Rhedara searched her own mind for something, anything to say, or what to do. She’d never had a conversation like this before, and had no frame of reference. What did he want, she wondered? Why exactly did he think he was broken? She certainly understood the desire to marry for power. Had that not been on her to-do list before she’d started courting Raff? And where exactly had courting Raff gotten her?
“Broken?” She asked when she thought her voice would be steady enough to not crack, “Did someone hurt you, my lord?” As soon as she said it, she’d wondered why she’d asked something so direct, so she quickly added, “If it’s not out of line for me to ask, that is…”
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Oct 17, 2023 17:22:43 GMT -5
"Keelan...you can call me Keelan, Rhedara," he didn't care for such addressings in private if this was business sure but this Morrigan was being vulnerable. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a very old painting of him (the eyes haunting and blue as in real life) with a young dark haired woman, "I was married once. My Rose," she was eerily beautiful but exceptionally bright and smiling, she was clearly happy, "It was the one time I loved but death took that from me and I swore, that never again would I lose someone I loved. So I don't. I covet people as if I own them...trinkets...money power...when I grip something it's in a iron grip Rhedara. Mine. I want the world."
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Nov 10, 2023 22:07:46 GMT -5
She only nodded in response to his request to call him by his given name. It would be a little strange to do this. Her whole life, she addressed anyone that was above her—be it from their noble status or their military rank—by their last name. Raff had been the exception, but their relationship had been…well…it was best not to think on that now.
That Keelan had once been married was more of a surprise to her than it should have been. It was fairly common for the nobility to marry young—or so her mother had told her. But for some reason, he didn’t strike her as someone who had had a spouse before. She stood when he pulled out the painting and walked closer to look at it better. Rhedara thought they captured her employer’s eyes to a very realistic degree. They were that piercing blue, and stared out at the viewer as if he knew exactly what you were thinking. The woman was beautiful, and Rhedara wondered if the almost otherworldly beauty that was being displayed on the canvas was something the artist had done to flatter, or if she had naturally looked that way, “You made a lovely couple.” She said then bit her lip in thought. A million questions flitted in her head. Was it a love match? How did she die? How long ago did she die? Was she one of those trinkets the he held in such a tight grip? The aftermath of her death seemed to make him live a lonely sort of life, but her own broken heart understood it. Her love had not been separated from her by death, but it might as well have been. The need to be in control of something, or more importantly to do something was strong. Anything to make her heart hurt less.
She turned her head away from the painting to look at him, “How does one get the world, My L—Keelan?”
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Nov 14, 2023 7:25:40 GMT -5
He pondered for a moment her question staring at the art, "You cut everyone's throat until you have it," and that was as simple as he could put it because that's how he had done it since he first became a ship merchant, Keelan had done a lot of dirty things and screwed over countless people to always go in his favor, "I got tired of having things I love taken, so I became the taker and I want you to do the same."
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Nov 30, 2023 16:13:13 GMT -5
The answer was simple, cold, and calculating. She liked that answer. It sounded like power, influence. Isn’t that what she’d wanted since she’d learned of her mother’s origins? Isn’t that what she’d wanted since she’d gotten kicked out of the military? It was, and the prospect of of just taking what she wanted was intoxicating.
“How can I become a taker?” She didn’t try to keep the hunger from her voice, “I work for you, but even so, most of the people that I would want to take from would knock me down because I’m common.”
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Dec 8, 2023 14:30:49 GMT -5
"Work for me, save and you could buy a title of nobility," he breathed as he started the 'sell' the method that was Keelan Morrigan was in his words and actions down to the held breaths or hard grunts, "That's the simplest way but you won't get your hands dirty and people won't respect you; but work with me, I'll teach you how to knock down others with just the mention of your name," once again Keelan turned toward her and they were closer, "take a chance may be and become my partner," he slipped her an invitation.
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Dec 11, 2023 21:55:19 GMT -5
It was true, if she earned a title either by purchase or by reward, the nobility would not consider her one of their own. Her commoner stench would waft too strongly toward their noble noses. But the prospect of people fearing the sound of her name…she swallowed, but could not hide the eagerness in her eyes at the prospect.
His invitation, along with their case proximity though, was quite unexpected. Was a member of the esteemed Morrigan family rally extending her, a commoner…Words were beyond her for a moment. She thought of the stack of invitations that she was to deliver. How would she compete with ladies that had been raised noble their whole lives? Being a fishmonger’s daughter, she knew her way around filleting a fish, but knew nothing about which spoon to use at a fancy dinner.
A challenge. She smiled. She relished a challenge.
“What exactly,” her voice was low, almost a whisper as if speaking loudly destroy…she didn’t know what, “would accepting this invitation mean for me? The expectations?”
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Dec 14, 2023 16:34:38 GMT -5
"My expectation is bring that woman who curses those above their rank with zero hesitation," Keelan didn't move closer but the metaphorical power between them could be felt, or so he thought, he traced a finger across each knuckle on her hand with the invitation and then each finger before breaking his electric gaze from her face to the front of her outfit, "Bring that woman who helped me destroy two horrible brothers and stole their entire family wealth," his hand moved from hers to smooth the front of her dress, not that anything was wrong with it...Keelan just wanted to be around her..touching her...he wanted just a taste of those lips.
"Bring your knife and cut some throats," he straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back, his blue eyes finding hers again...for a second he could just throw away those other invitations and choose her, he could and what could be done? She'd be his and only his and....
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Dec 19, 2023 9:41:44 GMT -5
Her chest felt tight even as her heart pounded in anticipation. She felt as if she were standing on one side of a barrier that she could pass over only once. It was al entirely strange and oh so tempting. She was till reeling from the letter that had brought her so much pain…but the way he was looking at her, touching her, …stoking the memory of what it was like to be intimately touched by a man…and the offer of power…
Unconsciously, she licked her lips, her eyes flickering to Keelan’s lips then back to his eyes. Surreal. It was surreal that this was happening, and it was probably wiser to reject the offer given the difference in power between the two of them but…she’d be crazy not to accept.
“Then I’l do it,” she’d curse all the others to become frogs if she had to if it meant coming out on top.
Post by Keelan Morrigan on Dec 20, 2023 9:01:41 GMT -5
Keelan did not smile on his face but in his eyes, this was the feeling he'd been waiting for so long to feel with someone since Regan...but this...this felt stronger. Rhedara Shannon had been placed in his life he believed for a reason and so far she had rose to his every expectation, he did not feel she'd fail in this task. She might have already been a coveted piece indeed.
"Good," and for a brief second the itch or flinch to kiss her worked back into the muscles of Lord Morrigan, but he held breaking their moment for reasons (he wanted to make her want him), "I've got a meeting about my trade with the Crown," he grabbed his black long coat and his lifetime of work all contained to a large brown leather briefcase of sorts, "Get those letters delivered," he said heading to the cabin door before pausing looking back over his shoulder, "...or don't," he threw out a temptation. Then left.
Post by Rhedara Shannon on Dec 20, 2023 11:13:21 GMT -5
For a moment, Rhedara thought he was about to kiss her, but he didn’t. She was a little surprised that she wished that he had. The urge to reach out to pull him to her was strong, but his topic change pertaining to a meeting he had had her resisting.
She said nothing as he left—words were a little beyond her with all the new thoughts and feelings bouncing around in her head. This meeting with her boss—or was suitor a better word for him now?—had taken a different direction than anticipated. She looked at the letters on her desk and picked one up. Delivering them would be the right thing to do…but as she’d been discovering recently, she didn’t always do the right thing. She’d cursed people—superiors to sooth her ire, she’d drunkenly had relations with a man that she had not wed—in an alley at that! She’d also conned two men out of their fortune and now had possession of those assets. As it turned out, she wasn’t the rule follower she thought she was.
She tore the first letter, then the next, then the next until they were all scraps of paper. She would not throw them in the fire. No…she’d toss the pieces in the ocean. Pepper them in the waters a the docks and around the beach.
There wouldn’t be any trouble competing with noble ladies if the invitations “got lost” during delivery.