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!
It had been a couple of days since the family meeting, and Ibrahim had called for Malikan to his office. He wanted to talk with his brother's son about their troops, and his vision. While Ibrahim was the only official off-site trainer, Xavier and Malikan assisted him with it. The mandatory training held on the grounds of Lakeview Keep was the perfect cover. Ibrahim didn't want the Bashar to participate in the mandatory training held by the royal military. By hosting it himself, he had been able to teach his children the way he wanted to, and he could form and shape the children in the area. They kept an eye on the children and tried to grasp what their views were on the crown. Most of the families that lived near their estate were like minded individuals anyway. When the Bashar fled the city to the outskirts, a lot of families followed. Of course people didn't know they fled. What they thought and believed was that the Bashar had been there all along when Julius killed the Ellis family.
While they trained the children, Ibrahim, Xavier and recently Malikan looked for recruits. Their troops were secret, very very secret, but if they found recruits that seemed like they'd be an asset to the troops, they would keep a closer eye on them to make sure they were safe, and if they seemed legit, they might be considered to know the truth of the troops. The Bashar weren't stupid, though. Ibrahim would dig up dirt on those recruits, so he had the upper hand. He couldn't afford to let people into the troops without some leverage that could be used against them, in the case of them betraying the family.
Xavier's son was a good soldier, and a skilled hunter. If Xavier would ever be to cross him, Malikan would take his place. Ibrahim valued the man's opinions and had called him in to talk about both the mandatory training and their secret troops.
Ibrahim would be sitting in his office. A servant would announce Malikan's arrival when he arrived.
Jagged teeth extend from an elongated forward jawline, razor claws that eerily extend past where they should be on the hands, and harrowing yellow orbs for eyes hunt for their victim. A ten-foot-tall immovable wall of rippling black muscle, hardened skin, thick shoulders that extend down into broader arms, all covered in shaggy dark fur. His legs hold firm like small tree trunks, with powerful feet that dig grooves into the ground at a run. A ferocious beast that is as wild and difficult to control as it is lethal for and protective of the one who finds how to walk with a predator.
Post by Malikan Bashar on Oct 21, 2023 14:21:01 GMT -5
Bypassing his father to speak directly to his uncle was a step up, and it brought mixed feelings. One was it his duty to bypass his father? Two that his service to his family had been satisfactory enough to warrant it. He still found himself seeking his father’s approval, even, or especially because it never came.
Malikan was dressed more cleanly cut than their last meeting, as always more practical than formal. A well-made brown tunic, with the telltale signs of flexible ringmail leather beneath it, and arm guards to match, paired with similar trousers, a black belt holding some essentials, and clean dark leather boots.
Muffled leather footsteps approached his uncle's office, waiting to be announced at the door and admitted. Only when he was, did he walk inside, stop, and bow his head, “Uncle.” Standing as a soldier, Malikan didn't immediately sit unless told to, he was ready to speak on the usual details he would provide to Xavier. The men’s abilities, their families, locations where they were found, and any work history he had gathered. Unknowingly leading the mice's secrets under the cat's paw.
In his hand, he had written records of new materials these recruits might need, and their forces more generally required. Rations, training materials, and equipment are ready to be submitted to their quartermaster. A set of hounds had also been requested, one addition that might need some explaining, but that wasn't all, he held a separate parchment with two other interesting details of note.
A messenger had returned with a coded missive and a new potential supply route had been scouted in the south. There was much to talk about, and he'd been hard at work. Offering any of this over as and when he was asked.
Post by Ibrahim Bashar on Oct 25, 2023 11:36:35 GMT -5
A servant announced Malikan's arrival, and Ibrahim ordered him to let his nephew enter.
"Malikan, welcome", he said, standing behind his desk. He nodded at the man as a way to politely greet him. "Please, sit, if you want." Ibrahim wore a more formal attire, but knew that sitting with chainmail wasn't easy, hence why he gave Malikan the option to remain standing if he wanted to.
"I'm very curious to hear what you have for me, nephew. The family meeting was... Chaotic, to say the least, so I'm glad we can talk a little more calmly today, without Paris, Violet and Ravi acting like spoiled children."
Jagged teeth extend from an elongated forward jawline, razor claws that eerily extend past where they should be on the hands, and harrowing yellow orbs for eyes hunt for their victim. A ten-foot-tall immovable wall of rippling black muscle, hardened skin, thick shoulders that extend down into broader arms, all covered in shaggy dark fur. His legs hold firm like small tree trunks, with powerful feet that dig grooves into the ground at a run. A ferocious beast that is as wild and difficult to control as it is lethal for and protective of the one who finds how to walk with a predator.
Post by Malikan Bashar on Oct 26, 2023 15:39:15 GMT -5
Giving a nod, “yes uncle,” opting to stay out of the politics, he shifted to pick the sturdiest chair. Leather ringmail was more flexible than the regular chain he’d wear on the field, sadly that did not save the chair from creaking slightly to adjust under his usually heavy weight.
”Ten recruits, with served experience. Not loose with their tongues, many have reason to take our cause to heart.” Which was worth more than a mercenary's loyalty to coin. “Wronged by our rivals, or their family mistreated.” Degrees on a scale as to their predisposed loyalty. He’d studied them for a long period, having to cross off thirty potentials to get that ten.
“I have found a supply route in the Scarlet Sycamore Wood to the south, well hidden, able to be kept open or collapsed with predators.” All he had to do was remove what he currently was using to ward off bears and wolves, a good way to trap unwanted guests, or cover their own tracks when it wasn’t in use. A tactic his uncle or father might want to expand to different supply routes, ones the current monarch was using for their army when the time was right to choke them.
“Our messenger’s missive arrived,” he passed the rolled parchment over. The words were simply about crops and harvests, a code that he didn’t know, or a test of the messenger, either way only his uncle knew for sure. Malikan trusted the girl, just as he once had her mother before her death, wondering if his uncle felt the same. “Anneve appears capable and loyal as her mother was despite her age.” Her grandmother was the witch Malikan was paired too, there was family loyalty there, and he was keen to keep her granddaughter close for obvious reasons. Also he cared for her, and that much was in his voice.
There was a task he wanted to gauge his uncle's interest in, swaying an officer, not just the rank and file soldiers who had once served or showed aptitude. A much harder task, there was rumors of a veteran commander who was not happy with the restructuring of the army, and he saw opportunity, like always wanting to aim for the highest peak. His posture showed there was a question, Malikan could not hide his body language when engaged with an idea, but questions were not his duty.