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.
Our dearest and lovely admin welcomed her new baby boy, Jet, on Sept 7th! We're so happy for her and her family! Congratulations Mama!! Your boys are all so lucky to have such an incredible mom to love them! God bless!
Regan couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way that she’d strode into camp, all freckles and curls and bright eyes, kneeling before the king as he smiled, satisfied. She felt the familiar twist of jealousy in her stomach, the possessive bristle of the wolf creep up her neck. Regan rode at the front of the traveling group with a few others as the rest of the royal guard surrounded the king. Even without looking at him, Regan could sense him, and it was comforting and agitating in equal measure.
Her brow furrowed as she scanned the horizon, expression pensive and sour. Regan was trying to keep her mind focused and her senses vigilant, but her thoughts threatened to sweet her away like a strong current. She hardly noticed that someone else’s horse had fallen in line beside hers.
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 7, 2024 7:55:13 GMT -5
Over the years, Isaac had became good at horse riding, but traveling in a group like this was still a bit nerve-wracking, because a lot could go wrong with horses. If one of them got spooked, the others would quickly follow. He tried not to think about it op much, because horses could also sense when their rider was nervous, and would mirror that behaviour. He patted the horse on the neck and looked around a bit. He had enjoyed his talk with Alys, a few days prior. She was kind and attentive. She had promised to help him to learn how to read. But she had also raised a question that he tried to avoid answering: was he ready to face what had come if his wives, once they went to Coheed?
The definite answer to that would have to wait a little longer. Before Coheed, they would be traveling to Cambria. Cambria, the whole reason why Bellamy had banished Isaac. His horse tugged on the reins, and the young man became aware of his surroundings again. He had been following the group, lost in thought. He softly squeezed the horse with his legs, and its speed picked up, until he was riding next to Regan.
He didn't say anything, but let his horse slow down a bit again, so it matched Regan's horse's speed. Briefly, he glanced at her, before focusing on the horizon again.
Last Edit: Apr 7, 2024 8:11:48 GMT -5 by Isaac Hudson
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 9, 2024 18:13:46 GMT -5
It took her a moment, but eventually, Regan spotted Isaac out of the corner of her eye and managed a subdued double-take before facing her gaze forward again. Predictably her cheeks blushed, a reaction as involuntary as one blinking when the sun was in their eyes. Isaac was handsome, mysterious, and (relatively) mature in his years—and Regan was therefore flustered. She was quiet for a moment before speaking.
“Sorry I, uh, got weird before,” Regan mumbled, “It’s not you. Just…yeah.” She continued to plod along, swallowing.
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 10, 2024 7:45:56 GMT -5
They rode in silence for a little while longer until Regan noticed him. He hadn't wanted to start a conversation, as to not startle her, and because he didn't know if she actually wanted to talk. Their previous conversation had ended rather brusk, so the man thought of was good to give her the chance to start a conversation if she wanted to. She looked at him and faced forward again. Okay, now she had officially noticed that he was next to her. He looked toward as well, eyes focused on the road. The sound of the horses' hoofs made for a nice background sound. He liked the clip-clop.
"That's quite alright", he answered with his typical low and warm voice. "I didn't think it was me. You, uh, you alright, though?" He glanced at her shortly before returning his eyes to the road.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 10, 2024 9:52:37 GMT -5
The voice. Regan was a simple, malleable critter, and the warmth of his tone sent a happy shiver down her spine. Whatever wariness she had about outsiders, men of Coheed in particular, crashed on conflict against the flush of her cheeks and the now frequent glances in his direction.
“Yeah. I’m good,” Regan sighed, “I just…you know, this isn’t just a job. It’s personal, it kind of has to be, I guess. And when it’s personal things get, uh, complicated. And Alys and I…yeah, anyway, it’s complicated.”
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 10, 2024 10:07:37 GMT -5
Isaac leaned his head to the side a bit so he could look at her from time to time while she spoke, and it showed he was actually listening, and not just hearing. He nodded and tugged on the reins to steady his horse's pace. So far, all the conversations he had with Regan had been kind of... Haltingly. Regan's manned of speech was disconnected, and she often didn't make full sentences. She cut them short, changed their direction or assumed he knew what she wanted to say. It made him feel like she wasn't at ease. Not necessarily with him, but with herself as well. He wasn't an expert when it came to women, but he was good at understanding and seeing people, although he'd often claim the opposite.
"I met her later that night. She was very kind to me." He looked at the road again. Both Regan and Alys had been very kind to him. "But that doesn't mean you have to explain yourself. If you say it's complicated, then it's complicated. I fully believe you." He smiled slightly. He assumed the personal aspect that Regan talked about had to do with the king. Alys had mentioned that she was his, which he had thought was an odd way of phrasing it. It seemed as if the king owned Alys and Regan.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 10, 2024 10:23:02 GMT -5
“I’m sure she was,” Regan grumbled sarcastically. Her eyes widened a little as she realized that was probably taking things a step too far. She coughed awkwardly, cheeks turning a little redder as she changed the subject.
“So,” Regan said with a touch of forced brightness, “Cambria, eh? Have you been? I know they come to Coheed to get, uh…taken care of.” Another awkward throat clearing. “But I don’t know if you all do it the other way ‘round. Not do it like that but with the, uh, traveling bit.”
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 10, 2024 10:50:36 GMT -5
It was definitely enough to make Isaac raise an eyebrow. She tried to change the topic, but he wasn't really having it. "Do the two women closest to the king don't get along. Is this a situation a royal guard should keep an eye on?" he asked, fully turning his face towards Regan to try and get an idea of the situation at hand. "I've been tasked with protecting the king on this tour, but I might just have to protect him from a cat fight, it seems." He made all of it sound light, and he tone wasn't accusingly, but it was obvious that he wondered what the hell was going on between the two women.
He'd go along with the new topic, then. He shook his head. "I never impregnated one of their women. I've seen them in our territory, sure, but I didn't really meet any of them. And, uh, I didn't invade Cambria when Bellamy did. That's what cost me my reputation and rank as a warrior, and why I fled to Nevermere." He looked ahead again.
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 11, 2024 9:09:27 GMT -5
“A cat fight?” Regan spluttered in embarrassment as she scowled at Isaac, “I’m perfectly capable of…listen here—” She took a deep breath, brows so knitted with indignation it looked like they were about to fold in on themselves, “The king is my priority, same as yours. Alys can do what she pleases. She’s not my concern.” Regan would grumble, quiet for a few huffy moments before she turned to whatever it was Isaac had said next.
“Why didn’t you?” Regan asked with simple curiosity, looking at Issac with her head cocked slightly to the side.
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 11, 2024 9:26:32 GMT -5
He tried to focus on the road so she wouldn't notice the smile his reaction had caused. She obviously hadn't meant to be funny, but the anger and confusion his comment had caused in her, amused him. "Oh, yeah, how has that been working out for you so far?" He looked back at her, the smile visible. Be was prying more than he normally would, but there was something going on between this women that could potentially be dangerous to the king.
Why didn't he? He shrugged lightly. "Coheed had given Cambria their territory, and we had good traditions going. Bellamy was a madman. He just wanted to rule all of Terra Nova. I didn't like the idea of taking back what we once gave them. And he didn't like me disobeying." He was silent for a moment. "My wives and children are still there."
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 11, 2024 14:53:56 GMT -5
Regan grumbled indistinctly, though with the hint of a smile on her blushing face. He wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t exactly the picture of partnership and goodwill, but Regan wasn’t the type to put a good face on something, largely due to the fact she’d never been good at deception. What you saw was what you got, even if it was rough around the edges.
At the mention of wives and children, Regan’s brow furrowed in genuine concern. “And you don’t know what happened to them?” It was a statement, posed as a question
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 12, 2024 2:10:42 GMT -5
At least he was able to make her smile a little. Regan seemed to be self aware. She had tried to explain herself, but Isaac understood that it wasn't that easy. He supposed it was only normal to have some rivalry between the two people closest to the king. He would drop the topic, but hoped that maybe one day he would know more about what went on between the two of them. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.
Isaac shook his head. "No, I have no idea. I don't necessarily miss them, if that makes sense, we didn't marry out of love, but I am worried about them. Honour is such a big thing in Coheed, so I hope they didn't have to suffer the consequences of my actions." He didn't know if it sounded rude to say he didn't miss them. "Marriage in Coheed is comparable to arranged marriages in Nevermere, so while there are men that love their wives, not all of them do. Especially the older ones don't. They see women as a means to get more children. I've heard the women have gotten more freedom since I left, so I'm happy for them." Maybe he was talking too much now. He was just trying to put his own mind at ease. He doubted his wives had joined the Parabolti, but everything was possible, right?
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 23, 2024 16:58:10 GMT -5
Given her circumstances, as a child Regan had been made to contend with many harsh realities in life—but arranged marriage was not one of them, and in that moment she was grateful. She supposed Isaac’s wives would have been grateful too to be married to a man who, so far as Regan could tell, wasn’t the kind to raise his hand or treat a woman harshly. No, Regan knew rough hands when she saw them and his…
Regan swallowed and turned her eyes forward, blushing.
“Would you make the same choice again?” Regan asked with blunt, genuine curiosity, “Knowing what you know now?”
Post by Isaac Hudson on Apr 24, 2024 8:39:14 GMT -5
It wasn't the easiest of topics, so his eyes were fixated on the road, which also meant he didn't see Regan's blushing cheeks. If he had, he wouldn't have known why she was blushing anyway.
"Yes", he said, without hesitation. "But I would have made sure they were safe first." He glanced over quickly. "I still don't think what Bellamy did was right."
Post by Regan Lassiter on Apr 25, 2024 19:24:34 GMT -5
Regan was a creature of limited emotional variations. Pity wasn’t something she had in enormous supply, nor was it something she thought appropriate to extend to a man who had—despite the tragic aspects of his situation—done rather well for himself. But, in so far as she could tell, Isaac seemed sincere; good, despite the relative barbarism of his people.
“No,” Regan said with a sigh, “No, it wasn’t good, no. I’m not a historian, but in the grand scheme of things, it seems like he was pretty off his rocker.” She smirked, looking over at Isaac as she tried to lighten the mood.