the Rift


Why do we wander?

Grimalkin Posts: 50
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 7 | dam: 8
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Whit
#1
Dark and yet crisp, the night draped its dark cloak over the realm. Misted breaths evaporated swiftly as the promise of dawn teased the edges of the horizon. The stallion walked onwards.

His steps were not clunky and hulking, but rather taken with a practised, refined grace, the swing in his step as natural as the breath that rolled in and out of his nostrils. Muscles rippled beneath the dark sheen of his pelt, the mottled palomino shade trimmed by crème stockings, beard and tresses. Casually, he flicked his tail to slap against his flank, a shot of white against a sweat-darkened hide.

He wandered, as many had done before him, towards a realm that held the potential to change the view the stallion had of himself and the world around him. The stallion sensed when a change had occurred upon the lands, his skin prickled as all the hairs stood on end, his nostrils considered a breath carefully before he chose to walk onwards. There was something different about this land – different at least, to the lands he had been wandering previously, lands that were owned by different gods perhaps.

Eyes of a deep green rolled about their sockets, his ears swivelled atop his brutish crown as he considered the forest around him. He nodded to himself, yes, this will do, as he weaved his generous breadth through the foliage with practised ease.

[ ooc :: starting post is starting post...
Open to any - no real plans for him yet ;D ]
colourize-stock & larfsalot @deviantart

please do not feel pressured into mirroring the length of any of my posts
I write what I feel at the time
and hope everyone else does the same c:


Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#2
Torleik the Bloodskald

Let us move a mountain



So many, many newcomers filtered through the lens of the Threshold in springtime - possibly why Torleik found himself there so much, weaving his way through this forest with its newly invigorated trees, the blooming flours and berried bushes. Bumbling bees buzzed about, knocking themselves to and fro since their almost circular form, by all accounts, should not have been able to take flight; birds with the busiest of wings flitted from flower to flower, slaking their insatiable thirst with nectar from the petals, pure, divine sugar.

Such bustle and life, when but a month ago, everything was cold and barren. Could one's own life change so quickly? The viking didn't know it could do so for the better...but it couldn't certainly come apart at the seams in an instant. Casually wandering, the Bloodskald snacked here and there on fresh grass and edible berries, keeping a mental and physical eye on Irelyn from time to time. Not that it was all that necessary - she was out of reach of most, if not all of the predators they'd ever encountered in Helovia once she had firmly ensconced herself in the branches and boughs of the trees.

As was the usual experience, her tiny little voice broke through their comfortable mental silence. However, this time, the phrase uttered was strange.

'Huge monster unicorn!'

What?

Torleik's head lifted languidly from the ground, thinking there was no way an actual monster was here in Helovia's Threshold. Silently, he followed his companion's mental directions, her little body urging him on with an invisible pull through their bond, taking him to see this hulking beast. And in truth, she was not incorrect, for when he found the one she spoke of, he was beastly. His stature was just a hair shorter than that of the Basin General's, but the new stallion's width felt twice his own and his musculature put him at the same level of solidity as a cluster of these surrounding trees.

"Greetings, traveler," began the rune-horned demon. "I've not seen you around this place before. Are you new? In search of a home, perhaps?" Torleik hoped this hulking bundle of muscle was friendly. If it came to a spar, he could out-maneuver this bulwark of a stallion, but it would be a painful clash indeed.


@[Grimalkin]

"talk talk talk"


OOC: Just as an aside, maybe this is me, but I had trouble reading the white font on your table - I had to highlight it to be able to see it :(

Art by valerie911 @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!

Grimalkin Posts: 50
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 7 | dam: 8
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Whit
#3
Movement drew the gaze of the stallion, who looked carefully at this new information provided to him by the little griffin. Sharp, green eyes pierced the early morning light to consider whether this avian feline would prove a threat, though all it seemed to do was flit amongst the trees - perhaps it was startled to see him. A wry grin curved the corner of his maw, it was not unusual for those outside of his family to find him intimidating - even if he was still technically growing, his full potential not yet filled out, but the promise of what was to come certainly was. His neck and rump contained the most muscles - neck and shoulder needed the bulk to carry the vast antlers that rested behind his ears, and his haunches needed to propel the weight of his bones and body. The rest was still filling in, bulking out - it was the curse of his heavy breeding, to grow so slowly, but with that slow and steady growth, came the guarantee of great strength.

The steed continued forward, amusement glittering behind his eyes as his ears alerted him to the approach of another, this time a ground-dweller. With a small nod, Grimalkin assessed his opponent swiftly and without reconsideration, his gaze drinking what he needed to of his appearance while his ears swallowed the sounds crafted by the beast's tongue just as instantly. His assessment was carefully guarded in the recesses of his mind, his expression showing mild curiosity and an openness to continue conversing with this creature who held at least enough intelligence to string some words together. Grim's footsteps had halted as the other had begun talking, though his deep, burnt hide rippled still beneath the dappled rays of sunlight trickling through the canopy.

"One of the things you say is true." The stallion's voice was not the deepest nor most gravelly voice to exist, but it was thick with an accent associated with the continent of Russia; another world away, merely a reference for the vocals that fell from his carefully manipulated tongue and lips. The smirk that had begun when the griffin had first appeared grew now, a small, polite smile given with the purpose of soothing any worries his appearance might have caused; yes, he was 'friendly', at least in the sense that he did not mean this stallion and his companion harm, at this moment. "Perhaps you could tell me which." He added, before the silence stretched on so long that the situation became awkward and he was forced to put into motion a different action, a different course, to the one currently presented to him. Perhaps he would do that anyway; but not now -later.


[ OOC :: @ [Torleik] Hope that is a bit better? It's just a temp table until I can be bothered coming up with something more interesting anyway lol. Thanks for the reply! <3]
colourize-stock & larfsalot @deviantart

please do not feel pressured into mirroring the length of any of my posts
I write what I feel at the time
and hope everyone else does the same c:


Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#4
Torleik the Bloodskald

Can one know real truth?


The green of this stallion's eyes stood out in contrast against his pelt and the rabicano could not recall any amongst his people who possessed such a striking color - then again, perhaps he'd just never noticed. This hulking beast seemed to be of a calm nature, at least currently, and gave no outward indication that what the Bloodskald had said offended him in any manner. That was, frankly, quite good, as Torleik had less than no desire to engage this brute in a scuffle today.

It would likely end with some very smarting injuries.

Possibly with him being crushed.

It was replied that one of the things he'd relayed was true - and that he should play a guessing game as to which. Intrigued by this vague but not rude response, Torleik complied. "I suppose in this case, truth is relative. It is true that you are new to me, as I've never laid eyes on you and you are in the Threshold; this means it could also be true you are new to Helovia. Whether you are seeking a home is debatable. Perhaps you would like to continue to wander and learn of this place." Muscular shoulders shrugged slightly. "So then, since it's true that you are new...are you interested in a home? My name is Torleik, and I hail from the Aurora Basin, a place I would gladly tell you more of if you so desired."

He gave a warm, handsome smile that had a warrior's honesty to it. "Though first, I would know your name as well, traveler, that we would not remain strangers."


@[Grimalkin]

"talk talk talk"

OOC: It's short and bad and ugh >.> I sorry

Art by valerie911 @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!

Grimalkin Posts: 50
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 7 | dam: 8
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Whit
#5
It was only as the nearness of their forms was realised that the great brute noticed the strangeness of the stallion before him. Emerald pools glanced to the footprints of the steed, where small patches of ice lingered for but a moment before vanishing beneath the heat of the season. A single brow raised as Grim digested the information; apparently magic runs through the veins of these creatures, he reflected upon his homeland, where magic was obtained mostly from the environment around them. He accepted this new information swiftly though; he would need all the information he could get should he decide to continue past this Threshold and into the lands this Torleik called Helovia.

The smile upon his maw became more genuine as the steed before him proved to hold more than a mere handful of brain cells; he actually attempted to riddle out the few words Grim had spoken, and came very near to what the burnt steed thought was a perfect response. Truth indeed was a relative thing to behold; what was true for one soul might not be true for another. There were some things that truth could not be denied - like the blueness of the sky or the greenness of spring grass - but certainly the truth could also be foggy and blurred, bent to suit the needs of the speaker.

"Grimalkin," he obliged in parting with his name - at least, part of his name. The steed had a true name, one that defined his very soul, and he would not part with that so easily. Where he came from, true names shared were a sign of complete trust and intimacy; only his mother knew his, a matter for which he was grateful, for she never deigned to use it against him.

"Truth is almost always relative." He began in his smooth tones. "I did not say that everything need be false for the on thing to be true." He added, his smile turning somewhat wry as he considered and reconsidered the runed stallion before him. Power emanated from him, he was older than Grimalkin by some years and an athlete too; the burnt palomino wisely decided he would respect this one who was his superior when it came to knowledge of these new lands. And in the same brainwave, he also decided that he would linger within this Helovia, to see what he could gleam of the realm, to see whether he could make something of himself, whether he could leave a mark of his greatness upon the lands. To do any of that, he needed to make friends, to learn and live and grow; hence his next words.

"Indeed, I am a traveller, and you say you have not seen me before; two truths so far. I am new to these lands but an old hand at many other things. And yes, a home would be a welcome change to my wandering ways." Here he bowed his giant cranium, dipping his chin to bump it against his chest, his antlers bowing down with him. Muscles coiled beneath the dark palomino pelt as he raised his crown once more to a height just above the level of his bulky withers. "Perhaps you could tell me more of the place you call home." he posed his question more as more as a statement, but with gentle enough tones that it did not sound too demanding; merely overly curious.


[ OOC :: @[Torleik] ]
colourize-stock & larfsalot @deviantart

please do not feel pressured into mirroring the length of any of my posts
I write what I feel at the time
and hope everyone else does the same c:


Erebos Posts: 474
Aurora Basin General atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.1hh :: Four HP: 75.5 | Buff: DANCE
Orsino :: Plain Kitsune :: Dark Illusions & Enyo :: Common Griffon :: Draining Clutch Heather
#6

The little prince dove his way through curiosities and intricate warrens, setting his sights on vast explorations and mysterious iniquities, bounding and leaping with hardly a care in the world; too haughty, too emboldened, too young and indulgent in his movements. He crunched his way through the Threshold’s lair, feasting his widened eyes upon wayfaring strangers, casting his molten, rebellious stare along unknown avenues and hindering pathways, blazing his own trail through underbrush and low-hanging boughs. Once or twice he caught familiar scents, driftwood merchants hastened and cloistered amongst the Basin, and ensnaring one through his nares, with a proud lilt to his skull, with a mischievous air, he sauntered after the General’s. Limber, lanky limbs conjured brazen interludes, spying and courting, dragging and haunting, pondering and wondering several factions and sentiments all at once – he knew naught of the General, nor of this strange place with its hidden gates and interesting runes, hordes of newcomers with wings, with luminescent hues, with brilliant, bestial hymns. When he stumbled upon the braided soldier, however, someone else was with him, and their conversation wound and whittled through the blue scion’s inquisitive mind, funneled, divided, ears twisting and turning to ensnare the bits and pieces of information. The outsider, horned in an awesome way (because his antlers were enormous and he’d never seen such a thing encased upon a cranium; he must have been strong and mighty), gilded and seemingly wise, for he talked of travels, distant lands, homes far beyond their frigid fortress, caused his eyes to widen in exuberance and awe. Like a fascinated moth, he drifted closer, hastening wild, ebullient vocals, dancing hooves, playful excitement, tilting his head to examine the stag at a closer angle. “Hello! I’m from the Basin too! I’m Erebos!” He paused, furrowed his brows, juvenile, childish, fumbling over how best to describe his herd. He wanted to help the General, and though he wasn’t sure of which tactic to utilize or compose the best, he went with his gut instinct, proclaiming his heartfelt notions and the beauty he beheld each time he swayed within the aurora empire. “The Basin is great! It has a lot of caverns, valleys, and mountains. We even have a hot springs and a lake that never freezes!”

[Just trying to move things along! @[Torleik] @[Grimalkin] ]

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Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#7
Torleik the Bloodskald

The Basin: it's great!



"Grimalkin," he tested, rolling the word around on his tongue like a newly done piercing one hadn't yet grown accustomed to. "Mind if I call you Grim?" The inquiry was not made with intent to ingratiate himself to this newcomer or make a too-friendly foray towards the massive beast's inner workings; rather, Torleik simply preferred succinct things, and tended to shorten the names of those he felt some measure of comfortable with.

This ginormous stallion had a calm demeanor about him and the rune-horned liked that. It was a welcome reprieve from all the fucking psychos this place held - but speaking of devils (and thinking of them, it seemed) made them appear, and it was in the brief moments of silence after Grim inquired about the Basin that a small child came bumbling into their conversation looking for all the world to see like a miniature Deimos. Torleik's eyes narrowed, not out of anger, but confused curiosity. When had this one been sired? Interesting.

And, like a child, he showed exuberant innocence irrespective of his sire's foul nature. Amused, the Bloodskald nodded at the colt's words, a casual smile curving his expression. "Indeed we do have all of those things," Torleik chuckled. "It is a northern herdland, so I will warn you of the cold winter months. But it is lovely in the spring and mild in the summer; there is a plentiful amount of caves, and the hot springs are always a treat. There is one entrance and exit to the rest of Helovia, so it is the safest of the herdlands in terms of natural defenses." The rabicano looked over Grim once more. "You seem like a calm, rational sort, and I would be remiss if I did not honestly state I would like more of that in my home."


@[Grimalkin]
@[Erebos]

OOC: I am like an ent. It takes me forever, but things get done.
"talk talk talk"

Art by valerie911 @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!

Grimalkin Posts: 50
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 7 | dam: 8
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 64 | Buff: NOVICE
Whit
#8
"Not at all," the beast conceded to the shortened moniker, pleased with himself to have earned such in so short amount of time. He had been called all sorts of things; his true name was the only one he did not want others muttering about as they fancy. It held too much power over him; should they utter it with a command, his choice of whether to accept or deny the command was forfeit, he became, essentially, a slave. It was far more acceptable for him to be called almost anything else; and it wasn't the first time someone had thought to shorten his name in that way.

Crashing and thrashing announced the arrival of another, and instinctively Grimalkin's posture stiffened, his ears pressed forward, the tips scraping against the underside of his antlers, his keen emerald gaze penetrating the forest to find - a foal. Immediately the behemoth relaxed once more, his coiled muscles unwinding so that instead of a great stone statue, he appeared much more softer. Children were not something he had great experience with, having been merely a yearling when he was ushered out of his birth herd, having only glimpsed his newest sibling before he began life as a bachelor, wandering, exploring, travelling wherever his whims took him. The youth before them was exuberant, excited and very energetic; Grim allowed an amused smirk to cross his features as he studied the reaction Torleik posed to the child. It was curiosity, to be sure, but what was the warrior curious about? Was the child his own? They certainly shared herdlands; that much was evident from the foal's proclamations of the land's greatness.

The behemoth offers a kind smile for the youth, bowing his head low so that he might peer directly into the child's cerulean pools. "Thank you, young sir. I'm Grim," his smooth, Russian tones replied warmly to the colt, easily offering the shortened version of his name Torleik seemed to prefer.The warrior deigned to speak once more, and he listened without distraction to the details of the land, and laughed a low, short chuckle at the mention of cold. With his meaty flesh and thick pelt, he hardly needed to worry about getting a chill - but he appreciated the sentiment the other stallion meant to give.

"I'd be glad for a home amidst your chilly halls." Deep, yet not overly so, voice intoned, accepting the other's compliment with an easy, humble nod of his titanic crown. Grimalkin knew who he was, and Torleik had begun to scratch at the surface of it. Perhaps in time, more of the sooty behemoth would be uncovered. For now, he was pleased enough to have assurances of a home, however long that lasted for. He suspected the realm of Helovia had many more secrets hidden within its mysterious halls, and he silently promised himself to learn of them all.



[ OOC :: @[Torleik] @[Erebos] If possible, could he enter sneak class, impersonator/phantom? :3 ]
colourize-stock & larfsalot @deviantart

please do not feel pressured into mirroring the length of any of my posts
I write what I feel at the time
and hope everyone else does the same c:


Erebos Posts: 474
Aurora Basin General atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.1hh :: Four HP: 75.5 | Buff: DANCE
Orsino :: Plain Kitsune :: Dark Illusions & Enyo :: Common Griffon :: Draining Clutch Heather
#9

The growing prince decided he liked this newcomer instantly. Even if he was massive, even if he was a behemoth, he lowered himself to the little scion’s level, didn’t chastise, didn’t lecture, didn’t scold, and didn’t mock – truly, someone that could become a great companion. All of his friends, united in musketeer antics and devilish endeavors, served the same natural order; amusement, diversions, unraveling mysteries, and coaxing infidel wiles. If this Grim felt no need to harness or harpoon Erebos’ pursuits, all the better he was to become a grand ally (especially with his size! Someone built and gruff could always be helpful!). The cheeky lad, features encased in rapt grins and adventurous gleams, listened to the adults for a time, tilting his head in vivid curiosity, then staring off towards darkened limbs and heavy boughs, imagining, dreaming, seeking out those idle moments of onslaught and ambition. He inclined back towards the beast and General Torleik when an answer was solidified, and like a charming rogue, the colt bowed back, like his mother did to the world, and like his father did to only a respected few. “Nice to meet you, Grim!” His energy, zealous and ebullient, rolled and coiled, curled and unfurled, once the Colossus announced his intentions towards finding a home, the Basin, and his gallant chest was a flutter at the grand news. His limbs found more bouncing steps and precarious antics, wandering over a few crushed sticks and pummeling them into further embankments of soil, excitement barreling and hastening over his proud essence. “A good choice, I think!” He’d have no other say on the matter; he’d been molded into loyal bouts and conviction-laced calculations, his innards were fire but his heart was finessed into ice and mountains, peaks and caverns, and the aurora was the only spell he needed cast upon his crown. The tiny cretin had journeyed but to one other empire, of sands, of dunes, of blood trees and dragon legends, but he still didn’t believe it held the splendor, the decadence, contained in the rime-laden world he’d been born within. Entertained and diverted by the notion of beckoning the newest member back into the blessed, anointed sovereign, he crashed and chased after the beams of paths and trails, blazing over old warrens. “You can follow me home! I know the way!”


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