"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
11-26-2015, 11:04 AM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2015, 12:03 PM by Erthë.)
Summer was slowly but steadily drawing to a close. Erthë had never experienced this particular change in seasons before and that was perhaps the reason why she was so sensitive to the signs. Because they were there. Not many, oh no, and not all that apparent yet, but gradually they made themselves more noticeable. For starters, the sky wasn't as clear as it had been earlier in the season. While still for the most part high and bright, clouds had taken up the habit of converging after the morning hours had passed, drifting on rapid currents of wind so that tears formed, altered, disappeared and reformed on the sky. Together with this came a cantering of the wind from south to east and sometimes even north, such that the ever crashing waves beyond the cliffs frothed and reared in protest. The temperature remained high with quite enough moisture to be getting on with, but as soon as the sun dropped beneath the horizon a new coolness could be found in the wind, not quite enough to make you shudder but at least to the point where it no longer felt clammy and uncomfortable to sleep next to someone.
The filly watched these small adjustments with wide eyed curiosity and seemed determined to sate her curiosity on every little detail. Soon she had made it a habit to start every conversation with a note on the weather, just so she could pester anyone she spoke to with questions, most of whom began with the word 'why'. Why did the clouds change color from blinding white to purplish black as the weather changed, why had the leaves and the grass turned from a bright, limeish green to dark, dusty hues, how come the sun had begun to set earlier and earlier and why, why weren't the stars in the same place as they had been before? The world was a mystery, a delightful puzzle she longed to solve, and no petty problems like a broken leg or dead mothers could keep her from working on it on a daily basis.
There was just one thing that could distract her from nature's riddles, and that was flying. Iona had been kind enough to give her a lesson before, but though she had practiced hard the filly just couldn't get the hang of it. The morning was cloudy and dull and rain fell in a thin drizzle by the time she went looking for the Specter. Erthë had a suspicion that the weather might not be the best to fly in - already her wings felt heavy and unruly with damp, and her hair had tightened into a curly white frizz that brought to mind a startled sheep - but at least she wanted to try. Nothing had really happened in a while and she was growing restless, desperate for something to occupy the racing, easily distracted thoughts with.
"It can turn the whole world upside down, shake it 'til the sky falls to the ground.
We don't have to reap the fear they sow, friends, as long as we hide our love away,
In the good they'll never know."
Iona hated this weather, almost as much as she hated the damn mist. The water beaded on her large black wings and rolled off the tips of her flight feathers. Rain and mist clung to her tangled mane and tail, sending a chill through her. She didn’t have the benefit of a large layer of body fat for warmth, so she pulled her wings closer to her sides in a futile effort to keep her body heat from escaping. She couldn’t help but think that winter this year was going to be a real bitch if this was any indication. Then again, Iona wasn’t known for her radiant optimism.
The painted mare had been up to her usual tricks the night previous. Iona wasn’t one for jewelry and baubles, though she had quite a penchant from removing them from persons unaware. It was all too easy when she had seen the bracelet sitting there on the ground, unprotected. Now that she had the thing, she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. So, for the time being, she stashed it away beneath a wing. It wasn’t worth trying to fly in this weather. She could, but she’d be drenched before she could breech the low clouds.
She made her way back towards the interior of the Edge on foot, frowning somewhat as the earth underfoot steadily turned to slick mud. Iona skipped over the glass and made her way through the forest. It was early yet, still quiet. Even though she’d been up for the better part of the night, fatigue had yet to set in. She’d been doing better at keeping busy, lately. It kept her mind from traveling back in time – back to the past. She knew she couldn’t go back now. She had to look ahead. Wasting time worrying about a past she was powerless to change wasn’t going to get her very far at the end of the day. The future here, however, was finally starting to looking promising.
And speaking of promising. ” Erthë!” Iona called, spotting the little bundle of white poking through the trees. She was surprised to see the girl so early, but not surprised at all to see her investigating something. ”Are you looking for something?” the painted pegasus asked as she drew nearer to the girl, wondering what she was up to.
”How’s the flying been going? she added, wondering if the filly had managed to get those wings of hers figured out.
Speaking of the devil. A welcome voice called out before she'd searched for very long. Smiling, the little dove turned and met up with the painted mare, the very same one she had been hunting for. Was it luck? Could a person even be that lucky, without drawing horrible misfortune over themselves as a result?
"Hi miss! I am. Or rather, I was, looking for you actually. About the flying too, how did you know? I was hoping you had time to help me some more, because I can't seem to get the hang of it. But I don't know, if the weather is going to be fine..."
Erthë raised her eyes to the clouds and eyed them doubtfully, squinting to keep the water from blinding her with a hint of dismay that suggested she had a pretty good idea already on what the answer might be. Pale curls plastered against the slender neck, sticky and clammy as she returned the attention to the Specter; the curve of her lips drew a rather lopsided grin as she returned a look of curiosity to the older mare.
"Where have you been this early? I've hardly seen anyone at all about today, and yet..?"
Of course, if it had been work related then Iona might not be able to answer. She was a spy after all, and it must be an awfully important job. At the very least it sounded important, in a way that brought to mind meetings in shady places, classified information and lots of dangerous secrets. It all made the filly intensely curious, and the way she gazed at the winged mare was nearly reverent, in a terrifyingly obvious display of affinity for trouble-making.
Erthë sidled in beneath a tree as she spoke, mist trailing around her frame and coiling, undulating and forming into of hazy creatures that romped about around her legs. In the absence of disrupting raindrops they solidified, took on greater forms; from misty butterflies to a family of otters, only to dissolve and reappear as flitting birds. The girl followed them absently with her gaze every once in a while, smiling dreamily as she watched them fade in and out of existence; but mostly her attention was on the fellow herd member, a stranger in friend's clothing she couldn't wait to get to know better.
"It can turn the whole world upside down, shake it 'til the sky falls to the ground.
We don't have to reap the fear they sow, friends, as long as we hide our love away,
In the good they'll never know."
Iona couldn’t help but smile at the girl. There was something about the curiosity and the innocence of the girl that put her at ease, even after a sleepless night. “You don’t have call me miss, just call me Iona. I think we’re beyond formalities now, don’t you think?” Iona offered, with a wink. The mare was distracted, somewhat, by the hazy creatures that appeared from the mist. While all things beautiful seemed to surround Erthe, a snake comprised of the same eerie mist slithered between her front hooves, causing her to involuntarily stomp on the thing. She offered Erthe a sheepish smile before continuing.
“Ah, well, even if it clears up I think we’re both grounded until the mist blows through. But I’m sure we can find some other trouble to get into until then,” she adds, conspiratorially. “But no worries, we’ll get you up there soon enough,” the painted mare offered, encouragingly, gesturing to the obscured skies above. Iona had little doubt that it would happen soon enough and once you got the hang of it, flying was as easy as breathing.
However, Iona doesn’t let her thoughts of the sky get away from her because, unsurprisingly, Erthe is curious about what she’s been up to. “I’m always out and about at odd hours – occupational hazard of being a spy, I suppose. That and I never can seem to sleep through the night. Too restless. Too much to do or to see,” the painted mare says with a shrug of her great wings. She didn’t mention the nightmares that continued to plague her in her adult life. The borderline paranoia that kept her overly-alert in the evening and darkness hours that made it all but impossible to sleep. Such was her own burden to bear – she would not put that on the shoulders of another. Especially not Erthe. The child had enough on her own shoulders and Iona would do all she could to ease that burden – not add to it.
“Speaking of. I found something last night you might be interested in.” Iona still was uncertain to of what to do with the bracelet that had fallen into her possession, but she knew it was not something that was well suited to her. But maybe…
Iona craned her neck around whilst carefully lifting one of her wings, plucking the treasure from between the feathers there. She held it out to Erthe, gesturing for the girl to take it. “I’m not really one for jewelry. It seems far more suited to you.”
It was easy to relate to this mare. The more she got to know her, the more apparent it became to the filly how dissimilar she actually was from the deceased mother. On some levels the resemblance was still there - in the darkness of the coat, in the mystery of their daily activities and the straight-forward gaze - but where Shadow had been impatient and restless, Iona didn't exude the same sensation of restless expectancy. Even when she revealed her nights to be sleepless and uneasy Erthë got a feeling that it had more to do with inherent nature than the kind of nightmares that plagued her own dreams - but she could be wrong. There were things you didn't talk to others about, no matter how familiar you were. Not even when they went from familiar strangers to friends on first name basis.
Sighing in mild disappointment as the flight lesson indeed got canceled, Erthë nevertheless smiled at the Specter's displacement of titles.
"As you wish, Mi.. ah, Iona. Hahaha it feels weird!" she grinned, half embarrassed and half delighted at this turn of events. The feeling grew quickly to excitement when Iona began to dig beneath a wing and produced a beautiful bracelet and offered it to the filly.
Erthë felt her jaw drop in disbelief. For a long time she just stared at the thing, hardly believing her luck; then she slowly, hesitantly reached out and accepted it, transferring the cool silver coils from lips to prehensile tail so she could study it closer.
"Oooh, it's beautiful!" she breathed, delighted but almost scared to touch the thing. "Are you sure? It looks really expensive, and.. Ah! "
She extended a rear leg to thread it through the gleaming hoop, and as soon as the metal came to rest just above the hock... the light disappeared around her. Not quickly, like a candle blown out by a sharp sigh but rather as though dusk was falling early, sweeping in on an evening tide and swallowing the day in a slow yet determined gulp. The clouds were still heavy on the sky and mist swirled in the sudden gloom, but somewhere high above her Erthë thought she could sense the glow of a new moon sliver, a silver crest lending an eerie gleam to the edge of every cloud.
"C-can you see this?" she squealed and snapped her head back towards Iona, with something wild dancing in her young eyes. Bewildered, delighted, scared... What was going on, was the heaven angry that she had acquired this bracelet?
"It can turn the whole world upside down, shake it 'til the sky falls to the ground.
We don't have to reap the fear they sow, friends, as long as we hide our love away,
In the good they'll never know."
“It’s enchanted!” she exclaimed as soon as Erthe managed to thread the bracelet over a delicate, ivory leg. A smile bloomed across her dark face at the girl’s reaction. “Well that’s really quite something!” Iona had thought she had found just another forgotten knickknack on the ground, but it was clear this was something more. There was some sort of enchantment on the thing, and what an enchantment it was. It was almost as if time reversed and the sun sank beneath the mists, returning the moon to all her glory.
Seeing the action of the bracelet cemented Iona’s decision to give the thing to Erthe. Iona had no allegiance to any particular God either hear in Helovia or elsewhere. She had learned that lesson early on. After finding herself embroiled in a religious war for much of her life, she had somewhat lost her taste for Gods. Not her respect for them, not by any means, but lost the ability to choose a particular side. Now she was more apt to favor balance than to favor one particular deity over another. However she was well aware that this was far beyond what was considered normal here in Helovia. One such example was standing right before her. She knew that the child was fond of the Moon Goddess, such was evident at Tembovu and Elsa’s crowning. Iona sincerely hoped that one day that dedication would be repaid and the Goddess would honor the child in some way.
Iona was many things, but she was not so naïve as to expect such things. However she was more than willing to give where she was able. Beneath her cold exterior was a warm heart. “I’d say it’s perfect for one as devoted to the Moon as you, don’t you think?” Iona nudges the girl, now bathed in the gentle light of the moon, playfully.
“It’s yours to keep, Snowdrop.”
She offered another gentle smile to the girl. It was almost refreshing for the mare to drop her guard – to shed all semblance of defensiveness and bring down her walls almost entirely. It was amazing how children were able to do such a thing. It made her long for her own children, though they were children no more. The weariness of the past night, paired with the thought of her own twins, seemed to double her fatigue.
“Maybe the fog will burn off in a few hours and we can try the finer points of flying then, how does that sound? Until then, I think I need to rest a little. Been a busy night,” she added, with a wink.
OOC - we can wrap this up here if you want and start a new thread sometime in the future hopefully now that i'm healthy and holiday bs is done <3 ill update records!
Please tag IONA in all posts.
Force and magic permitted, but please check before inflicting serious injury. image credit
Awe and delight painted a vivid picture across the youthful features of the child as she gazed between the Sleuth and the loot. For quite a while the only thing Erthë could express was amazement, in a slack-jawed and scarcely graceful manner. But as she gradually got used to the thought, she almost felt silly for reacting the way she did. Of course the bracelet was enchanted, it was neither the first nor last item she had come across that possessed curious abilities. Did she not carry a smoking feather in her mane at this very moment, and a hovering weapon beneath her wing? Did she not carry blessed objects both here and there on her body, small trophies and memorabilia that gleamed, glowed or otherwise intrigued?
Though she had to admit, none of the other trinkets were quite as powerful as this one. To turn day into night... it must have been touched by the very Gods themselves. Iona was right, it was perfect, and the only problem now would be how to keep the treasure safe from greedy thieves.
"Thank you, Iona, thank you so much!" Erthë beamed up at the spy and bounded forth to envelop the stern-faced mare in an exuberant hug full of feathers, starlight and wintry shivers. "I'll take really good care of it, I promise!"
She returned the smile with a cheeky grin, somewhat awkward over the nickname - what was the deal with snowdrops, this was the second time someone had likened her to the unassuming little flower - but in far too good a mood to complain.
"Sounds good!" she agreed, nodding at the suggestion. "Maybe my feathers will have time to dry out too by then. Let me know when you have time! I'll be around here somewhere - you're likely to notice where!"
Indicating the magically altered sky the filly laughed happily, attempted another forced hug onto Iona and skipped off into the mist, a happily hummed tune lingering in her wake long after she had disappeared.