"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.
06-01-2014, 01:38 PM (This post was last modified: 09-16-2014, 08:22 PM by Blu.)
Torleik The beard of glory...
Torleik had met the mare he was to train today but briefly a short while ago. There had been a gathering, he had been intrigued because Ulrik had been spotted amongst those present. Then he'd found out his idiot cousin had knocked up Illynx, and...well. Now there was that to deal with because Ulrik was apparently a barely functioning being outside of working on his machines. It was like babysitting a physically mature toddler, sometimes, Torleik felt. The things Ulrik just...walked into without any idea of what the outcome would be.
The Bloodskald sighed, knowing he was being harsh on his cousin. But he was family and he loved him, and he wanted far better for the Engineer than Illynx. A leader did not a choice mate make. Though if he knew Ulrik well at all, he knew the bronze and black stallion had very little concept of love, utterly no concept of a monogamous union, and had merely been duped into sating his more basic needs. Torleik could empathize, he thought bitterly as his mind drifted to Brisa.
But he pushed such thoughts aside when he saw the white, dual-horned mare approach, on time. Good. Punctuality was key in many aspects of life. Too early or too late and the results could be vastly different. "You are on time; that is good," he vocalized. The rabicano believed that teaching was a combination of praise and punishment; depending on the student, of course. However, he felt that Liit's quiet personality indicated a likelihood of preferring a gentler style rather than a more unforgiving one.
"You said you were a medic in training, yes?," he inquired, remembering the brief conversation they had shared after the group with Varath, Illynx and the others had broken off. "It would be most useful for you to have defensive knowledge, then, to keep yourself safe, alive and viable in the middle of a battle or invasion in which you will be needed," he rumbled.
Torleik motioned with a nod of his head that she should follow him to a more open, flat space, and he turned to face Liit when the destination was reached. "The first thing you should always check is your stance. Make sure your footing is secure, you are able to move any direction quickly and comfortably, and your center of mass is held slightly lower than normal," he instructed, waiting to see if she would mirror what he told her. Meanwhile, he had slipped into the stance he had indicated, preparing himself. "When you are ready, attack me, and watch what I do."
@[Liit]
"talk talk talk"
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OOC: Setting is the Heavenly Fields, early morning to avoid the Tallsun heat. There is a slight breeze and no chance of rain. This is a purely IC training spar.
She was uncertain about what it was that had kept her in the Basin once she had stepped into it. Perhaps it was the promise of being able to live comfortably in the midst of a herd that promised to be ignorant of whatever lies she had been fed since she was a child, or maybe she had simply grown a little lonely in her wanderings. Whatever it was that pulled her in a little deeper was seemingly irrelevant now, as she had started taking steps towards becoming a more important chess piece in the cooler sector of Helovia, and with that came different sorts of responsibilities.
On top of being needed to be helpful and being willing to learn more at the hands of others, it was understood that there would come a time when she needed to protect herself. As she wandered in the direction of the field that she had been told to meet the stallion in, she pondered over just what was likely to swoop down on the Basin during her stay there, and whether there were unpleasant wheels in motion or not. It seemed as though she had gotten a little lost in thought and had managed to find herself before the bearded stallion shortly after the mid-morning sun had risen.
Liit isn’t entirely sure what to think of learning how to defend herself as she had lived a very passive, peaceful life right up until this moment. The acknowledgement of her timeliness is appreciated, and she gives Torleik a small nod in greeting before they get down to business. The pale mare understands everything that the stallion explains, quickly becoming aware to the sort of desperation that seemed to come hand in hand with battles and invasions, and just how impertinent that it was that she stay on her feet during such situations.
Now, as the real lesson begins, Liit heeds the stallion’s guiding words, and starts to correct her stance. Ensuring that her hooves had a sturdy footing on the grassy ground beneath her, she lowers herself a little bit. It almost felt similar to being ready to bolt or take off in any random direction, and for a second she is grateful to be able to position herself in a way that she was accustomed to. When Torleik tells her to attack him, she feels a rock drop in her stomach and she stares at him for a moment, completely uncertain of how she was to attack him. “I’ve… Never attacked anyone before.” She thought she sounded foolish, admitting that she had never participated in a physical struggle before and that she had never had to defend herself. Taking a moment to process just what to do, she tries to remember what she had seen other horses do in her herd, and how they had gone about striking out at each other.
With a quick, forward burst she starts her attack. It is a clumsy movement, not as fine-tuned or carefully calculated as it should be, but it is an attack nonetheless. As she pushes forwards, she rises up as high as she can on her hind legs before reaching out with her hooves in the direction of the stallion’s chest. The stallion was much taller than herself, and perhaps it would be dumb luck if her beginner’s attack had managed to strike against his breast at all. She wasn’t entirely certain how this would end, and if she would receive more tough lessons than the sort of soft-handed guidance she was used to.
Torleik had indicated to Irelyn that regardless of what happened, he did not want her to join in this fight. It was merely a spar, and he felt it unfair to make this mare deal with the attacks of his companion as well as his own. Magic, however…he hadn’t yet decided if he would subject her to that experience. The upbringing of the stallion differed starkly from that of the mare’s, being raised as a fighter just as much as he was anything else. To him, this was like breathing, but he could see in her eyes the fear that came with never having perpetrated violence on another body before. Usually, amongst his people, the children looked that way the first time they were told to fight an elder member of the herd. It seemed he would have to treat Liit as a child, then. That didn’t bother him. Children were bright and impressionable. At least she was willing to learn.
Both in a ready stance, the Bloodskald’s expression softened slightly when the mare admitted she had never attacked anyone prior to now. “To learn defense, one must also learn offense,” he instructed. “I will teach you the basics of defending yourself by teaching you the basics of attacking someone else. Now, attack me,” he urged once more, waiting patiently for what he assumed would be a cautious, hesitant attempt. The seconds ticked by, the sun rising ever higher with each passing moment and the world awakening a fraction more before the pale mare finally moved.
When she did, it was as the Viking expected: clumsy and unsure, though swift and not uncoordinated. That was good. He wouldn’t have to teach her how to move on her hooves entirely. Liit’s speed surprised him, and by the time she had raised up on her back hooves and kicked out, the larger, harder to move stallion struggled against his inertia to haul his body out of the way. One of her hooves caught him square in the chest as he dodged to the right, briefly numbing the muscle and causing his left foreleg to disobey his brain. Instead of landing squarely on his feet, he stumbled on his last step and grunted as this put strain on the offending joints, making them ache unhappily.
“Good!” he praised. “You’re quick – use that to your advantage!” the general instructed while he regained his footing and sized up their new positions, his decision for his retaliation made in but a few seconds. His somewhat failed attempt to avoid the mare’s attack had caused him to stumble further to the side than he’d originally planned – which worked in his favor. Torleik was now almost perpendicular to Liit’s left side. He would give her no warning and test that quickness she seemed to possess. Dipping his head and aligning his horns in her direction, Torleik pushed off his hind legs, thrusting the bony weapons on his head towards the soft area just behinds Liit’s left shoulder. No need to use that left foreleg that throbbed angrily when his very much uninjured head would do.
A kind heart beat in his breast, but kindness had no place in battle. Not if you wanted to live.
She is thankful that the stallion seems to understand her apprehension in attacking him, and had noted prior to her striking out that he had explained why it was important for her to grow more accustomed to lashing out at someone. Liit saw the logic in needing to know how the turns of battle went, and now saw the benefit in learning more about fighting in order to better defend herself.
When she darted forwards, she found more speed than she was aware she was capable of. In the past, she had used her agile skills in order to flee from threats or other horses, finding that it was easier to turn on her heels and run than to stay and fight. Surprise found her eyes when her hooves met with the meaty part of the stallion’s breast as he shifted to the right. Finding her footing once more as she dropped down from her rear, she turns her head about, ready to swing her hips away in hopes of facing him once more.
He praises her, and she is thankful, though somewhat off guard. Liit knew little of how quickly battles can transpire, and soon found the stallion dipping his head and throwing his body towards her shoulder. Before she has time to smile in appreciation of his observation of his quickness, she is off. With a loud, sharp, squeal, she finds herself in the fleeing position once more, darting forwards as quickly as she can. While the stallions pointed horns did not find the meaty flesh of her shoulder, she had bolted far enough forwards that his broad face found purchase on her flank, just past her belly. The force was enough to shove her off balance, preventing her from getting away and making her hooves dig into the soft dirt beneath her, leaving divots in the earth.
It was instinct that told her what to do next; strike out and get away. Now she does the only thing she can think to do, which is lash out with her heels. Still moving, she throws her weight forwards and kicks out sharply with her heels in the direction of where she assumed the stallion’s head would be. She hoped to still be quick, but she could already feel the stiffening of her thigh muscles surrounding the area of impact where Torleik had hit her, and hoped that it would not slow her so much as to ruin the only thing she thought she had going for her.
The fact that he missed, though not entirely, irked the Basin General greatly. That ire, however, was quickly replaced with a chuckle that rumbled up from his breast despite his best intentions: Liit's squeal was just too entertaining; he simply had to laugh. The sound was like a small child being caught nicking sweets, startled by their parent suddenly swooping down on their misbehavior.
His laugh was cut short by the impact of his thick head to the latter half of her body. Torleik felt her form give way due to his greater strength, but it was still jarring to suddenly headbutt when he expected to stab. Brains rattling around in his head, the Bloodskald squeezed his eyes shut to block out the sensation that he was suddenly no longer subject to gravity and her unforgivingly constant nature. Instinct demanded he open his orbs once more and his eyelids snapped apart, seeing the flash of Liit’s hooves and feeling the bits of soil and grass she flung up pepper his face and neck. Grimacing and turning away, Torleik grunted as one hoof landed a glancing blow on the left side of his jaw, a hollow SHHWCKK offering up an unsettling soundtrack for the action.
Giving his head a shake in an attempt to dislodge the pain, the stallion focused on the retreating female. He supposed that if all the wanted was to defend herself, striking out and retreating was a good enough strategy. An opponent like that was annoying, like a fly that kept coming at your eye and couldn’t be caught and dealt with. Torleik’s lips came together in a terse line as he cantered after the white mare, trying to calculate her path, anticipate her movements. The point, he reminded himself as some anger began to cloud his strategy and push him towards heavier, more violent attacks, was to make her defend herself and nothing more.
The general considered using his magic, but thought better of it. His was one that could be avoided if Liit ran far enough making it not all that helpful as a learning tool. Besides, not every horse had magic. He was teaching her the basics here; magic was a little above that. Drawing close and seeking to keep the distance between them workable, Torleik briefly slowed his gait for a tic, tock, tic – then leapt forward, using his power to drive his swiftness for this particular movement. The abrupt lurch was made with intent to cut off her forward movement, and when he landed on his front hooves again, Torleik immediately pushed off in her direction, raising himself up enough to bicycle-kick his hooves towards her face and chest. She had tried a similar attack earlier, so why couldn’t he? Maybe he’d do better than just an awkwardly executed headbutt this time.
Default win to Torleik since Liit hasn't logged in since July. Torleik wins 0.5 VP but can request judging to earn full VP.
(So keep this up for a bit)
LIIT Realism [+3.5]
You have a great grasp on the attacks, defenses, injuries, and timing. I would have liked to see more mention of the surroundings, although I know they were basic ones, and an inclusion of which side she is in relation to her opponent and what side she’s attacking on - this was left very open in the first post. Otherwise great use of breed references, especially in the first post.
Emotion [+2]
I loved reading her hesitation and worry all throughout.
Prose [+4]
Each post had great flow and style.
Readability [0]
Everything was readable, especially in the first post, but in the second post there were some errors that came up which brought your overall score down
“Liit knew little of how quickly battles can transpire, and soon found the stallion dipping his head...“ - tense change
“Before she has time to smile in appreciation of his observation of his quickness…” - her quickness, not his
“While the stallions pointed...” - stallion’s, with an apostrophe
Finally tally: 42+(9.5*2)= 61 HP
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TORLEIK Realism [+4]
All your attacks, defenses, injuries, and timing was great! I would have liked to see more mention of the scenery, although I know it was a pretty basic one, that means it should have applied good footing which could have been worked in to make it more realistic. I liked the inclusion of breed differences throughout and how there was motive for each attack Torleik carried out.
Emotion [+2]
I enjoyed seeing the fatherly, teacher side of Torleik and how he struggled to control himself when her moves would at times surprise his warrior side.
Prose [+4]
Well written all throughout with nice flow and style.
Readability [+3]
Everything was readable and held good grammar and typing.