"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.
A strong breeze picked up towards the afternoon and sent the heavy clouds rushing through the skies. The persistent patter of rain slowed to a quiet drizzle, barely tangible as it hung like a haze in the air. Here and there a crack in the clouds appeared to let down pale rays of sunlight. It wasn't much, the sun had yet to regain enough strength to actually take the chill out of the wind, but the stallion could still feel the warmth against his skin as he slipped out from his sheltered spot beneath a tree. Shaking the long and bony neck until the damp pelt no longer released droplets of water, glittering in the light, he breathed a deep sigh and stretched contentedly. A pinkish nose, stained with freckles and slightly burned and flaking from careless exposure to the sun, reached down and rubbed against a knobbly knee. Yellowed ivories kneaded the skin, careful not to disturb the scab that covered a good deal of the leg. It was an old injury, half a season at least but still not fully healed. The stallion tested the leg thoughtfully, raised and lowered a striped hoof, then carefully placed a bit of weight on it. A dull, throbbing ache painted lines of displeasure in the soft skin around the eyes, but after a bit of consideration Arrakk clipped a long, mulish ear in a shrug and began walking at a slow pace. It hurt, but no more than he could live with, and at any rate he felt a need to get out of the forest.
It was a rather nice, mind you, about as nice as forests got without being gardens. Tall trees, moss and rocks and a bit of snow here and there... He rather liked it, but caution demand that injured horses avoid areas where predators dwell, and thus the scraggly stud gritted his teeth and made his way south in search of slightly more open terrain.
He enjoyed the view as he went, eying the landscape with mild interest as the paths grew more pronounced and tracks grew increasingly numerous. Was he heading towards populated areas, perhaps? There were both pros and cons to that thought, but on the whole he didn't mind the thought of some company. It had been some time since he left his herd, and while he didn't particularly miss them Arrakk was growing a bit tired of his own company. He kept his eyes and ears open as he paused to drink from a small creek, not really expecting anyone to jump out - but hey, couldn't be too careful, right?
The Threshold! Alysanne hadn’t been here in a while. Not since she had seen Brisa’s colts and quite failed at getting them to come back to the Edge with her. But now, this entranceway into Helovia was looking like a wonderful place to visit. It was easy to pretend that everything was fine, of course, that she wasn’t hurting too – that she didn’t have worries building up inside of her mind – but some days it was easiest to do all of that when she wasn’t in the Edge.
The inevitability of her betrayal towards some of them was too much on some days. But she could build up goodwill, could she not? Help as many as she could so it wouldn’t be quite so bad when she had to harm another?
With Hemlock perched in his usual spot at the top of her head, she had set out – as usual walking instead of flying. Those wings of hers never got much use if she could help it. Flying between places seemed too fast – she could miss out on all manner of things in between! The weather was not perfect, sure, but it was spring and Alysanne would not begrudge a little bit of drizzle for all the joy it would bring the plants.
The dark, pleasant forest that Kahlua had first found her in was easy enough to find again… after she first ended up at the Secret Grove and realized she had gone the wrong way. Now, though, now she was quite certain this was the right forest. She was humming quietly, keeping those emerald eyes open for any signs of life. She wasn’t entirely sure how you were supposed to tell if someone was new to Helovia or they were recruiting… but maybe all she had to do was ask?
Like this pale unicorn standing on the other side of a stream from where she was, how was she supposed to know?! Alysanne wasn’t one to shy away from conversation either way so it was really a moot point. The humming stopped and her bright smile took over as she came up to the edge of the cool water. “Oh hello! Hope I’m not disturbing you, I was looking for… well for company.” She waited a breath just in case, not the type to take offense if someone didn’t want company, before introducing herself. “I’m Alysanne and thi… oh dear, are you alight?” She was turning to motion towards Hemlock when she caught sight of the scabbing along this pale stallion’s leg. It didn’t look very comfortable to walk with at all!
Over the murmur of clear waters came a sound of soft footfalls, a steady rhythm that approached neither hastily nor stealthily. Arrakk raised the head with water dribbling from the mouth, hardly believing his own eyes. What do you know, speak of the trolls and they start tugging your tail!
Granted, the lady that had appeared across the creek was as far from a troll as he was from being attractive. Voluptuous, well fed, curves all in the right places, not to mention the sweetest smile! Arrakk was compelled to return it and gave the mare an awkward grin, shy and a bit disbelieving. He had this urge to look over his shoulder to see if someone else had appeared behind him, because surely this vision of a horse couldn't be talking to him! But he was as alone on his side of the water as he had been for weeks, and her eyes were on him and Arrakk shook his heavy, inelegant head hastily - he seemed to have temporarily swallowed his tongue.
It was a good thing that Alysanne was a talkative person, because otherwise this might have ended in one of those awkward silences that make horses sidestep, avert their eyes and eventually part with things left unsaid. The concerned words was the perfect ice-breaker however, the unicorn felt feeling return to his tongue and shrugged mildly.
"Quite, it is not as bad as it looks" Arrak said, licking ice cold water from his lips. His voice was pleasant enough, soft and quiet and slightly hoarse from lack of use, though his accent suggested he wasn't native to the area. "Thank you, though, it is very kind of m'lady to care. I'm Arrakk..."
He shuffled weight back and forth between the long legs, wishing he had more skill with words. He ought to say something more, should ask about her, about this place, about the owl that curiously enough seemed to be following the mare around. It was quite peculiar, but he couldn't seem to find the right words to use. Instead he flicked the sparsely tasseled tail and let his eyes trail over the surrounding trees, quietly hoping she wouldn't be put off and leave. It had been so long since he talked to anyone this beautiful... and nice to boot!
The painted pegasus looked down at the leg doubtfully, wondering if maybe he was just saying that to be polite. It did certainly look pretty bad – not fresh, all scabbed over. It couldn’t be very comfortable to walk with. “Oh if you’re sure…” It wouldn’t be very long before she brought it up again, no doubt when she remembered that she was very capable of healing him.
But for now she was willing to let the subject drop in favour of other things. She was incredibly curious about the soft spoken stallion in front of her, taking to him rather quickly. There was a certain accent to his voice that she couldn’t place, but that was hardly surprising. Alysanne had not been born in Helovia and knew all too well just how many different places there were around the world.
Couldn’t matter to her in the slightest whether he had a way with words or not – Aly tended towards the habit of speaking more than enough to make up for any shyness involved.
“You’ll forgive my manners I hope, Arrakk, it’s very nice to meet you.” Where had she been before she got distracted by his leg? A hoot from Hemlock, who landed promptly between her ears so that he could scrutinize this newest stranger (already decided he wasn’t a fan), reminded her where she had been going.
Finishing the introductions!
“This is Hemlock, my companion, and we were just wondering if you were new to this place, to Helovia?” Well, accent or not she didn’t want to go around making any assumptions and risk offending him. That wouldn’t be very good at all! Especially juust when she was sure she was making a new friend. All the invitations and welcomes were still bubbling up and she wondered if she was doing this all wrong but best to keep at the track she was going for now... right?
"Forgive? What is there to forgive, I remember not having been slighted." He tilted his crowned head slightly and blinked towards the mare in mild consternation. The one who ought to apologize should surely be himself, considering his lack of social graces... the art of keeping up a conversation was one he had never truly mastered. Arrakk never knew why some insisted on filling a perfectly comfortable silence with pointless banter - though, in this case it had to be said that it was a good thing, or the two of them might have been left standing there, staring at one another until the ending of the world. This chatty mare did a splendid job of moving the conversation onwards. The pallid unicorn obediently turned his attention to the owl that accompanied Alysanne and gazed at it with quiet interest, fidgeting somewhat under the critical gaze.
What did the bird see with those large, intense eyes? Surely nothing to write home about, probably nothing worth even remembering. He was rather unassuming, height and sheer lack of beauty aside. Some would perhaps mourn their own ugliness, but it had been many years since Arrakk set aside envy and jealousy to accept his own shortcomings. So what if he wasn't much to look at? It simply enabled him to enjoy the beauty around him all the more. Perhaps, with a bit of time and patience the scrutinizing glare might see past the ungainly shell and come to appreciate the quiet, gentle soul within.
"A pleasure" he said, bobbing the neck agreeably - he still didn't know why the owl permitted itself to be kept as a pet, but accepted the oddity of it in good stride. "Indeed, you are quite right, miss. Lost heard of mine, see, and I had to move slowly because of this leg. I told them to go on ahead, I'd catch up, but... doesn't look like I will find them again now."
His eyes trailed down to the murmuring waters of the creek, over large ears slumping morosely on the poll. Gray skies reflected in the ever changing waters, passing rays of sunlight occasionally causing the surface to sparkle and gleam. It was pretty, almost as much as the lady before him. Arrakk probably ought to be more distressed by the loss of the only family he had ever known, but in all honesty he didn't miss them all that much. Since his blood relatives left his only ties to the roving heard had been history, a feeble bond based on mutual need and habit.
No, far more interesting was this foreign bird, this fallen angel disguised in mortal cloak with kind eyes and kinder voice. A clumsy smile spread across the stallions mouth as he looked up again, actually daring a question of his own.
“Oh I just meant for my scatterbrained introductions, Hemlock always likes to be included the first time around.” An apology was always easy to come to Alysanne’s lips, something she had never thought to work on. She like this Arrakk though, and she just knew he’d fit in so well at the Edge. Already she could think of some easy friends that he could make, and certainly it would be a pleasant place to stay. Why, she could stand here all day in his pleasant, peaceful company.
He asked her if she lived here and she nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, I do! I wandered here a couple years ago, got lost myself, but I fell in love with this place and found a new home here.” Always that underlying guilt. This was her home, she knew that, but her heart lingered elsewhere in pieces - her son, her beautiful son, was not here. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to stay with him. But those were thoughts she could entertain when she was alone, for now she was searching for what she could tell him about Helovia. There was just so much, but she didn’t want to be too overwhelming. Hemlock stayed quiet for now, content to stay watching this strange newcomer. “There’s a couple different herds - I live in World’s Edge, it’s a beautiful sea-side forest and we’re a rather peaceful bunch there. There’s also the Dragon’s Throat and Hidden Falls, though I don’t know very much about them… but I hear they’re very nice places.” Well that probably wasn’t very helpful when it came to the other herds. She really should learn more about them! “And then there’s the Basin, which is a herd in the north just for unicorns.” She didn’t really understand why they only let unicorns live in the Basin but she still thought the image that it set up was rather pretty. It was a beautiful land but it was a little too chilly for her tastes. “You’d be so welcome to come back to the Edge with me and rest up a bit, maybe we could see if anyone has heard of your herd!”
There was only one thing. “It’s a bit of a walk though…” She eyed his leg, expression filled with concern before it dawned on her. That magic she had never had a chance to use yet, that wonderful perk that came with her job in the herd. The one she was scared to try, scared to fail. Now that concerned expression flickered right into a bright, shining smile. Oh it felt so good to be able to help! She understood why Resplendence felt so lost when the ability had been taken away from her.
The tiniest flicker of guilt in the back of her mind, reminding her of her quest. But she couldn’t refuse, she just couldn’t. She was a healer. “But I can help with that. It might sound a little strange, but if you’re willing I have some healing magic and I can help your leg.” Did he know about magic where he had come from? She’d certainly find out, hopefully the offer wouldn’t freak him out too much! That’d be a rather poor first impression of this wonderful place. “It’ll certainly make walking easier!” Alysanne added, though it probably did not really need to be said.
Mist-colored eyes closed upon themselves time and again in slow rhythm, tuned to the rise and fall of lean sides and a steady heartbeat. Cool water rose up to swallow a large, split hoof as a shifty waddle too many brought the stallion off the muddy bank and into the creek with a splash. An odd wheezing sound, halfway between gasp and groan escaped him and with a graceless jump he ambled away from the frigid liquid that sent jolts of stabbing pain through fetlocks and knee. Emerging, he realized only after some time that he had crossed to the other side of the stream and blinked sheepishly at Alysanne. She was still talking, the lulling hum of her voice as sweet as fresh spring grass - and yet he had to confess that he had lost track of what she was saying. He tried to catch up and pricked his over large ears to catch each and every word, angled for the deep, true meaning behind them - and just then she stopped, paused, grew silent.
The unicorn shifted in place, wary of placing too much weight on his front leg yet too uncomfortable to stay still.
"Well, I... uh..." How embarrassing. Addressed by this vision of a mare, and he wasn't even paying attention. Arrakk scrambled to regain some sense of where she had left off. An offer, there had definitely been one, and a suggestion to... what, use magic on him? Even in his distracted state this notion brought a smile to Arrakk's lips, distant and somewhat patronizing.
"Surely not. You jest, lady Alysanne, and it is a most amusing joke - of course there is no such thing as magic. I quite wish there were, but alas the years have robbed me of such vibrant imagination..."
Soft creases appeared around the eyes as he tried for a discreet second study of the lady. She must be younger than she appeared, to even suggest such a thing as though it was possible... or maybe her mind was slightly addled? Shame, truly, but as they say one cannot have all. If there is one thing he has learned in life it is that great beauty sometimes leave a horse wanting in other areas... Truly a sad thing, but it did not make her less pleasant to listen to.
"Perhaps it is too bold of me, but I would gladly accept your offer" he continued, though still not entirely sure what the offer consisted of. It did not matter much - he had nothing better to do anyway, and if saying yes meant that he could spend more time in Alysanne's company then it would be worth any amount of embarrassment to come.
So happy was Aly to find someone to talk to that she didn’t realize when he stopped paying attention - or maybe she did and she just didn’t care! Either way, her story got told and she felt like she was making a new friend. Even if that friend, once he had regained his attention enough to react to her offer, though that she was making a joke when she mentioned magic. It wasn’t often when she came across someone who did not believe in magic, thought it was a figment of the imagination.
The painted pegasus laughed but it was a kind noise, she was not one to find joy in the idea that she knew something others did not. “You’re in for quite the surprise, Arrakk.” Someone who did not believe in magic was going to get some culture-shock in Helovia where everyone seemed to have a little magical quirk. She was extremely happy, however, that she was going to be the one to introduce him to the idea that it was in fact quite real, that she could even wield it. Alysanne thought about how she could take it slow, watch his reaction, and be prepared to stop if at any point he started to panic.
Having grown up with magic, she could not fathom what it would be like to watch tendrils of mist creep towards you and wrap around your wounds, leaving them healed, when you thought magic was not real. It probably wouldn’t a great experience for most! “Now, Arrakk, please don’t be afraid to tell me to stop if this freaks you out. I’ll explain what’s happening as it happens.” Green eyes are carefully focused on him, making sure that he had his consent to move forward. There was no turning back now, one way or another she’d see Arrakk healed - the kind stallion deserved that much after his journey.
Okay she had seen Resplendence use this once before and she was pretty sure she could figure it out. Closing her eyes, she focused on finding the part of her mind where the magic lived, the part that was connected to the moon goddess and the Edge. “The mist is going to come towards you,” As her calm voice narrated, so the magic proceeded - thin dark wisps of wind moving forward to seek out the injured knee. Ready to stop at any moment, Alysanne kept part of her attention on her new friend at all times.
Providing no resistance, the following would occur: “And it’ll wrap around your knee. I’m going to use my energy to heal you, it’s my first time so I don’t know if I’ll get it all.” She frowned, feeling terrible about this, but already she felt a little light-headed at the concentration. “But it’ll be much better to walk on and we can take care of the rest when we get back to the Edge.” After a couple more seconds, the healing magic working away, she was forced to break the connection and take a deep gulp of air. “Is it any better?” She was clearly worried, hoping to see some sort of improvement, her entire attention focused back on Arrakk. It’d be a terrible thing to do all this and not have anything to actually prove that magic was real, and helpful!
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
![[Image: alysanne_by_schwartze-d89se15.png]](http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/348/8/6/alysanne_by_schwartze-d89se15.png)
