"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.
01-27-2015, 01:43 PM (This post was last modified: 01-27-2015, 02:46 PM by Odd.)
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
[Set before the SWP reveal]
Soon the Throat would be an island. The great sand slab of land would pull away from shore - or at least appear to do so - once Gaucho demolished the small bridge of land that connected the Throat to the Heart Caves.
Gaucho stood stoically, like some ancient statue of a leader that once was. A salty sea breeze tangled in and through his dark locks, pulling them back away from his muscular body. His wings burned brightly with flames that refused to give off heat; merely content to burn and flare up on his dark feathers. On his head was a crown of antlers, glowing with mysterious symbols that the God of the Sun had placed there himself. In the low light of evening they pulsed beautifully, casting warm light down onto Gaucho's ruggedly handsome features. A sun ray painted his left eye, and a bone pierced his nose; stripes on his chest and a handprint on his thigh marked him as the primitive and primal creature that he was. He had learned much since he had arrived in Helovia - had more or less learned their language and culture - and yet there were times he still felt that he was a stranger in a strange land.
Looking out across the land bridge, Gaucho closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could feel the magic within himself that would cause the land before him to crumble and fall into the sea, yet he held it at bay. The Throat had not yet completed their part of the quest - the part which would allow those without the gift of flight to travel back and forth easily. As much as he wanted to be done with it all - done with the restrictions the God had placed upon him - he could not.
He wouldn't place his own frustrations before the safety of his herd. Of his family.
In his antlers Mara hissed softly - her long gun-steel coloured body wound around his antlers. The snake could sense the strain that this quest had placed upon her bonded, but knew that there was nothing she could do to lessen it ... except perhaps keep an eye on Vorsa. In the sands by Gaucho's hooves, the small pheonix hopped. She still hadn't grasped the concept of flying yet, and often took to bouncing around as she was now.
01-30-2015, 05:55 PM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2015, 04:42 PM by Maren.)
M A R E N
" Seeing shadows in the room
Like the fall and the rise
Of the young and the wise
Playing tag with the moon
Chasing you. "
__________________________
Clouds flowing silently through the never ending sky kept back the sunlight. Nevertheless the golden sand seemed glazed with vivid tracing. The air was hot for it not even being tall sun. Maren didn't like the hot. It made her blood blaze and skin itch. The tigermare's burgundy shaded eyes gazed past the outlines of the horizon where the sun shone lazely. She wondered what she would do today with her new home, new family, new duties and new set of mind. Mouth wide open she yawned, suddenly also feeling lazy. The mare turned her head into the wind and let the glooming sea fill her field of vision. In between the blue and gold she surprisingly found a displaced blob of color. Squeezing her eyes tight she assumed it was the figure of a horse, one with strange wings. She chewed her tongue. Who was that? All the different shades made her brain tumble. Was that fire on it's wings? Suddenly she got slammed in the face by realization.
The world was filled with alibi's and mistaken names, but she knew his. It had been mentioned by the horses she had already met, and one could not become an important name if it was faked.
Frowning into the sun she looked again, putting extra dots behind the outcome of her investigation. Eventually she closed her eyes and breathed in. She did wanted to meet him, but if he was here for thinking, she should let him. The smell of salty winds had filled her nose. Even though it had become official, she wasn't entirely in the Dragon's throat yet. There was still this lingering; had roamed past the border, but not marched into the center - yet. It was the hardest part, but there was no hurry. A content wisp of a smile wiped across her face. Walking carefully towards the water, rocks of pale and bright orange stung into the bottoms of her hooves. Erosion and sedimentation having left them to dry and crumble in the heats of this dessert border. I am sensing a connection here., she thought, letting her sarcasm take part in her own strings of the mind.
She watched how the gentle waves fell apart around her front hooves and then washed back into open sea. She felt relaxed, like she did almost always. She was not one to quickly fall on her knees because of stress or anxiety. It was curiosity that made her glance from the corner of her eye.
The Pegasus - and plausibly also leader of the Throat, had flown straight into her imagination, poking and pulling, zooming and flying around like a bee, begging her: "Come to me, come and talk to me please." Was she even allowed to? Without her noticing Maren's ears had already switched directions and her legs were now pulling out the sucked-in hooves from the sand, creating various kinds of plops. With a laid-back walk she then strolled along the shoreline, towards the ancient-looking stallion. His colorations had become more clear now and he fitted the description of Gaucho perfectly. The fires of his wings blazed, danced like unpredictable ghosts around his feathers. His face told her that he should have lived at least a thousand years, although reality told her he hadn't. In the antlers on top of his head crawled a leathery creature that she concluded to be a snake, while in his shadow behind him a chicken, seemingly on fire, hopped from rock to rock. She wasn't capable to notice the oddity at the moment. Her solid attention was mostly kept by the stallion. And to be honest; he was quite a lot to take in all at once. She suddenly felt strangely fragile as the winds pushed against her, but she couldn't sense anything coming from him apart from power, with just being.
"Good afternoon, sir." She followed the line of his vision to look at what could maybe be what he had been intrigued by. She inquisitive accompanied him with staring off into the distance, but hadn't found the clue in this all yet. "What are you doing?", she asked, her voice breaking the silence, for even the brushing of the ocean had become one with it. Now she was left trying to figure out if the gods had missed a spot when painting the everlasting oblivion which was their sacred doorstep. Then she noticed that the land bridge laid before them. Was he waiting on someone?
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
Vorsa's mind was distracted by nearly everything. Every kernel of sand, the way the light glimmered on the sea, and ever the fire from her wings. All of it rebounded within her own mind so frequently that Gaucho all but ignored the new bond he had with the creature, instead preferring to slide into Mara's mind to view the world. Through the snake's reptilian gaze, he spied Maren strolling easily his direction. Gaucho's stormy gaze moved to where he could see her hooves parting the sands, even if he couldn't see the rest of her without Mara's aid.
Snorting, the dun's gaze narrowed as the dark patches around his eyes seemed to grow darker as he squinted. What was wrong with her wings? At first he thought what he was seeing was merely a trick of the light - an illusion - or perhaps was just the way Mara's snake-eyes saw her. But as she neared, it became more and more clear that what he had thought to be illusory was reality. Her wings grew from just behind her ears, rather than just behind her shoulders. What could have caused such a deformity? Could she even fly?
While his gaze was enticed by her oddly placed wings, it was drawn elsewhere by her oddly painted body. Gaucho's decidedly masculine gaze hungrily took in the lines of her body, approvingly and insatiably following each crease and fold, each swell of flesh and bulge of muscle. The stripes that draped themselves over her back appeared ... rather exotic in that they were so plain compared to many. He had seen hybrids with pink manes and purple bodies, coats splattered with circles of gold, and even coats that changed colours based on the weather. To see markings so subtly luxurious was nuanced in and of itself, and Gaucho approved.
Finally, his stormy gaze moved back to her face, trying to find the gold and burgundy of her own gaze. "M'ath." He greeted her, his voice deep and rumbly as he offered a typical greeting of his own people. Gaucho had started to use the common tongue with more ease, and yet he would always stay true to his roots. The archaic word easily slipped off of his tongue, in sharp contrast to how bulky the common speech sounded coming from his lips. "Gaucho looking." He continued, turning his antlered skull back to face the sea and the narrow land-bridge.
As much as he might have liked to continue to stare at Maren and absorb her unique beauty, the thought of turning his home into an island was much more pressing. His herd had questioned his decision to isolate them, arguing that whatever inconvenience it would cause was higher than the price of their safety. They were foolish though, naive children. He had protected them for so long that they had forgotten what true fear was - had forgotten the invasions and the killing. That was fine. He would bear their worries if only to keep them safe.
The Throat was his family, and he would give everything he had, and take upon his shoulders all of their worries and doubts.
"Soon bridge will be gone. Throat will be an island." He offered, his rustic voice now sounding choppy as his tongue formed the words of the common tongue. He sighed as he watched the suns dying rays glistening over the churning waters. "Throat will be safe. Pegasus can come and go - those in herd who cannot fly will have keys to magic bridge - " Sharply his gaze rotated to settle upon her, uncertainty and a playful curiosity splattering his dark gaze. "You fly?" he inquired rather boldly. While another might have worried about hurting her feelings or perhaps touching on a sensitive issue, the Wildfire was unconcerned. It was a simple question - she either could or couldn't. There was no judgement in his voice, only a mild curiosity.
02-04-2015, 03:39 PM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2015, 04:42 PM by Maren.)
M A R E N
" Seeing shadows in the room
Like the fall and the rise
Of the young and the wise
Playing tag with the moon
Chasing you. "
__________________________
The snake that had been squirming around the stallion's vast antlers, had kept his solid, round eyes on her while she had walked towards her Sultan. It slightly weirded her out, being examined under his gaze, but she did not condemn it. What she did condemn was the words coming from the stallions mouth that had been exactly what she had predicted. She didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that one out, but she wished the opposite, had expected deep rainbows of words coming from his glorified mouth. The tiger-mare pulled up her eyebrow muscles and frowned at the horizon. Was he then so predictable? His mind so empty? His thoughts so hollow as the worlds he spoke? How, then, had he become Sultan? Why? Or did he simply talked in riddles? She tilted her head, now looking up at the stallion with interest, but accompanied by eyes filled with scattered puzzle pieces.
She was confused, although that could also be the heat pressing on her logic sense. Then, the stallion let a roughly formed explanation slip his mouth, which brought her back to her earlier thought: He had just been thinking, for that was what the sea caused. In as second she had reformed her assumption on him, crossing off all that had crossed her mind before. His eyes didn't tell her anything, but she noticed the genuine care in his voice. Maren squinted, again looking at the sun's reflections in the water that embraced the natural formed bridge, also letting the sea do it's work now. It apparently did not work for her, though. "Why now?", she asked, frowning still. The only reason she could think of was some kind of danger lurking in the shadows of the sun. Letting her thoughts speak in her mind, she suddenly felt a gaze burning on her cheek. Followed by: "You fly?" Swiftly her own gaze had turned to meet his, her mouth opening, and then closing again. The only noise being created in the meantime being a - again - confused "eh?". She also wanted to add a "what?", but she had heard his question perfectly clear, and did see the connection to the subject they were still talking about - or were they? Because the sparkle in his eyes took some of her scattered puzzle pieces and put them together all wrong.
Then a smile broke out on around her lips, for he, like all others, proved to be no different after all. Even as a high ranked Sultan of the throat he was still curious. "No, I can't." She said simply, untroubled. "But I have found other purposes for them, perhaps more useful ones." Then she shrugged, a silent bitterness echoing in the shadows of her words. "But they are still growing, so who knows; maybe one day I will." She smiled again at him, although it was more for her own comfort than his.
They were still growing, and if they had eventually grown too big and too heavy to carry around, they would break her to pieces. It would mark the ending of her endless exploring, of her meeting new interesting creatures, of love - if it ever came to that, and then eventually her life. Ripping her brains and head apart, it would mark the last pages, the end of her story. Red like the roses in her garden.
A sigh grew out of her thoughts, floated away in the sultry air. And so did her forever wishing heart. ...But one day - even if just for one day - I might fly.
She was still looking, like he had been, at the bridge. "Wouldn't it be better to destroy the bridge when an actual enemy is walking over it?" She chuckled, a cheerful sound. "I could die happily if I could see the surprise on it's face when that happens."
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
Why now?
"Have been ... much war." He began, his stoic and stormy gaze tightening slightly. "The Basin in the North attack us seasons ago. They kill many. " In his minds eye he saw the invading forces - the many unicorns storm his beaches. Saw the blood of his family spilled on the sands, saw their dead eyes and broken bodies cast without thought into the waves. "Helovia not always peaceful. Things better now .. now Throat has alliance with Basin. They promise not to attack." Still, the dun worried. He believed that Ophelia would not give the order to invade the Throat, and yet ... yet he thought her capable of deceit, if only to protect those she considered her kin. If lying to him meant saving the lives of her family, why wouldn't she do it? "So we make Throat island. To protect family."
As she mentioned that her wings were still growing, Gaucho immediately pictured full-sized wings sprouting from behind her ears. How would she stand, if they grew any larger than they were now? Their bones were light of course, but surely it would at least hurt her neck? Reason told him that she likely didn't mean that they would grow full size but ... you never know. "What purpose?" He wondered curiously. "Dragon's Throat the land of the Sun God. He give Gaucho much magic and fire. If you ask him, Sun God could make you fly. Could give you fire wings -" He suggested, immediately liking the idea. As his gaze scanned Maren, he pictured vast wings of fire sprouting from her already orangish hide. It would be fitting, as if the light from the flames would be what painted her in such odd shades.
Wouldn't it be better to destroy the bridge when an actual enemy is walking over it? I could die happily if I could see the surprise on it's face when that happens.
As the words fell from her lips, Gaucho's expression turned to one of intensely amused surprise. He hadn't expected Maren to be the ... well, the type to enjoy violence. She seemed rather .... sweet? Delicate? And yet her words indicated something else. Something slightly darker. And Gaucho liked it.
A smile parted the dun's dark lips, forcing out a deep and rich laugh as his antlered skull bobbed in agreement. "Yes but ... In order to get this magic, Gaucho have to give up some senses. First not able to hear anything. Then not able to feel anything ... now, not able to see any thing. Can only see through Mara's eyes -" To indicate this, he bobbed his head slightly which caused Mara to shift in his antlers.
"Gaucho want to be able to see again. So will have to blow up bridge soon." He had the ability to do it now, but for the many like Maren - those who couldn't fly - it would be unfair. It would imprison them on their sandy shores until the rest of his herd completed their quest. He couldn't do that to him, however much it pained him to remain blind.
02-07-2015, 11:12 AM (This post was last modified: 02-07-2015, 04:44 PM by Maren.)
M A R E N
" Seeing shadows in the room
Like the fall and the rise
Of the young and the wise
Playing tag with the moon
Chasing you. "
__________________________
She had not been there, back then, in the times of troubles. But she could imagine his desperate wanting to protect the fellowship under him. Apparently she had fallen through the threshold in the best time: In between the dark hazards that had crippled the land. It was enlightening to know that his trust was not and endless pit to drain from, for he did not seem to have much faith in the Throat's alliance to the Basin. Or maybe he had, but it seemed tainted with doubt and memories.
Cool, the tiger-mare thought, because it was. He was.
She let the secretive, playful twinkle in the gold of her eyes touch his blazing blue gaze. "Wait until you see my left hook in full action.", she smiled, while making peculiar shapes with her two wings, as if the wings' wrists were fists. "It's legendary.", accenting it with her usual rolling "r" while continuing to box her left and right wing one at a time in the empty air before her. With the right angle she could grant her opponents a quick look into heaven while they laid K.O. on the ground. It required her to leave the lady-like sphere that she believed surrounded her at all times. And thus she rather only put her talents to use when she had to, when the shades of life caught up to her. "Also excellent for poking eyes.", she added, shrugging, while watching a loosened pearl-white feather fall to the ground in a swinging motion.
"Dragon's Throat the land of the Sun God." The mare turned her eyes, that had once again been locked on the sea, back to Gaucho. The curiosity for his words glowing in her eyes. "He give Gaucho much magic and fire. If you ask him, Sun God could make you fly. Could give you fire wings -" She thought about it while the wind took them away. But they still echoed like a poem in her head, watering the sprout that had been but a wish for so long.
But wishing was a game of fools.
Then I am a fool after all, for she would not let her heart crumble to pieces. She was a traveler, a wandering heart and she would pick up arms and fight for that heart with all she had. Even if that caused a storm in the gardens that were her mind. As a wish was often something that could never happen, apparently the Gods of these lands could change the rules she had lived by. She would make it rain for that. Her bones stiffened of excitement, but her outsides kept her ever-coolness, all but in the grey's of her eyes.
And then the shadows returned again, and an awakening laugh escaped her throat. How could she ever face the Sun God? She was a scam. Her faith did not entirely rest on his shoulders, even though she was his disciple. She would pray, follow and worship the Sun God into the heavens an infinity of times. She would tear apart non-worshipers like wolves if He would ask her to. But she would not die in the process. She would not die for Him. Her forever loyalty did not lay in the depths of the fires of the Sun, but with the divine roots of the Cherry Oak and it's holy entities. Their power rushed through her veins and had made the flowers in her garden grow. I would die for you. They were the ones that originally made her possible. She could not entirely replace a force that had been with her her whole life with the holiness of the Sun - even if it there was a possibility of returning her wings.
So she said: "I am sorry to tell you that flames are not my friend. I could not have them on my body, like you." Her own words pained her, because she did not want to disappoint him now she'd met him. Not now that she had started to look up to him. Feeling tainted she looked into the everlasting skies, heart forever yearning. "Simply because my mind can not make peace with something I despise, only for a wish of the heart." She could not let fires wield the gardens, for they would turn the roses to ash.
Although the warmth of the air was still pressing on her, the hairs on her back had gotten up and her bones felt cold. With regret she let Gaucho's idea slip out of her imaginary hands along with a prayer and a curse. She would not go to the Sun God.
She shut her thoughts off and focused on reality, once again. The downsides of his ability made her cringe, for she would go mad if it was here left without senses. She could only hope he would go unconscious when this happened. He would be a wrack. "Okay, so how are you going to do it then? I don't suppose you have a magic wand hidden underneath that wild hair of yours." She smirked, discouraging the urge to give him a playful ferreting through his mane. But as soon as he mentioned Mara - apparently the snake, still wrapped around his ancient looking antlers, that urge had thrown itself from a cliff. A cough left her throat, not being able to think of a snake as a companion. It simply didn't have enough fluff. "I see what you mean, though. I guess you're right to think that your family wouldn't want you in that spot when enemies are attacking." Because they all cared so much for each other. She fell silent for a few seconds. "The Basin... Should I not trust them, then?", she frowned.
@[Gaucho]
|| Notes: Maybe Maren is crazy after all :| || Wordcount: 956 || "talking" ||
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
As Maren's wings shadow-boxed the air before her, Gaucho couldn't help himself. A broad grin parted his dark lips, allowing a low and rumbling chuckle to flow. He imagined her sparring a partner, drawing them in with her odd strain of beauty, and then mercilessly poking them in the eyes. It was a rather good strategy in fact. Even much larger opponents, though stronger and with more training, would be nearly useless should their vision be compromised. Given his current quest, he could attest to that. The idea of having to be that close to her - nearly muzzle to muzzle - to give her wings the proximity they required stirred a deep and physical flash of red to grow in his belly. "Have to be very close." He noted, lowering his blocky skull closer to her own as if to emphasize his point. However his fast set of antlers would make it very difficult for Maren to position herself in such a way as to poke his eyes. Raising his eyes to indicate his antlers, the dun smiled and pulled back. "Don't think it work on Gaucho. Too much antlers. Maybe when wings are bigger."
It was not showing off per say (although it really was), but at the mention of flames, the dun couldn't help but reveal some of the more interesting magic he possessed. From his antlers a line of fire seemed to suddenly bleed - like smoke that began to instantly ignite. It formed into a multitude of small shapes, an entire flock of small birds that were entirely composed of fire. The flock flew around Maren, their warm bodies casting a beautifully golden glow onto her oddly painted form. Raising his wings, the birds flew into the sky, disappearing into the sun. The Wildfire smiled with pride. Their composition and creation was the first bit of magic that the Sun God had given him, and his control of them had only grown in his time here. "Gaucho like fire." He offered, stating what should have been extremely obvious. "But fire can destroy. Can destroy quickly and easily. Is that why you not like it?"
At the mention of a magic wand, one with more wit and a cruder sense of humor (Bucephalus perhaps) might have referenced a different sort of magic wand that was hidden in the folds of his flesh. Gaucho however, did not. He merely chuckled and shook his antlered skull. "Magic is inside. " As if to prove this point, he angled himself slightly away from her so that the ramifications of what he was about to do wouldn't affect her. Raising a dark hoof, he slammed it down into the ground causing a ripple to shake the sands upon which they stood. This minute earthquake was a pitiful comparison to the magic that welled up within him which would destroy the land bridge that they currently stood before. Still, his point was made.
He didn't need a magic wand. All the magic Gaucho needed was already coursing through his veins.
Turning back to her thoughtfully, his black ears flickered to catch her words. Contemplative, he shook his head gently. In his mindseye he saw Ophelia - the dangerous and beautiful newly crowned Lady of the Basin. If Maren had joined even a season prior, he might have answered her question in the affirmative. But alliances had been formed since then, and tensions eased. The Basin were no longer the threat they were in seasons past. Or if they were, they had certainly done an outstanding job of masking their intentions.
"Basin and Throat have made peace. Gaucho speak with their leader ... we come to understanding. " He began, his voice rich and simple. "But our kind not allowed in their home. Basin only for unicorns. Not even peace will allow us there." He wasn't sure if that was entirely true. He wondered if a meeting was necessitated between himself and Ophelia if the Foresake would not allow him inside. Still, for his herd, it was best to simply stay away.
@[Maren]
02-16-2015, 08:05 AM (This post was last modified: 02-16-2015, 08:05 AM by Maren.)
M A R E N
" Seeing shadows in the room
Like the fall and the rise
Of the young and the wise
Playing tag with the moon
Chasing you. "
__________________________
"Have to be very close."
The tiger-mare saw him lowering his head from the corner of her eyes, how he tightened the distant between their heads. She turned to him, also, slowly and felt a tingling through her whiskers. The wings that had been aggressively pushing the air a moment ago, had laid silent as he had moved closer, now stretching themselves along her face and reaching out all the way to the sides of the Sultan's nose - and then his jaw line. She smiled playfully, a chuckle filling the small distant that their noses were apart. Somehow by looking into his eyes she knew that she had no reason to be afraid of Mara, which she was weirdly enough been worried about. Softly she touched his dark brown hide with the long white feathers where a few lost dark strings of hair lingered, the pure white contrasting against the dark coloration of the stallion. She looked at it, couldn't help but to let them fall through the fingers of her wings. Then he pulled away and she laughed again, for warmth filled her insides. Warmth that melted the coldness that had lingered inside her for so long. "I could always make you sneeze, though."
She was just folding up her wings when suddenly smoke flushed from the tips of her Sultan's antlers. Then it formed itself from rough untrustworthy fires to little... almost elegant, smaller chibits of creatures. She followed them with her vigilant eyes as they glided around her. As they flew around her she could finally make out their wings and tails. Then the beauty hit her, and her own scared wings loosened themselves from her neck once again. She could now see that they were simply flaming birds, caressed by the fires Gaucho had created, flapping their wings, rising higher into the air with the beauty the God of the Sun had granted them, flying off to the horizon. Once again it stung her heart. "I can see you do." Her gaze thoughtful, his performance after all not magically making her adore fire. "There are lot more things in this world beside fire that can destroy." Meaning that that was not where the roots of her dislike lay. Fires were, after all, one of the boldest, vivid dangers that the world knew. You could see them coming from miles away. "It is simply a feeling." She wasn't sure how to explain. Even if it would indeed be just as he said; it's power to destroy quick and easy, she would not tell him - or even tell herself, for that would make her look scared and weak. She was not. "I would just rather not..." How could she make him understand? Was she really about to try explain it to make him get it while she did not even did herself? She did not want to talk about this anymore so she mockingly made her smile dissolve like the birds had and stared into the distance.
The earth rumbled and chocked under her hooves. She was unaware of her tightened grip on the world as she watched how her hooves got surrounded by the water of the wake that had also been the result of his thumping, for the bordering sea had gotten unwary. But quickly as Gaucho's magic faded it all became calm once again. The tiger-mare stared at him; eyebrows raised, biting her lip, then nodding slowly, impressed... and smiling, again. Having that much power was not cool at all, it was hot. She would not want to be on that bridge when shit would go down. Literally.
"But our kind not allowed in their home. Basin only for unicorns. Not even peace will allow us there." She thought that was weird. "Why only unicorns? It's not like they are any better than pegasi - or equines." Her mom had been ram-horned and her father a Pegasus, so why be like this? Her father had been more powerful than her mother, anyway. Were they simply feeling threatened? It did not make any sense. "If even peace does not allow our kind in, is that really 'peace'?" Not even knowing if she was allowed to, she had spoken her mind. But she could not help herself, for that was the way she was.
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
Gaucho was sure that very few would have the audacity to caress his face in the way Maren currently was. The dun was one of the largest in the Dragon's Throat herd, and indeed one of the larger creatures to roam Helovia. He was an undefeated warrior, and the dauntless leader of the Dragon's Throat for many seasons now. He had bled for those he loved, and crushed those who would oppose him - and yet, despite the bright markings that marred his hide, the incredible swell of magic that lingered in his veins, the venomous serpent in his large rack of antlers, this petite mare was joking about making him sneeze.
Gaucho chuckled and nodded, finding himself becoming more and more amused by the strangely painted mare who had joined his family.
"Sneezing very dangerous." He agreed.
Her reaction to his magic gave him pause. If her orange and white coat bore the signs of burns or even scarring he might have understood, but she seemed pristine. Perfect. Where did her hesitation stem from? Gaucho's blackened lips pursed slightly as he considered asking what it was she would rather not do, or say, but decided against it. The two didn't know each other very well as it was. Still .... he found it intriguing. The Wildfire made a mental note to both ask Maren about her adverse reaction to his flames later, as well as to limit his use of it until he had.
Her final question was apt and struck at the heart of the only remaining tension between the Throat and the Basin. While the two herds were indeed at peace, the Throat members (most of them anyways) could still not enter the Basin. Gaucho's nostrils flared as his stormy gaze fell upon his wing-faced companion. "Basin ... just like their own kind. But Gaucho not know why that mean we can't go there-" He admitted with an uneasy shrug. "Before .. long time ago, Basin used to be racist. Very racist. They hate other species. Gaucho not think they hate anymore - or not as strongly - but they still like unicorns more than anyone else."
But that wasn't answering her question. What sort of peace was it, if such strong and everlasting barriers still remained? In his mind he thought of Ophelia and the conversations the two had had together. She had often said that he should come North, to visit her in her icy home. But the sentinels that stood guard would ensure with deadly accuracy that he wouldn't get too close. Maren's words permeated his thoughts and yet ... yet .. Hadn't the Throat done the same thing? Only pegasi would be able to travel without barriers into the Throat once their home was made into an Island. Everyone else would need special permission in the form of small keys that he would give them. Was that so different than what the Basin was doing? They had designed their icy home in such a way as to be more inviting to their own species.
Sighing, Gaucho shrugged once again. "Gaucho not know what kind of peace it is. But it better than having Throat family murdered."
Gaucho vowed silently that when he next met with Ophelia he would ask about the sentinels and how they worked. He would ask her just what Maren had - how the two herds were to be peaceful when the Basin had constructed creations that would destroy his family members simply for venturing too close to their friends.
02-23-2015, 01:25 PM (This post was last modified: 02-23-2015, 04:24 PM by Maren.)
M A R E N
" Seeing shadows in the room
Like the fall and the rise
Of the young and the wise
Playing tag with the moon
Chasing you. "
__________________________
What was it with fire, she kept asking herself, as it flew in flocks of fluttering thoughts in the skies of her mind. Again and again she kept asking herself. Even though it was obvious and had always been obvious; a straight-forward answer to a puzzle. Simply a feeling. Didn't that tell her enough? Anyhow, it was not something to start a big fuss over, for everyone had their weaknesses, soft spots, fears. She bore no scars on her skin, even though she did. Her Gods knew, as they had always kept watching from their branches in their divine Cherry Oak. They knew it did not matter what made her who she was now, for that would change when the purpose she sought was no longer a thing lost. Their faith went both ways. The day would come for her to find it and honor old promises from long ago - and make new ones.
As the Sultan's stormy gaze fell upon her she couldn't help but feel like she had pressed a thorn the Basin might had unknowingly put in their treaty. But the foremost thing she noticed was how he danced around her question. Why? Maybe she should't have asked any further. For it was not for her job to be the one understanding of the pact and alliances the Throat made. Nevertheless her mind ached to understand. And maybe it didn't matter to him what contradictions there were, for it felt right to him. That, at least, was something she could understand.
As they talked more and more, the tigermare came further accustomed to his way of talking - and just him, his presence that went beyond the power he carried and was.
In a pause of silence she watched how the hue's of the cloudless sky changed and the freshening winds of the coming cold of the night caressed her cheeks. She watched the sun slowly set. "It may not be fitting for a disciple to tell you this, but..." From the corners of her eyes she looked at the stallion and then turned her alabaster head to him. "If you'd let me,", she bowed her head. Words falling from her lips as mere whispers, but clear like the sky so he would hear them, nevertheless. "I would be glad to be your mirror, your sword, your shield, for I do not believe I need to be titled a warrior to be and do as so." As the Gods will watch over me, I will put my faith in you, too.
Next time... Next time she would tell him about her faith; The Church of the Cherry Oak. Forgotten as it was, it deserved to be told, to be spread, to be spoken of. And he deserved to know what made her who she was. But not right now, for right now it only seemed to call upon conflicting thoughts, made the water tremble and the birds flee. She had, after all, not given the Sun, which the Throat carried, a place in it. And she needed to understand that part for herself, first.
GAUCHO
And I'd bring you further roses but it does you no good
Gaucho, who had always been a strongly devout and superstitious creature, couldn't have agreed more. Where he had come from, their shaman's and holy-women had been among the most revered of the herd. Of course the Khal and his war council provided physical security, but the disciples and seers provided insights into the soul of the world and the eye of the earth. Gaucho had always respected their teachings and, as a youngster, had even thought that one day he would join them. His path had taken a very different turn however as he should have expected. Everyone knew the son of the Khal would follow in his foot steps.
Never the less, Gaucho was not one to write off religious musings as being only fables and tales for the young. He generally admired and envied those with a deeper connection to the invisible currents that guided their lives.
"Gaucho happy to have you-" He said, his stormy gaze a haze of sincerity and intrigue. Was there nothing this tigermare wasn't capable of? Well, other than flight? She appeared quick witted, bold, and intelligent. That she used her ideals rather than letting them use her impressed the warrior. "You strong and wise. Can say anything you want to Gaucho." He concluded with a chuckle. He was no dictator - he would not silence those around him. Especially not when they were as amusing and interesting as Maren was proving to be.
Looking to the sky, Gaucho sighed slightly. He would have liked to continue their conversation, but duty called. They were not yet protected, not the way they would be once the bridge was completed. Their questing was nearly done, but there were also the preparations for the festival of the sun to consider. The dun was exhausted, but until his work was completed he would not rest.
"Gaucho must patrol but - " His wings spread from his dark sides as he retreated a few steps so that his take off would not throw sand towards her. "- Gaucho see you again. Talk more."
On burning blackened wings the Wildfire lifted himself into the air with the ease and grace of long practice. He cast a glance at the land-bridge, briefly imagining it exploding, before looking down at Maren one last time. With a gentle smile, Gaucho's focus returned to the skies as she increased his altitude and continued his patrol.
& fin! Maybe we can have a "I hate your stupid bridge" thread later, lmao.
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