"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.
The earth demigod had been slaughtered, Gaucho's status as the killer revealed, the world shaken to its roots with the awakening they had all simultaneously experienced. Her Goddess had crafted the best heist in history, and yet she had been caught, shackled and chained to the earth like a whelp. Like a mortal. Hotaru respected her deviousness, her intelligence, and yet she was sorely disappointed that in the end she had not only been caught but had partially been the cause for her own reveal. Hotaru strictly believed that the aces up her sleeves would only be revealed when she so chose. It was disappointing to see her Queen fall so far, to lose so much faith in her. Part of Hotaru was fascinated by the darkness that sang in tandem inside her own body, out towards the immortal Lady. The sole femme of the Gods. Another part of her was disgusted by the unnecessary death. And a private, torn part of her grieved that her parents had been struck down by not only captor, but her Lady in the guise of her once guard.
Still, the she-wolf was not easily daunted. Life moved on, time whirled forward, and Hotaru would not ruminate on the loss for too long. There were things she had to do. Simple things, of course. Crumbling empires, chaining stallions like dogs on leashes, promoting herself to the Queenly status she deserved. Daily efforts.
One such daily effort was caring for her egg.
The panda had been a bit of a pain in the ass, and she had been shocked when it was she whom he'd chosen to be the carer and lifelong companion of the soul inside. She didn't even know what it was much less how to care for it. Nevertheless she toted it around, trying to keep it warm, and falling steadily in love with it as time went by. It was like being pregnant again, but with the realization that she would be irrevocably tied with the little being when it hatched, the rituals had taken on a far different importance.
It was tucked close in her little woven bag that was going to be immediately discarded the moment it hatched, and Hotaru was just breezing past the copse of trees between the prison and the crafting caverns when she felt it give a mighty jolt against her side. Stifling a gasp she swung her ornate tiara round to gaze down upon it with big eyes, freezing in place and waiting for further demonstrations. Sure enough, it wobbled and groaned until she dropped quickly to her knees and took off the strap round her neck, opening up the bag with the tip of her horn and watching the egg with shameless awe and excitement. The time had finally come.
It seemed to take forever, but after suffering through childbirth, nothing could really make her feel impatient. Pushing a child through one's loins for hours was not a pleasant experience, after all, and it made Hotaru cherish time far more than she used to. But patience was rewarded, and soon little cracks were appearing, pointed teeth tearing frustratedly out of what was containing the little spitfire. Hotaru grinned to see it, already knowing they were going to fit absolutely perfectly if that was how the little thing was going to act.
And finally, out popped a little ball of slick fur and closed eyes. Hotaru cooed and shuffled forward, moving away little shell bits and briskly rubbing her muzzle over the tiny...thing. It took a few minutes of rubbing off the fluid from inside the egg to realize that the creature was a pup, blind and helpless but rather big nonetheless. Inside her mind, something slowly built like a tidal wave, until it washed over her all at once. It nearly made her lightheaded, the forging of the bond, and experiencing all the sensations her companion was in a sudden rush would likely give her a lingering headache. But it was like snapping a puzzle piece into place, and Hotaru couldn't help but suck in a helpless breath, smiling like nothing could possibly be wrong with the world.
"Hello, Alice," she murmured softly. Alice mewled and snuffled right back at the sound of her voice. Yeah, they were going to be just fine.
Birds wake me from my peaceful, restful cat nap. Although I could have kept sleeping for ages, I suppose getting up and stretching my legs around midday isn't such a bad idea either. I rise and stretch - first my front legs, then my hind - and I make sure to stretch my toes, as well. A yawn forces it's way out of me, my tongue lolling out as I do so. My ears swivel back and lie against my head, my body shaking with the force of the stretch. Whew! That was a good one. I step out from the darkness of the cave and into the sunlight. It's a new day, a new season. Tallsun. The summer sun shines down and I feel it warm my coat. The Basin isn't too warm, and I am grateful for that. Being in the desert land would be horrible for me. But this.. this climate is perfect. I walk out in the grass, much of it freshly uncovered from melting snow and slush. I pick up a lazy lope toward the trees not far off, my stomach hungry for some forest prey. Nothing that the Basiners will miss, of course. I've been good about following their rules, as silly as I find them. Horses and their need to have some sort of... political system. It doesn't mean much to me but at least I've got peace with one batch of four-leggeds. Of course there was that one time, with the red-maned fellow. But I was not directly responsible for his death. I did not initiate the kill nor did I complete it. I participated, and I feasted on him afterward, but he would have died with or without my help. Surely they cannot fault me for that. 'If they knew, but I think they do not.'
After a few minutes I've reached the trees, and without a second thought I am creeping through the pines, searching for my snack. A rabbit catches my eye, scurrying about probably looking for its own food. The world can stand to be rid of one more pesky rabbit. The things breed like they're dying out, I'm not sure this will even get a moment's notice. I wait until it gets closer, and reach forward as it nears, swiping it up with one paw. A rabbit is pretty measly for a meal, but for a quick snack (I could eat it in two bites, maybe one), it isn't so bad. It has barely stopped twitching when I hear a noise not far off. I leave a paw on the rabbit and turn my head to see what it is. Not far from me I see... Hotaru. At least I think that was her name. She's on the ground - uncommon for horses, in my experience - and seems to be, cradling something? I pick up the rabbit in my mouth and walk over toward her. Only the crack of the pine needles beneath the pads of my paws give me away - and I like it that way. Though I mean not to startle her, so I chuff quietly from being the rabbit, trying to kindly announce my approach. I lie down across from her, a yard or two away, and drop the rabbit between my feet. What I see next to her is quite strange. Very, very strange. It looks like some sort of furball - but not like me - coming from... An egg? That.. that is not how I came into being. For a moment, all my understanding of life is called into question. We come from eggs? We.. I.. I don't think I came out of an egg. I had a mother. This thing looks nothing like Hotaru. I keep the cycle of questions to myself, not wanting to appear naive. No, I do not want to embarrass myself with my lack of knowledge and experience. "Hotaru - " It doubles as a way to begin my question and as a greeting. " - what is it?"
Warm air fluffed the slick hair clinging to the tiny, frail frame of the newborn. Or perhaps, hatchling? It was odd for a mammal to emerge from an egg, but there was no other way for companions to be kept safe without practically enslaving a pregnant mother for the sake of an equine's greedy desires. Hotaru's dedicated rubbing seemed to pay off, tufts of fur though sparse tickling the little whiskers on Hotaru's paper thins. Slowly, markings were revealed from the thick, overall grey caused by the amniotic fluid the pup had been encased in. Pale grey, nearly snowy fur. Patches of thick violet, like acid and smoke and shadows. And from it, little wisps of smoke curled up and away, into her nares. Hotaru snorted in surprise, but she stared happily down at little Alice regardless.
Maternal instincts kicked in at the sound of pine needles shifting, crunching beneath approaching paws. Wolves were not uncommon, though they had learned to stay away from the Basin and its blood infused borders. For a moment she braced her knees, prepared to lunge forth and either protect Alice or surge above and beyond her to attack the newcomer. Her ears pinned momentarily, teeth a gleam of ivory as her lips curled in a violent sneer.
For a moment, just as she had reacted when she'd first met Saffron, Hotaru believed it was Tingal striding towards her. Just as manic and psychotic as he'd been so long before, when Arya was but a bulge in her belly. The thought of him harming her unborn foal back then had been disgusting, horrifying. With how her love had exponentially, impossibly grown for the beautiful youth she proudly called her daughter, had Tingal dared to make the same threat to her, she would have ripped his throat out with her bare teeth before he could take another breath.
Instead, she realized with a jolt of familiarity that it was Saffron.
Her ears lifted all at once, lips curling back over her teeth to not give the tigress the wrong impression. Though it seemed Saffron was far more concerned with the pup curled between Hotaru's folded knees. Hotaru appreciated the fact that the predator remained a decent distance away, for though she knew Saffron was harmless in many ways, Hotaru's instincts demanded she keep Alice protected at all costs.
Hotaru's name echoed out of a fanged maw, a question immediately after. Hotaru smiled slightly, a greeting. "Saffron." Glancing down at Alice, her smile grew, a budding flower in the soil of her face. "She. She's a hellhound. Her name is Alice." Glancing up at the slightly befuddled expression on Saffron's face she gave a short chuckle. Growing up with Stella, Hotaru had never found companions to be odd or misplaced. "Do you know what a companion is?" She'd at least offer the information.
Alice whined softly, blindly nuzzling at Hotaru's knee, causing the she-wolf to frown. "I'll need to get her something to eat soon," she murmured, wondering what the fuck she was supposed to feed a spawn of hell and hound.
I watch as Hotaru cleans off the baby, and a shape underneath the goo starts to take shape. Some sort of pup. It's not what I'm used to seeing - a pup, out of an egg? I don't understand it. Hotaru is quick to catch my confusion, ready to explain and ease my swirling mind. A hellhound? I haven't heard of those. But the pale snow and violet critter is adorable, and 'Alice' seems to fit as a name just perfectly. "She's so adorable." I smile, genuinely, enjoying the moment. Is this what all births are like? No, no of course not I'm not that foolish. But as I watch, Hotaru looks up at me, clearly ready to explain. 'Do you know what a companion is?' Her eager and honest expression tells me that if I didn't she would be happy to explain. But strangely enough, it's her question that answers all my questions. A hellhound must be a type of companion. Companions... must be born from eggs. "I know of companions.... Are they all born this way?" I try to be careful in how I ask, not wanting to sound naive. I am only two but I want to be wise, I want everyone I meet to take me seriously. I am not a kitten who can be taken advantage of or ignored.
But that's not what's happening with Hotaru. She's not looking down on me, she's greeting me as a friend. She is asking an honest question, and I gave her an honest answer, didn't I. The pup disrupts my train of thought, and I look to her snout with curiosity. Hunger - it's something I know. It's something I know better than Hotaru does. Alice is a carnivore like me, Hotaru is not. I look down at the rabbit on my paws. Well... it's not much of a meal for me anyway. I swat the rabbit over toward Hotaru like a ball of yarn, a play toy to share with my play partner. "Let her start with that, though it might be a bit much for a few-minutes-old pup." Will she even have teeth? I don't know much about how companions come to be. I know about their existence, I know how they work with the equines. I don't really know about.... babies.
Company did little to thwart Hotaru's attempts at cleaning the wriggling mess betwixt her knees, nor was she in any way embarrassed. It was a circle of life, and the she-wolf hardly cared if the tigress was squicked out by her cleaning of the newborn. If it bothered her, she could simply get up and leave. The striking of the bond did not require an audience, after all. In fact, it was an intimate scenario. Not that Hotaru minded Saffron being there, she appreciated the sarcastic, caustic nature of the predator. Were she one to hold affection for others, the thief would perhaps even venture to call the striped lass her friend.
Except Hotaru didn't have friends.
"She's so adorable."
Hotaru smiled down at little Alice, feeling love fit to burst in the too-small container of her heart. Was that how it always felt? Good gods, that was horrifying! But she could not find it anywhere in herself to regret it, feeling as if the empty part of her had finally, finally, been filled. It was too euphoric a feeling to regret. "Thank you," she murmured back, sure that the tigress with her precise hearing would catch the phrase, swelled with motherly love as it was.
A question comes to her own ears just as Alice is wriggling about, snuffling with her tiny snout and exploring the cold grass in her blind state. Hotaru can't bear to take her eyes off her, even as she answers. "Almost all of them, yes. Unless a babe is abandoned and the equine who finds it is somehow granted the ability to bond with it, they always come in eggs when destined to be paired with one of our souls." At least, that's what Hotaru knew from time after time of trying for a companion to fill the aching chasm in her soul. And finally, she had been answered in her prayers.
A rabbit's carcass went bouncing over the tundra, startling the thief momentarily, before she lifted her tiara to smile gratefully at the feline. "Thank you," she stated once more, watching as Alice went bumbling after it with some fumbled mental directions from Hotaru, clamping her tiny teeth - oh, so she did have them already - into the still-warm flesh of the carcass. Gruesome, but apparently satisfying, if the radio waves of pleasure exuding from Alice's mind were anything to go by.
There is no doubt there is something very special going on between the pup and the mare. I look on with soft, kind eyes, admiring that such a connection an exist between two so different species. I've seen it with Thranduil and his fawn, Haldir, but it is still a vague concept to me, despite being outlined so well. 'Takes one to know one' clearly applies here; if it were possible for me to bond with a companion perhaps I would know what these blessed equines feel. That is not for me, and perhaps that is better. I would not want to have any creature too dependent on me - after all, I am a fairly independent creature by nature. To have another life that depends on me, that I need to constantly look after, is an overwhelming thought, an overwhelming responsibility.
Hotaru is kind enough to answer my curiosities, though her attention is obviously focused on the wee Alice. I can't blame her, if it were my own I would be the same. She adds to what I know about companions, and I feel my brain trying to contemplate all that I've learned. The thought of an abandoned child hurts me inside, in a way that I have never felt before. Or have I? I don't recognize the sensation and I despise it, the way it makes my chest hurt like I can't breathe, like needles are being slowly pushing into my heart. My ears slide back, an outward sign of my discomfort at the thought in my mind. Of course I don't realize that it might have something to do with my own orphaning so early in my life, but I almost don't remember it. The memories of that pain - loneliness and abandonment - are buried so deep they may never resurface.
The pale bloodied hound's jaws clamp down tightly on the rabbit I've thrown its direction. Ah - so they do have teeth. Helovia is full of wonders: a canine hatched from an egg with fully-formed teeth! So many mysteries that I've been unaware of, living out of a cave on the outskirts for two years of my life. How naive I must be! "She's ravenous! She will grow quickly, I bet." All the blood running from the rabbit, from Alice's small mouth, has me imagining my own dinner to satisfy the pain beginning to radiate through my belly.
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