"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.
For two seasons, he had searched. He had departed from his mate's side unwillingly, but nonetheless speedily, when he learned of their daughter's disappearance. He had felt nothing but fear - fear that he would not find her, fear that he would be too late, fear that she would be hurt or dead or dying when he did find her, fear that Resplendence would somehow blame him. Zarina had tried to keep him calm and failed - the panic had been maddening, but he had gone to every land, searched every corner of their land. He did not leave Helovia. He prayed that Rue did not cross that border.
For two seasons, he had failed. His search had proven fruitless, his daughter nowhere to be found. He asked other travelers of her, but no one had seen her; he looked in caves and in thickets, anywhere that a scared filly would think to hide. And yet... nothing. There was nothing and no one, no clues and no signs. Rue was gone, well and truly gone, and he had been able to do nothing to find her. He had failed her, he had failed Resplendence, and, worst of all, he had failed himself.
The prince came to the Hidden Falls with his head low and his heart lower, dreading what he would find behind the hills and water of the herdland. What would she say when he told her that he had found nothing? That her young, innocent, naive daughter was out in the world all alone? That she may very well be dead by now? Would she hate him? Blame him? Why was it that he could seem to do no right by her, that he never managed to find a place to call his own? Why had it been so difficult for him to do anything for the herd, when she gave so selflessly all the time?
"Resplendence?" he called after a moment, halfway hoping that she wouldn't hear him over the pounding falls.
Resplendence was weary. It had been two seasons since the invasion and Quilyan had yet to return. Her daughter had come back into her clutches but a month or so prior, yet he was still gone. Her nights were riddled with nightmares, generally tucked up underneath Kaj's wing as she sought some kind of respite from the pain that slashed at her heart. Sometimes (though only sometimes), she could trick herself into thinking that it was Quilyan protecting her in her sleep. And, when she woke up in the morning sometimes she even swore it was Quilyan at her side. Rue was always nearby - tucked up somewhere in her hair or covered by some of Valiance's wings so as to keep her safe.
So, today (as she had been doing for the past few weeks) she searched the borders. Her body winding across the awkward confirmation of the rocks and Valiance searching from the skies. "Maybe he come today," Valiance tried to reassure her through their bond as they began their search near dawn. But... even she could tell the reassurance was hollow (as if he were going through the motions; trying to offer hope when she only felt pain). She stopped in the evening to take a gentle breath, to check on her garden, and to ensure Rue hadn't done much else to herself. Small breaks happened throughout the day, of course, as she checked on the members of the herd and tried, desperately to keep herself from thinking of the worst.
Then, as night fell, it was Valiance checking the borders. Res had started back toward her garden, but for some reason today he refused to give up. Perhaps it was because her spirits had reached an all-time low. Winter was kicking in, and it was a nasty one this time around. It would be difficult for those not in the herds to survive… No. She wouldn't think like that. It was Valiance who heard Resplendence's name on the wind and shot instinctively toward it. He spiraled down to the ground - landing elegantly on his feet (while somehow retaining the speed). There were chirps and clicks from Valiance going directly toward Quilyan before his name was screamed across the bond in joy. Making sure that her daughter was carefully tucked away and asleep she bolted toward the location Valiance had given her.
Aye, it would take this stag's death for her to give up on him. She would always believe he would come back. She would always believe he would fight for her. And, as Resplendence pulls up Valiance takes to the skies just long enough to rest upon Quilyan's haunches. "Oh Quilyan!" She starts, beginning to choke on her words as tears bubble to the surface. "You're alive! You made it back…" She clings to him, body pressing up against his without a moment's hesitation. Her muzzle buries itself into his mane, should he allow it, and she breathes in all that is his scent. "I love you, I love you, I love you…" she whispers on repeat while the tears fall.
When she arrived, she glittered in the evening light. He had forgotten the way that she glowed, sparkling red in the coming moonlight, the last dying rays of the setting sun reflected in her eyes. She had always been his light in the darkness, illuminating a path for him where he had thought none existed. When the magic had fallen upon her, he had been pleased that others would finally see her as he did: a beautiful, almost celestial being with an illuminated mind, capable of not only healing but also of creating. What she had built with him, within him, had no precedence. He loved her in many ways, for many reasons, but this - this was at the heart of it all, the driving force behind his passion for her.
The medic flung herself at him, and he braced against the force of her weight as he wrapped his wings around her, enveloping her in the soft golden down that had been her refuge time and time before. He closed his eyes, burying his muzzle in her shimmering mane, breathing in her scent. Her smell was sweet, but sharp - somehow, it had always reminded him of roses, mingled with the herbs that she held so dear. It was feminine and uniquely hers, and the thought of it had kept him sane over the last two seasons, those horrid six months of failure.
The thought of his defeat sobered him suddenly. How could she be so pleased to see him when he had not managed to find their daughter? He had expected to return to find her sick with worry, but she had come gleefully to him, no tears in her lovely golden eyes. He masked his confusion, wanting to preserve her happiness, protect her emotions. Perhaps she was so pleased because she thought his return meant that he had succeeded. He didn't want to let her down, to admit that he had returned alone. He had but a moment before she asked where Rue was, then, and he wanted to cherish it before he had to see the disappointment in her eyes.
"Of course I'm alive, my sweet princess" he agreed, allowing a teasing note to enter his voice. "I told you that I would always find you. How could I do that if I were not among the living?" He hesitated, then sighed, pain creeping into his heart again. "But... I am afraid I have failed you, my love. I wanted to bring our daughter home, but I couldn't find her. I'm so sorry, Resplendence. I love you so much, but... I've failed you." Again.
Somehow this mare was capable of insane things. She sparked uncertain, new things in others - pushed them to new, greater levels but she never believed it. She didn't - no, couldn't - understand that she had a good value beyond that of healing. She didn't get that others took her as a beacon, a steady rock, a place of peace regardless of how much fear she consistently showed. Yet she clung onto hope like a sailor lost at sea. She refused to let go of it, and perhaps that was the reason why she could help so many others…
Still, she clung to him, as if it were her dying breath. His wooded musk clinging to her skin as the scent of herbs mingles with all that is him. His wings enclosing her in their warmth, their softness, their protection. It was a calming moment, one that brought her heartbeat to match his steady beat (at least, while it stayed steady). He teases her, a little, for her saying that he was alive - that he had come back. But… his words hit her harder then I think anyone could have expected. Her voice gets caught in her throat as she whispers out a few nonsense syllables, attempting to form the words. Ciro said the same thing…
Her eyes squeeze shut as the next words tumble from his mouth and he says that he has failed her. It's strange, that her brain doesn't even flicker to the thoughts of their daughter. You see, a part of her had clung to the idea he didn't know their daughter had been found. But, that one hurt part didn't know if he had even been searching, or if he had just been saying it as an excuse. Her mind flickers to the idea of a mistress, for but a second, until she hears the words 'bring our daughter home'. Instantly, she feels sick - eyes completely emotionless as she buries her face farther against his neck. He says he loved her, but that he failed.
It takes her but a moment to push the hatred of herself out of her own eyes. It's not worth it. Aye, she would never think she was worthy of complete love - but she was trying to believe it, even if only to pass it onto her daughter. Her words are a little broken, though the reason behind it would probably be misinterpreted as joy rather than the war shuffling in her body. "Kaj. He… he returned Rue. She's alive… grounded and restricted to the Falls for now… He found her a few months back…"Her body shudders a little as she glances in the direction of the garden. "She's asleep, for the moment…"
And with these next words, the glow of ease and joy leaves the glitter. The clouds seem to pass over the moon, darkening where they were standing as she looks up to him with broken eyes. "Please… don't leave me again. We're all here together… I want it to stay that way…" That was all she wanted from him. Was to have him here and to be able to cry into his barrel at night if the nightmares came. To know that their daughter had a father. To know he would be there to protect her…
Then, her eyes drop to the ground as Valiance flashes a few flames across the sky to illuminate the scene. And, as one tear falls, the clouds slide past the moon and its dim light filters in once more.
Of course Kaj found her, the prince projected through his bond with Zarina. She chirped softly, a sound that could be taken for relief but was meant to convey her concern. Her bonded sounded dejected in a way that she could not place. -You aren't pleased.- the marmoset said, a statement more than a question. But he remained silent, refusing to give voice to his guilt and jealousy. How many times would his golden brother come to his mate's rescue when he was notably absent? How many times would Kaj take his place before it became permanent?
But he had found Rue - and he had done it months ago. So why had Quilyan been exiled to the Wilds for so long? Why had no one come to find him? They had left him, left him alone and angry and afraid in the woods, destined to fail at a task he might have succeeded in, except Kaj had stolen it from him, doomed him to failure then chosen not to even tell him about it. He was suddenly furious. Zarina's beseeching, soothing words meant nothing to him just then, for someone had kept him from his family, taken his success from him, and left him to die out there.
He was not angry with Resplendence. Never was he angry with her. So when he tensed with sudden fury, he hid it in a quick tightening of his embrace, for he did not want her to see the depth of his anger. She adored Kaj, he knew - and so had the prince, for all the good it had done him. He had made the stallion his daughter's godfather, for goodness' sake. And this is how the brute repaid him.
Was he overreacting? Had his long, arduous journey tired him?
Perhaps.
Nevertheless, he filed away the anger and the hatred, allowing that he was happy to find his family once more together. And it is my family, he seethed. Zarina promptly gave up and scampered over to perch upon Resplendence's withers, peeved and worried in equal measure.
"My love, I promise you, whatever we do from now on, we will do it together. I will not leave the herdland without you by my side, and where you go, I will follow. Our family is all that matters. Please don't cry," he added in a whisper, pulling her closer still. "I will not leave you again. You are all I want." His voice dropped again. "All I need."
He holds onto her tighter as Resplendence mentions Kaj. She feels the little scampering of feet upon her back - Zarina - the little companion that she knew was half hers. Valiance, uncertainly, ran his talons through Quilyan's mane for a few seconds before moving off toward Resplendence's haunches. There were a few chirping clicks of joy from his mouth as he offered a feathered wing for the small marmoset. The two had to be exhausted, and it was not only Valiance who recognized this.
He says that they would do everything together, and asks her not to cry - pulling her in tighter. But, all it does it make her feel worse that they hadn't found a way to bring him back sooner. "I couldn't find you… I tried to find you…" she sniffled, muscles trembling now. "But I couldn't go too far… I had to stay close… So many stayed in the Edge… so many were nowhere… I didn't know anyone to ask to look…" She's spilling into nonsense, broken fragments of sentences. "Little sleep… Exhausted… Herbs didn't- I couldn't-" she can't tell him that during those months with them all missing she wanted to die thinking it would reunite her with all those she had lost. It would break him. She didn't want to break him. "Rue needed medical… Kota was pregnant… I was on call…"
If he saw her gold eyes now, he'd see how dead they were. She blamed himself for him being out there so long. She blamed herself for even considering the idea that he might have cheated. She blamed herself for even assisting in the invasion and giving Rue a chance to slip away. She. Blamed. Herself. She forced herself to stop talking, to try and regain enough composure to speak coherently.
"Thank you…" she finally settles on - knowing she's weak, knowing she's hurting this relationship. Gods, how can he be so patient with her? "I don't know how… how you can still deal with me…" she whispers, gold eyes still dead. There is no shine, little joy. She knows - deep down - that he loves her with all his soul. And she loves him with every fiber of her being. But, she still can't wrap her brain around it all… she can't figure out how someone so perfect got thrust in her direction and fell in love with her and her imperfections…
She sniffles, trying to stop the tears for a second before saying, "You and Rue…. You're all that's left of my heart." And if either of you were gone… there's no guarantee I'd still try and fight…
She had missed him, he knew that. She loved him, just as deeply and passionately as he loved her, and she would never leave him to fend for himself in the Wilds. They had found each other, time and again, after separations and anxieties and even wars. No, she was not to blame, and he hated that she felt so strongly that the fault was hers to claim and shoulder alone.
Kaj, though... Kaj could have searched.
Anyone could have searched.
Kaj probably didn't even find the filly. She probably wandered back home, leaving Kaj able to present her to the wretched mess that Resplendence had surely been in the absence of her family.
Zarina hissed softly, a warning.
"Zarina's right," he said abruptly, masking the marmoset's true intentions - snapping him out of the hateful spiral he was quickly becoming trapped in. "You musn't blame yourself, my darling. Shhh... shhh..." His left wing slipped away as he sidled closer to her, pressing the length of his barrel against hers and draping his right wing more thoroughly over her. She was so small that his primaries rested gently against the ground beside her hooves. He threw his head over her nape, pulling her so that her ear would be close to his heart.
He shoved the darkness from his mind, pushing and prodding until it was locked away behind the steel doors of his subconscious, left alone to seethe and grow and warp. He could not give in, not here, not now - not while he had his mate to console. Never again would she be reduced to crying into some other stallion's wing. No, he was home now, and he'd like to see anyone try and get between he and his love.
He called up his magic, gently impressing calm upon Resplendence's mind. He did not use too much, for he did not want to destroy the emotion, the truth of her feelings. No, he applied only enough to chase out the panic, to burn away the hysteria. "Hush, my darling. We're all home and together now. You musn't worry yourself, it doesn't matter, nothing matters except that we're together again. It's all over now, princess. I'm home."
There was a hiss from Zarina and Valiance instantly moved closer. Quilyan shifted his weight, turning his body to press up against her barrel completely and cover her with the entirety of his right wing. Zarina was right? He said that she shouldn't blame herself but as he pulled her in closer and let her ear rest against his heart all she could say was, "I should have tried harder…"
There was a gentle nudge, his magic, creating a gentle lull to her mind. Not enough to erase all of her fears, but enough to ease some of them. She hiccups away a few tears and focuses on his heartbeat. Her heart-rate finally began to slow down, to match his and bring her trembling down to almost nothing. She's quiet as he says that he is home. And, she's silent for a few moments after that.
It is only when everything calms down in her body that she says anything again. "I'll try not to worry…" she whispers, though she knows that it's easier said than actually done. Then, she began to shift out from under his wing. "We need sleep… You need sleep." she says, voice growing a little stronger. "I made a nook… out of one of the cells, right near the garden. Let's go sleep, Rue is there. You can see how much she's grown," she finished, a weak smile on her face as the gentle glow slowly began to spring back to life as she fell into ease with the normal relationship.
"No one tries harder than you, my lady," he whispers, gently massaging his way from her poll to her withers. He allows all else to fade from his mind, focusing entirely on her - her feel and her taste and her smell. In days to come, he will have his fill of the look of her, the sound of her laugh (which he is determined to hear) - but for now he closes his eyes, falls into silence, merely holding her against him and offering himself as some inadequate form of comfort.
He listens as her breathing slows, steadies; he feels, more than hears, her heartbeat calm. He wonders how long she has gone without sleep, how many hours she has devoted to either ceaseless worrying or working to drive the wild concern from her mind. He caresses her withers gently, lulling her into a form of serenity that he will work endlessly to maintain. She will never be alone again.
"Sleep," he agrees, slowly retracting his wing enough that she can walk, albeit with his wing still across her back. "Lead the way." A small part of him marvels at the efforts she has made, the life she has carved out already for them in the depths of the Hidden Falls. He has come back to a home, and the notion surprises and enthralls him in equal measure. They wander to the garden, sleep beckoning.
The last thing he remembers is the way she feels against him.
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
