"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.
It's been some time since I last wrote. But I have something like trust in you, something I don't always expect your siblings to have. Perhaps it is that I suspect you are a young woman of poise.
Still, I hope you can forgive me. I assure you our next correspondence will not feel worlds away. Well, maybe not for me. I'm still uncertain as to what any of this feels like to you. You can tell me, someday, if we even have words then. I hope that we won't need them, though.
By the time I returned home from the last conflagration that had been the battle with the Wolf God, it was pitch black.
Surely your elder sibling has told you of that battle? I won't repeat it again in detail. I am very tired.
Overhead, the aurora was just beginning to peer, breaking through the midnight ceiling in bright and distracting streaks. I don't think I could help but smile at the sight of them: they were unlike anything I'd ever before seen, in all my long and aching years. It was as if a child were playing with the heavens, and I thought of you and your brother and... the third.
I pulled myself past the sentinels, wordlessly scoffing at the foolishness of their picture, and headed towards the northernmost part of the territory. There, I knew there were empty caverns, and I believe I had some vague hope that I'd make one of them my home. Though still I had remained uninjured, I was old even then and needed more rest than most, even if I wouldn't admit it.
The unfrozen lake was a mirror in which I cast the shadow of my reflection, the permafrost was a vast ballroom over which I could dance. And still I only wandered, slow, deliberate, but doing what I always did. It was easier that way.
I couldn’t sleep because like…. well if I was asleep then I wouldn’t be awake to participate in this thread. But for reasons we’ll say that I couldn’t sleep because I had a nightmare. A terrible, tragic nightmare. What was the nightmare about, you ask? Well, I don’t really want to get into it because it was a nightmare and therefore traumatizing. So, you know, I appreciate the curiosity but you can just back off. Aight?
The point is, anyway, that I’m not the only one up at this hour. It always seems to work out that way. Two horse-like-creatures happening to be in the same spot at the same time. Almost like we’re characters in a story or something.
But that is what I like about the Basin - whatever the hour, someone else was awake.
Tonight, it was someone I didn’t know… yet. No time at all was wasted in walking right up to the wandering creature and greeting her (I wasn’t LOOKING but let’s just say I knew it was a her). There were things that I probably should be doing while I’m awake, being productive and all, but I’m pretty sure meeting and greeting as many of the Basin members as I can moves right to the top of the list. “Can’t sleep, darling?” I ask in my most gentlemanlike voice. It’s been pointed out to me that my looks are a little… strange for this side of town so I try to be polite on the first exchange. Especially when it’s nighttime and BAM there’s this cute little peppermint pony right there. Not everyone knows the proper reaction.
I’m trying to train my fellow Basin members to lick me in greeting because that is definitely the way to do it but they are so reluctant.
11-22-2015, 05:57 PM (This post was last modified: 11-22-2015, 05:58 PM by Ahvelyn.)
I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he was a freak, but I had dealt with my fair share of those. I'd given birth to one so deformed he'd been killed by his own body, so a horse decorated in candy wasn't going to set off my footing. And he was young, too.
But that wasn't really what I was giving this stranger the benefit of the doubt about. It was that he had called me darling. Perhaps it was my age but I was beginning to feel like wandering might not be best for me, that perhaps I wanted to stay here. But I wasn't going to stay here if I was going to deal with more of the same, going to be called darling. And that left me with two choices:
1. Leave, for surely this land was inhabited with whorish men.
2. Make sure they all knew my name, for once, and could call me by nothing else.
It was a resignation but it was one I would make if it would spare me the obnoxious pain of constant objectification. "It is Ahvelyn," I snarled back with a sharp turn of my head and a clear expression of do not fuck with me, boy.
"Call me by my name," I added harshly, letting my ears snap back against my skull, "or I will call you pussyfoot for the rest of your life. And I will tell everyone I meet that one night I came across a young stallion named pussyfoot, and that he looked absurd and deserved no other name. I will spread that falsehood until across all of this god-warring land you are known as pussyfoot."
My eyes became cold stones and my heart beat with surprising excitement. Perhaps I should stop searching for a role, perhaps I had found one in this herd. I could be the curmudgeon of the Aurora Basin for the rest of my life.
Do you feel that? Things just got chillier in the Basin. I was expecting a warm welcome, I didn’t know such crabby presents came in such colourful packages. I’ll admit, I was thrown off a little bit. I haven’t actually experienced any real hostility in the Basin - everyone just pretty much ignores me most of the time. Well, except for my best friends but they don’t really have the choice. There’s a good group that I’ll always say hello to - dears like Ashamin and Tiamat and the ladies I met by the hot springs that fateful day.
I still have dreams about that day. Ah. So perfect.
But tonight was very, very different from that.
My mouth dropped open a little bit when she started, I couldn’t believe it! She thought I was young! Oh sweet, angelic Ahvelyn. Her tongue was poison and sugar all at once and oh, oh, I think I’m falling in love. Most of what she said didn’t actually stick around - I got the vague idea that she was threatening me and that she didn’t want to be called ‘darling’ but like, how was I supposed to know that? She didn’t have any neon signs that said ‘don’t call me that’ and I can’t exactly read so it wouldn’t even matter if she did.
Young! Maybe I’m young to her but in the dark she doesn’t look all that old so who knows.
She kind of does have neon signs about her with all the blue business but it’s more advertising “I’m part tiger” or something like that. Which, I guess, accounts for the bite.
When she’s done, I just tilt my head and close my mouth finally. Well, for a second anyway because it opens up again because even if I don’t comment on the wonderful compliment she slipped in there that will make me smile for the next four seasons there was something that was a little strange. “I don’t have pussies on my feet.” I look down, as if I was checking. I mean I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be an insult, but it was a weird one. Asking me please to not use that word would have done the job a lot faster.
And I’m all about getting the job done fast.
“Depending on which one you’re talking about… actually no, either way that would make walking super awkward.” Whichever pussy was attached to your feet, it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride.
“But, I apologize. It’s a pleasure to meet you Ahvelyn. My name’s Johnny.” I don’t really know what else to say so I just look around for a while, thinking, before my grin started to grow again and those dashing green eyes of mine focus back on her. “So... you really think I’m a young stallion?” Too sweet! I haven’t been called ‘young’ in so long!
I watched his mouth, hanging open and practically swinging like some dumb pendulum. When at last he closed it and regained some composure, when eventually he spoke again, she wasn't surprised about his odd response. He was certainly filling in his strange figure--playing the part that his appearance cast him in.
The boy's misunderstanding of the term pussyfoot was not quiet amusing, but it was perhaps endearing. I let loose a sigh, soft, low, and forgiving. The boy apologized, and he game me a proper name by which to call him. Johnny.
It was simple and though not quite elegant, I considered at the time that it fit him well enough. And he apologized. He apologized. Of all the times I had been hurt, so few of them had been followed by regret. I had been beaten, bruised, injured in mind heart and body, but never had those males apologized. The fact that this one did gave him some virtue, and the faintest motherly twinge in my heart became a blooming creature that I could not ignore.
...you really think I'm a young stallion?
I breathed and stepped closer to him. He was so small, I only just realized now. Age may have sloped me closer to the earth but I had plenty of height on him. And he really was young--compared to me, anyway. I exhaled, letting my warm breath perhaps brush over his fragrant locks. "Of course you are," I said kindly, all traces of the tigress lost. "Only a young stallion wouldn't understand the meaning of pussyfoot. But perhaps I'm showing my age," I remarked with a sidelong glance over the cold expanse and a faint nicker. "It is nice to meet you, Johnny. I appreciate your apology."
The wind blew cold and the night sang lonely. I began to move away from Johnny, back in the northern directions of my wanderings, and flicked my cape of a tail behind me to bid him follow. He was curious, and apparently kind, and I hoped to learn more about such a strange looking young man. "So what exactly do you do hear, boy?" I queried with a look back in the dark, my eyes glittering with the aurora that spread across the sky. It was high time I find something to do with my time, perhaps this one could help me on that path...
I am so, so, so relieved that we’ve managed to sidestep the unfortunate start that we started on. I don’t even flinch a muscle when she came over and sniffed at my hair - probably not something very common but for me it’s just sort of something that happens. I can’t blame them, sometimes I even flip my hair a little bit to catch the attention of a passerby. Sixty percent of the time it works every time. I’m usually rewarded by something like a little pause as they try to figure out where the scent is coming from - apparently these poor Helovians haven’t been exposed to a lot of sugar and peppermint in their lives and that makes me incredibly sad.
But I’m also sure that it’s going to make me incredibly popular and that helps me to be not quite so sad.
She started to move away and I was crestfallen, I’ll admit it. My ears even drooped a little bit out of the sheer monumental sadness I felt in those two seconds - I loved this mare, I really really did, and I didn’t want to see her go… OH! With a flick of her tail she invites me to join her on her walk and I immediately comply - trotting in my bouncy little fashion to catch up with her before falling into step beside her. I have to move a little bit faster to keep up, her legs are much longer than mine, but I don’t mind.
Mostly I’m just not willing to complain because I don’t want to see her fierce (if confusing and beautiful) wrath again.
And to be honest, the words ‘young stallion’ keep jumping around my head like popcorn and I’d follow her anywhere right now.
Love-of-my-life Ahvelyn asks me what my job is and well, I don’t usually like to ramble or talk about myself very much but for her I’ll oblige. “I’m a weaver! I haven’t really done much, so I can’t direct you to where you can find examples of my work, but it’s quite fun. I can make all sorts of things out of fabric, cloaks and blankets and whatever else you can think of.” Jockstraps and kinkier things that the Basin didn’t need at the moment but I was sure would come in handy in the future. Especially if Ode had any family hanging around…
“What about you? Have any of our fine ranks caught your attention?”
12-24-2015, 09:03 PM (This post was last modified: 12-24-2015, 09:21 PM by Ahvelyn.)
The walk that we took was easy enough. As always I moved slowly, not one to stress my aging form than I needed to and bogged down by the immeasurable weight of my hair. It was beginning to get tangled, but that was a problem for another day.
Johnny, the boy, was a delight. He was strange to be sure but his enthusiasm, now that his verbiage was all sorted out and proper, was simply infectious. I watched him bounce along, remembering the youth I had once had and lost. Then again, even at his age I don't think I'd ever been so carefree.
Now, I was too old to be envious. But I wanted him and wondered if I could be made to be like him, to live out a life of such boundless joy. He spoke with joy of his role as a weaver, and my ears perked up at the thought of it. A role... a role in the herd. I smiled at him kindly, lifting my knees high and looking down upon his smaller but stockier form.
"I'm afraid I wasn't given much introduction to the ranks, here. My welcoming was a bit..." I reflected, searched for the words to describe the painfully obnoxious interaction at the herd's gate, and went on "...well, a bit rushed."
A smile, a flick of the tail, another step forward. Nothing but a white lie, nothing but something to keep him happy. It was nice to entertain him, he was acting as if he didn't get much company. I was flattered by his excitement at mine, too. And he was childlike, I needed something to mother in my life.
So when he mentioned his own rank, and I thought of the idea of working with him--sugary, no threat, and kinder than any other I'd encountered here--that was enough to make me want to learn more. Sure, there was the attraction of having something to occupy my mind, but I wondered if Johnny here didn't need that, too.
"Your rank, though, you've intrigued me. Could you tell me more?" I asked gently, nudging my nose towards him without touching in something that was as close as I would get to kindness.
We made a good pair, you know. Excellent walking partners - we should do this more often. Between my shorter legs and her age, we could match each other’s pace with ease. Which was a delight - can’t tell you how exhausting it is trying to keep up with some of these critters in Helovia. I hadn’t met a lot of other ponies in the area and the Basin was certainly slacking in height diversity.
I’m sad to hear that her introduction into the Basin was rushed and frown (the expression always looks comical on my face). “I am very sorry to hear that!” I almost, almost called her ‘my dear’ but I was afraid it would have the same reaction as ‘darling’ so I bit my tongue. I didn’t want to scare her off, now that we were enjoying a delightful walk. I wondered if it was that way with all the new recruits - my own recruiter had barely managed to explain the ranks to me before excusing himself and leaving me in this strange herd, a lonely little gumdrop in a strange new world.
At the time, I was crushing hard on said recruiter so I didn’t mind.
I felt encouraged by the little movement of her head, almost as if she was going to nudge me before she just didn’t. What a tease. I beam back at her, because she’s asking me about weaving and that’s something that I have just fallen in love with ever since I picked it quite by chance when d’Artagnan was telling me about all the ranks. It certainly had sounded like the most interesting of all of them - I was hardly suited to do anything else in the herd. I liked being helpful, you know.
A beautiful mare was asking me about what I do and I was thrilled to oblige. “Well now! It’s a funny little rank, you know. Like I said, I can make just about anything that comes from textiles.” Okay so I haven’t actually made much but the theory was that I could make anything. “I’ve only really explored using fleece and what plants I can find to experiment with - and let me tell you getting fleece from the mountain goats we’ve got here is quite the adventure. One of our fellow members asked me to make a cloak for one of his girlfriends” Or something like that “and another needed… uh, support for himself during spars.” Thank you, Öde, for the delightful story that I was sure to share with everyone. “So it’s quite the diverse clientele.” I chuckled and winked at her.
I was quickly learning that the life of a Weaver was rarely boring.
“Do you think it’s something you’d be interested in doing?” I’m absolutely thrilled at the concept that she could want to be a crafter too, it even put a little bit more of a bounce in my step - if you can believe it. If she says yes I might just turn right into a kangaroo!
It was rare that I found anyone who was willing to take this old woman for a walk without a catch to it, so I appreciated the cordial mannerisms of the odd little stallion. I wasn't sure if he thought I was aging or spry, but given his small stature I was sure to take daintier steps. Perhaps we weren't getting anywhere fast, but we were enjoying each other's company.
It was difficult for me to find pleasure in most things around that time (or, really, any of those before) so I made a point of holding onto it. Johnny was willing to talk, too, and his chatter filled the noise with something like a child's laughter as I strode silently alongside him. He spoke with glowing praise of his rank and his duties, providing a few paltry (but clearly, to him, exciting) examples by way of convincing.
The fact of the matter was that I was old and tired. I could have considered that having less time in my life meant I should spend it doing something I was really and truly passionate about, but my passion was limited primarily to my endless search for the child of my father. Whoever she was, though, I was beginning to think she was gone. I didn't know that she was right here in this herd, that perhaps I would meet her any day.
So given my state of exhaustion and Johnny's persistent, sad sort of pleading way that I perceived him as speaking, I offered my services. Why not? Life was short, it was true and I felt that especially nowadays. Who was to say this wouldn't become a new passion of mine? Perhaps there could be something healing in the simple act of weaving and mending old garments, of creating for a herd I thus far cared little for. Maybe by engaging in some hobby, some sort of something, I would begin to form an attachment for this frozen valley.
His question rang, echoing in my mind until I was forced to answer. I smiled at him, twirled my tail ever so slightly, and nodded my head. "Johnny, count me as interested. I'd love to help you with your work."
Well strap me down and dip me in chocolate, she was interested in becoming a crafter! How delightful! Up until this conversation, I hadn’t given the fact that there were other horses in my rank besides me much though. Ulrik, the saucy little minx, had disappeared without so much as a farewell to his fellow weaver and to be honest I had jumped up to the top rank so quickly that I forgot that there were a couple other steps on the ladder below it. Were their other crafters?! Oh my good gosh we could have crafting rallies. I can bring the snacks!
“Wonderful!” I’m speaking with absolute genuine enthusiasm, of course - why wouldn’t I be? I think that crafting is a wonderful pursuit for anyone. And, you know, it’s kind of perfect for someone that’s older (not that I would ever say this to Ahvelyn’s face). I mean, you can just nestle up somewhere comfy and do the work! Or go on nice, relaxing walks like this one and collect materials.
It’s honestly the best job, I’d be surprised if she wasn’t interested in it! “It’ll be an absolute delight to work with you! I don’t really have many projects going at the moment, though with the chilly weather coming I think it’s about time I get working on some blankets - for us or for the other herds.” Yes! I think that will be a good project. “How about I call on you the next time I’m working on something?” I could use some company while I was crafting! Young Erebos and Öde had proved to be a delight the last time I tried and, surprise surprise, I’m not overly fond of doing anything on my own.
“And for now, may I accompany you back to your cave, Ahvelyn?” A gentleman always walks a lady home, after all.
01-24-2016, 06:26 PM (This post was last modified: 01-24-2016, 06:26 PM by Ahvelyn.)
Johnny's ensuing enthusiasm was neither surprising or unfortunate. I found myself smiling (just barely) at the site of his joy overflowing, and when he exclaimed his delight and offered that I accompany him at the next moment of his crafting, I found myself nodding as if there were simply no other response. "Of course," I said in a voice still quiet and my own but somehow tinged with Johnny's sugar, "that would be wonderful."
You see, there was simply nothing to do around Johnny other than smile. Once you'd taught him his lesson about how to address an old woman he was simply fine, and at that time "fine" in my life was rare and often quite a wonderful thing. So if Johnny thought I and my decision were wonderful, let him shout it from the mountaintops and I wouldn't complain. Worse things had been said about me in my life, and I doubted Johnny would contribute to them now after seeing him so sickly sweet.
When he offered to accompany back, however, I found that I had to make my leave. I was not infirm and still quite capable of finding my way back. Or, at least I would have been if I had somewhere to go back to. It wasn't that I was embarrassed about not yet having found a home despite having lived there for some time, but, well, it wasn't really his business where I did or didn't live, was it? Partners in building and creating we might have just become, but I was a mare who demanded my privacy. I needed space as much as any other--well, aside from Johnny.
"While I appreciate the offer," I answered through my teeth, the reply tense and strained, "I must decline. I'd rather travel that distance on my own. But it was good to meet you, Johnny, and I'm sure I'll see you again soon," I went on, my tone forced into relaxation as I went. Slowly I traveled from his side, nodding my head and letting my long tail drag in the frost behind me. Eventually the distance between us would part; eventually, I would look back and see nothing but fog in the distance.
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![[Image: Johnny%20by%20Aud_zpsi3ssx2s1.gif]](http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47/strangeandunusual/Johnny%20by%20Aud_zpsi3ssx2s1.gif)
