"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.
This particular morning has started like any other day—uneventful, slow, routine. Following the monotonous path of his duties, the large stallion patrols the Edge’s borders, pale hooves cutting through the grasses while his eyes roam lazily through the trees. Unlike the fantastical thoughts of adventure and mischief that swell within his roguish mind, the Warlander doesn’t expect anything remarkable to happen. Hesitating in his gait for a moment, he looks out across the Edge’s bounds and into Helovia’s wilds, nostrils curling in a passing sigh of nostalgia.
So caught up in the humdrum of his daily routine, the stallion doesn’t notice the shift at first. The air grows still and heavy—like a held breath, caught in anticipation of something terrible—the cold fingers reaching through his thick hair to his skin, making his spine crawl. Gritting his teeth against an involuntary shiver, Rohan turns, shaking his head—only to freeze.
His muscles are suddenly numb, large body seized momentarily in something between shock and confusion. The sky, clear and luminous only seconds before, is now clogged with angry black clouds, stormy almost, as if they have a mind of their own. It is the deep rumbling that finally jars the Warlander from his daze, large hooves thrusting him forward as the ground vibrates beneath him, guiding him towards its source. Dark-rimmed ears are flattened against the back of his neck, the long strands of his forelock thrown back by the wind and tangling in the tines of his antlers, the fleshy skin of his nostrils quivering with every heaving, measured breath.
It is his warrior’s heart that fuels him, igniting a fire through his veins, adrenaline sweetening the taste of battle. He will fight and he will protect.
Cutting through bramble and low-hanging branches, Rohan bursts into the scene just as the dreadful creature speaks. “Holy hell,” he mutters, narrowing his eyes and scowling. Taking a quick sweep of those gathered, he notes a few familiar faces (is that Tembovu as an elephant?) before settling on eyes far brighter and more vibrant than his will ever be. “Alysanne,” he calls to the pegasus, leaping to her shoulder and angling himself protectively between her and the shadowy beast, “What’s happening? What the hell is that thing?” Rohan only half expects an answer from the mare, as the majority of his attention is swallowed by whatever creature threatens their herd.
Bowing his neck, the stallion brandishes his large antlers towards the thicket, squaring his shoulders and scowling into what he assumes is the beast’s eyes (a general direction, anyway). And here he thought this would be like any other unremarkable day; funny how the gods love to play with them like puppets. “Enjoying this, Moony?” He growls to himself, exhaling in a snarl.
My thoughts are the cold kind,
I've got storm clouds brewing behind my eyes
Something was wrong. The forest was uneasy, the murmur and groan of swaying branches caused by no wind that she could feel. As a peculiar darkness fell over her Erthë looked up from the spot where she had been grazing, strands of grass lodged in the corner of her mouth and suddenly tense, alert. The temperature was dropping rapidly, yet it seemed she was not at the center of this phenomenon. Suddenly worried she started forward, moving in the direction of the chill, plunging herself deeper into the unnatural darkness while gritting her teeth against the pains in her bad leg. This was no time for slow, awkward limping, no time to stand about and wonder what to do. Erthë had seen effects like these before and the mere idea that a monster like the ones she had once battled might appear here, in the Edge, was enough to make the hair along her spine stand on end.
She had not moved more than a few yards when a sudden flash of blinding light brought the sound of voices to her, many agitated individuals giving voice to confusion, unease, determination. She could hear the commanding rumble of Tembovu's familiar vocals, Elsa's acid half-challenge, thought herself able to make out other, younger voices that rang of foolish confidence. Erthë picked up the pace, and felt her skin tingle with fear and urgency when another, very different voice joined with the rest. One meek, soft, pleading. One deep as the very earth, a voice like mudslides and earthquakes, like gleaming fangs and razor sharp claws, all games and threats and deadly mirth.
Bursting out of the underbrush behind the others, the young filly took in the scenery before her. Ahead was a thick, dark bramble of thorns that appeared to be the epicenter of the supernatural occurrences - the unseen wind, the darkness, the unease - and facing it stood several members of herd - the king and queen, soldiers, a healer and foals she recognized from previous encounters. Before Tembovu was a fiery bright elephant that oozed molten rock and emitted a heat as intense as the cold around them, and she didn't even have time to be surprised because her attention went straight to the kids. Foolishly brave like herself, confident and fragile and too powerful for their own good; suddenly Erthë understood just why so many horses had thrown themselves before her on the battlefield, taking blows and injuries in her place. She had been angry then, insulted and embarrassed that they would think her so weak... but she couldn't blame them now that she knew the dread at the thought of those children being hurt.
How foolish she had been. How stupid she was now, to throw herself into the fray with a gimpy leg, stringing her bow and raising it towards the bramble even as these thoughts flashed across her mind.
Yet what could she do, when everyone around her was preparing to fight this horror that had appeared within their home? It was not in her nature to stand back and let others risk their lives while she did nothing. Age didn't matter, nor did experience, magical powers or physical health. It was a matter of pride, of doing the right thing... At least that was what Erthë told herself as she pulled the bowstring back and watched the freezing, magical arrow take shape, body tense as she waited for a command.
Nearby she heard Rohan mutter about the Goddess and Erthë glared darkly at him, suppressing an urge to walk over and kick him in the shins.
"How dare you insult the Lady in her own forest!?" she hissed at him around the bowstring.
"Why should She have to aid us with a task she placed on our shoulders? IF you are so delicate that you can't handle a few thorns without divine intervention then I suggest you train some more, sergeant."
It wasn't fair, but Erthë didn't feel like being fair right now. She was angry, worried and full of questions - hadn't the Goddess said it was just a patch of brambles? Or was it "just" in the immortal, all powerful meaning of "just", as in nastily difficult and potentially disastrous, and their Lady forgot that their were mere mortals with limited abilities? The Seer's apprentice gritted her teeth, hating herself for the doubts that flashed through her mind. No. The lady Moon would not forget about the frailty of mortal beings, not for a second. Of that the girl was certain. No, it was far more likely that this was a test, a challenge to see if they were deserving of the things they asked for. A necessary evil, destroying something old in order to create something new.
As for the reasoning behind the tasks, and this particular situation... she chose not to speculate. Who could truly understand the workings of a God's mind?
Erthë
And my heart will be blacker than your eyes
when I'm through with you
Located in the back of the group. Talks to @Rohan and aims her bow at the bramble, ready to fire on command from Tembovu or Elsa.
:: [ Item: Croc Spine Bow | Offensive. "Niquessë", An ivory bow with elaborate carvings which hovers upon release, fire bolts of freezing light ]
:: [ Restrictions | Has a shooting range of 30m and can shoot only 5 arrows per battle ]
~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~
A smile graced my lips as my mother's thanks ran past her lips and onto my shoulder. I offered her dip of my smoke swathed head in return. But we lacked the time to dwell on pleasantries and family matters, for an event larger than our lives unfolded before my eyes. Smoke crept from the brambles, inching toward my hooves, swirling and seeking. It held no physical grasp on me, but its foreboding aura clutched my throat.
Loyalty to my mother (to all I had, to all I knew) kept me rooted firmly in place, even as the brambles shook and screamed. Even amidst the panic, the lament and the screeches, I didn't let fear drive me off. By my mother's side I would stay, till the Gods swallowed my soul, and kissed my bones away.
Her words were casual, I couldn't tell if I found them stupid or genius. Regardless, I trusted her, and stayed calm. Yunno, until my fucking smoke turned off. Like, I didn't even know it could, but then, it did. My vision cleared, no longer hazy or dominated by a nebulous cloud of smoke. No, it was clearer than I had ever known. I noticed it immediately, snorting, expecting a little puff of smoke, but getting nothing. Don't get me wrong, I liked my vape queen status, but I wasn't exactly complaining. I was just extremely caught off guard, and a little bit offended by its absence.
I didn't say anything regarding it, I simply flicked my ears back and winced as a loud voice resonated in my bones. It was as if it shook my entire existence. That was my smoke, one of my defining features, and it was gone.
I gritted my teeth, furrowing my brow and shaking my head slowly. I didn't care if I lost my smoking abilities, but shit, if I did it was going to be on my own terms. The propositions of peace flew around me, but oh, I was so ready to fuck the bramble bitch up.
So far away from where you are, I'm standing underneath the stars
and I wish you were here
A lot was happening in such a short span of time, and Alysanne quickly encouraged Hemlock to fly off and seek further assistance from anyone in the area. Any adults in the area. It chilled her to recognize that there were a couple foals present, but only one I knew the name of. The other one, a dark grey filly, proved to be brave (or foolish) and sent some wolves crackling with electricity into the thicket, but I wasn’t sure whether the small paint girl had any such magic to protect her. “Hera, get behind us.” She beckoned to the foal to get behind the growing line of adults that were gathered. That were, fighting.
Tembovu was no longer himself - but instead a monstrous elephant and he was challenging the thing and sending his frightening magma into the thicket. Others too joined their voices to the call, asking for a peaceful resolution to this.
She didn’t have any magic to lend to the fight, but she had her body.
Her sister joined her side, looking ready for a fight, and Alysanne just had a chance to shrug her shoulder before Rohan came too - angling himself so that he separated her from the creature. A fond smile appeared for a moment, the gesture out of place in this situation, but she appreciated the gesture. To his question she offered a quick reply, her green eyes flickering from him to the crowd of anxious herd members around them. “I wish I knew but it can’t be good, whatever it is.”
Although her mouth quirked at the muttering beneath Rohan’s breath - someone else nearby didn’t seem to find it so funny. “The Moon Goddess has many sides, young one. We’re seeing one.” Perhaps little Erthe hadn’t heard the warning voice, the light that this was part of their goddess that they were facing. That it was tied to the Edge and her. But that hardly meant that it wasn’t still dangerous.
T H E little forest fae was flitting about the brush today. Well, as she did every day. Her wild yellow eyes had learned much in the past few months. Ants always went back to their home dirt mound. Butterflies were once caterpillars(Had SHE ever been a caterpillar). Foxes always had a den. Everything had some sort of offspring and they all had some type of family. She wasn't sure what her family was yet but she was still determined to find it. Sure, she'd had Mother for a while until she left and she'd seen Father when she was born....but not much since then. There'd been the creepy twins and a few other nice ones, like Rae Rae and Aly-something. The filly's favorite had been Tembovu and his flubbery companion but ever since she'd seen him at the herd meeting the little filly had felt bad about trying to find him again. He'd seemed awfully busy to be dealing with a lonely foal.
Instead, Laume had contented herself with stalking the bugs and quietly following the inhabitants of the forest. Horses were harder to find than you'd expect but they were usually fun to giggle at from her perches in the trees. Today she'd found a whole group of them! This was just as rare as seeing something like the "Herd Meeting" she'd seen. Apparently, gatherings of those such as herself were really rare. We're like ants... except we don't group in our mound, just walk around alone outside it!
They seemed to be working to uproot the life which lived in the ground. How strange, thinks the little butterfly, that they should do so. Did they not know it held entire worlds for other creatures? Just because it was pokey and itchy for them did not mean that it was that way for all. Every creature was different. Even ants were massively different from spiders....and they were almost the same size! She is not surprised at all when an angry creature makes itself very known. There's all manner of reactions, none of which escape the tiny onlooker's gaze. The creature does scary things, angry things, but that is natural. It is not trying to be mean but defending itself from the torture they'd already inflicted. Her amusement rises as she watches their little scuttling and lack of understanding. How silly they are. Certainly, it is dangerous, but they could have done and could still do many things to change it.
Her foalish mind is firm in its beliefs. Regardless of their accuracy they are her truths. Then Aly-something, who shields her child so firmly, is what finally forces the giggles to come bubbling up. They're light giggles that tinkle like the sound of small wild bells. The sound comes rolling out before she can even gasp to cover it up! Laume's little head ducks down behind the brush that had been shielding her for a second before popping back up, craning to see over the leaves. She's not too good on accuracy but she's pretty sure none of the adults had heard her or seen her. Well, ok, they usually didn't anyways.
Tiny Appaloosa hooves scramble out from her hiding spot with a little doggy shake once she's free. The fluttering femme edges her way forward until she's close enough to whisper to the thing from between a pair of tall adult legs. Little Laume's tiny voice comes out soft but innocently brave;
"Hello Forest Creature..or, err, Forest Thicket? I'm so sorry for fellow horses actions. They silly and you please forgive them they're not knowing and lack of sight. They do not understand that everything in the forest also belongs to it. But, they should not have been mean and hurt you because you are home for big many unseen." She pauses, her little chest heaving in for another brave breath.
"But, I think, since they here, this place will not be quiet home it once was for you and you probably will not like it as much anymore. Is there something they could do to give you quiet spot and make them happy without harm? I, I mean, I know anger and harm is normal but wouldn't it be better for neither to get hurt anymore? Maybe they could gently move you, without damage, to a quieter spot in this land? Please do not stay angry!" Laume's delicate wings flutter anxiously as she finishes and hides back behind whatever adult's legs she'd landed next to and waits for the response. She was sure that her words would help but was worried about the adult's reactions ruining whatever she'd said. The little filly gave little pause to her words themselves having been utterly wrong. But, alas, that was the freedom of foalish innocence.
Clearly the assembled hoard was not taking the advice of the smaller voice, and so for the time being, it ceased offering its aid.
A cold and crisp peel of laughter echoed out of the thorns at Tembovu's command. "You, Elephant King, are an idiot." It began, that wicked and haughty amusement clear in every syllable. "I have lived in the Edge for thousands of years, while you have only been here for a handful of seasons, and you are asking me to leave?" The thicket seemed to shake as something deep within exhaled an annoyed breath. "And why should you be prepared to defend yourselves when it is you who are attacking me?"Elephant King. HAH..
As Raeden's light encompasses the area ... nothing happens.
The creature's stare, invisible yet weighty, turned to Elsa. "This thicket is an extension of myself. You have horns and hooves former Queen, while I have ... lets just say a different sort of organic composition."
Before the thicket could say more, perhaps the youngest of those assembled began to address her, in broken childish speech. Even so, the thicket quieted and listened. However when the child was finished speaking it wasn't the angry voice of the thicket any longer, but the timid and softer voice they had heard before. "Why should we have to move? We have been here since the beginning of the Edge. It is you who are impermanent here, not us. Our thorns have provided protection for those of the Edge countless times, and will continue to do so in the future." As the creature spoke, soft roses began to bloom in the thicket, pulsing with a warm light. "Your suggestion is a sweet one, child, but our kind is not like yours. You who can roam around and change where it is your plant your hooves. We cannot. If you move us, we will die."
Timidly, one manifestation of the creature came forward. She appeared like a pale deer, with pupil-less green eyes. She moved from the thicket, rather than out of it, as if the thicket were merely giving way to her form rather than simply allowing her to pass. Her worried and frightened gaze looked to Tembovu, for if any of them, he seemed to speak for the herd. "Please. The Edge has not been invaded for years. And when it has been, we have done our part to protect it. We, who have been here longer than you. What right do you have to change things now? To decide who should die just because you wish to fortify walls which could be just as easily protected with kind words and strong relations with the rest of Helovia?"
Her pleading eyes looked from the Elephant King to the rest of them, hoping to find a sympathetic gaze somewhere amongst them. "Please." She begged, her voice a whimper. "Please. Cry off this quest. Please. Don't do this."
Killing the deer-like manifestation of the thicket will kill the thicket.
The admonishment from the painted mare made Erthë shoot a sour glare in her direction, ears dipping back against the poll in irritation. She had heard the voice that boomed from the tangled briars, how could she possibly have missed it? It wasn't a voice you overlooked, and while she hadn't been present on this location from the beginning she saw and heard enough to understand what was going on. What she didn't understand was why everyone was muttering about her Goddess, as if it was her fault that this was happening in the first place. It wasn't the Moon Goddess who wanted to build the barrier to keep people out of the Edge, it was they, the herd (or was it just Tembovu?) who had asked for the divine aid. Of course this was a creature of the moon - wasn't this her lands, old as time and sheltered beneath her dark wings for more years than mortals could comprehend?
"You see what you want to see" the girl retorted, all the while keeping the brunt of her attention focused upon the bramble and the butterfly winged girl who pleaded with it, tense as a coil ready to spring. "Don't create villains where there are none, please."
Just then, the voice was heard once more. Erthë listened attentively, her whole being seeming to vibrate with the intensity of it. Insults hailed towards the Elephant King, but despite the outrage and offense she took at hearing her friend and leader be spoken to like that, the words of the dark entity resounded within her.
It made sense. It was convincing, so logic and accurate, all of what it was saying. Why should it have to move for the sake of their convenience? Was there even a need for this barrier of glass that everyone seemed to want so badly? There were no threats to the Edge, all the herds were at peace and the Rifts had remained closed for a year, showing no signs of opening again.
What was the point of it all?
Erthë saw the pale doe emerge from the thicket, pale as moonlight and so beautiful that her heart ached with a longing she couldn't explain. Those green eyes, paler than even her own, pierced her heart with their desperate plea, and as her determination wavered the young valkyrie lowered her weapon, the cold light faded from the carved arrow rest.
"Do we have to do this?" she asked, turning to Tembovu with reluctance painted clearly upon her face, visible for all to see. "We'll be fine without the spikes, without gates and locks and chains to keep everyone else away. Is... is this wall worth the life of this creature?"
She gestured abruptly with a wing towards the doe, wondering at the sudden anger she felt at this whole situation. The filly didn't understand what they were doing here, it seemed so stupid, so pointless and cruel of them to place their (imagined?) needs before the existence of something that was ancient, unique, possibly the only one of its kind. Why had the Lady directed them to destroy this being, if it was indeed a part of herself and of the Edge? Was she throwing away this life, or was there a deeper purpose to the removal of a creature that appeared so fair, so gentle and vulnerable.
Wavering and confused the child looked between the members of the herd, her family, gazed from face to face and saw only determination in their eyes, readiness to proceed in this murder. And they dared to scorn the Moon for slaking lives! When they were no better themselves, so eager to shed blood to further their own goals.
She took a step back, shaking her head. This didn't feel right. Did she really want to be a part of this?
_________________________________________
Waiting for the rain I'm bracing for the thunder A twig that wouldn't sway in the wind
~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~
Elsa
My head's underwater, but i'm breathing fine.
Elsa does one thing for the good of others, and this is what happens?
Fuck this shit.
Although, before all the negativity began, Elsa couldn’t help but hold back a smirk as Tembovu was reprimanded for his stupidity. Sometimes, for being a diplomat, Elsa wanted nothing more than to smack him upside the head and call him an idiot. Treating everyone in a civil tone all the time got old quick, he’d need to learn eventually the ways of casual conversation. For once, she was happy with the way she was speaking and handling things. Elsa herself respected the creature’s response to her statements. The being was just reaffirming her power.
But soon all the karma Elsa wanted to rub into Tembovu’s face was overshadowed by the look of a pale deer emerging from the thicket. The fear was palpable, and Elsa herself slowly stiffened at her words. They would die if the thicket was removed? Edgar let out a mournful crow, voicing his bonded’s otherwise silent pain. Even if it was for the protection of the herd, Tembovu, or the others, had no right to remove them. Especially when they were given this place to live once the previous owners ran the Hidden Fall’s members out. All of them, herself included, were guests to these animals. Nudging at Auriel one more time for comfort, she began her advance.
Her muscles were in fight or flight mode as she turned to Tembovu. Her eyes were smoldering with a fire the Ice Queen had shoved away so many years ago. Amidst her own anger, Elsa could feel patches of ice attacking her own body, as she reined in the urge to push everyone away. There were spots on her chest and rump, as she took another daring step towards Tembovu. Her mind had been made up, but in the end, Tembovu was the almighty king. He was the one they listened to. Erthe’s own plea fell right before Elsa’s.
“Tembovu, you better call of this damn herd quest before I have to run you out myself.” Her words were low, and seething. No one had told her a family was living within these branches, she would’ve never began in the first place. “You’ve got one of two choices here, you back off the rest of this herd now, or you face the wrath that is boiling within me right now. This family did nothing to deserve this yet you sent us out here to do this? For what? What if it was Hawezi who was attached to that thicket? Would you be so keen to tear it down then? How dare you for not telling us about this.” Her body was shaking as the ice patches on her rump and chest expanded as they began to leave deep red splotches beneath them. She had no way of knowing Tembovu had no idea about this, all she knew was that he better call this off right now. Ears pinned, and nostrils flaring, she stared down the Elephant King with eyes that could kill. “Back them off.” It wasn’t a question, it was an order.
09-05-2016, 02:12 PM (This post was last modified: 09-06-2016, 10:02 AM by smitty.)
the elephant king
His large flaps of ears remain flared out; a silent and instinctual warning of this large, pachyderm from. Though he was finding it harder and harder to hold onto this body—a ripple of his black stripe crossed over his side. No, he needed to retain this form if he was to be able to shield any of the foals from whatever danger this bramble promised.
So, immobilized, the Elephant King renewed his hold on this morphed form. Perhaps foolishly, for it took most of his attention and a great deal of strength; his magma elephantine creation swayed to and fro, trying to charge something as it’s innate magical makeup made it wont to do. Thus, the Elephant remained still and unmoving in the face of the thicket’s criticism and annoyed rebukes.
And he remained silent as it waxed and waned; on and on with its haughty words. For being so verbose, the Elephant King was marginally surprised it had not spoken before this moment. Surely, it seemed to enjoy hearing its own patronizing lilt; though, perhaps that was just a mortal’s interpretation to whatever sensations this nebulous creature projected to the surrounding equids.
Once again feeling both secure and mobile in his elephantine form, his massive tusks swayed through the air as he responded to the former, wicked voice. “You say you have lived in the Edge for ’thousands’ of years, and us ’but seasons’. That does not make our seasons and less meaningful to us. The weight of your years to you does not change the weight of ours to us.” As his deep voice boomed, he had begun to shift, attempting to move his bulk in front of Hera and Erthe.
He mentally sighed as he spoke, these were not soldiers. They were not prepared to withstand whatever this bramble thicket would throw at them; they did not have training for combat, nor did they know formations. A glance around showed him only a handful of the Edge’s warriors present; haphazardly scattered amid the foals, mares, stallions… “You say we have not been invaded for years; but that does not make the danger of invasion any less. Regardless of the lull in enemies crossing our borders, we would still have them be protected rather than open to the whims of ‘kind words’ and politics.”
He fell silent and settled his gaze on the timid, pale deer manifestation of the thicket as it stepped forward and continued to speak. His ears flapped once, the angry Elephant General he had long-since buried slowly rising to the surface of his massive, wrinkled exterior. “Your thorns protect only a small part of our border, and they may trap and cause injury to friend and foe alike. If you could promise protection along our entire boundaries, then perhaps I would call off this quest. But I must protect my herd,” his roar had grown deafening in his steadfast adherence to protecting those who trusted him as King.
But then, after his roar, he faced Elsa’s stinging words, ’What if it was Hawezi—’ “—Do not lecture me about dying children. I have already buried my own,” his solemn, low rumble broke into her words, but his stare burned with intensity; the same navy eyes scorching out of a massive, wrinkled grey face.
And then he face the thicket again, “Those that do not wish to be apart of this, you may leave.” A thundering trumpet ended his words. His enraged magma-elephant was finally released from his grasp as it aimed to charge into the heart of the thorns and explode on impact.
Though some semblance of the kind King showed through (perhaps foolishly), as the the magmaphant did not charge the deer, but rather the thorny vines around it.
Tembovu
No matter how fast or far a man runs he cannot escape his fate.
Summary: Tembo responds to the thicket's lectures with an angry tirade, and ends up sending his magma-elephant into the heart of the bramble thicket (but not at the deer, cause he's still got a conscious ;] )
Whatever was happening was getting more and more difficult for the lioness to ignore. The sounds. The clouds. The shouting. Eshe paced at her side so Tsavo finally relented and nodded towards the treeline. “Not too far ahead,” she murmured to the small lion, still more parts cub than grown, “We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into. I want you in my sight.” The little lion answered by way of a flick of her tawny tail as Tsavo hurried after her bondmate.
She had come to know the Edge reasonably well, having mapped out the nooks and crannies while teaching Eshe to hunt, and was surprised to find that a large portion of the herd had gathered around a particularly angry looking thicket. That thought was only compounded when the thicket spoke. She couldn’t say it hurt her too deeply to hear it hurl insults at Tembovu, but the situation certainly went to shit as the thicket produced a rather innocent looking creature from its depths.
Tsavo, for one, was confused. And that confusion easily read as irritation. Hadn’t the Moon Goddess herself given them these tasks, and now one of her creatures objected to them? Was this some sort of divine test of loyalty?
The lioness scoffed at the possibility.
What a strange place this world was, so filled with contradictions. However, Tsavo saw deception here. Deception was a language she was fluent in. Religion? Religion had never served any purpose in her life, not before and not now. What Tsavo saw was a creature doing anything it could to evade predators, including manipulating those around them. The Council would be impressed by this particular display.
She stood, for a moment, behind the group - watching as the situation devolved into bickering and shouting. She’d had enough bickering to last a lifetime. She’d had enough.
The mare took one step, then another, and then shifted into a lioness - pausing for a moment as the fog the transformation caused cleared from her mind. Eshe excitedly followed her bondmate as she approached the Elephant, watching as he sent one of his magma creations towards the thicket. Just in time for the fireworks.
Well, at least Tembovu wasn’t losing an argument with the weedpatch.
It seemed like Tembovu’s fireworks weren’t the only ones about to explode. Tsavo could practically feel the anger rolling off both Tembovu and Elsa. This was certainly an interesting development. Unperturbed, Tsavo carefully leapt up upon the angry Elephant’s back and promptly took a seat, while simultaneously telling Eshe to keep her paws on the ground as she felt her intention to follow.
“You need that taken care of?” the lioness said, lazily, with a flick of her tail towards the innocent-looking apparition at the edge of the thicket. “Just say the word,” she said, quietly, knowing that Tembovu’s elephant-ears could detect the faintest of whispers, but wanting to allow Tembovu the element of surprise should he so choose.
Imagine the Seer's surprise when he finally caught up with his duties, enough that he could press them back in order to make time to help out with the Goddess' Quest, only to walk into a scene of chaos. Any smile that had been on his chiselled features had burned away with the sight of Tembovu's magmaphant charging toward the thorny thicket. A frown drew upon his features at the harsh words shared between King and Queen as his stomach knotted together in ways which drew his own bubbled anger and annoyance to the surface. He has to remember that this is not Thal'Sharah, the laws and mannerisms that are sewn into his skin and bones are not shared by those he now shares a land with.
Still he has gathered enough by the commotion the deer-creature has caused, what else could incite herd member to turn against herd member. This creature which tries to protect it's land when the patron Goddess has ordered it to go. There's little he can do to stomp on the headache which has already began to throb within the confines of his skull.
Lapis hooves moved to take him to stand beside Erthe, ready to protect her should the mood change for the worse. How much worse could it go? Unless the thicket came alive and began to assault the gathered herd members, the more he thought about it, the more he thought so.
"The Lady has ordered the thicket to be removed." He murmured to his apprentice. "There are creatures in this world who would seek to manipulate and lie in order to preserve themselves. That includes appearing as something they are not." Truly, such a shadowed thicket of snared thorns and gnarled branches could not hide something so sweet and pure as the creature they saw before them. There had been a time long ago his land had been sundered by equines parading as everything they were not, and how many had chosen to ignore the signs and follow blindly on the illusions they had woven in order to divert the truth and dig their lies in deeper.
"Whatever creatures and manifestations that lurk within, have been judged by the Goddess and deemed unfit for this land." He made no attempt to move from his place as sentinel to the pale filly beside him, though he would not hesitate to wield his scythe like horns should the momentum continue to rise to a chaotic peak. "Whether you agree to it or not, you live in the lands owned by the Goddess, what lives and breathes within does so at her mercy. If you do not agree, then as our King put it, you may leave so that others who understand may press forward with the task at hand."
The Arcweaver's Circle
I will never be a morning person
for the moon & I are much too in love
"I have seen the movement of the sinews of the sky,
And the blood coursing in the veins of the moon."
force & violence permitted on Alune at all times
with the exception of maiming and death
09-10-2016, 11:19 PM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2016, 11:19 PM by Ultima.
Edit Reason: taaag
)
ultima
It was chilling to remind herself, despite the wave of heat that burst in her face as the elephant surged forth: Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Elsa snapped retorts quick and sharp as gunfire, but Tembovu’s words were swung gavel. For several moments she wished urgently that he would reconsider, staring at the side of his great, grave face with wide, stricken eyes. But she knew even in her child’s heart that there would be no moving him, and the tiny fervent ‘please’ stuck in her throat and choked her. There was always a certain terror when one saw the face of love – not just the face of a parent looking upon their newborn, but the face of a parent risen to defense, risen to sword. Tilney roared it, gentle as he was. And if Tilney could be mustered to arms, then Tembovu, father many times over— Tembovu, tall and broad in the shoulder— Tembovu, who watched over them all—
Heavy, heavy, heavy.
Another ripple coursed through the crowd as people began to flank the King, building a grave wall between the doe, the briars, and the throng of on-lookers who had not yet made their choice. Frozen behind Tilney and blanketed in the Elephant King’s shadow, ears crushed to her poll and expression stony, Ultima felt no urge to join the barricade. She couldn’t recall if she’d seen anything die before. This was not a beetle. This was not even the crocodile, that rotten, decrepit gargoyle— The bramble was old and unique, same as the Rift-demon had been, but it— What? What? Was a better rhetorician? Had harmed not a hair on their heads, had not tainted a single dream?
But oh, sweet thing, how do you know? Its voice had hurtled through her like a blast of wind and her bones were still rattling, the feathers at her nape rigid as scales. Deep in her heart of hearts, in the part of her that had once spoken to birds, she knew – good or evil, lie or truth, it was too powerful to leave within their borders.
Yet the doe haunted her, pale and delicate as a moonbeam, or the lure of an anglerfish. Staring blearily (“Brides don’t cry,” she breathed, not realizing she’d done so aloud; it was lost to the crackle of fire anyhow, to the quiet sentences passed from juror to juror) at the deer and the thorns lurching behind it, she thought just once more, desperately, to speak, to beg for surety before they took another step.
Nothing came out.
There was only the smell of fire, the intent pendulum of lions’ tails, and that which must be done.
Ultima trembled forward, reaching for her friend’s shoulder. “Tilney.” A crack and a whine. “Tilney,” she tried again, the syllables reedy and small. Her jaw was sore with clenching. “Please. Please, let’s go. Please.”
And God, God, my God, she thought, Who Dreamt the Wood (and may You Dream forever) and all that lives within and without it— Who drives the rivers and sings the grass to growing— May there be peace at the end of this.
command me to be well.
she speaks to @Tilney directly and wants to leave, but is still very much ringside!
please tag ultima in all posts! force/magic a-ok, shy of killing/maiming her!
From within the thicket, a sneer could clearly be heard. "I'm surprised you've managed to live this long, Elephant King" It spat. "For you are by far the dumbest King to have ever ruled these lands. And that's saying something. Of course the amount of time I have lived here matters. I am not the God of the Spark - I do not just flit in and out. I have been here. " Each word was hotly punctuated. "Whatever meaning you think your seasons give you, I have more. That is the point of having been here longer. Years trump seasons."
Now the thicket shook slightly with amused laughter. "And why shouldn't politics protect you just as well as spears? Though you would take the easier route, King. You, who has ruined all of your best relationships, is that not so? Can't teach an old dog new tricks, they say. Nor an elephant, apparently." Finally, the thicket roared with laughter as Tembovu continued. "You would accuse me of injuring friend and foe alike? Was it not you Elephant King who would have killed Mauja, had the eternal life force of the Goddess not pulsed through his veins? Has it not been you to hurt those you have professed love to? I am clearly what I am, and injure those only stupid enough to be tangled within me. I come with a warning, King. Perhaps you should as well."
Before the ticket could continue, the magma elephant had entered into its depths. For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, the pale fawnling who had been quiet during the thicket's tirade, because to scream. Her cries seemed endless as her body burst into flames. Deep within, the thicket began to burn as well. Her cries continued as her legs buckled beneath her. She made no attempt to run, for where could she possibly go? The heart of the thicket - which is what she was - was now engulfed in flames.
Pleadingly her eyes rolled around, scanning those assembled and begging silently for aid and pity.
"I have only ever tried to protect you .. It isn't my fault I have thorns.." She whispered, big glassy tears falling down her face. Wavering bands of heat emanated from the thicket as the fire roared to life. It was then that the deer disappeared into the wall of fire that had taken over.
The fire will burn for a day, and then the thicket will be gone!
I didn't feel my mother's nudge at my side. I stared blankly at the thicket, fear catching any words I had in my throat. No smoke cascaded from my nostrils, which normally would be a sign I wasn't breathing. But no, someone, something had stopped it. I was angry, and scared, and confused. How? How did it do that? What else could it so easily take from me?
I listened quietly, my ears swiveling backwards as I realized what had to be done. The angelic little deer pleaded for its life, and oh, who was I to say it couldn't live. I heard protests all around me, the most notable of which came from the Icebound herself. I stepped away from the King and former Queen's clash, furrowing my brow and biting my pale lip. A name fell from my mother's lips onto my ears, although I knew it wasn't supposed to. Hawezi? Who's that? As they squalled about children, I assumed Hawezi was the offspring of the Elephant King (oh, if only I knew).
"Now isn't the time for this," I mumbled because I knew they wouldn't listen. The herd was falling apart, dividing and shattering what peace we had. I had to do something, but for fuck's sake, what? I couldn't see myself taking my mother's side, for the Goddess herself told us to kill the thicket, however, the opposing side brought up a valid point: the deer's life shouldn't be ours to take.
So, like a coward, I stayed silent and did nothing. Fortunately, I didn't have to. The Elephant King's magic engulfed the thicket, and filled the land with hollow screams. It's dying. The deer, too, as it cried and died with the brambles. So the deer was the thicket, or some part of it. Who were we to kill the thicket at all? Originally I thought it was the deer whose life it was wrong of us to take, but who was I to take any life at all?
Were we murderers?
Looking in horror from the still burning brambles to my mother, and then Tembovu, I left.
auri is extremely conflicted about murder now thnx (x
She trembled where she stood, indecision written over her face like the words upon a splayed book, plain to see for anyone with functioning eyes. What was she going to do, what should she do? Listen to the thicket or her King, the black, twisted, gnarled mass of vines she had never payed attention to before or the man who had been like a surrogate father for her, more present in her life than the man that sired her? More importantly, what did she want, what could she live with, how much would her heart be stained by whatever action she decided upon today?
It was a relief to see Alune approach, such a comfort to feel the soothing heat of his presence as he came to stand beside her. Not looking away from the dark briars or the green-eyed manifestation of its heart, Erthë trained an ear on her teacher as he spoke, greedily clasping for every word like a drowning person reaching for straws - anything that might help her live through this.
But though the Seer spoke words that rang true, that resonated with what Erthë wanted to believe, the message somehow didn't bring her the peace of mind that she so greatly desired. On the contrary, though she nodded slowly that she heard and understood him, her insides seemed to scream in protest. Is a thing evil because it is dark? Is it unnecessary because it is old, is it redundant because something new is desired? Does the outside truly reflect what is within, and if not then what if the doe was indeed the true nature of the bramble whilst the storm, the cold, the rendering voice remained a mere reflection of personality?
But. Still. The Goddess had said it was nasty, she had said it needed to be cleared away. (But only because Tembovu said he needed a wall.) It was a creature of the Moon, so wasn't it up to the Moon to decide if it could be killed?
But does a mother have the right to take the life of her child just because she gave birth to it? Was it not murder all the same?
Alune had said it was the will of the Goddess. Tembovu said it was necessary. They both said to join in or leave...
Erthë did not want to leave.
The bow trembled in her grip as she raised it once more, the blinding white light flaring to life as she pulled the string taught. Swallowing down the jumbled tangle of uncertainty that ate at her resolve the girl aimed her bow at the thicket, paused, then turned it instead at the doe itself. If that truly was an illusion meant to trick them, then it was an insult and she would destroy it! For the Lady, for her friends, for... for the herd!
Erthë took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. The tremble in the bow ceased, steadied, and an icy calm lowered itself upon the valkyrie as she let the string begin to slip from her lips...
A creature of fire erupted from the chest of her King at that moment, a blazing echo of his own magnificent form. It charged the thicket and crashed headlong into the thorny brambles and the doe screamed, an unearthly sound that startled the filly into loosing focus. Again the magic bolt spluttered out and died, unneeded now as the thicket burst into flame, sending thick, black smoke spewing into the air.
Something painful stabbed at her chest as she watched it burn. The doe, pale and fair and innocent, spoke words that pierced the young mare like thorns and when it flickered out and disappeared, Erthë dropped her bow. With a hollow clatter it fell to the ground, but she did not bend to pick it up. Her eyes remained as ever fixed upon the bramble patch, and it was not just the foul smoke that caused them to redden and gleam with moisture.
"W-hy..." Her voice broke as salty tears spilled over the rim of swollen eyelids, rolling unhindered down cheeks already stained by oily ash. "Why didn't it fight back!?"
Turning to Alune she stared at him, the pain in her chest so fierce that she could hardly breathe let alone utter another word.
"It knew why we were here, it knew! S-So why didn't it fight, w-why... "
She couldn't go on. Choking on the smoke and her own tears the little filly squeezed her eyes shut and turned her back on the flaming pyre, so hot now that it felt as though the hairs on her coat would singe just by being near it. Without a sound she cried, voiceless sobs wracking her delicate frame in sorrow and regret over what had just been done.
It was a crime, a murder that had been committed today, no matter how prettily they phrased it. Was this the price for safety, the cost of living a peaceful life?
The well-guarded borders that had seemed to her a safe haven suddenly appeared like prison bars, and the idea that she had helped to build them revolted the young filly. Would she ever look on the Edge, on her friends, teachers and herd-mates the same way again?
She didn't know. Erthë just didn't know.
_________________________________________
Waiting for the rain I'm bracing for the thunder A twig that wouldn't sway in the wind
09-26-2016, 12:21 AM (This post was last modified: 09-26-2016, 12:35 AM by Tembovu.)
the elephant king
The Elephant King’s ears had flapped once in annoyance as Tsavo’s velveteen paws landed on his thick, wrinkled grey skin. Though it was short lived, for the monarch has quickly appreciated how direct the lioness was with her approach to attacking the thicket. And, though he did not fully focus on his Seer’s appearance or words, he did vaguely hear the quiet murmurs the moon-cloaked man spoke to Erthe. And the tidbits that made it out of his subconsciousness were met with approval in the King’s mind.
But he was not left long to allow his mind to tally those who were gathered, for the thicket was speaking once again. They were derisive words—and, to the King, their intense ridicule and only highlighted the thorn’s desperation for survival. So he watched, with burning and angry eyes, as his molten magic charged into the core of the beast.
”I come with a warning, King, perhaps your should as well.”
The words echoed beneath his rage—though the King was not left long to take heed to the bramble’s ominous (and apt) warning, for suddenly his Queen struck at him. Auriel’s disappearance and Erthe’s cries were lost to the enraged blows they traded.
But then, as abruptly as their blows had begun, they stopped—though the thicket’s fire had grown during their brief battle of wills. The inferno crackled, drawing attention to the danger it posed. The Elephant knew only too well the dangers of a burning flame as large as this thicket.
“Take care of the fire. Warn others who were not here of the flames so that no more harm will come from these thorns,” his voice, hoarse with pain and over-use and smoke, still boomed over the clearing (though it cracked twice, and was not as easily heard of the roaring blaze).
But, even as he spoke, his attention was wholly focused on Elsa, his Queen, the Icebound shrouded behind her icy wall. His dark blue gaze was pained, hooded, exhausted, and guilty, despite the triumph of accomplishing one of the Lady Moon’s tasks. A soft, low breath pushed out of his nostrils, shaking slightly with the exhaustion that began to settle into has massive frame. Fighting his fellow monarch, retaining his elephant form for so long, sending his other magic into the thorns, being mentally accosted by the creature that lived in the thicket, standing strong when so many fragile lives were so close to possible danger… it took a toll on the Elephant. And it was beginning to show.
Tembovu
No matter how fast or far a man runs he cannot escape his fate.
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![[Image: 57c5195f31f1b_by_relibelli-db9li1z.png]](http://orig06.deviantart.net/bb9e/f/2017/138/7/1/57c5195f31f1b_by_relibelli-db9li1z.png)
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[O] every rose has its thorn [Herd Quest]
![[Image: QsJIY4g.png]](http://i.imgur.com/QsJIY4g.png)
So far away from where you are, I'm standing underneath the stars ![[Image: alysanne_by_schwartze-d89se15.png]](http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/348/8/6/alysanne_by_schwartze-d89se15.png)
