"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
The Sultan rose just before dawn. He stretched his flaming wings from his flanks, allowed himself a long and luxurious stretch before standing straight and greeting the dawn.
The sky appeared to be on fire as the sun slowly rose, and Gaucho inhaled and exhaled softly in quiet prayer. The Sun God had given Gaucho everything - all of his magic, all of his children, and even his title as ascended. He had seen fit to allow the Wildfire to protect and watch over the Throat as its Khal for many and many seasons now, and never once had Gaucho forgotten that fact.
Now, it was time to impart some of that wisdom onto his youngest daughters.
Gaucho cantered easily across the desert sands in search of Tae and Grusha. The twins were normally together, but on this day, it was the larger of the two that he found first. Mara and Vorsa eyed the wolf and its master, offering a hiss and a trill hello.
"Grusha. Come.” The Wildfire said, his voice a low pleasant rumble, as he regarded the pale-maned filly with pride. "Today you show Gaucho what you know.”
He grinned, causing the bone in his nose to dance slightly, as he swept his flaming wing to the side indicating the wide open plains to their right. It was alright that Tae was not with them, though it wouldn’t surprise him in the least if she showed herself sooner or later. For now however, his steely gray gaze (and the bulk of his attention), was reserved for the skeletal child before him.
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
The bone, a femur from some large animal (a deer, perhaps) fell in the sand at Grusha's feet and she stared at it for a moment. It was often that Nashoba would bring her bones to hide away in her secret stashes, but they were not often in such bad shape as this was. It was sun bleached and appeared brittle. There were pock marks along the length of it, left by predators that had chewed the bone. Hairline cracks ran along several places, significantly reducing its durability. It was a bone she could not use and did not want, but when her steely gaze lifted from the bone to her companion she knew why he had brought it to her. The wolf's torso dropped down to the sand, his hind end remained in the air and his tail wagged back and forth.
He wanted to play.
The girl used the magic at her disposal, lifted the bone into the air and flung it away into the desert. The wolf took off after it, kicking up sand in his wake and Grusha returned to brooding. Ever since returning to the Throat the only one of her siblings that she'd seen was Tae, naturally. Her own father hadn't even come to see her when she had come back. The bone fell at her hooves again and, once more, she lifted it and flung it away. Nashoba was off again, in search of his prize and she was brooding once more.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, Gaucho suddenly appeared. There was no 'hello' no 'where were you?' no 'I missed you' given to the girl, just a simple command. 'Come'. Grusha frowned and remained standing where she was as she was told it was the day she was to show her father what she knew. Why, all of a sudden, was he taking an interest in her?
Nashoba returned and dropped the bone in the sand then sat obediently next to his master. Grusha's steely blue eyes remained fixed on her father. "Why?" Was her only question.
When Gaucho gave an ordered, it was usually followed without argument. Some might have thought that hearing a question, especially from one so young, would have caused the Wildfire to react more strongly than he did. Surely such an unwillingness deserved discipline, if only because Gaucho was her Father?
But the dun merely stood at stared down at Grusha patiently. She was a daughter of Ampere's, that was for sure. But he had never faulted her for being strong willed, nor for the fact that she questioned him. Some questioned their orders because they were obstinate or difficult. But Grusha? Grusha's hesitation was not that, at least, not from what Gaucho had seen. She was inquisitive and did not merely take orders without knowing why she was being commanded.
"Because it time." Gaucho answered, patiently. "Grusha think she old enough to leave Throat whenever she want? Think she old enough to take off for days and days, following ghost trails?" Now one brow raised, skeptical, but amused. "Grusha decide that she follow Ampere's trail, not come back and tell Gaucho. If Grusha old enough for all that, then it time to prove it to Gaucho."
The dun sounded amused, but he was in fact serious. If his daughter thought that perhaps she was old enough to go out on her own into the world without alerting anyone in her family of where she was going, if she thought that she could just return without checking in, then clearly she had done a lot of growing, and Gaucho would be pleased to see it, as both her khal, and her Father.
But if she hadn't, then he would also gladly show her just how much of the world she didn't know about, and how despite her best efforts, how incapable she was of navigating it on her own.
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
we write our prayers on a little bomb kiss it on the face and send it to god
Like either of her parents, Grusha could be extremely bull-headed when it came to following orders or directions. She liked to do things her way, even if her way turned out to be wrong. She was not one to simply follow orders because someone higher ranking in the herd gave her an order, even if said individual was her father and her khal. She looked at Gaucho with a mixture of apprehension, curiosity, frustration, and perhaps a touch of irritation. Why did she suddenly have to prove herself to him? Had she not proven that she could take care of herself in the time that she'd been off in the wilds on her own?
"Grutha prove the can take care of herthelf when Grutha wath in foreth." The girl objected (somewhat mimicing Gaucho's speech) to his reasoning. What more did she have to prove to him? Already in her short life she and Tae had fought a monster, bonded to their companion, explored much of Helovia, and practiced their magics together. "Grutha did not get thick or hurt in foreth. Nathoba did not get thick or hurt either." The girl continued on, her blue eyes narrowing a bit as she stared at her father.
"Grutha followed Ampere becauthe no one elth notith her leaving." The filly objected. She wanted to ask if Gaucho had even bothered to look for the blue and black mare, if he had even bothered to look for her, or if he had just assumed her gone like her mother, but she didn't. She just stared at the sultan stubbornly wanting a better answer than what he had given her because in her mind she had proven that she could take care of herself.
Nashoba, keen to Grusha's emotions and thoughts, picked up on the irritation she was feeling. His dark ears fell back against his head and a low growl rumbled in his throat, but it was not welcomed by his bonded. Stubbornness and disrespect were two totally different things to the girl and disrespect would not be tolerated by her even if it was directed at someone she was currently not entirely happy with. Her own ears fell back as she heard the growl and in one quick motion her head shot down and she snapped her teeth at the scruff of Nashoba's neck. The wolf, startled by the sudden movement, yelped and skittered away from the girl. She glared hard at the wolf for several long seconds before returning her gaze to her father. "What do I have to prove?" She asked, because obviously what she had done hadn't been good enough for Gaucho.
With that same confident amusement, Gaucho listened as his daughter attempted to justify herself. Oh she hadn't got hurt or sick in the forest? And neither had her companion? So she was saying that she merely survived out there? The dun waited until at last her lips had closed, and she stared at him for a response.
"So, Grusha not get sick or hurt when following Ampere. Grusha follow Ampere because no one else did. Is that right?" The dun's steely blue-gray gaze bore not unkindly into his daughter, as he waited for her to confirm that this is what she had just said. "So where Ampere? Grusha go to find, so where is she?" His brows rose expectantly. "Tae say when she find you, you lost in forest for weeks." Actually, that hadn't been what Tae said, for one twin would never betray the other, but it was what he had pulled from her tale. Grusha had run off after Ampere, lost her track in the Deep Woods, and spend the next few weeks trying to make her way back home - a task that should have only taken a few days if she knew what she was doing. Which, as Gaucho was trying to point out, she did not.
"So Grusha think she the best one to track Ampere, but she not track Ampere. She lose Ampere and then lose self in woods. Grusha old enough not to get sick or injured in woods, but it take Grusha five times longer to find way home."
He stared at her pointedly. He would continue this game as long as she chose to play it. If she wanted to ask as though she had nothing to prove and was old enough to take care of matters on her own, then she now bore the responsibility of bearing the fruits of her labour.
"Grusha try, and Grusha fail." He said after a moment, his voice softer. Though he would continue to fight his daughter on this point, that wasn't his intention for today. "So, Grusha have more to learn. That why Gaucho here, that why Gaucho said come. Gaucho help Grusha to be better, stronger, faster. But if Grusha not want help, then it time for Grusha to prove herself. Against Gaucho."
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
we write our prayers on a little bomb kiss it on the face and send it to god
Like either of her parents, Grusha could be extremely bull-headed when it came to following orders or directions. She liked to do things her way, even if her way turned out to be wrong. She was not one to simply follow orders because someone higher ranking in the herd gave her an order, even if said individual was her father and her khal. She looked at Gaucho with a mixture of apprehension, curiosity, frustration, and perhaps a touch of irritation. Why did she suddenly have to prove herself to him? Had she not proven that she could take care of herself in the time that she'd been off in the wilds on her own?
"So where Ampere? Grusha go to find, so where is she?"
Grusha glared at the much larger stallion as he questioned her on where her mother had gone. "None of your bithneth." She said defiantly because she refused to admit that she had been unable to follow the mare who was so much quicker and more experienced when it came to flying. Then he said that Tae had said that she'd been lost in the forest for weeks, but she knew better. She knew that her twin would not betray her like Gaucho suggested she had. "You lie." The girl said, but she said no more on the subject. Gaucho, in her opinion, only needed to know that she knew he was lying. She'd have to tell her sister that he lied just like Zero had lied.
"Grutha not get loth in woodth." She stubbornly objected. "Grutha tearth woodth for boneth. Grutha practith magic with boneth Grutha find in foreth."
"Grusha try, and Grusha fail."
"At leath I tried!" She shouted, spurred into anger by being told that she'd failed. "What did you do?!" As she shouted her skin began to gradually peel away from her body, reducing her appearance to looking like she was little more than a skeleton with scraps of flesh clinging stubbornly to her. "If you tho worried about me how come you didn't look for me?" She demanded. "If you don't think I can take care of mythelf then why you leave me in the woodth?" She may have insisted that she was old enough to take care of herself, but she was still a child and she was still hurt that her father hadn't looked for her. The only one who had truly cared had been Tae and it was something that she would remember.
The fire of Gaucho's wings rose high and bright into the air as Grusha argued that where Ampere was, was none of his business. There was a difference between his daughter trying to understand things herself rather than simply doing what she was told, and disrespect. And she was bordering very close to the latter, of which would not be tolerated. Gaucho's steely gaze narrowed, warning her silently to watch her tongue and her place, lest he be the one to right her.
"Not lie." He rumbled in response, shaking his blocky skull.
What did you do?! "This not about Gaucho." the dun corrected, ears flicking backwards, then falling forwards again. If you don't think I can take care of mythelf then why you leave me in the woodth? The dun smiled once again. "Because Gaucho trust Grusha." He said simply, his blue stare finding her own as if to reinforce his words. "Gaucho trust Grusha, so if Grusha think she old enough to stay away from Throat and Family for weeks, then Gaucho trust. Gaucho not go looking for warriors or crafters when they leave Throat, because they not need Gaucho to follow them. By leaving without a word, Grusha tell Gaucho she not need following either." The same logic applied to Ampere. Even if he had seen the blue mare flying from the Throat, he wouldn't have given chase. Ampere was an adult and an accomplished warrior. If she judged there was somewhere she needed to be, then who was Gaucho to follow her? To demand an explanation? Though if she was not planning on returning, that he would have liked to know.
"So. Which is it? Does Grusha need Gaucho to come look for her? If not, then prove you are ready."
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
we write our prayers on a little bomb kiss it on the face and send it to god
"Because Gaucho trust Grusha."
And that took the wind out of her sails.
Grusha visibly deflated, the anger that had bolstered her against her father suddenly doused by his admission that he trusted her. But if he trusted her then why did she need to prove anything at all to him? If he trusted her then why did he not trust her fully to be able to take care of herself when she wasn't at home. Her ears tilted back then forward once more as he continued to explain that he did not leave the throat to look for crafters and warriors when they left.
"You were not around for me to tell where I wath going or why." Grusha countered. She had known that if she had any hope of following her mother and finding out where she was going and why she was leaving without a word she wouldn't have time to search for Gaucho.
"So. Which is it? Does Grusha need Gaucho to come look for her? If not, then prove you are ready."
Of course Grusha wanted to prove that she was capable of taking care of herself, but she also needed to know that her father cared enough to look for her regardless of whether or not he trusted her. No matter how much she wanted to prove herself as an adult, she was still a child and still had childish tendencies, wants, and desires. "I need you to act like ave and not juth khal." The girl said, rather than ask how she needed to prove herself to him.
The dun's head nodded in acknowledgement. Were this a better time, he might have said something about how it was Ampere's duty to be around for her children in moments such as these (raising children being the mother's job was really the only sexist hangup Gaucho had), but of course, Ampere's disappearance was precisely what was at issue here. "Grusha right," he conceded easily, "because Gaucho khal. Gaucho patrolling, defending, watching over herd. It true that Gaucho not always easy to find." But you not even tell your twin. He might have added, but then decided against it. It was not his intention to argue the girl into submission, and by her posture, she seemed to have understood what it was he was trying to teach her in this moment anyways. Let her claim her small victories if it made her feel better. The dun did not want his daughter to feel defeated.
I need you to act like ave and not juth khal
At this it was Gaucho's turn to have the wind knocked out of his sails, though he did a far better job of concealing it than did his skeletal child. He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, letting her words sink down into his bones before responding. But his lips did not open. Instead, he moved towards the girl, his wings unfolded to embrace her. Although he knew Grusha was not normally one for hugs and coddles, he thought that she might endure this one, in this moment.
"Gaucho proud of Grusha. Grusha do what she think was right and try to follow Ampere." He tried to wrap his block skull around the crest of her much smaller neck and whisper, "We will find her." For what else could a father do, than to reassure his child? A child whose anger surely stemmed from the fact that one of her parents disappeared and the other seemed not to care?
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
we write our prayers on a little bomb kiss it on the face and send it to god
Grusha squinted at Gaucho when he admitted that she was right. Had he really just admitted that she'd been right about something? That was totally unlike either one of her parents. For as long as she'd been alive they'd always been right even when they were wrong, case in point; saving the wolf pups. But now he was telling her that he was right that he wasn't always easy to find. She wanted to tell him that sometimes he was damn near impossible to find because he always had some duty he needed to attend to, and his children always came second to his duties. But that was an argument for another day.
But then he was hugging her.
Grusha, by nature, tended to avoid physical contact with anyone that wasn't Tae. She didn't accept hugs from anyone, she didn't bump muzzles with anyone, she didn't even bump into anyone if she could avoid it. Hell, she hadn't even accepted coddling from her mother all that often when she'd been a baby. Her body was stiff at first, unsure of the hug she was receiving from Gaucho. it took her longer than what was probably considered normal for her to relax and accept the embrace that her father offered her. She hid her face against him and she sighed.
And then he said that he was proud of her.
"What...?" It was the first time that she'd ever been told that someone was proud of her and she didn't know how to take it. It wasn't often that she got praise because she was usually too busy bending and breaking rules. "Grusha do what she think was right and try to follow ampere." "Huh...?" Hadn't he just basically scolding her for running off without telling him? Adults were so confusing.
"We will find her."
Grusha was quiet for a bit because she didn't even know at that moment if she cared if they found Ampere. The longer the blue and black mare was gone the angrier Grusha was with her for abandoning them, and she didn't even know why. What was so damn important that you'd leave your kids behind? "Why'd thee leave, Pop?." Grusha mumbled against Gaucho. "Didn't thee like uth?" And she hated the tremor in her voice and the way she sounded so young when she tried so damn hard to be an adult. She hated that she cared when she didn't want to. She hated how Gaucho had broken through her barriers with one stupid hug.
The dun didn't hear Grusha's articulated confusion, for his wings prevented the sounds from rising up towards his ears. He only felt her heart against his own, and the childlike shape of her body beneath his wings.
As she spoke, Gaucho sighed wearily. Not because he was exasperated with the youthfulness of her question or the confusion he heard in her voice, but because what she had asked had similarly floated through his thoughts since the day he realized that she was gone, rather than just absent. The Wildfire pulled back from Grusha slightly so that he could regard her with a soft, but strong gaze.
"Gaucho not know." He replied, preferring honesty to the gentle coddling the other parents might have resorted to. What good would it do to tell her that Ampere loved her very much, when he wasn't sure that was the case? He could never willingly leave his family, but could Ampere? He always knew the mare was flighty but ... No, somewhere deep in his heart, he didn't think she was was capable of doing that to them. Maybe that was just wishful thinking.
"Gaucho think she like us. Like all of us-" He added with a bit of humour in his voice. "But Gaucho not know. That why Gaucho not worried when she leave - Gaucho think she come back." His blue-striped shoulders shrugged uneasily. The balance between letting his herd act autonomously, and losing them to the outside world was a fine line, one that Gaucho didn't always know how to walk.
"But whatever make Ampere go, that not Grusha's fault. It Ampere's choice."
Gaucho the Wildfire
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
