"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.
Drop past the color; come up through the summer rain.</style>
Alright. So Willow is a tree...But...a steal is a steal....right?
Under the cover of nightfall, Phaedra the Ugly, Apollo and Rafe had been waiting. Although Phae had been pessimistic about their plans, the boys had certainly proved her wrong - digging out a pit and covering it with leaves had been brilliant, if not exhausting work. And given her current state of affairs, she was almost no use to them. But the idea of ambushing Willow just outside of the Aurora Basin, where no one would think twice about letting an equine hybrid die; perfect. It had all gone so smoothly, until the silence of the walk home.
The boys had done the pulling, dragging the weighted body of the Lignea back to the Deep Woods, which had allowed Phae time to think. There were a number of things weighing on the Golden Girl’s mind; She had recently given birth to twins - twins who numbly and silently toddled at her heels, she had been cursed by the Goddess of the Moon, was in a cluster-fuck relationship with Tolio, and now she had captured a tree.
A tree.
She must still have baby-brain. Then again, Willow seemed important - she was visiting the Basin, selling something or other, blabbering about being a medic. That must be...helpful, right?
Phae hadn’t seen Ophelia in ages...possibly since Leander had wandered into the Woods full of talk. Even then, the white mare had seemed...strange. But Phae would not question her - never Phi. She had been the one to take the frightened mare in, that day she entered the Threshold. She had given her a place in the Grey, and the palomino was forever thankful and indebted to her for that. All she could hope, was that her leader would be pleased with her diligence to their cause.
As they entered deeper and deeper into the Woods, Phae finally nodded to Rafe and Apollo, signalling that she no longer required their services. Looking down at the body of Willow, she wondered when the mare-tree-thing would wake up. Had she really hit her head that hard? Or was she just...faking it? Eying her warily, the emaciated cursed pegasus took a step back, and whinnied loudly, praying that Ophelia would come, tell her that she would proud and deal with the lifeless tree-thing, sleeping on the ground before her.
Won't you sing to me your poetry,
Won't you take me to your home,
Won't you be for me forever
So I'll never be alone
Ophelia stood in the middle of the Deep Forest, watching the Grey return with spoils of subversion. Romani was in her charge now, and it seemed, from the way the massive shoulders of Rafe moved and Apollo on the other side, that another was being brought in more forcefully. Curiously, the alabaster mare approached, brows furrowed. She stepped around the fallen body of the most curious sight she had ever seen. A chestnut mare, lovey in features lay on the ground unconscious with a tree stuck out of her back. Immediately she thought of Birch, and she wondered if the two were related.
The pale one with the strange eyes looked up at Phaedra and smiled. "From the Foothills?" she asked curiously, leaning down to gently touch the tree's cheek with her muzzle, trying to wake her up. "You did a wonderful job, Phaedra," she complimented. "How did you knock her out?" she asked with furrowed brows, gently trying still to get the mare to awaken.
Tinek was on the ground near the fallen tree as well, carefully reaching out and running his talons through her flaxen forelock. He was upset that she was fallen, and he huffed a little as he sat. Ophelia gently nuzzled her silver dragon before looking up at the small group. "Many of you may have noticed that this land is growing too... unfit for us. We have grown in size, and that is a beautiful thing. As members of the Grey, we are those who have no one else, who do not fit in. I do not want to lose any of you, so we must act."
Ophelia lifted her neck then, seeking out her sister. "I propose invasion."
OPHELIA
Faith shattered and decays as frosted blood flows in my veins
sdrcow @ DA
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
"It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for;
Somehow, he had been convinced to do this… He had been convinced to help Phaedra steal someone. It almost fought with everything that the black and white stallion stood against, yet at the same time… It was for the Grey. His loyalty to the Grey was unending, Apollo was discovering, as they had opened their ranks and hearts to him to join their makeshift family. They were the first to do so, besides his sister, Andreas… But only the Gods knew where she was. Since then, his loyalty had shifted from Andreas to the Grey. He had offered them everything that he was, and in turn, he’d even suck up the wrong of it and join in Phaedra and Rafe to bring home a tree.
A tree. Or… Was it a horse? Oh well.
Apollo’s honey-brown eyes lingered upon the form of the horse-tree thing, roving across her unconscious form. The stallion released a small breath, allowing his uncertainties to slide away from the tightness in his chest. This was for the Grey. That was all that mattered. Stepping away from the unconscious mare, and Phaedra, Apollo slunk back, turning his eyes to Ophelia as she arrived, turning her two-toned gaze to their new prisoner and appraising the catch.
The unicorn stood silently, shifting his weight between his left side and his right, waiting for the alabaster mare to speak. It didn’t take long for Ophelia’s soft vocals to flood through the shadowed trees, and unconsciously Apollo’s ears swiveled forward to listen. An invasion? His eyes widened somewhat, surprised. When had this come up? Yes, the forest was growing larger in size, but… An invasion. To him, that seemed harsh…
“An invasion?” He asked, more to himself than to question Ophelia. For that was something that he would never do; question one who had accepted him into a family. “Do we know where? Or the probabilities of it being successful?” Once a spy, and now a medic, Apollo didn’t know if he would fight or partake in such an activity… Yet if they asked him to, the overo would raise both hoof and horn to do what the Grey asked.
I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."
02-17-2013, 02:33 AM (This post was last modified: 02-17-2013, 02:34 AM by Archibald.)
Archibald stood silently, just a few steps behind and to the right of Ophelia. His face was cold and hard, watching as three members of the outcast band brought in a tree-creature. He thought back to Birch, the white stallion that also had a tree sticking from his body, and the battle he had had with him. With a twitch of his left ear, Archibald wondered how the three got the tree-mare to fall under them. Birch had been a good fighter, and he assumed this tree-mare was as well. Taking a step forward, the Dauntless lowers his head to examine the mare. Her face is aged but her sloping shoulders and curved hips seem youthful. Snorting shortly, the draft dismisses the lignea.
Loretta stays silently curled with her head resting on her paws, waiting for a command. The bitch had grown a comfort in these woods that she had never had in the Foothills--Archibald was never threatened here, and her bonded did not have to reduce trespassers to nothing anymore. She held a peace, though Archibald had told her it would not last long. Oh, he was right. Archibald lifts his head to look hard into Ophelia's eyes, and he sends a picture of the three herdlands to Loretta. Flattening her ears, the bitch growls lowly. Swishing his tail, the Dauntless finally speaks "I think that invasion is very wise, Ophelia."
Archibald's mind drifts to the Foothills. He knows the herd is small and broken, with their leadership so changed, and part of him wants the twins to decide on his old reign lands. The muscles in his cheek twitch with the thought, a small scowl forming on his cold and handsome face. One of the stallions that, presumably, helped Phaedra bring in the tree-mare speaks next. He wonders of which land he Grey will strike. Paladin enters his mind then. Archibald's ears twitch as he wonders if the twin leaders would strike against the herdland their family lives in, the herdland in which they grew up after the shades overtook their birthland--his birthland, as well. The thoughts in his brain crashed against each other, forming a wave of turmoil and wonder.
Drop past the color; come up through the summer rain.</style>
Phaedra is pleased to see how quickly Ophelia arrives; her wary mind wondered what she would do if the Lignea woke up before more reinforcements arrived. In pains her to be in the company of her family in the state that she is in - hideous and disfigured by the Goddess. Yet she knows that the curse must end soon...it must, and she will rise from the ashes of her disgusting body, more beautiful than ever. Nodding as the white mare speaks, Phae cannot help but crack a tooth smile as she is commended on the work she has performed. "Rafe and Apollo" She responded, tilting her head to the paint. "A hole was dug, and boughs placed over top... We saw the one entering the Aurora Basin, and positioned the trap on the most likely path out."
From the trees, Stella glided down, interested in the silver dragon. The young secretary bird had down, and her brilliantly coloured orangey-yellow face was now more vibrant than ever. Landing near Phae's hooves, she tittered quietly at Tinek, her black eyes blinking curiously. As much as she wanted to inspect this could-be bird creature, she sensed from her bonded's mind that this was a serious time, and kept silent.
As Ophelia suggested an invasion, and Apollo and Archibald commented, Phae knit her brows togethers with concern. "Ophelia" She scolded, her voice a whisper, but still sharp and urgent. Looking down with an obvious follow-my-gaze implication, she looked to Willow, then back to Phi. If they were going to invade, wouldn't it be best to have such a discussion without prying ears, prisoner or otherwise around? Lowering her head, immediately feeling guilty for speaking to her leader in such a way, she sighed, flicking her hairless tail, and shuddering at the feeling.
Won't you sing to me your poetry,
Won't you take me to your home,
Won't you be for me forever
So I'll never be alone
02-17-2013, 02:19 PM (This post was last modified: 02-17-2013, 05:41 PM by Argetlam.)
Argetlam remembered watching in dull horror as Willow had disappeared from sight, buried in the earth that was part of her heritage. Lineage? They had been eager to leave from the Basin- well, at least the metal-bender was. He didn't like the grumpy stallion, glass-horned who had met them, or the frosty white stallion spotted with black, just the owl that kept him companion. Neither did he have respect for them. He might've, if they had kept dragons as companions, or found one to cherish. But they didn't, and so they did not command any more respect than he gave to anyone he met. It was disappointing, that he had not seen one dragon yet. In fact, one could say it nearly broke his sweet giant heart. So he had been bouncing ahead, and coming back, until she was lost in the earth and he, in confusion, watched from afar as a wizened old mare appeared with two young stallions, gathered her up, and dragged her away.
It had taken him many long minutes to gather his courage as he watched the tree-horse being borne away. Time trickled past, first slowly, than quicker and quicker, as the umber mare he had accompanied nearly disappeared on the horizon. His throat dry, his heart pounding, Argetlam began to canter, the steady pulse of metal, sometimes growing muffled or louder on how deep it was buried inside the earth, giving him strength. Yet when they had entered the forest, he lost track of them, and roamed desperately, searching widely for the trace of Willow. It had taken longer than he had hoped to find her, and worry was gnawing at his heart.
When nightfall had begun its change to day, he had found her, or rather saw a log across the ground. The log was Willow's tree, parallel to the ground; and she appeared to be sleeping. Relieved, exuberant, he had nearly burst out of the dense brush he was behind, to run to her flank and awaken her. I propose invasion. Argetlam inhaled so sharply and so loudly he wouldn't be surprised if someone heard him, and shifted his weight, sending the bushes crackling in his usual clumsiness. Wise. Another voice, deeper, unmistakably male. Then a chiding Ophelia. Who was Ophelia? Was she behind the herd members being stolen?
I think I'm going to be sick. Argetlam heaved, shaking, trembling, terrified.
Naturally, the thing that drew him out into the open was a flash of silver scales, the elusive dragon he had been looking for. A puppy goaded by a treat, he burst out into the open, mane tangled, tail knotted, eyes wide. A dragon! Argetlam could've danced for joy, pranced and done a jig. Silver-scaled, red-fringed, sparkling in the dim lighting of the shadowed forest, running a claw through Willow's soft mane. Oh the gods. So many weeks later, so many hours of searching restlessly for one, and finally there was a dragon. Too late did Argetlam realize what a precarious position he had placed himself in. One could say he had a "mild" obsession with dragons- was it any surprise he lost all sense of caution?
"Oh gods, a dragon!" Argetlam sighed, soft amber eyes riveted on the little silver creature.
Ophelia listened to her comrades and then heard Phae shushing her. The prisoner was truly of no concern, since she was unconscious, but wandering ears were indeed trouble. A herd land was necessary at this point, for their matters to be handled quietly. Someone was here. Someone else. An interloper who was entirely unwelcome. The mare with the strange, dual colored eyes turned her head slowly over her shoulder, narrowing her odd gaze as a cold apathy smoothed over her soul and features. She had felt this way only once when her sister's virtue and safety had been in question, and she had promised death.
Tinek played off of Ophelia's emotions, and after playing gently with the pretty bird, he arched his spined back and snapped open silver wings, making himself appear larger. The dragon opened his toothy maw, frost and sparks coming out in warning while crimson eyes danced with a feral glint. Slowly, the dragon circled, talons shifting in the soil. A thin film of frost was left in his wake, melting in the sunlight.
Then, the alabaster mare approached, her eyes never wavering from the gray stallion's. Almost like a snake she locked her gaze, body swaying ever so slightly as she moved, the crimson tendrils of her mane like dripping blood dancing with her steps. "You should not have come," she nearly whispered, the warning and threat clear in her chime-like tones. "And now, you will leave and forget." Ophelia moved close, a breath away from the stallion, and she did not blink.
She wrapped a hold of his mind, circling it like a vulture would her prey. Carefully, she found the memory she was looking for, the one from this very moment, and she stuck a mental knife into it with no small about of pleasure. Ophelia cut out any mention of her, leaving him with only an empty shell of a thought, a vague idea that the deep forest held Willow without the alabaster mare's name or presence appearing anywhere. Eventually she would need to learn how to cut out whole memories, but this would do for now. "Go," she growled, stepping back into the shadows when he blinked.
[OOC: Permission from Elope to use Phi's magic on Argetlam]
OPHELIA
Faith shattered and decays as frosted blood flows in my veins
sdrcow @ DA
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
"It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for;
Apollo’s eyes drifted to the hulking behemoth that drifted in to join their little group, honey-brown orbs taking in each bulk and shine of pure muscle. Oh, how he’d hate to fight that guy… Having not seen him in the Grey before, the black and white over didn’t have a name to place to him, but that was alright. Apollo was discovering that he didn’t yet know all of the Grey members… And it may be awhile until he finally did. Giving a slight dip of his neck in greeting to the large stallion, he remained silent, simply soaking in their words.
The black giant seemed all for the idea of an invasion, where as Phaedra spoke up, seeming uncertain. When her voice graced his ears, they swiveled in her direction, neck turning moments later to look upon her. Oh, she looked so different now… Something had happened to her, although the stallion didn’t know what, but… It made him afraid to speak with her, for he could tell that her new appearance was rattling even to herself. He was curious, of course, to understand what had happened to her… And yet refrained from asking, simply not wanting to upset her.
Suddenly, and quite abruptly, another joined them. The smell on the grey stallion who joined their little meeting was different, not embraced in the shadows and familiarity of the Deep Forest. Instead… He smelled of the Foothills? Like the tree-mare? An outsider, then.
Narrowing his eyes slightly at the threat, Apollo gave a harsh snort and stamped a hoof, dipping his head and pointing his horn towards the potential threat. Whoever the silvered stallion was, he had come here without permission, and that alone made Apollo uneasy. Glancing to Ophelia for any sort of command, he waited, but was slightly startled to see the alabaster mare casually step up to the outsider, and speak softly in her silky tones.
’You should not have come. And now, you will leave and forget.’ What was she doing? The overo tilted his head in curiosity, but otherwise stood his ground and kept his mouth shut, waiting and watching.
I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."
Aaron had only been able to watch in horror as Willow had been taken away as they left the Basin. How or why he had not understood. Alanna whined softly, but quickly looked to her bonded and stepped forward as if to follow. That was it! Her sense of smell could easily follow the Earth Medic's scent. With nothing more to be said the pair set off. It seemed Argetlam had also come this way. The scents together made it even easier for Alanna to follow. The little red and ivory pup of course could not make the long strides Aaron could, and he often found himself stopping to allow the little pup to get a great distance ahead. As they passed the edges of the Foothills and Threshold the paint grew worried. Where had the healer been taken?
Into the Deep Forest they moved, Alanna starting to pick up her pace. Did that mean the others were near? Aaron to picked up his gait in eagerness to find his herdmates. However Alanna stopped them short, sending mental pictures of more than one near by. Sure Willow was there... but what good would it due for him to rush in if he was out numbered. One face that Alanna showed him surprised him.... Ophelia. Had the group captured her too? Carefully he moved forward to see for himself. He stopped himself short as he could hear Phi's beautiful voice "You should not have come, and now, you will leave and forget." He could not believe what he was seeing. Phi was standing inches away from Argetlam, clearly speaking to him... Surely.... She couldn't. Softly he whispered. "What happened to you Phi? When did you become so cold?" Icy blue eyes looked to her bonded, not daring to make a sound. As quietly as he could Aaron turned to leave before he was seen. After all he had not seen beyond Phi to see that Willow was sleeping right there....
"something to say"
✝
In Nomine Patris Et Filii
Et Spiritus Sancti
✝
Please Tag Aaron in All Posts
Permission granted to use magic or physical force with Aaron at any time for any reason to any degree, with the exception of killing him.
02-18-2013, 05:11 PM (This post was last modified: 02-18-2013, 05:12 PM by Archibald.)
The giant listened to each as they spoke, but his eyes locked onto the voice he recognized as the female, Phaedra, who had called the meeting after his joining. She looked different, her body completely morbid and wretched--she obviously got herself into something serious that had intense consequences--he guess the Moon Goddess had something to do with it. The purple deity had a way of teaching her followers cruelly. Phaedra was concerned with speaking about invasion plans in front of a prisoner, and Archibald spoke to silence her, "She is a prisoner, Phaedra, which means she will not be leaving our grasp any time soon. On another note, she is clearly not responsive." The Dauntless' voice boomed around them and he watched Phaedra with hard eyes, waiting for her to challenge him like many did before her. The Grey was his new family, yes, and therefore he would speak to these outcasts in the manner he would his brothers--with authority when it was needed, and strength always.
After he spoke, a grey stallion popped into the scene. Loretta lowered her body and snarled at the newcomer, her tail moving from being delicately curled over her back to stiffening like a board behind her. Her yellow-stained teeth warned the new stallion, and tendrils of her magic threatened to leap forth from her muscled body, but Ophelia stepped forward first. Silence. Archibald scolded his companion, causing her to take a step backwards and to the side, amber eyes casting into the distance angrily. As Ophelia performed a trick on the stallion, Loretta picked up the image of an intruder in the distance. As quickly as she could the bitch sent an image of the painted stallion to Archibald, and she bound into the forest after the fleeing male.
Loretta's image flashed into the behemoth's mind and he watched her bound after the stallion, who he instantly recognized as Aaron, while a smirk etched over his stone-cold features. From behind his golden eyes, invisible hands stretched out, leaping towards Aaron ferociously. The earth magic grasped the dwarfed draft, pulling his painted body into a heavier and more painful state. Archibald moved towards the warrior (for Archibald did not know of his new rank) and spoke lowly, his voice cold. "Welcome to the forest, Aaron." Archibald finally reached the side of the male, noticing Loretta as she threateningly growled at the hellhound at the boy's side, tail lashing angrily. Archibald let his eyes fall over Aaron quietly, though his nose filled with the scent of the Foothills instead of the Edge. Pricking his curiosity, and anger, Archibald spoke once more, "I see that the colt I once tried to protect has taken loyalty under a thief."
02-18-2013, 09:41 PM (This post was last modified: 02-19-2013, 08:18 PM by Ktulu.)
Ktulu the Constrictor</style>
They were gathering without her, but Ktulu knew where they were and what was happening from the flashes of the images Eytan showed her as he stood alone in the shadow of one of the massive trees. She moved with purpose in her step, her aim to get to the meeting before all was said and done and she was left in the dark until Ophelia sought her out to tell her what the meeting was all about. Echoes of quieted voices penetrated the forest and drifted to her ears as she drew closer to the site of the meeting. Upon reaching the scene she paused momentarily by Eytan before emerging from the forest and looking at those who had gathered, nodding a silent greeting to them.
Ophelia's voice drew the most of Ktulu's attention and there was a surge of pride that made her chest swell at the threat in her dear sister's voice. It was about time she had learned to stand up for herself and defend those closest to her rather than apologize and practice meekness. There was a flurry of motion as Archibald's companion, Loretta, suddenly slipped into the forest only to be followed by the big draft. Ktulu followed after them, her dark body brushing against her sister's pale one as she followed her warrior and his companion, her own companion close at her heels.
Moments later she came upon Archibald and Aaron. Recognition colored her face before it became a mask of indifference once more. "Archibald." She cautioned her warrior as she detected the anger in his voice. "What plans have you for Aaron?"
Drop past the color; come up through the summer rain.</style>
In her current state, Phae found that she had very little to say. Normally, Archibald's reprimands would have been met with some amount of attitude, whether it be sexual or otherwise. Given her immediate state of hideousness however, Phae felt squash under the enormous weight of the curse. Her only useful skill - her body - had been grossly distorted. As such, Phae could only look down meekly, averting her sunken gaze from the hulking form of the draft. But she would remember this moment.
As the odd-stallion approached the group, Phae raised her head fearfully that already the capture of Willow was going wrong, yet shock and awe quickly replaced the fear she felt, as Ophelia took charge. Phae had only a vague idea at the magic that Ophelia held deep within her - having never personally witnessed its occurrence before. Yet as the slender white mare approached the new comer, boldly and confidently, Phae felt a new-found respect growing in her concaved-breast for the mare under whom she directly served. The growl in her voice as she commanded the other to leave, and her ability to slip herself so immediately into the shadows, was impressive. Phae made a mental note to inquire of Ophelia to divulge some of her secrets to the golden-spy, if she was able.
And then there was yet another; at least this time Archibald's challenging stance was not so out of place, as it had been when directed towards her. Flattening her ears, she wondered why the Deep Forest was suddenly such a hot-spot; had the Grey not met in secrecy several times before, completely unhindered by outside eyes and ears prying? And now, here they stood, having been followed twice?As Ktulu arrived, calling the painted stallion by name, Phae vaguely wondered if he was simply some new recruit that she didn't know of.
Won't you sing to me your poetry,
Won't you take me to your home,
Won't you be for me forever
So I'll never be alone
.arborun lignea .. .mare. ..23 years. .. .16.3 hands.
It is said that the less ears that hear a secret, the less mouths there are to mutter about it elsewhere. It can easily be said the same of eyes. What more could the Grey expect after ambushing Willow while she traveled with a fellowship? The others may have been distracted and her captors able to slip away with her in the mean time, but they had all witnessed the loss of their healer, it was understandable their senses would be stretched far and wide to locate her.
The trail to this place was surely not perfectly concealed either. The Basin and the Forest have some distance between them, and all the while the unconscious lignea was being dragged along. Quite a feat for the two stallions, which surely would be exhausted. A shame for them she wasn't a flower, but rather a hulking tree on a similarly rotund draft body. She wasn't terribly graceful when conscious, much less when nothing but dead weight.
Willow does not know the events happening around her however. In fact she does not even yet remember the pitfall that injured her right knee, nor the act of falling into the darkness of a forced sleep. Perhaps the fall had also struck her head, or maybe the pain had overwhelmed her until her mind shut down. Perhaps just the event itself had been too exciting for the slow-paced mare, though this was not her first ruffle with other horses, it was certainly one of her more extensive ones.
All the while Ermine had been quiet, tucked up safe in her branches, largely unnoticed. His worry overrode his fury, so he spent his energy at trying to rouse the foggy connection between he and Willow. Whether it was his chattering in her ear that roused her or the commotion surrounding her, she could not know, but eventually Willow did begin to rouse.
First the Lignea's eyes began to flutter. Green lit up within a brown face, gentle and delicate with confusion and sleeping haze. Then her legs began to churn against the ground, hooves knocking against each other and easily reminding her of the injured knee. Pain lanced through her limb, evident with the crinkling of her face into a wince. Eventually she found purchase however, and flopped from her left side onto her chest.
That's when she began to scream.
As if waking from some terrible dream in which reality would give her no respite, Willow became fully aware of her situation as agony pulsed in tempo with her heart. The abrupt shift of her position had refreshed the pain which had otherwise subsided into a dull ache with the familiarity of discomfort and stillness. Now however, she felt each broken branch as if it were snapping apart once more. Her once full and beautiful tree had been marred extensively, likely used as a handle for the two stallions dragging her or jabbing into the surroundings the passed through. A normal horse her size would have been enough trouble, but she was made heavier and more awkward with her soul sprouting from her withers.
The green of her irises were lost to the white walls of her eyes as terror consumed the injured healer. Each dangling limb or lost leaf felt like a burning brand of white-hot electricity jolting through her; a worse sensation than bones break or muscle shredding. She flopped back onto her left side, flanks rising quickly while sweat began to bead in the creases of her body. Her teeth clicked together with a sharp sound that cut off the ungodly yelling from her maw.
In-between all of this the tawny bundle of fur known as Ermine shot like a bolt of lightning from her boughs. Her pain was felt in every fiber of his being and her fright drove him to react. Feeling like a cornered dog he could only attack to defend himself. In a flurry of screeching curses his clawed paws swept a frenzy of attacks towards the first he saw - Ophelia. He aimed to crawl up her legs and harass her from her back, needle-like teeth flashing to assist his pricking paws. All the while his body was bushed out to twice its normal size and his eyes sharpened with hate.
Willow only felt her companion like a secondary sensation in the back of her mind, too focused on the overwhelming feeling of being broken and fighting off the unconsciousness that threatened to steal her once more. She needed to focus, to see, to understand. She recognized none of these horses save the dappled grey not far from her. He'd been with her... Argetlam was his name if she remembered. It was hard to say, her thoughts were scattered and her world sideways as she lay on the ground.
Focus she berated, teeth gritting with the determination she felt.
She could not let herself die here, not after all she'd been though. Prim'sylvia still awaited her return some day.
02-24-2013, 06:00 PM (This post was last modified: 02-24-2013, 06:03 PM by Peixos.)
peixos & raimo
It was the aghast, tremulous waves of howl that shook my feet from below the carpet of decaying forest. Raimo’s sensitive ears only amplified the noise in my head, rousing me from the chokeholds of daze. My body wavered in the midst of it all, the noise pushing my stalwart bodice airborne, haunches coiled, muscles tucked, tail a-fling in the blur. Raimo dug his dark talons into my withers subconsciously pushing away from the few gallop strides that instinct pulled out of me. His wings outstretched and took to the air, rising high into the trees, dodging each dense scrap of Tallsun branch to peer below with greedy eyes, searching out something to attack. For some reason, the sound was nearer than we thought, and with a flick of his royal eye he captured the broken sighs of a prisoner, an outcasted woman adorned with the features of both equine and tree.
I followed the trail Raimo led, pushing myself into a steady gallop, dodging trees with easy grace, finding great traction in the rotting leaves and soft roots. We forced ourselves awake from the daydream, muscles stretching in the run, ready to pour our potential in this one moment if needed. We came to the slightest clearing, where several foreign bodies took to their own matters of persuasion. I slowed to a trot, coming in high-kneed, ears alert with Raimo swooping down to cover the bloody holes where his talons scathed my withers. My mocha eyes traced the weak tree-woman below, finding a hollow feeling of remorse for her tangled branches and injured body while Raimo studied the two authoritarians, justice glowing in his eyes.
We switched subjects. My eyes lingered on the chilling red tip of the black dun’s horn, finding demand in her gaze. I didn’t want to intrude. I didn’t want to put the wild blue and I in a bad situation. I rested an inky back hoof for good enough measure, glancing up at Raimo who, ironically, was thinking the same thing. “What is this,” I demanded, holding my tongue enough not to get killed, “Who are you, and why does this look like evil?”
ooc; He wants to join the Grey in time for the invasion. I have Ali's permission to do this.
02-25-2013, 07:36 PM (This post was last modified: 02-25-2013, 07:37 PM by Ophelia.)
Ophelia spied Aaron moments later, and she frowned. His words carried to her ears from the mind of her dragon, and she simply paused. Though her expression help no remorse, the lines on her face seemed aged. A sadness settled over her figure, and she let out a quiet sigh. "Life," she replied. "Living. Loving. Abandonment. The tales are ages old and not any revelation except to me. Though I would not call myself cold, simply selectively compassionate." Ophelia's strange eyes then departed from Aaron. Using her magic was not as easy as breathing, and she needed to conserve her strength. Besides, should the young stallion go and warn the Foothills or anywhere else, so be it; they deserved to know.
Then, the alabaster mare left her sister and Archibald to discuss the pinto buck while she checked on Willow. The state of the once beauty half-tree was deplorable, and she grimaced tightly. For the second time in her life, she wished that she had the power to heal, but she did not. When the chestnut began to rise and then tumble, screaming, Ophelia backed away, but not before a small creature wound up her legs, small teeth landing scratches and bites along her upper, left leg until she spun around tightly. Tinek, upset by the sensation of pain that floated across their bond like a tight ache, launched himself from a tree, aiming to grab the woodland creature and set it down, away from his bond mate. The silver dragon tried to be gentle, not wanting to incur anymore wrath from the protective being.
Once the entire matter was settled, Ophelia's strange, worried eyes sought the dual colored stallion, their healer. "Apollo!" she called, her voice distinct in the fray. "Please do what you can for Willow. I believe one of her legs is injured, but I cannot be sure." She cast a concerned glance at their prisoner, her compassion showing before she turned her gaze to a stallion who was as familiar as her shadow but just as obscure. A blue dragon followed in his wake, and Tinek looked up, crimson eyes watching with curiosity. Another dragon was enough to make the young creature swoon with interest, his tail twisting behind him in excitement.
The alabaster mare furrowed her brows curiously. "Do I know you?" she asked. Then, Ophelia shook her head, furrowing her brows. "Well, I will grant you the fact that this indeed looks ill, but we are the Grey. My sister, Ktulu, and I lead a band of spies and mercenaries who follow a code. We believe in those who cannot help themselves and provide them numbers and skills which they alone could not hope to achieve." Phi grimaced. "You caught us at a rough time, however. We are preparing for an invasion, should my sister and the others agree. The Foothills has been quiet as of late, and we must act. The forest cannot contain us any longer."
OPHELIA
Faith shattered and decays as frosted blood flows in my veins
sdrcow @ DA
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
The sudden pain in his bones was excruciating. In a mere instant his eyes looked as if they were purely black. What kind of magic was this? Alanna growled as the sound of hoofbeats and paw pads coming towards them. Something wasn't right. "Welcome to the forest, Aaron. I see that the colt I once tried to protect has taken loyalty under a thief." Aaron's ears laced back as he stood frozen in his tracks, pure pain written across his face. Alanna stared at the larger dog not knowing what she was. Her position was protective, even if the older dog could do more damage. "My loyalty is with Mirage and the Qian no matter where I call home. You of all should know that Archibald. But as I remember it I protected you to that day." His voice was filled with venom, only to turn and glare at yet another familiar face. "What your both going to do Ktulu is let me go." without warning two royal sized dragons made of pure fire were at his side. The young knight masked his surprise at the sudden reveal of what he had gained upon finding Alanna.
The pup moved closer to her bonded one's side, his anger was clear in every part of his emotions. Therefore the pup felt angry to. But something under that anger pulled her closer. He meant what he said. They were going to let him go. If not Aaron no longer held any reservations about unleashing his original fire magic upon the pair. His next words were louder as Phi's answer to his question had been caught by Alanna's keen hearing. "You are not the filly I once hunted with for Adele's dragon. I can not believe I loved someone who could be so, selectively compassionate." It was clear in every part of his words and body. Those that were here among the Grey, were no longer counted among his friends. In fact they were anything but his friends. However his duty to the Qian kept him from doing much other than returning to Mirage and telling her everything he knew...
"something to say"
✝
In Nomine Patris Et Filii
Et Spiritus Sancti
✝
Please Tag Aaron in All Posts
Permission granted to use magic or physical force with Aaron at any time for any reason to any degree, with the exception of killing him.
.arborun lignea .. .mare. ..23 years. .. .16.3 hands.
"Ermine."
Her voice whips forward with a strength that betrays the weakness and the fear she feels within. It's enough to stop the stoat within his tracks, as he'd been about to furiously launch himself towards the next individual once more, despite the terrifying experience of being clutched by a dragon. Normally the small weasel is terrified by anything above him, much less as formidable as a dragon, but such is the blindness of rage - and love.
His sides bore faint red lines where the talons had gripped him. As well as Tinek meant for, dragon claws are sharp and Ermine hadn't helped with his squirming. They were minor lacerations however, and did not seem to bother the ermine as he slinked back towards Willow, skulking about her head and snuffling at her nose. Her lips twitched into some ghost of a smile.
He was her remaining comfort.
"That won't be necessarry," Willow murmured to the instruction she be healed. Often on the end of a healer trying to work on a fussy patient, now she was living on the other end, which gave her some new perspective she would later reflect on. For now however, a splinter of pride begged her to refuse the offer.
Ignoring them for the time being Willow turned to her only friend in this.
"Ermine, grow Cayenne pepper," Willow instructed, 'brows furrowing as she wondered if she'd ever taught that particular plant to him. It was not technically an herb so often overlooked, even by herself, but it was one of the best for fighting nerve pain.
He gave her a brief moment of hesitation before scuttling over to the ground near her. He began to dig with his paws, which she found bizarre, but as he dug it seemed as if the earth responded, proffering a bright, shiny red pepper eventually. Peppers did not grow like a root in the ground, but she did no question her companion's magical methods.
A relieved sight fluttered from her nose as he scampered back to her, pepper in tow. She took it readily, chewing it up with a distasteful look upon her features. It burned her lips and set her tongue aflame, but it was vital that she chew it up well. The oils in the pepper were the source of the remedy, and though it's effects would not be immediate, knowing they would come seemed to offer her nearly as much strength.
"Milkweed," she croaked to him next, to which he directed his attention back towards the ground. A green, fuzzy plant similar to a mint unfurled from the earth and greedily she consumed it, her muzzle staining a milky white. It eased the burn, coating her mouth in a waxy substance. She realized perhaps she should have eaten this first...
With her recovery in the process of being treated, Willow found the energy to properly assess the situation and her captives. She turned a stern, but not unkind eye towards the pale stoic one who seemed more authoritative than the rest.
"Why have you taken me?" Willow demanded.
Of course she knew why, but she wanted to hear them say it, to make them say it and in doing so recognize the travesty of their crime.
"Imprisoning a leader, a victory in and of itself.
Taking a warrior, you'd be foolish not to.
Capturing spies, a safeguard to paranoia.
But stealing a healer?"
Her voice was thin with her incredulity and her eyes, they were reflections of the true horror she felt within at their deed. "To deny the kin you bloody the chance to staunch the flow, are you all truly so cruel as that? Of all the atrocities that already come with war, to maintain the suffering is by far the worst. Draw a wound into flesh, such is battle. Keep a wound from closing, such is torture."
Tinek tried to keep his talons as open as possible, not interested in hurting the squirming and raging creature. Landing on his hind legs, the silver dragon delicately released the weasel and then watched it carefully, a frown on his scaled lips. Crimson eyes looked to give an apology, but he knew in his heart that the little woodland animal would never be able to forgive him. Hurt at feeling the need to protect his bond-mate and lost a potential friend, the young dragon leaped onto a low hanging tree branch and huffed, tucking his head into a leathery wing to ignore any more silly four legged drama.
When Willow told her that healing from the Grey would not be necessary, she frowned with concern before letting out a heavy sigh. It seemed that Aaron had more judgement to pass on her and her choices, and she finally leveled the painted colt with an injured glare. "What is it that you want me to say to that, Aaron?" she asked with a cold snap of her tongue. "Did you want me to remain the innocent filly my entire life? Were you hoping that I would be as carefree and ignorant of adulthood as I used to be? I have evolved because of external stimulus shoved upon my personage, and I have done what I had to to survive." Ophelia's dual colored eyes narrowed slightly. "Even now, you are not loyal to the herd you serve. Who are you to pass judgement upon me when I do whatever I can for my family? Who are you to cast blame upon the only outcome of survival that is fit for the ones I love?"
Ophelia snorted. "I have grown up, but it seems to me like you are just uncomfortable with realizing that one day, you might have to reach maturity as well." Then, the alabaster mare turned her softened gaze to the half-tree that was being tended to by her woodland creature. The mare shook her head slightly at Willow's accusations.
"We do not desire you the inability to staunch the blood flow of war, but to keep you from reviving those we have downed by skill," she replied. "The Grey are a small band, and in order to secure for my family a herd land, I must take every precaution, no matter how unsettling they may be. If you had the inability to revive those that mine had defeated, then you would be of no tactical gain." Ophelia did not deny the fact that they had taken a healer, but she was honest in her reasons. She did not try to make excuses or apologize for her actions. War was cruel, and to win meant that you had to be even more sinister.
"We attack tomorrow," she said, turning to the Grey. "Please release your prisoners once we reach the battlefield."
OPHELIA
Faith shattered and decays as frosted blood flows in my veins
sdrcow @ DA
Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.
Drop past the color; come up through the summer rain.</style>
In her current state, Phae literally had no words for any of them. It was as if things happened too fast for her cursed mind to understand. She did as she was told - she had taken the Lignea without any questions as to why, so she had no answers as Willow demanded them. In that moment, she felt small and useless, even moreso than her curse dictated. Had she really become such a follower of Ophelia, that she had simply acted without thinking? Is that all she was now? Some mundane foot soldier , who did not see the bigger picture?
Shifting her weight uncomfortably, she regarded the lignea with sunken green eyes. She hoped that she would not be a burden during her time in the Woods, although Phae knew that if she herself were ever captured, that she would not go silently. And yet, for the sake of her newborn twins, she hoped that things would go smoothly. At least until the battle began.
Looking to Ophelia, Phae realized that she had been granted at least one small comfort throughout all of this - her fearless white leader had returned. For so long, Phae had wondered what had become of the mare who saw her for what she could be, and offered her a home. Phae had stayed true to every command that Phi gave, wanting nothing more than to prove herself to the mare, and the family that had taken her in. And yet Phi had been absent for so long in her life, that she had begun to question her leader. Not out loud of course, but the stirrings of discontent had swirled long in her flirtatious mind. Seeing Phi as she was now, confident and beautiful, quelled the spy's troubled mind.
Nodding, she agreed. "At dawn, then." Eye the Lignea, Phae hoped that they could make it through the night without issue.
Won't you sing to me your poetry,
Won't you take me to your home,
Won't you be for me forever
So I'll never be alone
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HP: 45.5
