"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.
How was it even possible? It couldn't be true, it just wasn't allowed to be true. And yet the look on Aaron's face had forged the truth in iron, now cooling only slowly as the undeniable facts became clear.
Solstice was dead. Gone. Murdered in cold blood by a unicorn from the Basin and left to bleed out on the ground, and nothing would bring her back.
It was a hole Lace never had thought that he'd have to fill. Some way or another she had been around for years, ever since they met sometime back in Isilme. He had been surprised but pleased to find her in Helovia as he arrived, enjoyed their peaceful talks and her quiet presence. he had enjoyed watching her together with her children, had wished all the best to come her way and now... Now there was only deep, dark, pitch black sorrow and a smoldering fury bordering on madness that ate away at his sanity.
Too many had been ripped away from him, from them all. Too many, with neither rime nor reason, not so much as a declaration of war. What was the Aurora Basin thinking? Were they trying to take the Edge back by killing off its inhabitants one by one? Lace wouldn't have it. He wasn't going to take it anymore. No more sneaking in across the borders, no more stealing of the lives he had come to love so dearly. So be it that he was no longer a warrior with a duty to protect, but that didn't mean he couldn't do anything at all to safeguard this Edge of the World.
Fury and grief caused his voice to quiver as the gilded stallion threw his head back and called out to the Edge, to Aaron and all the crafters, everyone with power and a grasp over the elements of the land. He bade them to gather by the Shrine where he stood, not bothering to seek for the permission of Mirage before he did this. He believed himself to know her well enough to guess her thoughts on the matter he wished to address, believed that in her wish for peace his suggestion would be made with her support.
He paced along the edge of the cliff as he waited for the herd to arrive, and once he believed everyone had come that wished to do so, he came to a halt and straightened up, gazing out over the crowd. In silent support Fajira landed on his shoulder, balancing skillfully on the sloping ledge with her tail slung over the gilded whithers.
"Brothers and sisters of Qian" he started, "we have been attacked. Not by predators or honest troops wishing to fight for a right to live on these lands. No, they were cowardly ambushes on lone horses, with no warning and no chance to fight back. Torasin is dead, killed by someone unknown that wields the power of ice, and I've just learned that.. that Solstice has been stolen from us by the Nightshade of Aurora Basin." His voice cracked and Lace found himself forced to swallow thickly before he regained control over his voice.
"I know it might not be my place to say this, but we need to start taking more caution as we move. The Protectors under WingLeaders Destrier and Kaj have proposed a new system for patrols that include the training of Acolytes, and I urge anyone with little or no experience in battle to address them about basic self defense. Everyone should be able to look after themselves at least until help can arrive."
He tried to calm himself down, but as the words flooded from his tongue the Glazier soon began to pace again, back and forth as he no longer was able to restrain the blazing emotions.
"They attacked us! A healer, a mother! Are we really going to let this continue? How long are they going to be able to do as they please without receiving any form of resistance? They kidnap us, we steal them in return... But to what purpose? What is it that they want from us, why do they keep insisting on shattering the little peace we have? " The dragon on his shoulder hissed and sent a plume of hot air rising towards the midnight sky, affected by the intensity of his feelings.
"Until our informants find out what they want from us, I suggest that we strengthen our defenses and keep raising the level of our warriors. This is supposed to be a place of peace and equality, but I believe that as long as we live under the threat of the Basin we will never be able to attain either. I want to recommend that we aid our border patrols by creating some form of physical object that can keep intruders out, so that our safe home will remain just that; safe."
The steed finally halted again and looked out over the field, trying to sense how these news and ideas were received. The gilded eyes searched especially for the faces of Mirage, Thor and Rishima, hoping that they wouldn't find this summoning offensive - he was well aware that he was overstepping his authority, but he was too filled with grief to be able to stand not doing anything. He didn't want to loose more friends.
"If anyone have additional information, suggestions or objections to what I have said, I hope you will step up and speak your mind." And with that he stepped aside, allowing room for anyone who so wished to come forth and address the others. If only something good would come of this... not that anything good ever could come from a loss of life.
06-11-2013, 04:12 PM (This post was last modified: 06-11-2013, 04:22 PM by Yseulte.)
Torasin is dead.
Yseulte wanted nothing more than to rage and scream and drown the murderer in his own blood once she slit his throat and spilled his precious life force for all the world to see, as the murder had surely done to her Torasin. She had killed before, and she would do it again, and again, and again, if that's what it took; she'd kill a thousand times over for Torasin, the beautiful golden heart with the emerald eyes. But for all of her grief and insatiable fury, she could only fall into a numb stupor, withdrawing deep into the darkest cobwebbed corners of herself, throwing up iron-barred walls to stay hidden from the world and the cruel reality of it all.
Now, let's get something straight, here. I don't know who Torasin is, and I don't particularly mourn for his passing, but nonetheless, Butler had practically dragged me by the tail (she's a very rude, disobedient Butler, you see, she's still in training) from the warm fireside to attend his dismal "funeral speech" given by the silver stallion with the flecked golden back. She had seemed immensely glad to see him, this other master of hers. A smile brighter than the sun had graced her lips at the sight of her master armorer and words of greeting blossomed joyfully on her tongue, but had quickly wilted and blackened to ash in her mouth as he announced Torasin's murder.
She didn't cry for him, no, the iron maiden never wept. Her face might be fashioned of stone and steel, but inside, her heart wept, red and wet. Images whirred and flickered through my mind, and I realized Yseulte was actually sharing her sweet, sunlit memories with me, rather than locking them deep within the chambers of her heart. I'm usually forced to pry thoughts and words and images from her mind in a rather brutish fashion, the nosy tiger that I am, but this willingness to give all of her precious memories to me leaves me nearly as numb and stupid as Yseulte herself.
The memory is hazy and shimmering; a mirage glittering under the harsh glare of winter sun. It's snowing, nearly a year ago today, but it's a light, fluffy snowfall, cold kisses on Yseulte's skin as she saunters playfully towards a serious-faced sentinel on the cliff, moving with grace unhindered by the crippled leg she bears now in the present. The sentinel has skin polished a deep gold, golder than the sun itself, and his eyes are as green as emeralds. Torasin, I think vaguely. Not even a hello falls from her lips, no greeting, no nothing. Silence. And in one of her brave, random impulses that makes Yseulte who she is, she scoops up a last bit of spring slush in her mouth and flings it at him before wheeling away with the golden man and his dragon in hot pursuit, peels of laughter rippling from their pale lips like a merry, bubbling spring.
The memory fades, but the snow is still falling, gently embracing Yseulte's shoulders like a long lost lover. I have learned a new word. Friend. That is what Torasin was to Yseulte—the most precious of friends. I steal a glance at my solemn butler. She stands, quietly, still swallowed in the numbness of her grief, listening to her master Glazier speak, but his words fall on deaf ears. She is still lost in the folds of time, racing in the snow with a golden friend with eyes like summer.
yseulte & itzal,
ALL THE WAYS I GOT TO KNOW
YOUR PRETTY FACE AND ELECTRIC SOUL.
Aaron</style> World's Edge Glazier
And Shepherds we shall be
For thee, my Lord, for thee.
Power hath descended forth from Thy hand
Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands.
So we shall flow a river forth to Thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be.</style>
Aaron moved, but his heart was not in the movement. He nuzzled Sakura and Takara's sleeping forms, the pair falling asleep curled up together near their big brother. For the first time ever, he left Alanna with them on guard duty. She stood near by, ready to alert him and any in howling range should any danger head for the exhausted twins. In a matter of a week, they had not only lost their father, but their mother as well. They had both cried into his sides for hours, until he could get them to lay down and try to rest.
Normally he would of stayed to the back, but as he was the head Glazier he had to show a strong front.... Even if on the inside he was a total wreak. His mother.... His strength... Gone... Dead. She had always been the one there for him... But it was not just her death that was eating at him... It was Torasin's too... Why did the ice magic that killed his almost adopted father seem so familiar? The sight of Sakura covered in her father's blood had been bad enough, but seeing the blood pour from his mother had almost made him snap.. Kimber and Lace had been there, and he allowed them both to see his strong exterior crack... Was Lace going to call for the head Glazier position back? In all honesty Aaron could care less.
He took his place beside Lace, and waited for the stallion to speak. However as he did Aaron could feel himself wanting to break once again. His dark mahogany eyes sought out Kimber, hoping she had come as well. Alanna, feeling what he was feeling tried to sooth her bonded and give him the strength he needed to stand in front of them all. However at his mother's name he lowered his head and looked away from the crowd. He had to keep himself together. He had to maintain his strength. If not for the herd but for his sisters.
When Lace finished speaking, and no one began to speak Aaron took a deep breath and spoke up. His voice cracked time to time, but he held strong. "Months ago when Mirage asked me to step up as Glazier, she also asked that we create a well of defense. I have struggled ever since to try and find a way to do so on my own. I had asked for permission to travel to the Dragon's Throat and assist our allies in the building of their wall in exchange for help on one of our own." He pasused, before continuing on. "In light of the recent murders... I fear we do not have time to waste. We need this wall and we need it now." His voice cracked horribly at the word murders, but that is exactly what they were.... They were murdered. Taken away from the family that loved them dearly.... how was this fair? "Any ideas on how to clear the way for the wall would be greatly appreciated...." He added as a last minute thought, trying not to sound bossy but trying to keep himself from breaking down before those who had gathered.
"Sed interdum rutrum urna, sed pellentesque sapien tempor in."
background pattern by Patrick Hoesly @ flickr.com
✝
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.
Ever since Aaron had found her, bearing the news of his mother's death, Kimber had lingered nearby. Whether it was just her, or just Kaiden, or both of them, they had been a shadow for the painted stallion. Being in-training to become a protector was only so important when you couldn't protect your best friend from his emotional hurts. When you realized that you couldn't defend his sisters from the pain of being orphaned. Yes, it had a driving impact to learn to fight, to defend, but lessons were second to offering support.
So it was only to be expected to find the mousey young grulla slipping up through the slowly gathering crowd. An ear was cocked to listen to the speeches being unreeled by the crafters, but she had nothing to say about any of it. Instead she moved forward, stepping up to stand beside Aaron, her shoulder pressed firmly against his in an unspoken gesture of support. She cared naught that this was a meeting of importance, called by crafters with the intent to gather support to craft things of a huge scale. All she cared about was that Aaron needed her, and that she be there for him. And to hell with anything anybody thought about her standing there with the Glaziers, with Aaron.
A rumble, deep and resonating, thrumming through the trees, preceded the hybrid stallion as he stepped into the clearing around the shrine. This time he hadn't cared how many branches and leaves, soil and snow, had crunched and crackled beneath his hooves. He announced his presence with a growl, a not-so-subtle promise of violence that floated just below the surface.
"I will aid you." Golden eyes turned to Lace and Aaron, great leathery wings expanding upward into the air. "I can help clear the path of tree and brush, whether it be by fire or force. And I will help guard the builders and workers from ambush." A snort sent a plume of smoke from his nares, a greater cloud of frosty condensation collecting around it, drawn by the heat from his inner furnace. His tail swung, bladed end cutting into a too-close tree and showering the ground with disturbed snow.
His was a fury barely concealed. How dare they tear away his beloved's dearest friend, destroy the parents of their precious youngsters that showed so much promise? The dragon's son wanted nothing less than to wreak some havoc amidst the Basin, but he would settle for destroying something closer to home. Both would be constructive, but one was safer. And that... that was what he had to focus on. Staying near, to defend his lover, his children, their friends.
When you are ready, I will surrender
Take me and do as you will
"I will aid in the creation of this wall." The voice was a soft tremor in comparison to the rest: light and tinged with grief, but also full of determination. The fires that raged inside her heart were not as fiercely lit as the torrents of flame in those of the others. She barely knew of either of the members that had left their ranks just a few days earlier, but the mare did remember spending that one sunlit day with the healer and his children. The mustang twists her slender mouth into the shadow of a smile, and dips her head low to the ground at the memory. Who could have thought that your heart could cringe at the mere thought of someone you had met only once before.
With a slight trudge in her step and with a moistness inside of her golden eyes, the wraith parts the Frostfall mists with her painted face and addresses the trio of crafters; one of a stunning silver much like her own hide, a painted stag and his dog whom she had seen speak at meetings in the past, and a lavender maiden barred with clouds of white frost. Sulwyn did not ignore the smaller form of yet another child of grulla coloring, but the proposition that the wraith had for the three Diviners was a rare one, and she wanted to see the wall built as soon as it was capable.
"If you want someone to clear a path, dear Aaron, then allow me to make the task easier for you." Closing her glistening eyes, the mare stands as still as she can, slowing her breathing so that it barely makes a sound, and she calls forth the dark power that she had feared for so long. That's a lie. I am still afraid of you; terrified of you, even. But there was no time to waste in the construction of the barrier, and the vixen would not rest until the monsters who had slain her family had been dealt with.
A shudder ripples through her sun-painted architecture at the touch of her dark orb, and behind closed eyelids golden eyes begins to roll. Fighting off the alarm that she feels at the life-stealing touch of her fiery sphere, Sulwyn forces the hovering flame away from her, and slowly opens her eyes. "This is my magic, brothers and sisters, and I do not reveal this ability often." In fact, the few members gathered here were the first to learn about her ability at all. "I do not know of its origins, but I do know -- first hand -- that it saps energy. I have no doubt that it has the potential to... harm."
The mare pauses to stare in awe at the wispy tendrils coming off of the ball of dark matter, and for a moment she almost feels comfortable around it. The moment soon fades, however, and the wraith raises her nose to the orb to breathe on it, sending it away with her mind to crash against a nearby pine tree. Almost directly upon impact, the tree begins to blacken and bend, cracking and shrieking and sighing until the area where the flame had hit was gnarled and bent. Conjuring up a smaller companion for the first -- which had burst when it had collided with the trunk of the tree -- Sulwyn sent it along the same flight path of the other and, with a wail, the dying pine tree collapsed to the ground with a cacophony of crashes, its brittle branches rattling together and the bark splintering off on its way towards the earth.
Wincing at the shock of having killed the once-youthful tree, the mustang turns her golden eyes back on Aaron's brown ones, and croaks, "I've never had the intention of killing things, but if using my spectral flames to forge a path for your wall will protect our family, then I think that I am capable of enduring through the pain of causing a few casualties on nature's own side of this war."
Truth do you hear me?
Don't try to come near me
So tired I sleep through the lie
{OOC/EDIT: DERP DERP. I totally thought that Lace was referring to Tamira's death when he said 'healer' ((I also kept reading Torasin as Tamira for some reason)), so Sulwyn's little babble about Thor's beloved doesn't make any sense. I'm an idiot. ;-;}
Marius had only heard a few things in his time in the herd. There had been deaths, murders, and it had him worried. Something was happening again, something he thought he had managed to escape from when he moved to here from Isilme. With a sigh he bowed his head to graze when a call went out. Ears swiveling to the side, he contemplated following it for a minute before he nodded and started walking. Curiosity had him moving. He knew that his mother was working as a healer here, perhaps it was her calling, but that wasn't her voice. Muzzle twitching slightly he shook his head and continued walking. Who ever it was calling, maybe he could talk to them about helping out around the herd.
The mist made it hard to see as he walked, but he still kept going. He didn't want to be too late to whatever this meeting was, and he had gotten fairly good at picking his way through the fog in the past few seasons. Yet still his walk was more of a shuffle as he picked his way through the herd lands to be sure that he wasn't going to trip over anything.
It wasn't long before he had reached the shrine where a small gathering was and he stood there, listening to Lace as he spoke. Yet another death had occured, and this was seemed to affect many horses. His ears flicked back and lay flat on his head, a rumbling starting in his chest as his tail whipped back and forth. More war, more deaths. Why hadn't they learned yet and just left this behind on Isilme? Why did it also have to come to Helovia? And why his herd?
Tossing those thoughts from his mind, the golden stallion stood there and continued to listen. He saw Kimber standing beside Aaron and was pleased that the stallion that had accepted him had support. Tuning back into what was going on, he caught the edge of the others saying something about wall that they were going to build around the herd land. This was a good option, and he supported it one hundred percent. He didn't know what he could do, but he would help as best as he could. Perhaps he could venture in the journey with them to get the sand to make glass. While he wasn't trained to fight by any means, he knew a few things that had helped him get through.
The destruction of the tree drew his attention and he could only feel pride for the herd he now belonged too. They were hit hard, but still they banded together to help do what they needed to, so that this wouldn't happen again. In his mind it was almost better to simply declare a war than to continue picking others off like this. It wasn't right for the foals to be losing parents at such a young age, not when they didn't even look a year old yet. It was time to make this all stop.
The wall. How could he help with the wall. Dragon stallion - idly he noted that he was probably the father of Semira and Amaris - and the mare that destroyed the tree had both offered to help clear the path for the wall. But what were his talents? He didn't know how to make anything, yet he was still determined to help. Perhaps he could speak to Aaron and ask how he could help him in this endeavor, and crafting things may become a new specialty of his.
It wasn't long before the draongmare returned to her body of golden scales, wings and claws. She had been in hiding, cloaked by her natural ability to take on the form of a Mirage, allowing the shadows to swallow her, allowing her mind to succumb to the inevitable darkness that grief and mourning brought out. Dancing had been the traditional method for her to expel the excess emotion, and dance she did, almost non-stop, the little mirage herself was weaving through the trees, never allowing the light of day to touch her inky hide. Very occasionally, under the moonlight, she paused and looked to the heavens above, wondering at what they held, convincing herself that a new light glistened in Lady Luna's gardenbed of starry flowers. But then she would press onwards, never ceasing, fuelled by an insurmountable amount of emotions she was too afraid to identify.
But when the mare heard news that another had been lost, she could not help but transform. It was an insult, and while she had not yet figured out the cause to Torasin's death, she was enraged beyond belief at the thought that someone from the Basin, their filthy Time Mender had slain one of their members. The dragon rose high above the trees, wings flapping as she joined the gathering, arriving in time to land a small distance away and approach on foot, to listen and grumble her deep, resonating agreement. Akaith flew above them all, landing upon Vikram's back, without the usual greetings - times were too tense. As each member pledged their help, Mirage trembled on the spot, tail swaying from side to side much like an unsettled feline.
"We do not know who killed Torasin, but we will find out." The dragonmare's voice was strong and firm, filled with assurance she did not really feel herself. "None are to venture out alone." She said firmly. "Travels in the pairs, at the very least - and pass this message on to all you know. The Edge will not fall to the whims of those that would try. We will only grow stronger." Smoke rose from her nostrils, and just as Fajira had earlier, Mirage let loose a stream of heat from her scaled maw, directed upwards so it did not affect those around her. "Construction on the wall must commence immediately. It is to be the herd's top priority, alongside patrols." She spoke firmly, the eagerness to protect her kin thickening her voice with emotion.
They came. Pride and sadness mingled within the reeling mind of the glazier as he watched them arrive, all displaying their emotions in reaction to his revelations in a seemingly endless wave of sadness and despair. His heart ached for those who weren't there, those who's figures would never appear among them again, and as he listened to the words of his family the grullo let his gaze travel among them. Yseulte, beautiful and distant as always, had been the first to arrive, but now she seemed lost in thought and Lace wasn't sure that she even listened to the others. Aaron and Kimber followed behind him, and as he looked at the heartbroken young draft the icy mask of composure and efficiency almost began to crack. How he loathed himself for not being able to break down like that, how he despised his own strength at that moment. And yet it was necessary, because there were things to be done and he was needed - they both were, if this wall was going to be completed.
Golden eyes turned to the massive form of Vikram as he arrived, like a storm taking physical form and landing amongst them. Lace nodded appreciatively at the offer to help clear the ground where the wall would stand, and watched with growing unease as a young mare added herself to the volunteers by demonstrating a bit of her power. The mass of swirling darkness made him shudder as it sucked the life out of the tree, a reaction caused as much by sorrow for the life he was so closely connected to as for the memory of a similar magic he had fought against once. He hoped that this girl would use her powers more wisely than the Reaper chose to do.
Mirage arrived just after a stallion he had noticed greeting Smoke at the meeting, effectively erasing any curiosity he might have felt towards the flaxen stud. Her words drew his attention like a moth to flame, heart almost breaking at the sight of her. How was she feeling? She'd known Torasin longer than him, she'd been closer to Solstice. He wanted to step over to the dragon and offer comfort, but before the eyes of Vikram and the herd he remained unable to move. Instead he offered her a bow as recognition of her orders, and turned back to face the others as she had finished speaking.
"Aaron, you said that Dragons Throat had metal workers, right? Perhaps we should turn to them and ask for aid in order to speed up the pace of this project. No matter how we twist and turn things, it will take a long time to construct this wall. By end of Birdsong it could be finished at the soonest, depending on the height of the construction." The glazier paused for a moment and looked down on the ground, a front hoof scraping the ground thoughtfully as he ran ideas and plans through his mind, hoping to organize this project into something manageable.
"Here's my suggestion" he finally said and looked up, determination clearly visible in the eyes. "Aaron and I will split all volunteers between us. I will start from the northern border where the land disappears into the ocean, and he will begin construction from the south. This way we will move at a slightly quicker pace, without creating too much of a raucous. Some of the foals might be willing to run as messengers between us to make sure we keep on the right course, and to fetch items we might need. There should be at least a pair of warriors there to protect the workers at all times, though I do suggest that you keep patrolling as usual. Let's try to make this as quick and quiet as possible, just to avoid stirring up more trouble than we already have."
He paused to breathe and looked around, hoping to see the reactions of his friends towards the things he said. His gaze rested just a bit too long on the majestic golden dragon, as if trying to picture her reaction to a question before he'd given it. "Would you say.." he said slowly, "that this is something worth hiring outside help for? It would be possible to contract outcasts temporarily.. maybe against shelter and protection while they are here."
An idea for the very structure of the wall was slowly beginning to take shape within the mind of the dragon-bonded glazier, with an ease that never ceased to surprise him. He would have to discuss it with Aaron of course, the sooner the better, but in all honesty Lace didn't want to pressure the young stallion too much. He'd been through so much already, and to count on him to be creative and effective right now would be tantamount to cruelty.
06-14-2013, 02:18 PM (This post was last modified: 06-14-2013, 06:14 PM by Yseulte.)
I give Butler a sharp jab in the fleshy part of her belly with my claw and twitch my tail in front of her nose to snap her out of whatever pleasant, frolicking memory she's trapped in. Her eyes find mine immediately, and I see the last shards of sunlight memories draining away from those sea eyes, leaving a glazed and blank expression on her pale face, before I realize it isn't complacent at all. The anger in her iron heart, quenched by grief only moments ago, now seethed and boiled in tumultuous waves. There were so many emotions at once, I could not begin to sort them all out. It would be like separating all the different grains of sand and putting them in specific categories—impossible, really.
However, in this pot of a hundred different ingredients all melted together, there is one emotion I can identify and even agree with—frustration. Frustration with all of these blithering idiots she supposedly calls her brothers and sisters. Of course, Yseulte's mind is more, ah, how do I say it, refined. Rest assured, whatever else may be whirring around in her pretty little head, the term blithering idiots is not among them. Such a polite butler. Only a sense of despair and emptiness lingers, not able to discern what frustrates her more, the fact that she is just another meaningless face among many, or that their many faces are meaningless to her.
As much as she pretends, they are not her kin.
They are not her desert sisters.
And yet she suffers their bantering and idea exchanging anyhow, stiff and cold and ever the dutiful iron maiden. All this talk of action and revenge, while all they seem to be doing is arguing how best to build a wall and hide behind it. But like them, Yseulte is no warrior, not any longer, not since her desert days with her warring sisters, and her crippled leg ended all possibilities that might have been.
Aaron has grown since she last saw him, but she can still see the childish, stubborn set of his jaw, the wide, trusting eyes full of vulnerability and grief hid amid a mask of duty and responsibility; a boy playing at being a man. Nonetheless, Yseulte thinks he is doing a fine job of it. But the angle of Aaron's jaw does not concern me so much as that nasty little pooch at his side. I sneer at the vile creature with my black lips, violet eyes bright and lustrous as I gaze at the silly thing, taunting, provoking, daring her to do something about my insubordination.
Yseulte must have noticed, because she promptly stepped on my tail.
Sullen and bitter, I hiss between my teeth and place my interest elsewhere. A lady horse absolutely demolishes a tree with my favorite thing in this world yet—fire. Such power! My eyes follow the floating orb hungrily, but Yseulte feels uncomfortable at the sight of the smoking remains of the ashen tree. She fears them, the flames, and for good reason. She wielded them many years ago to destroy her father, and nearly did in herself in the process. A quant little murderer, my butler. But for whatever uneasiness in her heart, she hides it well behind her iron mask.
The talk of a constructing an immense wall also renders Yseulte uncomfortable. A wall to keep other things out, perhaps, and that was all very well (albeit cowardly—they should be seeking out their foes, not hiding behind a wall), but it would do more than that. It would keep her in. A cage. A strange feeling suddenly possesses her; instinctive and primitive. Fight or flight, her body whispered in trembling chords of flesh and tendons, flee from this place and never look back. Freedom was so close, lingering just beyond the claw-like trees that shielded her from her wild skies and raging sun. Her heart fluttered in her chest, a trapped bird whirring against her ribs fervently and catching desperately in her throat, searching for a way out. But there was no escape.
And suddenly, she speaks out of turn, addressing a question clearly not meant for her. A rude butler, perhaps, but an honest and blunt one at that.
"Is it wise to bring outsiders into our home? The same outsiders that perhaps murdered our own, we would shelter and protect under our own roof," she almost spits the words, her voice thick with contempt. "What is the purpose of such a wall, if not to keep them out?"
She is so tired suddenly; she gazes at her master Glazier and Queen sadly. She could not leave them; could not abandon Lace anymore than she could her black queen. The rebellious little bird inside her plummeted from her throat and back into it the depths of its dark cage. Weak, subordinate, and tame. A pretty bird in a nicely fashioned cage.
yseulte & itzal,
ALL THE WAYS I GOT TO KNOW
YOUR PRETTY FACE AND ELECTRIC SOUL.
Aaron</style> World's Edge Glazier
And Shepherds we shall be
For thee, my Lord, for thee.
Power hath descended forth from Thy hand
Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands.
So we shall flow a river forth to Thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be.</style>
Wordlessly, Alanna appeared at Aaron's side. Her gaze almost at once fell in the tiger cub who stood near the strangely colored unicorn. The cub's antics were unwelcome to the hellhound who growled softly in a warning. Insubordination or not, the garnet and ivory pup could care less. This was a time of sorrow and sadness among the family. Yes oddly enough the the hellhound pup she considered this group of equines, her family. Icy blue eyes narrowed as she growled until Aaron shifted slightly. Kimber had moved to stand at his side, pressing her shoulder to his. He returned the gesture by gently touching his muzzle to her cheek. He cared for her, and to have her at his side felt amazing... But the reasoning behind it was not something he wanted to think about. Moments later the twins joined them, Sakura pressing herself against Kimber's other side and Takara against her brothers. The only sibling missing was Azale, who had taken off at once to go finish her quest for magic.
The twins pressed in closer as more stepped up to speak. Takara eventually lost it again, tears falling down her face. Aaron gently nosed her cheek, before whispering "You and Sakura go lay down, rest. I'll be back soon." Wordlessly the fillies slipped away to go and curl up again. Aaron turned his attention back to the meeting as Mirage spoke. Lace spoke again this time asking him a question. "Yes I believe they do, and I do not see the harm in asking our ally to help... But I would hate to pull their own Crafters away from their wall. Not when they have a real threat just as much as we do." Would it be wise to have them abandon the wall for Dragon's Throat to help with the one in the Edge? Aaron was not so sure. He listened as Lace continued followed by the purple colored unicorn. She spoke of it maybe being unwise to ask for outcasts help in return for something. "This family was outcasts once. I do not see the harm in asking friendly outcasts for help. But we do need to be careful how much they see. We never know who could be an enemy in disguise."
"Sed interdum rutrum urna, sed pellentesque sapien tempor in."
background pattern by Patrick Hoesly @ flickr.com
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In Nomine Patris Et Filii
Et Spiritus Sancti
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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.
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[O] A time for Action [Crafters, open]
