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Home » Search » Roster » Whitepages » Records » FAQ » Guidebook
Checkpoint: Alpha
Open The Pinnacle 
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#1
this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be?
if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?


Otem's state of mind had done a near 180 turn since she met Raein in the portal-area just a few short days ago. Since then, not only had her soul softened to the idea that perhaps the Rift could be her home, but Kisamoa had renewed her sense of purpose with his hope-spreading task. Jokes of STI's, pyramid-schemes, and the sheer corniness of being asked to spread hope, the autumn-touched girl-woman was invigorated by the task.

It was something to do. Something to aim for, and to be successful at. Spreading hope was a metric she could actually track, an objective marker of how well or poor she was doing. Something tangible to take her mind off the fact that just about everyone she had ever known or loved was gone.

After meeting Aurelia Otem came to the conclusion that her story was really no more special for having been the offspring of a demi-god. Hadn't almost everyone come with a story of great woe and heartache? Weren't they all princes or queens or cast-out angels? Whomever she might have been in Helovia, a land where her lineage was something meaningful, was now gone. It was who she was going to be in the Rift that was now up for debate.

But right now all Otem wanted to be was loud.

"HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-" Otem screamed with both her telepathic voice but also her actual one. Her word reverberated off of the cascading spire, echoing back towards her like a cruel mimic.   "WE NEED A PLACE TO GATHER...AND I SAY IT SHOULD BE HERE."

Would anyone come? Would anyone agree?

How implausible to think anyone would even hear her?

And so, even though her earthen sprites could not go very far from her, she conjured them nonetheless. Pandora, the melanistic owl took to the skies, seeking to bring anyone who might be looking for the source of the call, back towards Otem.


Image credits



All welcome! Otem basically just thinks that everyone needs a 'home base' where we can return back to. Since we don't have herds yet, she just doesn't want everyone wandering the fuck away like they did when the portal first opened. If you want you can say you heard Otem's mental or audible call, or saw her earthen-sprites, or saw Pandora :3

No posting order, just basically for IC knowledge that we'll all congregate here? If you're down for that, that is :D

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Aurelia the Hopebringer
Currently championing: None
#2
AURELIA
A voice called to Aurelia. Not just a voice, Otem's voice. Aurelia had met the mare a few days ago and in a moment of anger and adrenaline, Aurelia had basically run away from the thickly built mare. To run across her was not unpleasant. The pegasus's mind was put as ease knowing that Otem had made it out of the shadowy place just as Aurelia had.

Otem had a knack for screaming like a wild ass in a myriad of different situations, as she was right now. Aurelia was close enough to hear her, but not necessarily close enough to make out the tribrid's words. Something about a gathering? Out of curiosity, the aurelian babe moved towards the source of all the ruckus.

Eventually, Aurelia was a comfortable distance from Otem and halted. Her wings hung loosely beside her, hiding her fat, pregnant flanks. Her ears twisted actively on her cranium as she simply gazed at Otem. Aurelia's body sparkled brightly, thanks to the gold locket that she wore proudly around her neck, giving her an air of beauty and grace. The sparkles and the glowing of the beads in her mane made Aurelia appear very ethereal. Even the 'orb of healing' that fluttered around her body added to her overall glowy appeal. She matched the desert so well, and it showed.

"Otem," she greeted. Her head slightly for a moment as a way of saying hello. From what she had understood, Otem was trying to make this a 'gathering place.' "Instead of making a gathering place, make a herd," she offered. "Afterall, you said anyone can do it." Otem had said those words to Aurelia mere days ago, dangling the opportunity in front of her like a treat, but she had declined. Aurelia had just thrown the words back at her. "Then your words would actually carry weight." Perhaps it was a sassy thing to say, but it was entirely true. Right now, Otem's words carried no weight. We were all equal now. The horses of the Rift would listen to Otem just as much as they would listen to any other horse. If she were a leader of a herd or group, horses would bend to her word more easily. One horse with no backing was worth much less than one leader with a herd behind them.

Aurelia fell quiet now, waiting for the group to continue to form. She wondered who would show up and if they would remember her.


ooc; i know we literally just finished our thread, but i wanted to hop on this because aurelia likes the idea of having a set gathering place and wants to try to get otem to form a herd/group!



à la folie;
to madness
image || coding
{Image: 1zxwow6.jpg}
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#3
this new air feels hard to breathe, is this how it's supposed to be?
if sweet dreams are made of these then why can't I be sure?


If Otem had the job of handing out leader titles, Aurelia's would have been the not-quite-what-she-seems. At almost every turn the golden mare zigged where Otem had expected her to zag. Perhaps that said more about Otem's inability to adequately judge others, but even if that was true, she really did think there was more to Aurelia than she let on. Maybe there was more to her than even Aurelia herself knew.

Although Otem's dapples emitted a faint glow, she looked positively bland compared to Aurelia. The golden mare looked like a trick of the light from far away, but as she neared Otem could see that it was no trick: Aurelia really was sparkling. It wasn't garish or ugly though, but delicate and eye-catching.

"Aurelia." Otem returned with a smile and a nod of her ram-horned skull. She waited for the older mare to laugh at the end of her suggestion, to show that it was clearly a joke. But the waiting stretched on, and on...Otem's head tilted slightly forward as if straining to hear the words that Aurelia didn't look like she was going to say. Haha, just kidding, or I think I'll lead the herd"But a herd is-" She spluttered, trying to get her thoughts together. What was a herd, really? Just some sort of social construct - a contract that everyone implicitly signs to do certain things and act in certain ways...Was that all there was to it? Because if so, that's really all Otem was proposing with this meeting place. That everyone acknowledges it as their place, and would return with information and so on. 

"- a herd has a god, doesn't it?" Otem finished, her lips finally catching up to her thoughts. "In Helovia, you couldn't just have a herd. That's why there were all those invasions ... a land had to have a god. Do you think it's like that here?" 

Otem glanced around, as if expecting a god to actually come along and answer her question one way or another. Or perhaps an adultier-adult than Otem was. An adult like her father or Tembovu or one of the other great leaders she'd known about. 


Image credits

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Aurelia the Hopebringer
Currently championing: None
#4
AURELIA
Otem's friendship with Aurelia was one of the strangest friendships (could they be considered friends after having only met for the second time now?) that had ever formed for the pegasus. It was random and unlikely, but somehow is just worked. Otem didn't get offended at Aurelia's harsh sassiness and Aurelia was able to keep her temper under wraps (for the most part). When they had first met, it got of on a slightly rocky start, but had quickly mended itself. The pegasus assumed their friendship worked because there was no real fight for power between them. It wasn't a pissing contest (and if it was, Aurelia was completely oblivious) to determine who was the better horse. They both just existed together; both of them could be themselves. Aurelia certainly hadn't filtered anything when they first met, but Otem had still stuck around until Aurelia literally ran away.

When Aurelia, rather abruptly, tells Otem to just make a herd, the mare-filly (Aurelia's mental nickname for the teen) is surprised. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that a herd needs a god. Aurelia eyes her skeptically and a sort of chuckle leaves her lips. "What?" she asked through a pearly-white smile. "You don't need a god to make a herd. Helovians constantly made groups and small herds that they later invaded the larger territories with." She could sort of see why Otem was confused, but it was such a huge leap to just assume every herd needs a god based on the fact that Helovia's main herds did have gods. The gods only came into play when territories and massive amounts of land were involved, not just horses.

"I think a sort of alliance between some of us roamers would be rather helpful to the healing process of the Rift," she began calmly, prepared to explain her thoughts fully. "If we all put our heads together the land will be healed quicker." A quick nod was given as if the nod would further her point. It wasn't even just that, it was so. much. more. Horses are safer in herds. Horses feel at ease in herds. Horses are meant to be in herds. Perhaps not calling it a herd would make Otem more open to the idea, but a group, alliance, or anything of the sort was still, at its core, a herd. Not to mention the question that would surely be brought up by another horse- who would regulate and call for and arrange the meetings? Someone would have to be appointed. And what is an organized group of horses with a set meeting place and leader? A fucking herd.

ooc; aurelia is passionate. lmfao. i was waiting for others to post but then i really wanted to so i went for it ;-;


à la folie;
to madness
image || coding
{Image: 1zxwow6.jpg}
Raein
Currently championing:
#5
as the sun set on another, you fell through dying dreams
"She's right you know," my voice slides out from below, looking up at the two winged mares and their strange exchange as I begin to make my way up the side of the Pinnacle.  I had never been here before, and it had been many years since I traveled to such a high place.

I guess my depression was more than just an emotional state but had taken on metaphorical levels of screwing with my life.
I did not like to be high in the air, where it was thin and crisp.  It reminded me too much of the days before.
Yet, somehow, looking at that featherheaded moron, it did not feel so bad anymore.

Well, that moron and the piece of hope which plastered itself to my scar tissue and attempted to rouse my spirit beneath a thick layer of denial and years of self-betrayal.

I look up with my teal eyes toward the autumn kissed maiden and her companion, looking brushed with gold leaf over an ivory pelt and heavy with a pregnant gut.  First, Helovians all seem to possess magic - which, as I've stated before - is a fairytale used to lull children to sleep in my former home.  Now, they believe in Gods.  So much so that this brave little woman believes she needs them to found a herd.  I'm not really sure how to categorize this particular brand of idiocy, but I think it's due to a long life of ignorance.

I come to stand beside Otem and look at her with a thoroughly callous expression.  "Look, in my home we did not have these gods, yet mortal beings still took control and forged their own society."  Even after seeing Kisamoa with my own eyes, receiving what could only be called a magical object in the form of my little hope ball, I still remained a staunch skeptic.  Some habits just couldn't be kicked.  However, I resist the urge to call them imaginary or childish, so maybe that can be considered growth.

"So, what's your plan if not a herd?  A meeting place?  Who is going to protect you from the nightmares out in these lands?  Keep the peace between everyone?"  I ask the questions quickly and with sharp precision.  "Or do you just expect everything to manage itself?"

Raein
Waker
Currently championing:
#6
It's really starting to be a theme in this place.

You're flying along, all innocent and sweat-soaked and caught up pondering your life, when suddenly, wham!—someone's voice lances through your skull, strong enough to startle you and nearly make you drop. It definitely makes your heart skip a beat, though. You're not sure you'll ever be prepared for someone to just.. put their own voice inside of your head like that. Can anyone ever be, honestly?

Still, you're not dropping out of the air and onto elephants, so. Small mercies, right? And besides, something about it makes you feel.. not exactly like you belong, or like you're remembered, because the calls aren't for you, precisely, but it's something along those lines. Perhaps it's just as simple as this: they make you feel real. You choose to laugh at this bizarre habit of the Rift's. Three times, three voices, each so radically different; the first, hopeful and nervous. The second, gentle and regal. The third...enthusiastic, you suppose, is a way to describe it as.

You bank to the left and begin to descend, groaning inwardly as you go. You doubt this will be an airborne meeting between pegasus, so you'll have to land, sooner or later, and stand in the miserable heat. The air thickens with both warmth and, well, whatever makes low air not-thin, and after a while you spot the gathering.

You don't know anyone, and you're disappointed to see that Taivas isn't there.

You bury that deep, and take a look at those gathered instead. You recognize the young, enormous mare, and the gold stallion who likes to hang back. You think the two of them were present both at the hope-giving and the tree of light, but the third participant, a golden mare, had only been at the latter. You wonder why. Maybe she's a newcomer, like you, recently torn from her world and her purpose. Your eyes linger on her a while longer, and then you touch down, a mess of blacks and blues (and a very glowy mane) and an unruly forelock giving you a perpetually boyish look—never mind the fact that you are a boy.

You flip your forelock out of your eyes. "What are we talking about?" you inquire innocently, your ears alert, eyes sharp; you're not exactly comfortable in gatherings, but you've learned how to feign ease around strangers, to the point that you're almost not feigning. One of the many accidental skills when it comes to healing, you suppose, studying the others with unveiled interest.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#7
The harpy wasn’t too far away from the call when she heard it – the vaguely familiar voice of the large girl named Otem. Khairi was in tune to the world around them as well, spotting the barn owl as it took toward the sky in search of anyone who would come. Of course, Kiada had decided awhile ago that where there were gatherings, it must be important – if not for Kisamoa’s strange appearances, for any information that might help save her hide if it came down to it. Yet, the woman began to move, Khairi following suit in the skies as he trilled his approach. As Kiada moved, the large “x” marking on her chest began to ooze more of a teal liquid, slowly beginning to seep down her leg as she walked. It made no use clearing it away if it returned, and so Kiada left it alone. If it was bad for first impressions, she was past the point of caring. Besides, the heat of Scorch was enough to make her not mind the dampness on her skin if any rogue wind came through.

She had missed the first part of the conversation, only hearing a few voices pipe up. Otem was there, speaking to a gold and white pegasus the Harpy hadn’t met before, speaking of gods and herds and what not. Then, another creature’s voice came out of the fray. Another gold creature, speaking of herds not having gods in his own homeland. It reminded Kiada of the stories her mother had told her of the land she was born in, and had she not heard the tales she would have thought the same as Otem. Yet, she stayed silent as she moved toward the circle slowing gathering.

Then, there was a dark blue blur – another creature somewhat familiar to Kiada joined the circle and asked what they were talking about. Kiada offered him a small smirk as if to say she remembered the rogue snowball aimed her way at the Tree of Light before turning her ears toward him to give him attention. “They’re explaining the possibility of having herds without a god to rule them.” She offered the stallion the information before turning her attention to Otem and the rest of the group. Khairi swooped from the skies to land upon her back, the sharp glint of metal spines protruding from her back were subtle but they glinted with the light as she approached and dipped her head. “Kiada, at your service.” The young woman then offered them all a roguish smirk before settling her eyes to Otem. “Its possible to manage a group if everyone can come to an agreement, though it can be difficult I imagine. However, I think a meeting place is a great start, rather than having a small amount of us five calling ourselves a herd.” She tossed out the idea, lifting her head and letting her icy blue gaze dance across those gathered.

"Talk."
Kiada
she had a wild, wandering soul
but when she loved, she loved with chaos
and that made all the difference.

image | coding


Kiada's feeling snarky today, I apologize. xD She addresses Otem and Waker mostly!

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)
Rixen the Vine King
Currently championing: Vjanta
#8
R I X E N

The first thing I saw when the trees cleared up was a sharp and jagged structure protruding from the earth. A strange bluish glow escaped from a wide crack in its face. The rocky monolith most likely stood a good distance away, but nevertheless it appeared to tower over everything else within sight, indicative of its massive size. The soft, nurturing soil that I had been walking across abruptly gave way to sandy dunes. From what I had experienced, the Rift was made up of so many diverse environments, from forests to meadows to mountains to valleys, more than I had seen in my lifetime thus far. And now, a desert. What more could there be? Certainly nothing within my realm of imagination.

Unlike some of the other attendants of the meeting, I hadn’t heard Otem’s call. I had simply been meandering about in the area, as I often did nowadays, when I heard the sounds of voices and decided to investigate. The sand was warm beneath my hooves, a result of the burning Scorch sun ceaselessly beating down upon it day in and day out. Following my ears, I stepped across the dunes, toward the sound of conversation. Upon climbing over the next dune, the source of the voices came into view. They were standing in a circle around what appeared to be two pegasi. It was the first time I had witnessed a true gathering of horses since arriving in the Rift.  

I continued to wander nearer in distance to the figures in order to distinguish who each of them were, if I could. Some of the faces were familiar and others were not. At the center, I recognized the pegasus adorned in gold, Aurelia, and the ram-horned mare who had given me the glowing orb, Otem. Standing a short distance away was Kiada, who I remembered meeting at the Tidepools. Among the unfamiliar faces was a golden stallion with a dished face and cerulean eyes, and what looked to be a black pegasus with bright blue markings. Peeking from his thick mane were several blue-tipped nubs for horns. It was an odd group, but that meant that I fit in quite nicely. 

Slowly, I stepped closer, my ears swiveling back and forth to pick up whatever hints of conversation the gentle breeze carried in my direction. As I approached, I wondered what they were all talking about. Whatever the topic of discussion was, it looked to be important by the expressions on their faces. It must’ve involved herds, because I was able to discern the word “herd” being tossed around by multiple horses. Not wanting to disrupt their debate or to comment before I knew for sure what they were talking about, I hung at the back of the small crowd, watching as they exchanged ideas through placid emerald eyes. 

"Talk."


they heard me singing and they told me to stop
quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock



image credits || coding credits


Oh what the heck, Imma just throw Rixen in here!
{Image: untitled_drawing_by_indelyde-dceus9t.png}
Aurelia the Hopebringer
Currently championing: None
#9
AURELIA
The group, that had just been Aurelia and Otem moments ago, began growing and expanding. The first horse to join is a champagne pegasus stallion. He's taller than Aurelia and easily asserts himself into the conversation, siding with her as he expands on her thoughts to Otem. He briefly mentions how the horses of his homeland forged their own society, and Aurelia nods eagerly- it'd been like that in her original home, too. He then goes on to interrogate Otem with a bunch of questions. The gold-dappled pegasus simply shifts her gaze from the stallion back to Otem as his last question leaves his lips. All of the questions he asked were valid and needed to be answered before anything was to be arranged here.

Next to join them is a pegasus stallion whose build remarkably resembles Aurelia's own. He seems to be about the same height as her too, but that is where the resemblance ends. He is darkly colored with a myriad of blue markings. He seems remarkably lost in the conversation, and Aurelia is about to answer his question when another horse shows up and answers it for her. The new addition to the group is a black, gold, and white unicorn. After giving a one-sentence summary to the lost stallion, she introduces herself as Kiada. Aurelia offers her own name in response, her head dipping kindly in the process. "Aurelia," she says plainly. Kiada then goes on to say that she thinks a gathering place is a good place to start, but Aurelia believes that however premature the formation of a herd may be, that it was somehow necessary to the healing process of the Rift. Alliances, plans, saftey would all benefit the land, she wasn't sure how, but somehow it had all begun to click together after her discussion with Taivus. Though Aurelia had vehemently disagreed with Taivus, some of what she said did make sense. The land would heal as its inhabitants simply lived on it. At first, this idea had been so foreign to Aurelia, but perhaps part of her began to understand (though she would never admit this to Taivus).

"Yes, the formation of an entire herd may be premature," she agrees before continuing. "And a gathering place is a good start, but more will need to follow quickly." As she says this, her aurelian eyes spot the approach of Rixen, the pegasus stallion she'd met days earlier. Their group was small, but it was growing by the second. Soon there would need to be more.

"I think most of us can agree that at least a gathering place would be beneficial," she scans the crowd, searching for anyone who disagrees to find out why. "Otem's proposed idea is certainly a good one." Now she looks at the tribrid who so energetically had called for this meeting. It was definitely not a bad idea, and Aurelia made it known she did not feel as though it was one. Aurelia just felt as if it needed more weight. Still, she was okay with being told the subject of herds was far too soon to discuss. "And if we all agree we need at least some sort of.. whatever this is," she said, gesturing with her whiskered snout to the group that had formed. "We need to discuss the logistics. When will we meet?" Calling the meeting now had certainly worked out for Otem, the turn out was great and it'd only been a few minutes but in the future would random callings work? "Who will call the meetings? One designated person, or whoever has something important to say? Or do we just meet on set days at set times?" As everyone probably did, Aurelia had questions and questions. "We should decide this all now. Otem," once again her attention focused solely on the mare. "You called us all here... what do you think? Did you have any ideas?"

She'd spoken enough for now and fell silent as she waited to see what the others said and how they felt about everything that was being proposed. Aurelia was certainly not the 'leader' of this group, nor did she intend to be, but she was extremely vocal, unafraid to ask the pressing questions as the champagne stallion had begun to do moments ago. Some of the horses were quieter and hadn't shared their opinions yet, Rixen and the blue/black stallion, but others had begun to freely vocalize their concerns and ideas, the champagne stallion, Kiada, Aurelia, and Otem. For this to work, everyone needed to speak up at least a little. No suggestion was a bad suggestion.




à la folie;
to madness
image || coding


odd mentioned no posting order, so i hope it's okay i posted again? let me know if i should delete this and wait if not c:
{Image: 1zxwow6.jpg}
Roscorro the Dragon Heart
Currently championing: Caevoc
#10
Roscorro
The large stallion was rather late to the party. In fact, he hadn't the slightest idea why everyone was gathering around here. He only knew that a familiar voice had called out to him. So he came. He stood on the outskirts of the group, quietly watching and listening as he attempted to figure out what was going on. A golden mare was speaking and he listened intently to what she had to say. His head cocked in curiosity. Meetings. Gatherings.

Were they trying to form some sort of group? There were too few of them to call this a proper herd. But it was clear they were trying to form some form of allied group. But what was it all for? His gaze drifted toward Kiada and he smiled, happy to see her as well as Otem. He was unfamiliar with the others, though the shinning orbs of hope that floated near each one was very familiar. Still unsure of what was happening Roscorro remained silent.

That wasn't hard, he still could not speak after his last encounter with the Rift. He'd wait to draw attention to himself when he had all of the facts. Though with his size and formidable appearance, it never took very long for someone to notice him. He only hoped that they wouldn't ask him to leave or cause a scene. He didn't want this meeting interrupted. He wanted to learn more! Was this even a thing he wanted to get involved in? The idea of having a small bunch of allies to rely upon appealed to the monstrous tribrid. A semblance of a home or safe place to return to with people who actually wanted him. The thought was too good to be true. But one could dream.

He perked his ears forward hopefully, eager to learn more about this potential gathering place and its purpose. For once the stallion had a purpose of his own. To spread his little light around the world. If these equine were gathered here for that same reason, then maybe he could make some new friends along the way. Maybe he could find a home?
talk talk talk


>Rosco being a clueless, hopeful goof as he hangs out on the fridges of the group.
You have my permission to use magic/force against Roscorro.
Maiming and killing is not allowed, though.