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Home » Search » Roster » Whitepages » Records » FAQ » Guidebook
I will be found
Open Riptide Isles 
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#1
 


Once upon a time, in a land presumably far far away, there was a mare who helped slay a god. That mare had been Isopia, and the god had been a devastatingly powerful bear. Since coming (or being pulled into) the Rift, Otem had always wondered if she'd meet the god that her mother had vanquished. She'd heard tales of the crocodile, wolf, and tiger, so it made sense that somewhere in the vastness of the Rift there would be that bear. 

But on a bright and sunny afternoon such as this one, Otem didn't expect to encounter anything untoward. It would simply be a day like any other; Otem would be on the lookout for any without an orb and would keep her ears listening for the call of the Matron (or someone similar) with more tasks. Until then, Otem was content to simply let her mind and imagination wonder, temporarily forgetting about the lingering heartaches of having lost her home and everyone she held dear.

Above, Pandora flew on near-silent wings, swooping high and low with the breezes and dropping towards the ground at breath-taking speed to catch small varmints that scurried in the underbrush.



otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits



Kiada <3

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#2
the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
It was such a warm day, so warm in fact that Kiada couldn’t for the life of her get rid of that sweat sheen that turned her gilded hide into a darker bronze, darkening her face to where ivory stripes turned grey and the black turned into a dark depthless, starless night. But she continued wandering, if for nothing else than to have something to do with her time. As she wandered, Khairi hunted as he usually did when nothing important was happening. The vulture seemed to have this insatiable hunger that even the creatures of the Rift couldn’t help.

So Kiada continued to wander until Khairi alerted her. He spotted Pandora, swooping in her own hunt. Quietly, the vulture slipped toward the owl and crooned a greeting with a strange kind of smile on his bearded beak. And while he was busy with Pandora, Kiada knew that Otem was more than likely nearby – and so the young mare began her own hunt to search for the pegasus. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken long, but the sheen of sweat still stuck to her thick neck as she approached the autumn colored mare. “Otem!” She called cheerfully toward the mare. “Khairi saw Pandora nearby so I thought you’d be around.” She offered the mare with a gentle smile, stepping closer toward her.

Kiada hadn't seen Otem since everyone had been sharing hope with the various creatures of the Rift, and hadn't really had a chance to speak to her outside of the gathering meeting the young woman had called. She felt as though there was much to be said, mainly of which how the Mountain that Knows was able to speak through something that Otem had worn. Perhaps it was a question for another day, or perhaps she'd find a way to bring it up in this happy circumstance.

"Talk."
and she is —
gold, gold, gold.
Kiada
image | coding


@Otem

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#3
 


Had the much-larger vulture not called out in greeting, Pandora might have thought her life was in peril. Though the owl knew almost nothing about vultures, since the species did not often share the same ecosystem, her instincts were fine-tuned enough to know that he was more of a predator than she. And so while her own trill was a welcoming one, there was a stutter of nerves beneath.

Possessing none of the skills of observation that Pandora had, it took her name leaving Kiada's lips for Otem to become aware of another's presence. Spinning on oddly long legs, the sap and soil coloured mare felt a genuine smile spread across her lips at the sight of the unmistakable markings of Kiada.

"Hallo!" Otem returned brightly, allowing her wings to drop slightly from her sides so that whatever breeze there was could reach her flanks. Glancing upwards she saw Pandora and Khairi sharing the skies, which made her smile faltering slightly. "You know, I don't think I've seen anyone else with a companion here.." Her bi-coloured eyes clouded for a moment as her gaze left the two avians and returned to Kiada. "They were so common in Helovia and now here ... well, it feels like it's just you and me who have them."




otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#4
the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
The trill of greeting to Khairi from Pandora had a small dip of his head in return. While Khairi was quite the hunter, he didn’t exactly feed the same way that Pandora did. Where owls tended to swallow creatures whole, Khairi was more of a scavenger. Though, while it was hard to scavenge things in the Rift, he wasn’t beyond killing a creature to disregard the meat and feast on the marrow inside it’s bones. His powerful beak was strong enough to break a bone up to the size of a lamb’s femur, though he rarely hunted or scavenged any creatures that were that size. Not without Keusi by his side as it was back in Helovia. The thought kept Khairi a bit solemn as he flew with Pandora, hoping that his presence wasn’t too frightening. At the very least, the vulture preferred small creatures instead of other feathered beings.

At Otem’s hello, Kiada offered a grin to her. Though the next set of words from the Autumn mare had her head drifting up to where the pair of birds hunted as she nodded quietly. “I have seen a few others with companions, but I’m not sure where they’ve gone to. Erebos lost one of his two companions, and my mother still has hers.” She offered in the hope of bringing some brightness to the conversation. Yet, she understood. She remembered wandering the various lands in Helovia and seeing all these creatures tied down to each horse. It was something she found exciting and was beyond pleased when Khairi hatched and was hers. “Perhaps the Rift has its own creatures for companions? And with the sickness they haven’t been able to show yet.” She offered thoughtfully, perhaps a bit sad at the idea of these companions unable to come to life because of the dark looming shadow the Rift always had.

She shook her head to ward away the saddened thoughts, tossing her pale forelock from her sweaty face as she turned her gaze back to Otem. “I do miss Helovia.” She added in, her eyes glazing over with a small amount of darkness. “I miss everyone that was there, the happiness everyone had, the homes to go to.” There was a pause as she turned her gaze back to Otem. “I think it was a brave and great thing you did to try and start a herd. I’d like to help you in any way I can.” Kiada added in, offering her a small smile as the brightness returned to her eyes.

"Talk."
and she is —
gold, gold, gold.
Kiada
image | coding

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#5
 


Otem nods her head in agreement. Her father hadn't wasted any of his time looking for his lost dragon once they had entered the Rift. As soon as the Indomitable had made sure all of his children had arrived safely, he'd gone looking for the red beast. Otem hadn't understood it, but from what Kiada was saying it certainly seemed like something common which happened to those with more than one companion. Silently, she offered a silent prayer of thankfulness that she'd only entered with one. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in this place without Pandora.

"That makes sense.." Otem said thoughtfully, nodding as the idea took hold in her mind. Of course. The bond between she and Pandora had been tenuous when they'd first entered the Rift. No wonder she hadn't seen others with companions, or even companionable species. There was probably something preventing it. "I wonder what Rift companions are like ... if they're anything like some of the species I've seen around, I bet they're really weird." She concluded with a chuckle.

"I miss Helovia too...I miss knowing where things were and how they were supposed to be..." Otem tried not to let the dark feelings of melancholy invade her thoughts and her heart. She'd gotten pretty good at blocking out thoughts and feelings from what she considered to be her old life. "Oh..thanks." Otem mumbled, feeling both proud of herself and self-conscious at the same time. Being younger than nearly everyone made the tribrid feel like she was at a serious disadvantage. Or perhaps it was just because there had been so many early problems with her initial herd proposal. If she was being entirely rational, she'd realize that every plan changes along the way. But unlike her mother, Otem was not entirely rational, and so each new suggestion at their 'herd' meeting, had stung a little. Still, she was more than pleased to hear that Kiada was still on board. "Having us meet in Halyven was a really good idea. I've already directed a few newcomers there, and it was so easy to tell them the way since it's so distinctive." She added, wanting Kiada to know how much she had genuinely appreciated the mare's contributions.

"I know that the Dragon's Throat and World's Edge were just places in Helovia, just like Halyven is a place, but it feels so strange to try and call somewhere home, or a group a herd right now. I know everyone says you don't need gods to have a herd...but it's so hard to think about doing it a different way than what we always have, you know?"



otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#6
the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
As Otem spoke of the Rift companions and chuckled, Kiada offered her own laugh in response. “I like to imagine mini Magnus Metus’ running around chasing their bondeds.” Another laugh erupted from Kiada at the thought – tiny pale creatures blind from not having eyes, but that strange snout with the churning teeth that seemed to latch onto anything like a leech. But then the conversation drifted to Helovia, and she nodded solemnly. She had to agree – she knew where to get herbs best needed for different events, knew that the Thistle Meadow was a great spot in the heart of Helovia between nearly everything, and mostly she missed the temperate seasons.

Otem took Kiada’s praise quietly, and the spotted mare allowed her gaze to drift to the world around them, peering from the heat and sunlight to best gauge their openness in this strange land. Despite being here for so long, everything felt strange and definitely not like home. She passed a small sigh through her nose, turning her head back to Otem as she spoke of Halyven. There was a small bob of her head as a smile bloomed gently across her pink splotched muzzle. “My mother was born there, I guess I fell in love with it for that reason alone.” She offered the girl, but pleased that the idea was great. “I haven’t encountered anyone, but at least I know where to go when I want company.” She added in, hoping it lessened that ever growing hole in her chest.

Then, she spoke of the Dragon’s Throat and World’s Edge, and she nodded. “I know what you mean.” She began, shifting on her inky feet. “I miss the Aurora Basin, especially. The World’s Edge never truly felt like home despite all my family being there. I felt more at home in the Basin with Erebos and Deimos.” She noted, remembering the strong dark leader of the Basin who had praised her for her work in the Threshold even though she was a child. But Otem kept speaking of gods and she nodded along, quietly. “I have ties with Kisamoa… I wonder if I tried to speak to him about it what he’d have to say, if he’d be the god for the land while it grows to at least watch over us.” She paused thoughtfully. “I also wonder if there’s a way to revive the gods here that the Helovian’s killed. When I stepped into the Scint River with Kisamoa, many things happened – but I helped find the items the Helovian’s possessed from the battles and when I gave it to him they became imbedded into him.” Kiada’s voice drifted off as she remembered the third eye cresting across Kisamoa’s face, staring at her with an unnerving ferocity. “I wonder what that would do to Kis.” She added in, perhaps a bit more melancholy than she intended to come out.

"Talk."
and she is —
gold, gold, gold.
Kiada
image | coding

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#7
 


At the mention of the Metus, Otem comically shook her head and made a show of widening her eyes in faux horror. To be fair, the Metus was a predator like any other, and so the fact that he had attacked her wasn't really that surprising or blameworthy. Still, his eyeless face often haunted her dreams, despite the fact that their last meeting wasn't all that bad. A little funny actually, given that he'd eaten the ball of hope. "Even if that's the case, I don't think I'd bond to one anytime soon." Otem chuckled.

As Kiada mentioned that her mother had been born into Halyven, Otem took a genuine breath in, holding it for a moment as her mind puzzled out this new information. She'd never met Rexanna, but she definitely knew of her. Though the mare had one of the oddest coat and marking combinations that she'd ever seen, it wasn't so other wordly that Otem would have ever guessed it belonged to this place. "That's..." Otem finally exhaled, but still couldn't find the words. "Wow. I had no idea. "

But if Otem thought Rex being from Halyven was a shock, she was in for an even bigger surprise.

I have ties with Kisamoa…

Jealousy flashed through Otem, and immediately the mulch mare had to remind herself that just because the god had ties with someone else, that did not mean he didn't have ties with her. Still, Otem had already lost almost everything that had made her once unique and so she was equipped to deal with the feelings that Kiada's words stirred up. Biting her lip and forcing herself to listen, she leaned forward, her attention rapt. The jealousy was followed by a flash of embarrassment as Kiada mentioned following Kis into the river. During that period Otem had been left tearful and in shock on the bank, watching as a ghostly version of her mother appeared to say her final goodbyes. Otem had done nothing useful, save for adding her tears to the Scint, unlike Kiada who had apparently fallen into some other dimension entirely.

"I remember some of those items ... My mother had one, a sword I think...I wonder if those gods would want anything to do with us, after all thats happened. We took their land, killed them - or at least thought that we did - and now here we are again invading their worlds." Otem's shoulders rose and then slumped back to her body. "If nothing else, I'd like to know what Kisamoa thinks..Maybe we wouldn't even need a god, just the blessing of the Rift." Hearing herself say those words outloud, Otem immediately clenched her teeth together as a sheepish look came over her face. Though now that she had said them, she decided it was best to elucidate a tad. "I mean .. I just think sometimes that the Rift is sentient, you know? It grants things and asks things of us .. that's a sort of sentient right? And we don't say of things without minds that they are sick. Rocks and hurricanes can't be sick, and because the Rift is sick .. I just .. I dunno." Again her shoulders rose and fell.

Maybe the Rift was just a collection of matter and she was crazy for thinking it had a mind, and that perhaps that mind cared about her at all.


otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#8
the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
The surprise that came from the realization that Rexanna had hailed from Halyven was something Kiada may have been expecting. It was definitely surprising, at least for her when her mother had admitted as such. So she nodded quietly to the girl, allowing her to process the information. “It was pulled to the Rift after everything happened.” She added in, thinking about how she worded it where it may have sounded as though she hailed from the Rift – thankfully, no. But if she had, would things be different? She couldn’t dwell on the thought for too long until Otem began to speak again, the spotted mare completely and blissfully unaware of the jealousy raging through the autumn woman.

After a few moments, she nodded. “I like to think that we were ignorant then, perhaps they will forgive us for everything we’re trying to do to make it better.” She paused, thoughtfully, shrugging her gilded shoulder as the X marking etched into her shoulder oozed more teal liquid that resembled a lot of Kisamoa’s own teal goo. But as Otem continued, Kiada paid no mind to the teal liquid seeping from her chest – instead, enjoying the feeling of the chill as a wind began to pick up slightly, cooling her bronze hued body. “I think the blessing would be something to strive for.” She added in before Otem elaborated. She listened, knowing and reminiscing in the way Otem tried to explain, fluttering over ideas for trying not to sound ridiculous. Kiada offered her a genuine smile and nodded.

I also think the Rift is alive in some way. How else would you explain the Portal situation?” She questioned with a tilt of her head, her white forelock falling over her face slightly before getting stuck on her crescent shaped horn. “It surely feels sick. And I think Kis realizes that. I wonder where he’s gone off to brood to, if he plans on helping or seeing if we can handle it on our own.” She added in briefly, turning her icy gaze back toward Otem. “Lately, I've been thinking that we’re helping, but so far it doesn’t seem like anything’s changed. Rixen and I were nearly eaten by the Forest Walkers, all the hope did was smack them in the face, make them glow, and leave us alone. Aside from that I haven't noticed any differences.” She tried to stifle a laugh growing in her throat from the experience, edged slightly by the strangeness she felt at the idea of spreading this hope with no results.

"Talk."
and she is —
gold, gold, gold.
Kiada
image | coding

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)
Otem the Hopebringer
Currently championing:
#9
 


"Oh right.." Otem all but mumbled. It wasn't that far of a leap to have assumed Rexanna's being from Halyven also meant that she was from the Rift, but Isopia's insistence on accuracy had left Otem with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, such that an intellectual mistake made her feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Unsure where she stood on the issue of the Helovian's having tried to kill the Riftian gods, Otem merely shrugged again. Her mother told her that when the first battle broke out, Isopia had been the only one to try and get everyone to think about what they were doing. No one had listened of course and the wolf had died (or at least they had all thought it did), but then Isopia had participated in all of the other battles. What did that say about the morality of it? Otem had no idea, but if someone had tried to kill her, she didn't think she'd be too pleased about it, even if it was a misunderstanding. "I suppose we'll find out." She concluded noncommittally.

That Kiada spoke to starkly about Kisamoa and his apparent lack of direction made Otem smile with awe, silently wondering if the mare was going to be struck down by a bolt of lightning for her heresy. She wasn't wrong though. "The Metus just ate the ball of light that we brought. I'm not sure how much good that is going to do anyone."  The mention of Rixen's name made Otem think about when she and the unicorn had tried to touch the black veil that seemed to partition the lands from each other. "I was with Rixen once too, and we tried to see if our orbs could do anything to move the shadows that cover the land. Not only did nothing happen, but I tried to touch the shadowy barrier and was pushed back out. It was the weirdest feeling. I want to think that we're helping too but ... it just seems so much bigger than all of us. But I'm sure that Kisamoa has a plan.. Do you think we'll see him again soon?"


otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits

You may always use magic/force on/against Otem.
Explorer Kiada
Currently championing: Vjanta
#10
the sun inside of her rages like wildfire
Otem spoke of finding out what would happen if the gods were revived, and she nodded, turning her gaze back toward the sky and the world around them. Sometimes she thought about that idea too much, and the hurt within her chest – that dark black hole of emptiness – seemed to grow and pulse the longer she kept her mind there, so she tried to refrain from thinking about it too much. Regardless, as Otem spoke of the Metus eating the ball of light, she whipped her head toward the Autumn hued mare as a bark of a laugh left her lips. “He ate it?” She cackled again, the laughter racking through her body at the thought of the Metus gulping down a ball of hope.

When she had gathered herself again, she shook her head in disbelief. And she thought the orbs with the Walkers was strange, how would she have felt to see them eat it. There was a smile tugging on her lips as she paid attention to the next set of words Otem spoke of, the black veil and Kiada’s ears flickered as she pondered the thought. “Things seem to glow when they get the hope restored. Maybe once enough of the lands are lit up, the light will push the darkness back? Perhaps the orbs weren’t enough to change it?” She questioned, thinking out loud before actually realizing the things she said sounded a bit extreme. A bit anxious, she lowered her head slightly. “That sounds kind of ridiculous, but I guess it’s a thought.” She amended. But Otem continued with the same strange feeling that Kiada had been feeling this entire time.

Nodding to the pegasus, she asked if they’d see him again. And Kiada surely hoped so, ever since the hole that had opened in her heart from Ru’in’s death, any time Kisamoa had acknowledged her or spoke to her, she felt that hole lighten ever so slightly. Perhaps it was ridiculous to have a stupid childish crush on a mismatched god of a land that tried to kill them – perhaps it was stupid to try and love the creature that had killed everything else she loved, but she was young and stupid and made mistake after mistake. Maybe one day Kiada would learn from them. Yet, she still nodded to Otem. “I hope we do. There’s still much to do with the Rift, hopefully Kis hasn’t abandoned us with it all.” She added in, her voice wavering as she spoke of the thought. Then, a smile bloomed on her lips. “If he’s gone long enough I’ll yell at him again.” She added with a small laugh, reminiscing of the first gathering he had called when they arrived, and how she had faced him with all the rage and fury of someone who had lost those she loved.

"Talk."
and she is —
gold, gold, gold.
Kiada
image | coding


girls got a lil crush because she's dumb lmao <3

TROY FALLS A THOUSAND TIMES,
IN EVERY DREAM I DREAM.
(LIKE ASHES, LIKE ASHES,
LIKE A STAR BURNING OUT.)