Beqanna - Mountain Archives

Give me just one more touch

Thu, 13 May 2021 19:30:24 +0000

Kiss me again
Kiss me until I am sick of it

Spring is right around the corner and winter was starting to slowly relax it’s harsh icy grip. He had waited patiently for the fae to return, to see the tiny glittering wings sparkling over the snow and greet him in their coy truthful way. Waited for them to come back and explain where they had been, why they had left in the first place.

They never come.

The traces of them are still there, he finds signs of their presence. He finds their nectar (as if knowing he cannot survive without), sometimes he thinks he can hear the twinkling sound of their laughter. But he never sees them. For the second time in his life, he is abandoned.

He is not filled with the same raging fire that had spurred his first trip to the Mountain which makes the hard climb that much tougher. It’s still there, that vexation licking at his insides, but it’s subdued compared to last time. The depths of his red eyes are dark with worry and anger when he finally reaches the summit, just as tired and exhausted as last time. He regards the cold clearing with scrutiny, knowing that they are all just within reach, just out of view. “I know you have something to do with this.” He states clearly to the whistling mountain, addressing Beqanna’s faerie hierarchy that he knows lurk nearby. If his fae family had disappeared, he’s sure it’s because of them.

Curved ears twist back slightly, showing his displeasure as his lips tug at their corners into a frown. His voice dead of emotion. “I told you I’ll keep coming back. Here I am. If you’re going to take them then the least you could do is give me something to remember them by.”

Obscene

Obscene is back to petition for the trait Equus Fae
First attempt: https://beqanna.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=29296

@[Officials]

UPDATE: Will be claiming Equus Fae as one of my giveaway traits but don't mind a response if anyone has the time, no worries if you don't!

Bring me a raging tide so strong, to break this flower free

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 01:07:38 +0000

Come ye now and break thy hold

Genasi

In and out, roll the salty tides that lap hungrily at the warm sands of the shore. The summer air was heavy with humidity, but the cool salty spray of the sea relieved a very sweaty grulla mare that stood on a rocky jetty overlooking the sea. She peered longingly over the mysterious blue depths, yearning to be swallowed beneath its ever churning surface. She had always wondered what it would be like, to live beneath the waves, like the many magnificent marine creatures she sees on the horizon. Always leaping and twisting in the air with such joy, absolutely free. Genasi took in a deep breath, drawing ocean air deep into her lungs before letting it out in a long sigh. She remembered her mother speaking of her kin, stories of stunning sea dwelling equines called Kelpies. Genasi had never seen a kelpie before, let alone her kin. She knew only that her father's name was Ivar. Her mother wasn't keen on sticking to one place for long, so she was on her way shortly after conceiving Genasi. She wished her mother had chosen to raise her amongst her kin, but at least she still had Azlan. Despite never having been around her kelpie family, and did not outwardly have the scales or fins, the ocean called to her. Each crash of the waves, were the very beat of her own heart. Every day she ventured to the edge of the forest, to gaze upon the vast blue ocean. She couldn't bare it any longer, she needed to do something about it. She turned her back to the sea, and with a final glace over her shoulder, she began to push deeper into the forest.

She traveled for a long while, her yearning heart driving her toward the mountains. Deep down she was anxious, she had never been to the mountains. When she was a foal, her elder sister Pyrite had told her stories of the mountains, of how they were forged in Beqanna's cataclysm, how the horses of her generation had traveled there to ask for forgiveness and form the lands Genasi knew now. Though she had no idea if the stories her sister told her were true or if she had just made them up, Genasi still enjoyed them and still found herself in awe of it. She pondered for a moment, letting herself take in her surroundings. The forest around her was still thick with fragrant pines, though the path under hoof was beginning to slope upward and was becoming more tough. The path, once a soft dirt path cushioned by a blanket of pine needles, was now harder and mixed with bits of shale that crackled under her hooves as she pressed onward. Her turquoise tipped ears were pricked forward, angling slightly to listen for danger. The trees thinned and it was apparent now that she was on the mountain trail, carefully scaling its very difficult climb towards the summit. She was beginning to doubt herself as she reached mid way, seeming more to her like a whole other mountain's length away. She stopped for a moment, taking in a sharp breath of cold mountain air. Drying out her mouth and making her nostrils dry and sore. She was unsure if she should veer off the path to look for a stream, worried she would not find her way back to be lost up here for good. She was beginning to panic, but a voice inside her screamed for her to keep going. She shook herself, letting out a frustrated whinny. She was tired of being so meek, so babied. She was done being weak. She needed to press on.

The golden streaked mare trudged onward, closing in on the summit. Her legs felt like they were made of lead, so heavy. As hard it was for her, her determination drove her to push aside her anxieties and keep climbing toward her future. She shivered as a frigid breeze blew over her silky summer coat, it gave no protection in this weather. It ruffled her mane and tail, her steely eyes were mere slits against the cold dry breezes, she was not expecting it to be this cold up here. As she reached the peak, she startled briefly upon realizing how high up she had trekked. She backed up quickly and was unaware of the ledge she was creeping all too close to her as she panicked, as her hind hoof hit the edge, it faltered and her hind leg was jerked out from under her. Her legs flailed and loose stones were sent tumbling off the side of the mountain. She scrambled madly, letting out a shriek as she struggled to get her footing. She managed to kick down onto a small rock shelf just under the ledge and managed to haul herself back up onto the summit. Shaking, her courage took over, as she slammed her hoof down into the cold, snow dusted rock underneath. Furrowing her brow and giving a snort of pride, she looked to the skies and let out a call of victory. For she had made it to the top on her own. (though she did almost fling herself right off the side of the mountain to her death..) She was no older than 5, yet she had only lived her life being dependent on her family and friends, until now. She lived so long in fear and in the shadow of her great ancestors, she was done being small and insignificant. She wanted courage, she wanted to be like the glorious kelpie kin she had heard stories about. She wanted the sea, and to seek the mysteries that lie within the rocking blue abyss. She called to the faeries in the bravest voice she could muster, the wind almost cutting her words to pieces as they parted from her dark velveteen lips.

"Great Faeries of Beqanna, I have climbed here to the peak of the mountains seeking a quest...", she let her words fall still for a moment, gathering her wits.

"I am tired of feeling meek, I want courage, to find it within myself. And my heart...it yearns for the sea. I feel there is something primal inside of me that calls for the sea. I ask you, please help me find this within myself. I feel like I could be so much greater. I would be eternally grateful.", she closed her eyes and bowed her turquoise laced head respectfully for a moment.

Her steely gaze pierced the sky as she stood proudly, shivering, atop the peak. She had faith that the fae would hear her call, having been raised with strong belief in Beqanna's ancient magic entities. She had never seen the Faeries, but she had witnessed what they could do, how they could effect the very world around her so drastically. These beings held power so ancient, so great. She was beginning to feel small the more she thought about them as she stood there waiting. She wondered if she was selfish asking for something like this, but there was no turning back now.

Or brace thyself for I do battle bold

OOC: Genasi would like to quest to express her sea serpent mimicry please! <3

they all come into the light [the end]

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 22:32:31 +0000

They agree, as Beqanna has always known they would.

So it takes from the four of them (Firion, Leilan, Flower, and Volos) the very smallest piece of their soul.

They take from the rest of the horses in Beqanna as well - those living, those who have lived, and all those who will ever live. A bit of them that is intangible and so infinitesimal that they might never even be aware of its absence, a bit of them that Beqanna’s magic had given them in the first place. They had already taken it from those who chose the cliff path, that missing piece of themselves that did not reassemble on the beach.

And with those pieces, Beqanna (for the fae before them is the magic of their world embodied) reweaves the broken veils between the worlds. Next, with the aid of their souls, Beqanna reaches out to the moon where she rests in front of the sun, and the moon listens. The Monster magic had kept her still and content (though she is rarely anything else), but she will move for her cousin the Sunrise.

The sun blazes brightly in relief when he is freed (too brightly, and Beqanna must siphon off the light, breaking it into pieces small enough for the world to handle). The world is alight, as bright a noonday as had been stifled by the Eclipse. The light is the end of the monsters, though a handful remain in the shadowy depths of the forest, and in the darkest hollows of the land where no light reaches.

When the magic is finished, Beqanna returns the magic to them.

But it has changed.

It returns to Firion, Leilan, Flower, and Volos like four individual suns. So bright that they must close their eyes lest they be blinded. When they open them they stand on the Beach, and the lights have grown dim, and taken on the shape of an animal. They recognize the animal as part of themselves, and the moment they do, they feel the magic of it settle into them.

The four have found themselves on the beach along with those who had perished on the cliff - Reave, Kaenros, and Amarine. Three glowing orbs become animals for that trio as well, settling beside them and restoring what had been unknowingly taken.

For their bravery, Reave, Kaenros, Amarine have been given a Companion.
For their willingness to sacrifice themselves, Leilan, Firion, Volos, and Flower have been given Magic and a Companion.
For their suffering, every character who has posted during the Eclipse has gained a 0 space glowing or light-related trait (sparkling, glittering, glowing tattoos, glows in moonlight, etc). This also applies to foals who were due this season but have not yet been born.

they all come into the light [round 4]

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:14:51 +0000

Those who chose to take the path along the cliff soon found themselves surrounded. There are monsters of every shape and size, and they are torn to pieces, each moment seeming an eternity of excruciating pain.

Then there is blackness. It turns to grey.

Slowly, very slowly, they will feel themselves coming back together in the endless nothing. Well, almost back together. Some part of them is missing, some part they hadn’t ever really been aware they had. They will wake, at last, on the Beach - perhaps seeing some of the ghostlike visages of those who had tried to rescue the entities. They

Those who chose the river will find the others waiting there: Firion, Leilan, Flower, and Volos. But there are monsters here as well, and during the long battle that follows, the four of them are injured and all are eventually pushed back into the river.

The water is deep, so incredibly deep that as they sink the pale light of the afterworld above them fades, and then vanishes entirely. The sinking turns to falling, and the blackness to light, and then they are standing in front of the same multi-eyed fae that had led them to the Afterlife.

But it is not quite the same, for something about it has changed, becoming inexplicably more. When it speaks, its voice is both barely audible and painfully loud, heard as much in their minds as their ears.

The distraction they have provided given the fae time to create a solution. It is not a flawless solution, and it is one that will have reverberating effects on every sentient creature. But it is the only solution. The entities are lost beyond hope, but Beqanna is not.

Beqanna has always given each of her children a part of her magic, but for this feat to work, they must take a bit of it back. Beqanna has never done this before, and they do not know the consequences, only that the end result will be successful.

Are you willing to take the risk?

Some notes:
- horses who chose the cliff have been eliminated; further details about what happened to your characters and what the consequences are will in the final quest post
- remaining characters must describe fighting the monsters, falling into the river, and finding Beqanna
- post must end with a clear answer as to whether your character is willing to help Beqanna despite unknown consequences. There is no wrong answer
- posts must be no more than 1000 words
- Entries are due by 11:59 PM CST on Sunday, April 4th (aka Sunday night just before midnight)
- Message us here or on Discord if you have any other questions!

Auto Quest.

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:07:59 +0000

“I love you.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

He said it like a prayer and she believed him like he was speaking gospel, whispered his name while they laid their sins out bare for no one but the stars to judge. They loved one another with everything they had, but in the end that had not been enough. He was betrothed to someone else, after all, and he couldn’t stand to tarnish the reputation of the empire his own mother had worked so hard to build. Once he told her that he would be going back, that he could only meet with her in private from that point on—that publicly, he would never be hers, she fled and never looked back. Love be damned. Despite what her more primitive instincts told her, despite the fact that by nature she should be okay with what he was doing and he was still hers, she couldn’t stand to see him with his would-be Queen or hear his mother dote over them any longer.

She never told him she was pregnant; in fact, she never saw his face again. Her travels led her to the furthest reaches of the world, to a place not even his General of a mother would dare to travel, and she felt some sort of small pride in that. That she was doing things even they could not. Overcoming the fear of a place they’d only ever heard about from elders, the lost faces whose names had long since faded from the world they only spoke about in hushed voices. A place whose name held such weight she saw the elders shudder in fear at its very mention.

Beqanna.

It was told to children at bedtime to scare them, sure, but she knew it was real all the same. By the time she reached its fabled shores, she was due to soon give birth to her own child; she spent her time in the shadows, hiding from the others, surprised at how most of them resembled the horses from her own home and then the others who had powers she couldn’t even begin to fathom. She wondered, and worried, what her own child might be like.

Would it have her horns? Its father’s wings? Both?

Would it look like her or bare his spots?

The wintry days seemed to stretch on forever here, but finally, the gray clouds parted and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief as the snow melted and the leaves returned. She’d never seen such green grass before, so many colorful and magnificent flowers. And finally, towards the end, when the days felt more like summer than spring, she gave birth to her daughter and her heart started to ache all over again. She looked just like him, she even had his wings, though her eyes and horns she had most certainly gotten from her mother.

“Nereza,” she named her, smiling—though her gold eyes shimmered with unshed tears. It was her grandmother’s name, though her child would never know that she was named after a foreign Queen. Never know that her mother had named her it out of spite, nor that the name was prophetic, in a way—’Nereza,’darkness.

—

It is not certain where it must go, only that it must keep running if it wants to stay alive. It flits through the trees, screaming silently—though the monsters behind it surely seem to hear it. Its little wings beat rapidly, its heart thundering against its ribs; it kicks off the bark with its tiny hooves, leaving a wake of sparks and smoke as if someone had tried to strike flint.

“Nope, nope, nopesies!” It bounces from tree to tree, dodging the monsters as they leap for it, attracted by the light emanating from its little body—taunted by it.

It should not exist, after all.

Its light needs to be snuffed out.

One of them roar, cleaving a tree in half with its jagged claws. It catches the pixie, barely, with one sharp tip. But for a creature so small? The wound is fatal. Perhaps not instantly, no, but enough that the monsters cease their chase and allow the creature to weakly flutter off into the forest to die. Its flickering pleases them, knowing that its light will be snuffed out soon. They turn, heading back out into the abyss.

—

Shortly before she turned a year old, Nereza’s mother succumbed to an unknown illness. There was nothing to be done after the fever set in. She became weak, paralyzed, and began talking out of her head; something about kings, and queens, and the like. Nereza stayed with her mother, comforting her, promising to be good and to do her very best to stay that way even until the bitter end. When she stopped breathing, the fairies came and took her body away. The Beach, they said.

Nereza isn’t sure where that is, but she’d liked to find it one day. Of course, whenever the light comes back. It’s probably full of quiet old ghosts who would like someone to pay them a visit and she would definitely love to go pay her mother her respects. The spotted filly ponders this, and more, as she picks her way through a thick patch of woods. The wood turns into a forest, and while she at first fears that she is lost, she supposes that one must have a home in order to be lost and she doesn’t have one of those in the first place.

It’s been some months since her mother died, since the darkness came, and despite all this? It has never occurred to her that she might want to find some place to seek shelter. Nope. So long as she can fill her belly and find somewhere to lay her head when sleep wants to come claim her, she feels perfectly content to remain a nomad.

She sighs, pulling her wings in close once she feels a thorn scrape warningly against her legs. It doesn’t break the skin, but it leaves an itch that she wants to scratch so badly that it makes her eyes water. Whatever the plant is that the thorns are protecting, it makes her sneeze and the sound causes a soft ‘oh!’ to come from the underbrush nearby.

That’s when she notices it.

A flickering light that seems to be waning.

She cocks her head, sucking in a deep breath to try and smell whatever it is that might be holding such a rare commodity. All that does is cause her to suck in a bunch of pollen, however, and she sneezes even louder.

“Stops doing that, stupid!”

“HEY. Don’t call me names, whatever you—”

It pokes its head out from under the moss, glaring at her, though it can only keep the hateful look up for so long before it starts coughing and from its little lips spew spatters of florescent pink blood.

Nereza, suddenly scared for the little creature, steps closer and drops her head to sniff around at it. “Are you okay?”

“No, idiot giant,” it mutters, laying its head back down and closing its eyes.

Though most of it is obscured by moss and leaf litter, Nereza can see the bright blood pooling around its glowing body. At first, she tries to bite back her tears, but the more she tries to do that, the harder it seems to do. They start streaming down her face, down her neck. “I-I don’t know you, but I don’t want you to die,” she manages, though her voice wavers. “You… y-you can come with me, you c-can be my new f-f-friend.”

It opens its eyes, squinting against the dark to make out the horse’s face. The pixie’s expression, though pained, suddenly softens when it realizes it is dealing with a child. “Why’s are you alone?”

“I’ve always been alone,” Nereza admits, her ears slowly laying back against her head. It's only a half lie, sort of. Her mother was never coming back and she didn't see an end to her lonesome travels in sight.

“Alwaysies?”

“Always.”

The pixie studies her face, sighing, though the gesture causes it to have another coughing fit. It wouldn’t last much longer, not like this, but it could give her a gift—sort of. It would most certainly make her a target for whatever evil beings had caused the eclipse, but maybe… maybe it would help her find some friends. Maybe she could draw them in with her light.

If nothing else, it would certainly make her strong.

‘Or cause her to meet an early demise,’ the pixie thinks, though its thoughts are muddled and it grows increasingly hard to breathe.

“Giant idiot, leansy down heres, please,” the pixie beckons, shakingly holding its own little nose out for her to touch.

Nereza, just a child, naive and stupid, unaware of what the pixie is about to do, leans down and softly touches her nose to the little creature.

It immediately bursts, splattering her whole body with its florescent pink blood. She screams, and screams, and screams, bolting off through the forest as the pink fluid, seemingly having a mind of its own, spreads itself across her entire body. She doesn’t notice when the pink fluid vanishes, doesn’t notice when she begins to glow.

But they certainly do.

Auto Quest for the 0-space trait ‘Glowing.’ The white of her coat, her white horns, the white hairs of her mane/tail, the white spots on her black stockings, and the white of her wings now emit a soft glow.

Happy Spring equinox! [now with results]

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 19:41:37 +0000

Happy Spring Equinox! Enter here or donate a trait for a chance to win a new one!

RULES

Everyone who responds gets one free raffle entry, and donating a trait (or traits) gives you one extra entry
Players can only donate expressed traits, whether they be genetic or non-genetic
Traits donated by players will be given out (up to 15 - donations after that will be stored for the next raffle)
If there are fewer than 10 donations, BQ will step in and donate some of her own
Everyone who doesn't win gets their entry moved to the next raffle. These entries can carry over 3 times (giving you 4 chances to win), after which they will expire
Players can't win more than one trait per raffle
If you don’t want the trait you win, you are welcome to donate it right back! You will still get your additional entry carried over to the next raffle
0-space trait prizes can be used on any character
1+ space trait prizes can’t be used on a horse that currently has more than 5 spaces of traits
Entries will be open until March 27th at midnight US CST

i'm in my own lane, you ain't in my category

they all come into the light [round 3]

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 14:15:23 +0000

The fairy who stands with those who have chosen to rescue the entities leads the gathered horses farther up the Mountain. There, it shows them a place where the veil between Beqanna and the Afterlife is thin, and where they can pass between worlds. They enter one after the other, but when they emerge, it is alone, and it is in the darkness.

A monster had been lingering on the far side, and it plucks them up as they enter, swallowing them down its colorless throat. They fall and fall and fall, and when they finally land, it is on the bone-white Beach with a body that is not quite intact, saved at the last moment by the magic of Beqanna.

You have been eliminated from the Quest, and will be intangible (or ghost-like in other aesthetic ways) for up to 1 BQ year. You will return to solid form eventually at the pace/timing of player’s choosing. This is non-genetic.

The fairy who stands with those who have chosen to distract the monsters is taller than its companion, though they each wear matching cloudy skin and several beautiful yellow-green eyes.

They must enter the Afterlife, it explains, they must cross the ruined wall that separates the realms. It shows them that where it stands the veil is the thinnest, weak enough that anyone with purposeful intent might simply walk through.

Though they enter one after another, they arrive alone on the other side. It is a world rather like their own, and yet there is a sense of impermanence about every part of it. As though nothing here mattered, not the way it did in the world they had left before.

The fairy raises a hoof, and the ground beneath them begins to glow. They will follow this path as quickly as they can, the fairy says, and they must draw as little attention to themselves doing so as possible. They encounter others they knew as living creatures, but they cannot delay too long. When they reach the end of the path, they must make as much noise as possible to draw the attention of the Monsters that remain in the Afterlife.

Just as they near the end of the path, it splits.
One path leads up, along a cliff, and the other leads down beside a river.
Which path do you choose to follow?

Some notes:
- Horses who chose to distract must describe entering the Afterlife following the glowing path, and interacting with at least two of the truly dead, at least one of which they were close to in life (can be real or NPC)
- clearly indicate which path you choose to follow: Cliff or River?
- posts must be no more than 1234 words
- Entries are due by 11:59 PM CST on Saturday, March 20th (aka Saturday night just before midnight)
- Message us here or on Discord if you have any other questions!

they all come into the light [round 2]

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:39:30 +0000

Just as the sun should be starting to rise, two fairies appear.

Surrounded by a glow that slowly shifts across the color spectrum, the fairies look tired. Hair that is red, then gold, then mauve, hangs limply across their many eyes. They smile, but it disappears as they speak.

You are told that the Fairies have finally determined what the monsters are. They are fragments of shattered souls, separated from the rest of themselves at the moment of death, and transported to another realm. There they cling to each other, their fears and loneliness amplified and echoed until they twist themselves into something terrible and fearsome, and mete out their terror on others.

They cannot be killed, because they are not truly alive, but there is a magic that can be done to release them from the malicious knots they have tangled themselves into. The fairies hope to do this, and they need your help.

The Monsters have taken Craft, Anatomy, Nikkai, Starlace, and Straia to the Afterlife. You must save them, for their magic will help end the monsters and return light to Beqanna. The fairies are quiet for a long moment, and then one moves away from the other.

“We will attempt the rescue,” that fairy says.

“And we will serve as the distraction,” says the other.

Which will you choose?

Some notes:
- Describe your character reacting to the news from the Fairies and which team they choose to join in 1000 words or less. If your character does not wish to join a team, they may also leave the quest in their next post as well.
- Your choice will determine if/how you proceed in the quest.
- Every choice has a consquence
- Entries are due by 11:59 PM CST on Sunday, March 7th (aka sunday night just before midnight)
- Message us here or on Discord if you have any other questions!

They all come into the light [ROUND 1]

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 15:52:47 +0000

The darkness has continued, leeching away the warmth of spring and summer, sickening the plants and spoiling the waters. The monsters thrive in this environment, rejoicing in the slow decay of Beqanna into a home more suited for their kind. Carcasses can be found most anywhere, and the scent of rotting flesh and dying flora hang thick in the unnaturally humid air. There is an overabundance of fear and worry, too much even for the escaped creatures to consume, and so new monsters have begun to form, shadows in their infancy that creep along the earth like vivacious smoke.

This is not the first world that the monsters have taken, and it will not be the last.

They have never lost their grasp on a world once released into it, and as the many little ones scurry about with furious and rabid haste, the older beasts sprawl languidly across the mountains of Hyaline and jungles of Tephra, looking only to their next meal.

The fairies have been so silent, and only right now does it become clear why.

Only now, just as you’re falling asleep, do you hear their cry for help. They sound tired, weary, and though their call comes with the unmistakable brush of magic, that too feels weak. Do you answer the call and come to the base of the Mountain to help save Beqanna from what your kind have done to it?

Are you here to help return light to the world plunged into darkness, or have you come for more nefarious reasons - to sabotage the attempt, perhaps?

Happy Questing!! Some notes:
- Describe your character receiving the call from the Fairies and why they choose to answer it in 1000 words or less. Include how they have dealt with the eclipse’s darkness and their encounters with monsters in the past.
- End with your horse arriving at the base of the mountain .
- You’re aware of the others, but interaction with them is up to you.
- This is an elimination quest, and you may withdraw at any time with no penalty.
- death and maiming are possible, but death will not be permanent (unless you want it to be).
- No limit on entries, but one entry per player.
- Entries are due by 11:59 PM CST on Sunday, February 21st (aka Sunday night just before midnight)
- Message us here or on Discord if you have any other questions!

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 09:08:59 +0000

It didn't take long for the two loyal friends who were present, to agree that they needed more light and more warmth in the north. For a sovereign kingdom, the Isle was already a little odd choice, considering it's isolation by the sea - they didn't need to add that it was uninhabitable at all. Of course, the north had still wanted their king to be a dragon, and at the time the choice had seemed logical enough.

But then, those who learned to live with the cold had at least been able to find some food out there. With this eclipse, that all changed and I'd already noticed that even though I ate meat where I could to prevent myself from using up all the tough northern foliage, prey was having a difficult time too and would grow less and less abundant.

"As soon as we're allowed back up there," I'd told Nashua. I had slightly miscalculated the time it took to take the trip, with the three of us together instead of just myself and the (ridiculously) huge wings of a dragon, but here we were anyway. Again, as counted for me and Chem - and with Nashua physically present this time, too.

Last time I'd been in a hurry. This time I hope a calmer approach will give us what we need.

Light and warmth. There's a fire out there already, there is plenty magic around the place as well. I know because it's been part of that Cure they once made.

But do they have the time to spend their energy on us? "I wonder if we can do something about that eclipse in return," I voice softly - but I know I sound as dejected about it as I feel. I bet they need more than just a few men to do something about that.

sink in the river the lessons I learned

@[Chemdog] & @[Nashua]
first attempt https://beqanna.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=28632

A rose by any other name

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:00:56 +0000

I am a vain creature. When I am aware of myself, that is. Today all I can think about is how much I hate my hair. It's vivid and tangled and a forest fire on my neck. I'm sick of it. "It's time for a change, don't you think?" I muse aloud to the darkness. The darkness only stares back in response, and I take that as a yes. If I'm going to be looked at constantly, I may as well look my best.

Ignore the ragged feathers, the thin ribs. That's not why I'm here. Let's focus on this hair! This nightmare of a mane and tail that are so very long past their best. Orange and pink, such a faux past, I'm not sure how that happened but it needs to stop. Give me something a little classier. With a bit more style. I'm older now, not so reckless, so very desperate to be the center of attention. I can deal with a drop a subtlety.

Not to worry that it's dark. They'll see it eventually. I'll know it's there, and I can tell them all about it until the sun rises again. Yes, that's what I'll do. Or I'll wait, and let it be a surprise. Into the dark one color, out of it another! I giggle to myself. How fun is this? Now where are those pesky fairies...

@[Officials] Sabra is requesting a color change affecting her mane and tail. She would like to go from "sunset ombre" to multi-toned pink, please and thank you!

I don’t think the world is sold on just doing what we’re told; fairies

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 14:47:37 +0000

The darkness spreads and spreads, and then the eclipse is full. It happened during the last Alliance, when I had just arrived in Beqanna, so it’s not entirely new to me. Neither is darkness - my eyes adjust and I see perfectly fine, aided further by the heat signals that I receive when I choose to.

The darkness lasts, and that starts to concern me. Slowly at first, but when the minutes stretch into hours, I know something is amiss.

If not for me, then for those who live on the Isle. They have a hard time finding food already, but if the sun is blocked, the cold will creep up on them - most of them anyway. Me and my direct kin, at least those who inherited something of cold resistance or heat generation, we’ll survive. But there are fewer still who live in the cold north, and this is going to ruin the last of them who don’t have traits to help them.

This darkness means eternal winter on the Isle, and I wish I could share my cold resistance.

There is but one beacon in the dark now; the aurora lights are hardly there, but there’s still a blue flame up north, near the magically unfrozen lake. There is the only magic of the Isle, and it does nothing but being pretty.

I need the land to be more alive. Perhaps not in the way Straia had mentioned, but one can try.

I’m in a hurry when I wing myself to the Mountain, land somewhere on the lowest of it’s slopes, and canter myself almost recklessly to the top. Of course, halfway through I have to slow down, but it’s nothing but emergency that drives me, and I take advantage of claws when I need the grip.

I breath loudly and take long breaths to stabilize myself when I make it to the top. This is the first time I’ve actually ran up the Mountain, and that -mostly- in my horse shape. I don’t have the breath to call out, but there’s something that the Alliance awarded me with.

I’d like your help with something, if you could. I’m not even sure if this is within their power - or maybe they’re too busy figuring out what to do about the lasting eclipse, or it takes all their energy. Or fighting the figures that had brought it, that I’ve found creeping down below on my flight here.

I myself cannot do it - not on my own anyway. I’m an embodiment of ice, and it’s the opposite that we need.

there’s an ocean in between your heart and me

Here for a land request - to give the flaming tree (or something/someone else) the ability to protect Icicle Isle’s inhabitants from the (worst of the) cold so they don't freeze to death in the darkness, please! @[Nashua] will be helping too, but he's a little preoccupied with birthing a monster in his current timeline, so he couldn't quite make it up the Mountain (:

By a blood moon oath [Amarine]

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 23:08:26 +0000

And when all the lights are broken, You keep the fire going

Nearly all the way up the mountain was when the sun died. Yanhua had his head low to the ground, beard caked with ice and nostrils flaring when it happened. The round disc of the moon curved oddly over the sky and then, without warning, covered up the low-lying sun. The world went dark, and the early winter winds howled in angst against the mountain that stood in utter defiance of them, pushing Yanhua to stop and lift his eyes to try and search for what they’d lost.

“Amarine?!” He twisted his neck to look behind, where moments before the jewel-encrusted mare had been following in the track he left as he guided them along the narrow, winding path around the mountainside slope. In his voice was unspoken fear - clenching his throat with invisible claws that stole the breath out of his lungs. He could hardly see, what with the wind whipping his forelock into his eyes and the bitter sting of icy pricks that drove him closer and closer to the sheer wall of icy rock to one side of them, but thanks to the dim glow of his tail he could at least make out the shape of her face and the glint of light reflected in her glassy eyes.

The children, he worried. Normally an echo would follow suit, but in the midst of the swirling storm and closer to the heavens where the eclipse hung stationary in the sky, Yanhua found his ability to project inhibited. He couldn’t send Amarine those wordless thoughts of terror, and so he clenched his teeth together and reminded himself of a promise he’d made to Lilli - that they would be safe.

Their children were in the playground; Both he and Amarine had seen to it that they’d been dropped off safely, and when the pair had left Reynard and Cheri to their games, all seemed well.

Now the mountain was more quiet than ever before, and the sky was starless and foreboding. Cheri and Reynard were miles and miles below them, and Yanhua could only guess how his beloved children were filled with thoughts of their parents returning to rescue them. Little could they have known just where Yanhua and Amarine would’ve ended up, far adrift in the snow where only the fae seemed destined to reside over them all. Stuck at an impasse, unable to turn back on such a narrow path.

Yanhua didn’t care. He’d try anything. Nothing - not even the change he dreamed up for Taiga - was worth leaving his children behind, so he turned his head back toward the nothingness in front of them and stepped sideways as carefully as he could to search for the rock wall that had been there moments before, only to find his shoulder meeting with … open air. He took a step and slid forward, crashing down on one knee while the other three legs struggled to keep balance, and the faint glow of his hair illuminated the slope of the rock nearest to him: it curved away into darkness, revealing an unseen passageway that cut into the heart of the Mountain’s snow-capped crown.

Quickly, Yan rose again. He was sure that he had cut himself, but the sting was a minor concern as he called out to @[Amarine] that he was fine. Though he was barred from communication with her in a way that would be seen and not heard, Yanhua was sure that if he kept his mind and body open Amarine would find a way to communicate where he failed. Speaking aloud was nearly impossible, and he was already taking slow, dragging steps onto the dark path. He found quickly enough that it was a cavernous hole; the wind was behind him, the air around him stagnant but cold, and the darkness even more complete than before. Only his mane and short tail were kept aglow, albeit dimly. In a world of total black, they were the only pinpricks of light.

“Ama,” Yanhua breathed quietly to his mate, huffing gently from the exertion of a day’s worth of climbing, “Are you alright?” He searched for her blindly with his nose, standing still even if it stiffened his frozen joints. Yanhua refused to be at peace until he found her, until the familiar smell and welcome touch of her skin was warm beneath his lips.

They were here, wherever that was. Perhaps the place where some had gone before them to appease the fae. Only one path had led them, and try as Yanhua might to gain information from passersby and friends alike, no two stories were the same when it came to the exact spot for requesting aid. Whether it was or wasn’t would be decided in due time: Yan intended to support Amarine and stand here for a moment, catch his breath and let her craft their prayer to the faeries (she was better at this sort of thing, he’d only muck it up), and then he would head back in search of their children as fast as his legs would allow him to.

And when all the nights feel like they're closing, You're leaving an opening

OOC: Updated & closed since the SWP is over and Taiga's flora/fauna have been updated <3

Welcome back, everyone.

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 02:16:01 +0000

It is so easy to forget. How long now has it been since the gates to the world of the dead had been opened? How many remembered, or cared, or thought what that might mean for their world? Ah, but in the beginning it had been all the best things for them; more magic in the form of entities and old faces, bits of magic that could be made theirs. And if nothing else, mortals were always greedy for more.

But all things have a price.

There are other creatures that have not forgotten. They have stayed by those doors or have crept through already, lying in wait until the moment was right, until their time had come. An influx of magic, such as the moment a victor is giving new power, is the perfect timing.

When magic is given, a little of it always escapes into the world. A little is all they need. The eclipse, a thing that should have been so temporary, does not go away. The sun and the moon still, held in place by forces unseen. The world is dark, so dark. The sky is cloudy, the stars lost. There is naught but a sliver of light, a tiny halo of hope in the darkness that falls on not just the Plains, but the whole of Beqanna.

They like it better this way. In darkness they were born, and in darkness they will stay. They come forth some from crevices, some from the earth itself, and some from the bodies of those who once dared to venture to their homeland, the world beyond the afterlife.
(One should not leave gates open for too long, you see. All sorts of awful things can sneak through.)
The monsters - there is no formal name for them, for they are beasts foreign to Beqanna’s shores - come forth. They had lain dormant, since crossing into the world, with only a piece of activity here or there – a raven queen snatched from a burning kingdom, mayhap. But with this deluge of magic, their aberrant senses prickle, and they stir into fervency. Some of them cry out, a keening noise. Some of the cries just sound like static.
Some are silent, and they are perhaps the worst.

One world is not enough for them, and they wreak havoc on this one as well. They torture and maim, they kidnap and steal. Some rip open the ground beneath your feet and take you to a place unknown, a place of cold and damp and darkness so thorough perhaps you are truly dead, or at least, better off dead.

The faeries do nothing, though why is uncertain. Perhaps they cannot or perhaps they do not care. After all, it was the mortals of Beqanna who broke the gates; it was Carnage who created the afterlife and Carnage who let the monsters in. Perhaps they are willing to let you learn a lesson, or perhaps their powers have been crippled too.

Ah, wasn’t it better when you’d simply forgotten? But you cannot forget now.

Welcome back to version 22. Wasn't the Alliance a nice distraction? Check out this doc to see what's happening now.

Happy holidays!

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 21:28:47 +0000

Rules:
1. One per player
2. You may choose what horse you want the gift to apply to after you open the gift
3. This is not first-come, first-serve. Everyone can pick a gift, and there's no limit to the number of players that can choose a specific gift
4. Gifts with a * next to them are only for horses who belong to a land
5. This will end on December 31st at 11:59 PM CST
6. That's it! Happy holidays

Present 1

Present 2

Present 3*

Present 4

Present 5

Present 6

Present 7

Present 8

Present 9

Present 10