Golden Valley | rp thread

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background and setting

The general kingdom is placed in a valley surrounded by a gigantic mountain range. It is expansive and grassy, dotted with trees and small forests on every side, and the valley's inhabitants are even spoiled with hot springs just an hour's trip South of the village. It's a small kingdom, of only a few hundred members, so all the stables are placed fairly close together in a tight circle around the palace near the center of the village where the royal family lives on one level, and the protectors and council members on another. There is also a crystal clear river running through the center of it which originates from the top of the tallest mountain and ends at the Caelum Pool.

The Caelum Pool is a place only the queens and their subordinates have seen. It is considered a sacred place, a connection to the equines' ancestors that only those chosen by the stars are allowed to set eyes upon. The queen visits here for visions of the future, advice from the past, and in the case of a new queen, for her to be given her powers. A queen is typically replaced by her daughter, however if she has none or the council decides she is unfit, the council will then choose a new queen on its own.

The true center of the kingdom is the courtyard, a large circle of shops and open space where parties and meetings are often held. The biggest attraction is the amphitheater, a giant round construction with a wide stage where equines perform or battle.

current setting

To the horse herd emerging from the harsh snow-capped mountains, it may seem like they've arrived in the heavens. The valley is experiencing late spring at the moment. Everywhere, flowers are blooming and baby animals skitter around; the sun is bright and warm, but not intolerably so, and the lake just north of the village is fairly busy on the warmest days.

She with a Soul of Fire

They had made it. They had finally made it. After a long, grueling month of trodding through snow and losing hope that there even was a place like they heard stories about, they finally made it. They even lost a couple on the way. Lucelia and Bullet. A dashing wild mare and a young and foolish colt. The journey was worth it, at least. They didn't die in vain. At least, Griffin hoped they didn't. As steely-faced as she remained, their losses weighed on her; she was, after all, the herd's self-appointed protector.

She stood among the other horses as they all looked down upon the valley in a stunned silence. The snow only just petered off a few hundred strides ago, and now they were standing on mossy outcroppings and looking down upon a field of lush green grass (her stomach growled just looking at it). A crystal blue river cut through the valley, pooling into a wide lake at the near center. And right smack in the center of the valley was a cluster of buildings. A village, more like. She looked even closer, and was surprised to see dozens of small figures mulling about. They were too big to be humans, but she couldn't exactly make out what they were. Maybe those blathering daydreamers weren't entirely wrong. Maybe there were other horses here, far from the reach of humans and living their best life. The valley existed, at least. Was it too much to hope that her search for a purpose had ended?

Quit your daydreaming, she scolded herself. We'll see what we see. Let's just get down there first. The giant mare turned her head to face Levi, and was the first to break the awestruck silence. "Well?" Her voice didn't betray her emotion, as it never did. It was gruff and impatient as always, though her eyes held a small glimmer of something that resembled hope.

Casanova of the Sands

"I say we go down and meet these fine folk!" An posh, accented voice spoke up from the herd, and a gorgeous grey stallion stepped up to the edge of the outcropping. He raised his fine head, his mane fluttering gracefully in the wind as he looked down upon the valley. His body was thin and pelt dusty from the rough month he had just endured, but his posture was still powerful and regal. Kakhent certainly wasn't one to let someone else take the spotlight, even as tired and hungry as he was. He could feel judgmental stares at his back, the most burning of which was Griffin's. Kakhent turned his head only slightly to glance at the mare out of the corner of his eye, and picked his tail up higher in an act of playful defiance.

As he saw it, the creatures moving around at the bottom of the valley were certainly the near-godly animals he was told about, and boy was he ready to be accepted and welcomed into their world. Oh, how wonderful he would look galloping across these plains! They couldn't get there soon enough. "I don't know what you're all waiting for," he snorted quietly, and wasted no time in beginning to pick his way down the cliffside, step by careful step.

Queen of the Valley

Kismet was rested in the throne room, laying among the pillows and padded rug as she often did. She was having a wonderful chat with one of her helpers, an earth bender mare who did her mane and tail on the regular. The queen was so unprepared and startled by the tone of her brother's call that she snorted and flinched her head, poking herself right in the eye with a blunt braiding needle. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Conversation stopped abruptly, and the equine controlling the needles looked horrified. The needles pulled away from Kismet quickly. "My queen, I'm sorry, did I pull something?"

"No, Sitka, I'm alright. Just a message from my brother is all." The other mare nodded, though still looked worried. The braiding needles resumed, slowly and carefully. Horses? Kismet responded to Lapis. Have you been rolling in sugarcane? Even before she said it, she doubted herself. Lapis wasn't that kind of stallion. He wouldn't play pranks on her, nor lie about something that could be a threat. Still, there was always a chance he just wasn't seeing it right. How would you know they're horses, anyway? They could just be equines that don't want to use their powers. No one has ever been beyond the mountains, there could be more of us out there.

Horses... in the valley. Absolutely impossible. They've never shown up before, they certainly won't now. A memory sparked in the back of her mind; the stories her father read to her about the horses. Crude beasts that let two-legged creatures control them. She always loved those stories when she was younger, but she was queen now. She couldn't believe in those nonsense fairy tales anymore. Still, Lapis' wariness worried her. If he really was serious, either something was wrong with him or... the stories were true. Be careful. Keep them away from the town for now, and learn as much about them as you can. Let NO civilian approach them.

In a moment of quick thinking, she opened a connection with one of her most trusted protectors. Aragorn, go find Lapis. He's found some strangers and I feel something is off. I demand you keep everything you see there a secret, and report back to me before you do anything. Kismet closed the connection and relaxed back into the pillows with a sigh, letting her mind wander as her mane was gently pulled and twisted into a lovely braid. Only the sounds of the needles clicking and the birds outside the windows could be heard. The mare could feel her helper's eyes on her, but the other didn't ask any questions despite being able to sense her worry. "He'll be fine," the equine said with a smile, referring to Lapis. He's a sensible young lad."

That's not what I worry about, Kismet thought to herself. The other equines ignorance made her worry about these strangers even more. It was only a matter of seasons that she was appointed queen, and already it seemed there was a major issue on the rise. Wolves and storms were easy foes, but a band of unknown, mythical beings? How on earth was she supposed to protect her subjects from that?

Casanova of the Sands

*also PS his name is Kakhen not Casanova lol sorry that's a little confusing*

At the nip to his rear, Kakhen gasped and flicked his tail, turning to pout at Levi. His pelt, his beautiful pelt could have been damaged! "Well sitting in the woods like a bunch of mangy raccoons isn't going to look much better," he argues, though falls silent after the leader's second retort. "Honestly," the Arabian huffed under his breath, though a glance at the giant stallions weeping wounds made him feel a pang of regret. His eyes scanned the herd, and he noticed the tired look in all of their faces. Levi was right, no one was at their best at the moment, not even Kakhen. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to take a few and get some rest before meeting the equines.

With a bit of hesitation, he bowed his head to Levi slightly. While he wasn't a part of the herd for more than a day before they departed for the mountains, the other more familiar horses respected him well enough and it was Kakhen's decision to follow him in the first place. He figured it had taken a lot of patience and perseverance to get almost all of them over the mountain anyway, and he could respect him for that.

She with a Soul of Fire

Suddenly, Griffin snorted a loud and low warning. Heads turned to see what it was about, and horses all around tensed up as a strange silver dapple galloped up to them, scaling the rocky terrain like it was nothing. He shopped short just a few paces from where Kakhen stood, and looked Griffin right in the eye. He had a strange metal chain wrapping up his entire neck, much different from any kind of tack a horse would wear and even the decorations Kakhen refused to leave behind. Whoever he was, he meant business, and Griffin meant to protect her damn herd.

The stocky mare stared right back, gaze unwavering. Despite her exhaustion and hunger, and the ice still melting off her whiskers, her stance radiated power and assurance. "I might ask you the same thing," she said curtly, her fiery eyes boring into his own. It was clear she wasn't about to bow to the stallion and apologize for the intrusion, but she also knew it would be unwise to be too harsh and risk annoying Levi.