- Oct 17, 2016
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\~ * >One Will Reign< * ~/ a wild horse role-play
Please Read First
A) By participating in this game, I promise that all BYC Rules will be followed and that I have read and understood the Role Play Rules that are in a sticky at the top of the Games forum.
B) I promise that all content is to be rated G and suitable for all ages.
C) I promise that there will be no swearing, cursing (including censoring by using symbols) or inappropriate adult sexual activity or innuendo. This extends to mating, breeding or innuendo in non-human characters as well.
D) I promise to treat others with respect and kindness as is the BYC way.
E) I promise not to post any material that is a violation of copyright. Basically this means: if you didn't create the content (like an image / picture) and don't have direct permission from the content creator to post it, then don't.
Many seasons ago, a valley herd mare named Lake gave birth to a colt. When the colt had just turned one season, it was discovered that his sire, a rebellious stallion from mountain herd named Torrent, was indeed his father, and he was driven out. Lake and Torrent were driven out of their perspective herds as well, but none of the small family had any idea of that.
He wandered Indians territory for a week or so, then a wiley old burro named Otaktay found him, and raised him. He taught him how to survive the harsh life of a rouge stallion, how to evade up-runners, and how to fight unlike any horse that was ever born. After wandering up-runner territories for 20 seasons, the pair saw a small border skirmish between mountain herd and valley herd, and anger sparked once again the young colts heart. He then took the name Flood, that he might one day quench the Fire in the valley and dissolve the smoke on the mountain.
He began plotting.
Schemeing.
Devising an evil plan to destroy both herds at once.
Now Flood's plan is complete.
He has a growing gang-herd of loyal horses, who all have some sort of quarrel with the herds, he has Otaktay as his friend and advisor, and he has a lifetime of bitter hatred to fuel his battle.
Now, a prophecy as old as time is about to come true:
When water meets fire,
And smoke veils the sky,
Two will become one
To defeat the rising flood.
~`*`~`*`~
For hundreds of seasons, two herds, Valley Herd and Mountain Herd, have lived in the Black Hills of what we now call South Dakota. The two lead stallions are constantly warring over grazing grounds and water sources, mainly Eagle-Dive Lake and Sun-Soak Field. Eagle-dive Lake, which is shaped much like an upside-down V, and is surrounded by large, rolling hills, which are often very steep. On the eastern side of the lake lies Sun-Soak Field, a luscious green valley filled with rich, succulent grass, surrounded by rolling hills. This field is especially important for when mares have foals at their side; the grass helps the mares regain their strength after foaling, and as the name suggests, the sun warms it constantly. The grass is so long that even in winter there is a substantial food supply; yet another reason that both herds want control of it.
*side note* PLEASE keep this is mind ~ the time setting is before America was settled by the British, so there are no different breed of horses here yet. No drafts, no thoroughbreds, just the sturdy, hardy "broomtails" that descended from the original Spanish horses.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The herds:
Valley herd is known for it's speed on open ground. They have incredible endurance; if they are attacked by a predator, they will run until it either quits or is exhausted, then turn around and fight it. They live in a large valley surrounded by mountains/hills/cliffs. On one side of the valley, rugged cliffs soar high into the sky, blocking any route of attack from enemies (even from mountain herd), and providing shelter from predators and harsh weather. On the opposite side, there is a gap between two rather steep hills, which is the entrance. Their main resting place is between two massive pillars of stone, which they call The Eagle Towers, since two different pairs of eagles, a pair of bald eagles and a pair of goldens, have nests on either one. The valley is on the south-eastern side of Eagle-dive Lake.
The majority of Valley herd's horses are darker colored (lots of bays and blacks), so that if a predator attacks them in an open field, they can disappear into the forest. There are only a few members that have large white markings. They have sleek, shiny hides that seem to glow in the sun.
*~~~~~~~*
Mountain herd is especially adept at scaling cliffs that most other animals wouldn't even dream about climbing. They live at the top of a big plateau (Flat-Peak) on the west side of the lake, underneath a large pine tree that they call Black Pine . At one end of the plateau, there is a small spring that fills a small pond before it overflows into a waterfall that runs down the steep hillside (Flat-Peak Falls). There is a narrow path that begins at the base of the falls, and wraps around the side that they use to get up. It is narrow enough that only a very sure-footed horse outside Mountain herd could climb it.
Mountain herd's horses are made up of lighter colors, such as chestnuts and palominos. Creme colored horses are not uncommon. The lighter colors blend in with the pale cliff-faces that they climb, making it easier for them to graze on the scant brush un-noticed. They have thick, scruffy hides, that protect them for the harsh wind that screams across Flat-peak.
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Ranks:
There are 7 basic ranks: Head stallion, head mare, broodmare, Herd member, foal, elder, and Watcher.
Lead stallion:
There is one head stallion per herd. He is the ultimate "big boss" and has a final say on anything that goes on, from battles, to grazing. If he says no, it doesn't happen.
Lead mare: The lead mare is usually the lead stallion's mate. If the lead stallion doesn't have a mate, he can choose which mare he wants to be the lead mare. No matter what though, if a new stallion takes over the herd, his mate becomes the lead mare. The lead mare is second-in-command; the lead stallion can delegate authority to her, and she usually handles things like grazing, and watch patrols.
Broodmare: A mare who is pregnant or has a foal at her side.
Herd member: A herd member is a horse who doesn't have any specific ranking. They can fight to protect the herd, or be lookouts.
Foal: A horse under four seasons old
Yearling: A horse between four and 6 seasons old; is assigned to a teacher from 4 seasons to 8 seasons of age
Teacher:
A horse who trains a yearling - like mentors in warriors
Elder:
An older horse who has earned their place in the herd, but is too old to completely fend for themselves. If a horse is injured beyond complete recovery, they will sometimes be retired to the elders early.
Watcher:
A watcher is basically the closest thing the herds have to a medicine horse. They know which plants can help which diseases/injuries/illnesses, but they can't bring them back to camp (how would they carry them?). They are one of the most knowledgeable horses in a herd, as they know what plants grow in what part of the territory, and therefore know almost the whole territory pretty well. Their most prominent job, however, is to receive signs from Pegasus.
NAMES:
If you want, you can look up the sioux indian translation of the name(s) you want. If you choose not to, then I would like to try and keep two-word names out of the mix (heres lookin at you, warriors peeps
Other Important info:
Tamed horse - these horses have been captured and tamed by up-runners. They are despised among the wild herds.
Up-runner - The word the horses use to describe humans.
Burros - a burro (donkey) may join a herd. They are not common, as many are captured by up-runners to use as pack animals, or are killed by wolves. They are stubborn, sure-footed, and can hold their own in a fight with a horse despite their small size.
Rouge stallion - a young stallion who has been kicked out of a herd. Most often they travel far away from the herd they were born into and start their own herd. They are a serious threat, and are to be attacked and driven out on sight. Sometimes they will join up with other rouge stallions and form a "gang-herd.".
Gang-herd - A band of rouge stallions. They do not form very often, as they are always trying to be the leader, but no one is content to follow. A gang-herd is a threat to both Mountain herd and Valley herd, and they may forgot their differences until they are driven out.
Language terms - Horses can/will neigh, whinny, snort, squeal, nicker, etc.
Burros usually bray, snort, or nicker, but usually snort, since they are typically annoyed at something.
Pegasus - Pegasus is the starry, winged horse that watches over the herds (sort of like star clan in Warriors, but not). He leads the Herd of Ancestors, the place that herd horses go when they die. Any horse that does not believe in Pegasus does not join the Herd of Ancestors when they die, but instead are banished to The Dark Sky, to wander alone for eternity. Horses do not speak Pegasus' name without the utmost respect, and therefore do not use his name as an exclamation, such as, "Oh, for the love of Pegasus." If any horse is caught using his name like that in any way, they will be punished.
Withers - the part of the shoulder where the neck meets the back.
Hock - "knee"
Fetlock - "wrist"
Roman-nosed - The nose begins to slope downward higher on the face then usual (PIC)
Body language:
Ears erect: Calm, alert, focused on something
Ears pinned: Angry or annoyed
Ears angled back: Usually signifies a relaxed state, but can be because they are listening to something behind them.
Tail swishing: Is either annoyed or is swatting flies.
High head: A horse will raise it's head when it spooks, to keep it out of reach of predators; it is also something they will do if they are proud.
Low head: An aggressive stance; stallions will lower their head and pin their ears when driving away a trespasser or herding their mares.
Head level with back: Relaxed; ears are typically angled back
Chewing motions: When a horse is submissing to a high-ranking herd member, they will make chewing motions or lick their lips.
Colors:
If you already have a general knowledge of horse colors and markings, you can skip this part. If you aren't sure, then please skim through it.
*SIDE NOTE* the pictures I will be using here are only to depict the color, not size or breed. I did not take these pictures.
.
Bay:
A dark shade of red, with black mane, tail, and legs. There are a few different "shades of bay" (hehe see what I did there
)typical bay:
light bay:
A dark bay:
dappled/seal bay:
Chestnut/sorrel:
Your typical brown horse. They usually have some sort of white markings, such as socks, or a blaze. Sometimes a chestnut horse will have a lighter. crème colored mane. This is called a flaxen chestnut. A horse that appears to be a dappled bay, but has a red mane, is called a liver chestnut. There are also blonde chestnuts, which are…well, blonde!
A chestnut:
Flaxen chestnut:
Liver chestnut:
Blonde chestnut:
Black:
Self explanatory. May or may not have large white markings. A black horse may fade out with red highlights as it ages.
A true black:
A "seal black"
Grey: Okay, my computer isn't working, so I'll just say there are two main "colors" within grey: Dappled grey, and fleabitten grey. Fleabitten has small black speckles scatered on top of the white - they don't actually have fleas
Roan:
Roan is a fairly rare color. It is either black or red backfround speckled with white, giving the appearance of "blue" or "strawberry."
Blue roan:
Red/strawberry roan:
Dun:
Dun has several different variations. There are 5 basic varieties: red dun, grulla, buckskin, and dun. All of these are distinguished as dun by the dorsal stripe that runs down the horse's back. Many duns have "Primitive markings," or zebra stripes on their legs, which are often accompanied by a "cross" across the withers. You can see faint stripes on the legs of the horse in the first picture, and the crossed withers on the grulla in the last picture.
Dun:
Buckskin:
Red dun: Easily confused with sorrel - if it has a dorsal stripe, it is dun.
Grulla:
Palomino: Golden fur with a white mane and tail
Creme: The crème gene dilutes a horse's color. How light the horse is depends on if it's parents had one crème gene or two. If it had two, then it will be either perlino or cremello. Both of these often have blue eyes. Any white markings will be hardly noticeable.
Perlino:
Cremello:
*~*~*~*
Markings:
*SIDE NOTE* Again, I did not take these pictures.
Blaze:
A blaze is a broad white stripe that runs down the center of a horse's face. Sometimes it will cover almost all of the face.
Stripe: Like a smaller blaze, but narrower.
Star: A small dot in the center of the forehead
Leg markings:
Stockings and socks are the most common leg markings.
Pintos:
A pinto horse has large, flashy patches of white on top of any other color. Bay pinto, black pinto, roan pinto, you get the idea. (PS to any horse people, I'm saying "pinto" instead of "paint" because pintos are any breed of horse with paint-like patches. Paints are an actual breed.)
Black pinto:
Chestnut pinto:
And basically every color has it's own pinto variety, I just posted a couple examples.
Appaloosa:
Appaloosas have spots, instead of patches. There are a few different patterns that the spots come in. I will list the three common ones.
Blanket: Spots cover the hindquarters
Leopard spot: Small spots cover the whole body
Varnish roan: Basically a roan with lots of spots
Pr
Prolouge:
A young stallion emerged over the crest of the massive ridge, his dark, seal-bay hide gleaming with sweat in the bright afternoon sun. A scruffy burro appeared beside him, raising his head to let the wind blow through his fur. The young stallion's ear's twitched and swiveled, catching every sound that floated up from the beautiful valley, so far below. His keen eyes glimpsed a flash of movement in the thick trees beneath him. "A chase" he murmured to his friend, who stood watching the scene unfold beneath them.
"That bay looks familiar" the old burro snorted.
"Yes" the stallion replied. "He isn't the only one who does, either" he muttered, deep in thought.
"The herds, perhaps?"
"Possibly."
The shining bay studied the small band for a few more moments, then turned and looked down at the burro. "Otaktay" he nickered. "That is the horse that drove me from my mother"
Otaktay nodded, his long ears blowing sideways in the breeze. "Flood" he began, "it is time for them to pay." the burro snorted.
Flood's eyes glowed as he realized what he was seeing. "It's a border dispute" he snorted, pawing the ground in excitement, "The valley herd horses are running deeper into mountain herd territory - look, now they are splitting up - we can see everything from up here!" he whinnied. "Shut your long face" Otaktay snapped. "They'll hear you." Flood was quiet, but he didn't loose any of his excitement. "Do you think…" he murmured, "Could those be the Eagle towers?" Otaktay looked, but was quiet for a long moment. "What will we do to make them pay for what they did to you?" he queried. Flood stood, his ears pinned, and thought silently. "Pit them against each other?" he suggested. Otaktay nodded eagerly. "That is something that only a mastermind would do!" he brayed, softly enough to not be heard.
Flood smiled. "yes" he whispered. "And I won't even have to lift a hoof."
~`*`~ Forum to join ~`*`~
Name:
Age (in seasons):
Herd:
Gender:
Rank:
Personality:
Color:
Markings:
Description of bodily attributes:
Mate/crush (please specify which):
Parents:
Siblings:
Foals:
History:
Other:
Username:
And a final -
*SIDE NOTE*
Please do not copy this. I have put a weeks worth of time and effort into this, and my friend HeavensHens88 helped me out, as well. If you have any questions, you are welcome to PM me.
I will edit this as needed
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