Flood & Flame
A Horse Survival Roleplay

Its well known that wild horse bands prefer their space from one another, only ever really crossing paths when they have to. However, when a controlled burn is twisted into a roaring wildfire by a band of horse rustlers, the world beneath their hooves changes overnight.

Driven by smoke and instinct, the bands flee, only to be funneled by the terrain and flames into Ashwater Hollow, a steep, isolated valley hidden between crumbling hills. The rustlers planned it this way: to trap the wild horses where escape is nearly impossible, and then eventually pick them up, and sell them off. But nature had plans of its own.

Not long after the fire fades, a freak summer rainstorm sweeps over the region, more intense, relentless, and merciless than any seen in recent history. What was once a dusty basin becomes a sinking bog. Rivers of mud choke the trails. Grazing grounds become sludge. Worst of all, the only known pass out of the valley collapses in a massive mudslide, sealing the horses in with no clear way out.

Tensions begin to rise, as the valley isn't big enough for all five bands, especially not when food sinks into the muck, water holes vanish, and tempers cause leadership to clash. Old wounds reopen. Horses go missing. Some suspect each other. Some are claimed by nature. Others, though, whisper of humans moving in the trees, waiting for the mud to settle.

Trapped by both human greed and the fury of the land, the bands must forge an alliance, or fall apart. Survival means trusting those they once would have driven off, and daring to explore places none of them have ventured before. But the valley doesn’t forgive easily... and every wrong step may be their last.

Woooooooo

Reserve one lead stallion, one Moros mare, and one TBD band mare?

Desired Rank: Content

Appearance

Credits to Staycalmpartyon on DA

Sage is a tall, stocky stallion. While he is not the absolute tallest, he stands at an impressive 16 hands and has a broad, muscular build. He was made for battle, not speed, but his movements are quick and graceful nonetheless. Sage is very proportional; while some tall horses could easily be described as more leggy, his legs are sturdy and just thicker than the average equine's. His large head has a slight dish to it, lacking the jugheaded and Romanesque features of some other wild horses. When he moves, his tail hardly raises at all, suggesting that if there was any Arab in him, it has been quite suppressed. His ears also lack any curl whatsoever.

Sage was named for his coat, which is a lovely grulla color that carries the dusty cool-gray of sagebrush. His legs and head are a dark slate. His underbelly is slightly lighter than the rest of his body, and this light gradient moves up his front ribs and into his stifle joints as well, at which point his flanks and shoulders become darker. His thick mane and tail are fairly short compared to other horses' and are pitch black. Sage's dark eyes are always slight with an intelligent, witty gleam, and they are truly the windows to his soul. He can stonewall if he wants to, but generally, his emotions will at least be visible in his eyes.

His sleek, short coat's sheen allows for improved muscle definition and shows off the various scars he has received, many of which were from fights that he won. There are various notable gashes across his body, though most of them are on his neck and chest as opposed to his flanks and sides. The oldest ones are marked by the lack of coat regrowth, and the newer scars are still tighter skinned and rather shiny. True to his name, his scent is that of sagebrush flowers and crisp rain. Sage's voice is a low, calm drawl.

Personality

Sage is, first and foremost, a stubborn creature. His stubbornness is not petulant, but rather the quiet, unyielding kind; once his mind is made, no force under sun will shift it. He is not quick to take advice and less so to obey commands, especially from those who have not earned his respect. Though not openly rebellious, he simply does not bend, and this has made working beneath others nearly impossible. He does better alone or in positions of authority, where his natural instinct to lead can stretch its legs.

A loner by preference, Sage values silence and space over noise and companionship. He is not unfriendly, but he is not the type to seek others out for idle chatter. His world is mostly internal -- a place of quiet calculations. That said, when he chooses to speak, every word counts. He is to the point, rarely mincing words, and his low, calm drawl adds a gravity to his speech that commands attention. He doesn't believe in wasting breath.

Wily and sharp-minded, Sage reads others with ease. His observant nature often gives him the upper hand in both conversation and conflict, and he rarely misses a cue. He doesn't bluff often, but when he does, it’s convincing enough to make even the boldest adversary second-guess. He has the cool wit of someone who sees three moves ahead and knows exactly when to play his cards. His intelligence, though understated, is one of his strongest weapons.

There is an aloofness about him, a deliberate distance that keeps others guessing. He is hard to read, aside from the occasional flicker of emotion in his eyes. This detachment born out of caution rather than arrogance; trust is earned, not given, and Sage has been taught that lesson more than once. Still, he is not cold. There is a certain warmth in him, especially toward foals. He has a soft spot for the young and innocent, and it’s not uncommon to find him tolerating their antics with a surprising amount of patience. He corrects gently, watches protectively, and holds a kind of quiet affection that only the very young tend to see.

Despite his reserved nature, Sage can be charming when he wants to be. There is a confident ease to the way he moves, speaks, and holds himself, and it tends to draw attention whether he welcomes it or not. He flirts sparingly, often with a teasing remark or a glint of humor in his gaze, but never without tact. He respects boundaries and rarely crosses lines, unless he’s been given reason to disregard them.

That respect, however, is conditional. Sage will offer it freely to those who prove themselves deserving, but should anyone abuse it, he is not above stripping it away without ceremony. He can become cold, distant, and even ruthless when pushed too far. His patience, though impressive, has its limits, and he is not afraid to draw lines in the dust and defend them. Still, he prefers diplomacy over bloodshed and only lashes out when cornered or betrayed.

Crush: Maybe

Mate: Maybe

Foals: Maybe

Kin

Open

Other

Lord of the Rings (Bill and Brego, specifically)