#02: EQUESTRIA

[autumn!]

#02: equestria

This thread contains information on the landscape, culture, and inhabitants of Equestria. The contents are as follows:

a: lay of the land
b: inhabitants of equestria

[autumn!]

lay of the land

Equestria is a vast and fertile paradise, but is overrun by all manner of creatures fighting to seize control of it. The Central Plains seem to be the object of every sentient species' desire, with its ground ripe for planting and gem mines everywhere.

There's just one issue with Equestria, however; it seems as if time has completely stopped here. Left to its own devices, the land would never see the turning of day into night and spring into summer. It's up to its residents to get the seasonal clock ticking each day, and the magical ponies are perfect for this job.

And so the ponies of Canterlot have become the custodians of the land, expanding their kingdom as they make sure that Equestria remains a paradise. Maintaining Equestria in this age is a dangerous task, however; all of the vilest beasts of myth run rampant.

Canterlot exists in a rawer, less refined time. Magic is more raw and unrefined in this time, and the technologies it has help developed are basic and crude. The lands are unstable and unregulated, and all bear the influence of chaotic magical forces; It's the sort of problem, really, that the hard work of Our Little Ponies could sort out.

[autumn!]

inhabitants

Equestria is home to four main sentient species, who may or may not exist in peace. In addition, the land is populated with various cute critters and dastardly monsters.

PONIES

The ponies are the loyal custodians of the land, and take a significant amount of pride in the work they do. Though they have technically claimed Equestria as "their" land, they may run into some scuffles with other possessive creatures, namely the bison.

BISON

The bison have run along the Central Plains for as long as time can remember. They are a deeply spiritual and traditional people, and hold a deep respect for the land. Unlike the ponies, bison have no magical power to speak of, which means that they cannot maintain the days and seasons. They have no central government either, meaning the bison are unlikely to ever be the sole rulers of Equestria.

GRYPHONS

The gryphons do not technically live within the bounds of Equestria; they are in a land that, like the Everfree Forest, governs itself. This doesn't stop them from being incredibly defensive of their cliff stronghold. The Gryphon Kingdom is immense, and if threatened, they might be able to bring down all of Equestria.

The Gryphon Kingdom is a traditional monarchy, governed tightly by a dynastic king and his royal family. Despite being diplomatically-minded and open to all sorts of discourse with the other species, the Kingdom also has a massive army in reserve if a fight ever does come about.

DRAGONS

The dragons are few and far in between, and it's rare to see any adults. The most ancient and knowledgeable of the creatures, dragons won't spend much of their adult life at all in Equestria. Instead, they travel the land, collecting knowledge and compiling it in books.

Young dragons will often start their education by apprenticing with the ponies of Canterlot. They will learn basic magic and combat while acting as messengers for the ponies. Since dragons have such an immense lifespan, they may spend a hundred years with the ponies but appear to not age even a day! And don't worry about diet; dragons have no need to feast on their equine companions, because they prefer delicious gemstones.

MONSTERS

The land of Equestria is not safe at all. Manticores, Chimeras, Cocatrices, Parasprites; you name it, we've got it. Many quests for ponies in Canterlot will dictate that questing ponies drive away these foul beasts, but they won't make it easy.