//------------------------------//
// A second origin 
// Story: Stories from a Shattered Equestria 
// by Crimson97 
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As the war waged on many began to see other races less as equals and more as enemies to be eliminated. It became far to easy to ignore the idea that these were beings with families, friends, and a history all their own. Long after the dust had settled and magic blight had poisoned the world a book would be found. This book was like many others, it was old and beaten, but inside it held a story worth more than anything. Before the reader was the history of the zebra.


In the beginning the world was a great sea filled with monsters and evil spirits. Time meant nothing as there was no day and all life was ageless. This world had no sun, no moon, and no stars there was only the endless night and bitter cold. Deep within the earth something grew, out of the water came a great mountain Zix’muro; mountain of the sun. The heat of the mountain pushed back the cold of the world, the fire at its core brought light to the endless darkness. It was on this mountain that plants first grew and the first zebra walked. This first tribe was named the Muro, for the mountain that gave them a life and home. 

  On this mountain, they lived and died, sustained by its heat and by the ancient plants that grew upon it. Each day, the greatest warriors descended the mountain to guard it from an evil more ancient than time that desired the power of the mountain for itself. Each day fewer warriors returned, until the day they didn’t. That night the wisecolts and mares prayed to the mountain for an answer, for a solution, for hope... and they were answered.

  Deep in the core of the mountain rested a fire hotter than any the tribe had made and more powerful than any spell that would ever be. It showed them how to make blood iron, a powerful metal infused with a beings life force. By mixing blood iron with the fire, a weapon would be born that was powerful enough to slay any creature that threatened the mountain. So the elders ventured into a forgotten cave, following the path revealed until they came to a great cavern with a pit in the center. 

  It was here the oldest of them gave his life to produce the blood iron needed. From it the others forged a small oval of silver metal and cast it into the fire. The mountain erupted! and for the first time there was day. Above the village now rested the sun whose light burned away the evil below the mountain and freed the tribe to spread across the land. 

With the sun above them and the land below now safe to colonize many zebra were eager to leave their mountain home. A great number left, filling the fertile lands with new tribes with new magics unique to each. Those that chose to stay became the first of the new tribes. The Zecix lived as they had before the sun rose into the sky. Safe on their ancestral home they honed their martial craft into one of reflection and self defense. It was here where they found the ring of blood iron, only now there rested within it a large clear gem from which sunlight always shone. 

  Ruled by the oldest and wisest stallion and mare the Zecix flourished over the coming decades. Their role was one of advice and supervision, things that concerned the tribe were brought before them and their knowledge consulted, and the best course of action decided. The original village remained small with only a few others being established. At the base of the mountain a single town was built that served as their link to the wider world. It was here they would trade, mingle, and hold festivals on holy days. 

 When the plague came the Zecix were the second to last tribe infected and were nearly eradicated by it. Their small population and village lifestyle caused it to spread quickly, only a few managed to avoid infection and only a handful of those infected were cured. During the war the primary goal of the survivors was to train new warriors who would be able to keep the traditions of the tribe alive. Many of those sent to fight the war quickly dissented, determined to not use their sacred magic and training to kill. The few who did stay and fight were some of the most dangerous individuals, however as ranged weapons and magic evolved their combat value was lost. 

As the zebra left their mountain a group was sad to find it devoid of life to share it with. Seeking to change this they returned to the base of the mountain and found the bodies of the fallen warriors. Using their blood they forged an iron helmet. Then they placed gems off all different colors into the enchanted metal, creating an artifact known as The Breath of Life. Using this crown the leader of the new tribe gave life to the animals that they would share the land with. For the first time birds filled their air and rabbits burrowed in the ground. These became known as the Delinia a tribe that would go on to celebrate all good life, even that seen as abominations. When they began interacting with the other races, villages of the Delenia became safe havens for Hybrids and those hunted by the mysterious Wesenrein. 

As the world of populated by new life, it brought with it new ways to keep this life in check. Disease and famine blossomed in the crowded forests and overgrazed plain. These new threats risked destroying the paradise the zebra sought to inhabit. Two tribes banded together to protect their new world. The Delinia established farms and learned what plants were safe to eat, while the still forming Hy’till developed medicine and began to care for the sick. While searching for herbs a Hy’till alchemist discovered herbs that had grown in the blood of the warriors who fell at the base of Zix’muro. From these herbs he created a magic bundle that he believed could cure any disease.  

 The Hy’till and Delenia remain closely linked, each protecting life and giving aid to those who seek it. In these villages females are held in slightly higher standing and particularly fecund mothers are treated with reverence as they are the bringers of life into this world. Each village is led by two wise mares, one from each tribe, who advise and oversee the farms and doctors throughout the year. It is their duty to ensure enough of each crop is planted and that the stocks of herbs are upkept. 

 Due to their emphasis on peace and high female population these villages are major targets for raiding Renshe and often welcome members from other tribes and hybrids from other lands into their villages. The newcomers are offered food, medicine, and a chance at a new start in exchange for protecting the village. Those adopted into the tribe, once they have proven themselves, are given a tattoo of the Delinia or Hy’till tribal mark with a personalize mark on top of it. Though this is a process common to all tribes these two practice it the most, and are the only tribe to tattoo non-zebra. 

 During the war they would serve as medics to both sides and in secret supplied food to starving settlements. Many of the surviving Zebra in Equestria are from these tribes, their aid was vital in seeing many civilians and families through the war. Those who practice the magic of either tribe are welcome in most settlements, and tolerated by even the most xenophobic and racist groups. 

As famine entered the world one tribe became suspicious of the Delenia. As animals and disease ravaged their food supply the Kull tribe gathered stones from the mountain and created weapons then they gathered herbs from the plains and created poisons. Gathering their new tools they moved deep into the northern jungles and swamps, shunning the other tribes. In the heart of a grove they found a great beast, fearing competition for food they slew the beast and crafted a powerful quiver using its skin and stone from the mountain.

 As the beast died other animals gathered. One by one they came and drank from the growing pool of blood. Those that drank were changed, no longer were they prey. Wolves, hawks, chimera, hydra, and other predators came to being here. These were the creatures the Kull would share the forest with, and in time they learned to respect and hunt with the Kull just as the Kull came to respect them. 

 The Kull became increasingly xenophobic and isolationist, avoiding nearly all contact with other tribes. Choosing instead to live and hunt in the forests. They established numerous small villages throughout the jungle and swamp. Within each village there is no define leader, only those who are respected and have proven their ability. As a tribe however the different villages are held in widely varied esteem. Each tribe has a ‘domesticate’ creatures they use to hunt, in truth these creatures are far from tame but recognize the benefits of working with the Kull. Those with the most powerful and dangerous creatures rank highest in the tribe. As a result war parties with the goal of stealing another village’s hunting animals are common with the more powerful creatures serving as a deterrent to weaker villages and a target to stronger ones. 

 When the swamp fever came they would be the last tribe affected and the least affected. During the war that followed the few that served were assassins and beast masters who turned Equestria’s animals against its own inhabitants. The majority chose to stay in their forests, where they were the dense vegetation and dangerous animals prevented any incursion by Renshe warriors, Zirix weapons, or even Xivix magic. 

One tribe saw opportunity in the vast of the south desert and tundra of the north. They split into two groups, each led by a mare and stallion married to the mare and stallion leading the other group. By separating the couples just as they split the tribe they believed their leaders would lead them back to each other no matter what came to pass. 

  As they moved into their chosen regions both groups found impediments to any form of settlement. In the north endless snow flurries frozen anyone in them, while in the south endless sandstorms flayed skin from bone. The leaders of each group convened with their greatest artisans and their most powerful casters. Together they captured the flurries and sandstorms in a two endless wind storms, then cast them into the empty sky. That night they looked up and for the first time it was filled with the twinkling of stars. In the end all that was left of the great storms was a single small flury and a tiny sandstorm that swirled around the wrists of their owner, the caster the leader had consulted. He in turn gifted each to one of the stallions leading the groups as symbols of their position. 

 The stallion leading the southern tribe gave the sandstorm bracelet to his wife in the other group, while the stallion leading the northern group gave the flury bracelet to his wife leading the southern group. And so both groups were forever bound to meet time and again, during each meeting the leaders were allowed to rest and spend time with the love they had left with the other group, while the tribe members mingled and traded. Marriages were held at this time, as were birthdays. In time these meetings involved into major celebrations where zebra from far and wide would come to meet, trade stories, and share long nights by a fire. 

  The Sheek became traders and connected the tribes who lived on the fringes of their lands to the wider world. They became life lines of tools for the Zecix, supplied rare herbs to the Hy’till, and crafted weapons of sand and ice for the Renshe. The sheek were masters of bending their lands to their will, and just as they had with the storms that once claimed their land they learned to craft tools, artifacts, and beautiful pieces of art from the sand, stone, snow, and ice. But their greatest ability is being able to cast magic without gems. The elders of the southern group discovered tiny gems mixed in the sand of their desert, and they learned to cast spells using the tiny particles of magic held there. 

  When the war began just as the Kull remained unaffected the Sheek remained safe for a time. Their festival was no longer public but held in secret with pit fires and hushed whispers. The lands they lived in became a haven, the heat and cold killed any swamp spores or trees long before an infection could take hold and the Renshe had little success extorting troops or supplies from them within their deadly homes.                              

The remaining headed east to the vast coast of their lands. This group was interested in furthering themselves rather than the zebra as a whole. Once they arrived the group quickly splintered into four distinct tribes. The Ko tor who sought to conquer the sea, the Renshe who sought to conquer the land, the Zirix who sought to advance in technology and conquer the natural world, and the Xivix who sought to conquer zebra magic and through it control death itself.

  Those that became known as the Zirix traveled to the eastern coast of their lands. Here they discovered forests, beaches, and mines rich with gems. They saw a future of advancement and an easy life for the entire tribe, with a small price. Forgoing traditions the Zirix began to develop the land, destroying the forest for wood, draining the mines in pursuit of magic, and filling the beaches with docks and cities. When Kreed was discovered deep within those mines the Zirix saw an opportunity like no other. In their haste to harvest the behemoth they succeeded in only awakening him. Climbing out of the ocean Kreed revealed his full being, standing nearly 1000 feet tall he was the shape of an upturned mountain with wide thick legs near its ‘peak’ and a boulder like head at its ‘foot hills’. Made entirely of pure white gems it was a sight than shook the Zirix to the core. However the creature showed no wrath, instead is left the city unharmed.

  Now the tiny piece they had managed to collect became the most prized item the Zirix had ever held. Determined to harness its potential they gathered every creature from the now treeless forest and in secret used them to create the smallest bit of blood gold. A material never before seen and never seen since. Coating the gem in the metal they infused it with their ideals and desires, creating the Spark of Invention. 

  Using this artifact they excelled and developed faster than any other tribe creating cities long before any other. However it wasn’t long before greed and disregard for morals in the pursuit of advancement caused heavy infighting and soon factions began to form. The Zirix renaissance ended shortly after as government and codes of conduct replaced free experimentation and unregulated building. 

  During the war the Zirix worked with the Xivix to develop the first gem cores. They also used the mines below the cities to gather the gems needed and soon began experimenting with the various weapons that would later come to rival pony guns. When the plague came the Zirix were the first infected and along with the Renshe were among the hardest hit. The cities were abandoned as trees and spores spread faster than they could be eliminated. Now they stand in mute testimony to the hubris of the zebra that destroyed the world. 

As the Zirix established themselves on the coast and built cities and school the Ko Tor followed behind them. The new tribe had their sights set on a distant archipelago and need ships. The Zirix agreed, giving them a fleet in exchange for promises of trade and supplies. Leading the ships was the one who would become known as The First Captain and the patron of pirates. 

  Wave Rider was a wise and firm leader, she had led her tribe-to-be from the west seeking a haven across the sea. The fleet had been travelling for a week and on the horizon was the islands they sought, all they had to do was make it. The sky was clear and the water calm, then it wasn’t. Before them one of the islands was moving. There was still a lot of distance between them and it, but that's the problem with the ocean, there’s nowhere to run. Scrambling they scavenged together what weapons they could, in an era before ship warfare these were few. 

  Within the hour the moving island burst from the water, what would be known as the leviathan attacked the lead ship. A talon alone was the size of Rider’s ship, and it had four on each leg. The wood crumpled from the blow, flinging Rider into the cold ocean. She watched as the creature attacked the other ships. It had 8 legs, four ended in massive talons. It was easily the size of a dozen of their ship with smooth crisscrossing scales over leathery skin. Within moments the entire fleet was flinders and it was returning to its resting place, meaning it had to pass Wave Rider. Drawing her dagger from an arm sheath she doze, determined to take *something* from the creature in retribution. 

  As it passed she saw its head, huge and reptilian it reminded her of a crocodile, if crocodiles had hundreds of eyes and teeth larger than her. Undeterred she swam deeper, now with a target in mind. Clinging to a ridge on the base of its skull she brought the dagger down, not as easy task when holding it in one’s mouth while being drug under water, into the nearest eye. The beast recoiled in rage and pain, the ocean shook and roiled as it roared and the dagger came down again. In an attempt to escape this new sensation known as pain the Leviathan began to dive. Not one to die for revenge Rider pried out one final eye as a trophy and let go. But she had never heard of an undertow, no one had yet. Clinging to her dagger and her trophy the creature pulled her into the depths. 

  The blood of the Leviathan filled the water, it covered dirt making plankton, it coated rocks forming scavengers, it rolled in the sea foam making fish and collected on the flotsam making sharks and predators. Rider watched this as the blood surrounded her, accepting it was the last thing she would see and when her breath left her water filled her lungs… but the world did not go dark. She could breath! The weight of the water disappeared from her body, she wasn’t being crushed either. Kissing her new trinket that could only be the item that saved her she waited for the undertow to release her and swam to the surface. 

  Breaching the surface she found numerous Ko Tor had survived, many were trying to interact with the sea creatures forming around them. Working together they gathered what they could and set out to the islands. The Leviathan was never seen again, but now and then the water turns a deep red and the Ko Tor know it's only wounds have opened again. Once on the island they built homes and discovered rare herbs and bizarre fruits. In time they built a new ship and returned to the mainland with stories of their success. Wave Rider lived far longer than any Zebra before her, the blood of the Leviathan coursed through her lending its strength, longevity, and numerous other blessings. The few foals she bored carried these blessing as well and went to establish ports on the neighboring islands. Her family controlled the oceans until the day the bombs fell, and beyond. 

  When the plague came they isolated those infected and closed their borders. A few rouges helped during the war but no outsider saw the sands of their islands during the war and no one has since. How they fair and what goes on on the islands is known to only them. 

The Renshe watched the other tribes grow and prosper and soon grew jealous of their artifacts and dawning civilizations. Gathering a great army the males of the Renshe honed their skills at combat, developing new weapons and new ways to fight. On the eve of their first attack a group traveled to Zix’muro and carved a war horn from the last bone of the Evil at the Base of the Mountain. This horn became their rallying call and heralded each attack against the other tribes. After each victory the blood from greatest warrior of the defeated village was used to annoint the war horn, imbuing it with new power. The First War Horn became a sacred artifact, and one that often turned the tide of battle. As the Renshe introduced war to the world the other tribes were quick to adapt. Zecix members began living in Hy’till and Delinia village, Kull would patrol their forests attacking invaders, Sheek learned to use their lands to devastate any would be attackers. The Renshe were not cowed, but they did began to experience defeat and drew back. The would be conquerors because a tolerated nuisance and caused villages to remain battle ready should an attack come. 

  The Renshe were the main instigators of the war, and when the plague came they became the primary vectors of transmission. By attacking villages they exposed more and more to the deadly spores making the disease many time more virulent than one its own. As the war raged on the Renshe were the only tribe still fighting with the swamp fever, as more and more of them were sent to war they became increasingly desperate. Eventually the Renshe were nearly wiped out, now only a few pockets remain in equestria and none still reside in their ancestral lands. 

The last tribe to break away were the most ambitious. Having seen the raw power of Kreed they sought to do what the Renshe had failed at. They developed a way to imprison and harness the power of Kreed to turn their leaders into limitless archmages. By predicting the ancient’s course they surrounded him with an army of their best casters, as Kreed looked down to observe the new arrivals the ground rose up encasing him in a great sphere of gems and stone that was then thrown into the sky. This became the moon and was designed to siphon the power from Kreed into a single artifact known simply as the moon siphon. As the ritual reached completion the last of the Muro approached and slew the lead casters stopping the final portion that would bind the artifact to their leaders.

  Using a powerful curse the Xivix were cut off from zebra magic and their bloodlines forever to bare glyph marks of the moon in place of glyph marks unique to the individual. As a final blow the only way for a Xivix to use magic is by taking a life or releasing a spirit to the after life. They became a tribe of exiles and necromancers, determined to punish those who cursed them. A few Xivix has not embraced the ways of their tribe, choosing instead to seek out and destroy undead wherever it may be. Know as Summer Priests they seek to redeem themselves and earn back their position with the tribes. While tolerated they are still looked down upon by many. The artifact that was created was hidden away, rumors abound as to where, but many believe it was placed within the heart of Zix’muro itself in a place no live can survive and no darkness can reach. 

  Along with the Renshe and the Zirix the Xivix were the third major proponents for the war and used it as a way to build up massive armies of undead. Nearly untouched by the plague due to their exile the Xivix became a major power and now rule over much of the zebra lands using their armies to enslave those who don’t willingly follow them. Perpetual wars are fought between the necromancers, each seeking to create new more corrupt undead in a vain attempt to become the sole ruler of the continent. 

As history unfolded and the tribes established themselves a single tribe remained. These were to be the bearers of history. They would carry with them the events of the past and teach its lessons and mistakes to the generations to come. The Xei’el were the last tribe to form, the members came from the different tribes, gathering at the base of Zix’muro where they forged a book with covers of iron, inlaid with gems, and enchanted with the last bone dust of the evil at the base of the mountain. In this book of infinite pages they recorded the creation of their world and the history of the tribes. In time this book would become the cornerstone of their tradition with the events of every year recorded in immaculate detail. The location is known to only a few, and many fear it was lost when the plague came. 

 During the war the remaining members of this tribe held to their duty and masqueraded as members of the other tribes, as pony-allied zebra, and and emissaries. They would record the events of the war in secret, few outsiders even knew of their presence. After the war they still follow their sacred task, sharing their knowledge with anyone who asks.