Extra Special World Building Blog · 12:52am May 8th, 2014
Let's talk deer.
I've gotten much farther in my next chapter of Warmistress, so expect to see that sometime in the future unless I run out of inspiration. Anyway, one thing I had to do while writing this chapter was come up with a few more clans for the Deer, since I've only mentioned two. So here's a list of the five major clans, as well as the Craftworlds from which they draw some (very) loose inspiration from as well as what species of deer they are:
Elinya- White-Tail Deer (Ulthwe); renowned for their seers, Elinya was the first Clan to settle the world, doing so shortly before the arrival of griffons. Elinya herself established the Seer Council and is considered a saint among deer, a true daughter of Isha (and in no way is she an expy of Grand Dick Eldrad). Elinya seers are among the most powerful of their kin, possessing a mastery of the Empyrean far beyond the most powerful of the other Clans combined. This is Anlindē's Clan, and the current head of the Seer Council is a white-tail deer.
Illyias- Red Deer (Saim-Hann); considered something of a rogue element by the other Clans, Clan Illyias is known for their rough nature, more akin to a griffon than a deer. Illyias deer sometime act as pirates, striking so swiftly that their targets rarely have time to realize what happened. Illyias deer are well meaning in most of their actions, often attacking targets that they feel might become a threat to the deer, and being careful to hide any evidence that they were there.
Landar- Black-Tail Deer (Biel-Tan); about as aggressive as Clan Illyias, but more controlled, Clan Landar has come under fire from the other clans for their near breaking of the deer's secrecy. Unofficially, the Clan has fought against the Griffon Kingdoms several times, and their actions helped in causing the Germane Crisis, but it is due to the tireless efforts of the seers of other clans (mostly Elinya) that these battles are not discovered by the other world powers.
Ethiliel- Mule Deer (Alaitoc); Clan Ethiliel has a reputation for producing stubborn deer. Ethiliel deer would be considered racist by any other species' standards, and even by the standards of some of the other deer; if they had their way, Ethiliel deer would allow the "lesser" races to burn if it meant that the deer survived in peace (especially if those deer are their own). Galas is a Mule Deer, but as a Ranger swears allegiance to no one Clan.
Cleodil- Red-Tail Deer (Iyanden); a more peaceable Clan, Clan Cleodil is known for healers and conjurers, as well as special craftsdeer that are masters at infusing gems with magic. The Clan's main settlements are believed to be guarded by warriors of diamond and rock (rumors of such beings have made Diamond Dogs a constant worry for the Clan), and it was Cleodil, working with Elinya and quite possibly Isha herself, that crafted what are known as Soulstones, which contain the soul of a deer once he or she dies. The deer of Clan Ethiliel are considered ideological opposites of Clan Cleodil. Chanthal is the ruling Farseer of the Clan, and is known as the voice of reason among the Seer Council.
Lesser Clans
Roe- the youngest of the Clans, the roe live peaceful lives in the forests of Germane. Roe deer are supreme artisans, creating beautiful tapestries and other works of art for the enjoyment of their brothers and sisters. Clan Cleodil sees the Roe as the equivalent of a younger sibling, the two Clans working closely together while Clan Cleodil nurtures the Roe's growth.
Reindeer- Reindeer see themselves as kin to Clan Illyias, and often join Red deer raiding parties much in the same way minotaur mercenaries join Diamond Dog warbands. To this day the Western Rangers wage a secret war against the Reindeer in the Scandineighvian region (the Rangers keeping this war a secret so as to not draw in the other Legions and risk exposing more of their secrets).
-->Sub-Clan: Caribou- inhabitants of Equestria's frozen north, the Caribou consider themselves distinct from their more warlike cousins, preferring a peaceful life of wandering the frozen north in search of food and crystals. It is believed that the Arctic Wolves have known of their existence for some time, but their peaceful nature makes them no threat to Equestria.
Elk- The Elk were once a larger Clan, rivaling Elinya in size, until a cataclysm around the time of the Lunar Heresy all but wiped them out. No longer able to support forces and powers in the way the other Clans could, the Elk have since become a client of Clan Ethiliel, as they now share the same sentiments as the Mule deer: why help those races that led to their downfall, after all?
Chital- Like the Elk, the Chital were almost wiped out around the time of the Lunar Heresy, this time by Grogar and his Stalliongrad Guards after the Legion had turned Traitor. The Chital were saved by Clan Landar, but Grogar escaped with hundreds of deer corpses to add to his personal army (due to the nature of these "recruits", they have been recorded as unusual Warp beasts by Legions that have encountered them). The Chital have recovered quicker than the Elk, quick enough that quite a few Chital Rangers operate in the northern Ottomare Empire (South of Saddle Arabia).
Fallow Deer- Although sometimes mistaken for Chital, the fallow draw kinship with Clan Elinya, and claim that Elinya was their mother as well (if not physically, then definitely in spirit). The Fallow enclaves produce plenty of seers and warlocks, although the fallow deer are too small to be considered a major clan and mostly keep to themselves anyway.
Pudu- Tragically, the Pudu were wiped out by Changeling Queen Arachne and her hive, the only surviving evidence of their existence being a few scrolls locked away in Clan Elinya's vaults. Clan Landar has sworn an oath of vengeance to hunt down and wipe out the changelings once and for all.
Moose- Moose are a rare Clan, not because their number were depleted but due to being very easy to miss, no small feat due to their size. They are shunned by the other Clans, major and minor, due to the fact that it is common knowledge among ponies that moose exist. They are looked down upon by Clan Ethiliel, but they do have some allies in Clan Cleodil.
And there's a brief overview of the deer. updates as they come.
So not all of them are dicks?
2087257 Nope, not all of them are dicks (although some are bigger dicks than others *cough*Ethiliel*cough*)
The moose may be looked down upon, but when they are given no regard for it, they are far safer, as none will seek to know more of them. Especially as a figure of myth and legend. The refuge in audacity, and what not.
The rest of the deer, you can bet once known, they will be given a carte blanche approach especially by others to be hunted.
2087268
And the caribou aren't plotting to take over Equestria and turn all the mares in sex slaves?... *bangs head against desk repeatably* Why *bam* did *bam* I *bam* ask *bam* that... stupid clop fics
2087276 Nope (now I'm scared about this clopfic. Fortunately, I hate clop, so I'll probably ignore it)
2087282
Ugh... my head... yeah sounds like a good plan.
Fascinating. I may have missed this in an earlier world-building blog, but why do deer have Soulstones? It's not like they were the ones who partied Slaanesh into existence.
No, Pinkie, you're not Slaanesh. Not in this continuity, anyway.
2087274
No one suspects a moose. Except Mulia Mild. She knows too much...
2087322 Except the sister. A moose did bite her, after all.
How does gryphon/griffon myth view the deer overall in what they've encountered?
2087322 I actually didn't mention why the deer have soulstones. Since Slaanesh doesn't have as strong a hold over the deer as he/she/it does over the 40K Eldar, deer soulstones are used to preserve the soul of the deer so they may continue to guide and advise their clans long after death (Like Jor-El from Superman, but with deer and on a much larger scale)
2087338 From my last World Building blog post:
2087346 Thank ya, and will you be saying more on both diamond dogs and minotaurs?
2087366 I may (Admittedly I've fleshed the deer out more because they're a more important faction in the events transpiring, but I may take some time to work on the Diamond Dogs and minotaurs)
2087384 Thank you very much.
... Very nice. I like it. I was worried there for a second as soon I as I saw them.
2087541 They're basically the Equestrian equivalent of Canadians (in the very friendly and peaceful sort of way- I haven't actually met a lot of Canadians so I don't know if that's the standard, but still)
Neat stuff. Nice to know only some of the deer are dicks.
Also, I may have asked this before but will there be any Tau expies in this version of Equestria?
2087698 Not yet
2087700 Ah, okay. I'm looking forward to seeing them, along with the equivalent of the Imperial G-excuse me, "Astra Militarum", and Sisters of Battle. I'll be especially interested to see how the AM is handled, since Commissars straight up executing soldiers and high-casualty zerg rushes seem a bit too dark for this version of Equestria you've created.
2087338 ha ha ha! Monty Python's Holy Grail!!!
2088247 And so, I gift to you, a... Shrubbery.... *hides from the dramatic music to poke back up* And send you back upon your quest brave traveler.
2088312 I hope I make it past the Gorge of Eternal Peril!
One more thing I only just thought of: have the deer ever called Equestrians "hor-seigh"?
2089838 ...
No, but they should have