Greetings, reader. I am Silver Page, 77th Master Librarian of Canterlot’s Royal Library and Archives. In my youth, I have traveled the world extensively, and visited many cities across the land. Finally, after many years of adventuring, I decided to settle down. But my experiences, both wonderful and terrible, were beyond anything I could have imagined. Perhaps, dear reader, you too will see the world someday. Whether or not you do, this simple guidebook will take you to the many places of this world of ours.
This is a guide to the lands and beings of Erafore. May it amaze and inspire you as the real things did for me…
Equestria Major:
This is the main continent of the Western Hemisphere, which is the home of the Divine Kingdom of Equestria, as its proper name is known. To the north lies the Frozen North, a realm of bitter, eternal winter. South lies the Badlands where the ruins of a long dead civilization crumble. To the East is the Glittering Ocean, and to the West is the Dazzling Ocean. It is a prosperous land, and a peaceful one. Here is Canterlot and Trottingham, Manehatten and Baltimare, and more. It is home to Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, and of course our glorious Princesses, the Alicorns Celestia and Luna.
Founded by the three tribes during the Time of Winter, also called the Age of Bitterness or the Winter of Strife, approximately 2500 years ago. It was initially a Council System, such as the kind used by the Roaman Empire, until the arrival of the Draconequues Discord, who ruled for several years until defeated by Celestia and Luna. Their actions and their powers to raise and lower the celestial bodies convinced the survivors of the Council to form a central government around them.
The capitol of Equestria is Canterlot, based on the tallest peak of Equestria Major; the Canterhorn Mountain, part of the Foal Mountain Range. The original capitol was the city of Everfree, built in the wild and untamable reaches of the then called Darkwood Jungle, later changed to the Woods of Unity, and then the Everfree Forest after the Night of Banishment 1000 year ago.
Equestria is primarily temperate, and has many natural resources, such as lumber and precious metals and stones, and is the number 1 producer and exporter of foodstuffs in the world.
Manehatten:
A metropolitan city, the largest and most technologically advanced, being the front runner for technology, science, fashion, and economics. Originally founded as a port harbor during the early days of Equestria, it acted as the main trading port for goods from Equestria Minor, Gryphonia, and Toro. However, it was heavily built up during the War of Undeath, when Grogar the Necromancer destroyed Tambelon and tried to conquer the world, and refugees from all over fled the shambling hordes. Time passed, and after Grogar’s defeat it had quadrupled in population. Now, and even then, Manehatten was a major staging ground for various cross-ocean voyages.
The iconic Statue of Harmony was built by Prance, Stalliongrad and Germaneigh and gifted to the Kingdom of Equestria as a symbol of their alliance and friendship.
Fillydelphia:
A moderate large city that is famous for its blending of rustic with modern. It has the largest Bovine population in Eastern Equestria, and numerous Milk ranches abound.
Trottingham:
A longstanding city, it is famous for its masonry and clockwork. It was the original home of the Unicorns, before they migrated south to what would later become Canterlot and the Unicorn Mountains. The old castle of the Unicorn monarchy, Buckingham Palace, is still used today as a vacation villa by the Princesses.
Baltimare:
A city dedicated to sea-life, even more so than Manehatten. It has the largest docks and produces the finest ships, both sea and air. It is a trading stop for everything East of Equestria Major, from Gryphonia to Zebrica to Saddle Arabia and Fleece.
Van Hoover:
The furthest north city of Equestria, it acts as the main port city for the West of Equestria, dealing with exotic Neighpon, Ti-bit, and Phantine. Often cold and rainy due to wild weather blown in from the Crystal Mountains, it also has a heavy logging industry, and its lumber is of very high quality.
Cloudsdale:
A Pegasus city, and the main one for Central and Northern Equestria. It is treated as a semi-independent territory, but is fully under the Crown’s purview. It produces most of the more advanced weather for Equestria, and is where the famous Rainbow Factory is located, which produces the rare, magical liquid light used to make rainbows.
Las Pegasus:
When one thinks of Las Pegasus, most think of the gambling, prostitution, and new-fangled “Cinema.” While all are true, Las Pegasus is the second largest Pegasus city and oversees all of Southern Equestria’s weather. In fact, the gambling and such is all located on the ground-level of the city, a region called Applewood. Here are the brothels and gambling dens, while Las Pegasus proper is weather production and housing.
The Everfree Forest:
Long ago, this forest was not as feared as it is now. True, it was wild and home to many vicious beasts, but what wasn’t back then. No, the Everfree, once called the Forest of Unity during the early years of Celestia and Luna’s reign and the Darkwoods before, is one of three True Forests in the world, and one of a dozen or so sites where Natural Magic, the source of what living creatures harness to cast spells, springs forth from. A portion of the forest is taken up by a small bog where hydras and cragodiles dwell, called the Froggy Bottom Bog by locals. Near the center of the forest a small collection of deep caves exists, where tunnels lead to vast underground networks and some even lead to the Ghastly Gorge, and the hatching dens of Quarry Eels.
Most interesting, from a historical standpoint, is the ruins of the first capitol of Equestria; the Everfree Castle, or the Castle of Two Sisters. After the Night of Banishment, the magics unleashed by Celestia and Nightmare Moon awoke the primal nature of the woods, long asleep, turning it into a hotbed of monsters and uncontrollable weather. Escaping the suddenly volatile forest, Celestia commissioned a new home to be built on the Canterhorn Mountain.
Mexicolt:
A territory of the Kingdom of Equestria located at the borders of the Badlands and the San Palomino desert. Founded by Donkey immigrants and Earth Pony settlers, it is a well-known land of spicy foods and purveyor of many exotic spices, normally only found and grown further south or Zebrica. It is also infamous for its alcohol distilleries, producing a unique drink called Tequila, made from the numerous Cacti of the region. Located as it is near the Badlands, it is surrounded by hot sand and sunbaked rock on all sides, and relies on airships and trains to move its goods.
Mare-hamas:
A collection of numerous islands located in the Glittering Ocean east of the Badlands. Originally founded five hundred years ago by Zebra immigrants, it has in the past century boomed into a popular tourist resort area. While there are many Zebra inhabitants, it also has a large population of Kelpies, more commonly called Sea-Ponies. Here are the largest coconut, sugarcane, and banana plantations in the world, entire islands dedicated to a single crop. It is treated as an Equestrian Territory due to the fact that it was owned by Princess Celestia herself, but given as a gift to Zebra refugees after the devastation of the Fourth Wolf War, where Houndor almost wiped out the Zebra nation.
Crystal Empire:
Its name is a bit of a misnomer; the Crystal Empire was indeed a large country located north of the Crystal Mountains of Equestria Major thousands of years ago, but it only ever had a single city surrounded by supporting villages and towns; the capitol of Gilded Snow. Populated by all three races of Ponies, it was founded long before even the Winter of Strife. Gilded Snow, and much of the north, is choked full of magical crystals and overflowing with Natural Magic, much like the Everfree Forest. This makes it a dangerous, almost untamable land. Over the years the Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns absorbed the ambient magic, and developed unusually colored and patterned coats; their fur appears to be made of shimmering crystal, but it is in fact merely generations of, for lack of a better term, magical static build-up. These “Crystal Ponies” managed to harness their own magic to create Weather Shields to keep out the snow, and keep the interior warm.
It is possible to walk from the Crystal Empire’s limits all the way to Stalliongrad and Gryphonia by crossing the frozen landscape and trekking across vast fields of ice, dozens of feet thick. When Grogar began the War of Undeath thousands of zombies and skeletons assaulted the Crystal Empire this way, the undead knowing neither cold nor weariness.
The Crystal Empire was lost many centuries ago when a Unicorn named King Sombra overthrew the rightful royal family in a coup. He enslaved the populace, using their own magic to fuel his dark powers and control them. He was eventually challenged by Princess Celestia and Luna, and was defeated. In a final act of vengeance, he tied his fate to that of the city, and it and all its population vanished along with him.
The Badlands:
Desolate and deadly, it is the mostly uninhabited land between the southernmost borders of the Kingdom of Equestria and the Dragon Heartlands. It is hot, full of sand in some places and scorched stone in others, and littered with mysterious ruins. Few know who lived there, and fewer survive such a trip, for it is full of wild Natural Magic, and is home to many deadly beasts, such as the dread Wyvern, Dire Manticores, Basilisks, and Cragadiles. Only one major settlement exists near it, and that is Mexicolt, but even it skirts the limits of the Badlands. No nation claims it, so it has been home to numerous factions over the years, most noticeably Diamond Dogs, who have several pack dens, but no real governing body.
Gaeum / Equestria Minor:
A smaller, secondary continent that borders Gryphonia, homeland of the Griffins, Toro, homeland of the Minotaurs, and Zebrica. Its proper name is Gaeum, after the mythical Gaea, daughter of the Dragon god Zarthura and the queen of the Earth Elementals. Due to its association as Protectorates of the Equestria Kingdom, it is often called Equestria Minor by none locals, mainly tourists.
Equestria Minor was independent from Equestria Major for a long time, thanks to the Glittering Ocean in between the two landmasses. During the Time of Winter, three small nations were formed between the three pony tribes that lived on that landmass; Prance, home of the Unicorns, Germaneigh of the Pegasi, and Stalliongrad of the Earth Ponies. Though I say nations, they were little more than large, fortified city-states served by outlying farms and villages. Equestria Minor was also home to a forth nation, the Kingdom of Tamberlon, home of the Goats and the Donkeys. However, the land was destroyed by Grogar the Necromancer, a powerful Goat who drowned the kingdom in darkness and nearly destroyed the other three city-states under a tide of Zombies and Undead; the six year War of Undeath. This was 1,200 years ago, and the Two Princesses personally intervened and saved Equestria Minor. The conflict is famous for many reasons, one of which being it is the first and only time the Kingdom of Equestria has initiated hostilities against a foreign threat. This act sealed a treaty between the two continents, with Prance, Germaneigh and Stalliongrad becoming fiefdoms and later Protectorates of Equestria Major and the Divine Kingdom of Equestria.
Germaneigh:
A fortified city-state founded during the Time of Winter, when Windigos roamed the land. It was a Pegasus city, cloud buildings and structures built into a trio of tall mountains; the Acro Mountains, which are smack in the middle of the continent. Unusually for Pegasi at the time, Germaneigh was built into the mountains just as much as in the clouds, the surface dotted with watch towers and walled farms. Following the traditions of the Pegasi, Germaneigh was highly militaristic, and its City Guard proud and fierce. Its architecture is in traditional Pegasi style, even the stone and metal structures shaped to resemble the designs of the cloud buildings. One of the most famous citizens of Germaneigh was Captain Luft Waffle, a fierce member of the City Guard who was one of the Heroic Trinity, the heroes who fought alongside Celestia and Luna to defeat Grogar the Necromancer. He led the fighting retreat of the Germaneigh soldiers at the battle of Custard’s Folly, personally rescuing over three dozen prisoners from a slow, agonizing death at the hands of the Undead.
A few centuries ago, the township of Flankfurt was built, a port city built onto the banks of the Rein River to allow boats and later air ships to moor and trade with the mostly landlocked city-state.
While it is predominantly a Pegasi nation, with 60% of the population being Pegasi, many others Ponies live there as well. Many famous flyers come from Germaneigh, a number of Wonderbolts hailing from this city. Their current ruler is Sky-Marshall Blitzkrieg.
Prance:
Known to some as the City of Love, it is a place with the buildings designed in the elegant fashion of the Unicorns who founded it. One can certainly see the similarities between Canterlot and Prance, as many Prench architects were hired to help its construction. It has many rivers crossing it, numerous bridges connecting the city walks together. The buildings are elegant and despite their flimsy appearance, are supported by magical lodestones to resist any kind of damage. It is south of Germaneigh and Stalliongrad, and acts as a port with its various rivers, many leading further in-land while others out to sea.
Although beautiful, Prance has a dark, seedy underbelly. When it was built, the Unicorn nobles forced the poor and the working class into slums. Over 75% of Prance is lower class districts and industrial complexes, with the rest of the city, the famous picturesque parts of Prance, separated from its dirty side by walls and gates. Though nowadays it is more open and efforts have been made to clean up the Lower Sides, many discrepancies exist between the social classes and tourism is still a major source of income for most of the population.
One of the Heroic Trinity hailed from Prance, the lovely Unicorn Lady Roan Ark, a mare who fought as fiercely and valiantly as any stallion knight against Grogar. She personally lead a charge across the Fields of Orion and drove back the Undead led by one of Grogar Lieutenants, Bok the Mad, and killed the insane Donkey herself.
Over 80% of Prance’s population is Unicorn, with the remaining 20% divided between Earth Ponies and Pegasi, these two groups being middle class traders and merchants. The current ruler is Lord-Governess Au Natural.
Stalliongrad:
Cold and dark most of the year, it is the furthest north located city-state of Equestria Minor, lying close to the Frozen North and the Ice Bridge that lead to the Crystal Empire. It was furthest from Tamberlon, but was sieged just as hard by Grogar’s hordes, due to the city-state lying near a massive deposit of ancient graves which constantly supplied the Undead with new troops. It was founded by grim and dour Earth Ponies, whose skills allowed them to grow food even in the harsh conditions. They utilize countless caverns filled with hot springs, which heat the buildings above ground and warm the farms. Furthermore, the caverns contain many kinds of mushrooms and fungi which are cultivated as food and even exported as a luxury meal.
The buildings are low standing and thick walled, and every home has a small plot of land dedicated to growing personal crops for use by the tenants. To save space, many buildings are designed as an apartment complex, several families living under one roof and helping out with various activities, chores and repairs. During the Time of Winter, rationing was severe, and though food was shared evenly among the citizens, apartment blocks would compete with one another in tournaments and war games to decide the allotment of surplus goods and luxury items such as candy, toilet paper, etc. This policy bred tough, strong, stubborn Earth Ponies, even more so than their Equestria Major cousins, and even now they are viewed as the toughest ponies to walk the face of Erafore.
From this city-state came one of the Heroic Trinity, Dragonov Bolgori, the largest stallion in history, who stood taller than even Princess Celestia. He was a simple farmer in the Mushroom Caves, but personally repelled countless attacks from burrowing Undead. It is said he personally defeated the reanimated corpse of Hyderon the Dragon, crushing its rotten skull with his hooves.
90 percent of Stalliongrad is Earth Ponies, many of them descendants of Crystal Ponies who fled the Crystal Empire during King Sombra’s reign of terror. Stalliongrad also has an unusual, yet strong relationship with Gryphonia and the Griffins, due to both cultures raising strong hunters and trackers. Stalliongrad Ponies learned how to hunt and fight off the dreaded beasts of the north to protect themselves, and are one of the main suppliers of furs and hides to the rest of Equestria, both Major and Minor. Its current ruler is Director Loshad.
Bitaly:
A City-state located in the southern most end of Equestria Minor. It was founded around two centuries after the defeat of Grogar the Necromancer. Built atop the ruins of Roam, the ancient capitol of the Roaman Empire. The mostly uninhabited city had been populated by the refugees from Tambelon, and as such, is predominately a Donkey nation, and viewed as such. Established as a trading port for access between Equestria Minor, Zebrica, Toro, Saddle Arabia and Fleece via the Mare-anian Sea, it has some of the largest and most extensive markets in the world. It is said if you cannot find it in Bitaly, you won’t find it anywhere; and this may be true. For vast numbers and varieties of exotic foods and materials can be found here aplenty, though so can some of the worst; slaves and illegal narcotics flow through Bitaly’s seedy underbelly and black markets. As a result of its trade importance and status as Internationally Neutral, a large number of high profile casinos have risen to prominence in the last century or so, drawing all kinds of beings to its card halls and dice parlors. Fortunes can be made and lost in a single night, though winning can be just as dangerous as losing when night falls.
Bitaly is run by a collection of powerful trading houses and families, known collectively as the Merchant Lords. Grouped together in a loose alliance of convenience, each of the Merchant Lords controls one or more aspects of Bitaly’s wealth. One such family is House Volt-Air, a Pegasi family that runs and controls all forms of shipping and all the docks of Bitaly. Nothing enters without them knowing about it. The current head of the association of Merchant Lords is by far the most powerful; the Mare-deci family. For generations they have run the City-State as its Governors, and they control the registrations and trade permits for all other families and groups, ensuring obedience from their trading partners. The current head of the Mare-deci is Corbello Mare-deci, a ruthless, yet cunning, business Donkey.
The population of Bitaly is the most diverse of all the cities, not just for Equestria Minor, but for the whole world. Only 25 percent of Bitaly are ponies, the rest divided between the Griffons, Zebras, Minotaurs, Sheep, Donkeys, Goats, and more. Racism is in fact very low, for anyone who cannot tolerate the presence of other species soon finds themselves alone and isolated, often in dark alleys with no one to hear their screams…
Gryphonia:
East of the Hook Mountains, which forms the natural barrier and border between Gaeum and the rest of the east, the homeland of the Griffons lies. It is windswept and often cold, being around the same elevation as Stalliongrad. It is full of steppes, craggy hills, and sharp mountains where the homes of the Gryphons stand, while further north are heavy pine forests and tundra plains.
The mountain-based cities of Gryphonia are called Eeyries, while the land based towns Nests.
Griffons have similar magic to Pegasi, the only other sapient mammalian race to have the ability to fly and cloud-shape, but they are unable to control the weather to any great degree. While many consider the Griffons to be birds, they are in fact mammals, having live births rather than lay eggs as their feline-like posteriors attest to. Primarily carnivores, they are Omnivores like the Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs. Griffons have a small set of teeth set behind their beaks, an evolutionary trait for eating plants as well as meat. They are skilled trackers and hunters, and their eye sight is the best of all races.
Proud and with a strong sense of honor, Griffons are not a united race. Many clans control the nation, each mountain range home to at least one Noble House. From these clans a High House is selected, to rule over the others with the House’s leader being called the High King. The Capitol of Gryphonia is Wyndhain, based on the largest mountain of their country, and the second largest mountain in the world; Storm Peak. The High King lives there half the year, Spring to Summer, where he takes appeals of law and state, hosts diplomats, and other public functions. The other half of the year, Fall to Winter, he lives at the clan-hold of his Noble House.
Gryphonia has recently began to modernize, trading technology and techniques with the Minotaurs. Their land has a large amount of minerals such as coal and iron, only recently being exploited due to their previous lack of mining knowledge and ability. Their current ruler is High King Valius of House Goldbeak.
Toro:
North of the Pale Desert, East of Equestria Minor, and South of the Griffon Empire, the nation of the Minotaurs lies nestled in the lands past the Hook Mountains. The land of Toro encompasses the mineral rich Hook Mountains, and they are the most technologically advanced culture in the world. They invented the Steam Engine, used now across Equestria Major and Minor, and other lands as well. Their metalworking and blacksmithing is the finest outside of the Griffon Empire, and have one of the best equipped armies in the world.
The capitol city of Toro is Knossos, sometimes referred to as the City of Labyrinths. It is built rising out of a massive crater, formed millions of years ago by a wayward Meteorite. There is still metal mined from the crater to this day, it being one of the only places in the world to obtain Star Metal. Being built into a crater, the edges of the impact site form a natural barrier to invaders, and to reach the city there is one way in; the Bridge of the Bronze Bull. It is an enormous draw bridge than span nearly a quarter of a mile in length, and can be raised or lower by massive gears and pistons. Throughout the city are smoke stacks and chimneys that vent the noxious fumes of the countless refineries and forges. Instead of being choked with smog day and night, a clever system of shunts and pipe-vents allow the smoke to be controlled; when the wind blows one way, certain vents and valves are opened and the smoke flows away from the city, carried by the weather. When it changes, new vents are opened and the old ones closed. It is not perfect, but works very well regardless. Knossos earns its name as the City of Labyrinths thanks to its lay-out; old buildings are built over by new ones, creating layers of buildings and streets that are below ground as much as above. This so called Shadow Belt is where the poor live and the criminals gather, for away from the open sky and prying eyes, darker business can be carried out easier. Thanks to their innate sense of direction, Minotaurs don’t get lost in their capitol, but for visitors, it can be tricky to navigate through. Thus, it is not uncommon for younger Minotaurs to act as tour guides to visitors, and a new guild, the Wayfinders Guild, has risen in the past century or so, hiring out guides for everything from city tours to archeological expeditions.
There are many non-Minotaurs living in Toro, mainly Cattle and Goats and a number of Donkeys. They tend to live out in the rural areas, away from the heavily industrial cities, and many near mining communities. There is a large Dairy industry in Toro thanks to this, the milk and cheese from Toro being some of the finest ever. Holstein Jersey, the charismatic Bull who lives in the Steer Ranges, is the premiere Dairy farmer in the world, his ranch the largest on the Eastern continents.
Toro is ruled by a council of Guilds, which is overseen by a king. The most powerful Guilds are the Grand Three; the Guild of Smiths, who deal with all things metal, crafting armor and weapons as well as other tools, the Guild of Builders, who are architects and engineers, building and maintaining the various structures across Toro, and the Guild of Runes, who act as a combination of priests and scholars, and are the only Minotaurs who are taught the secrets of controlling magic through Runes. The king, who acts as a tie breaker in the debates and is the public face and speaker for the Guild Council, is uncommonly chosen even by most standards.
A candidate for King is selected from amongst the entire population, each Guild making their own choice. However, a Guild cannot choose one from their own ranks; meaning sometimes a total stranger is made to be a candidate. The candidates are evaluated by the other Guilds, and voted on by the Council. The Candidate that receives the most votes is made king (or queen). Their authority is limited, and the only real power they have is to Veto laws the Guild wishes to pass and to break ties in Council debates. The current leader is Guild-King Trample Hoof.
Fleece:
To the east of Equestria Minor and a close neighbor with Saddle Arabia, Fleece is the homeland of the Sheep, a nomadic and clever people. Fleece is in the Pale Desert, a land of white and pale yellow sand, though it has many rolling hills and steppes in the northern most part and a few beaches along the Mare-anian Sea. The Sheep are some of the most advanced in the arts of medicine, aside from the Zebras. In fact, Sheep and Zebras often travel to each other’s countries, bringing their own ideas with them, and learning of their host’s. To that extent, Fleece and Zebrican culture is very similar, and the two are close allies to this day.
In Fleece, one does not navigate by cities or towns, but by oasis and other landmarks. A Sheep town is not static; they are nomads and travel in vast cities of tents and caravans. They stop at oasis for a while, no more than a month though, before moving on to a new spot. They use a unique form of travelling agriculture, with each oasis having its own communal farm to grow food. Each tribe that visits makes a note of what was taken, and what was replaced. This allows the next tribe that visits to know who was where and what needs to be grown next. It is an honor system, but the Sheep have a strong sense of camaraderie and bonds with each other.
The Sheep have a single permanent city, the capitol of Agra Baah. It is located the near only major water source of the land, the Silver River, and is connected to the Mare-anian Sea by the Silver River. Agra Baah is full of farms, though their main export is fine woolen garments and bolts of cloth. Sheep willingly sell their fur to the weavers in Agra Baah, likening it to a Pony selling hair for a wig, or a Griffon using their own feathers to make intimate apparel. Mostly traders visit Fleece, and there are a few costal resorts that cater to tourists, but on occasion archeologists traverse into Fleece to excavate old ruins from ancient Saddle Arabian territories or forgotten Sheep temples of worship. Agra Baah is ruled by the Sultan, a Sheep chosen to rule by portents and rituals performed by the city’s priests. When chosen, it is raised and taught by the current Sultan, and ascends to the throne when the incumbent dies.
The Sheep are roughly the size of an average Pony or Zebra, with fine white fur and hair that covers their entire body. In the heat of the Pale Desert, they shave their fur once a month, bundling it up to sell in Agra Baah when their tribe visits once a year. Male Sheep, or Rams, are usually thicker in muscle than Ewes, or female Sheep. Furthermore, Rams grow small, curled horns on their heads, and the Ewes do not. These horns allow Sheep to use Magic, like a Unicorn or Goat, but is far weaker and takes considerable effort. Most spells are direction finding or water dowsing spells; important skills for living in a desert. Though their wool is often white, a rare few will be born with black wool, and their magic is the greatest if a Ram. The Black Sheep form the priesthood of the Sheep, and most live in Agra Baah, assisting the Sultan in matters of state, and later performing the spell-ritual to choose the successor.
Saddle Arabia:
Located along the edges of the Pale Desert, Zebrica, and the Mare-anian sea, it has shared a border with Fleece for countless centuries, and not always peacefully. More than once the two nations have gone to war, and the borders have shifted so often that few, if any, maps show the original placements of the nations. Saddle Arabia is known as the Homeland of the Ponies, for it is from Saddle Arabian ponies all other Equines trace their lineage from. They are akin to Earth Ponies due to lack of horns or wings, but far taller and stockier, standing as tall as the Princesses of Equestria at times. Of course, this ancestry is from countless millennia in the past, and even the Dragons, long lived as they are, do not recall when the Equestrian Ponies split from Saddle Arabian.
Saddle Arabia is hot, dreadfully so, and is mostly dessert. Its capitol, Sim-Sala-Bim, is known as the City of Pavilions, for many tents and temporary structures line the streets, home to merchants and craftsfolk. Like Agra Baah, it has no walls, and relies on the desert for protection. Saddle Arabia’s ruler is also referred to as a Sultan, a fact that causes confusion for the less traveled.
Saddle Arabia has an important place in the world’s trade, for it houses some of the world’s largest Arcanium Gem mines. Arcanium Gems are found naturally only in a few places in the world, and are a vital component of modern society. Arcanium Gems store magic within, and are processed to become Battery Gems that power the runes and machines of modern civilization.
Zebrica:
The continent of Zebrica is massive, almost as large as Equestria Major. It is divided into two regions, Northern Zebrica and Southern Zebrica.
Northern Zebrica is full of sand and savannahs. It is home to the Golden Desert and the Kingdoms of Catia and Houndor.
Catia is the land of the Felines. Many different breeds of Feline live in Catia, ranked in a strict Caste system. The Lions stand at the top as nobles, the Tigers below as the elite warriors, the Jaguars, Panthers, Leopards, and Pumas as low ranked soldiers, craftsfolk, and traders, and the Persians and Siamese as the priestly and scholarly orders. Below are the Lynx, Cougars, and the so-called “Cats,” those who have mixed heritage. They are relegated to simple work as artisans, farmers, and laborers.
Houndor is the Kingdom of the Diamond Dogs, their land wrested from the Felines in a long and bloody war many centuries after their own homeland was destroyed. Houndor is ruled by a hereditary family, the Anubis Clan, who are of the Jackal breed. The Anubis clan has ruled for centuries, ever since Anubis the First took the land from the Felines. Unlike their nomadic and “lesser” couisns, the Diamond Dogs of Houndor build permanent settlements, their style similar to their old homes. Pyramids are used as massive tombstones for the Anubis Clan, and is the symbol of the Royal Family. Their Capitol is Canido, built on the massive Denial River.
Southern Zebrica is where its name-sakes live, and what most think of when they imagine Zebrica. The northern regions are plains and savannahs, which slowly turns into a massive sprawling jungle, the Bongo-Bongo Jungle, one of three True Forests.
Here live the Zebras, striped cousins of the Ponies. They live in small, simple settlements along their various trade routes, and are self-sufficient for the most part. Many are content with their lives, and their technology is by far the simplest. Not to say they are weak, however. They have fought brutal and bloody conflicts against both the Felines and later the Diamond Dogs, and have become adept at fighting back their oppressors.
Their land is very dry, and the Zebras have few natural resources in the northern territories. The jungle is where they make their money and fame. The Bongo-Bongo Jungle is full of flora and fauna, some of which are found nowhere else, and others, such as the rare Poison Joke flower and the fierce Manticore, only in the Everfree Forest of Equestria Major. The Zebras have learned how to live alongside and control the jungle, and their potions and pharmaceuticals the best in the world. They have limited magic, less than even Earth Ponies, but their talents have far great applicability. Further, a rare few are born as Shamans, Zebras who can use magic, channeling it through potions and living materials. Shamans speak only in rhymes, a training method and a way to sharpen their wits.
Their Capitol of Zebwana is located a few miles north of the Bongo-Bongo, and they are ruled by the Matriarch, a female Shaman who is selected through signs and omens, and trained by the other Shamans of the land.
Orria:
Far to the east of Equestria Minor, past Saddle Arabia and Toro, lies another land; Orria. It has several countries, but three stand out above all others; Ti-bit, Phantine, and Neighpon.
Ti-bit:
Mountainous and full of steppes, Ti-bit is the home of the Llamas, an aloof and proud race that dwells in the slopes of the land. The tallest mountain in all of the world is located in Ti-bit; the Ever Rest Mountain. Here, magical snow falls on the peaks, and rare Ever Ice, magical crystals that radiate deep chill, can be found here. The Llama society is very pious, and their political leaders are also their priests; they are a Theocracy, and their leader is the Dahli Llama, a mystical individual who is very old, legends say immortal. Not in body, but in mind. For the truth is the Dahli Llama possesses ancient magic; Reincarnation, able to be reborn in a new body. This results in the young Dahli Llama appearing to have multiple personalities, as the countless years of memories and experience can be hard to control while young. Once the Dahli Llama is confirmed, he (or she) resides year round in the Palace of Ohm, built spiraling around the tip of the Ever Rest Mountain.
Llamas are very magical, and while they do not seem to be able to use it, they can cast spells using their entire bodies as a conduit for the Mana Channeling. This takes years of training, and most are only able to use a portion of their body to do magic.
Many goats live in Ti-bit, and are more magically gifted than their Western brethren. Grogar is said to have studied in Ti-bit, supposedly under the tutelage of that era’s Dahli Llama.
Phantine:
A lush jungle land, full of humidity and exotic spices. Located south of Ti-bit and east of Toro, it is connected to southern Zebrica by the Spicy Sea, an odd body of water that has several small islands overgrowing with pepper, paprika, Cinnamon, and other spices. These exotic foods infuse the water around them, giving it an odd tangy taste.
Phantine is ruled by the Elephants, a magical race with the gift, or curse, to never forget. They cast magic through their large ivory tusks, and their spells often have verbal components. Their society is caste based, like Catia, but not as strict, with opportunities for very talented individuals to change station in an annual event called the Day of Tests. All Elephants have the ability to never forget, both a blessing and curse. Especially sensitive Elephants may possess the ability to call upon the ancestral memories of their entire race. These Memory Callers are considered to be holy individuals, and are separate in the Caste system by being part of a Priestly order, regardless of birth station.
The capitol is Bollywood, an amazing city built out of the living jungle and vast buildings of pure gold. Their king is a noble who has the powers of the Memory Callers, and bridges the two Castes by being part of both, yet neither, and leading all of the other Elephants.
Phantine has vast deposits of gold and precious gems, even more so than Equestria Major, and is where most of the global gold standard comes from. But as rich as it is, it is dangerous. Nagas, beings with the lower half of a snake and the upper bodies of scaled, armed lizards, prowl the deepest depths of the jungle and caverns, while Basilisks creep about as well.
The Nagas are intelligent and have their own culture, and are ancient enemies of the Elephants. Naga are extremely violent, and believe in their own supremacy, killing any and all diplomats sent by Equestria and other nations. They tell of a time when they will rise and rule the world, all others made into slaves and food. The Nagas value power above all else, and their leader is the cruelest and strongest of them all. Currently, they are ruled by the Dread Queen Gorgonia, a millennia old Naga who has achieved such long life by performing dark blood rituals to maintain her youth. It is rumored she was sired by a Basilisk and can turn mortals to stone with her gaze.
Neighpon:
Located on a large island smack dab in the Dazzling Ocean, east of Phantine and west of Equestria Major. It has few natural resources, and turned to the sea for much. It is inhabited by mostly Earth Ponies, founded before the Winter of Strife by Earth Ponies who sought to use their innate magic not as farmers, but as warriors. Indeed, Neighpon is renowned as the Land of Blades, the rumor being every Pony has their own sword. Their weapons and armor is some of the finest in the world, rivaling Minotaur quality, and Neighpon is very industrialized, competing with the Minotaurs over metal work.
The Ponies of Neighpon are very martial, and the Code of Bushido is official law, where duels are an accepted form of settling disputes and dealing justice. There are strict regulations on it, however, and must be overseen by a Court Magistrate to be considered legal.
Neighpon is its own nation and not an Equestria territory, despite being populated by Ponies. The reason for this is their leader, the Iron Emperor; some time during the Winter of Strife, Neighpon was all but overrun by Windigos and raiders from the Pegasi and Naga, while being assaulted by monsters from nearby islands. When all seemed lost, a mysterious pony appeared, who carried a magical sword of pure light that could cut through anything. He drove back the invaders and returned summer and spring to the land. Praising their savior, the Ponies see that their hero was in fact an Alicorn; one of two male Alicorns known to exist. Ever since, Katana Plunging Blade, the Iron Emperor, has ruled Neighpon from the Forbidden Palace, and has refused time and time again to become subordinate to Equestria’s Princesses. Equestria Major dares not try to take over by force of arms, for Neighpon, while small, has withstood invasions from Nagas, Griffons, and Minotaurs for centuries, and won every time. Further, it is rumored that the Iron Emperor is related to Celestia and Luna, and their distance is due to a family feud…
Sidhora:
The lands south of Equestria Major and the Badlands are as amazing and mysterious as they are deadly. The entirety of these southern lands is composed of a single large continent; Sidhora.
The name is different for every culture, however; the Diamond Dogs call it Chuhuahua, Land of First Folk. The Zebras call it Ixi-tixi, the Lost Lands. Many names, but all for the same strange land.
The Dragon Heartlands:
Right below the Badlands lies the sweltering home of the Dragons. It has no name save the Heartland, and if it did have one, the Dragons aren’t keen on sharing.
The Heartlands are bordered by steep mountains leading from the Badlands and scorching sands of the San Palomino dessert. Deeper in, past it all, comes an amazing sight; hundreds of volcanos, many still active and spewing lava. This is the Plains of Fire, the Sea of Flames, the Burning Lands. The Dragons live here, some doing so year round. Young Dragons, and many older adults, will leave the Heartlands and settle elsewhere, spending years building their hordes and their power, as a rite of passage. Every fifty years or so, the young dragons who had left, and the older dragons who live separate, begin a great journey to return to the Heartlands and reunite with their kin, many to find a mate. All Dragons will at one point in their life leave for a while to adventure to their hearts content.
Dragons live for many centuries, and grow slowly. A young Dragon no older than twenty or so years of age is called a Hatchling. Afterwards they start to grow their wings, and are called Wyrms. A dragon is only an adult after 100 years of life, not counting their long periods of hibernation. Dragons are Omnivores in the truest sense of the word; they can eat anything, from plants and animals to stone and metal. After a certain age they no longer eat what would be considered “normal food.” Their size would require an adult to devour entire forests to gain the necessary nutrients. Instead, they feed on metals, gems, and other ores. This not only hardens their scales and improves their magical abilities, but one hoof-sized diamond is worth an entire meal to them, in terms of nutrients.
It is said that long ago, far before even the Winter of Strife, the Dragons ruled the world from a vast empire. The Draconic Era, as it is called, is mostly unknown due to a number of reasons, Discord’s reign of Chaos amongst them. The Empire of Dragons is believed by many archeologists to be true, for vast cyclopean structures can be found all over the world. They all bare striking similarities to each other, and those who have traveled to the Heartlands confirm there are similar buildings, tended to by the Dragons who live there.
Dragons have little to do with the other races of Erafore, keeping to themselves for the most part. Either due to arrogance or simply lack of interest, few can say they’ve conversed with a Dragon peacefully, and fewer can say they’ve survived a Dragon’s ire.
The Dragons are ruled by a king, who is the biggest, strongest, and wisest of their kind. The current king is Vargonos the Obsidian, a towering creature who is said to have lived ten thousand years. He formed a treaty with Princesses Celestia and Luna during the founding of Equestria, a token of goodwill for the defeat of Discord.
The Foreboding Jungle:
Also called the Creeping Woods, this place is a hot, humid, steaming rain forest, full of venomous vermin and poisonous plants. It is also the last of the three True Forests.
The outer limits of the jungle are lush and vibrant with life, most of it harmless if left alone. The volcanic soil from the Dragon Heartlands spills forth into this land, carried by river and wind, and the flora of this region is extremely healthy and full of life and flavor. Some of the most potent medicinal herbs are grown in this place, called the Arboreal Valley. Here small communities of Ponies, Zebras, Diamond Dogs, Minotaurs, Griffons, and more live in mostly mutual harmony, conflicts few and usually against the encroachment of the more violent aspects of the jungle.
The Arboreal Valley is several dozen miles long and half as wide, and before reaching the main part of the Foreboding Jungle the trees grow closer together. Sometimes, you can see dancing lights at the edge of the Jungle proper. These lights are not an effect of the sun, or the whimsical frolicking of Will-o-Wisps. No, it is massive bon-fires and the embers of slash-and-burn farming. For you see, the Foreboding Jungle’s other name is the Creeping Woods for a reason. The Everfree and Bongo-Bongo are dangerous places, but they are not evil. The Foreboding Jungle is different. It constantly moves, trees and vines and plants reaching outwards, encroaching on the land of Valley, and allowing the most dangerous of the jungle’s inhabitants a way out.
Inside, the trees twist together and the canopy is so thick with vines and gnarled branches that the light of the sun has not touched some parts for centuries or longer. And crawling around the lightless depths are terrible monsters. Why do the Manticores, Hydras, Scaled Wolves, Vampire Bats and more try to leave? Because the creatures that hold dominion over the interior are far more terrible than they.
The Arachnae; giant, blood thirsty spiders with a cruel and keen intellect and a love for slowly torturing their prey. The Scordan, massive scorpions whose venom can fell Ursa Majors and whose thoughts drift towards wanton cruelty above all else. And the Venitride, enormous centipedes many hundreds of feet long who have an emptiness they constantly try to fill with fresh flesh and warm blood. These three species, collectively called the Sectoids, rule the Foreboding Jungle, letting none who enter leave without paying a price; usually their life. They dwell in massive ruins, left-overs from an ancient people, perhaps the Dragons, and wage endless war on each other, only stopping to fight the wildlife and intruders. Even the Naga, while cruel and destructive, at least have some semblance of culture. The Sectoids want only to bring order and harmony to its knees, and see all societies wreathed in flames. Hate is all they know, and it is their will to enslave and exterminate that forces the jungle to push outwards; perhaps even it tries to flee the monsters in its depths…
The Blasted Wastelands:
the southernmost land of Sidhora, past the Foreboding Jungle. It is a land rich in rare and volatile minerals, some of which ooze a toxic aura that sickens those near it. The coasts are populated by fishing villages and stop-over ports for all sorts of sailors and sea-farers; merchants, naval fleets, and pirates all visit the numerous spots of the Crawling Coast. However, the interior of the land is where the name comes from. Long ago, this land was the home and birthplace of the Diamond Dogs. Called Chuhuahua in their tongue, it was bordered by another kingdom; the Dominion of the M’kar. M’kar was ruled by the Moles, another subterranean race that could feed on metals and gems like the Dragons and Diamond Dogs. Both races competed with each other heavily. Skirmishes were common, and both took countless of their enemies as slaves. The Moles were perhaps the more relentless of the two, for they pushed the Diamond Dogs harder and harder over the centuries, until they could take no more.
Once, the Diamond Dogs had a large and sophisticated culture, with marvelous artwork and science, and they were masters of the art of Alchemy. Indeed, it was this potent force that ultimately doomed them and poisoned their home. Using an unknown substance, only referred to in legends as “The Green Metal that burned like fire and poison,” the Diamond Dogs created a weapon that destroyed the Moles cities, but unleashed a cloud of toxins that choked their own home to death. Even the underground cities were not safe, and the Moles died in the hundreds of thousands, ultimately becoming extinct. The Diamond Dogs survived, but barely, their own kingdom a ruined wasteland. Forced to escape, they became wanderers, and centuries of mistreatment from the other races turned them harsh and cruel, into the creatures we see today.