Ganzir: A History

by Knoster

Princess Dawn

In the previous chapter we saw the end of the Great Dragon whose shadow had long terrorized the ponies of Ganzir. Dawn emerged from their encounter victorious, and there was now nopony in Ganzir who could rival her glory. With her newfound leverage and her army’s loyalty, she crowned herself Princess of the newly-proclaimed Ganzir Principality.

The northern cities of Irkalla, Neighneveh, and Emare acquiesced to this decree, but the notoriously independent tribes of the southern mountains refused to kneel to the Princess. Deciding it was not worth the effort to pacify these mountain ponies, Dawn left for Irkalla to solidify her rule. The city exploded at her return, and became a non-stop party for a period of several weeks. The rowdiness was such that it is said the banquet Dawn threw after returning resulted in more casualties than her battle with Raz’Aquel.

Now incredibly popular with ponies of every stripe, she set to work expanding the apparatus of state. The forces Dawn had assembled ad hoc were now codified as the Royal Army of Ganzir, and would be given a salary. This pay would come from Dawn’s royal treasury, making these soldiers financially dependent on the Princess. This was a savvy move, as she knew that as long as she could command the loyalty of the army, her position would be unassailable.

Out in the plains and forests, you may be wondering what these changes this meant for the average village leader. The answer is… not very much! Aside from sending taxes to the Princess and acknowledging that supreme sovereignty now resided in Irkalla, they proceeded in much the same manner they had before. In exchange for these concessions, they could now call upon the Royal Army if they were ever needed for defense. To them, the benefits far outweighed the costs.

Up until this point, I have been somewhat vague concerning the geography of Ganzir. However, upcoming events demand that a more thorough picture be painted. Thus far, our story has mainly taken place in the plains of central Ganzir, which essentially stretch from east to west across the middle third of the island, capped by the cities of Irkalla in the east and Neighneveh in the west. The northern third is covered by the Basilim Forest, capped by the city of Emare at Ganzir’s northernmost peninsula; thus far, this region has not factored in to our story significantly. The southern third of the island is dominated by what is today called the Verrier Mountains, the ancient stomping grounds of the Great Dragon. Home to few ponies, this barren region has poor farmland and little wealth. It is only thanks to modern advances in mining technology that enough interest has been raised to found the city of Maread nestled in the mountains.

The peace left in the wake of Raz’Aquel’s destruction lasted nearly two decades, but it would be shattered when reports reached the Royal Palace of an attack on the city of Emare. Rising from the sea itself, monstrous creatures which appeared to be amalgamations of fish and pony climbed onto the shore armed and ready for battle. These so-called “mer-ponies” wreaked havoc in the city, stealing its wealth and disappearing back into the sea. Such incursions were repeated and plagued coastal communities along the northwestern shores of Ganzir. Coincidentally, at the same time the mountain ponies of the south began raiding villages in the central plains. These mountain bandits styled themselves after the appearance of the slain Great Dragon, either out of reverence for him or simply to strike fear in the still traumatized ponies of central Ganzir.

Dawn headed west with the army to mount a defense against the mer-ponies, and sent the eldest of her two daughters with a smaller force to deal with the mountain raiders. Corona was highly educated in both military and artistic matters, and by all accounts calm and level headed. If there was a peaceful settlement to be reached with the bandits, she would find it. This is likely that reason that Dawn decided to send her south.

Where Corona was calm her younger sister Aurora was reckless. Aurora burned to lead the armies and vanquish Ganzir’s enemies, and had begged her mother to allow her to crush the mountain raiders. Aurora did not take the snub well. Stewing, she set out to forge personal alliances with the Irkallan elite and build a power base to ensure she would be able to get her way in the future.

Corona’s expedition went smoothly, and after meeting with the mountain pony leader Drake Cade, the two were able to reach an agreement. The raids would cease, and in exchange the mountain ponies would be given an annual shipment of food. During a time when all available resources were needed to fight off the mer-ponies in the north, the deal Corona struck was probably the best Ganzir could hope for. Not that it prevented many in Irkalla from cursing the “weakness” Corona displayed by negotiating with the bandits at all. Aurora made much hay out of criticizing her sister behind her back, and asserting that had she herself been placed in charge of the expedition, there would have been no more trouble in the mountains ever again.

On the northwestern shores, the mer-ponies proved a more formidable foe than Dawn had ever faced before. The fortress of Neighneveh—having been built upon an island off the coast of the city—was utterly razed during the initial attack. However, Dawn was able to coordinate a defense of the city itself and fend off the mer-ponies. Her successful defense of Neighneveh came at enormous cost, and during the final day of fighting a trident lobbed by an unknown mer-pony struck the Princess in the throat.

And so Dawn was dead, slain at the age of 53. The sudden nature of her demise meant that she had neglected to formally define the succession. As the eldest daughter, tradition pointed to Corona as the rightful heiress, but would tradition be enough to stand in the way of Aurora’s ambition?

In the next chapter, Aurora and Corona will squabble for the throne as mer-ponies still menace the coast, their sibling rivalry escalating to the point of Civil War. While the ponies of Ganzir are distracted by this conflict, mysterious ships will sail from over the horizon ready to take full advantage of the situation. The introduction of this Winged Menace marks the beginning of a dark era in Ganzir’s history; one we have yet to escape from.