|
Post by Becka Pone on Jul 22, 2006 17:58:23 GMT -5
Past History
(The following letters were written 28 years ago by a visiting pony to Course, in the year of the birth of Prince Apollo. They were found in a small cottage on the coast and given to a Coursian historian just recently.)
Dear Mom and Dad, We made it safe and sound. Course is an interesting place, very large, and most of the ponies are centered along the coast. We landed on a small dock this morning in one of the many fishing villages. The fisherman ponies aren’t very friendly; they seem to work hard, but maybe a little too hard, for they are very somber and gruff. Most of them are sandy earth tones, not bright like at home, and none of them have symbols! The houses in this village are very small, most of them with only three rooms, so it was hard to find a place to stay the night. Tomorrow we will be continuing on to the Royal City. I will write more then. Missing You, Milly
Dear Mom and Dad, The Royal City is beautiful! And so very large! Giant stone walls surround it, and all the gates are guarded. Inside, ponies bustle about a giant marketplace, surrounding an even larger Palace. The buildings are mostly two stories, with the shops in the lower lever and the shop-owners living above. The ponies here are much friendlier, although always running about, busy doing something; they are brightly colored, with symbols that represent their trade. The ponies here are very fashionable, although their fashions are nothing like ours, and they seem to enjoy new company, as well as new gossip. We hope to be able to visit the palace tomorrow, and tonight will be spent at the Inn, and possibly the Market Square for a show. Love you, Milly
Dear Mom and Dad, The Great Palace is simply immaculate! Its white marble towers soar into the clouds, and the cool air inside was quite refreshing. The light blue marble walls are covered with paintings of Kings and Queens, Princes and Dukes, as well as other royals. Most of the ponies in the paintings are gray to dark brown, with symbols of strength and nobility; there are a few smaller paintings, however, of the purest black, white, and stone gray ponies with symbols that seem to be nobler than the others. I inquired about these ones, and after many blank stares, finally found a young pony willing to help. She told me there were three family lines living in the palace; one being very earthy tones, one being gold and chestnut colored, and one being the purer colors. This last family had been forgotten for many years in a desert oasis, and while they were flourishing in the Wastelands, the other two families had taken over the throne in the Royal City. When they returned to reclaim the throne, however, a Civil War broke out between the families. In trying to prevent this war, an agreement was reached in which the original ruling family, Acetonel, was allowed to live in the palace, and the new ruling family, Galadon, was allowed to keep the throne. This ruling family just bore a new prince, in fact, Prince Apollo - who is in line for the throne. During this ‘history lesson’ of sorts, the young pony led us through the palace and showed us some of the main rooms. We also went up into the tower, from which we could see all of the inhabited areas of Course. To the north, out in the ocean a bit we could see an island, Jadus Marinus, which I do hope we can go visit soon. To the east are the costal villages we landed in, and to the west, more small costal villages ending with their backs to some very steep cliffs. To the south we can see the desert, with the farmlands nestled in between. How they got farms in the middle of the desert I will have to ask tomorrow when we visit. Love, Milly
Dear Mom and Dad, Irrigation: that’s how they farm in the middle of the desert! They grow the wheat and fruit trees (as well as anything else that can grow in the hot, dry air) with the irrigation from the great rivers in the cliffs. The farming ponies here are very jovial, but also hard working. Very family-oriented and friendly, they are all earthy tones with symbols of their crops that will last for generations until a new crop family marries in. On the edge of the farmlands is the Outpost, which has been there for many years to protect the ponies from the evil that lurks in the desert. Occasionally, fights break out near the Outpost, but it has been relatively quiet in the past few years. Past the Outpost is just desert. No one really knows how large it is, because no one has ever gone very deep into it for fear of the evil lurking there. Missing you lots, Milly
|
|
|
Post by Becka Pone on Jul 22, 2006 18:01:39 GMT -5
(This letter was written sixteen years ago, from Duain, last of Western Kings, to his mother. It was later recovered and given to Dele'ri'an, who is in charge of writing a history of Jadus Marinus. This letter was seen in full in it, as an outsider's view of the isle.)
My dear mother, I have found a place you will like very much indeed. It is called Jadus Marinus, and is a few miles off the coast of Course. It is entirely a lovely place, and I have not seen it's equal in tropical beauty any place- it surpasses even our home in that area, as the shores of the lake are sadly lacking in topicality. My first view of the place was it's beautiful shores. The sand is a sparkling white, and the ocean is clear as spring water- and warm. Oddly enough, there are very few who indulge upon the waves, unless they are fishermen, who go out beyond swimming depth to catch fish in their nets. They catch a variety of colorful ocean fish- and in this culture, it seems to be the women who do the fishing. In the evening, they haul the nets back onto the shore, gut and clean the fish fresh, make dinner over the open fire, then take whatever is left home strung over their shoulder in lines. A most fascinating lifestyle, begging for more details. I think they live on small huts along the shore- houses made of some sort of clay and wood mixture, I think. From what I understand, they sell their exotic fish to the Coursian merchants (their variety of fish seems different, for whatever reason... I am not the expert on deepwater fish, you know).
The roads there are paved with crushed seashells- the calcium in the shells deteriorates well in the ground, which is good for the crops grown, but I do not think the Marinians know that- it is a cheap pavement, and pretty. There is one main road, and it takes you everywhere- down past the farms, which they call the Farmstead, and to Oceanus, which is the city located within the Royal Palace. Tropical fruits are the staple trade of Jadus Marinus. I did, however, see one farm growing indigo- doubtless that is why the colors of blue and purple are so very rich in clothing at Course. Interestingly enough, the farmers have agreed to work together, splitting the profits evenly, though they raise and sell different crops. Their farmlands spread out over most of Jadus Marinus, and yet they live together near the middle of the island in a complex network of adobe houses and small trades- they have a baker, a weaver, and a craftsman, I believe, in addition to farmers. They are a cheerful, busy lot, the farmers. In addition to shipping their crops to Course, they also sell them in stands by the roadside and have merchants in Oceanus represent their finest goods. It seems the marketplace in Oceanus gets many shipping companies from around the world coming to examine the goods of Jadus Marinus- including the crops. I spent some time sharing the workload with the farmers as they brought in the early fruits of the cocoa bean crop.
And there is Oceanus. I admit, I could spend hours speaking of Oceanus, and not grow weary of it, but I fear that may bore you. It is a blue marble palace, shaped rather like a round layer cake. Each different level has something different in it to offer- I have seen them all, including the ones just for the Royal Wing. I admit, I pulled quite a few strings, but... I am your son, and you have taught me well. My first view of it was from a wagon carrying the cocoa beans to trade. They told me it was located within the palace, but I naively assumed they meant a Coursian styled palace... this is far lovelier and more beautiful to me- the most unique and functional palace I have ever seen, though it is more of a city then a palace.
The first level is devoted to the barracks, and the middle daughter of the king runs the militia single-handedly... her name is Aresyal Melanelye, and she seems to be the one who does everything for her father. The guards seem a good sort- they helped us carry bags of cocoa beans up the stairs to get to the shared stall of the farmers. I also had... other experiences speaking and working with them, and they are most certainly a kindly lot. The second level is what they call The Merchant Square, though it makes a rectangle shape- long sides and a fairly narrow front. Stalls extend on both sides down a long hall far, but it is rather broad, and well lit, for Oceanus was designed with light in mind. The third floor is the home of the Harper's Guild... it is a lovely place, and I rested there for many an hour while I saw at Jadus Marinus. It seems Aresyal Melanelye loves music... I chanced to hear her play a guitar and sing a song there once... she is talented, and if she were not so busy with the militia, she would make a fine musician. I even picked up a few tunes at the guild... may they delight you when my journey brings me home once more. The upper levels belong to the royal house.
Unlike the levels below, which are at best loosely sprinkled with knots of people, the upper levels are amazingly free. There are guards stationed at the beginning and end of every corridor, granted, but for the size of the royal family (there are forty-five) levels five to eleven are quiet and peaceful compared to the relative rush below them. I won't tell you how I got up here in the first place. I'll let you guess. The entire royal house is colored fascinatingly- gray, all of them. But let that not remind you of dull, cold, stony gray, dear mother- these grays are the most exquisite colors I have ever seen! Take for example Teleran, the youngest daughter. She is gray-blue, but the color is so pale! It is as if all of them came with a sea mist, and are colored to blend with the mists of the sea- gray, tinted with sea green, blue, hazy red, and whitish gray.
The family consists of the Lord Garraway, who is a fair minded man, though he is getting on in his age and is slowly letting his responsibilities get dispensed to those around him; Queen Elentia, who has taken most of his tasks, and must be the most impartial minded person I have ever met after you; their eldest daughter Karitanya, her husband and seven children, four married daughters whom I never actually met in more then mere passing, Aresyal Melanelye, six more daughters who seem to be changing suitors regularly, and their youngest, and said to be most uncorrupted daughter, Teleran. They say she has the heart of a farmer, and walks among the Farmstead and help the farmers there. That is where I met her- they say her heart is pledged, but none know to whom. She is curious, Teleran, for she is called loveliest yet none seek her hand... these are strange places, mother, where they trust secret more then the open...
The royal relatives also live on the upper levels; the royal cousins (whom I did not associate much with thus far in my stay) and all of Lord Garraway's grandchildren... although only five of his daughters are married, he has so many grandchildren! A good size family runs at eleven- nine is smallish, fourteen is a bit overmuch. I do not know if the emphasis is on having a village-sized family, or if lovers here are very much in love... but either way, the royal relatives are large in number, and almost impossible to avoid. Indeed, it would be rather hard not to bump into one of the royal grandchildren at some point in the day, simply because the make up half the royal population! Karitanya's eldest son and I are good friends- he tells me things he should not, but I should know... he will make an excellent royal advisor in his day.
Of the entire family, Aresyal Melanelye is most active in her community. I have spoken to her... I walked with her under the stars, and chanced to hear her sing- and mother, she is the most beautiful and talented I have ever met in all my born days. There hardly seems a place you can go without encountering Aresyal or some of her work there- in the barracks, the boys are like her younger brothers. In the merchant's square, they all herald her praises- in the Harper's Guild, they speak of her beautiful voice wistfully- in the upper levels, it is whispered that Aresyal will be made queen, and she is seeking the right suitor... well mother, I am of noble lineage, and I am staying to try my hand. It seems she has had twenty-nine attempts already.... I will not be the thirtieth- I will be the only successful one. I would write of how I will do this... but I do not yet know. Aresyal seems rather fond of music, but I am afraid I will go out and behave foolish if I try to win her that way...
Upon the highest level (the eleventh) there is a garden where the roof opens up, and it is home to all kinds of beautiful flowers and trees. It is said that dancing under the stars is a most memorable experience up there... I do not know, though I think perhaps it is. I spent a great deal of time in this garden- and it seems others of the royal house do as well. It seems a pity none but the select few may enjoy it, but I suppose it is only fair, as the rest of the isle belongs to the citizens. That is where I met fair Aresyal. Her spell is a deeper enchantment then I can speak of in a simple letter- like the beauty of the glittering stars, or the gentle caress of the waves against the distant shore, or the breeze rifling through the gentle flowers about you... alas, I fear I have become a poet, and will bore you, dear mother!
There is much to say, but I have already consumed many pages of paper, and would hate to use more, as they are not mine to begin with. As you can see, Jadus Marinus is a fair place... no, beyond fair... I think my heart has chosen to rest here for all time, for it's loveliness is not only in it's physical body, but the spirit of it's people, which I have learned well. It's people are bright, spirited folk, intent on carving a living in a wild land, and they do better then you would expect. My roving heart has at last found a place to settle down... so, dear mother, I shall be contented to stay here until I have either won Aresyal's hand, or feel the longing to again move foreword... all my hopes are laid bare before you, oh wisest prophetess. I will see you again soon- this I feel in my bones. Your loving son Duain
|
|
|
Post by Becka Pone on Jul 22, 2006 18:04:14 GMT -5
Recent History:
The recent history of Course starts roughly twenty years ago, when the Young King Apollo was first crowned and put on the throne. His father, the King Garaway, and mother, Queen Garaway, were killed in an accident, and the eight year old Apollo was left to rule the whole of the Coursian continent. By his 9th birthday, however, evil had entered the land in the form of a suductress pony by the name of Glasya, who split the King Apollo and the Princess Luna. Glasya was partially blamed for a particularily brutal war, that had very little warning or reason, and in which many of the Coursian and Jadus soldiers died before a hurricane was able to stop the fighting and rid the land of the evil ponies with its terrible flood. The Princess Luna almost died, and a failed attempt to rid the crown of Glasye was conspired.
On their birthday celebration, just as many belive Apollo was going to hand the crown over to his best friend Luna, Glasya revealed the Princess Luna for who she really was - the one the prophets spoke of. She was the child who would rid the land of the darkness once and forall, and bring Course into a time of peace and light, uniting the broken families of the crown. Princess Luna was banished by the King Apollo as a traitor to his throne, and all her followers were told that stepping hoof on Coursian soil again would mean certain death. They left on a boat that night for Jadus Marinus who renounced its political ties with the great continent.
In Jadus, those who had been banished trained for war, and waited patiently until the right time to attack Course and its leaders, leaving Glasya helpless to stop them. Eight years passed, and on the eve of the King's 17th birthday, Princess Luna and those faithful to her made their way to Course and through the secret tunnels to the throne room. They attacked the Palace Guards and Apollo, and Luna's cousin, Kelaveth, killed Glasya. Despite the many deaths, Course celebrated and Apollo relinquished his seat on the throne and his crown to Luna, who never forgave him fully but tolerated him because she knew she still had prophecies to fulfill. Two years later, they had a daughter named Celeste, and the ponies of Course acknowledged her as the real "One" who was come to save them, although it seemed her mother had done that job for her. Once their daughter was born, Luna stopped talking to Apollo except for civil necessities demanded by state business.
Thing progressed well in Course for years - relations with Jadus, though still strained, were healing well enough that trade and tourism between the two once again flourished, and the Jadans once again promised Loyalty to the Coursians in time of need. Queen Luna reciprocated the offer. She also offered any pony who had fought by her side complete immunity and safe harbor on the Coursian shores... a decision she will come to regret.
When Celeste was eight, her mother's worst nightmares literally came true. The Dark Rainbow attacked Course, coming for The One to destroy her for good. Unfortunately for the Dark Rainbow, the Rainbow of Light caught its plan and broke free of the locket in Dream Valley's vaults and brought help in the form of a young pegasus and her family. While the mother of the peg (who had grown up much of her life in Course) helped Queen Luna defeat the re-born Glasya, Kailani made for the castle and the young princess trapped inside. The Healer took the hit meant for the Princess and left the Rainbow of Light and Celeste to split the Dark Rainbow into its stripes and banish them throughout Ponyland. Glasya was dead for good, and Celeste had fulfilled her prophecy to rid Course of the darkness that had hung over it since the Civil Wars centuries ago.
For close to two years Course has been enjoying excellent trade and alliances with the other prominent towns in Ponyland. Spirits have never been higher, and it seems nothing can go wrong (except the occasional bickering between the Queen and the King).
|
|
|
Post by Becka Pone on Jul 22, 2006 18:07:29 GMT -5
NERABA: THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS Compiled by S. R. Fletcher, Anthroponyist.
Hierarchy: Queen Shanudar Lord Yshram Lady Utsh Lfar, Priest of Wing Kanum, Priest of Horn Shys, Priest of Scale
Neraba is the dry country to the west of Course, the vast and vastly unexplored desert of fear known to the pony population of Course and Jadus as the “land of evil”. Being vastly unexplored, the mostly flat land of Neraba is often considered uninhabited, but this is incorrect. If one were to go the right distance in the right direction, one would come upon the ruins of an ancient city temple.
These ruins are guarded at each of its four boundaries by four huge statues of four paganistic gods. The first is shaped like a pegasus wielding a spear and a lantern, wearing oddly-engraved armor of sorts; his wings are spread, his expression austere. The second is shaped like a unicorn draped in fine robes, with a strange and beautiful headdress adorning his brow; he holds a lantern aloft in one hand, an open book in the other. The third is a mer-horse, sitting up on its long, curled tail (the scales here are particularly intricate). He cradles a trident in one arm and holds up a large shell to his lips like a hunting horn. The fourth is a female deity, but she has not withheld the test of time. One ear is missing, she is so weatherworn she is barely recognizable as an earth-type, wearing a short gown of some kind. There are chips, missing pieces, and weathered marks all over this poor statue. The others are worn as well, but not nearly as worn as the goddess.
The rest of the ruins are not nearly as interesting as its guardians. Toppled pillars, wall frames, doorways, and bits of architecture are all that is left of the probably once-proud temple. However, these ruins are left to distract the visitor from the reality that lies beneath. The desert, as I have said, is not deserted. There is a thriving, miraculous race of ponies that lives there, beneath the surface of the dead earth. Their kingdom is underground.
The Nerabians have much the secret society to call their own. They live in a huge series of tunnels and caves below ground in the desert, the city they call Brinze. There they have homes, shops, a palace, and a temple, not to mention the crystal mines, the lagoon, and the silk mill.
But first, let me describe the Nerabians themselves. The most striking thing about them is that they have no skin or hair pigment. Their eyes are usually light blue or gray, but their bodies are completely albino. Genetic adaptation is most likely to blame for this curious visage, but studies have not yet been concluded on this topic. The more curious factor about them is that in the dark of their homes, they have most remarkable fluorescent coloring in their manes and tails, streaks of many bright, glowing colors that otherwise would go unnoticed. Their bodies also glow in the dark, but with vibrant, intricate patterns that are unique to each individual. Nerabians consist of merponies, unicorns, pegasi, but no earthlings. That is, all but one; however, this is a topic that must wait for the time being.
The pegasi have wings that are feathered and of delicate nature, but they are misproportioned and weak. The pegasi are unable to fly, but their wings have always given them a certain special place in the hierarchy of the pagan based religion of the ponies there. The unicorns’ horns are smaller than those of the above-ground “normal” ponies’ horns, but no less sharp and no less powerful. Their merponies look nothing like the above-ocean seaponies do, either. These merponies are long-limbed, streamlined and thin. Their eyes are slanted somewhat, and their eyelids thinner, enabling them to swim and see under the dark, murky water without injuring their eyes. There are spiky fins on their spines, all the better for them to swim gracefully with. And they have scales rather the smooth dolphin-like exterior of their upper cousins.
Now that one has an idea of what these underground desert ponies look like, one can begin to imagine their lifestyle. They see incredibly well in the dark, thus there is little need for torches and the like. They go by fluorescent stones, paintings on the tunnel walls, and crystal lamps in the more public regions of the city. The merponies are most often fisherfolk, and live in the gargantuan underground lagoon in connection by some twenty-five different tunnels to the main areas of the city. The land-goers mostly work in the silk mills or as acolytes in the temple to their Nameless Gods. I refer to their religion as paganistic, seeing as they have no knowledge or belief of the holy Rainbows or Their separate incarnations. Those who do not fall under those three lines of work are usually drones, also called servants or lackeys and such.
Now. On to the government. The hierarchy of the Nerabian ponies is indeed quite different from that of Course and Jadus Marinus. There is a young queen, Shanudar, on the throne at present. Her mother (Utsh) and father (Yrtam) hold titles as Lady and Lord, more formally the First Lady and the First Lord. The queen was put on the throne by the Lord, the Lady and the Council of Priests. The Council is the real power behind young Shanudar’s queendom, however. They are the keepers of a prophecy made some decades ago concerning a messiah of sorts, who would come to the Nerabians and be their queen, an incarnation of the lost Goddess, and something earth-shatteringly remarkable would occur in the early days of her reign. The prophecy told the priests that she would be recognizable as an Earth type, like the Goddess, and she would be rightfully identified by her fluorescent body-markings. Shanudar was queened at her birth eight years ago, and has ruled the city of Brinze with grace and remarkable strength of mind for her age.
These are the very things that so many Coursians and Jadians are missing in knowledge. Neraba is a real place with real ponies, and there is nothing, NOTHING whatsoever to fear from them. The desert is not, in fact, the source of all evil, but rather the source of all mystery.
Regards, S.R. Fletcher, Anthroponyist
NOTE: Ten days after completing this outline of Nerabian existence, the author fell ill with a strange fever and hex marks that glowed in the dark all over his body. He died ten days after that. -A Random Historian
|
|
|
Post by Becka Pone on Jul 22, 2006 18:27:20 GMT -5
Course's Quick Summary
Fisherman Sandy earthtones, no symbol. Somewhat unfriendly, but hardworking, very serious and somber.
Farmers Earthtones, symbol represents their crop. Very friendly and helpful, very family-centered.
City Dwelers Brighter Colors, symbol represents their trade. Friendly and fashionable, love to gossip.
Royalty 3 Families: One is dark earthtones, one is redish-chestnut and palimino (Apollo Galadon's family), and one is pure black, white, and stone gray (Luna Acetonal's family). Symbols of strength and power are on all the royalty, the Acetonal family has stronger and more noble looking symbols than the others.
Islanders Shades of gray mixed with sea colors (blue, green, ect), symbols of sea, music, or trade. Symbols can also be based on personality, and anything generic (hearts, stars, ect.)
Nerabians Pigmentless (ie. white body and hair) with bioluminecent patterns covering their skin and hair. Only Pegs, Unis, and Seaponies, but different from the normal versions. NO EARTH PONIES.
|
|