Horsefolk
Horsefolk are one of four types of divine beasts populating Eldara. They share an intrinsic connection with the element of earth, which allows them to replenish their grazing lands and encourage fertile growth in places where they dwell.
Horsefolk live in herds, and are instinctively driven to make peace, heal, and seek social cohesion. They strongly dislike arguments and will seek to resolve them as quickly as possible.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Horsefolk are quadrapedal odd-toed ungulates with a single weight-bearing toe (hoof) on each foot. They strongly resemble the genus Equus and are in the same order, considering non-sapient members of Equidae species to be their animal cousins. Most species of horsefolk are exclusively herbivorous, although there is one nectovorious species.
Hippogaia lunargentum
A unicorn's distinguishing feature from other horsefolk is their single, sharp, spiraling horn, which sprouts from the middle of their brow. Unicorn horns are the same material as their hooves, and are either pearlescent white or silver in appearance. Unicorn coat colors include the equine colors of white, greys (grey, dapple grey, flea-bitten, or rose grey), champagnes (classic, gold, or amber), and brights (palomino, cremello, and perlino). Their manes and tails are always white, and shimmer with a similar glow as their horns and hooves. Unicorn eye colors include blue, violet, and pale green. Unicorns prefer graze in meadows, as wildflowers comprise a vital portion of their diet. Their herds are typically found on the edges of forests. As unicorn herds travel, their earth magic is conveyed into the soil via their hooves, which enriches the soil as they pass and encourages the replenishment of growth. Unicorns can also use the touch of their horns to rejuvinate a particularly barren patch of soil with a burst of earth magic. When shapeshifted, unicorns stand roughly six to seven feet tall, not counting the additional height from the horn. Their front hooves split into hands with two fingers and a thumb, allowing them to be more dexterous.Hippogaia plumata
Pegasus are smaller than their unicorn cousins, which enables their flight. They stand between 3.5-4 feet tall at the shoulder with a 10-12 foot wingspan. They have hollow bones, which allows them to assist with lift and becoming airborne. Pegasus hooves are not designed for perching or climbing, and pegasus will typically travel in herds on the ground, employing their flight to escape threats or reach the tops of trees and access fruit, which is a large portion of their diet. Their coat colors include common equine colors (bay, chestnut, liver chestnut, blood bay), duns (yellow and red dun as well as mouse grey), and roans, but erythrism also runs strongly in pegasus lines, creating coat colors such as strawberry, and brindle is also common among pegasus. Their plumage can be solid colored, striped, or spotted, and is typically a mix of the coat and mane/tail color. Pegasus eye colors are black, brown, blue, or dark green. Earth magic is employed by pegasus herds to nurture orchards and care for forested environments. They are often found in forests where fruit-bearing trees grow. They can survive on grazing alone, but fruit is preferred for many of the vital nutrients it contains. Trees will often fruit in more abundance in the presence of a pegasus herd. When shapeshifted, pegasus stand around four feet tall, and gain similar hands to unicorns. They retain their wings and proportional wingspan, and can glide stably from heights in their shapeshifted form. Their hands enable them to more ably climb trees or cliffs while shapeshifted, although they must still be cautious in how they position their back hooves.Hippogaia pictuterra
Paint ponies are a species of horsefolk that stand no taller than five feet at the withers. They have stockier bodies than their other relatives and slightly broader hooves. Their distinguishing feature is their active camouflage - paint ponies are able to change the color of their bodies to blend into their surroundings, although this camouflage does not apply to their hooves. Paint ponies, as their name suggests, have varying patterns in their natural coats. Their coats can be piebald, skewbald, leopard spotted (white with small colored spots), snowflake spotted (darker-colored with small white spots), blanket (mostly solid, with a white splash across the flanks and back that contains spots the same color as the base coat), or tricolor (any of the above with dark brown or black points). Manes and tails may also be multicolored, containing patches of white and colored hair. Paint pony eye colors are typically dark, with black or brown being the most common. The earth magic of paint ponies restores the vegetation they pass over while moving across the open prairies and grasslands. A paint pony's hooves will not harm anything they step on, which ensures they have minimal impact on their grazing lands. When shapeshifted, paint ponies stand 5-5.5 feet tall. They are still able to utilize their camouflage, although it is less effective since the material of their fingernails, which is the same as their hooves, is not effected. Therefore, a close observer would be able to spot a shapeshifted paint pony even in camouflage by their hands and eyes.Hippogaia iridescens
The smallest species of horsefolk, standing at only nine inches maximum at the shoulder, faehorses are the other flighted species in this group. They possess large, colorful forewings and hindwings that sprout from their withers and resemble the wings of lepidopterans (butterflies and moths). They are primarily nectivorous, although in colder months faehorses may also supplement their diet with berries or small insects. Faehorses come in a wide range of solid coat colors, including most standard equine colors. The fine scales covering the wings also grow between a faehorse's withers near where the wings sprout, giving them a splash of bright color. Wing scales can come in a vast range of bright colors, patterns, and markings. Faehorse eye color is typically pale, with blue, pink, light grey, and silver as the most common eye colors. Faehorse magic aids in pollintion. While they are not built like natural pollinators, their magic allows them to collect pollen in their manes and tails and transport it between flowers. Faehorses can be found throughout many different environments wherever sources of nectar can be found. When shapeshifted, faehorses are still quite small, barely a foot tall. Their bipedal form makes it awkward for them to fly, and shapeshifting is less common among faehorses unless there is a particular need for dexterity, such as when building a nest or creating some type of craft. They spend the majority of their lives in their quadepedal forms.Genetics and Reproduction
Horsefolk give live birth, typically gestating only one offspring at a time, although twin births do occur rarely. Given their long lifespans, the time between mares coming into season can be a gap of decades. With their connection to the earth and life, mares can also choose not to go into season at all in times of scarcity or if she simply does not want to have children. Pegasus and faehorses build nests for their newborn foals to rest in after birth, although pegasus nests are most often constructed on the ground. Herd cohesion is one of the most important values to horsefolk, so courtship traditions often ensure plausible deniability in the case of rejection and very subtle signaling.
Growth Rate & Stages
Horsefolk foals can stand minutes after they are born, but are clumsy with both their magic and have not developed their unique secondary traits yet. Unicorn foals have not grown their horns, pegasus and faehorse wings sprout later in life, and paint pony foals cannot utilize their camouflage. The foal stage lasts for the first decade of a horsefolk baby's life. They will spend these years building their stamina, playing, and nursing from their mothers.
In a foal's tenth year of life, they will begin to develop the traits unique to their species. Unicorn horns sprout and begin to grow over the course of this year. The downy, unfledged, immature wings of a pegasus foal will fledge and grow in size to support their bodies. Faehorse wings sprout and grow slowly, uncurling and eventually growing their colorful scales. Paint ponies slowly begin to master their camouflage, learning how to change their coats to blend with their surroundings. At this stage, young horsefolk are either called colts or fillies, depending on whether they are male or female. At this age they can travel distances with the herd and begin to master their earth magic, enabling them to heal and contribute to the environment they pass through. They will continue to grow slowly over the next twenty years until they reach maturity.
Stallions will often remain with the herd of their birth, but mares will gather together with others of their cohort and strike out in a juvenile herd, seeking to encounter other herds along the way where they can find their place. Mares on their coming of age journey will be prepared for it by the mares of their home herd. First, the herd travels to a river or lake within their territory and the young mares will travel with their mothers, aunts, and female cousins to the water where they are bathed under the moonlight. Then, they return to the herd where their brothers, fathers, and male cousins braid ribbons and garlands into their manes and tails for the journey. At dawn, the herd gathers together and moves at a full gallop, as a group in their regular places. As the sun begins to break the horizon, the young mares break off from the main herd to form their own. The main herd circles them and gallops on, leaving them behind, and the young mares strike out away from their home territory together.
Mares in one herd will time their fertile seasons together so their foals can be of similar ages, so their young mares have the best chance with a decent-sized cohort around them. However, it is rare for different herds to have their seasons in the same stretch of years, and so most groups of young mares travel across the lands without ever encountering another of these small, journeying herds. They will more typically find another full herd of horsefolk. Most herds will only accept one or two of the journeying mares into their ranks, whittling down the traveling herd until only two remain together, or very rarely one journeys alone. This can be the riskiest part of a young mare's life, when she is vulnerable to large predators as she travels.
Behaviour
Horsefolk are a peace-loving, non-confrontational species. They are sometimes considered to be easily exciteable and soft-hearted, and are driven to make peace and heal. For this reason, horsefolk can be pathologically avoidant of conflict. Most horsefolk herds are cohesive and persistent over years, but a weak leader may cause the herd to slowly, quietly fragment, with small groups leaving for other herds without any obvious conflict occurring. This means that horsefolk very rarely participate in any kind of war or other armed conflict, although they may be convinced to do so if they believe they must to protect themselves or the natural environment.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
Gentleness, helpfulness, and the ability to cooperate with others are highly prized in both mares and stallions. Striking combinations of coat and mane colors (such as a strawberry coat with a white mane) are considered attractive, as well as good teeth. Attentiveness and intelligence is prized in mares, while stamina and physical fitness is prized in stallions.
Courtship Ideals
Any courtship in a horsefolk herd begins with the stallion seeking permission from his parents or the herd elders to pursue a particular mare. These older members of the herd then assess bloodlines, compare status within the herd, and consider whether any other stallions might compete for this particular mare's favor. These considerations are undertaken with an eye toward preventing any accidental inbreeding from mares leaving and joining herds as well as preventing as much conflict as possible. However, a stallion should also check to be sure a mare is open to accepting courtship, which is signaled by wearing a ribbon in her forelock.
After receiving permission, a stallion can indicate his interest by going out of his way to find a choice piece of fruit, the best shoots of grass, the tastiest flower, or other delicacy to present to the mare. If the mare is not interested in the courtship, she can thank the stallion for thinking of her kindly and call him "cousin," which is how all herd members aside from parents and elders are addressed. This allows the stallion to save face, as the gift now could have easily come from a friend. However, if she is interested in his suit, she will share the food with him, as a way of acknowledging his effort in attaining it. This is also plausibly deniable on the mare's part - if the stallion loses interest in the later stages of the courtship, no outright declarations have been made.
It is perfectly acceptable for a stallion to be courting multiple mares at once, or a mare receiving suit from multiple stallions. There is no expectation of monogamy or persistent marriage, although some individual horsefolk do form strong pair bonds with one another. Friendly competitions are often a hallmark of breeding season. Stallions who want to show off for the mares they're courting will organize tournaments of various events - sprints, steeplechases, team relays, displays of aerial maneuvers for the flighted species, and etc. Spring days can find gatherings of interested mares and other members of the herd watching the stallions show off their physical prowess. On days when the stallions are not racing, the mares have their own form of friendly competition by setting up barrel races and jumping events, which mares are considered to excel in with their lighter frame, as well as ring chases (an aerial event where lightweight rings are suspended from trees, which must be flown through in sequence). These events are not scored particularly rigorously and the winner is not important - they are a vehicle for courting horsefolk to show off their prowess to one another.
In the breaks between athletic events, it is common to find groups of mares using their magic to coax pretty blooms into picturesque framing arrangements, so they can stand or lounge comfortably against a pretty backdrop that is pleasing to the eye. Courting mares will often have their female friends with them, those they've made since joining the herd, who will help groom and style their manes and tails to impress. Gossip is traded, and it is typically here when word is passed through the herd that a particular mare is favoring a particular stallion over others that have sought her interest. While no direct declaration has been made to one another at this point, other stallions take this as a signal to direct their interest elsewhere, while the stallion who is the focus of interest must now confirm his interest one final time, which culminates with mating.
To do this, the stallion will approach the mare and request to speak to her alone. The two will quietly slip away from the herd to a private location where they will speak at length about their courtship, complimenting one another on their favorite feats of accomplishment or presentations of aesthetic beauty. This affirmation between the couple is the final time both parties have a chance to walk away from each other without finalizing the courtship in mating, which happens rarely. Typically, the couple return together with the mare's announcement that she is with foal, and a celebration commences.
Relationship Ideals
Long-term monogamous relationships among horsefolk are rare. Typically, a stallion's most important relationship throughout his life will be with his parents and brothers, and a mare's most important relationships will be with other mares in the herd. Mares must make lasting bonds outside of their own family, as with the rare exception of sisters who join a herd together or a cousin that joined the same herd several cohorts ago, a mare will not have family ties in the herd she joins. The friendships established between mares in a herd are therefore considered to be just as strong as relationships with blood family. It is not uncommon for mares with intensely close friendships to both court the same stallion so they can raise their children together as half-siblings. Female friendships among horsefolk are upheld as the platonic ideal, and young fillies are taught that the friends they make as mares will one day be their family.
Common Etiquette Rules
It is very common for horsefolk to talk around a problem instead of directly addressing it. For instance, if the herd is grazing together, and one is standing in the way of a particularly tasty patch, the other might say "My, what vibrant grass you've grown there!" This draws the individual's attention to the fact that they're blocking someone's way, and creates a polite fictional compliment that the individual was responsible for the nice patch of grass in the first place.
Horsefolk herds have a great number of social rules that are built on supporting cohesion and defusing conflict before it can occur, which can seem incredibly difficult to navigate for outsiders. It is rare to be directly given a flat "no" by one of the horsefolk, which can make determining when one does not want to do something difficult.
Shunning is one of the most common ways that horsefolk indicate one of these rules is being broken. An individual who is being fractious or otherwise causing disruption will simply be frozen out - nobody will speak to them, they can continue to run with the herd but will not be approached - until they either apologize for the transgression or, in the case of major social violations, quietly leave the herd to go join another.
Common Taboos
The most viscerally violating thing for the horsefolk is the destruction of the earth. Activities associated with the construction of large townships and cities are upsetting to them, and they find the building of permanent structures to be uncomfortable at best and irreparably harmful at worst. Cultivated agriculture, which requires the destruction of some plants to favor the growth of others, is not practiced by horsefolk.
Horsefolk also view the use of animals in labor to be a form of slavery and resoundingly object to domestication of any form. The practice of keeping pets or domestic livestock baffles and revolts them.
Among horsefolk, it is morally repugnant to lead any creature to harm, or fail to help a creature that is in distress. This applies to all life on Eldara. In the rare occasions where horsefolk have gone to war, it is understood that the soldiers participant in the battles will segregate themselves from the rest of horsefolk society once it is over, living together in what are called Blood Herds, avoided by other horsefolk herds and finding companionship only in each other.
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