Paint Ponies

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.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Feminine names in Hohnahen often begin with syllables that contain the A vowel, such as pa-, na-, ma-, and etc, but some feminine names can also begin with syllables containing the I vowel, such as pi-, ni-, mi-.

Aannitayon	Joyful daughter
Tatom	A sign (omen)
Yata	Flower
Yinnutewo	Honored girl
Tinnin	Silk
Pikkhato	Pure-hearted

Masculine names

Masculine names in Hohnahen often begin with syllables that contain the O vowel, such as po-, no-, mo-, and etc, but some feminine names can also begin with syllables containing the E vowel, such as pe-, ne-, me-.

Ohnenayon	Blue wind
Hem	Dawn/morning
Wongkon	Sweet fruit
Meppapi	Earth's protector
Tonte	Harmonious
Ketawen	Special/beloved child

Family names

Paint ponies, like other horsefolk, gain their surname from their herd. The following are examples of herd names along with their literal translation from Hohnahen, the horsefolk language.

Aahnateuun	Wildfoot
Tannanpan	Starlight
Wuuyatahnam	Redroot
Yatapangkan	Sunflower
Tetsohiyi	Mistwalker
Yokkai̊nnin	Safestep
Naateka	Riverlight
Tayihatoon	Trueheart

Culture

Shared customary codes and values

Paint pony culture places the highest value on doing no harm, which includes emotional harm. Ponies are encouraged to think through every one of their words and actions before they undertake them, so they can ensure they are not causing offense. Paint ponies are told never to speak in anger, and in fact a pony that is experiencing strong negative emotion is encouraged to "run at the edge of the herd" - take some quiet time to themselves to sort their feelings out.
All horsefolk are instinctively compelled to ease suffering and heal, and paint ponies are no exception. Their ability to restore vegetation as they run often sees herds of paint ponies drawn to places where the soil has been depleted or a natural disaster has occurred that damages the vegetation. A paint pony who sees land or a creature that needs healing is driven to stop and render aid until harmony is restored.

Common Etiquette rules

Due to their natural, instinctive aversion to conflict and deep desire for harmony, paint ponies, like all horsefolk, will rarely confront a problem directly. It is far more common for them to talk around the problem, make oblique reference to an offense, our couch it in terms that do not blame anyone. If one paint pony clumsily runs into another while the herd is in motion, the offended party may exclaim that they didn't even see the snake - implying that some danger must have existed for the pony to dodge, which led to running into one of their fellows.
With their natural camouflaging abilities, paint ponies take great care to ensure they do not accidentally spy on others or startle them when approaching. Unless there is a reason for the herd to travel swiftly and without noise, paint pony jewelry is intended to clack together, jingle, or otherwise make noise. This ensures that even if the paint pony prefers to run with their camouflage on that day, others are able to see and hear them coming.

Common Dress code

Most paint ponies prefer jewelry over clothing, and ponies rarely wear more elaborate garments than a skirt or a loincloth. These garments are typically made of dried grass or reeds, which are harvested after they have already died and dried. Alternately, paint ponies will rarely scavenge the remains of already deceased animals for leather to tan and bones to carve. Tanned leather is most often cut into strips that can be utilized as string for beads or braided into stronger cord, but garments can sometimes be made of painted leather. Limited trade with gryphons provides some woven textiles such as flax or hemp clothing. However, more pacifistically dedicated paint ponies will not wear animal leather or cloth, as they say there is no guarantee that there was no suffering of life involved in its production.

Foods & Cuisine

Fire is considered a highly destructive force, only to be utilized when absolutely necessary, so paint ponies rarely cook their food. They are fully capable of digesting the raw vegetation that makes up their diet without any cooking, and consider it to be an unnecessary and harmful process. Most paint pony cuisine is therefore achieved by careful planting and cultivation of edible plants into "one bite arrrangements." This is the practice of ensuring that a diverse enough number of plants grow clustered together that a pony may get a little bit of everything in a single bite. This form of living salad cultivation is nearly exclusive to paint ponies, as the vast majority of their diet consists of grass. Occasionally, paint ponies will supplement their grass-heavy diet with wildflowers for flavor.
Crucially, although all horsefolk including paint ponies find harming other life to be taboo, refusing to eat grass because it harms the grass is a form of self-harm, and is also taboo. Horsefolk believe that they should eat only enough to sustain themselves and never pick a flower idly - that is, leave growing thing to grow unless you intend to eat it immediately. Therefore, on special feasting occasions paint ponies serve large banquets of pre-picked and carefully composed salads, often dressed with fresh citrus juice.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Paint ponies call their ancestral homeland Sanni̊paheyi, or The Stolen Land. Reverence for Sanni̊paheyi is an extremely important tradition among the paint ponies. Although all horsefolk were driven out of the lands now claimed as part of the Kingdom of Aētheli, the Stormbreak Prairie was the specific ancestral home of the paint ponies, and prior to being driven out their herds were exclusively found in this location. During annual festivals of importance, coming of age ceremonies, celebrations of concluded courtship, birthdays, and funerals, a solemn moment is always taken where the herd will collectively face north, toward Sanni̊paheyi, and spend several moments in total silence where they grieve for the homeland that was taken from them.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

The birth of a new paint pony is a communal affair, with the mares of the herd acting as midwives and the stallions forming a circular patrol around the outside of the herd. Like all shapeshifters, paint ponies give birth in their natural forms, and therefore do so standing. However, midwives frequently attend the birthing mother in shapeshifted form. This allows them to assist in case of birthing complications, such as the foal being in breech.
Foals that are born in an intact birthing sac are said to be born the veil and are considered especially blessed births. The midwives will clean the foal and encourage it to take its first steps while the mother rests. Once mother and foal are recovered enough to move, the herd puts distance between themselves and the birth site, to keep from attracting unwanted attention from wild animals.
Once all the mares of a birthing year have foaled, the herd journeys collectively to a site of sacred water within the herd's lands. The foals will approach the water by themselves and drink something other than their mother's milk for the first time. This is traditionally considered necessary so the foal is tied to the earth and housed in a body, and at this time foals are given their first names.

Coming of Age Rites

Like all horsefolk, paint ponies can control when they choose to foal, and mares in a herd will choose to have their children at the same time in order to create a cohort. Cohorts of the same age are important, because they provide young mares with protection as they travel away from the herd of their birth.
When mares come of age, the herd once again journeys to the sacred water, where the mares will hold vigil with the adult females of the herd. They are bathed in the water under the light of the moon, and then sit silently at the water's edge with their mother. Although other horsefolk do not face a particular direction during their vigil, paint pony mares always face north, toward Sanni̊paheyi. While the mares about to embark on their journey must remain silent, the adult mares around them, including their mothers, will speak at length. They will describe their own journeys, impart wisdom on how to choose the right herd to join, and sing journeying songs together throughout the night to wish the young mares well.
When dawn breaks, the young mares are led back to their herd and given over to their male relatives. Each mare's tail is braided into hundreds of small braids, each tipped with a decorative bead. Traditionally, paint pony mares on their journey will leave their manes completely loose, even if they normally prefer to style them, restricting the braids only to their tails. This is unique among horsefolk, as most others heavily decorate both manes and tails.
For stallions, who remain with their herd for their entire lives, coming of age is less ritualized. Stallions are considered adults when they reach physical maturity, but it is commonly said among paint ponies that a stallion does not grow up until he has to say goodbye to his first sister.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Paint ponies believe that when they die, their animus is released into the world, where it runs with the stallions of the four winds. Therefore, funerary customs are centered around giving the body back to the earth.
Those closest to the deceased help prepare the body for burial. When they die, paint ponies revert to their natural forms like all shapeshifters. Limbs are folded against the body, and the eyelids are securely closed. The body is then extensively painted in joyful colors and patterns, sometimes with symbols that hold particular meaning to the deceased or those close to them. Mourners may also choose to paint short messages to the deceased on the body, and are encouraged to express their grief in this way. Paint pony graves are dug carefully, first by cutting and temporarily removing the grass sod and peeling it away from the bare earth. A shallow grave is then dug, and the deceased is gently lowered into the grave. The soil is then returned to the grave and the sod carefully replaced and healed with restorative earth magic. A small cairn of stones may be built on the grave to mark it, or graves may be left unmarked.
Paint ponies will continue to speak to the deceased as if they are present, making small asides into seemingly thin air. This is considered a normal part of the mourning process and also a way of communicating with the deceased's animus. Paint ponies believe that their loved ones will continue to hear them, although they are not able to reply. A paint pony herd may return to the burial site on the anniversary of the death for several years afterward to pay their respects. Paint ponies believe that eventually the released animus will be reborn as a new foal, which leads to the tradition of foals drinking the sacred water as the first thing other than mother's milk. It is believed to ground the reincarnated animus in their new body.

Common Taboos

Among the paint pony population are at least two extant blood herds, comprised of ponies that participated in the War of the Gift. Despite not taking an active role in combat, participation in war is anathema to horsefolk culture. These herds live in exile, accepting no new members and birthing no new foals, with the understanding that their populations will eventually die out. The blood herds mark themselves with dark red body paint that resembles injuries - paint is spattered like blood or slashed across the neck or heart. Other paint pony herds do not approach or communicate with the blood herds.

Common Myths and Legends

Horsefolk believe that their kind are the children of Itusokuhani (She Walks the Earth), the mare goddess who embodies the earth itself, and the stallions of the four winds. The paint ponies specifically believe their sire was the stallion of the north wind, Kapaagwinathi, who galloped down from the mountains of the Arctic to woo Itusokuhani on the Stormbreak Prairie. But the stallion of the north wind was too wild and untameable to run in a herd, so Itusokuhani hid her children when they were born, giving them the gift to blend in with the very earth around them. Kapaagwinathi still rages across the prairie, searching for his hidden children, his hooves sounding thunder and striking lightning, and the rush of his passing stirring up tornadoes. When the wind blows from the north, paint ponies sing songs to Kapaagwinathi, asking him to spare the creatures that live on the prairie and cease his raging.

Historical figures

During the Crossing, the forced displacement of the paint ponies from the Stormbreak Prairie to the wilds south of the Tangled Jungle, much of the oral history of the paint ponies was lost as elders perished along the journey. Deaths primarily came at the hands of the newly created beast shifters as well as their wild beast counterparts. Paint ponies are not naturally disposed to strong leadership, preferring to coax and persuade, but during the grueling displacement one mare rose above the rest, and her story is remembered by the survivors.
Nadiande Daabayote was a paint pony mare who was already several centuries old by the time the Crossing was forced upon her people. The Daabayote herd was one of the first to be rounded up and forced through the jungle. Although their camouflage would normally assist in evading the dragons that were pursuing them, Daabayote was at the time a mixed herd, with several unicorn members who were unable to hide in the same manner. The herd chose to move with the unicorns rather than abandon them, and Nadiande was among those placed near the front of the herd to help break the trail. Travel was extremely difficult, especially when the herd had to ford the River Rushing. Paint ponies are not strong swimmers, and the current was flowing swiftly with recent rains. It is said that Nadiande stood in the river, strong against the current, and caught five ponies who lost their footing and began to be washed downstream.
Once her herd had safely made it to the southern shore of the River Rushing, they continued making their way through the jungle until they reached its southern edge, coming upon the Carmine Plateau and the steppes that would be their new home. The stories tell that Nadiande stepped out of the jungle with the herd, and then turned back. The mares of her herd, her lifelong friends, tried to persuade her to stay, but Nadiande would only stare into the jungle.
"More of our people will come," Nadiande told her herd. "More of our people will need to know the way. I will go back."
The herd again tried to persuade Nadiande to come with them. There was too much danger in the jungle, and they had lost so many of their herd already to the jaguars and the river's current, for not even Nadiande's strength could save them all.
"I will save more than I would if I did not go," Nadiande told her herd. "I am strong, and wise, and I know the way. I will go back."
The herd tried to persuade Nadiande one final time. They loved her, and she was their family, and she should stay where she was safe with her family.
"The jungle is a place of suffering," Nadiande told her herd. "I will go back."
It is the work of the horsefolk to ease suffering where they find it. The herd did not try to persuade Nadiande another time. She went back into the jungle, and the herd's that followed Daabayote on the Crossing followed the signs Nadiande sent them. They rarely saw her in person, but would see the healed ground and bursting flowers that signaled her passing, and would follow the safe trails. In times when the river was high, Nadiande would appear, and plant herself in the midst of it to help her people across. She befriended the faehorses of the jungle and they helped her hide from the jaguar shifters who hunted her.
Nadiande never left the Tangled Jungle, but neither had anyone ever heard that she had perished. Some say Nadiande still dwells in the Tangled Jungle, guiding the faehorses to safe places even though all the paint ponies made the Crossing centuries ago.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Among paint ponies, unusual patterns are considered the most attractive. Piebald and skewbald are the most common patterns, so rarer patterns such as leopard or snowflake spotted, blanket, or tricolor are particularly eye-catching. Although black and brown are the most common eye colors, rarely paint ponies can have gold, honey, or amber-colored eyes, which are considered striking and beautiful. Overly bulky or overly thin builds are less beautiful than leanly muscled forms.
Paint ponies, like all horsefolk, greatly value aesthetics and personal adornment. Beads are commonly made of acai, huayruro, or tagua nuts, which are intricately carved or painted and strung on strands to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklets, and other adornments. Polished river stones, wood, naturally shed feathers, and sun-baked clay are other common jewelry materials. Combinations of colors on the same section of the color spectrum are often accented with one complimentary color (a yellow accent in the midst of green and blue beads, for example), as visual contrast is an important component of what paint ponies consider to be beautiful. Body paint is another extremely common form of adornment. The face, shoulders, forearms, belly, and flanks are the most common places to wear decorative body paint.
Due to their unique active camouflage, many paint ponies choose their personal adornments and clothing to create shapes and patterns in the air while the paint pony wearing them is invisible. This particular aesthetic art form is unique to paint ponies, and ponies who are able to create designs around their own bodies that stand as their own work of art when the pony wearing them activates their camoflauge are considered peak artistic talents.

Gender Ideals

Mares and stallions both perform similar roles in the herd, and social roles within the herd are not restricted according to gender. However, there are some stereotypes and expectations that differ occording to gender among paint ponies.
Mares will eventually leave their birth herd, traveling with other members of their age cohort until they find another herd to join, while stallions will remain with their birth herd for their entire lives. Mares are therefore considered to be more level-headed, practical, and intelligent. Calm problem-solving, perceptiveness, and crafting skills are considered to be more aligned with mareness. Stallions on the other hand are said to have superior strength and stamina when compared to mares, and are commonly seen as sensitive, emotional, and romantic creatures with fragile hearts.

Courtship Ideals

The most important aspect of horsefolk society is harmony within the herd and social cohesion. Conflict is uncomfortable to all horsefolk, including paint ponies, and great care is taken during courtship to preserve good feelings, prevent jealousy, and ensure plausible deniability. Romance is an extremely important component of paint pony courtship, although romance is understood among horsefolk to be a powerful but fleeting emotion.
Mares who are seeking a stallion will signal this by braiding something colorful into her forelock. This can be a ribbon, a brightly colored feather, a strand of beads - anything as long as it is secured in a braid and worn in the forelock. Once a mare has indicated that she is open to being courted, interested stallions will not approach her directly at first. Instead, they will approach the herd's elders to present their case and gain approval to pursue the mare in question. The most common reason for declining is unknown relation - elders of each herd communicate with each other to record bloodlines and familial relationships, ensuring that as mares leave and join herds there is no accidental consanguinuity. However, if too many stallions have already declared intent for the same mare, the elders may disallow some of them from pursuing, since this could create conflict and jealousy among the stallions.
Once the stallion has gained permission to court the mare, an intense period of romantic wooing begins. Stallions will present the mares they are interested in with gifts. Traditionally, in the early stages of courtship this gift should be a choice piece of fruit or a picnic in a particularly fertile meadow where tasty grasses and flowers can be enjoyed. This allows the opening of courtship to be plausibly deniable - if the mare is not interested in this stallion's suit, she can thank him for the gift by addressing him as "cousin," which is how all members of the herd aside from immediate family are addressed. This is a signal that the mare would prefer to continue seeing him as only a cousin, and the stallion is able to withdraw his suit after this first overture with little embarrassment.
Paint ponies are non-monogamous, and a stallion may be courting multiple mares at once, or a mare receiving suit from multiple stallions. This is seen as a natural part of courting, as both mares and stallions seek the partner they most enjoy spending time with among all the possibilities. There is no expectation of marriage after a successful courtship - the goal is the production of offspring and the deepening of a friendship, not the establishment of lifelong romantic bonds. However, some paint ponies will form strong pair bonds after the conclusion of courtship. The process of courtship itself is meant to be fun and enjoyable, and at times mares who have a permanent partner will still braid their forelocks and accept suits for the fun of it, although they make it very clear from the outset that they do not intend to see the courtship to its conclusion. This is also acceptable, just as it is acceptable for a stallion to give a gift to a mare he has no real interest in pursuing, just to see her enjoyment of it.
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, and team relays. 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 frames. The competition is meant to be fun for both participants and spectators - events are rarely scored, and if they are scored they are not scored seriously ("I forgot the score" is a common paint pony in-joke). 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.

Relationship Ideals

Homosocial relationships are of utmost importance among horsefolk, and especially among paint ponies. Romantic relationships are often viewed as temporary whirlwinds of strong emotion, extremely enjoyable by both parties while they last but not intended to be permanent. The lifelong bonds a paint pony stallion forms will be with his father, brothers, uncles, and male cousins. In addition to these bonds, the relationship between a stallion and his mother is considered sacred, and stallions are expected to always respect and obey their mothers even long after they are grown. For mares, homosocial friendships fill the void of familial bonds once a mare leaves her birth herd and strikes out with her cohort. Unless a member from her birth herd from a previous cohort is present in the herd she joins, a mare will often have no blood ties with her new social group. Therefore, young fillies are often told that the mares in their adoptive herd will become far more important than their birth families, and these relationships are considered the platonic ideal among horsefolk.

Encompassed species

• Horsefolk