Post by ★Issalyn on Jul 7, 2010 11:33:28 GMT -5
once upon a TIME
Millennia ago, a strange but powerful species dominated the land. They ruled the heavens and the earth, having exquisite powers and abilities beyond those of any other species. These beings were the ancient equine ancestors of the modern day horse.
For a time, thousands of these equines roamed the land rather peacefully. They lived in large herds and roamed freely across whatever terrains they wanted. In those days, the land was very uniform. The same climate covered the land, producing the same trees, grasses, and flowers in every vast corner of the world. There was no variety, unless one used their powers to alter a specific area to better suit the needs of their herd.
Then one day, a herd stronger and more intelligent than all the others discovered the secret to immortality. This somehow enhanced their powers and physical features, and gave them the peculiar ability to shapeshift – to transform from their normal state into the shape of another creature. Their powers were so great that together they could control every aspect of the earth and the creatures living it in, from life to death and everything in between.
Because of their unique talents, they became worshipped as gods and goddesses by all the mortal beings on the earth. They banished the mortals from the heavens, and claimed it as their own domain. Over time, they became more and more powerful, and with great power comes greed and jealousy. It seems that each thought themselves to be somehow greater than the rest, and fights began to break out among the immortals. Sometimes they fought one-on-one, other times they formed alliances to take down larger groups of their enemies.
It turned out that being immortal wasn’t always everlasting. There were certain powers or beasts which others had vulnerability to. Whoever figured out how to kill another would gain all of their powers and knowledge upon their death. As such facts became known, once one’s weakness was found, they’d soon have another one plotting their demise. In time, a great war broke out, a battle that seemed to draw a line between the good and the evil. A few tried to remain neutral, but were eventually forced to choose an alliance for their own protection.
The War of the Heavens lasted centuries, gradually killing off more and more of the immortals until finally only five survived. As it so happened, the five were among those which had originally chosen to remain neutral. Through the war, by killing and obtaining new abilities, their strengths grew astronomically. They were the swiftest, strongest, and wisest of all the original immortals combined. Once they found peace, realizing that the five of them could surely make room to get along without strife, they agreed to take one continent and divide land they controlled into six territories, so that none would overstep the others. The set up a barrier of sorts around this continent, so that it would forever remain divided from the rest of the world.
They set up the boundaries such that each of their powers could be used in other territories, but would not have such strong effects. The goddess of wind could send a breeze through the other territories, but nothing compared to the hurricanes she could create in her own. Each one knew that they were vulnerable to at least one of the others, and for this reason they have tried very hard to avoid conflict. They now reign in the heavens, but only occasionally interfere with the “normal” day-to-day occurrences on the lands below.
and so the STORY grows
Over time, the world grew and developed and the legends of the greatest equine species and the immortal ones faded away. Equines became today’s modern horses, and other species flourish on the earth as well. No one remembers the 8th continent, nor is it possible to find. This is because it lurks in a far off dimension, unknown to the human mind.
Today, the land is still roamed by descendants of the early equines, some even having direct lineage to the great immortals. Most of the equines have powers or strange physical traits, though few are as strong as others in the past. The equines roam the land freely. Some herds have stayed within a certain territory for generations, and foals born to them are considerably more powerful and more pure. Others have wandered and interbred between the regions, creating foals with unique combinations of powers and traits, yet most often, their powers aren’t as strong.
The purest of the pure are said to be the descendants of the great immortals. They are the ones who have traits that directly link back to one of the gods. Perhaps they have been touched by the gods at birth, or perhaps their lineage has just remained untainted over time. Whatever the case, they tend to have more developed abilities, and have physical traits that are more distinctive.
From time to time, the immortals do meddle in the lives on their land, inflicting death, creating life, or even bestowing special abilities upon their chosen ones. Occasionally, they will grant the gift of immortality, but with it the curse that that one’s powers can never become as strong as the great immortals. Sometimes they even grant the art of shapeshifting, but it only works out well if the one they grant it to is quite pure. To effectively shapeshift, one must already have the physical traits of the form they shift into. If one is unpure, they often have a combination of traits, such as wings and scales with a forked tongue, making it impossible for them to completely shift to either bird or reptile.
You enter yourself into the land of this lost generation, playing the part of one of these exquisite equines that have long been forgotten by the rest of the modern world. Will there be love or hate? Will life blossom or will war break out? That’s all up to you to decide!