Reveri

= Geography = The small, oval-shaped island of Reveri is a peaceful place, amenable to an easy life, and so despite it's modest size it boasts a large horse population. A low-lying land, it has no great mountain range or expanse of hills, and though it slopes gently upwards towards its centre, it is at no point very far above sea level. This general flatness, along with the smallness of the island, means that the weather conditions across the island are largely the same from one end to the other, the prevailing weather conditions being cloudy, foggy or rainy. This is a warm, wet and mild island, with clear skies being rare and neither thirst nor harsh conditions being much of a concern for its inhabitants. The 'dry season' could more properly be called the 'less wet season', for the only real difference is a slight reduction in the number of rainy days.

While the weather conditions across the island may not be particularly variable, the island nevertheless possesses various different terrains that are largely influenced by the proximity of the land there to the sea. This means that various terrains are organised in concentric rings, these being roughly ovular in shape in accordance with the shape of an island, and the native equines have a different name for each such ring.


 * At the extreme periphery there is Salino, the border of the island where the land meets the sea. Salino consists of a ring of mingled sand, shale and pebbles, with interspersed boulders, the coarser pebbles predominating on the North-western side of the island while yellow-grey expanses of fine sand win out towards the South-east, though there is no abrupt border between the two types of beach. Reveri horses typically have little reason to venture to this area, unless they plan on leaving the island to explore the rest of Paradisus.


 * A thin border of coarse, salt-tolerant grasses separates Salino from the next ring in, a grassy plain known as Praedus. This area has by far the best grazing on the island and as such is heavily populated, though fortunately the frequent rains keep the grasses growing well year-round so that there isn't too much risk of overgrazing.


 * The further inland one travels in Praedus, the sweeter the grasses become, and the more numerous the small shrubs. At length those small shrubs become thickets and then stands of trees, and Praedus merges smoothly into Arbes, the forested third ring of Reveri. With relatively loosely spaced deciduous trees and plenty of shrubs for browsing, Arbes also has plenty of food and so is also well populated.


 * Finally, further towards the centre of Reveri the trees grow ever denser and tend towards broader leaves, and suddenly one finds oneself in the island's most central terrain, the dense rainforest known as Tenarbes. Although practically overflowing with plant life, many of the leaves have an unpalatable waxy coating or tend to give one a stomach ache, and so only those with a good knowledge in botany make this there permanent home.

Having no natural springs, the only source of fresh water on Reveri is the rain, though that is hardly in short supply. During the wet season it pools in puddles across the island, and causes the smallish Solitar lake, found straddling the border between Praedus and Arbes on the Southern end of the island to grow considerably, and even during what is obsensibly the dry season, some rain falls and keeps the lake from shrivelling too much and puddles from drying up completely. Aside from the lake, the only truly permanent sources of water are the two thin rivers that emerge from Solitar lake and flow towards the sea, Occida river flowing towards the South-west, and Oria river flowing towards the South-east, though these are small and shallow and easily forded.

The flora and fauna of Reveri is not atypical of Paradisus, though naturally animals more suited to harsh, dry conditions are not found. There are no mountain lions, a blessing when compared with other islands, but there are two very large, very active packs of coyotes which prey upon the local horses, as well as other predators. These two packs of coyotes are constantly at war with one another, and despite the horror that they sometimes unleash, the Reveri horses find it rather amusing to watch their battles and bet on their 'favourite' pack to win.

= Culture = Plentiful food and mild conditions have left the horses of Reveri with little of substance to worry about, the result being that they have a tendency to invent reasons for angst, and this tendency has lead to the island being far from the peaceful paradise it might have otherwise been.

At the heart of Reveri culture is a strict caste system, with a horse's worth being determined primarily not by the strength of their character, nor even by the strength of their body, which might at least have made sense, but rather by the markings upon their coat.


 * The most superior horses are those that are completely black, with no markings anywhere upon their body. Known as Filii Umbra, or just Filii, these horses are the only ones considered fit to rule, and so only Filii stallions may become lead stallions or be selected as heirs. Filii mares are highly prized as herd mares.


 * Next there are the Dilectus Verum, or Dilectus. These are horses that have markings unique to Reveri, reminiscent of certain markings seen there and elsewhere, but deep black instead of the more common white. The Dilectus stallions are considered fit to be second stallions in herds, although Filii are preferred for these positions. Otherwise Dilectus stallions typically hold harems of mares, while Dilectus mares become herd or harem mares.


 * The middle rank of horses on Reveri are the Advena; horses with coats of neither white nor black and having neither white nor black markings. Advena stallions typically form small harems of Advena or lesser mares or spend their entire lives in same-sex bands, while Advena mares are herd or harem mares.


 * Below the Advena are the Coinquin Manicae; horses, including those with black markings, that are not entirely white but that have white markings marring their coats, and so are considered to be irrevocably marred and imperfect. Almost all Coinquin stallions spend their lives alone or in bands, while Coinquin mares might be picked up by Advena stallions as harem mares or spend their time in clans.


 * Finally, the very lowest of the low are the pure white or very pale Rancidi Aether. These horses are barely acknowledged by any of the other castes, thoroughly shunned in every way, with stallions being forced to live entirely alone and mares being permitted into clans only on the condition that they act as silent servants for the higher caste mares.

This caste system permeates every aspect of a Reveri horse's life from the moment of its birth to its eventual death. Associating with a horse of a lesser caste is seen as shameful and something to be avoided, which leads to situations that might seem bizarre to outsiders. Mothers that give birth to a lesser foal will bully lesser mares that gave birth to a higher foal to swap with them, siblings will shun lesser siblings, and horses will refuse to breed with lesser partners. Stallions will often refuse to add lesser mares to their herd or harem, or even cast out mares that consistently produce low-caste offspring. Furthermore, due to some strange quirk, stallions seem to more commonly inherit the unique black markings of Reveri than mares, which has given the Reveri horses the idea that stallions are inherently superior to mares. For all Filii and, to a lesser extent Dilectus mares are prized as herd mares, there is no lead or second mare in Reveri herds for mares are not thought fit for any kind of leadership. A Reveri filly grows up knowing that she will either be claimed by any stallion that takes a liking to her, whether she wills it or not, or stay forever in a clan. The latter is seen as shameful and reserved for lower castes, which is unfortunate seeing as it is the only arrangement that allows a Reveri mares any kind of freedom. A mare in a herd or harem is expected to be unquestioningly obedient and faithful to her stallion and to devote all her energies to producing and rearing strong foals, preferably colts. Disobedience and infidelity are punished harshly. It is no surprise then that some strong-willed Reveri mares are secretly meeting and arranging to depart their oppressive home, hoping to find more liberty on another island.

The other major facet of Reveri culture is competition. Stallions constantly strive to have the largest herd, the highest caste mares, the most offspring, although active physical aggression between them is rare and seen as rather uncouth. Instead, there is a much more subtle and ultimately more damaging kind of social conflict which involves spreading rumours, backstabbing, subterfuge, betrayal, and sometimes downright assassination. Social alliances form between stallions for the purpose of attacking another and then are broken, with little regard for former promises. Mares have a similar but separate social hierarchy of their own, and are equally as competitive. Through it all, the caste system is felt; lower caste horses are bullied and persecuted by higher caste ones to prevent them getting ideas above their stations.

Overall, Reveri is not a particularly nice place to live, unless you happen to have been born with a black coat and are an expert in social stratagem.

= History = How the very first horses got to Reveri is something of a mystery, though it is likely that they share their ultimate ancestry with the horses of other islands where the Duodecim is the dominant religion. In any case, what is known is that the very earliest Reveri horses all looked a particular way, all being solid coloured warmbloods with manes and tails of unremarkable length and thickness. There was not a single hint of white to be seen upon them, no stockings upon their feet nor stars upon their foreheads, nor any of the more extensive white markings found on horses of other islands. Furthermore, they were all medium in colouration, with no buckskins, palominos, perlinos, pearls or similar to be seen amongst them, nor any horses of true black. These early Reveri horses were competitive and had a habit of boasting, but otherwise they were not very different, in terms of their culture, from those of other Duodecim islands, and they honoured all of the Gods more or less equally.

At one time, there was a mare who was widely known as the cleverest horse on Reveri, and the rest of Paradisus besides. Her herd mates boasted at length of her wit and intelligence, and many came to present puzzles to her, to witness her gifts for themselves. This mare was a good-natured sort, but the constant praise went to her head somewhat, and she began to amuse herself by playing harmless pranks upon her herd mates. This caught the attention of Aether, the Trickster God of Air, who looked down from his cloud palace and grew jealous that all were admiring this mare and neglecting to praise his own wit and cleverness, and so he decided to demonstrate his superiority for all to see. Taking his favoured physical form of a shaggy-haired white foal, he approached the clever mare in front of all her herd mates and challenged her to a game of riddles. The mare, emboldened by being told so often of her abilities, foolishly accepted. Aether told her a riddle of his own devising, one so deviously difficult that it stunned all of the surrounding horses into a befuddled silence and left the clever mare looking thoughtful. Aether grinned smugly, and was about to declare himself the victor when the mare spoke out the answer in a clear, proud voice; she had known it all along, and was only pretending to think while she came up with a riddle to present to the God. Now, while Aether was temporarily silenced by shock, she challenged him with a puzzle so difficult that though the God gnashed his teeth and stamped his tiny foal-hooves for all he was worth he could not answer, and so he was forced to admit defeat. He did not do so gracefully, however. Instead he lashed out in a verbal tirade, cursing the mare and promising that she would pay for her audacity. Then he vanished with a roar of wind, leaving the herd uneasy and uncomfortable.

However, at first it was not obvious whether Aether’s curse had done anything. The mare was just as healthy and lively, and just as clever, as before, and her first pregnancy, which had been in its early stages during the encounter with Aether, progressed without incident. Only when the foal was born was the God’s power felt, and even then, it did not at first seem a curse, for the foal was a breathtakingly beautiful colt, with a coat of pure white, long, drapes of white hair for his mane and tail, and feather-like white tufts of hair at his ankles. He looked like Aether himself, but somehow purer and more graceful, and horses in the area came to gaze upon him. But though the colt at first seemed strong, standing easily and suckling energetically, after half a day he began moaning and rolling in pain, thrashing, panting and crying. He stopped suckling and lay down, and would not get up again. After a few days, he was close to death, and his mother despaired; Aether’s curse had surely revealed itself.

But that night, every diplomat on the island was beset by the same bizarre dream. They dreamt that a blackness deeper than the night sky resolved itself from the surrounding shadows and rolled towards the where the dying colt lay, the suggestion of a sexless horse form shifting within. From the ball of shadow a head and neck of pure lightless-ness emerged, and touched the foal upon the muzzle. Slowly, the blackness seemed to be sucked into the foal’s nostrils, and that same blackness spread across the previously white hide. Just as the tips of the colt’s tail had been dyed the colour of the abyss, the shadow was fully gone, and the colt’s illness was cured.

To all who had had the dream, it seemed clear that Umbra had come forth and blessed the colt, saving him from Aether’s curse, and so the colt became known as Umbra’s child. He had inherited all of his mother’s keen cunning as well as a great deal of physical strength and social charisma, and so he soon became the most powerful stallion to grace Reveri. His herd was overflowing with mares, and he had so many foals that there are few on the island today who cannot claim to have his blood in their veins. He was seen as a hero, a demi-God, and many practically worshipped him. But for all his wit, might and influence, the black stallion was lacking in morals. Having been told all his life that he was beloved of a God, he could not fail to become proud and selfish. He had a hot temper and little concern for the well-being of others, and demanded absolute submission from his herd mares, insisting that they obey his every whim and produce as many foals as he could. And yet still he was loved, for how could one blessed by a God be wrong? Indeed, other stallions began following his example, exerting more and more control over their mares.

Those descendants of the Black Stallion that inherited his coat were assumed also to be blessed by Umbra, collectively became known as the Filii Umbra. These horses, were given special treatment by others around them due to their association with the near-divine stallion; they were spoiled more by their mothers, selected as heirs by their fathers and strongly favoured by prospective mates. Within a few generations it had stuck; the Filii stallions were the only ones who lead herds, other stallions being reduced to seconds or simple harem stallions, and Filii mares were highly prized as herd mares and so monopolised by Filii stallions. Thus the caste system was begun.

The next big event in Reveri's history was the arrival of a small group of horses from the neighbouring Manicae, these horses having tired of their difficult, dangerous home and having resolved to leave in search of more pleasant grounds. These horses brought with them new mane and tail types as well as pale and white markings that had never been seen before on Reveri, ranging from markings just on the mane and tail or legs and face to ones that extensively covered the body. Furthermore, the newcomers included horses with new coat colours that resembled unusually pale bays or chestnuts, and most significantly, horses that were entirely white or so pale that they might as well be. The buckskins and palominos were begrudgingly accepted, but any horse with white markings was immediately assumed to have sinned on their home island and thus be tainted, the white staining being a warning to others of their evil, and so were considered lower than other horses, less worthy of respect. The mares were less likely to be claimed by stallions and so often collected into clans, while any stallion that attempted to have a harem was likely to have it stolen from him by an unmarked male. Nevertheless, it was not as bad for these tainted horse as it was for the so called Rancidi, the whites, perlinos and cremellos, who looked so much like the Black Stallion before Umbra blessed him that they were presumed to share Aether's curse despite their apparent good health. Surely, they reasoned, it must be unlucky to associate with such a horse, and so the Rancidi were shunned, the stallions forced to live alone and the mares, lacking any real hope of being claimed, served the other mares in clans. Horses that started as something else but that gradually became white were particularly shunned and pitied as victims of the 'creeping curse'. At first the newcomers from Manicae resented this abuse, but they were vastly outnumbered and by the time the initial immigrants had died their descendants were thoroughly integrated into the Reveri caste system.

A few generations later, there was a very rare occurrence; a mare gave birth to healthy twins. Despite sharing a womb, the two colts were not alike, for one was a solid chestnut Advena while the other was a buckskin and white patched Coinquin. Naturally, the chestnut brother was favoured over the patched brother in all ways, receiving all of their mother's love and all the attention and admiration of their harem-mates. When they became adults, the chestnut brother founded his own harem, while the patched brother was banished to a band. This angered the patched brother, for he was far cleverer and stronger than his plump and slow twin,who had had everything handed to him with no effort required, and resolved to demonstrate his superiority by challenging the chestnut brother to a contest over his harem. The chestnut brother did not realise he was outmatched and, wanting to put his Coinquin brother in his place publicly, invited everyone he knew to come and watch the contest. There would be three parts to the contest; first a simple race, to determine who was fastest, then a game of riddles such as the Clever Mare had played with Aether, to determine who was smartest, and finally a duel, to determine who was strongest. The chestnut brother was thoroughly beaten in both the race and the game of riddles, but insisted on proceeding to the battle anyway to avoid total humiliation in front of his friends. But he was outmatched here too, and after a long fight he was knocked down and yielded for all to hear. The terms of the duel had been that it would continue until one yielded, but the patched brother was mad with battle fever, and full of bitterness from the years of scorn, and he came down on his brother's body with his hooves, killing him. At the moment that the chestnut twin let out his final breath, there was a great thundercrack, and the giant shape of an enormous bay mare appeared in the sky for all present to see. A bolt of lightning flew from her forehead and struck the patched brother, turning the white parts of his coat an inky black.

Many would interpret this action of Verum as a curse, a punishment for going back on his word and murdering his brother, but the horses of Reveri, who see everything dark as good and everything light as evil, instead saw it as a blessing, a sign that the patched brother had raised himself above the usual lowly ranks of the Coinquins and indeed above the ordinary Advena. Thus the patched brother successfully ran a harem, and later became the second of a large herd and had many offspring, but there was always a nagging guilt at the back of his mind for having killed his twin. Regardless, when the descendants of the patched brother started being born with similar black markings, it was recognised by the Reveri horses that a new caste had come about and inserted itself between the Filii and the Advena, termed Dilectus. It was later noted that the majority of the Dilectus were males born from non-Dilectus mares whose own fathers had been Dilectus. This strengthened the already well-formed opinion that mares were inferior compared with stallions, and their freedoms were reduced further.

Things have stayed much the same on Reveri for a very long time, but now a small group of horses from all castes have come together to bemoan the incredibly prejudiced and oppressive atmosphere of the island. They are primarily mares tired of being bossed about by stallions, but there are some sympathetic males amongst them. In any case, they meet in secret for fear of being found and punished by the dominant stallions of the island, and plan to leave Reveri for good in search of a better home. Perhaps soon they will be successful, and take their strange black markings to another island.

= Religion = Duodecim is the almost exclusively worshipped religion on Reveri, and in many ways, the Reveri horses worship in much the same way as other horses of that faith. However, they have a strong preference for the 'dark' Gods; literally those represented as having dark coats, especially Umbra but also including Verum and Nox, and a distrust and fear of the 'light' Gods; Sapientia, Lumen, Vita and, in particular, Aether. The remaining 'neutral' Gods are respected and prayed to as appropriate, but not given the blind devotion of the dark Gods.

= Notable Horses =

Acallida
Red dun, not feathered, standard hair, [ee/AAt/Dd – SdSd/FtrFtr]

Acallida, also known as the Clever Mare, is widely believed to be the cleverest horse that ever lived. She was so clever that she beat Aether, the Trickster God of Air, in a game of riddles, and as a result was cursed by him. This curse made its presence felt on her then-unborn son, who was born beautiful but dying.

Filios
Black, feathered, wavy hair, [Ee/aa – WvWv/ftrftr]

Filios, also known as Umbra's Child and simply as the Black Stallion, was snowy white when he was born of Acallida, the victim of Aether's curse. At first he seemed strong, but weakened over the course of several days until he was near death. Fortunately he was saved by Umbra, who appeared in the dreams of all diplomats in the island to spill shadowy life into the colt, turning him jet black in the process. Strong and clever, he became the most powerful stallion Reveri had ever seen and began the preference for darkness in coat colours that persists to this day. He was seen as something of a demigod, a faultless hero who could no wrong, but in fact he was cruel, proud and greedy stallion with little concern for anything but his own comfort.

Note – Filios' genetics do not work in conjunction with his mother's, and he has feathering despite lacking tobiano. This is purely because of Aether and Umbra's interference.

Spadix
Chestnut, not feathered, thick hair, [ee/A+A/nZ – TkMb/Ftrftr]

Spadix, often known as the the Chestnut Brother or Chestnut Twin, was one of twin colts born in a small harem, the other being a white-patched Coinquin. He was always favoured over his brother and was spoiled by his mother, who brought him up fat, smug and overconfident, but he was good at heart. He was killed by his brother in a contest over his harem, when the latter suffered a fit of rage.

Consutos
Buckskin reverse tobiano, feathered, roached-docked hair [ Ee/A+a/nCr/nT/rk – MbRc/ftrftr]

The twin of Spadix, Consutos, also known as the Patched Brother or Patched Twin, was jealous of his brother's undeserved success and annoyed by his superior attitude, and so challenged Spadix to a contest for control of his harem. Consutos won all three parts of the challenge fairly, but when his brother yielded during the final stage, a duel, Consutos was overcome with battle-fever, anger and resentment and murdered him. Immediately, Verum appeared in the sky and struck him with a bolt of lightning that turned his white markings and feathering as black as tar. Most horses saw this as a blessing, a mark that he had risen above his whiteless brother, and his descendants that shared his black markings were likewise respected almost as much as the entirely black Filii, and yet, although he became a successful second stallion and sired many foals, he was always plagued by guilt over his brother's death.

Proterva
Apricot sabino, not feathered, standard hair, [ee/AtAt/prlprl/nSb – SdWv/Ftrftr]

Proterva is a brave and energetic young mare who is determined to leave Reveri with all of its prejudices and move to another island in Paradisus. She is the leader of a small group of like-minded horses, mostly mares, and they meet in secret to make their plans.