Sidus

= Geography = The land of Sidus is comprised largely of the Operior desert, because a cluster of large mountains on theNorthernmost coast, known as Praestrua, blocks the movement of clouds from the North at the beginning the rainy season and causes them to empty of their life-giving water before ever reaching the land further South. The isle would be completely barren were it not for the hollow at the top of Mount Pietas, an ancient, long-dormant volcano amongst the Praestruan peaks which harbours Genitrix lake. By the end of the dry season, Genitrix is little more than a damp smudge amongst the dry, cracked mud, but at the start of the rainy season it fills with water and then gradually overflows, sending first a trickle, then a stream, and then an almighty rush pouring down the South slope, refilling the dry bed of the river Heira until it too bursts its banks and floods the land in a strip several miles across that stretches all the way to the island's Southern tip. When the dry season returns, the water gradually recedes from the floodplain, leaving the fertile earth refreshed. Seeds buried in the dust the year before suddenly come to life, and for a few months, the floodplains are green and luscious. But before long, the flowers have bloomed, the seeds have dispersed, and the ground starts to dry out again. Outside of the floodplain, the desert stretches to all coasts; harsh, hot and barren. There are occasional natural springs, causing oases to punctuate the dunes, but it is not truly hospitable.

The flora and fauna of Sidus is similar in large part to that of the other desert-dominated islands, with the exception of the presence of the decaspiri snakes. This beautiful, 3 horse-lengths long species of snake, with their scarlet ground colour and bright gold web-like markings, is endemic to Sidus, found nowhere else in Paradisus, They are well-respected by the equines of Sidus for their wisdom and knowledge, for they can live longer than sixty years and so see more in a lifetime than any horse, but they are also feared, for a single bite from one will kill an adult in the time it takes for them to take ten breaths. They sometimes choose powerful equines as companions, acting as advisers, friends and bodyguards.

= Culture = The equine culture of Sidus is intrinsically linked to the cycle of feast and famine brought about by the yearly flooding of Heira. The vast majority of horses live along the river's banks, migrating in and out as the water rises and falls, and so for a few months a year they are well fed, but for the rest of the year, life is hard even here, simply due to the persistent food shortage. As a result, the equines here tend to be small, stocky creatures who can survive on less food than those from other isles, and herds have a distinctly nomadic habit, travelling up and down the river in search of good grazing. As such, there is little sense of territory belonging to a particular faction, and different groups meet and part without conflict. This has led to a sense of community not always seen on other islands, and different herds cooperate to a large degree. Matters of great import are cause for a conclave between all herds in the region, where all herd leaders can have their say. A common cause for such a conclave is to decide how to deal with a rule-breaker; the equines of Sidus have a strong moral code that focuses on respecting the freedoms of others, including the freedom to not be harmed, and anyone who deliberately hurts another, or anyone who tries to hold another in a faction against their will, is liable to be punished. The very worst punishment possible is exile into the desert, where survival is unlikely.

There is one major difference between the horse culture of Sidus and that of the other isles of Paradisus, and that is their cooperation with the native donkeys. Sidus is not the only isle that also has donkeys, but on all others, the horses and donkeys keep largely to themselves and the horses are decidedly dominant. Not so on Sidus, where the tougher donkeys with their lower food requirement outnumber the horses two to one. Here, donkeys and horses intermingle freely in mixed herds, where species is an afterthought, and an equine of either species can occupy any role. Inter-breeding, however is forbidden, for although the offspring are strong, they are infertile, and so cause the population to weaken over time.

Aside from the inclusion of donkeys, herds on Sidus operate in a similar way to those on many other isles. Typically, young equines spend some time in same-sex groups while becoming stronger and more experienced, then stallions and jacks begin looking for mares and jennies to add to their harems, which may or may not later becomes large herds. There is often an arrangement for a male and female to meet up prior to one or the other leaving their current faction, to avoid a situation where an equine lives alone for any real amount of time. Not having a faction is considered unfortunate and even rather shameful, a form of poverty.

= History = A very long time ago, the only equines on Sidus were the donkeys, but then a collaboration of pony herds from Vinco, now Ludos, swam the distance between and settled on the more Southerly island. At first the resident donkeys treated them with mild curiosity, but when the ponies began claiming the choicest bits of grazing for themselves, refusing to allow the donkeys access, tensions rose. Before long there was all out war, and though the donkeys had vastly superior numbers and knowledge of this harsh land, the warlike ponies had far greater organisation and experience in battle, and both sides took heavy losses. The donkeys were determined to drive the invaders back into the sea, while the ponies were determined to make a home for themselves.

After several years, both sides were close to ruin, and both would likely have fully exhausted themselves were it not for the actions of a brave few who desired peace. A small group of horses and donkeys began to meet in secret, and after much planning, they went off in pairs to show both sides that peace and even friendship was possible between the two species. Some resisted, but many equines were weary with war and desperate for a chance to let their physical and emotional wounds heal. They were easily convinced by the group of friends, and eventually a meeting was set up between the leaders of the respective species. Here a treaty was hashed out in a talk that lasted days, but eventually everyone left happy. The initial agreement was simply that ponies and donkeys would be able to freely mix without fear of conflict, but over time they began to mix so much that herds with only one species became a rarity. In these early days, inter-breeding was common, and it was only after the realisation that all such offspring would be sterile that it was banned for fear of weakening the overall population.

A fair while after the alliance, another group of equines arrived; a small band of horses from the isle of Manicae who had been exiled from their homeland for reasons they didn't care to share. Initially they found the customs of their new home very strange, with its horse-donkey herds, but they were too tired to go on, and once they had begun to integrate into the Sidus way of life, they felt at home.

These days, the equines of Sidus keep largely to themselves, going about their peculiar way of life without much concern for what the residents of the other islands get up to, though recently some young horses have been venturing from their homeland in order to 'rediscover' the other islands. They're curious about the different flora and fauna, the subtly different climates and the wildly different terrains. Many will have their fill of exploration and return home, but perhaps some will stay and spread the values of Sidus in their new home.

= Religion = The religious belief system followed by most of the equines on Sidus is called Fluminis, and it differs from the major religions of Paradisus in that it does not comprise the worship of clearly delineated, sometimes physical Gods and yet differs from Natales in that something tangible and specific is worshipped; the River Heira herself. Life on Sidus depends so completely on the yearly rise and fall of the River that it was only natural that the original donkeys would begin to worship her, and when the horses integrated themselves into the donkeys' way of life, they picked up this belief system. It is a very ritualistic religion, with a great many traditions associated with it. Every dawn, a Fluminis horse privately prays to Heira to protect them from the dangers of the day ahead, and every dusk, families come together to thank Heira for that protection. When a horse or donkey dies, their body is taken to the mouth of the River and allowed to float out to sea, representing a return to the great Sea from which Fluminis horses believe the islands of paradisus grew. The greatest celebration, called the Adcessus, comes when Heria begins to grow after months of being little more than a muddy trickle. During this ceremony, the faithful gather at the banks in a mad festival during which horses frolic carelessly in the water and inhibitions are greatly lowered. Any foal born since the last Adcessus is washed in the water and given their name while family members praise the foal's attributes. Particularly skilled diplomats are sometimes able to glimpse traces of the future during these ceremonies.

Heira's yearly cycle began well before the arrival of any equine, horse or donkey, on Sidus, but back then it was purely a natural phenomenon, not a divine one. When the first pioneering donkeys arrived and realised the importance of the river, they began to worship her, and over generations and generations of worship, the donkeys' fervent prayers for the arrival off the flood began to coalesce into a slow, deep consciousness; an awareness that listened to the donkeys' prayers and responded. Yes, Heira is perhaps the only deity to be created by her followers, rather than the other way around. She is not a goddess in the same sense as those of the Duodecim, for she has no physical shape or form and does not interact with her followers in any meaningful way beyond occasionally giving those most faithful a glimpse in the future, but she ensures that the river comes strongly each year, makes sure that it floods the plains to revitalise a drought-ridden land. Her faithful do not think of her as looking like one of them, but rather represent her as a dragonfly, which are seen as her sacred messengers.

One might wonder how Fluminis equines that leave the shores of Sidus continue their beliefs in a land that does not rely so heavily on one particular river. In this situation, the equines take Heira's name and apply it to whatever other source of water they rely on, be it another river, a lake, or even simply the rain. They do not directly attempt to rename these things after the River, but rather believe that Heira's essence is within them, looking after equines everywhere whether they acknowledge her or not.

= Notable Horses =

Pica
Dunalino pony, [ee/Ata/nCr/DD]

Pica was the leader of the first wave of ponies to arrive from Ludos. An ambitious mare, she obtained her position partially due to her excellent survival skills and partially due to her charisma; she could make anyone do her a favour and thank her for the privilege.

Purapecta
Zebra dun pony, [EE/Aa/DD]

Purapecta was one of the first horses to actively seek peace between the ponies of Ludos and the resident Sidus donkeys. Physically and emotionally sick of the fighting, she left her warrior clan in search of a like-minded donkey with whom to strike up an alliance, and found one in the form of Tener, a young jack.

Tener
Rose dun donkey [ee/aa/DD]

Tener was a lone jack just trying to avoid the fighting when Purapecta found him. A gentle and mild jack, with a bright mind, he was very keen to hear what Purapecta had to say on the subject of peace, and the two of them struck up a friendship while they hashed out a plan. They recruited other horses and donkeys and, when their little gang had grown sufficiently, they went to both sides showing them that horses and donkeys could live in peace.

Inclutus
Zebra dun splash pony, [Ee/AA/DD/SplSpl]

Inclutus was a highly venerated warrior, a champion in the pony army who wielded a great deal of influence. All the fighting had drained him emotionally, however, and he was starting to lose his taste for battle. He became an extremely valuable ally for Purapecta and Tener, without whom they may well have failed in their efforts to bring peace to Sidus.

Legata
Grullo mule [Ee/aa/DD]

Legata was the third of four mules born of Purapecta and Tener, born a few years after the peace treaty. She was one of strongest proponents of forbidding interbreeding between horses and donkeys, suffering first hand the pain her kind went through in the knowledge they could never bare foals. She argued that interbreeding weakened the population by producing infertile offspring. She soon had many supporters, and ultimately the ban on interbreeding was put in and enforced.

Proditor
Greying dunskin warmblood, [Ee/AA+/nCr/DD/Gg]

Proditor was the leader of a little family of warmbloods that came from Manicae in search of a new home after being exiled from their homeland for a crime he swears he did not commit. He settled on Sidus instead, and his bloodline continues on that island today, though it has integrated fully in with Sidus culture in the present day.