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Vernacular
BITS
A widely disused form of pre-war currency. The Empire insists on its followers using these small golden coins in bartering, in an attempt to preserve that part of pre-war culture.
GEMS
When bits fell out of general favour post-war, gems were promoted to a primary source of currency among wastelanders. Quantity is valued over quality by most.
BLANK (pl. BLANKS)
A disparaging term for the Changed. It is a callback to the pre-war myth of feral, carnivorous zomponies said to roam the Everfree; they were so named due to their lack of cutie marks.
NOT (pl. NOTS)
Another disparaging term for the Changed, most often utilised by ponyfolk (i.e. to imply that the Changed are not ponies).
SHORTLIFE
An insult among the Changed for non-Changed, referring to the latter's lack of longevity and/or vulnerability to the threats of the wasteland.
SOFTCOAT
Another insult among the Changed for non-Changed. It draws a contrast between the Changed's ragged appearance and the texture of non-Changed fur.
WASTELAND WINDS
The war brought out the very worst on all sides, and many forms of terrible dark magic were called upon in the hope that they might give their wielders an edge in battle. Unfortunately, dark magic has a way of lingering even many centuries after it has been cast; in its overcharged war form, it left behind zones that remain completely uninhabitable by most. Those who approach zones afflicted by the Wasteland Winds will find themselves sicken and grow weak in its presence, before dying as if by severe poisoning. (In a nutshell, radiation.)
WINDBLIGHT
The state of being afflicted by the Wasteland Winds, in any stage from barely noticeable to certain death looming. (Basically, radiation poisoning.) The Changed are incurably afflicted by Windblight, though suffering no further ill effects than what their change wrought upon them.
HUNTER'S MOON
The Hunter's Moon, despite the name, has nothing to do with the moon at all and is in fact a strange weather phenomena in the wasteland. It is uncertain what causes it, although it is speculated it may be the effect of dark magic. It is a name wastelanders give for the time of which most feral beasts in the wasteland seem to go into a strange and mindless frenzy, hunting or attacking anything and without provocation. It goes for three nights, beginning the night before the new moon, and ends the night after- during the new moon itself is when the Hunter's Moon is at its worse and most perilous.
See this calendar to keep track of when the Hunter's Moon begins!
Locations
CANTERLOT
Canterlot remains the capital of Equestria as its seat of power, largely untouched by the war and still retains much of its original splendor. Unicorns living here have come together to clean a large swatch of land for farming, causing Canterlot to become the top supplier of food and fresh water, which is regularly sent to smaller villages and outposts in need and loyal to Canterlot.
CLOUDUN (formerly CLOUDSDALE)
Cloudun is the remains of the once great city of Cloudsdale, much of which was destroyed during the war. What little was left to salvage had sunk low to the ground and the pegasi have rebuilt what they could, but it would never again be returned to the sky and its former glory. The pegasi who live here, from during the war to present day, have returned to their Spartan roots as fierce soldiers and treat the other pony species with great prejudice in the presence of Cloudun in order to protect what they have left.
MANEHATTEN
Manehatten, like anywhere else, is mostly in ruins. Those who remain in what is left of the city keep the habitable buildings maintained as homes and fortresses. There is still quite a bit of fighting going on in Manehatten, but not because of remnants of the war- rather, ponies have gathered together in their own gangs and constantly feud for control of the city streets, expanding their territories and for supplies like weapons, food and clean water sources.
NOVOTHWAITE (a.k.a HOLLOW SHADES)
Hollow Shades, as many still call it, is a village hidden within the thick and twisted growth of a forest, where many of the Changed are able to live in peace. Not only does the forest’s wild growth keep outsiders away, but the Wasteland Winds heavily afflict the area and make it impossible for any normal ponies to stay long without sickness or death taking them. To the Changed, this is a blessing as it keeps dangers away from them.
THE RUSTY SHOE
It is unclear as to what caused it, but the railway passing close to the Rambling Rocky Ridge is the final resting place for the Friendship Express train. It was derailed sometime during the war, though ponies of the present day have repurposed the old train into a waystation of sorts, where travelers can take the time to rest and refill on fresh water and supplies for their journey. Those who oversee the Rusty Shoe are a neutral party and enforce strict rules of peace between opposing groups. As opportunistic proprietors, they open their hooves to anypony (with gems), no matter who or what they may be.
PONYVILLE RUINS
Ponyville has been reduced to little more than rubble since the war, and the expansion of the strange Everfree’s flora have not done the remains of the town any favors. The Wasteland Winds affect this place in a low amount, enough that any passersby can stop to rest for a night nearby, or merely linger to look upon another of history’s ghosts.
Factions
CANTERLOT/THE STRIP
High on the mountain, a lone section of Canterlot remains curiously untouched by the war. This green strip of land is protected by a mysterious overseer, and their word is law- which is enforced by several 'families' living on the strip. Both the EE and NPR strive to capture Canterlot as their seat of power over the wasteland below, but neither have yet managed to take out the proclaimed ‘Master of Canterlot’.
EQUESTRIAN EMPIRE - Lead by: Harvest Fancy
Formerly the "Solar Empire" prior to the royal sisters' disgrace. Those of the Empire seek to restore the rule of a monarchy, akin to that in place before the war.
NEW PONY REPUBLIC - Lead by: Moonriser
Formerly the "New Lunar Republic" prior to the royal sisters' disgrace. The NPR seeks to overturn the plans of the Empire and to instate a diplomatic social system instead.
THE LEGION - Lead by: Tyrannis (NPC)
The Legion is founded on the values of the far-ancient Pegasus Tribe, who lived many millennia before the war- in fact, they lived before Equestria was even founded! Much like their forebears, the Legion are a proud warrior tribe who follow the rule of the pony known as Caesar (kai-czar). They are often referred to as an ‘army of slaves’, for one rarely joins the Legion by choice- most are either captives stripped of their former identities and trained in the ways of the Legion, or those who were born into it.
Legion culture is intricate and highly precise, and it is very easy to step out of line. They are notoriously unforgiving toward errors made by wastrels (read: anypony who does not follow their stringent standards, or who belongs to outside factions), and doubly so toward their fellow Legionaries. Almost any misstep may potentially earn one what the Legion calls ‘being lashed to a cross’ - that is, crucifixion - among other terrible fates.
ARCHIVERS - Lead by: ...
A secretive group that earned its starting point ever since the royal sisters’ fall from grace- they have overtaken the untouched Canterlot Castle’s library as their base, where most preserved books and scrolls still remain. In present times, their collection has grown as they sought to recover any and all information and technology from pre-war days for preservation and study; a small section off of the library has been remade into a small museum to showcase some of the less valuable books and artifacts for educational purposes. The Archivers are mostly made up of a collection of scribes, whose tasks are to organize, record and store information. Protecting them are the knights, who are few compared to the main group, but these few are granted the use of enchanted armor- created in pre-war times, the Archivers have unearthed and fixed up these suits for their own needs.
THE RUSTY SHOE - Lead by: ...
Not so much a faction as a family clan, but still worthy of note. Formerly a nomadic and tribal group, over recent generations they have settled into the wreckage of the Friendship Express and even managed to set up a respectable operation there. (See Locations for details.)
WASTELANDERS
While this can technically refer to anypony born on the wasteland, it is primarily in usage for those who are without allegiance to any of the other groups. Those within factions generally speak the word as if being without a faction is an unimaginable thing, while among opinionated wastelanders it is worn as an honored mantle.
Weapons
The lengthy war has left little room for the advancement of technology, including weapons. The manner in which ponies fight are still roughly the same as before the war, and exist in a few select categories.
MELEE
Ponies who prefer to fight toe to toe with their opponents will typically use weapons that work for such close up encounters. There are bladed weapons, such as swords, daggers, and battle axes. Polearms, like spears, lances, halberds, and pikes. Heavy hitters may choose to go for more blunt weapons, such as war hammers, morning stars, maces, flails, and clubs.
RANGED
Those who typically don’t like being in the middle of a battle will prefer to use long-distance weapons such as the bow and arrow, and crossbows. These ponies can work better when they have the advantage of high ground. Spears and javelins are also capable of being thrown for ranged combat, along with throwing knives and other such blades.
MAGIC
Magic is as much a weapon as any, and can be used in a variety of ways depending on the caster’s preference in battle. Unicorns can use their magic to summon weapons that echo their solid counterparts and are much more agile in handling them, as they do not need to use their mouths to hold them like the other pony species. Mages who prefer to work from a distance will typically stay at the sidelines of a fight to launch deadly spells into the midst of it, but there are downsides. They must work in pairs, with one mage guarding the other while they prepare the next spell, and launched spells run the risk of damaging their allies as well as their enemies if they aren’t careful.
AERIAL
While the pegasi no longer control the weather, either because they can’t or won’t, they are still capable of using it to their advantages. Pegasi can create dense fog or mist to use as cover for ambushes or sneak attacks, use thunderclouds to strike down their foes with lightning, and if there are plenty of pegasi working together, they could even use small deadly tornadoes to wipe out their enemies in a short, swift attack. However, this is not always reliable, as sometimes the weather they desire to create may not cooperate due to the state of the environment.
MUSIC
With crystal technology on the rise, some ponies have decided to weaponize music by enchanting crystals and embedding them in instruments, or even in amulets to use with singing. The crystals react to action and intent, and with the music the wielders can strike out at their opponents with blasts of magic. It has led to many a musical battle out on the wastes, which tends to get rather heated.
Magic Variations
OLD MAGIC
The original, pure magic of old Equestria is the rarest magic known now since love and harmony have been lost. Unicorns can rarely manage it on their own, if at all, so it must take larger groups working together to use it, and even then they can only manage it a little at a time. It leaves the casters too drained for common or continued use, and may take them a certain length of time before they can try it again. The remnants of this old magic has only just begun to blossom again thanks to the aid of unknown teachers- too much time has passed for anypony to remember who had reintroduced it.
DARK MAGIC
Dark magic, or black magic, has gained a strong hold on society since the start of the war. It is the only magic that remains in Equestria in the present day, as nopony really remembers anything else. Anger and hatred are all that’s left, and there is plenty of it to fuel this remaining branch of magic.
GAIN
(Geothermal & Atmospheric Invigoration Network)
This is a method in which unicorns use old magic to clean designated areas for farmland, as well as cleansing sources of fresh water of dark magic. As it is a difficult thing to do, most who use GAIN for this purpose can only cleanse small areas; perhaps barely enough to grow enough food for themselves or a small settlement. Canterlot, as it has the most concentration of unicorns, has put their magic and GAIN to use to create enough farmland in which to supply themselves and those in need with a steady supply of safe, clean food and water.
INNATE MAGIC
The three pony species’ natural magic, such as the earth ponies who use their strength to tend the land, the pegasi who control the weather, and the unicorns with their manipulation of magic. The pegasi and earth ponies still retain their natural magic, to an extent, but they no longer use it as they once needed to. Prior to the Wasteland Winds, the lack of the ponies’ caretaking duties have left the land to run wild, or die completely, as their efforts were concentrated elsewhere and their concerns no longer on their environment. The pegasi are no longer able to create weather due to their concentration on the war and the lack of a proper weather factory since Cloudsdale’s destruction. The cause of the Wasteland Winds only ended up creating further damage to the environment. In the war’s aftermath, ponies never returned to these caretaking duties, either out of spite for their enemies, or forgetting what they were originally meant to do. They are still capable of it, if slightly hampered from the dark magic affliction on the land that prevents the earth ponies from making much progress, save for places cleansed by GAIN.
UNSTABLE MAGIC
The saturation of the Wasteland Winds on the environment have created many areas, or ‘pockets,’ of unstable and wild magic. It has the tendency to affect things, such as plants, animals and weather, in odd ways. It is uncontrollable by any known force or unicorn. Ponies will know when they’re coming upon unstable magic by a faint hum or vibration in the air; it cannot be heard, or seen, only felt. For unicorns, it is much more unbearable as it affects their horn in particular since it is the outlet of their magic. Any unicorn who dares to try to use their magic in an unstable area might experience anything from strange to painful results. Their magic may behave oddly, such as spells refusing to work or backfiring on them, or may cause something completely different to happen than what they intended. There is also the possibility of a magical overload within their horn, from a sharp pain that might heighten to cracks, or their horn exploding entirely depending on the intensity of the instability in that area.
ENCHANTING
Enchanting, alone, lies with unicorns who have a talent in it or have learned the proper techniques. It’s desirability and usefulness has prompted many unicorns to open shops, making a business out of enchanting anything a pony needs additions to. Weapons, armor and tools are enchanted to increase their usefulness, durability and protection against certain attacks or made to deal magical damage. Enchantments only last as long as the strength of the spell, how much magic was poured into it, and the lack of lost energy to that spell. In one case, armor made to be impenetrable may last up until its taken a certain beating before the magic is drained, rendering the armor as normal as any other. Enchantments put into more passive things are bound to last much longer. An example of this would be something such as carved crystals that have been enchanted to detect the Wasteland Winds; the enchantments of which could make the crystal glow or make a sound to warn the holder of that danger. Enchantments, as they are magical, will either not work or act oddly in areas containing unstable magic; which is enough warning in itself to avoid those areas.
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Technology
The technology of the wasteland is still fairly new by a few years before the present day. Ponies have discovered enchanting crystals with magic and spells is something they can use, and therefore use them to create and power new tech. This includes creating new or more versatile weapons, powering prosthetic limbs, powered lighting to replace candles, powered armor and perhaps even shield systems. Since it is fairly new, such inventions (including any other unnamed things), will be considered state-of-the-art and very rare; not everypony will have them, let alone have access to such tech.
(see: ENCHANTING)