Ziragshabdarverse

So, i decided to create this thread to organize the contents about my anthro AU.
 
-History, Part 1  
-History, Part 2  
-History, Part 3  
-History, Part 4  
-History, Part 5.1  
-History, Part 5.2  
-History, Part 5.3  
-History, Part 6  
-History, Part 7.1  
-History, Part 7.2  
-History, Part 8  
-Language  
-Regional Politics Overview  
–Mainland Satrapies  
–Mazandaranian Satrapies  
-International Politics Overview  
-Religion Overview  
–Mazdayasna: Currents  
-Magic  
-Species  
-Society  
–Family and Education

History - Pre-Equestrian era
 
The origins of most of the species in the world are in the plains north of Equestria, where the proto-ungulates developed. then these spread out through the continent and developed into arabians, deer, kirin, donkeys, zebras, minotaurs, changelings and ponies, all with their different language families.
 
Out of those, the Southern donkeys in Mudraya, the Eastern donkeys in Asoristan, the Minotaurs in present-day Aryavarta and the Eastern deer farther west were the first to form develop agriculture and form complex civilizations, with the first organized permanent settlements, which would later develop into cities appearing around 8000 BSE. the Northern donkeys and zebras acquired the knowledge of agriculture subsequently, either by influence or independent development a few milennia later. Arabians in their part are though to have been a later offshoot from the Eastern Donkeys.
 
Ponies, which at that stage were all earth ponies, began spreading out to the western and central parts of the continent from the plains north of the Kaf Kof around 5000 BSE, developing agriculture and sedentary organization through asine influence in the proccess.
 
About 1000 years later, Griffons and Pegasi arose, the Pegasi being descendants from the local ponies, and the Griffons having arose independently. However, all of those groups spoke the same language, which is termed Proto-Griffo-Equine.
 
Around 3000 BSE, Pegasi and Griffons began to organize themselves in nomadic confederations, either with their own kinscreatures or with each other, often extracting tribute from settled ponies, deer and donkeys. Hippogriffs later arose from miscigenation within the mixed confederations, and followed the same social structure.  
In time, Griffons began to concentrate in the Northwestern part of the continent, while Pegasi concentrated mostly in southern regions.
 
Unicorns arose around 3000 BSE, as another offshoot from the ponies that already inhabited the area, and it’s thought that their consequent abandonment of the area and southward migration a millenia later was a result of the rise of the dragons, who took over their previous homeland. The changelings also seem to have arisen around the same time, possibly as a unicorn offshoot.
 
Around 2600 BSE, the collapse of the Donkey high-queendom of Akkad led to the first pony migration into Asoristan, with one of their tribes, the “Guti”, possibly ancestors of the modern Kardukhians of Korchayk, conquering Šumer, and ruling it for a hundred years; however, at this stage, they still found themselves in a relatively primitive and barbaric stage, and the initial takeover led to a economic crisis as the new rulers were unaccostumed to complex societies like the one they had conquered.
 
About a thousand years later, another earth pony tribe, the Vesiguþiuda, known to the donkey chronicles as Kaššu, conquered the Amurru queendom of Babilla, and managed to hold on to it for five hundred years, before being overthrown by the Haltamti, who in turn lost the region to a local dynasty.
 
Manwhile, the hippogriffs, in the course of their migrations, split linguistically between Western and Eastern Hippogriffs.
 
The unicorn southward migration eventually threw a complicated element into the then relatively stable social mix of what would later be Equestria. While some continued migrating east and eventually conquered what today is Aryavarta, bringing the local minotaur civilization to a collapse, and eventually developed into the Aryavarta Kirin, and others, finding themselves isolated in a island far from the Aryavartan coast eventually became the Andamandvipa Kirin, others remained south of their old homeland, and the eventual periods of tension led to a new social organization in Equestria, mostly based in a tripartite organization, with ponies farming, pegasi controlling the weather and unicorns holding the necessary religious rites.
 
However, the three races still had their own separate overlapping tribal and religious organizations, nothwistanding the growing sedentarizing tendency of the Pegasi. Such a system was fraught with tension, and in the realm of the Unicorn tribe of the Parsava, then located around the Chichast Lake, in present-day Armina, these tensions eventually exploded in 1402 BSE; after a short war following a crop failure after a unusually harsh winter, the three tribes abandoned the region and went their separate ways, metting again in a southern region around a lake that had been recently been abandoned by the Minotaur-ruled kingdom of Haltamti.
 
However, due to the influence of the prophet Ziragshabdar, originary a fugitive from Airyanem Vaējah (roughly the northeastern region of present-day Equestria), and who then was a councillor of the queen of the Parsava, Vishtaspa, traditionally after the first Golxangarmdan, the new Parsavan society was reoganized along Ziragshabdar’s teachings, which eventually quelled the racial tensions, and subsumed all previous religions into the new faith, the Mazdayasna or Artadaena.

History of Equestria, Part 2 - The Haxamanid period
 
The newly established state of Pars spent the next centuries stabilizing itself, and went through most of this time as a vassal of Haltamti; however, during this tie, many missionaries sprang forth from Parsumash to preach about the Artadaena in the other pony-inahbited regions of the Equestrian Plateau; their progress was slow and steady, to the point that by 900 BSE, Artadaena was the dominant faith on the region.
 
For centuries, their state was ruled by a triumfeminate comprised by the leaders of their respective races, but the unicorn leaders began to gradually gain more preminence within it, reducing the other leaders to advisors; around 900 BSE, the unicorn leader, Haxâmanah, took the title of Xšāyathiya (queen) and upon her death, passed it to her daughter, Cišpe, inaugurating the Haxāmanid dynasty.
 
Around Cišpe’s reign, Haltamti lost control over Pars, but Parsavan independence wasn’t to last, since the queendom quickly found itself absorbed into the Equestrian confederation led by the Māda, a tribe that lived further north.
 
Within one century, the Mada confederation began to coalesce into a empire, and in 774 BSE, the childless Madan queen Uvaxštra II, nominated Kūruš, queen of Pars, as her heir, initiating the first period of Parsavan domination of the Equestrian Plateau.
 
The empire, under the Haxāmanids, continued expanding, at its peak spanning from the western reaches of Asia until the Hiduš river. However, the expansion into Yauna Hippogriff city-states in the Asian coast soon brought it into a collision route with the hippogriff city-states further west in Ereb.
 
Equestria, then ruled by Daryavaha I, launched a invasion of the Yauna lands in 714 BSE, which was defeated; her daughter Kshayaṛsha launched another invasion twelve years later, which was defeated also; in addition to that, the Yaunas, led by the city of Athênai, went into the counterattack and took many of their cities in the Asian coast; however, despite having failed in conquering them, Equestria spent much of the turn between the 7th and 6th centuries BSE interfering on Yaunan politics, until the Yaunas, now led by the Makedonian queendom under Alexandra, invaded in 560 BSE and managed to conquer Equestria, bringing an end to its first stage of independent existence.

History of Equestria, Part 3 - The Post-Haxamanid period
 
After Alexandra’s death in 547 BSE, her realm fell to infighting amongst her relatives and generals, and eventually amongst them, Seleuke secured most of the Equestrian Plateau, and her descendants would rule over the region for over a hundred years. However, some of the border regions were lost early on (specifically in the events of 470 BSE, amidst the Mudrayan queen Ptolemais III’s invasion of Aram, and the power vaccum between the death of Antioche II and the accession of Seleuke II), such as Bakhtra, which broke away under the Yauna satrap Zeodota, and Parthava, which was overrun by a confederation of nomadic pegasi known as the Dahyu, led by Arshak, themselves having been displaced by the Wendeling people. In time, the Dahyu would be assimilated by the locals. The whole proccess, however, led to the displacement of some local earth pony tribes, who eventually began wandering through the northern plains, mostly in a westward journey which would take them into the heart of Ereb within a few centuries.
 
Around 380 BSE, as the Seleukid realm fell into chronic dynastic infighting, the Parthavan queen Mithridad conquered most of the Equestrian Plateau and Asoristan, ending nearly two centuries of Yauna rule.
 
However, both the previous dynasty and the one that came after it were characterized by a even more decentralized form of government than in the Haxamanid era - whereas the Haxamanid satraps were appointed by the Xšayathiya Xšayathiyanam herself, after that dynasty’s demise, the satrapies soon became largely autonomous hereditary queendoms, owing a loose allegiance to their Seleukid, and later on, Arshakid, overladies.
 
Outside of the Equestrian plateau itself, other post-Haxamanid states also formed amidst the break-up of Alexandra’s empire. in Armina, Mithrana, former satrap of the region, and descendant of the Haxamanid queen Artaxšathra II, declared herself queen of the region although her domain would fall into the Seleukid sphere of influence, until it was annexed in 424 BSE. only ten years later, Ardashir, a memeber of a cadet branch of the Arminan royal house, led a rebellion against the Seleukians, reestablished the independence of the country, and established a dynasty that would make Armina into one of the most powerful states of the region.
 
Meanwhile, in similar circumstances, another satrap, Aturpat, then controlling the region of Matyene, just west of Armina, established a independent state that would eventually become a staunch ally of the Arshakids until its annexation in 146 BSE.
 
Katpatuka, a heavily equestrianized region in Asiya, was the center of two states - the northern part, therefore known as Pontewxsin, was taken by another former satrap, Mithridad, and while her queendom suffered a heavier Yaunan influence than the others, with most of its coastal territory being heavily settled by them, it would eventually become a regional power in its own right. the southern part, which was initially held by Aryavratha, would also be the center of another state, that never achieved the proeminence of its northern sibling, being under the influence of the Seleukids and the Mithridadids durign most of its existence.

History of Equestria, Part 4 – The Arshakian period
 
Mithridad’s conquests weren’t the end of Yauna influence in Equestria, if anything because most of the states around them still were either ruled by Yaunas or influenced by them, and the attempts at balancing external cultural influence and the internal cultural revival marked the first few decades of Arhsakid rule.
 
The time was also marked by changes in the linguistical landscape, with the Earth pony and unicorn languages increasingly influencing each other, the introduction of theatre, advances in engineering, and Pegasus culture adopting Yauna influences and distinguishing itself even further from its Griffo-Equine matrix.
 
As the Seleukids found themselves in their death throes, Armina briefly became Equestria’s greatest rival for proeminence in the area, but not too long after, Hrom stepped into the scene, setting up a rivalry that would last centuries.
 
Hrom had risen as a city-state in the middle of Ereb, and through continuous expansion, by 300 BSE it controlled most of Ereb and even the Yauna lands had been conquered by them. much like the Yauna queendoms, most of its population (plebs) consisted of earth ponies, but the ruling superstrate (matricii) consisted of pegasi instead of hippogriffs. however, by that time, even that racial division had been dissolving, with the formation of a aristocracy with members of both races.
 
Hrom had already estbalished a foothold in Asiya in 357 BC, when the queen of Pergamon, Attala III, bequeathed her queendom to them, and when in 298 BSE Nicomede IV of Bitina, with her queendom under pressure by the Mithridadids, bequeatherd hers to Hrom as well, a war was spakred between them, which ended with Hrom conquering the Mithridadid queendom, which had them involving themselves even further into the affairs of the region.
 
Eventually, in 278 BSE, Hrom launched an invasion, attempting to depose the then shah Worod II in favor of her sister Mithridad. The invasion force was soundly defeated at Harran, and the over 10,000 prisoners of that battle were sent to the far eastern borders of Equestria, where they eventually founded the nation of Crystallia.
 
However, after 15 years, Hrom still managed to drive Equestria out of Aram, and while the next 90 years were devoid of open conflict between them, Hrom, which by then had managed to conquer Mudraya and Aram, still attempted to intefere in Equestrian affairs. even then, the Arshakids still managed to install their relatives in the thrones of Aghvank, Armina and Kartli.
 
The conflicts started again in 166 BSE, and would spark periodically after that, usually over cities in Asoristan or the succession to the Arminan throne. However, Arshakid power was starting to decay at that time, and its military disorganization became more apparent as the later wars often ended with Equestrian defeats, In the east, other satrapies had fallen to the Kušan griffons, and finally, taking advantage of yet another dynastic struggle, the Frataraka (effectively, a mobad-satrap with almost royal autonomy) of Pars, Shadokht, rebelled, and her sister and successor, Ardashir, deposed both of the Arshakian rival queens, Walagash VI and Artabana V, inauguring a new era of Equestrian history.

The main languages in Equestria are a Germanic language (“Teodesc”), originally spoken by Earth ponies, and a Indo-Iranian language (“Parsig”), originally spoken by unicorns and pegasi, with both influencing each other. besides those, there are a number of smaller regional languages.
 
In regards to personal names, originally, both had different logics - Teodesc had male and female names and Parsig had no such distinction; Parsig only developed a gender distinction after the Yauna invasion, upon which due to their influence, male names often began to be accompanied with a ‘š’ at the end.
 
Of course, given the large extension of all these languages, there are regional differences - on Theodesc, the standard dialect is the southern dialect (Suþeodesc/Ænglisc), (originally spoken by the earth pony Ængli tribe, which is where the name comes from) and widely spoken in the southern satrapies from Meshan to Hormuzgan. Other dialects are the northern dialect (Norþeodesc/Sweonesc), spoken all through Mada and as far east as Khwarezm, and the eastern dialect (Easþeodesc/Guþesc), spoken in the eastern satrapies.
 
In Parsig, the standard dialect is also the dialect spoken in Pars, with the second most popular dialect being the Madig dialect, spoken in the northwestern satrapies, and in addition, some other northern and eastern dialects spoken mostly in one satrapy each (Baxtrig, Sugdig, Xwarezmig, Gwadarig, Abganig)
 
For centuries, the official language used for government documents was Parsig, and even though in the last few centuries, Theodesc has been elevated to the status of a official language as well, but Parsig is still seen as a more prestigious language than Theodesc; mostly, in the areas where both coexist, Parsig is used for formal and business-related matters, whereas more Theodesc is used in art and in everyday life.

Equestria is ruled by both Celestia and Luna (after she returns, of course) and a third mortal queen from a lineage that has ruled Equestria even before them (Sasanzad). in fact, the Pillars of Equestria were contemporaries of the first ruler from that lineage (Ardashir V). Blueblood (Abixun) is the brother of the current one – Fleur-de-Lis (Ardashir XVII).
 
The country is divided into multiple satrapies; the satraps are chosen by the queens from among the jarls, the rulers of the cities (which also include many smaller settlements in their territory), and they usually have terms of six years, although they can be renewed occasionally. the jarls are assisted in the city administration by popularly elected ealdormares. the satrapy where the capital is located is Pars, which is ruled directly by the queens. most of the Mane Six are from there, and most of the episodes happen there.
 
Most city names tend to be in Parsig or in native names (the latter mainly in the western satrapies). the rural settlements of the central and eastern satrapies tend to have names mostly in Teodesc, with a sizeable minority of Parsig names. the equivalent of Ponyville is called Ævrefreodeh, and it’s located in the south shore of a lake. the Everfree Forest (Ævrefreoweald) is located east of it, and Whitetail Woods (Whitaelfrith) is at west. it’s not a proper city, and it’s under the jurisdiction of the capital, which is named Istakhr.
 
Every satrapy has one cloud city (abrapura) that handles the weather in its territory. while there is natural rainfall, it’s unreliable enough that most of the time, “artificial” rainfall is used instead.  
Every city has a lake that serves as a reservoir, and the cloud cities rotate between these to meet the yearly water supply. for the coastal satrapies, it’s possible to make rain/snow out of seawater, but since part of that water is sold to inland satrapies, lakewater needs to be used to make up the difference. since there is only one in each satrapy, the cloud cities mostly have generic “satrapy name+abrapura” official names such as “Parsabrapura”, “Asorabrapura”, “Madatropatakanabrapura”, and so on.
 
Pegasi don’t actually live there; most inhabitants of the city only work there and live in ground towns around the cloud city, which are considered as neighbourhoods/suburbs of the cloud city. Ævrefreodeh, despite being somewhat close to Parsabrapura, is not one of these, and its proximity to the Everfree Forest meant that the general area was very sparsely inhabitated until Celestia settled its first ponies there, around 100 years before Nightmare’s return.
 
There are six regional administrative centers in the country; Ani, at northwest, Tisbon at southwest, Hagmadana in the center, Asmarakand at north, Istakhr itself at south, and Bakhtrapura at east.

Continuing, There are other pony nations besides Equestria; The Crystal Empire and Aryavarta at east, and Yaunashahr at west, besides some other pony nations west of Yaunashahr. Applejack’s family comes from one of those, and Rarity’s, from another. Also bordering Equestria are Arabaya at south, and Buffalo, Changelings and Griffons at north, Deer (which are the equivalent of China and Japan) further east, Minotaurs south of Aryavarta, Yaks east of the Crystal Empire and Zebras south of Mudraya. the Dragons live far in the north, away from anybody else. Even farter from, then, and bordering the deer through the north, are the Diamond Dogs, who occasionally dig for gems far beyond their homeland, which is how they bump into Rarity in A Dog and Pony Show.
 
Celestia and Luna are both originally from the Crystal Empire.
 
The Griffons in particular used to be a unified nation, but ever since the Idol of Boreas was lost, it splintered into many feuding principalities. by the time Griffonstone (Shirdalsanga/Kyiev) is visited, it has been sacked recently by a neighbouring town calld Pereiapura.
 
The buffalo are nomads that roam the lands around Sugda, the northeasternmost satrapy.

 
The religion Equestrian ponies follow, called Artadaena or Mazdayasna, is very similar to our Zoroastrianism. in Artadaena, Friendship (Mithra) is one of their most important concepts, with their equivalent of Zoroaster being Clover the Clever (Ziragshabdar), and Star Swirl the Bearded (Setarasuvirles Balmeth) as their foremost reformer, centuries after the initial revelation. Hearth’s Warming (Golxangarmdan), thus, is celebrated as a religious holiday. Winter Wrap-Up, there, is called Navasarda, and doubles as their new year’s day.
 
The magic of the elements is said to be directly tied to the Amesha Spenta, and thus, to Ahura Mazda, and their bearers are known as Saoshyants, with five sets having existed; Ziragshabdar’s set, a second set a few centuries later, which were the ones who first defeated Tirek, (although these first are acknowledged retroactively, since the elements didn’t exist in a physical form then) the Pillars, Celestia and Luna, and in the present, the Mane Six.
 
However, that religion is mostly confined to pony nations, with non-pony nations still following their traditional religions, and in the west, it disputes space with the Azadaena, whose prophet was Mani, who lived during the reign of Shadokht I. In addition to that, some zebras in Kušiya and Aksum follow a offhsoot of the traditional religion of the donkeys of the Yehud region.

History of Equestria, Part 5.1 – The Early Sasanid period, 0-36
 
To this day, Ardashir’s accession is the point in which the Equestrian calendar starts.
 
Under Arshakian rule, the Mazdayasna had fragmented into regional variations which also saw the rise of local cult-deities, some from Equestrian religious tradition but others drawn from Yauna tradition too. Some of these even spread outwards, such as the cult to Mithra, that was becoming increasingly popular in Hrom at the time of Ardashir’s accession.
 
As chief mobad of their satrapy, Ardashir saw as one of her priorities, once she ascended to the throne, to rectify this situation. Of most importance in this process was Setarasuvirles Balmeth, who, under Ardashir, and after 18 SE, Shadokht I’s direction, established the official version of the Avesta as is known today, unified the regional clergies into a national church, and created a orthodoxy, the principles of which are followed to this day.
 
He and other five of his companions (the Mudrayan Qededhaj/Lucia Lucretia Somnambula, the Taburi Steinhófr, the Parthian Bozorgflâš, the Asori Margadir and the Gandaran Meghakésara) also formed the first group of Saoshyants in 700 years, until their disappearance in 36 SE.
 
On the political field, Ardashir and Shadokht began expanding the realm into the regions that had been part of the Haxamanid realm and had been lost ever since, such as Bakhtra, Khwarezm and Haraiva, reasserting Equestrian authority over Crystallia, and driving the Kušans back beyond the Hindu river. Meanwhile, the Arminan queen Tirdat II, a Arshakid herself, whose ancestors had become queens of that realm in 172 BSE, quickly allised herself with Hrom after her relatives were deposed.
 
Naturally, these successes brought the realm in route of collision with Hrom, which was dealt a particularly crippling blow in 36 SE, when their empress, Alexandra Severa, was captured in battle, throwing their realm into a prolonged period of instability, which Equestria was unable to capitalize on as the lady of the Aramean city of Tadmor, Bat-Zabbai, with a local army, beat back the Equestrian army, and taking advantage of the chaos in Hrom, created a empire spanning many of Hroms eastern provinces and maintaining a shaky relationship with Hrom in which while in theory, her realm was still part of Hrom, it still behaved mostly as a independent queendom. Through the next decades, it would also serve to block Equestrian expansion into Aram and Kahwan-asoristan.

History of Equestria, Part 5.2 – The Early Sasanid period, 36-200
 
Upon Setaresuvirles’ disappearance, proeminence among the mobads of Equestria would be disputed between Kartir, the representative of Mazdayasnan orthodoxy, and the Asori prophet Mani, whose teachings were more in line with the syncretic tradition of the Arshakid era. their struggle lasted until the death of Shadokht I, upon which Kartir gained the upper hand with her successor, Warahrān I, forcing Mani and many of her followers into exile in Tadmor, from where they’d spread through the west.
 
The next 50 years would be of relative little event politically, with their western avenue of expansion effectively blocked, and the eastern borders mostly secured, so those were mostly a time for internal improvement, with the first dam bridge being built in Shadokht’s reign, the foundation of many cities, and the associated building of reservoirs for them. However, without interference from Hrom, Armina came under Equestrian influence.
 
However, in Hrom, after that empire had reached the lowest point of the crisis, with even the western parts breaking away, a series of energetic empresses had managed to more or less stablize the situation by 94, when their empress, Aureliana, managed to reunite the lost parts of the empire, defeating the weak successors of Bat-Zabbai (with Equestrian help, for once) and the western breakaways. while the political instability remained, it was mostly abated, and the empire was no longer in danger of imminent collapse.
 
By that time, Equestria’s defences were also weakening, which made it possible for the Hromig empress Cara to sack Tisbon in 103. While her campaign didn’t come further than that, as she died soon after, after her daughter Numeriana died, a Diocletiana was elected empress by the army in opposition to Cara’s other daughter.
 
On her reign, Diocletiana managed to impose further defeats to Equestria, which eventually lost the border satrapies along the Tigra river, and control over Armina. To add to that, nomads were also harrying the southern, eastern and northern borders, and Crystallia had slipped out of Equestrian authority again.
 
It would be up to Shadokht II, who acceeded to the throne in 129, to meet those challenges, and in her 70-year-long reign, she managed to crush the nomadic threat in all fronts in the first decades of her reign and reassert authority in the east, defeat the earliest incursions of dragon tribes (the Karmirxyon tribe, that had established its own territory outside of Equestrian borders, taking advantage of the accentuated Kušan decline), and then, in 179, defeat Hrom in battle again, taking back all the teritories Equestria had lost in 118. However, upon her death, in 199, Equestria lost Bakhtr to the Karmirxyon.

Magic
 
All beings are susceptible to being affected by the ambient magic in the world, although how they react to its presence varies according to their kind:
 
One of the forms in which it manifests is air magic, which is the more visible form of magic for hippogrifs, pegasi, changelings and griffons. Besides enabling such beings to fly despite their wings not being able to lift them off in their own, it increases resilience to fall damage, lightning, and low temperatures, enables them to walk on clouds, and it makes their bodies immune to the more harmful side effects of air resistance, which enables to see in high-speed flights even without goggles.
 
Dragons, aside of this one, also have fire magic, which enables them to withstand extremely high temperatures without any damage. this sort of magic is why dragons can survive lava baths. In the other hand, thanks to their affinity for fire magic, they have very low resistance to the cold.
 
In counterpart, Yaks have the opposite problem - while their magic allows them to thrive in low temperatures, they struggle with hot temperatures.
 
While water magic exists, it’s not naturally used by any sentient beings, with the only known example of its use being by the hippogriff-turned-seaponies of Sanetsikuri, who only take this shape with the help of a magical artifact. That form of magic seems to enable them to withstand water pressure, communicate clearly underwater, which accounts for the survival of language among them even after a whole generation underwater, and in counterpart, makes them very vulnerable to dehydration, even though they can breathe out of water.
 
Earth magic is usually used by Zebras, Deer, Donkeys, Buffalo, Minotaurs, Sheep, Jinru, and Earth ponies, and it’s a particularly subtle branch that is often associated with a certain proficience with agriculture (ethereal magic is completely useless in that regard), enhanced strength and durability, and for particularly powerful individuals, manipulation of plants, earth and/or rocks. It is theorized that other beings have more limited amounts of this sort of magic.
 
Æthereal magic is far less accessible than the aforementioned types, although vastly more powerful, and only unicorns, kirin and changelings are beings known for having natural access to it, although in all other beings, the individuals with the most sensitivity to magic can access it as well. However, this sort of magic also needs a focus to be wielded safely. The three aforementioned beings use their horns as focus, while other beings use artificial foci, such as staves and wands.
 
Changeling magic is transfiguration-based. They are able to assume larger forms by transfigurating their own bodies and the air around them into their desired form, while smaller forms require transfigurating parts of themselves into air. The latter is also particularly hazardous if one transforms into something smaller than a baby, as smaller forms might not be able to handle the magic energy of a adult changeling. These abilities also depend on the magical strength of the individual (very large forms are usually the domain of extremely powerful changelings) and their health - starvation affects their abilities negatively and might even stop them from transfigurating altogether in extreme cases.
 
The ordinary unicorn and kirin usually manifests this sort of magic with limited telekinesis abilities, although that sort of magic is not the only one available to them - Unicorns can amplify their abilities with the magic in their marks, while kirin have limited abilities on earth and the Kirin of Andamandvipa, somehow, can harness fire magic in a limited form.
 
In addition to that, ponies have a sort of magic that might be related to the Æthereal sort related to their marks, which seems to amplify the talents represented by their marks.
 
The degree in which individuals manifest magic is variable; the vast majority of individuals can access only their innate magic, a minority among them (for ponies, one among 50) has greater levels of magical potential, and a even smaller minority (for ponies, around one in each 1000) can access Æthereal magic effectively.

History of Equestria, Part 5.3 – The Early Sasanid period, 200-480
 
After 179, Relations with Hrom went through a largely peaceful period, with only two brief wars from then until 260, to the point queen Yazdegerd I even was nominated the guardian of Theodosia II, the filly-empress of the eastern part of Hrom in 228.
 
Despite a series of weak leaders, the administrative system established during Shadokht II’s reign remained strong, and the empire continued to function effectively.
 
Yazdegerd’s daughter, Warahrān V, annexed Armina, and crushed a invasion by the a subset of the Hün dragons, which were also ravaging the regions around Hrom at the time, and thus, reasserting her influence in the north. In turn, her daughter Yazdegerd II drove the Karmirxyon dragons out of Bakhtr, but under the reign of Yazdegerd’s sister, Pirouz, the Hün took over a good part of the eastern part of Equestria, ruling from Ghazna, and remained a continuous threat until the fifth century. Meanwhile, tensions with Hrom rose again.
 
Pirouz’s daughter, Kavadh I ascended to the throne in 308, and in a attempt to break the power of the aristocracy, began supporting the reformist sect led by Mazdak, but was briefly deposed for that before returning again,
 
Her daughter, Khosrow I continued the reformist tendency from her mother’s reign, introducing a rational system of taxation based upon a survey of landed possessions, which Kavadh had begun, and she tried in every way to increase the welfare and the revenues of her empire.
 
Meanwhile, a offshoot of the Hün moved west, and under their khan Atsila, conquered a good part of central Ereb, pushing many Germani (descendants of the earth pony tribes that had been displaced by the Parni) tribes into southern Ereb, accelerating the collapse of Hromig authority on these regions.
 
Under her reign, a lengthy war broke out with Hrom over the region of Lazestan, and only ten years oafter its end, another lengthy war broke out, which ended only when Khosrow I’s granddaughter, also named Khosrow, needed help from the Eastern Hromig empress, Maurikia, to take back her throne from a userper called Warahrān Chōbēn.
 
Around that time, that the Hün dragons were permanently defeated. However, they were allowed to remain in Equestrian territory, and their descendants still inhabit the Zabulistan area to this day.
 
However, Maurikia’s deposition at the hands of Phokas led to yet another war between Hrom and Equestria, which lasted nearly thirty years and devastated both queendoms. The subsequent unrest and instability, compounded with the ongoing collapse of the western region of Hrom made the whole region made it easy prey for a chaotic spirit that became known to the Equestrians as Anban, to the Yauna as Eris and to the Hromig and the Crystallians as Discordia.

History of Equestria, Part 6 – The Middle Sasanid period: 480-982
 
Anban’s dominance’s length is unknown. Some argue that the very concept of time didn’t apply during that period. Because of that, to avoid controversies, The calendars usually use the convention of placing its entire hegemony in one day (13th of Tir, Tištrya) of the year 480. Despite the horrible impression that that period gained, no death actually occurred within it. Anban seemed to think that death was something completely unchaotic, since not even it could reverse it.
 
At some point, two Crystallian earth ponies that had been part of a auxiliary division in the Equestrian army, Ælia Calpurnia Cælestia and Luna Calpurnia Cælestia, set out to defeat Anban, and in the proccess, found six gems that supposedly could harness the power of the Amesha Spenta, on a crystal tree that had been planted by Setaresuvirles and his companions before their disppearance. Having been judged worthy by them, the two defeated Anban, encasing it in stone, and almost immediately after, were ascended to alicornhood.
 
However, the dominant theological opinion of the time was that the last Saoshyants, the ones that would bring about _Frashokereti, would be a amalgam of all three races, like Ælia and Luna had become. Soon enough a large millenarian movement arose around them, fueled by the widespread discontent for the social order, which would have helped bring Anban.
 
The reigning Equestrian shah, Yazdegerd III, soon found herself pressed to accept the Crystallians as co-rulers. Fortunately for her and her dynasty, neither of them actually had any wish to supplant her, tried to stop any excesses commited by ‘their’ movement, and emphatically rejected the notion that they were supposed to bring about the end of the world. However, even though they had no association with any heretical sects, the policies they began to implant were derived from Mazdak’s own ideas. In addition to that, Ælia received the position of mowbedan-mowbed, helping the orthodoxy to become more and more Mazdakist in nature.
 
Through the next century, Ælia and Luna tried to reorganize Equestrian society, balancing the interests of the different social classes, and helped defending the nation from incursions by dragon tribes that took the opportunity that a weakened Equestria presented. In counterpart, while the Sasanid shahs had retained their throne, after Yazdegerd’s death, her successors increasingly fell to the sidelines, to the point that all the Sasanid shahs that reigned after Warahrān VII (died in 530) up to the end of the Middle Sasanid Period are (unfairly) titled Kardanečshahan (do-nothing queens).
 
Meanhile, Hrom before Eris had been attempting to reconquer its former territories in the west. In the aftermath, not only the west was lost to them forever, as even a good chunk of their remaining western territories was lost to griffon invaders, and in the wake of these disasters, a controversy regarding the use of religious icons began, sparking on the reign of Léaina III (537-561), and being alternately suppressed or endorsed until 682, under the reign of hatchling-empress Theodora III, when a council at Takht-e-Rum reinstated the veneration of icons.
 
Farther in the east, Anban also led to the collapse of the regining dynasty in Čina, and about 72 years of fighting amongst rival candidates to the throne.
 
In Equestria, things had mostly stabilized themselves after the first 200 years. However, in 979, a former centurion in the Crystallian army and a very powerful and malevolous mage, Caeso Latrius Sambrialus, killed Aula Anicia Olybria, the then consul of Crystallia, and instituted a reign of terror that led most of its senatorial class to flee to Equestria and Ælia and Luna to attempt to intervene. While Caeso was defeated, before the death of his physical body, he cursed his country to remain in stasis for the next 1005 years and vanished it from view.
 
The failure on saving her homeland proved a particularly strong blow for Luna, and she eventually fell prey to a dark Ahrimankert entity. After being possessed, she tried to attack her sister, only for the Amesha Spenta to banish her to the moon.

History of Equestria, Part 7.1 – The Middle Sasanid period: 982-1221
 
Meanwhile, the dragons living north of Equestria had been unified by the Oghuz tribe, but unlike many of the tribes that had been proeminent before, the Oghuzes kept a relatively peaceful relationship with Equestria, excepting the occasional small-scale raids, mostly focusing on expansion to the east, which culminated with the conquest of Čina, completed in 1099, under Kilij Arslan. However, the Činan domain soon split off from the main khanate. the dragons would continue to rule there until the dynasty was overthrown in 1354.
 
Meanwhile, Ereb had, after the collapse of Hrom’s authority, and the continuous invasions by the Germani tribes, finally stabilized after a fashion. In the meantime, starting from the 2nd century, the whole region had mostly converted to the Azadaena, although following a slightly different tradition than Hrom did.
 
Upon Luna’s banishment, the Sasanid queens came back into proeminence in the local politics, taking advantage of Celestia having become less active on ruling after the event. In the meantime, Equestria had entered an alliance with Hrom, under their Empress Mani Komnena. When, in 1002, her daughter Alexandra, was deposed by Mani’s cousin, Gynonike Komnena, and thousands of Equestrians residing in Takht-e-Rum were massacred, the then shah, Irandokht II, declared war, sparking the last major war against Hrom.
 
The Equestrian successes in the battlefield combined with the harshness of her rule led Gynonike to be overthrown by Iságora Angelina in 1005. However, not long after her accession, the northern territories, which had been reconquered a century before rebelled again. Iságora found herself unable to deal with a war in two fronts and was deposed herself in 1015, being succeeded by her sister, daughter and niece-in-law, all named Alexandra, with each of them lasting less and less in the throne and none of them managing to improve the situation.
 
By 1024, Hrom was left only with the western third of Asiya and the Yaunabumiš, and it took another Alexandra, Gynonike Komnena’s daughter and mégas doméstikas under Laonice Kanabene, the new empress that had been chosen after Alexandra V’s deposition, to effectively stop Equestria’s advance into Asiya. however, unlike Herakleia five centuries before, Alexandra couldn’t turn the tide of the campaign, but after Irandokht II’s death in the same year, Celestia took the reins of diplomacy again, and eventually a pece treaty was made in which Equestria retained all its gains outside of Asiya, and gave back most of Aisya except for Pontewxsin and Karka.
 
However, soon after the war had ended, a group of Erebian armies from the westernmost principalities in the continent, supposedly defending a fellow Azadaenan nation, attacked Equestria, attempting to reconquer the area in coast of the White Sea for Hrom, which Equestria, still recovering from the war, couldn’t stop effectively. Thus began a series of sporadic military campaigns by Erebian principalities on the western shore of Equestria. Initially, the Erebians even managed to establish their own principalities in the region, before being slowly overrun in the following years, despite occasionally attempting to reach Tisbon, one of the main Azadaenan pilgrimage spots, until their last stronghold was captured in 1221.
 
Around the same time, many different Southern Griffonic-speaking griffon principalities were unified into one kingdom.

History of Equestria, Part 7.2 – The Middle Sasanid period: 1221-1368
 
Until the War of 1002, Equestria had been at heart, a land-based empire, which turned out to often not be enough when competing with Hrom, which had the most powerful navy in the White Sea. Throughout the war, sieges of coastal cities always took the longest time to conclude, with the crowning example being Alaxsindargird, the main city in Agiptus, which resisted the siege Equestria put it to for over ten years, since Hrom could supply the town by sea without any interference from the Equestrians and only surrendered after the war had ended.
 
After that, it was clear that Equestria needed to develop a navy of its own that could compete what whatever Hrom had in case of future wars. The Erebian incursions only added to this urgency. Originally, the main centers for shipbuilding were Poti in Lazistan and Rew-Ardashir in Pars, with the former specializing on warships, mostly based on the Hrom dromons and Erebian galeras and the latter specializing in ships that could cover longer distances, mostly for trade purposes, based on the pre-existing kaštigs that already operated in the area. Andiyok also became a important centre after it was reconquered in 1198.
 
Over time, Rew-Ardashir lost importance on that field in favor of Ohrmuzd Island, at the exit of the Šâxâbepars, and closer to the Red Sea. Around 1400, the kaštigs had given way to the Navasps and the larger Navxartare, both of them larger and able to withstand longer distances than the kaštigs without sacrificing their maneuverability too much.
 
With those developments, in addition to other developments in navigational technology, the Equestrian ships were reaching more remote places beyond Zangbar and Aštidemana, which marked the southern limits of the range their old ships could safely get to. In the meantime, some of these explorations, in following some eastwards sea currents, reached a previously unknown land south of the Malayadvipas. The first few of these expeditions were most likely lost before finding their way back, but in 1368, a expedition led by a Yauna named Zurvanáphora Peristéra being the first to reach said land and return successfully, with word of her discovery quickly spreading through Equestria.

History of Equestria, Part 8 – The Contemporary Sasanid period: 1368-
 
For the first thirty years, Equestria was mostly content with simply trading and exploring the natural resources in the area, given that the coast had many trees useful for dyes and previously unknown fruits, without making much attempt at establishing permanent settlements (even more so once it was discovered the natives were adepts of cannibalism), at least until the Aryavartan principalities and the minotaurs of Vijayanagar started to take a interest on the area and attempt to take their own share of the resources, prompting Equestria to start making a serious attempt to establish itself there.
 
By that time, the land had become known as Mazandaran, after the land mentioned in the Šâhnâmeh, a national epic written 400 years before. The original tactic used to properly assume control of the area, partially engendred by the fact the crown then didn’t have enough funds to spare for such a undertaking, was to divide the land in 25 parts and give each of them to a wuzurg, who would receive a hereditary satrap title and be tasked with settling and defending her part and converting the natives to the Mazdayasna. Such a system didn’t work, with only five of the satrapies managing to thrive and half of them not even being settled, thanks to the lack of support from the crown and the inadequate funds of their satraps.
 
As a consequence, The crown then decided to take a more direct control of the proccess, appointing a Dastur-Satrap, who was given the satrapy of Šâxâbehamayazata as a base, and who would have authority over all other satrapies in Mazandaran. Throughout the next twenty years, Equestria would have to fight off attempts by Vijayanagara and independent Činan expeditions (their government had ceased giving support to such endeavours about a hundred years prior) to establish themselves in the territory, with the last such attempt being defeated in 1427, leading to the foundation of the city of Raudeardwahišt.
 
After that point, colonization of the area mostly continued relatively unhindered (except for some sporadic Vijayanagaran attempts at establishing a foothold in the area), but with each satrapy still mostly divided between coastal cities, firmly under the satraps’ authority, and the hinterland, still under the control of the natives allied with the satraps, and where Artadaenan missionaries operated.
 
Meanwhile, the already decaying Dragon khaganate collapsed completely, after the then khagan, Yakshiqar, was deposed by a Akizilpul, sparking a series of destructive civil wars that wouldn’t end until four centuries later. such civil wars would also be accompanied of periodic dragon incursions into Equestria, with Equestria’s growing economy (thanks to the trade with Mazandaran) being a further incentive to them.
 
Around the late 17th century, technological and magical innovations began appearing at a increased pace, especially in Aigiptus and Asoristan, the most important of them being the steam engine, sparking the appearance of even more innovations and many structural changes as a result of those. Soon, enough, similar proccesses also began at Aryavarta, Čina and Hrom.
 
In turn, around 1930, the Griffon Kingdom collapsed into multiple feuding principalities.

Species - General descriptions  

 
 
There are approximately 20 known types of sapient species throughout the known world, with 7 of them having wings.
 
Out of the known ones, they all have similar body shapes and body systems. most differences lie on the body extremities, external appearance, reproductive system (four out of the 20 are oviparous, all of them flying), and diet (flying beings tend to be omnivorous while grouned beings tend to be herbivorous, with the major exception to this rule being the omnivorous and grounded parmushi and the flying and herbivorous pegasi).
 
While reproduction between different species is possible, hybridization isn’t - the resulting child is always of the mother’s species.
 
Ponies
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.74 m, short snouts, covered with short fur (which may come in various colors), hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails almost entirely covered with hair of the same color as head hair, feathered wings or one straight horn in the center of the forehead depending on the race, individual-specific marks in both sides of the hips, viviparous.
 
Griffons
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.70 m, covered with fur (which comes mostly in brown, black, grey or white, save some exceptions caused by interbreeding with other more colorful species) except for head and neck, which are feathered, feathered wings, toed feet, hands covered with yellow scutes, long tails covered with hair only from the tip onwards, beak with teeth, oviparous.
 
Hippogriffs
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.76 m, covered with short fur (which may come in various colors), except for head, wrists, ankles and neck, which are feathered, feathered wings, toed feet, long tails almost entirely covered with hair of the same color as head hair, beak with teeth, viviparous.
 
Donkeys
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.68 m, covered with short fur (which comes mostly in brown, black, grey or white, save some exceptions caused by interbreeding with other more colorful species), hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails covered with hair (the same color as head hair) only from the middle onwards, viviparous.
 
Saddle Arabians
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.78m, covered with short fur (which may come in various colors), hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails almost entirely covered with hair of the same color as head hair, viviparous.
 
Kirin
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.72 m, short snouts, covered with short fur (which may come in various colors), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails covered with hair only from the middle onwards, of the same color as head hair, red crooked horns at the center of the forehead, scales made of the same material as changeling exoskeleton in the back, viviparous.
 
Changelings
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.68 m, short snouts, no internal skeleton, covered with a chitinous exoskeleton (which may come in various colors), with a second harder layer on limbs, chest, center of the back, hips and hands, chitin wings and/or one curved horn in the center of the forehead depending on the individual, other chitin protusions in the top of the head and the tail, analogous to pony hair in these parts, eyes of a solid color, oviparous.
 
Goats
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.64 m, covered with short fur (which comes mostly in brown, black, grey or white, save some exceptions caused by interbreeding with other more colorful species), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, short hairless tails covered in fur, two horns at the top of the head, viviparous.
 
Giraffes
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.78 m, longer neck than usual, covered with short fur (which comes in shades of brown, orange and white, with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails covered with hair only from the tip onwards, two horn-like protuberances at the top of the head, viviparous.
 
Zebras
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.68 m, covered with short striped fur (which comes in shades of white and black stripes with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails covered with hair only from the middle onwards, viviparous.
 
Deer
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.66 m, covered with short fur (which comes in shades of white, brown and black, with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, short hairless tails covered in fur, two short antlers at the sides of the head, viviparous.
 
Minotaurs
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.69 m, covered with short fur (which comes in shades of white, brown and black, with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, long tails covered with hair only from the tip onwards , two horns at the sides of the head, viviparous.
 
Buffalo
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.74 m, covered with long fur (which comes in shades of white, brown and black, with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, short hairless tails covered in fur, two horns at the sides of the head, viviparous.
 
Yaks
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.74 m, covered with long fur (which comes in shades of white, brown and black, with the specific pattern depending on the individual), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, short hairless tails covered in fur, two horns at the sides of the head, viviparous.
 
Dragons
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.68 m, covered with scales (which may come in various colors), toed feet, crests of varying patterns on the top of the head, reptilian tails with tips of varying shapes (the same color as the crest), membranous wings, two horns in the sides of the head, depending on the individual, oviparous.
 
Antelopes
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.67 m, covered with short fur (which comes mostly in shades of brown, black, grey or white, save some exceptions caused by interbreeding with other more colorful species), cloven hooves at the tip of the feet, hairless short tails covered in fur, two horns at the top of the head, viviparous.
 
Parmushi
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.66 m, covered with fur (which comes mostly in shades of brown, yellow, black, grey or white, save some exceptions caused by interbreeding with other more colorful species), toed feet, bat-like ears, hairless long tails covered in fur, furless forearms, long snouts, viviparous.
 
Avians
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.71 m, covered with feathers (which may come in various colors), feathered wings, forearms and lower legs covered with scutes, feathered tails, beak with teeth, oviparous.
 
Gargoyles
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.64 m, covered with fur (which comes mostly in shades of brown, grey or white), membranous wings, hairless long tails covered in fur, bat-like ears, toed feet, viviparous.
 
Diamond Dogs
 
Standard body shape, average height 1.63 m, covered with fur (which comes mostly in shades of brown, grey or white), tails of varying lengths covered with fur, canine snouts, toed feet, viviparous.

Regional Politics - Satrapies
 

 
While the vast majority of the satrapies have their satraps directly appointed by Celestia, Armina and Agiptus are effectively vassal queendoms to Equestria, meaning that the central government doesn’t interfere in their succession except for certain emergency cases, and their subdivisions (Ashkhars in Armina and Themes in Agiptus - the ones with pink borders in the map) work in the same way as satrapies elsewhere, except with the local monarchs appointing their rulers instead of the Shahanshah. However, they are still considered part of Equestria, have to pay the same amount of taxes as normal satrapies, and their autonomy is very limited.
 
Following a short list of satrapies:
 
Dihistan  
Population: c.150,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Shadokht-Kwarrah
 
Gurgan  
Population: c. 220,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Sadrakarta
 
Khwarazm  
Population: c. 650,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Khiva
 
Sugda  
Population: c. 1,200,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Asmarakand
 
Marv  
Population: c. 1,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital:Marv
 
Bakhtra  
Population: c. 1,100,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Bakhtrapura
 
Parthava  
Population: c. 1,500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Nishadokht
 
Harev  
Population: c. 900,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Harev
 
Zabulistan  
Population: c. 800,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Kandahar
 
Sakastan  
Population: c. 700,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Zrang
 
Hind  
Population: c. 800,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Hindavi  
Capital: Qandabil
 
Kushanshahr  
Population: c. 800,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Hindavi  
Capital: Purušapura
 
Patalan  
Population: c. 750,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Hindavi  
Capital: Daibul
 
Makran  
Population: c. 500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Panjgur
 
Paradan  
Population: c. 500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Tis
 
Hormuzgan  
Population: c. 900,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Hormuz
 
Kirman  
Population: c. 900,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Kirman
 
Asagarta  
Population: c. 300,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Birjand
 
Spahan  
Population: c. 2,500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Aspadana
 
Pars  
Population: c. 2,500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Istakhr
 
Khuzestan  
Population: c. 1,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Gondishadokht
 
Meshan  
Population: c. 500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig  
Capital: Karaxs
 
Asoristan  
Population: c. 3,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig  
Capital: Tisbon
 
Garamig  
Population: c. 2,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig  
Capital: Hatra
 
Pahlagan  
Population: c. 500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Shahdokhtkhast
 
Hadyabgan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig, Arminig  
Capital: Arbela
 
Arbayistan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig, Arminig  
Capital:Nisibin
 
Orhaygan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig, Arminig  
Capital: Orhay
 
Tadmorgan  
Population: c. 1,500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig, Yaunanig  
Capital: Tadmor
 
Nabatgan  
Population: c. 750,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig  
Capital:Al-Batra
 
Yehud  
Population: c. 800,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig  
Capital: Yerushalem
 
Agiptus  
Population: c. 8,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Yaunanig, Kebtig  
Capital:Alaxsindagard
 
Suristan  
Population: c. 2,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aramig, Yaunanig  
Capital: Andyokh
 
Karka  
Population: c.600,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Yaunanig  
Capital: Tarson
 
Kummahgan  
Population: c. 400,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Arminig, Yaunanig  
Capital: Samisad
 
Armina  
Population: 4,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Arminig  
Capital: Ani
 
Lazistan  
Population: c. 300,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Lazig, Yaunanig  
Capital: Aia
 
Wiruzgan  
Population: c. 300,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Kartlig  
Capital: Teflis
 
Ardhan  
Population: c. 500,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Aghvanig  
Capital: Gabala
 
Gilan  
Population: c. 200,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Rašt
 
Adurbadagan  
Population: c. 800,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Ganzak
 
Hagmadanagan  
Population: c. 1,400,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Hagmadana
 
Gomangan  
Population: c. 1,000,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital:Goman
 
Tapuristan  
Population: c. 300,000  
Official languages: Parsig, Theodesc  
Capital: Perim

Equestrian Society
 
Family and Education
 
Generally, Equestrian family structure is based in the nuclear family, although extended families living in the same property are not uncommon, especially in rural areas.
 
The family is usually headed by the Kadagbanu, this role being filled by the eldest female in the household. The lineage is passed from mother to daughter.
 
The main purposes of a marriage are seen as to produce offspring with a verified succession line and to provide the children with a stable family (which means that both parents are expected to take active part in raising their children). Because of this, ponies of the same gender can’t marry, although nothing stops such couples from living together.
 
As a result, arranged marriages are common, especially among the upper classes and there is less of a expectation of strict monogamy within a relationship.
 
However, if the relationships aren’t completely monogamous, the marriages in themselves are, although historically, the royalty and the aristocracy didn’t shy away from polygamy until recent centuries. Shah Khosrau III (r. 366-408) was said to have over a hundred ponies (with a few people from other species as well) in her Šabestan, and even today, Celestia herself still keeps her own šabestan, although she limits the number of people that can be in it at one time to five.
 
Naturally, the political organization of Equestria also follows these matriarchal principles, with most important government positions being held by mares. As a consequence, upper-class mares are expected to marry early and have children early, to avoid their roles as mothers from conflicting with their roles as heads of the family.
 
The earliest examples of organized education in Equestria began in the eearly Sasanid period, with the establishment of the Gondišâdokht Farhangestân, a academy that at that point, offered traning and education in medicine, magic, theology, natural sciences and philosophy. Although over time, the medical section split into a separete school, Gondišâdokht became the standard for other Equestrian magical schools and by the 17th century, they already had a established system.
 
Howeer, it was not until the 18th century that lower, non-specialized schools began appearing in cities, and later in the countryside, spurred by the technological advancement and economical growth of the times, and those soon established their own system, mostly separate from the magical schools.
 
In normal, public schools, children begin their education at 6 years old. the curriculum is divided into three sets of classes - Basic, Moderate and Advanced, and each set is divided into three areas - History and Languages, Writing and Reading, and Mathematics and Sciences. each area takes up one year within each set. Graduation happens once the child completes nine years in school and passes the 9th year exam, which ever the class level is.
 
Meanwhile, education at magical schools begins when a child is 9 years old. the areas studied in them are the same ones as in regular schools, with the addition of Magical Combat, Spells, Potions and Theology, in addition to some other optional subjects. the latter two are also open to children that don’t have enough magical strength to participate in the other two. Graduation happens after six years.
 
In any case, it’s possible to continue one’s education in higher-level schools that teach more specialized knowledge, such as enchanting, medicinel, law, engineering or weather management, for example.

Regional Politics - Mazandaranian Satrapies
 

 
The queendom of Mazandaran is comprised of 42 satrapies in three main islands, and much like Equestria, is held by Celestia and her co-shahs. However, the distance from it to Equestria (even with modern airships, a trip from Rew-Ardašir, in the coast of Pars, to Sâxâbehamayazatapura, the westernmost major city, takes one or two days.) more or less ensures that Mazandaran is mostly autonomous from Equestria.
 
Most the satrapies differ from the Equestrian ones by following a hereditary succession system instead of the satraps being appointed by Celestia like in the mainland. some of them originate from the original colonies founded in the place from the 15th century onwards (which is the case for most of the eastern satrapies) and other from parmush chiefdoms that went under Equestrian suzerainity. (especially prevalent in the west).
 
The satrapies are also largely politically autonomous to a extent that isn’t seen in Equestria. However, the past few decades have seen a trend towards unification, leading the queendom to function more as a confederation of satrapies. the main satrapy of the region is Raudeardwahišt, which possesses a great deal of economic importance in spite of its small size.
 
The second line under the satrapy names are their names in the Equestrian alphabet, which i heavily based on the Gothic one. a guide to what the letters mean is here.
 
Following a list of satrapies:
 
Sâxâbehamayazata  
Population: c. 1,800,000  
Foundation: 1398 SE  
Capital: Sâxâbehamayazatapura
 
Siryib  
Population: c. 200,000  
Foundation: 1398 SE  
Capital: Arakayu-Zurvandokhtkert
 
Itambaraxa  
Population: c. 300,000  
Foundation: 1398 SE  
Capital: Masayabad
 
Parnambuxa  
Population: c. 900,000  
Foundation: 1398 SE  
Capital: Absang
 
Goyazistan  
Population: c. 700,000  
Foundation: 1545 SE  
Capital: Ostad-Artafarnah
 
Tabayaristan  
Population: c. 420,000  
Foundation: 1410 SE  
Capital: Spedatangepura
 
Potywarastan  
Population: c. 350,000  
Foundation: 1415 SE  
Capital: Veh-Narseh
 
Siryara  
Population: c. 900,000  
Foundation: 1402 SE  
Capital: Dez-Artavazd
 
Piawai  
Population: c. 300,000  
Foundation: 1480 SE  
Capital: Vahshatabad-Vinduyih
 
Tremembistan  
Population: c. 700,000  
Foundation: 1454 SE  
Capital: Veh-Huvaxštra
 
Paragan  
Population: c. 800,000  
Foundation: 1472 SE  
Capital: Xwurdširaz
 
Spentaurvan  
Population: c. 500,000  
Foundation: 1398 SE  
Capital: Perozih-Mithrabana
 
Navamiyanrudan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Foundation: 1539 SE  
Capital: Parnapura
 
Xamyaristan  
Population: c. 320,000  
Foundation: 1448 SE  
Capital: Ardwisuranahidmordab
 
Abiponistan  
Population: c. 400,000  
Foundation: 1450 SE  
Capital: Tukmandašt
 
Ambuwexag  
Population: c. 400,000  
Foundation: 1548 SE  
Capital: Ikuiapag-Hormazdkert
 
Embayastan  
Population: c. 470,000  
Foundation: 1510 SE  
Capital: Wuzurghamun
 
Raudeardwahišt  
Population: c. 2,000,000  
Foundation: 1424 SE  
Capital: Raudeardwahišt
 
Manazistan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Foundation: 1514 SE  
Capital: Manazabad
 
Parawaygan  
Population: c. 700,000  
Foundation: 1526 SE  
Capital: Ramhormozd-Daryavaha
 
Uruwaygan  
Population: c. 350,000  
Foundation: 1500 SE  
Capital: Abikof-Vindarna
 
Wuzurgraud  
Population: c. 1,100,000  
Foundation: 1488 SE  
Capital: Šadkamlangargah
 
Kariyistan  
Population: c. 440,000  
Foundation: 1509 SE  
Capital: Morgababad-Xšayasrhan
 
Parnam  
Population: c. 680,000  
Foundation: 1506 SE  
Capital: Kortibapura
 
Sãxâbgušmahi  
Population: c. 2,500,000  
Foundation: 1462 SE  
Capital: Aratakert
 
Nemrozkan  
Population: c. 1,500,000  
Foundation: 1464 SE  
Capital: Siyadzarbad
 
Aranistan  
Population: c. 230,000  
Foundation: 1592 SE  
Capital: Axšangkaran
 
Šilistan  
Population: c. 400,000  
Foundation: 1616 SE  
Capital: Šahdokht-Xwarrah
 
Aryunaraud  
Population: c. 1,200,000  
Foundation: 1580 SE  
Capital: Wehwadi-Hušang
 
Kušabamba  
Population: c. 450,000  
Foundation: 1626 SE  
Capital: Kušabambapura
 
Xšarkas  
Population: c. 400,000  
Foundation: 1650 SE  
Capital: Aštibolandeh
 
Potokši  
Population: c. 700,000  
Foundation: 1595 SE  
Capital: Potokšipura
 
Xuskvangh  
Population: c. 1,600,000  
Foundation: 1582 SE  
Capital: Ikmapura
 
Mešixistan  
Population: c. 1,400,000  
Foundation: 1591 SE  
Capital: Mešikatenoštitlang
 
Xwurdhormuz  
Population: c. 500,000  
Foundation: 1614 SE  
Capital: Hekatlacopura
 
Wayastan  
Population: c. 700,000  
Foundation: 1588 SE  
Capital: Wayakkil
 
Mayistan  
Population: c. 600,000  
Foundation: 1610 SE  
Capital: Navaraga
 
Xundurmark  
Population: c. 900,000  
Foundation: 1588 SE  
Capital: Bakatapura
 
Tamahalep  
Population: c. 600,000  
Foundation: 1617 SE  
Capital: Navahalep
 
Šalisk  
Population: c. 500,000  
Foundation: 1605 SE  
Capital: Dareasang
 
Wašiakag  
Population: c. 900,000  
Foundation: 1612 SE  
Capital: Wašiakagpura
 
Xumayag  
Population: c. 500,000  
Foundation: 1625 SE  
Capital: Navarrajan

Religion - Mazdayasna and its currents
 
Due to Celestia’s unwillingness to enforce a strict orthodoxy, there are multiple religious currents within the Mazdayasna, of varying popularity. By the most part, the different currents agree on most matters of morality and usually differ either on politics or theology. The biggest ones are the Traditionalist current and the Khurramist current, which differ from each other on the issue of proselytism and all its political ramifications.
 
The Khurramist current originated from Mazdakite reformist movement in the 3rd century SE. the original Mazdakism emphasized the need for social equality and had a cosmology somewhat similar to the Azadaena. the original movement was suppressed, but over time, their adherents began shedding their most unorthodox and revolutionary precepts, until the point that by the 7th century SE, the Khurramites had become more or less a mainstream current of the Mazdayasna.
 
They support the spread of the faith through proselytism, reasoning that Ahura Mazda’s revelation should be shared with the rest of the world, to offer it a chance at salvation in the day of Frashokereti. oftentimes, this attitude leads to a support for military expansionism or more subtle forms of imperialism.
 
Although the Traditionalists trace the origins of their current to Setarasuvirles Balmeth’s reform in the beginning of the Sasanid era, most of the Traditionalist precepts as seen today seem to have established in the Middle Sasanian period, under Celestia’s reign as the Mobadan-Mobad, which leads some to consider Celestia as the second founder of Traditionalist thought.
 
In contrast to the Khurramites, they deny the efficacy of converting foreigners to the Mazdayasna, reasoning that they will eventually change the faith to suit their culture instead of adjusting their culture to the religious precepts, eventually making the conversion pointless, and as such, are opposed to proselytism. this general attitude also translates in political terms to a tendency towards isolationism and pacifism.
 
Aside of those, there is also a number of minor currents, the most proeminent among them being:
 
-The Sarmanites, inspired by Yauna Gnosticism on theological matters and tend to value ascetism. are divided into multiple subcurrents.
 
-The Neo-Mazdakists, who have similar teachings to the Khurramites, but put far more emphasis in the notions of equality and social justice than them, placing them closer to the original Mazdakism.
 
-The Zhunbils, that associate Ahura Mazda with the Sun, and originated in Sakastan as a syncretism of the Mazdayasna with the traditional Dragon religion. it still has most of its adherents in that region.
 
-The Darmadaena, a current mostly found in the satrapies bordering Aryavarta, is heavily influenced by the religions from the other side of the Sindh.