Summer School - introductions and history

[Tir - the teacher]

Introduction&History

Welcome to your first class of the summer period. I see that some of you were more creative than others in your signups, so I'd like to get to know you further than just that. Oh, and Zain, I am keeping a special eye on you.

History is your very first class, and, since it's your first, we will be going over the subject in a more creative manner. You're to write a small essay (400-500 words, 10% above or below is allowed) in which you describe a piece of history like you were there. You can't be someone important if you want to describe the facts, but let's say you were watching without influencing.

To make it less easy to peek at what another wrote, you'll be divided into couples, each of which gets a different assignment. You will not be graded according to your partner, but the chances of copying will be smaller. I expect a certain manner of creativity from you, my students. And of course, try to steer clear from typos and grammar mistakes.

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@[Lucrezia] and @[Sitra]
A few years before Beqanna celebrated its first century, a queen died of a disease.
Include her name, kingdom, successor(s) and the BQ year in your essay. Imagine which disease could have killed her, and write it like you were there. Include your own personality and how you would have reacted, if you were a member of that kingdom.

@[Hephaestus] and @[Zain]
After the Catastrophe, several attempts to revive the bachelor kingdom failed, leading the population to think the bachelors were cursed. Include the number of times this was attempted, the names of these leaders, the BQ time period in which these attempts occurred and where they tried to restore their bachelor kingdoms in your essay. Describe the attempts like you were there. Include your own personality and how you would have reacted, if you were an aspiring member of the bachelors.

@[Breckin] and @[Pond]
Lepis is not the first newborn filly to have been put upon a kingdom throne. Give an indication of the BQ year, the name of the filly, the kingdom and its previous ruler, and other significant kingdom members and events surrounding the kingdom’s succession at the time. Describe the event like you were there. Include your own personality and how you would have reacted, had you been a kingdom member at the time.

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Bonus question: Name the three breeds of Iberian type that are NOT Spanish in origin.

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*You're yourself, a Beqannan horse, unless otherwise specified. How do you get your intel? You're allowed to go outside of class, as long as you return on time. This part of the quest does not need to take up essay 'space' or word count. Same goes for the bonus question.
*Word count total of your essay, should be between 400-500, give or take 10%.
*Your assignment is due next Sunday, July 22nd, 23:59 (BQ board time).
*You've been divided into groups to prevent me having to read 6 similar essays ;), but your grading will be personal.
*No extensions. Please notify Tir if you need to drop out. This is not a knockout quest, so you're expected to complete all three classes if you want to graduate from this summer school.
*Any questions about your assignments, PM Tir.

[Zain]

Soon it is his turn to present his findings to the class.  The teacher need not know how he complied his answers.  Lord knows the disfigured black stallion would be of no use to him in the cheating aspect.  He'd have to be more clever... 

Located at the back of those gathered, he moves to the front when called.  The large mass of his frame pushing those planted in his way to the side(or perhaps under him if they did not part from his path).  A snort echoes into one of the students ears that has remained too close in proximity to him, before moving on.  He slides into place and then begins his speech, "At the turn of Beqanna's first century, three stallions; Black Sabbath, Barenaked and Charger made the first attempt to recreate the once ice kingdom of the brotherhood.  They failed of course, each giving up far too soon.  Neither I doubt gave it a solid chance, their commitment being futile at best.  When the going gets tough, you press forwards, not give up." He snorts in protest, "They were weak". He thinks to his own endeavor as of lately and how it has had a rough start, but he is persistent and one day all will know his name.  A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips at the thought before he continues... 

"Their successor, Deluge, soon abandoned his attempt as well.  I say he was a coward and ran the moment the throne was under his ungrateful hooves.  I stood a better chance of raising the kingdom of old to its former glory". His draft body shifts in its place before the class.  Red eyes skipping from one pupil to the next to gauge their reactions to his distaste. "Then comes along Texas..." His tongue snaps a tsk along the back of his teeth, "Worthless".  His heavily feathered legs begin to move him across the front of the class in suspended thought.  "By now there is some chatter of the bachelor kingdom being cursed or something... Well I say that they were most definitely," he pauses his motion to turn towards them, "Men suck at ruling if there isn't a good women(or few) at his side". An erupted cackle escapes his mottled lips. "Again another tries and fails," he snickers and in an almost whisper adds,  "Must be hard to find a bunch of gay ponies in Beqanna". 

He turns to the opposite direction in which he had been heading.  His sights landing upon a lush plant that the teacher must have raised and cherished dearly.  A devious grin forms on his facial features as he nears like a predator stalking his prey and speaks matter-of-a-factually, "Almost 100 years later and some think that finally the Tundra has risen... But I say it is only a matter of time before it turns to ash again". At the word ash he releases a winded breath upon the plant and watches in fascination as it withers away to dust.  A pleased smirk retains a position on his lips, as his head rises and swivels to view the reactions of those gathered with amusement... 


Word ct: 527 which is less than 10% above the alloted word limited

Bonus Question answer: Lusitano, Sorraia and Garrano

*Disclaimer- his is solely Zain's personality and not a personal stab at any of the horses mentioned above.  I don't know the players of these once leaders nor was even around to have rpg'd with them personally.

[Pond]

everybody seems so far away from me now

Pond is still small and shy, more frail than she should be. She was born long ago, so she had been taught some of the more ancient history of their world. Her father had been well-educated in all of it and made sure that she was aware of it too.

She collects her thoughts until a larger colt shuffles his way forward, shunting the others aside and speaking quite plaintively on the history of the Tundra, now known as Ischia.

Her home.

She listens attentively, curious about the brotherhood to which she now belongs, her darkened wings shifting upon her shoulders. Zain treats the history with mockery and disdain; Pond cocks her head with a frown. Her father had taught her about some of it, about Quill and Barrel and some of their successors. Perhaps he’d left out some details that Zain now presents to them, in an attempt to make the Bachelors sound stronger. They had, after all, been an ally of her parent’s kingdom for quite some time.

She can’t suppress a saddened gasp as Zain walks nearer to one of the plants in their lush gathering and puffs the leaves away into a smoky whirl of the wind. Her shoulders fall, although her shadowy wings seem to snarl and furl against her back, fascinated and attracted to the blight. She takes no notice, though, as she begins to make her way to the fore of the gathering. She is confident in her answer and eager to prove that not every legacy must be treated with distaste.

“My name is Pond,” she begins meagerly, though with a glance around at the faces that watch her she remembers what her mother had taught her: just look through them; they will all be just as uncertain as you. “I was asked to report on a newborn filly appointed to rule a kingdom other than the young queen Lepis…” She pauses. “I recall my father educating me on the history of the Amazons, before Beqanna was changed during the Reckoning. He spoke to me of Asylum and Prague, but in this case I believe it is Antarda who is the other newborn queen in question.

“I’m not completely certain of the year of her appointment - I know it was sometime in the earliest years of Beqanna, in the 20s - however I know that the former queen of the Amazons, Grim Reaper, was somehow involved. Aelia was Antarda’s mother and she died very young.” Pond closes her silvery gray eyes for a moment as if reliving the experience herself. She could feel the pain and anguish of Aelia as she passed, not yet having fulfilled her short life; she could imagine the confusion her young daughter Antarda must have felt upon being crowned so shortly after birth.

“As far as I’ve been told, Antarda went on to be a very successful ruler, in spite of some jealousy from her aunt Pandora. My father was not very specific on how this dispute was settled, but he did say that this took place in an earlier time, when conflicts were often settled with bloodshed rather than words…” With a final glance to the teacher of their group, she steps aside to allow the next member to give their presentation.

(Word count: 547)

Bonus question: Mérens horse (France), Garrano (Portugal), Sorraia (Portugal)... also Lusitano (Portugal/others) and Pottoka comes from both Spain and France. Wasn't too sure which ones you were looking for   Source: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_horse

POND.

everybody just wants to be free

[Breckin]

Something had demanded her attention.  There had been some inexplicable pervasion upon her consciousness, signaling a fervent drive to go beyond the boundaries of Nerine; a pilgrimage that had brought her to stand amidst a minute grouping of equines with a lone figure with a presence that demanded nothing short of respect standing before them.  An educator of sorts, he seemed to be, delving out instructions to each sorted pair.  The objective is clear—obtain and present research based findings rooted in Beqanna’s rich history.  But an immediate problem is equally as clear--How?  Breckin knew nothing of her own past beyond her first days in the Field, let alone that of an entire realm.  No magics graced her abilities either, leaving the spotted mare with little headway in means of finding a sufficient starting point.

The group disperses, and a flustered Breckin begins to roam aimlessly, searching for any inkling of something that may guide her quest.  At some point, she finds herself in the embrace of a meadow and tall grasses sway haphazardly in the breeze around her.  So vehemently committed to her anxiety ridden thoughts of diminishing time, she doesn’t notice the obvious auditory warning sign, nor does she hardly notice the sudden sting upon her fore limb.  As suddenly as the biting pain registers, it gives way to an almost pleasant tingling sensation, before that too shifts to an alarming loss of feeling altogether.  The affected leg becomes useless, but whatever seems to be ailing her does not stop there.  Rapidly the numbing aura becomes all consuming, and the panicked mare feels her mass meet with ground, suddenly unable to support the weight of her own body any longer.  Her head feels  heavy, too heavy, and gravity pulls that downward too to lay upon the blanket of tall stalks.  Blackness swims in the corners of her eyes, threatening to snuff out the last lingering light of her existence.  But there is little she can do to refuse the pervading darkness, and almost as immediately as it had first started, she succumbs; the last thing she can make out of the demonic haze is a distant glimmer of gold.

…

A frantic breath, desperate for air causes her eyes to snap open.  Perhaps she is most startled by the fact that it was her own panicked inhalation that had awakened her, or perhaps it was that she once again stood in the small gathering she could have sworn she had only just departed from.  Sudden awareness of the current situation envelopes her, willing her breathing to become more easy, more natural, and her deep gaze shifts to a younger fellow as he begins to speak his knowledge of Beqanna’s history.  Pale ears politely remain alert, only fidgeting slightly as worry blossoms in her chest anew with each passing minute.  What on earth was she going to say?  She had failed in her endeavors.

The younger fellow’s mannerisms draw her away from the rising internal panic, her eyes harden drastically at the way he carries himself.  Disrespectful little git, she mutters in the privacy of her own mind, before wondering if his ability was halitosis, watching with mild amusement at his display of withering a plant.  She can’t help the small, cheeky smirk that creeps upon the lines of her lips, and for a brief moment she feels slightly more at ease.  A smirk that grows a slight degree as she watches the girl named Pond deliver her own findings.

When the spotlight is finally upon her, Breckin puts on her best mask, stepping smoothly to the front, ready to openly admit her failure.  At first her voice seems to remain elusive, unable to seem to find the proper wording necessary to air her confessions.  Until a sudden clarity overrides everything else, bringing a euphoric wave of confidence to wash over her;  she knew the answer, no, she had experienced the answer.  The voice that falls from her ebony lips sounds distant and almost reminiscent, its tone matching the dreamy, far-off look that her brown eyes hold.

”It had started with the reign of the third queen of the Amazons, Grim Reaper.  A renowned warrioress, she had held the crown for a great while.  There had been so many attempts to take the throne, but the Queen had fervently defended her domain, our home.  She had so much strength and perseverance, it was difficult to not respect her, even if we did not always agree.  The teenage years of Beqanna passed into the dawn of the 20s, and our Queen grew wiser, older; until something somewhere broke within her. Whatever it was that had fractured, there was not cure, much to our chagrin.  What had caused it? No one knew, and she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell us.  We think the demanding weight of the heavily burdened crown was enough stress, enough pressure to even break the strong-willed in a weak moment.

That burden came to a head that day we heard shouting from the heights of the ledges.  I remember the way the humid Jungle air clung thickly to my coat already slick with perspiration.  When I broke through that line of deep green foliage, I was immediately struck by the sight of anguished cries and freshly spilled blood.  What had happened?  The Queen’s friend stood meekly, leaning against her adopted daughter’s shoulder for strength, recounting the event that had just taken place.  Grim Reaper had attacked her, she had said, and her daughter at intervened in time to prevent a fatal blow by the Queen, but the battle had not been without its loss, for our leader had fell to her death.  Upon the shock of the news, the limbs below me felt much too heavy, much too ill proportioned to support my own weight.  How could this have happened?  Was it even true?  Despite my greatest efforts, I must admit I have my lingering doubts about the situation.

In the wake of the tragedy, there had been much mourning and grief, but little time to spare in the naming of the newest Queen.  The Princess Aelia was placed upon the Amazonian throne.  Her reign was ultimately uneventful, but where it lacked intrigue it made up for in heartache torn anew.  The end of Queen Aelia’s young life in the year 21 sent us diving head first back into a period of mourning.  Would our sadness ever meet an end?

But she did not depart from this world without a final decree, that the newborn Princess Antarda was to become Queen.  Along with the sadness-- fear, anger, and confusion was quickly left to fill the gaping hole that our young Queen Aelia had left.  Aelia’s half sister, Pandora, was perhaps the quickest to voice her doubts about the filly’s quick ascension to the throne and rightfully so.  How could one with no life experiences be worthy of ruling a kingdom?  But this, this was where our Amazonian resilience shown brightest in the darkest of times.  Because Aelia’s final wish had been an order, it was our duty to make sure Antarda would succeed.  We were to surround the girl and raise her up, my Sisters and I, nurture and guide her to meet her fullest potential as an Amazonian Queen fully should.  And we did.”

Breckin’s last sentence drifts away into the air, blinking her eyes in rapid succession as if to clear a lingering dream.  Though she feels mildly confused about what had overcome her, the sense that her words had been rooted in truth left confidence overriding anything else.  Perhaps it had been a hallucination or a dream re-visited, she couldn’t say for sure, as she took her place back within the ranks of students.  The only thing she could say with certainty now, was that the pride in understanding a small part of the Sisterhood’s rich ancestry a bit more, left her desiring to know even more.

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Bonus question answer: The Garrano, Sorraia, and Lusitano are breeds of the Iberian type with origins in Portugal, not Spain.

*bold & italicized lettering denotes essay portion of quest. Essay word count is 539.

[Lucrezia]

Lucrezia feels relaxed and confident at the first session. She has been taught the history of Beqanna by her own father. It was almost instinct to her now, as if she had been there at the events. As a former diplomat leader and ruler, she knew that history was important to be aware of but it was even more fundamental to not repeat history.

She listens carefully to each of the other horses that step forward giving their assignment in front of the class. Zain speaks about the bachelor kingdom. He does not hide his passion for his thoughts on the matter, especially since the recent return of the bachelor kingdom. Lucrezia is surprised for such thoughts, even his performance she cannot help but smile at. It was not a smile for disaster, but Lucrezia could appreciate one’s passion for their beliefs and standing up for them. Next comes a small filly named Pond, her ears flicker forward, curious if this filly will have such distaste for the part of history she was assigned. Lucrezia nods her head in agreement—bloodshed had become the norm of figuring out the disputes between kingdoms, which had lead them towards the Reckoning. She had seen her own home flood into the abyss because of bloodshed and hunger for power.

It is her turn next. The winged mare steps forward, already forming the words she wants to say within her mind. As she comes to the front of the class, she turns to the group of other students and their teacher. “Death is an unforgiving experience we can all feel. There is sadness and bitterness when a loved one dies. It is especially hard for those you might look up to for guidance and assurance. Our leaders are no exception to this.” Lucrezia pauses for a moment and overlooks the students.

“In the year of 25, there was death all around Beqanna and sorrow filled the lands. Rulers were dying and the young were rising to carry the new generation forward. Skye was appointed as one of the new rulers within the light mythical kingdom, Dewdrop Deserts, during this time in the year of 25, but her ruling did not last long.” Lucrezia falls silent, allowing each of her gaze to be held by the other students and teacher. “A terrible disease, perhaps cancer or something else deadly, took ahold of her life within the year of 27. He ruling had been short, but I can imagine she left a legacy of change as queens were beginning to be considered equal and to solely role the kingdoms. She then appointed her secret lover, Spectrum, to the throne before dying.”

She has felt the death of those she loved, a family she had become a part of. It had been the same place Skye and her had called home. Lucrezia can feel the tears closing in on her, touching the corners of her eyes. The mare doesn’t allow herself to fall into despair. “Death is tragic and can affect us in all ways. It’s important we do not let our grief take hold of us from those we might lose. We must push on and keep their memory alive.”

Lucrezia then makes her way back to where she previously stood.

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Word Count: 545 (above the 10% stated within the guidelines)
Bonus Question Answer: Garrano (Portugal), Lusitano (Portugal), Mérens (France)
Sources: Beqanna History Iberian horse breeds
**I also didn't have time to edit this before I wrote it earlier today to include Breckin, sorry