Dear child of sun and moon, of stars and ground. What I will tell you is not just a story, but it is truth. It is the origin of everything you see and everything you know. It is the story of how this land came to be.

At first there was nothing but the expanse of deadly desert. It was an impassable land and with that also one that could not be lived in. But the gods had just fought war and war had ended, leaving the rest of Mereldia as inhabitable as this desert. Food was scarce and water was contaminated from the endless many corpses that war had thrown into the rivers and lakes. The lucky ones who survived were not that lucky, for they had to suffer through a much different hell than the war itself. And when they stood before the desert, they knew that it would be either this, with a slight glimmer of hope, or certain death.

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They started their journey, but with every day passing by, more of them fell prey to the heat or the predators that roamed in the sands. It quickly became a journey without hope. It started out with seven herds that had set out on the journey together. The more time passed the smaller they grew due to the horses witnessing all kinds of death. Eventually the horses that were left were so few, that they barely counted as one single herd. Where it once had been seven herds with seven leaders, there now only was one leader for the remainers of the seven herds. The other leaders had died, each of a different death.

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The first had died from heat exhaustion.

The second had fallen prey to witless beasts.

The third had eaten a poisonous plant out of desperation for food.

The fourth had stepped into quick sand, dragging half of his herd with him.

The fifth had started hallucinating and walked off a cliff which he thought was a pool of water.

The sixth had been bitten by a poisonous snake, causing a slow, painful death.

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The only remaining leader was Cynfor, a proud grey stallion with a mane as white as snow. He took on everyone who was left and made them his herd. He had learned from the deaths of the other six leaders and therefore knew what to do to survive.

On the first day of this lone rule, he found an oasis. Not only was the water there fresh and clear, but also the food it offered was juicy and plentiful. While it offered a moment of comfort, it was no place the herd could stay for long. The resources would quickly be gone and they would starve and suffer thirst once again. The heat of the sun was merciless, which was why Cynfor took big leaves off of banana trees to lay on his head. The herd members copied him and therefore did not die from the heat like the first leader did.

On the second day of Cynfor's leadership, they encountered a pack of witless beasts. He had learned from the second leader's death and therefore knew how to deceive the beasts and drive them off. He stepped forward and roared like a witless beast would. Startled by this, the predators fled and left the herd alone.

On the third day, they encountered a field of wonderful fruit and plants, all of them looking enticing. Cynfor warned his herd to leave the fruit be, for it was the same that had killed the third leader. Only with a lot of struggle, the herd resisted the temptation of the garden and moved on.

On the fourth day, they encountered a path that went into two different directions. One of those paths seemed inviting while the other seemed to drip with danger. To everyone's surprise, Cynfor chose the dangerous looking path, simply saying that it felt right to walk that way. Despite his earlier achievements, some herd members doubted him. After an argument with Cynfor, they decided to go the other way and declared a young stallion among them, named Xim, their new leader. The two groups each went a different path and eventually, those who stayed with Cynfor were proven right, since his herd encountered no dangers on their journey. When they were at the end of the path they found an oasis where they could rest. They rested for three days, waiting for Xim's herd, but Xim never came. Just one lone horse from his herd, a young mare, arrived at the oasis on the third day. She spoke of the great misfortune that had befallen them. At first there had been boulders falling down from the cliff nearby and then there had been witless beasts that chased them, leaving them into a maze, leaving them no way to run. Those that could escape the labyrinth of stone found themselves in yet another death trap: a pool of quicksand. The mare herself had been one of three survivors, but the journey back had been so hard that only she alone had made it to tell the tale.

From this day forth, no one questioned Cynfor's decisions anymore, but trusted him to lead them safely to the wide green meadows they dreamed of. The grey stallion looked at the stars to seek guidance in this night, and it is said that the stars whispered to him their secrets. They told him that there were things yet to overcome before they would reach a sanctuary. Cynfor believed them and stayed determined for the things yet to come.

On the next day, he told his herd of what the stars had whispered to him. The green meadows they all dreamed of suddenly became more real than ever in their minds. They had been promised safety and a life in peace. But it was too early to celebrate, for there was still a long way to go. The thought however played in the herd's mind and let them see the meadows they dreamed of behind every dune or every rock. The longer they were disappointed by yet more hot sand and rock, the more restless they grew. Cynfor walked on with determination, deciding to not be fooled by the pictures his mind wanted to trick him with. When he noticed how distracted his herd was, he commanded them to all look at him and him alone. He would guide them to sanity and to their land of peace and that this was all they needed to know. And so the herd only looked at Cynfor instead of searching for the green land with their own eyes. He would search it for them and they could trust him to find it.

On the last day of the journey they saw something unlike anything else looming up on the horizon. It was neither stone, nor sand, but something otherworldly. The closer they came, the weirder it looked in their eyes. Upon reaching it, they discovered that they had not only found a field of rubble, belonging to an ancient ruin city, but also an oasis the size unlike any other they had ever encountered. Trees grew here, as well as grass. A river flowed through the core of the city and in its center stood the tallest and most regal ruin of them all. A palace.

But even this oasis seemed to be deceptive, as Cynfor quickly felt. He told everyone to stay on guard and carefully made his way through the ruins, followed closely by his herd. They quickly found out that this paradise was in no way uninhabited. Vermin had made its home here. Rats, snakes and the despicable creatures that ate the former. Cynfor lead the herd to the center in twists and turns, being careful to not encounter a poisonous snake, since that had killed the sixth leader.

At the same time the herd arrived at the palace the sun set. It was then, that the stars peeked down from the sky again and started to whisper to Cynfor once again. They told him that he had passed the six tests of the six gods.

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The first test had been from the god of fire, testing him to withstand the heat of the desert.

The second test had been from the god of air, testing if he knew how to use his voice correctly to make other creatures beside horses obey him.

The third had been from the god of water, testing if he could resist the temptation and follow his better judgement to not be poisoned.

The fourth had been from the god of earth, testing if he could feel the ground beneath him good enough to choose the safe path for his herd and himself.

The fifth had been from the god of light, testing if he could overcome the tricks his mind and the light wanted to play him.

Then the sixth had been from the god of darkness, testing if he could resort to kill the creatures he considered vermin to let horses be the lone rulers of their newfound sanctuary.

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From all those tests, Cynfor had failed only that of the god of darkness, refusing to kill the witless and even the sentient flying, furred inhabitants that hunted the witless vermin. The stars told him that, even though he lacked the will to kill for his own gain, he was unquestionably a leader chosen from the gods and therefore a rightful king. They told him to remember those tests and to keep being a fair leader to his herd, or better said, a fair king to his subjects.

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Cynfor took the mare, who had been the last survivor of Xim's herd, as his wife to show that even those who had once doubted him deserved a second chance. But not only did he gift her great kindness, but also named the land they lived in after her, Koruna, to honor her for surviving the deadly path on her own and having been able to return to him. From then on, he taught her how to see the right path, so that she would not deviate from it any more.

In the course of that, Cynfor decided to make the furred flying creatures, who called themselves Raccardis, his workers. Instead of vermin, he offered them real food and they accepted it in return for their work. They worked to make the ruins stable and livable again so that they could protect everyone from the heat at day and the sandstorms that mercilessly blew over the city without warning.

Time passed and eventually other fugitives from the war found the ruin city that Cynfor had called Monabur. These fugitives at first did not recognize Cynfor has their king, due to him being a horse and them being of other species. The king remembered what the stars had told him though and so he used his voice to make the fugitives listen and obey. And they did.

 

Even more time passed and Cynfor slowly grew old. The gods had gifted him with six children, each clever and special in their own way.​

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Fintan was Cynfor's first son. He was gifted the ability to control fire, as a gift from the God of Fire to show his gratitude for Cynfor passing his test.

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Altaria was Cynfor's second child and first daughter. She was gifted the ability to speak her mind and let others listen to her words intently, just like her father also could. It is said that she also could hear words in the wind, whispering to her in the same way the stars were once whispering to her father. This was an ability the god of air had gifted her as gratitude to Cynfor for making use of his voice so well and in the hope that this trait would be carried on.

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Rhea was Cynfor's third child and second daughter. She had the ability to let springs appear out of dry ground whenever she wanted to, gifting more water and therefore more ground to live to the land. It was a gift from the god of water, hoping for the princess to spread the green oasis that was Monabur, to make more land fertile through water and as a token of appreciation to Cynfor, who had once resisted the temptation to eat from the deadly desert garden.

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Damek was Canfor's fourth child and second son. He had the gift of always knowing where the best path to go was and could even predict earthquakes and sandstorms. A gift given to him from the god of earth as a form of gratitude to Cynfor for having been so observant in his test back then.

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Umashree, who was widely known as just Princess Shree, was Cynfor's fifth child and third daughter. She had the gift of seeing just the truth ever and always and of also being able to hear the stars whisper at night when she was praying to them. A gift given to her from the god of light for her gentle spirit and most especially as a gratitude to Cynfor for not being deceived by light and mind, but by only following his heart.

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Dwayne was Cynfor's last and sixth child, as well as his third son. In contrary to his five older siblings, Dwayne had not received a gift from the gods. The only god left that could have given him one, the god of darkness, had nothing to thank Cynfor for. Being so different from his siblings and his father, Dwayne tried to achieve each trait they all possessed, but failed in every single one of them. Convinced that the only thing he could still do was to pass the test his father had not passed back when he had found Monabur, he went on to try it himself. The test the god of darkness had given Cynfor. Dwayne started to kill normal vermin at first, rats and snakes, hoping to appease the god of darkness with it to achieve a gift as well. When this did not work, he started to attack and kill the Raccardis, who he also started to see as vermin, unlike his father. But even then, Dwayne did not receive a gift. Instead, his father was forced to lock his son away before he would turn to insanity and murder innocent people. Every night Cynfor prayed to the gods to forgive his son for his sins, but to no avail. The stars had not spoken to him since he had been declared king and Cynfor refused to tell his daughter Shree about Dwayne's secret wish of getting a gift from the god of darkness. Only Shree had a connection to the stars, but even to her the celestial bodies kept quiet about Dwayne, as if they were ashamed of his very existence.

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Eventually, Cynfor died after having lived a long and happy life. He had long since decided for his oldest son Fintan to become the new king of Monabur and so Fintan was crowned. He could not stand to have his brother locked up in prison any longer, so he set Dwayne free, telling him that he could follow the right path even without a gift or talent. However, he thought foolishly, for Dwayne's insanity had just grown in the years of imprisonment and his goal to achieve a gift was bigger than ever.

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Fintan quickly realized he did not do any favors by releasing his brother, on the contrary, it was like setting loose a wild animal that only knew how to kill without regret. Dwayne was too blinded by his wish to receive a gift to feel any remorse about his actions. Eventually, king Fintan and his younger siblings managed to catch Dwayne with the help of their powers and locked him up in the dungeon again.

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On this night, Princess Shree prayed to the stars, asking for guidance. She, more than everyone else, was against harming her brother, even though he had commited unforgivable sins. The stars, while recognizing her gentle heart, could not help her. They told Shree that her brother had been taken by the darkness in his heart and that he could not be cured of it. It had been not a gift, but rather a curse the god of darkness had given him as a way to punish Cynfor for failing his test. Those that had been chosen by darkness could not be helped anymore, and the only thing one could do was to put them out of their misery.

Upon hearing this, Princess Shree started to cry. She loved her brother dearly and could  not stand the thought of ending his life. Her tears were of such love and misery that they turned into little crystals that fell on the ground. It is said that those crystals later became the jewels of the crown to remind every king of Monabur of the broken-heartedness Princess Shree had once felt, so that such a tragedy would not repeat itself.

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On the 14th of Anagantios, Dwayne had been executed, strongly believing to be in the right until the very end, screaming like the lunatic that he was.

Pincess Shree laid red flowers on his grave every day, symbolizing the blood her brother had spilled in his life, each flower symbolizing one life. Even in death he should remember his sins, so that he could rue them eventually, wherever he was now. The flowers were not just a reminder of Dwayne's deeds, but also a symbol of Princess Shree's love for her brother, that she even loved him still after everything he had done.

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- Korunian Book of Prayer, Vol. I, Umashree, "Cynfor's Legend"

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The history in the Book of Prayer is as old as the time we are counting and therefore about 800 years behind on the recent history. It is still the story that matters most to inhabitants of Koruna, since it is their origin story and they strongly believe it to be the guide for their way of life.

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A hundred years after the founding of Monabur, a group of explorers from Monabur found another ruin city. Many were needed to rebuild it and it took years after years. Eventually king Baalis, son of Fintan and grandson of Cynfor, followed his grandfather's lead and called the newfound city after his wife the queen, Santugan. He left it up to his younger brother Caelan to rule over as a king, though he would be below him in means of rank.
Over the following centuries, more and more ruins were discovered and rebuilt and even a few cities were built without anything to be there before. The sons of the king, that were not first born ones, always were there to rule those cities. With those, a blood connection to Cynfor by the ruling families was assured.

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Every city formed their own unique image, so that every one of them, despite the social systems being the same, had different facets to show. Monabur, the capital, was known for having the most pure and good hearted habitants, Santugan was called the city of thieves, Waria the city of the sea, Belrador the city of Wind, Maroven the city of fruit, and so on. The populations in each city quickly grew, until the king declared that no one from the outlands shall be let in anymore. Everything outside of Koruna was now seen as the wild lands. Their inhabitants were, even if they were sentient, considered as uncivilized and therefore not fitting for the city life.

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In the year 751 a.w., something unpredictable occurred. Above the northern east edge of Koruna lay a country called Eriwon. It had been founded about one hundred years after Monabur, but was technically and socially on the same level as the whole land of Koruna was. The founders were emigrants from Monabur that had decided that the desert climate was nothing they could bare for much longer. They were used to the civilized culture of the desert land though and therefore formed their own country to keep it up. At the edge of the mountain line they found a place where they wanted to settle down and started to build their homes there. Within the centuries, a nation half as big as Koruna had formed. But while the desert land was mostly consisting of desert only, Eriwon had cities almost everywhere. The soldiers of the neighboring land were all extremely skilled and many. In the year 751 a.w. Eriwon declared war upon Koruna. They wanted the rich countries’ resources more than anything else. The king of Koruna knew that they would not be able to win, but he also did not want to give away all he had. So eventually they fought. Many fell in this war and eventually the king of Koruna ended it by offering the king of Eriwon an alliance in exchange of a quarter of his land.
The alliance grew strong with the years, but the war has not been forgotten. It has been a heavy blow to the Korunians and their principles of not repeating the mistake the first gods in Mereldia did. Ever since they have intensified their religion even more, adding a plead of forgiveness for the sins of their folk into their prayers.

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In the year 800 a.w., on the 2nd Ogronios, the queen of Koruna gave birth to twins, a filly and a colt. It was highly celebrated by the whole country, since twins were a very rare occurrence and they gave the country new hope, especially the colt, since he would be the heir to the throne of Koruna. After the birth, however the queen became sterile. Many took this as a bad omen and others even suspected that a demon cursed her. It was only a secondary worry, because an heir had already been born. The luck did not last very long though.
At the 21st Simivisonios 802 a.w., on summer solstice, the palace of Monabur caught fire. Most could escape, but the prince died in the fire. The princess claimed to have seen the perpetrator, so that it was not the fires that killed her brother, but that there had been a horse, which she also saw exiting the fire shortly after. After her description and the descriptions of others who also saw a horse exiting the fire, the murderer could be identified as a Caspana. On the following day, King Yandro ordered that all Caspanas that were found should be brought to Monabur. The princess would then identify the perpetrator if they were brought in. But no matter how many captives were caught, the murderer was never found. Ever since then, the whole country of Koruna holds an enormous hate towards the cursed horses.

Over five years passed since then and the princess has grown from a filly into a mare. She is now expected to marry a prince very soon, so that he can rule the country as a future king. She never complains, she never lets mistakes be seen. All in all, Preciosa seems to be the perfect princess and future queen of Koruna and everyone respects her greatly for her doings and for her strength to grow up without her twin brother and facing all the challenges alone.