The world
The Valley
A temperate plain encircled by the old, worn Eastern Mountains and the much taller Western mountains, where dragons are said to nest. It borders the Cold Lands to the north and the sea to the south. A large rivers splits it in two; herd territories are on the western side, and city-states are on the western side. To the south-west are the Arid Lands, the only access to the West.
The three main ways of life in the Valley are Herds, Urban, and Wayfarers.
Herds are idiosyncratic, each with more or less distinct social structures, traditions, and material culture. Family ties do not necessarily correspond to herd affiliations. They don't have a set territory; they have ranges, which may intersect with others', but they only keep away from urban centres. One common belief among herd horses is that they are guests in the world, and as such they must live in harmony with it, not exploit it.
Cities in the valley have developed a shared culture and values, such as social hierarchies, an economy, fear of water, and an admiration for skillful shifting. They trade with the East, but communications with other regions are blocked by the mountains, the deserts, or the sea. Many individuals, unhappy with the rigid social structure, may leave cities to live in herds. Alternatively, individuals born in herds may move to cities for comfort, safety, and stability, or sometimes out of curiosity.
Wayfarers travel in small groups, usually a mother with foals and occasional companions. It's a tradition relegated to a few lineages. Under normal circumstances, they're the only connection between herds and cities, as they frequent both offering help and trading. They pull small wagons which can be used as shelter if necessary.
Herd Elin
Herd Elin was founded by the unicorn Elin and her first follower Willow. Only the foals were born into it. They have a base village in the southern end of the valley, where they have constructed simple dwellings covered in soil. They're usually sedentary, but they might temporarily leave the camp in case of droughts or external threats. Grazing is their staple food source, but they also cultivate legumes and rice.
They practice blood rituals, which consist of creating a small wound in one's body to bleed onto the soil, to return the favour of being fed.
Herd Zenith
Herd Zenith is nomadic, moving locations periodically and using tents as shelters. Their range is in the northern end of the valley, from the mountains to, occasionally, territories where Herd Elin lives. They spend most of their time in horse form, and as such they mostly graze.
Darinn
Darinn is the dominant city-state in the Valley, governed by a group of noble families. Here shifting has cultural connotations: the ability to maintain a human form for a long time is seen as a good trait, as it's a sign of self control and willingness to work hard. Nevertheless, roads, buildings, and a portion of tools are built so they can be accessed and used by anyone in equine form. Outliers aside, most of the population spends around 70-80% of their time as horses. The buildings tend to be one or two stories high, with long staircases that accomodate a horse's steps, and built in large stone blocks. Interiors may be painted and decorated, but the outside is left unpainted. There's a widespread fear of deep water, following an incident about a century ago; it is believed that no one in horse form should try swimming or travelling waterways. This is less limiting than it would be for a human, as they can travel on hoof more easily.
Work is specialised. Higher classes may spend much of their time as humans to signal status, whereas people particularly gifted at shifting may be pushed into artisanal professions. Individuals with less proficiency in shifting may choose professions that can be worked in horse form (transporting, defence), or entertainment (racing, shows). Voluntary castration is practiced here, as it's believed that stallions past their youth and before their old age are unable to access the purest form of spiritual power.
Balvicale
Another important city, Balvicale is located in a sheltered harbour. It's an ancient dwelling, born from the first sedentary coastal herds. The fear of water that afflicts Darinn is less widespread, but travelling by boat is still considered extremely dangerous.
Tamrah
In an oasis located right where the semi-arid ring of the Arid Lands turns into desert, horses have made the city of Tamrah their home. Decorated public buildings turn into simpler homes on the outskirts, surrounded by date palms. As way less grazing grass is available, farming is more of a necessity: as well as dates, other fruits like figs and citruses, as well as legumes and barley are grown.
Smaller villages are present in the more hospitable areas of the Arid Lands. In the harshest parts of the desert, some nomadic herds roam and occasionally lead travellers to the West.
Other places
Mahinana
Map
Here's a rough approximation of the valley, created with mapgen4. The main purpose was to simulate the climate; think of it as what someone would picture the land as rather than a satellite picture with perfect proportions. Since there are no nation-states, there are no borders.
