We shall begin with the basics: Ganzir is an island that lies between the continents of Equus and Griffonia, although slightly closer to the griffon continent. It is decently sized with an area of around 40,000 square miles, and contains diverse biomes ranging from open plains and dense forests to inhospitable mountains.
Ganzir has always been home to ponies, although how they came to reside there is a matter of speculation; some propose that ponies originally migrated from one of the continents over the sea, while others maintain they developed independently. This early period is shrouded in legend, as we are plagued by an almost complete lack of primary sources (more on that later). And so we are forced to rely on oral histories, which are notoriously unreliable. Rather than parrot some of the more implausible claims from these accounts, I will stick with what we know for certain.
The early ponies of Ganzir lived in misery, tormented by the dragon Raz’Aquel: undisputed master of the island. When not slumbering in the mountains, he would fly from village to village, feasting on ponies and other creatures while laying waste to any crops and buildings. Although some stories of his terror are no doubt exaggerated, there is no reason to question the destructive capability of the Great Dragon, or the degree to which the threat of his wrath shaped the social structures of this period.
The various settlements which dotted the land became exclusively focused on their own survival. Village leaders cared only for defending their own ponies, and any sense of solidarity with the ponies over the horizon was nonexistent. Especially powerful leaders would erect fortifications to protect their territory and enhance their prestige. Two of the greatest of these ancient fortresses lie at the locations of the modern-day cities of Neighneveh and Irkalla. In fact, the fortress of Dur-Irkalla still stands to this day in the center of the capital!
It is easy to imagine a world where this pattern continued indefinitely; where every year after burying their meager harvest, ponies would hide underground, content to wait out Raz'Aquel and barely scrape by until the next year. Fortunately, there was one pony who refused to cower before the Great Dragon: Dawn. She would go on to slay the tyrant and unify Ganzir.
Dawn's early life is not well documented, and you will hear a different account of it depending on who is telling the story and where they reside. The historian Tall Tales reports that she was born to an anonymous family in the southern mountains, but I find this highly implausible, as it raises numerous questions including how she could possibly amass enough support to challenge Raz’Aquel.
In my view, Dawn was most likely born in Irkalla as the heiress to the ruling family. Being in control of the fortress along with its soldiers would have made her one of the few ponies on the whole island capable of standing a chance in an encounter with the dragon. From this base, she could travel Ganzir gathering support, presenting herself as commanding an army which could pose a credible threat to the Great Dragon.
In any case, Dawn eventually rallied a force comprised of the finest warriors and mages from all across the land. It is at this point that we have our first reports of Dawn’s famous banner: a sword beneath a black sun. After her triumph, this symbol would go on to be her personal symbol, being engraved on many buildings she commissioned during her time in power. Dawn’s army marched south to the mountains Raz’Aquel called home. Before facing the dragon, she compelled her army to swear an oath of loyalty to her, laying the foundation for the island’s unification under her rule.
Dawn was clever. Rather than recklessly charging towards the dragon’s lair, she took time to scout the region and identified an area naturally flowing with arcane energy. She lured the Great Dragon to this sacred mountain, and with the help of its power, destroyed him. Raz’Aquel’s reign of terror was over. Ganzir had a new master, and her name was Dawn.
In the next chapter we shall explore the reign of Princess Dawn. Although now united in theory, it is thanks to her long and prosperous reign that the First Principality did not disintegrate in the face of the coming adversities. However, it must be said that in the process she made a mistake which ensured the realm would fracture after her death.
In the previous chapter we saw the end of the Great Dragon whose shadow had long terrorized the ponies of Ganzir. Dawn emerged from their encounter victorious, and there was now nopony in Ganzir who could rival her glory. With her newfound leverage and her army’s loyalty, she crowned herself Princess of the newly-proclaimed Ganzir Principality.
The northern cities of Irkalla, Neighneveh, and Emare acquiesced to this decree, but the notoriously independent tribes of the southern mountains refused to kneel to the Princess. Deciding it was not worth the effort to pacify these mountain ponies, Dawn left for Irkalla to solidify her rule. The city exploded at her return, and became a non-stop party for a period of several weeks. The rowdiness was such that it is said the banquet Dawn threw after returning resulted in more casualties than her battle with Raz’Aquel.
Now incredibly popular with ponies of every stripe, she set to work expanding the apparatus of state. The forces Dawn had assembled ad hoc were now codified as the Royal Army of Ganzir, and would be given a salary. This pay would come from Dawn’s royal treasury, making these soldiers financially dependent on the Princess. This was a savvy move, as she knew that as long as she could command the loyalty of the army, her position would be unassailable.
Out in the plains and forests, you may be wondering what these changes this meant for the average village leader. The answer is… not very much! Aside from sending taxes to the Princess and acknowledging that supreme sovereignty now resided in Irkalla, they proceeded in much the same manner they had before. In exchange for these concessions, they could now call upon the Royal Army if they were ever needed for defense. To them, the benefits far outweighed the costs.
Up until this point, I have been somewhat vague concerning the geography of Ganzir. However, upcoming events demand that a more thorough picture be painted. Thus far, our story has mainly taken place in the plains of central Ganzir, which essentially stretch from east to west across the middle third of the island, capped by the cities of Irkalla in the east and Neighneveh in the west. The northern third is covered by the Basilim Forest, capped by the city of Emare at Ganzir’s northernmost peninsula; thus far, this region has not factored in to our story significantly. The southern third of the island is dominated by what is today called the Verrier Mountains, the ancient stomping grounds of the Great Dragon. Home to few ponies, this barren region has poor farmland and little wealth. It is only thanks to modern advances in mining technology that enough interest has been raised to found the city of Maread nestled in the mountains.
The peace left in the wake of Raz’Aquel’s destruction lasted nearly two decades, but it would be shattered when reports reached the Royal Palace of an attack on the city of Emare. Rising from the sea itself, monstrous creatures which appeared to be amalgamations of fish and pony climbed onto the shore armed and ready for battle. These so-called “mer-ponies” wreaked havoc in the city, stealing its wealth and disappearing back into the sea. Such incursions were repeated and plagued coastal communities along the northwestern shores of Ganzir. Coincidentally, at the same time the mountain ponies of the south began raiding villages in the central plains. These mountain bandits styled themselves after the appearance of the slain Great Dragon, either out of reverence for him or simply to strike fear in the still traumatized ponies of central Ganzir.
Dawn headed west with the army to mount a defense against the mer-ponies, and sent the eldest of her two daughters with a smaller force to deal with the mountain raiders. Corona was highly educated in both military and artistic matters, and by all accounts calm and level headed. If there was a peaceful settlement to be reached with the bandits, she would find it. This is likely that reason that Dawn decided to send her south.
Where Corona was calm her younger sister Aurora was reckless. Aurora burned to lead the armies and vanquish Ganzir’s enemies, and had begged her mother to allow her to crush the mountain raiders. Aurora did not take the snub well. Stewing, she set out to forge personal alliances with the Irkallan elite and build a power base to ensure she would be able to get her way in the future.
Corona’s expedition went smoothly, and after meeting with the mountain pony leader Drake Cade, the two were able to reach an agreement. The raids would cease, and in exchange the mountain ponies would be given an annual shipment of food. During a time when all available resources were needed to fight off the mer-ponies in the north, the deal Corona struck was probably the best Ganzir could hope for. Not that it prevented many in Irkalla from cursing the “weakness” Corona displayed by negotiating with the bandits at all. Aurora made much hay out of criticizing her sister behind her back, and asserting that had she herself been placed in charge of the expedition, there would have been no more trouble in the mountains ever again.
On the northwestern shores, the mer-ponies proved a more formidable foe than Dawn had ever faced before. The fortress of Neighneveh—having been built upon an island off the coast of the city—was utterly razed during the initial attack. However, Dawn was able to coordinate a defense of the city itself and fend off the mer-ponies. Her successful defense of Neighneveh came at enormous cost, and during the final day of fighting a trident lobbed by an unknown mer-pony struck the Princess in the throat.
And so Dawn was dead, slain at the age of 53. The sudden nature of her demise meant that she had neglected to formally define the succession. As the eldest daughter, tradition pointed to Corona as the rightful heiress, but would tradition be enough to stand in the way of Aurora’s ambition?
In the next chapter, Aurora and Corona will squabble for the throne as mer-ponies still menace the coast, their sibling rivalry escalating to the point of Civil War. While the ponies of Ganzir are distracted by this conflict, mysterious ships will sail from over the horizon ready to take full advantage of the situation. The introduction of this Winged Menace marks the beginning of a dark era in Ganzir’s history; one we have yet to escape from.
