Equiterian Culture

[Red Charge]

What we know...

Not much is known about Equiterian Culture in and of itself as there are few records of it. The Empire in many ways remains a mystery and it appears the more we learn, the more we find we really don't know...

Equiterian Government

Equiterian ruins show a definite central power for the Equiterian Empire. The structure we have been able to ascertain was a very organized hierarchy for the military and civilian aspects of the Empire.

It is impossible from Equiterian ruins to ascertain the location of their capitol and it is largely assume that the Equiterian Capitol does not reside on any known continents. Ruins of such a caliber would have been easy to find on the Equestrian Continent but were never located, implying another location. As such all the information we currently have on Equiterian government comes from their conquered territory.

Each region conquered by the Equiterian Empire is governed by an Equiterian position known as Magistrates. Magistrates were among the most powerful Equiterian battle mages. To become a Magistrate, besides plenty of fighting experience and having been legate of the legion conquering the contested territory, one must be able to cast the legendary Meteor Shower (sometimes referred as Meteor Storm) spell. The spell, as described in ancient records, is the ability to summon asteroids orbiting another planet and rain them down on one's foes. Requiring immense magical potency never achieved by a pony since the Equiterian times. It is known that Magistrates reported directly to The Emperor. There is no reference to who, or what The Emperor was. It was only known that he was revered as a god by the Equiterians and that he was an active leader. Directly in constant contact with all of his Magistrates.

Beneath the Magistrates were the lower officers who oversaw the carrying out of the Magistrate's orders, however as they are not discussed much, it is fair to assume their positions did not carry much importance outside of the day to day responsibilities of maintaining a territory.

Integration

Equiterians believed their part in the world was to 'enlighten' other cultures. This is reflected in their emblem - the bladed sun. They were the light to the others' darkness. The Equiterian Empire suffered no religions or behaviors different from their own and in each region they conquered their first step was always to outlaw any cultural or religious practices and forcing their own on the conquered population.

In many ways this was both a success and a failure. The fact that all pony settlements reside under the jurisdiction of one kingdom, Equestria, is a testament to that success, however, whatever it is that wiped the Equiterians off the map, did this equally in all parts of their kingdom and left none behind who could revive their empire.

Interspecies Interaction

The Equiterian Empire is known to be an almost pure unicorn empire. However, experts have been moving to debunk this myth. According to archaeological experts, it is impossible for them not to have a significant portion of pegasi and earth ponies in the empire, as their conquest would have undoubtedly made them acquire such populations, if the empire did not contain them initially. The reason most mentions are of unicorns, they add, is that since the Equiterian Empire's main fighting force was consisted of Golems and undead, its fighting, conquering and peacekeeping forces would be unicorn, in order to use these resources properly. Again, as there is no known capitol for the Equiterian Empire, this has been hard to determine and may forever remain a mystery.