Random bits of lore that exist for some reason.

// Exactly what the title says, any lore on Zera's universe that I come across when rummaging my Dreams of Lothlorien folder (Aka the one folder I keep all of my important posts, lists of important characters, replies I forgot to send, etc) will be posted here. This will be updated every once in a while if I remember to do so. There will also be a couple of annotations here and there, and my grammar will be fairly deplorable because... These were originally meant to be read by me and maybe some other person, but not the public eyes. On Magic and Psionics. Users of magic are those who pierce through the equilibrium of time and space, bending them to their will. Only a couple of species are capable of such feats, and fewer are those that can do it without proper "training". No one really knows how magic itself came to be, what it is and what are its limits, for all that really seems to limit it is how well the user can handle its immense power without fainting or burning themselves off. (Basically the normal equestrian magic everyone's so used to, as portrayed until... Season 4? I only really watched that far anyway, so I wouldn't know if they changed it. It's a very soft magical system, so to speak, it wouldn't be surprising if they did change it as time went... Eh, anyway.) Psionics, on the other hand (Or hoof, if you will), is a much better understood and studied phenomenon (By the protoss, most ponies don't even know it exists). A couple of races, mainly those who stayed free from Equestrian (AKA magical) influence for long periods of time, are naturally born with internal reserves of Energy. If trained, they are capable of letting go of a part of this energy, filling the environment around them and manipulating it by shaping their Psionics as they will. However! Letting go of too much energy can pose great danger, as, without it, the body slowly stops working, leading to death by multi-systemic organ failure. Recharging these energies isn't exactly like taking a nearby power plug and putting it in one's butt, and most Psionic-using species rely on either staying out in the sun for at least one hour a day or eating the remains of other psions, either directly (Carnivorous style) or indirectly (Plants, especially the Blue Blood Flowers, that grow where psions died carry their energies). +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Insert here a cool transition image of a dozen sheep breaking out of a butcher shop or something of the like. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ On Religion. There were three main "religions" that the Protoss once followed: The Khalai, the Tal'Darim and the Templari. The Khalai believed that a great species of gods sowed the galaxy with seeds of life (Creationist stuff, you know how it is). According to this belief, these gods were later responsible for uplifting the Protoss culture and technology before finally dying of old age. Followers of this religion believed that the role of their species was to take on the place of their fallen mentors, care for all living beings in this world and the galaxy beyond the skies, along with sowing new life in planets where none exist. (I guess they can't do it now that they're ALL DED. Hah, take that!) The Tal'Darim, on the other hand, were much more... Violent in their ways. They followed the "teachings" of a dark god and believed that the only way of life was that of conquest and power (This is lame and unoriginal, I need to work more on this. But am I gonna???). Not much is known about them, for they were banished long ago from the lands of Aiur, even before the formation of the Empire. (Imagine them coming back to Aiur, seeing no other Protoss around and be like "Yeehee booiii", just before finding a Zerg hive and be annihilated by them.) As for the Templari (Also called Imperialists by the elders), they're mainly composed of Protoss from the last couple of generations, for the "religion" itself is rather new, and its main object of worship is Khas. She was the one who struggled against all odds and united all of the tribes into a great empire, the Protoss Empire, more than a thousand years ago, thus becoming the first Empress. This "religion" in particular is much more focused around the "material plane", dismissing the existence of a 'Creator God(s)' and instead preaching about those whose actions brought advance to society and science. Zerathur is an active follower of this one, it so happens!