Ruby (Yamato Island)

❁ C L I M A T E ❁

Yamato Island is relatively unknown to most Equestrians, this is largely due to the fact that unless you know the island is there, it is very easy to miss when sailing by as it is almost always covered in a thick fog. It is relatively easy to visit the island though, there is a weekly ferry sailing from Equestria to the main port in Yamato Island's capital. The island is in a tropical region with a rather high humidity and stable high temperatures all year around. There are slight temperature variations, however, and when there are strong rain showers during winter it can get quite chilly. The only place on the island you'll find temperatures below freezing is at the icy peaks of the many mountains that make up most of the island.

❁ M A G I C ❁

Unlike mainland Equestria, Yamato Island is a place where magic simply does not exist. If a unicorn were to visit the island they would suddenly no longer be able to use their magic - until they left the island again. The same goes for pegasi, as soon as they get near the island they will start to lose their ability to stay airborne. This is because the rocks making up Yamato Island's many peaks contain a rare mineral that has the odd affinity of canceling magic. It has long been discussed if there is a correlation between the mineral and the local population of exclusively earth ponies.

❁ C U L T U R E ❁

Yamato Island is a feudal society ruled by an Emperor and with a rather strict caste system. The wealth of the country is split unevenly among its citizens, with the aristocrats, of course, owning most of both the land and the money the country has. Despite some of the population living under rather crude conditions, there is an almost unanimous love and respect for the Emperor and the aristocrats who support him. The current Emperor's bloodline has been on the throne for the past 10 generations and it seems like it will remain in power until the end of time. The royal family is quite extensive as even when a new Emperor is selected, the other siblings are usually allowed to live and have offspring of their own. It is, however, not unheard of to have a newly crowned Emperor demand all his competitors killed off.

❁ M I L I T A R Y ❁

Being a rather small and isolated country, Yamato Island has always been forced to defend themselves from attacks from other nations and pirates alike as they didn't have the luxury of having allies to rely on. Aside from the need to defend from outside attacks, the citizens of Yamato Island has also gotten used to a lot of in-fighting between the different aristocratic families over anything from land or ownership of a slave to the right to become Emperor. This means that despite being a fairly small and peaceful nation - having never been one to invade others - Yamato Island is highly militarized and continues to refine their tactics to this day.

❁ R E L I G I O N ❁

The citizens of Yamato Island usually don't label themselves as religious, but this doesn't mean they lead lives without prayers and rituals. Sure there are a few who believe in gods of their own choosing, but most of the islanders pray to either the Emperor and his family or their own ancestors. Most of the more prominent families have their own small temples where they go to light candles and incense and pray. These temples also usually serve as burial grounds. The aristocratic families sometimes go as far as to have several temples with elaborate gardens surrounding them. Commonly the aristocrats will have two temples; one for their ancestors and one for the Emperor and the Royal Family - but it is not unheard of to have even more for more prominent specific ancestors.

❁ C I T I Z E N S ❁

All citizens of Yamato Island probably look more or less the same to foreigners: they're all earth ponies and all of them are shades of brown and grey - both their coats and manes. Markings on the coats are however quite common among the islanders, unlike how most Equestrians have single-colored coats. Both the race and the colors are, as previously mentioned, likely due to the magic-cancelling mineral found in the bedrock. The only part of the ponies living on Yamato Island that appears unaffected by the bedrock is the coloration of their eyes as almost any color iris can be found occurring naturally. Since the citizens are rather bland and more or less look the same on their own it has become the norm to always wear clothes. Both the color and the design of the clothes are indicators of a citizens social standing. The brighter and richer the color of your clothes are, and the longer and the more layers you're wearing the higher you rank in society. This unusual love of clothing also means that whenever foreigners arrive on Yamato Island they are easy to spot as they most definitely stand out among the local population.

• Emperor: The one and only ruler. His word is law and he is worshipped by the people like a god.
• Aristocrats: The highest ranking aristocrats are sometimes referred to as having 'pureblood' and have served the current Emperor's bloodline for years. Most of these 'pureblood' aristocratic families supported the First of the current Emperors and helped him when he first took the throne. Most of the aristocratic families serve as important military officers and advisors to the Emperor himself.
• Warriors: The military, of course, has ranks of their own, but overall, no matter how highly you rank within the military, you are still regarded as a rather high standing citizen, even if you're an easily replaceable footsoldier.
• Merchants: It is quite common for the stallions and mares who aren't quite good enough to join the military to become merchants. While their position in society isn't as highly regarded as the warriors, merchants are still able to boast about having some influence, unlike the lower classes.
• Farmers: Being a farmer is not only hard work, but it usually doesn't get you much respect from your fellow citizens. Once born into a farmer family it is very difficult to break free and become something else. Usually, the free positions in the military are filled up by members of families that are already in the military and to make it as a merchant you need somekind of money to start your business - which is something farmers usually lack.
• Slaves: The lowest members of society. Slaves are usually ex-prisoners and their families. They do the toughest labor usually for little to no pay. They have no rights and are rarely ever seen outside of the place they work.