Article 34: Equa
Comfort Creatures Corporation, one of the middling Demi-Human splicers and breeders in the galaxy, was known for some of the more remarkable Demi-Human breeds, but thanks to their policy of taking extreme financial risks with their research and development, were also known for some of the more spectacular flops when it came to their Demi-Human product lines. After their previous failure, a strain of Martial Lupina with random garish combinations of outlandish fur colors, they decided to refine the DNA templates that allowed them to do this and produce something that would be more visually appealing. Looking at their older best sellers, they realized that certain Demi-Humans were being purchased for their resemblance to other legendary races. Serpena were bought when they resembled Lamias, Vulpines sold well when they looked more like Kitsune, and so on. With this in mind, they endeavored to create a series of strains of Martial Equinus that would serve as not only a fashionable servant thanks to color pallets chosen by famous artists, but would have features that made them appear even more closely to be some of the rarest creatures in the galaxy. With all the resources the galactic megacorporation had at its disposal, they were easily able to pay for the terraforming of an entire planet, which they claimed and renamed Pastorus. There, from hidden underground bunkers, their employees diligently created numerous strains of the Martial Equinus, the most common three being the Terraequius, the Caelequius, and the Mahouequius. Created to be intelligent, kind, gentle, and above all loyal, they were for the most part left to their own devices on the planet above, with cultural ideas periodically injected by CCCorp workers to help guide their development. This included a number of rituals, the most important of which was their rite of destiny. Genetically encoded in the fur patterns of the Various Equinus strains was a special marking, actually a permanent branding with the CCCorp's logo, that would appear when they reached the appropriate age. According to the pseudo-religion created by the corporation, the appearance of the mark indicated that their gods had deemed them worthy of the next stage in their life, and they were instructed to make a trek to an appointed area that was otherwise left alone by the slowly growing tribes of Equiusians. This journey served as a quality control test of sorts for the corporation, and once they had made it to their destination they were taken by the company and sold as slaves, under the impression that their work assignments were gifts bestowed upon them by their unseen gods.
As the tide of public opinion within the galaxy turned sour towards what was clearly yet another form of attempted slavery and the inevitable freeing of Demi-Hhumans through legal action by the GA High Council loomed ever closer, Comfort Creatures Corporation worked to cover their paper trail and switch gears toward the slowly growing black market, a task that would have been much more difficult had the planet Pastorus not been in a disputed territory between the Castaways Treaty Systems and the Elemental League. Thanks to this, it wasn't a galactic decree that ended up freeing the Equisians. Instead, it was a single member of the Terraequsian strain who had been named Flower Song by her tribe that managed the feat. Fearing for her inability to pass her trek, she began to look deeper into her people's traditions, traveling to sites that they considered both hallowed and untreadable. It was only after discovering the truth that she began to rally more of her people to help root out the corporation and stop them from selling any more into slavery. Desperate to stop her uprising, the CCCorp hired a mercenary fleet to bombard and invade the village sympathetic to Flower Song. During the fight, however, Flower Song ascended into an Elemental, and with the combined power of a number of villages was able to repel the larger ships and empower her friends to defeat the troops that had landed on the planet. Since then, with the help of a few sympathetic and stranded researchers, they've been able to make contact with and join the Castaways Treaty Systems. Though they still have some troubles to deal with, including a number of negative concept Elementals that had arisen as a result of their forced traditions, most of them prefer to stay on their home planet and work together to overcome their troubles. Since then, the now-Goddess Flower Song has been able to help out not only on her home but in the outside galaxy as well. The branding mark now still appears on the Equisians, but now is influenced by the possessor's own personality and skills to take a more individualized shape. The CTS fleets help improve their technology as well as bring as many of the enslaved Equisians home as possible, and the planet has been renamed Equa.
As is the case with all Demi-Humans, Equisians were created in various strains for different consumer needs, and though they have attained the freedom to make of their lives what they wish, their instincts and body structures tend to lend towards them favoring specific roles. Terraequisians are stronger and sturdier, and given their lack of non-horse features, could be mistaken for a standard strain of Equinus at first glance. They have a predilection for laborious tasks, and are known to take pleasure in seeing the results of their own hard work, even if they're not partaking in the fruits of that labor. The winged Caelequisians were specifically made to cater to the showroom, with nimble bodies and abilities that assist them in their flight, both to let them move faster and clear the skies of any hazards that might await them. They also seem to have been made to sell themselves, as boastfulness is a common trait and they are often eager to compete and show that they're the best. Mahouequisians are, as their name implies, naturally proficient with magic, and were initially sold exclusively as mascots and assistants for mage colleges, bred in colors used by those schools. They are incredibly attentive and saddled with incredible memory to allow them to memorize spells, and their Unicorn-like horns leech trace mahoucite as they grow. Mahouequinus horns will function as magic wands if wielded by a mage, and will regrow if removed properly from its Mahouequinus.
