Hello everyone! It's been quite a long time since the last lore update, and since the new lorebuilding forum has been added on Discord there are A LOT of new lore bits that piled up, so I better get to releasing all of it now! 

Expect more lore updates to come soon, but for now, here's what I have for you:

CATACLYSM'S BREATH

After the Great Cataclysm, a new disease was found to affect grifix. Luckily for most, it only occurs when a grifix sets foot in a high radiation area.

The Great Cataclysm left behind high levels of radiation all around Equestria, which decimated populations of most species and reached as far as the Crystal Empire. It caused radiation poisoning to almost every species in Equestria, and persisted for hundreds of years even far from the epicentre of the Cataclysm. 

The centre of the Cataclysm was no other than the Everdeep Lake in the Everfree Forest. By then, the grifix had already retreated to a place where they didn’t get wiped out by the waves of radioactive water, but no place in Equestria was safe of radiation, which forced them to travel as far as the Frozen North, far beyond the already inhabitable borders of the Crystal Empire.

To this day, high levels of radiation still persist in the Everfree Forest, which is now a swamp of radioactive water, home to strange mutant life forms. Scholars approximate that radiation will only leave that place in 20,000 years from the Great Cataclysm.

The Cataclysm’s Breath is the name that grifix use for Radiation Poisoning. All species can contact it when entering high radiation areas, including Changelings, though they seem to have much higher resistance to it. 

On grifix, however, Cataclysm’s Breath manifests differently than on other species, due to grifix’s strange magic nature.

Herbalists and other Scholars that travel to the Kirinaria Mercenary group must be very careful around the Everfree Forest, or if they are exposed too much to the radiation they might contact the Cataclysm's Breath.

Symptoms

The symptoms count as fatigue, migraines and loss of appetite, and even if the grifix eats, the food isn’t absorbed by the body, leading to emancipation. The grifix may also start throwing up blood, but besides migraines they don’t feel any pain. The grifix will also start losing hair and fur, and their skin will lose its healthy aspect.

Once the physical symptoms start, mental symptoms will follow as well: the grifix will start being more aggressive, getting annoyed easily and snapping at everyone. The symptoms will reflect clearly on the sphirix, which will look less shiny and vibrant, and later it will begin to “hollow out”. In the hollowing out stage, the sphirix will start to have holes, which will reflect on the grifix as lack of memory and parts of the self disappearing, until eventually, the sphirix will disappear completely, and the grifix will have lost their mind, together with any memories. This is called the zombie stage.

Zombie Stage

In the zombie stage, the grifix is hyper aggressive, they are unable to think, communicate or remember anything from their lives. They lack any magic manifestations, such as hair sparkles or sphirix, but their magic still flows, causing corrupted magic to leak in the atmosphere. Healthy grifix that breath in corrupted magic can get light symptoms of radiation poisoning, but they never get past the first stage, and there are no effects on the mind or sphirix, only on the body of the grifix. It is very important that grifix eggs are not placed in areas with corrupted magic from a “zombie”, for it will cause dysfunctions in the development of the embryo which can cause the grifix emerging from the egg to be dead or disabled.

Zombies will seek out magic sources, such as sphirix, which they can now see. They will always follow the strongest magic source they can see, so they will go after the most powerful grifix’s sphirix.

They can only see magic in this stage, but strangely they are able to avoid most obstacles, especially in grifix settlements, due to magic residue on buildings and such. When taken to a forest or area where grifix don’t live, they will be completely blind and walk into things.

When around other magical creatures, they seem to not see them unless they are using magic. Because of the grifix magic flow, they always see the grifix, but if the grifix covers their gems with the magic flow stopping lotion, the zombie will act like they don’t see the grifix anymore.

If the zombie sees a sphirix that has a close resemblance to their own, such as a similar animal, they will follow that one even if it is not the strongest magic source they see.

“Zombies” can hurt and consume sphirix and other magic sources. If they eat a sphirix, the grifix the sphirix belonged to will also become some sort of zombie, but they will not show a lot of symptoms related to radiation poisoning. It seems like the zombie stage is unrelated to the Cataclysm’s Breath and can actually occur without the disease, when the sphirix is destroyed in a certain way, erasing all information that it was holding from the grifix’s mind and causing them to mindlessly seek out a new sphirix.

Cure

For Corrupted Magic neutralization and early stages of the disease

In order to neutralise corrupted magic from an area where a zombie has been, the grifix use a special solution with which they wash all walls of the building, even if it’s outside, and they also give it to grifix that might have breathed the corrupted magic to drink.

The solution is made of Amber dust mixed with oil made from Solaris flowers. Soap is added when the solution is used for cleaning something, but not when it is used for drinking.

Amber is known to have magic restriction abilities, but it usually acts as a barier against magic. Solaris seems to trigger an effect causing it to absorb magic and be especially effective against radiation.

In order to cure a grifix that contacted the Cataclysm’s Breath, the same solution can be administered if the disease is not in an advanced stage. While these grifix must drink the solution, they are also required to take a bath where the water is mixed with the soapy solution. This water will absorb the radiation from the grifix, but don't let them stay in there for too long, cause it wil absorb all the magic. Because of that, they must take such baths for about 15 minutes regularily, until the disease is cleansed.

In small doses this solution can be used as a protective lotion against radiation as well, but in large doses it is strictly forbidden to use it on the grifix, since it can organs that rely on magic absorption on the surface of the skin, and cause temporary or permanent skin infections or diseases.

For the zombie and hollowing out stages of the disease

If the grifix is already in the zombie or hollow out stage, a mixture of dried Solaris and  Rewind Flower petals must be burned and the grifix must be exposed to the smoke many times each day, until they will start recovering their reason, but the memories lost and the sphirix can not be recovered. 

If the grifix actually has Cataclysm's Breath they must still take baths and drink the amber solution, but if they only got in that stage because another zombie consumed their sphirix that isn't necesarry.

If the sphirix hasn’t disappeared yet, it will remain with holes, but the hollowing won’t advance. In stange cases, the grifix could grow other parts from those holes, but sometimes such parts are completely unrelated to the original shape of the sphirix, such as an extra leg that belongs to a different animal.

If the grifix was already in the zombie stage, they will simply have to re-learn everything about life and who they are, as their entire mind has been wiped out. They can start putting on weight, but none of the magic manifestations will apply to them anymore, they will no longer have a sphirix (but won't be bothered by it because they can't remember having one), and they can still leak corrupted magic sometimes, though in most cases the magic flow completely stops. They will lose their mind again if they aren’t fed any magic, but can live pretty well off of light beans, as they can provide enough magic. They don’t need any other food.

Such grifix can not see regular light, the only thing they can see is magic. In a grifix settlement such as the empire, it isn't a problem because every single thing is covered in magic residue so they can quite clearly see every building and grifix. They can't see through buildings, but they can see sphirix very clearly, as well as magic manifestations like yokai. If taken to a pony settlement or anywhere else outside a grifix inhabited place, they are completely blind due to the lack of magic residue. Unicorn settlements still have a bit of magic residue, but it's far from what a grifix settlement has, so they would still have trouble with seeing things.

If they don’t eat light beans or other magic sources for a long time, they will return to the zombie stage, and they must be exposed to Solaris and Rewind Flower smoke again. The smoke can be addictive, some will refuse to eat anything so they are exposed to the smoke more, but the smoke can lose its effect after too many uses., and then there won’t be any saving the grifix.

Light beans aren't edible for normal grifix. Only “zombies” can eat them. 

Thanks to Dawn-n-Night, Emizu_TH, kazoowary and MidnightStar for the large contribution on this lore piece.

THE KNOWLEDGE TREATY

The Great Cataclysm was a result of the Equestrian Leadership hiding information from the public, and even from those close to Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was worried about the statue that imprisoned Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow breaking, but wouldn't talk about it. When anybody would raise that issue she would lie and say it is impossible to break. Perhaps she just found it hard to rely on other people after the passing of her friends. Or perhaps she felt like she would fail Equestria if she couldn't solve the issue on her own. Or both. Regardless, she never solved the problem and the entierty of Equestria was destroyed. She failed everyone by lying and hiding the truth. 

By the end of her reign, no dangerous spells were available to anybody but herself. She collected any magical artifacts and completely erased their existence from history. Crime rate was as low as it could possibly be, and all were truly happy, so one could argue it was good. but in the end that prevented ponies and other creatures from finding a way to prevent the Great Cataclysm.

After the Great Cataclysm, a couple of leaders came together in order to find a way to prevent such events from ever happening again. They concluded that no creature should ever unite all species together and gatekeep their cultural heritage. That would make them vulnerable to loosing their cultures and the world's knowledge could be lost. They had to find a way to gather all of the World's knowledge and keep it safe. They concluded that the World's Cultural Heritage and Knowledge was more important than any life.

Those who signed the Knowledge Treaty were Queen Selenara of the Grifix, King Wolfwood of the Hippogriff, Queen Amethyst Flare of the Kirin and Changelings united, the Leader of Farasi and the Silent One.

The treaty implied that 4 enormous libraries would be built in the South, East, West and the North, the North one being the biggest and safest. 

The Great Southern Library is situated in the South of Equestria, on Mount Aris, but the most important artifacts are underwater, in Seaquestria. It is ran by Hippogriffs.

The Great Eastern Library is situated in the East of Equestria, in Farasi. It is ran by zebras, abada, kelpies and oni.

The Great Northern Library is deep in the Frozen North, in the grifix Frozen Empire. It is the biggest of them all, and the Treaty implies that all knowledge stored in the other libraries should eventually end up here. That is because grifix can't possibly create a united species empire, because nobody can see them, so there is no threat of history repeating. At the same time, the climate there is too harsh for anything to try to live there. Nothing could take over of that place, because once the grifix are gone it's impossible to live there. They are the only ones that can live there, so all information is safe from harm.

The Great Western Library is a mythical place. It was supposed to exist, but records of who the Silent One was have been forgotten by most, even tho they still exist in the Great Northern Library. If it was another species running this library in the west, they are believed to have went extinct by now, for nobody has heard of them in ages. 

Other than that, there's the Kirinaria Mercenary Group in central Equestria, right next to the Everfree Forest. Their "mercenary" title covers up their true purpose. They take jobs like any normal mercenary group and do people's dirty work, but they always keep an eye out for books and ancient artifacts, or anything that contains knowledge, like memory orbs. They temporarily store such artifacts in their camp until expeditions from one of the three libraries come to pick them up. Scholar Guild's grifix often send expeditions here.

There is however another reason for their placement next to the Everfree Forest. But first, it is important to know that the Great Cataclysm erupted from the Everdeep Lake, and caused a huge wave of radioactive water to hit Canterlot, so the area around Canterlot is the most damaged, mostly inhabitable, full of magic radiation. The Everfree Forest is almost entierly covered by a radioactive magic swamp. Still, what has become of the Tree of Harmony is still there, underground. And it hold some of the most important magical artifacts of all, more important than even the Elements of Harmony. That is what the Kirinaria Mercenary Group must keep watch of, in order to protect.

They don't live right next to it tho, because the radiation is too big there, they live a couple miles away, in an habitable area. Still, they are affected by slight radiation which causes their traits to act much more individually then in the past (for example, not all changelings look the same anymore).

Changelings and Kirin are united under one ruler because the changelings trust Amethyst Flare. When Chrysalis tried to take over them they refused because she showed signs of weakness in her actions, which they were disgusted of. Amethyst Flare may show compassion, but she never shows weakness so the changelings chose to follow her.

Most changelings in the Mercenary Group stay in their dark form, but it is unknown wether that's their true form or they just choose to shapeshift into that permanently. Kirin can now control their fire and use it to fight and kill if required.

Regularily, the Scholars Guild sends expeditions to the Kirinaria Mercenary Group or one of the two other libraries that are part of the Knowledge Treaty in order to bring artifacts and books to the Frozen Empire. Most grifix aren't aware of the Treaty, but it's usually cause it's none of their business, not because the information is kept away from them. 

The Crystal Empire Academy is not afiliated with the Knowledge Treaty, and the crystal ponies are not aware of it. The Crystal Empire has the 4th largest library in the world, tho they believe it is the biggest because they don't know of the Treaty. Members of the species part of the treaty do sometimes try to infiltrate and steal from the Crystal Academy so they can bring the Knowledge to one of the Knowledge Treaty libraries. However, in most cases they just transcribe books instead of stealing them.

Plants of the Grifixverse

The plants submitted during the Loveliest Woods event are finally up on the site! You can see all of them here together with some other plants created in the past which fibally have proper pages of their own! Thanks to everyone who submitted, and stay tuned for the release of the birds and animals submitted during the same event!

THE WATER PASSING CEREMONY

Funerary customs of the Lost Tribe

When a Lost Tribe grifix dies, the tribe will build a boat or a raft, depending on the deceased's social status, on which they will place the body under a pile of hay and dry wood, sometimes with important objects for the deceased. They will then push the raft onto whatever water they find close and an important grifix for the deceased (a member of the family or a friend) will fire a flaming arrow at it, burning the body.

It is believed that crossing the water will lead the soul to the First Warriors. The body and objects are burned to set free the soul from any earthly bindings.

Grifix believe that having their death ceremony held on the Origin Shore is much more honourable than anywhere else. Stubborn elders will not die anywhere else and drop dead the moment they reach the Origin Shore out of pure will power. Some will refuse to leave if they believe they will die the next 7 years, so sometimes members of their family will have to stay with them on the Origin Shore and wait for the Tribe’s return.

If there is no water next to where a grifix died, their body will be simply burned on the ground, but that is considered very humiliating for the deceased. Sometimes the family will refuse to hold the ceremony there, and carry the body around until they find some water, risking the well being of the tribe by attracting insects that carry diseases or animals that feed on corpses.

Thanks to CrystalIzzy77 for the large contribution on this lore piece

This is all for now! 

All the lore bits posted in this lore update have their own official pages on the site. Please do not refer to this lore update for the canon versions, as this post will NOT be updated so any lore changes in the future will only be visible on the official pages. Click on the titles in this post to see the official pages.