Harbeindgar was a warring nation far west of Helovia, about two years travel by hoof. Two classes existed in the land: civilian and military. Civilians were noted as bare minimum government, which consisted of five individuals who settled disputes among the population and were emissaries for neighboring lands, and those deemed "helpless", meaning they were unskilled in the art of war. Citizens in these categories were often foals, elderly, or weakly built comrades. The vast majority of the realm adhered to the much respected military.
Foals entered in Battalion, a school for battle, upon weaning. Those who were still unfit to enter were held back for a year, and those too young remained at their mother's sides. Battalion was separated by age and rank within your class.
As probably expected, rank was determined by skill of battle, namely your ability to defeat those of your class. The head of the class was held by the undefeated fighter, with second only being defeated by the head of the class and so on. Fights of this kind were often spars which ended when your opponent yields before you, by bowing on one leg or calling for a halt. Mercy calls were made by advisors, retired fighters with keen eyes.
Graduation from Battalion ended upon your second year of life, where you entered into the main force of the military - the Shield. Ranking of the Shield is divided into Intelligence and Brute Force, ordering determined by annual tournaments.
Intelligence is required to have "minimal physical prowess", meaning they are able to best a graduating senior from Battalion in battle. They are then given a set of information to gather and several other tasks to determine the level of wit and stealth. Military commanders and strategists arise from the Intelligence portion.
Brute Force is a single elimination tournament which follows the same spar rules as in Battalion. The ordering of Brute Force is determined by order in this tournament, with the first being the head of the striking military, with others following behind. The first 50 fighters were often held in what is called the "First Class" of Brute Force, which is a class of highly skilled fighters used for fast and hard attacks that do not require the full might of the Harbeindgar military.
After nearly 100 years of peace except within their own borders, the lands of Harbeindgar were invaded by hundreds of magic wielding equines lead by Galen the Menace, where many of the Harbeindgar citizens fought to their deaths and few escaped. Those who remained within the borders of their former home were enslaved, used as entertainment or protection.
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