The chiefs and riders of the Galanini all saw that Dari fears were correct. But in order to unite, they would have to share their lands and their horses and that they would not do.
Far-sighted as he was, Dari saw that a new way of unity was necessary. He went to Drom to search for the brothers of Galanin and returned with four herds, each following a banner of a different colour.
The first was the Nas Banner which was black. The Horses of the Nas Herd were all demons from Hell that loved the taste of human flesh.
The second was the Wes Banner which was green. The riders of the Wes Herd were so close to their horses when riding that observers thought they were centaurs.
The third banner was the Sur which was white. The horses of the Sur Herd were immune to the cold and the mountains and the troop specialized in winter attacks.
The fourth banner was the Ot banner which was Blue. The horses of the Ot troop could swim in the water as fast as they charged on the land.
When it came to organizing the lands of the banners, Dari divided the lands of the tribes among each banner, creating the ridings of Naskorion and so forth. But he divided the lands in such a way that no banner would be totally secure against its foes but must rely on their fellow banners.
While Dari lived, no tribe dared to defy him but only the Korioni wholeheartedly embraced his reforms. The Fornao were too fragmented and too beset by the Seshnegi to amount to much. The conservative Utoni dragged their feet and after Hrelar Amali, their holy city was sacked, they saw the event as divine justice and abandoned the banners. Thereafter the Horse troops of the Banners were only to be found in Korion.
The Nas Banner was favoured by the Arkati and were quickly eradicated by the God Learners for this reason. Rumors persist that it survives in the west over the mountains.
The Wes Banner was plundering Seshnela when the Luatha landed. They lost their ability to become man and horse and founded a kingdom of centaurs in Old Seshnela.
The Sur Banner fought for the God Learners. But after the Battle of the High Pools, the survivors fled into Dorastor where they were presumed destroyed.
The Ot Banner alone remains in Ralios and the Blue Horse Troop is part of the army of Otkorion. Yet the Marshal has been having dreams that warn the four banners must be united before disaster returns to Ralios.
--Peter Metcalfe
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