Griffon

 Griffons are sentient creatures who are half eagle and half lion. They originated in the mountains of the eastern continent, which became known as Griffonia after their race spread across it. Thanks to their wings they are able to fly, which makes traversing rough terrain easy for them. However, they lack the strong magical capabilities of Unicorns and Changelings and are only capable of enchantments and incantations.

Lore
Griffons, like Dragons, are known for their insatiable greed and selfishness. They value wealth above all else, and thus traditional Griffon societies are highly hierarchical ones where rich landowners rule over a population of impoverished peasants. Griffon realms tend to be highly fractured and they indeed have only been united once, by Grover I of Griffonstone, and even then only with the help of the Idol of Boreas. After it was lost, the Empire began to decline before finally breaking apart.

Knights are another unique feature of Griffon culture that have existed for centuries and have not been made obsolete even by modern technology. It is said the knights originated when wealthy rulers wished to protect their vast treasuries and thus hired and trained elite soldiers to guard them. Whether commoners are allowed to become knights or if the title is only restricted to nobles varies from place to place, but all across the continent they are considered the best soldiers a ruler can have.

Original griffon cities, such as Griffonstone, were built in the mountains, but over time the Griffons spread and settled the flat lowlands which were more fertile and suitable for agriculture. As such Griffon architecture is highly adaptive and they have no trouble building and living in plains, hills or even mountains.

Griffon Religion
Griffons have their own pantheon of Gods, and reject the Equestrian claims that Luna and Celestia are responsible for raising the sun and moon, and similarly the more pastoral religious beliefs of the primitive eastern ponies. The four main gods are the following: These gods (except for Maar) are widely worshiped across Griffon society, though more radical secular political movements reject their authority, or at least the claimed authority of its priests. Maar, with its evil associations, is only worshiped in secret cults, and its believers are hunted down wherever they are found. In addition, Griffons worship a variety of local deities and spirits.
 * Boreas - the King of all Gods, god of Rulership, the Sky and Wealth, who gave them Intelligence
 * Arcturius - God of War, Metallurgy, and Sacrifice, who gave them Strength
 * Eyr - Goddess of Fertility, Family, and Agriculture, who gave them Bodies
 * Maar - God of Death, Madness, and Cruelty, who gave them Souls

The minor gods and spirits are numerous, too numerous to list, as is the amount of minor cults and religious denominations, but some of the prominent ones include:
 * Cult of Arantigos - Boreas of the Barony of Arantiga, which believes that after his death Arantigos merged with Boreas.
 * River goddess Eviliana of the Kingdom of Brodfeld, a personification of the Evi River and the patron goddess of the Kingdom.
 * Old Believers of the Greifenmarschen and the  Free Territory of Adelart strongly oppose the Archons and believe they are unnecessary.
 * Sea goddess Sycaecia of Sicameon, who gave the country its name.
 * The Wise Lady of the Kingdom of Vedina, who aided the first King,

The Three Archons and The Structure Of The Church
Griffons have always been religious, and the three primary gods Boreas, Arcturius, and Eyr are widely worshipped. The centralization of the Empire saw religion and state intertwine, as the three orders headquartered near or in Griffenheim, claiming a divine mandate for the Grover Dynasty's rule.

Today, the three Archons (High Priests) are
 * Eros VII - Archon of Boreas, the most powerful of the Gods. Eros was born at the height of the Empire's power, and remained a faithful servant of Empire and Gods. He rescued Grover V from revolutionaries, and has developed a burning hatred for the nobility for its role in the Empire's decline. He is based in Griffenheim.
 * Erion XII - Archon of Eyr, the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Erion is a zealous, charismatic militant who resides in Romau.
 * Proteus III - Archon of Arcturius, Proteus is a knight-priest formerly based out of Rila, but currently resides in Griffenheim. He is friendly to the good and unsparing to heretics and sinners. Popular with both the people and the military, Proteus is less popular with his own priesthood due to his neglect of administrative duties.

Gameplay
Griffon countries receive a unique unit - Knights. Akin to pony Pegasi, those noble, armour clad griffons are a mobile unit with bonuses to fighting in hilly terrain. Compared to Pegasi, they are slower, but with more substantial attack potential. With later techs, it will be possible to choose to whether limit the recruitment to those of noble blood, equipping them with more expensive Magical Weapons, or let the common griffons join their ranks.

With every race having different magical aptitudes, griffons are masters of enchanting objects with magical power. A griffon country will be able to use that to improve their economy and industry, as well as their military.

The tech folder contains one mutually exclusive path, related to military technology. It is between allowing the griffon in charge to either focus on hard-hitting soldiers clad in enchanted armour, or lightning-fast strikes and mobility. The naval and airforce branch focuses on improving ships and aircraft, alongside air / naval base construction speed improvement. Please note that while some percentage stat increases may seem insanely high, they correspond to much smaller increases in reality.

Knight Specialisation
These techs are unlocked after Knights Division II. It is required to complete one of these mutually exclusive choices before continuing to further knight related research.