Samanayrs live in groups called Songs, and may only breed with the other members of their Song. A Song must have at least one stallion and one mare, and can have up to one stallion and four mares. Some species may not be in the same Song or compatible for breeding unless certain requirements are met, but there's more information on that below.

song basics | expanding your song | song types | breeding season
breeding success | inheriting traits and colors | breeding items

Song Basics

Here's the basic rules and information for Song creation:

• Only a stallion and his fosterer can found a Song. To found a Song, the stallion must have at least one mare willing to join.
• The Song must either have its own webpage (example goes here), or a page on the Song board on the forum. The page or post are used to keep track of Song members and any offspring the Song produces. This page is maintained by the stallion's fosterer and needs to have at least a list of current members and offspring.
• There is a maximum of one stallion and four mares for each Song.
• Songs are named in the following format: "Song of the (something) (something)." eg, Song of the Running Brook.
• A Samanayr may only be a member of one Song, and may not leave one Song to join another except in very exceptional circumstances.

Expanding your Song

Once a stallion has created a Song, it's likely he's going to want to more members, unless he's singularly devoted to his founding mare. While a stallion may be content having only one Song member, he's probably going to want to expand his numbers.

Other mares can be courted with gifts and fine words, and assurances that the stallion will be able to support her, the other Song members, and any foals that may result. Each Samanayr obviously has their own personal standards when searching for a Song or for new Song members, whether it's based on personality, traits, or other characteristics. Compatibility with the other mares of the Song is also important and a mare may reject a Song entirely on the basis that she does not get along with one of the other members.

Stallions can find new members for their Songs by posting on the Personals board of the forum, or contacting a mare's fosterer directly to gauge her interest in joining his Song. Mares can also contact the stallion to request to join his Song.

Song Types

There are a few different types of Songs that you may encounter.

• Open Song - Anyone is welcome to apply for a breeding with any of the Samanayrs in the Song without asking permission from the fosterer of the stallion or mare. If you apply for a breeding with a pair from an open Song and the breeding results in a foal, it is considered polite to let the Song owner know so that they can update their records.
• Closed Song - All of the members of this Song require permission from their fosterer before applying for a breeding with them. Applying for a breeding with two Samanayrs from a closed Song without asking permission may result in a ban from Samanayrs.
• Semi-Open Song - While you don't need to ask permission from the stallion's fosterer to apply for a breeding, you may need to ask permission from one or more of the mare's fosterers if you'd like to apply for a breeding with them. Check the Song page carefully before applying.
• Pair Song - This Song is made up entirely of a single stallion and mare. They are completely dedicated to each other, and have no interest in finding other mares to join their Song.

Breeding Season

Nearby Songs tend to coordinate their births so that the majority of foals are born more or less at the same time. This time is known as a breeding season. The frequency of breeding seasons can depend on a number of factors, such as the already-existing concentration of Samanayrs in the area, the population of nearby predators, and the availability of food and water.

Please observe the breeding season rules carefully before applying:

• Breeding seasons are announced on the forum. If applications aren't open, please don't apply!
• You must be applying with a stallion and mare that are in the same Song.
• Each mare can only be bred once per breeding season. There are no limitations for stallions.
• The Song must be registered on the forums.
• If you're applying with a pair from a closed Song, or with a mare that requires permission from her fosterer, the fosterer will be required to send in a permission form. This process will be outlined in the post announcing the breeding season.
• There is a limit of two Modiems per breeding. More information on those can be found at Expedition HQ.

Instructions on how to apply will be available in the post announcing that breeding season is open, and generally involve PMing or posting a form.

Breeding Success

Samanayrs naturally have about a 30% breeding success rate. This means that a Samanayr breeding will be successful about 30% of the time.

Of course, there are a few modifiers that can affect a breeding's success as well. Some of these affect the entire Song, and other modifiers just affect the success of an individual.

Inheriting Traits and Colors

At the moment, Samanayrs follow a very simple (and technically incorrect.. eh heh) form of genetics. If one of the parents has a special trait, there is a 50% chance that the foal will inherit it. If both parents have the same trait, there is a 100% chance the foal will inherit it. Random traits may also appear - the result of hidden genetics or random mutations? Who knows!

The species of the foal is also determined randomly, if the parents are of different species. Most cross-breed foals will result in a hybrid of the two species, with some traits from both of the species. Occasionally a foal will inherit all of the traits of one of the parents' species, and will be considered to be of that species.

Foals of Mystics are determined differently. There is no such things as a hybrid or partial Mystic - a Samanayr is either one or not. There is about a 20% chance that the foal of a Mystic crossed with another species of Samanayr will be a Mystic, and if two Mystics have a foal the chance is increased to 50%. The same is also true for Miseries - a Samanayr can't be a part-Misery.

Colors and patterns are inherited from both parents. Some colors tend to be more dominant than others, while others are less dominant, but at the moment inherited colors and patterns are determined more or less randomly. The occasional color mutation may also spring up.

Modifications

There is a limit of two Modiems per breeding, with the exception of rarity Modiems, which are unlimited. Unlike when they're used to alter an adult Samanayr, there are no restrictions as to the type of Modiem that can be used. Please see the Modiems page for more information on the different types and their effects.

In most cases, the mare can only use Modiems when she finds out she's pregnant. If your breeding is not successful and you had applied with Modiems, you will still keep your items. Some will be used up regardless of whether the breeding is successful or not, but these are clearly marked.