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 Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:05 pm
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The Pridelands is a vibrant and beautiful land. Home to hundreds of lions, a multitude of birds, other predators, and massive herds of gazelle, elephants, wildebeest, zebra, and more, it is a land built upon mutual cooperation and respect for everyone's place in the Circle of Life.
The Pridelands is a massive territory made of a plethora of terrain types, but the most prominent and common are mostly flat plains with soft rolling hills, dotted with rock formations and small forests, especially in the western savannah. The pride's borders are widespread, touching the horizon and beyond, and are able to safely accommodate all animals that call the Pridelands home. At its center is Pride Rock, a massive and ancient rock formation that faces the rising sun and which houses much of the pride's members.
The top of Pride Rock also overlooks the primary waterhole of the Pridelands, Lake Shangaza (Surprise). Feeding this expansive lake is the Tamu'maji (Sweet Water), one of the major Pridelands' rivers, that snakes its way across most of the eastern territory. A second, thinner river named Wingu'maji (Cloud Water) snakes through the western savannah, making its way down from the mountains in the northeast.
To the northeast is the elephant graveyard, a dark and desolate territory held by Mava'Bunda pack. While to the north, a large gorge splits the land apart, giving a natural boundary of the pride's borders, with the territory of the Motoujamii-Simo well beyond it. Mountains rise in the northeast, touching the sky and making the beginning of the former Umande'mfuni territory. While to the western border of the Pridelands end in the foothills of a smaller mountain chain, leading towards the territory of the Ela'wadiyi.
Directory
1. Location
2. Current Events
3. History
4. Culture |
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:44 pm
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The Circle of Life continues and peace has once again come to the Pridelands. While the pride mourns their losses and will for years to come, the deaths and disappearances have ceased in the following years since the Starfall. The murderer evidently moved on or simply passed in the interim years. The Cult of the Unknown has even become dormant, seemingly satisfied with no new sightings of the Black Beast that terrorized them on that fateful night. Terrible, obscure visions have also stopped plaguing the seers of the Pridelands.
King Tau was expected to take a queen and produce an heir, solidifying the royal line and mending the broken line of succession, but it would not be. The stress of ruling the Pridelands, all that occurred since his arrival from the Tianxia as barely more than a cub, and the lack of faith in him due to his heritage or missteps mounted upon Tau's shoulders until he inevitably bowed. Tau approached his grandfather, Simi, and abdicated the throne to him. Choosing to live in the Pridelands as a simple hunter rather than their king.
Acting as regent, Simi approached his council to speak on the news and their next move. Once again, a succession crisis is at hand and rumors have begun to spread about who the old king will choose as his heir. The pride is expecting news soon as Simi has fallen ill.
(Last Updated: October 30th, 2022) |
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:44 pm
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Reign of King Ahadi and Queen Uru (Pre-Shop History)
For as long as can recall, there have always been lions occupying Pride Rock. Some were cruel and cold, but most were kind and just, allowing the Pridelands to prosper under their gentle rule, becoming a place of plenty for those who live there. Even in their death, the lions of the Pridelands believe their past kings watch over them as the stars above.
King Ahadi was already a senior lion when his queen, Uru, birthed two heirs: Taka, the firstborn, who took more after his mother's appearance, and Mufasa, his younger brother, who inherited their father's robust looks. As is tradition, Taka was betrothed at birth to another cub born in the time around his birth, a cub named Sarabi. The cubs grew and the two brothers were the greatest of friends. While some would expect it, Mufasa did not begrudge Taka about his position as their father's heir, nor did he particularly seem to want the position for himself. They flourished into juveniles, Always off on some adventure or getting into mischief, perhaps a little more spoiled than most, but both still retained the innocence of childhood.
King Ahadi was getting old, weakening as his death loomed, and his sons were still not yet strong enough to take his place as the monarch of Pride Rock, but no king is meant to rule forever. In the dark of the night, a coalition of two males came to the Pridelands and killed King Ahadi, successfully taking over the Pridelands in the blink of an eye. The very same night, both Taka and Mufasa fled for their lives. In their escape, Taka's eye would be injured, branding him with a scar that follow him for the rest of his life. The brothers fled to the northeast, disappearing into the Umande'mfuni territory where they were largely ignored as the pride had their own troubles.
Months would slip by and Taka and Mufasa would grow into adolescents, nursing their hurts. Taka - always the intelligent one of the twain - thought it best to wait until they had gained their full strength before returning to the lands and challenging the rogue Kings. But Mufasa, impetuous and headstrong, disappeared one night to challenge them of his own accord. By lucky coincidence, one of the rogue males was out on patrol when Mufasa arrived. The young former prince, with the rage and untapped raw strength of adolescence, drove the other rogue out, before setting the rest of the pride - who were only too happy to get rid of the tyrants - out to drive out the patrolling rogue male.
In gratitude, the Pridelands' throne was given to Mufasa.
Reign of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi
Taka arrived the following day after Mufasa had freed the Pridelands from the tyrannical rule of the two males that killed their father. Bitter and shocked, he protested as he was his father's rightful heir! But his words fell on deaf ears and nothing Taka would say could sway Mufasa or the lionesses who believed that Mufasa had rightfully earned the position by avenging their father's death. In the end, Taka had to accept the reality of the situation and began nursing the wounds of his pride and dignity, using the plentiful amount of time given to think about his past and the pride's future.
The years that followed were prosperous. King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi welcomed Prince Simba, born right on schedule as the only cub in the litter, a rightful heir to the Pridelands' throne. Several other rogue cubs entered the territory and were accepted into the pride, although they left when older, they were still Pridelands once upon a time. Sarafine, a longtime friend of Sarabi from her childhood, briefly returned from her wandering with her daughter, Nala. However, before long, disaster struck the Pridelands. A plague had spread from the Umanda'mfuni to the very heart of the Pridelands, claiming many lives, including those of Prince Simba and his uncle, Lord Taka. The Circle of Life continues and life goes on.
In the days that followed the plague's dispersal, a former Motoujamii prince, Mwali, was accepted into the pride and to the surprise of all, fell in love with Koho, the pride's nanny and half-sister of Mufasa and Taka. A mated pair, Bakhti and Mahiri, were also accepted into the pride shortly after Mwali left to discover what was left of his kin while Koho remained behind, heavily pregnant. Among the cubs born were Mufasa and Sarabi's second litter, made of six cubs! Unfortunately, one little one did not survive. Soon after, Bakhti and Mahiri's two cubs were born. Life flourished in the Pridelands, cubs born and grown beneath the stars of the old kings. Mufasa and Sarabi's cubs soon reached adulthood, venturing to find mates and purpose for themselves. One of their sons, Uumikaji, left the pride in search of just that and was rumored to have fathered cubs with the nearby Kusini'Mwezi's princess in his adolescence. Rehani also had cubs in her adolescence with a prince of the Kusini'Mwezi. Kiuma, Uumikaji's twin sister, also disappeared beyond the Pridelands' borders. Of Bakhti and Mahiri's cubs, only Mchele remained in the Pridelands while Kiburi began to wander with no one quite certain of her whereabouts.
It seemed as though the season for cubs continued. Koho and Jasiri both had their litters, Bakhti had her second litter, and Maawio had grown into a fine huntress with a cub of her own in tow. With all the mouths to feed, it was fortuitous that they had several new and returning members of the pride, including Danzi, the son of the late Lord Taka and Mwali soon returned to the Pridelands to Koho and their cubs. A surprise to the pride, Kiuma returned, heavily pregnant, and gave birth soon after her arrival!
It was shortly after King Mufasa and the crown princess, Kamilika has since returned from her lessons on ruling that tragedy struck the Pridelands once again. King Mufasa defended a cub, Xu, from an attacking rogue (warning: mature!) but was mortally injured in the process. His daughter, Kamilika, and Ta'Ziyan rushed Mufasa back towards Pride Rock while the cub's mother, Ausi'juu, ran to inform Sarabi. The pair are reunited and spend Mufasa's remaining moment together before the king passed on.
Reign of Queen Kamilika
As arranged, Kamilika has taken up the throne and done her best to keep the Pridelands running as it was before her father's untimely death. The blow dealt to the Pridelands was deep as the pride went into mourning, but none deeper than the old queen, Sarabi. Her already declining health and the traumatic loss of her mate Mufasa brought a sudden end to the long-lasted rulers of the Pridelands as starvation and dehydration took the elderly lioness, although some claim she passed from a broken heart.
In the time surrounding Mufasa's death, Kiuma vanished once without a trace but returned shortly after, only to leave sometime later after saying her goodbyes.
Queen Kamilika and her consort, Ta'Ziyan, bore nine cubs and in a surprising move, the queen skipped over the firstborn, instead naming the twins as the heirs to the throne. In accordance with pride tradition, born heirs were given an arranged mate; a foreign princess and a Prideland commoner. However, her rule was not meant to be. Both Queen Kamilika and her daughter, crown princess Sarakiva, were stolen from the Pridelands by humans. While the pride searched far and wide for them, they could not be found.
Reign of King Simi and Queen Tufah
Confusion reigned and dominated the royal family as they were left with no heir to ascend the throne. In this time of uncertainty, Simi, the eldest of Kamilika's children, was nudged forward to become the Pridelands' king. To quiet the panic, he accepted the position but always held onto hope that it would be temporary and that his mother and sister would return. To aid him, he developed a council of old and wise members of the pride to act as advisors and help him lead the Pridelands out of the chaos that had enveloped them. This act was unheard of in the Pridelands at the time.
As the days stretched on, this hope dwindled and he found himself becoming more comfortable in the role of king and took a queen, Tufah, a granddaughter of Taka, and soon they had three children, Uru, Hanjari, and Lengusoni. Their middle child, Hanjari, was sent to the Tianxia to form an alliance between the two prides.
The peace the Pridelands enjoyed would be shattered swiftly as the Mava'bunda stole a cub from the Pridelands. Through their actions, the Pridelands escalated the conflict by torturing a juvenile hyena within their territory for information on the stolen cub, leading to a scuffle as other hyenas came to defend their own and the death of Waridi. War breaks out between the two groups. Lions and hyenas both fall during the prolonged conflict that ended with infighting within the Mava'bunda, but not before Simi was critically injured. Losing much of his mobility, the king was mostly confined to Pride Rock as the war came to a close.
In the aftermath, the reality of how fragile the Pridelands' succession line became apparent and word reaches the Tianxia shortly after the birth of Hanjari's children. A few months later, the Tianxian Emperor's emissary would arrive in the Pridelands with a golden cub in tow. Tutored by King Simi in Pride Rock, this cub would later be introduced to the pride as Tau, son of Prince Hanjari and their crown prince!
Tau studied under his grandfather well into his adult mane, learning from the council in equal parts as he prepared to become the king. Soon enough, the day arrived when King Simi stepped aside, joining the council that helped guide him, and allowed Tau to take his place as King of the Pridelands.
Reign of King Tau
One of King Tau's first acts was to begin building a force strong enough to deter the Mava'bunda and to achieve his goals, Tau sent word to his father in the Tianxia for aid. Although the request was to build a force to deter threats, it is sent not a moment too soon as seers among the Pridelands began seeing premonitions of something looming. Thrain, a nephew of Simi's who had joined the Tianxia's North House and proven himself a capable warrior, was sent to the Pridelands. Accompanying him was a small contingent of soldiers from the North House. The company arrived in the Pridelands a month later and set to work training the new soldiers of the Pridelands.
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Shortly before the Tianxian militia left, the darkness would begin to descend upon the Pridelands as Biskuti was murdered, her son confronting the king about the killing. In his mourning, Mkate meets Vitha, a lioness who seemed resolute in her belief that something foul would befall the Pridelands and that they needed to stop it. A lioness emerged to oppose her, Aoife, who tried to calm the worries Vitha sought to spread in her call that begins to spread even to the youth of the pride. As Vitha's cult grows in strength with every ear willing to listen, the council convenes to decide what is to be done with them. Unfortunately, no decision was reached, allowing the cult to continue unimpeded until one fateful night.
Kohaku, a huntress in the Pridelands, was murdered on the borders, and her daughter, Rinj, has been missing since. Shani, the mate of council member Wahabu, goes missing the day before the night the stars began to fall. It had been a beautiful night, one meant to bring the pride together, let them mingle, and get to know their king, but the night ended in such heartbreak as members of the Pridelands fell while the gods used the pride as their battleground. Many died and more were injured as meteorites fell from the sky, some thinking they were rained down by the Great Kings. Thankfully, the gods dispersed on their own after the pride evacuated to the borders and to Pride Rock.
A few days after the stars fell, Wahabu, a long-serving councilor, goes missing without any evidence of a struggle and with no witnesses. Vitha confronts Tau in front of the entire pride about his handling of the Starfall, the murders and kidnappings that are now plaguing the pride. She demanded he steps down, citing the Starfall as a sign he is unfit to rule the Pridelands. Tau refutes her, claiming that his stepping down would weaken the pride. The pair converse back and forth for some time, revealing to the pride as a whole the murder and missing lions.
The following months saw the Pridelands close their borders, placing curfews and restrictions for those wishing to join the pride. All efforts were placed to find Wahabu and Rinj, and to discover the murderers within their midst, but with no clues or witnesses, and with time, the cases grew cold.
Last Updated: October 30th, 2022 |
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:44 pm
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The Pridelands is a very accepting pride, open to all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds so long as they abide by the laws of the land and aid their fellow pride member. All members are expected to have open minds and be accepting of others. The ultimate goal is one of peace and prosperity under the sun that resides above them.
Non-Lions
Although the Pridelands is a lion-dominated pride, any species is welcome to live within the boundaries of the Pridelands. They are expected, as any member, to help contribute towards the pride as best they can, through hunting, scouting, watching over cubs, etc. As such, the romance between species can (and has) happen. Hybrids are treated like any other members and are expected to pull their weight to live within the protection of the Pridelands.
Despite past grudges, hyenas are allowed to live within the Pridelands, so long as they have no current ties to the Mava'bunda clan that lives within the elephant graveyard.
Circle of Life
An ideology that is held by the Pridelands. In it, all things work in a delicate balance that must be respected and protected. This cycle contains all organisms, from plants to insects, and all animals--big and small. Respect for this balance comes in the form of never taking more than what is required for survival. Thus greed, gluttony, poaching, and thievery are looked down upon and are crimes within the Pridelands.
When an animal has passed on, they are said to have completed its journey through the Circle of Life as they continue the cycle for another organism or returns to the earth to begin the circle again.
The preservation of the Circle of Life is a primary duty of the ruler of Pride Rock. Animals that willfully disrespect the Circle of Life may be condemned to exile, to protect the Pridelands.
The Gods of SoA
The Pridelands are not religious on the aspect of gods. Despite everything that has happened to them, the royal family and by proxy, the rest of the pride, does not put belief in gods, offering them no worship. While they are seen and known to the pride, they are expected to be like any other member of the pride - respectful and courteous. They may live within the Pridelands in peace, as long as they help their fellow members. Gods are given no special treatment by the pride.
Seers
Many seers live within the Pridelands, calling these lands home. While some prides may utilize their unique gifts, the Pridelands do not. They are treated like any other member of the pride. In the case of those whose visions become violent or severely debilitating, they are often kept near the nannies or healers to help better keep an eye on them.
Rite of Passage
The first hunt of a new adolescent is something to celebrate. They are seen off by the pride, often accompanying others into the grasslands where they take down their first kill. They may do this in the company of their fellow littermates, peers, or more skilled hunters. This is a very important milestone for the Pridelands, as it begins the respect and expectation that the new hunter will help contribute to the survival and prosperity of the pride.
Royal Introduction
All cubs born from the monarchs are celebrated by the pride through festivities that last weeks; from the time the queen is in labor, to the first time the cub is brought out upon Pride Rock to be shown to the whole pride. Even other inhabitants of the Pridelands are welcome to attend. Their introduction is marked by the cubs being escorted down and taken to the Mizimu Grove, where a baobab tree is planted for each of them by the historians of the Pridelands.
Royal Coronation
When a new monarch ascends Pride Rock to take the place of their predecessor, they will address the entirety of the Pridelands, typically making a small speech. They will then roar to all those before them. If a Pridelander accepts their new ruler, they will roar in reply or make as much noise as they are able should they be incapable of roaring. Even other inhabitants, such as the elephant, zebra, and gazelle herds are all invited. Traditionally, there are at least a few days of celebration where stories of old kings and queens are shared.
Kupatana
An annual celebration of the Circle of Life, Kupatana is held in April. It takes place in the Mizimu Grove, an expansive grove of baobab trees planted by historians over the generations to mark the birth of royal cubs. The entire Pridelands is invited, including inhabitants that live in the lands such as zebra and elephants, to watch the baobab flowers blossom and fall. Kupatana occurs during the night and is used as a time to pay respects and reflect on one's place in the Circle of Life. It is customary to eat the fallen flowers. This event occurs in April.
Pampoja
An annual celebration of friends and families, Pampoja is held in December. Members of the Pridelands will exchange gifts with friends, family, and loved ones throughout the three-day celebration. These gifts are often something worn, such as a necklace or feather earring, but may be as thoughtful and complex as the gifter would like them to be. The gift-giving celebration is marked by the decoration of acacia trees throughout the Pridelands with strings of fruits, flowers, and gourds. |
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:45 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:45 pm
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