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 Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:22 am
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:24 am
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History
Long ago, there were lions everywhere in the known world. In the plains and mountains and snows beyond the northern sea, in the lands east of that, and all across Africa. And then Man rose up after the lion, and began to slay it, until none were left in the lands west of the sky-touching mountains north of the northern sea, except in the lands surrounding the warm sea. And then men from the east traveled west, along what Man dubbed the Silk Road, and took back to their lands and palaces lions from Africa, for they were far superior to their cousins in what the lions came to know as Asia in size and might. And the lions were spoiled for many, many generations.
But a cub was born one say who was not pleased with his lot in life. He was not happy to be pampered, but wanted to hunt like the great striped cats beyond the walls of their confinement. And so he plotted, and confided in the other cubs, until their generation was grown and had their own cubs, and those cubs had grown and had their own, and outnumbered those that wished to continue to be pampered, and they left for their ancestral lands, pulled by a silent call.
It was on this great journey that a litter was born. The cubs were nothing out of the unusual, in their usual browns and golds, but one was born who was, beyond his mane, stark white - The mane that fringed his face grew in black and majestic, a stark contrast to his striking blue eyes. Something tickled in his ears from the day he could see - The voices of the gods, telling him just where to go once they reached Africa. As luck would have it, he was the grandson of the current leader, Changpu - The very lion who'd set them all on this journey. The cub was named Jianyu, for his gift the others knew he had.
It was as they traveled the north-flowing river through the desert that Changpu died, and his oldest daughter and mother of Jianyu, Jingjing, took leadership. Growing up far and away from their natural ways, the pride - By now composed of even lions from Asia major and minor - had developed their own ways, as unusual as they were at the time. Jingjing proved as able a leader as her father, heeding her son's words on their continued trek south. It was under her watchful eye that the pride soon reached the southern end of the Great Desert, traveling up into mountains that seemed so much like the ones back in Asia - And it was here the pride began to flourish.
But as his mother aged, Jianyu continued to urge the pride to keep going - They were almost to their promised land, the place the gods of old had told him about. The pride, weary from travel, refused and settled where they were. Not wanting to be thrown from his position, Jianyu settled with them. And for a long time, they were peaceful, maintaining some traditions from Asia.
And so the patterns of the pride seemed to set into stone. Slowly, other blood came in, and the colors changed from just tawny browns and golds, to many others. Generations passed, with Jianyu's line taking on prominence - Many of the rulers born were black and white, a perfect balance of the yin and yang they'd carried from Asia.
So it happened that, one day, the royal litter arrived right on time. The oldest daughter, again a perfect balance of black and white, was named heiress by the king, and given the name Daiyu, for her eyes were a deep green from her mother. It was at this time, too, that another litter was born, and in it a male cub with a perfect balance of blue and gold. He was chosen as the consort to the heiress and named Mengyao.
As it turned out, Mengyao was as gifted as Jianyu generations before, hearing whispers from the gods of a land more perfected for their pride. It sat by a river, they said, and was dominated by two mighty baobab trees. At first he ignored them, focusing on his lessons from the queen, until his mane began to grow in fully. Like his coat, it was blue and gold, the gold streaking through it beautifully. He cast an impressive sight, that was certain. It was at this time that the voices of the gods became ernest - They warned him, and he in turn warned his mate of, an impending calamity. She was wary to believe him, but humored him with questions of it that he answered as best he could. Still, she put it on the back burner, as it were.
And then disaster struck. Multiple things happened at once - An earthquake, a fire, a flood. The pride was devestated, with few left. Curiously, only those of two colors were left, as if the gods had spared them. It was then that Mengyao spoke to the pride, now as their king, of his visions and the whisperings from the gods and the warnings. Daiyu, finally, declared that they had to leave, for the pride's safety, and they went on another great journey. Unlike the first, though, it was neither as long, nor did they allow just ANY lions to join. They had become superstitious, as those not of two colors in some form of balance had been the ones to die. They soon reached the land by the river, dominated by two baobab trees, and settled there. For many generations more, they were happy.
A new problem arose, though, under Queen Meifeng's reign. Too many lions were related, with the only two litters NOT being related being her own impending litter and another lioness' slightly older litter. And there was no gurantee that one of her cubs would be a boy and one of the other lioness' cubs a girl. So she sent the mateless lions of the pride out into the world to gather others of only acceptable coloration numbers. It was a hard choice, but she had faith in her pride.
It was well placed, as the males returned with new mates and many of the females returned pregnant. Those that didn't return pregnant returned with a mate who WOULD get them pregnant and help dilute the gene pool. With the event a resounding success, Meifeng declared that at the end of every summer, members of the pride would go out to gather new blood, one way or another. In the generations that followed, a few orphan cubs were brought back, bolstering the numbers and the gene pools, until the pride was, again, no longer in danger.
And so the generations continued to pass, until the pride had long forgotten the fact they'd ever been anything but bi-colored lions. That is, until the day the first Kabuki was born.
He was given a dark name, for surely, the soothsayers and monks said, he was an omen. He wasn't sent away, yet, though, as the lions were sure he might be a good sign for the pride, too. The majority ruled in his favor, until the plague struck. Most of the pride was killed, with only a handful left. The omenous lion was sent away, and the pride began to rebuild.
Makoto, the king of the generation, found a new problem - Of the adults left that were single, many were his cousins or other relatives, and he couldn't see taking a cub as a future mate. His betrothed had been killed in the plague, after all, and he mourned for her. But the pride's future had to come before his greif, and he struck out into the roguelands with the others with no mates, seeking a new queen. He found her out there, a lioness of a red-brown and black coloration, and brought her home. While up to that point it had never been heard of for a king or queen to take part in the Festival of the Rogue, times were desperate, and Makoto needed himself a queen. Thus it was that he left and returned, and the pride began to pick itself back up.
It was in this time that a new litter was born, the first since the plague. Their mother had been weakened by the disease, and she survived long enough for her cubs to be weened, but they were a sight to see, in the least - A boy and a girl, identical to the marking, and each bore three colors. They were the younger siblings of the Kabuki, and at first the pride was wary, as like him, they bore strange marking patterns. But the pride began to flourish again after their birth, and the monks and soothsayers decreed that as long as it had a balance, a twin of some sort, the cub was not a Kabuki.
Now they simply continue their rebuilding, seeking new members from the outside world. The time has come again for anther Festival of the Rogues... How will the pride handle it this time?
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:28 am
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Beliefs
The pride believes deeply, first and foremost, in balance - Yin and Yang, female and male, night and day, dark and light. Everything they do and everything they believe in finds basis in this single, core belief. As such, they believe firmly in every lion only having one mate, of the opposite gender - To take a same-gender partner disurpts the balance of nature, destroying the Yin and the Yang. So, too, does rogue breeding. For this reason, it's not typically permitted. There is a period of exception, of course...
The color of a lion's pelt isn't so much important as that it's ONLY two colors(Mane/tail included, but nose/inner ears, and depending on if they come from another pride, paw pads do NOT count) - One light, one dark. It doesn't particularly matter if it's two shades of one color, or how much of each color, so long as they fulfill the light/dark balance. Should a lion be born of any more or less number of colors, unless they have a twin of opposite coloring but the same markings(Or opposite gender with identical markings), they are evicted at adolescence.
Rearing of young is done by the parents. It is not the king's place to say how a guard raises his sons and daughters, or how a soothsayer teaches her young, and neither is it their place to tell the king and queen how to raise their children. The only exception is when the consort is chosen and learns from the non-heir/ess King/Queen.
Names are always Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, Korean... Any of of those will do! Please note, that does NOT mean "Asianise an English name" - This means no names like "Pepusi Norisu", those WILL NOT fly and you WILL be asked to change it. This does not apply to lions joining the pride from the outside(Because the pride believes that's a connection one should keep with their family).
Only lions are permitted in the pride as members. A leopard, hyena, or cheetah may reside in the area, but they can't actually join the pride. Hybrids are seen as an affront to the balance of the world and attacked if they wander in or killed if born in.
Gods worshipped by the pride are thus:
God of Balance - Everything in the world is balanced, again, in the form if yin and yang.
Goddess of Harmony (In keeping with the balance of things, the pride just figures Harmony's a girl) - When the world is balanced, it is in harmony
Goddess of Mirrors - Mirrors portray a perfect reflection of the world, and thus any lion finding a mirror is considered very lucky. Identical twins are also seen as mirror images of each other, and are especially good luck for the pride.
God of Reflection - The God of Reflection's worship comes in the form of twins who are identical beyond gender, or identical beyond the coloring. They are reflections of each other, their opposites.
Dens are... Actually almost never used. Except for the royalty and the monks and soothsayers, the whole pride sleeps jumbled around one of two Baobab trees. The two trees in question are hollowed out(They're rather long dead), with the royalty in one and the monks and soothsayers in the other. By now, nobody remembers how they were even carved out...
Familiars are typically badgers, jackals, and birds. Maned wolves, being an introduced species, are seen as an exotic 'pet', and reserved only for the monks and soothsayers. Prey animals are NEVER familiars, although it's not unheard of to keep a herd of klippspringers around for... Just in case. Snakes are killed on the spot, seen as a danger to cubs. Gennets and servals are uncommon familiars.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:36 am
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Ceremonies, Festivals, and Traditions
Festival of Lights - Every winter, on the solstice, the pride gathers at the near-by river with little lantern-boats made of large leaves. Each one containes three fireflies, and on each one is inscribed by a priest/ess a wish for the next year. At midnight, when the moon is at its highest, everybody sets their boats adrift on the river, carrying their wishes to the sea.
Presentation of the heir/ess - After the first royal litter of the couple is born(Or second, if the first has no cubs of the opposite gender of the current heir-born ruler) and once the cubs are old enough to walk and talk, the newest heir/ess is presented to the pride as a whole. To do this, a monk or soothsayer, depending on the cub's gender(Monk for a female cub, soothsayer for a male) will take the chosen heir to the top of the royal baobab and call the pride to order, where they will then introduce the heir/ess by holding them up by the scruff, then descend back to the ground and more personally introduce the cub to its future subjects.
Festival of the Rogue - Once a year, during a random month, lionesses who have not yet found a mate may wander out into the roguelands to have a fling with either a rogue male, or a male from another pride. This is to help keep fresh blood in the pride, and hopefully they bring some boys home to help bolster numbers. If they don't bring their fling home, they ARE expected to bring home any cubs that fit the pride's coat standers and any twins. When they come home, either with or without a male, and with any cubs they bring home, celebrations are thrown with feasting and stories. It's not unheard of for a lioness to take a while to get back home, since they don't typically leave the pride's lands. After six months, though, a lioness is given up for gone and a wish for her safety in the world is inscribed on a lantern-boat at the next Festival of Lights. Now and then, even the males will go out if none of the girls catch their eye... Or the only available girls are TOO related. (OOC: This actually takes place over an OOC period of one month, in September)
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:39 am
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Ranks
Every rank of the Pínghéng Pride was chosen ages ago to perfectly symbolise balance and harmony. Everything has a specific gender role, with not one broken.
King - The male ruler of the pride, he symbolises the Yang of the pride; He controls ONLY the males of the pride. (1/1)
Queen - The female ruler of the pride, she symbolises the Yin of the pride; She controls ONLY the females of the pride. (1/1)
Heir/ess - The next ruler in line. Every generation, this alternates as to if it's male or female. If the king inherited the throne, then his first-born daughter takes the title of heiress. When she bears a litter, her first-born son becomes the heir. Their mate is often chosen for them from amid the rest of the pride(To prevent inbreeding).
Royal Brother/Sister - The brothers and sisters of the heir/ess. When they become adolescents, depending on if they're seers or not, they become either a priest/ess, guard, or huntress. They get no special treatment after adolescence and are expected to take a mate and pull their weight like the rest of the pride.
Consort - The future mate of the heir/ess, they adopt this title as soon as they are chosen and are sent to learn from the king or queen, whoever is the current non-inheriting ruler, on how to act and be a king/queen. This is the only exception to parents typically teaching their cubs about the pride and the world. When the heir/ess becomes king/queen, the consort takes up the opposite title.
Monk/Soothsayer - There are always equal numbers of monks and soothsayers - Monks being the males, and soothsayers being the females. These are the seers of the pride, maintaining the religion of the pride. Past-seeing seers are in charge of maintaining the history, while present-seeing seers help in daily tasks like hunting and guarding, and future-seeing seers are asked to divine the future. These lions answer equally to the king AND queen. (Unlimited)
Head Guard - Always male; He answers only to the king, and commands the guards of the pride (0/1)
Guard - The adolescent and adult males of the pride, they answer to the Head Guard and the King (Unlimited)
Head Huntress - Always female; She answers only to the queen, and commands the huntresses of the pride (0/1)
Huntress - The adolescent and adult females of the pride, they answer to the Head Huntress and the Queen (Unlimited)
Elder - The lions of the pride too old to fight or hunt. This is a gender-neutral title, and any lion may become an Elder, including the current King and Queen.
Little Brother - The male cubs and juveniles of the pride, they answer to their parents (Unlimited)
Little Sister - The female cubs and juveniles of the pride, they answer to their parents (Unlimited)
Kabuki - Any cub born with more or less than two colors to its coat - They are evicted at adolescence, since the first one in generations to be born is believed to have brought the plague at adulthood.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:43 am
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Members
Makoto - King (Andranis) - The current king of the pride, Makoto's reign has been marked by hardships, between the kabuki's birth, the plague, and most of the pride being killed, including his first queen and the cubs she'd been carrying. With a rogue lioness as his new queen, he hopes to restore the pride to the glory it used to have.
Lala - Queen (Peppermint Coffee) - The new queen of the pride, Makoto met her in the Roguelands.
Name - Head Guard (Owner) - X
Name - Head Huntress (Owner) - X
Name - Monk (Owner) - X
Name - Soothsayer (Owner) - X
Name - Guard (Owner) - X
Cera - Huntress (Andranis) - A recently joined rogue, Cera joined in the days after the plague with her hawk, Petri. Tough and no-nonesense, she takes her job seriously and kicks the tail of any who question her. Her goal is to one day be the head huntress.
Joining
So, you want your lion to join the pride? Then fill out the form, we welcome most everybody!
[size=20][b]My lion is at balance with the world![/b][/size]
[img]X[/img]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Original member or joining rogue?:[/b] Remember that original members MAY be related to Makoto!
[b]Rank:[/b] Guard/Huntress - Head Guard and Head Huntress are only open to original members! Monk and Soothsayer are only open to seers!
[b]A bit of history and info:[/b]
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:46 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:49 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:47 am
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:48 am
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:48 pm
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:42 pm
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:59 am
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Reply
