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 Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:02 pm
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Territory and history
Territory
The Uzguluth Pack is located in Mount Elgon, though they don't know it by that name. To the Uzguluth, the mountain is simply referred to as the Stronghold. Falling within their territory around the mountain's base are various hills, populated by various prey beasts that their hunters chase, while more skilled hyenas will chase goats in the upper reaches of the mountain's slopes. Nobody goes up to the highest peaks, since nobody can breathe properly up there. Any prey beasts going THAT fare up are deserving of their lives...
To the east, the hyenas with good perches can just make out the desert and plains, making for a good view when the rains move eastward. Sunrises are, expectedly, spectacular.
To the south west, Lake Victoria can be seen far in the distance(Just barely), while directly to the west, a smaller mountain the hyenas know as Little Stronghold is seen and often reached.
The Stronghold is divided into three sections - The base, where the Gathol Clan lives; The center of the mountain, where the Arkenstone Clan lives; And the upper reaches of the mountain that can safely be reached, where the Inbar Clan lives. Every section of the mountain is filled with various tunnels and caves, dug out over countless generations of hyenas as they carved the mountain to their needs. Every section has a special cave, lined with carefully-positioned crystals so light reflects everywhere, where the Oracles of each clan will gather. These are the only special caves in the mountain, everybody occupying whatever den they feel like having that isn't already occupied - Clan leaders and the king and queen don't get special dens.
The closest non-lion group to the Uzguluth are the Imladris cheetah coalition. They're not fond of them...
History
This is coming!
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:02 pm
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Beliefs
Gender holds no power over anything. Both genders are equal in everything they do, with the only exception being pup birthing(As, obviously, only females can do that). Because of this, a female can hold any rank a male can, and a male can hold any rank a female can.. Yes, that includes Midwife, if he so felt like it.
The Uzguluth believe in few gods, but it's a deeply rooted belief in each:
Boma'madini, Goddess of Minerals(Though as they don't know she's been reborn, they still call her Boma'baridi) - As they believe it, it is Boma who provides them with the minerals they seek deep in the mountain, including old salt deposites around the base of the mountain.
Ukali, God of Strength - The Uzguluth highly favor strength, though they do recognize that not all strength is physical. There are many prayers of "Ukali give me strength."
Mkhai, God of Warriors - Being a proud race, the Uzguluth consider everyone a warrior, even if their rank says otherwise.
Sayida'najel, Goddess of Caves - It is by her good graces that the Uzguluth may do their work.
Sanaa, Goddess of Crafting - One of the more highly praised gods, the Uzguluth believe it was Sanaa that granted them the mutation that allows them to craft at all.
Naturally, they believe all of these gods are hyenas! Depending on the rank, some hyenas may also pay homage to other gods.
Though they're hyenas, and many packs are typically wary or foul-tempered of other races, the Uzguluth are actually rather friendly with non-hyenas. They'll happily alow a wary travelery bunker down with them for the night or in the event of a storm.
'Laws'
Only hyenas are permitted in the Uzguluth as members. They don't even keep slaves, as that doesn't sit well with them. They DO allow non-hyenas to visit, but not permanently reside.
Adults may not take pups, juveniles, OR adolescents as mates - They can only take adults. Otherwise it seems... Weird. Even if one hyena was literally born a couple weeks prior, and reaches adulthood before the other, until the second hyena reaches adulthood, it's taboo.
Only adults may take mates. Adolescents can fling amid themselves, yes, but they can't actually take mates. How their parents or clans handle the matter of their wayward teenagers getting freaky is up to them.
Traditions
Uzguluth traditions are few, and very deeply rooted.
Heir to the clan - Traditionally, simply the oldest living offspring of the deceased clan leader becomes the new clan leader. Gender doesn't matter, because the Uzguluth don't care about gender, it's all in the skill you posess. If the oldest proves a half-wit, they're passed over for the next oldest, and so on down the line until a propper heir is chosen.
Picking a new king/queen - When the old king or queen dies, unlike with the clan leadership, his or her oldest offspring doesn't automatically become the new king or queen. The clan leaders form a council, and they vote amongst themselves over which should be the new ruler. In the case of a tie, a hyena of no relation to either clan and with no opinion(Therefore, a very YOUNG hyena, as there can be a strange wisdom in youth) of either clan leader is brought in to vote on who they prefer. Who this young hyena is is completely random, beyond 'not from one of these clans.' In the event that the newly-elected King or Queen has no Clan Heir, and no relative wishes to step up, then he or she will pick a new clan leader from outside the family - This is a great opportunity for new blood to take solid root in the pack!
Metals, gems, shells, etc. - Seeing that they do a lot of mining, the Uzguluth LOVE shiney objects - From metals to gems to even pretty shells. They love them so much, they'll happily trade things like carefully-tended skins for them.
Those no-good rotten elves - This isn't a violent tradition, though more a cold shoulder one, and for the younger hyenas a source of amusement - They're none-too-fond of the [shitforgotthename] Coalition. (If you read the history after I post it, you'll know why!)
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:12 pm
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About the clans
(Keep in mind... They still need names XD; )
The pack is divided into 3 clans at this time(In the future, if numbers prove prosperous, they will likely divide further out of the largest or two largest clans to make a new one or more. How the Clan Leader family will be chosen will be decided if and when that hurdle is reached). Each lives in a different part of the mountain.
The Inbar Clan - This clan lives near the highest reaches of the mountain that can be safely reached by mere mortals. A very hardy lot, they have much thicker coats than their brethren. Because they associate with outsiders and thus outside blood the least, they have a very high ratio of pups born with the rudimentary thumb mutation.
The Arkenstone Clan - This clan lives in the space around the mountain's center - Not only on the inside, but the outside, too. As they spend most of their time in the mountain, they've become very good at seeing in little light. Wedged genetically between the Inbar Clan and the Gathol Clan, their ratio of pups born with or without the thumb mutation is about 50/50.
The Gathol Clan - The Gathol Clan lives at the base of the mountain, making up what outsiders often see of the Uzguluth hyenas. In comparison to their brothers further up and in the mountain, they appear the most 'outsider-ish'. Indeed, this is where outsider blood often enters the pack, and they have a higher ratio of pups born without the rudimentary thumb mutation.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:14 pm
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As mentioned, the Uzguluth is broken up into 3 clans. They all share the same rank, sans King/Queen - Whoever the elected ruler is does not have a clan listed for them, as the whole pack IS their clan, and they go where they please... Within reason.
King - Either the elected clan leader to replace the old ruler, or the mate of the current queen elected to replace the old ruler. If he's simply the mate of the elected queen, he acts as the adviser to his mate. If he's the elected ruler of the pack, then it is his final say that matters for pack decisions. This is a title that is rarely, if ever, inherited(Though it's not unheard of for the son of the prior king or queen, as the leader of a clan, to be elected as the new king)
Queen - Either the elected clan leader to replace the old ruler, or the mate of the current king elected to replace the old ruler. If she's simply the mate of the elected queen, she acts as the adviser to her mate. If she's the elected ruler of the pack, then it is her final say that matters for pack decisions. This is a title that is rarely, if ever, inherited(Though it's not unheard of for the daughter of the prior king or queen, as the leader of a clan, to be elected as the new queen)
Clan Leader - An inherited position the Clan Leader can be either male OR female. Traditionally it is the first-born of the first litter of the Clan Leader that becomes the heir, though it's not unheard of for the position to go to the second- third- or whatever-past-first-born for one reason or another.
Clan Heir - The heir to the clan, the only preferences are that they're not a total idiot and they're not utterly stupid.
Warrior - There are no guards, only warriors - They fit both the roles of the army and guarding the populace. Unless there's a physical deformity preventing it, or it's a female with young pups, or they ARE young pups, EVERYBODY in the Uzguluth is trained as a warrior, regardless of the final path they go down in life.
Oracle - The seers of the pack. The older Oracles will often train the younger so that they can master their powers and not get driven mad by them, though it does still happen now and then. The ones that go mad are confined to their own cave so they can neither hurt themselves nor hurt others, and tended to as their ravings are noted.
Crafter - The hyenas that work with, primarily, beads, skins, shells, and the like. They take the fruits of the Miner and Metal worker labor and make something out of it.
Metal Worker - This is where that genetic mutation 'thumb' comes in - And these hyenas really show off their craft in that they take the metal ores and melt them down and work them into a form that Crafters can use. (No, this does not include weapons, they have jaws that can crush bone for that. They pretty much entirely do this to make shiny baubles.) A Metal Worker can easily be spotted because they often have fur that's been singed off the forelimbs, faces, and various other parts that are exposed to heat. Please note that as these are still hyenas, this isn't a very... Perfect craft. They cannot and do not hammer the metal, and instead working it when it's cool enough to touch but still pliable enough to move, hence their paws are often free of fur. It kind of... Singes off.
Miner - These are the hyenas that dig town into the mountains and earth, looking for shiny metals and gems. Almost predictably, they do suffer from somewhat bad health.
Healers - Healers are dedicated to helping others that are sick or injured. When they're not tending to the sick or injured, they go out on the mountain to find herbs and the like to help them with their work. Though not a major deity of worship for the pack, they pay homage to the Goddess of Herb Lore.
Scribe - Scribes not only record the history of the pack as well as stories made up by one another for the entertainment of the pups, they also teach the pups.
Bard - Like the scribes, Bards memorize the histories and stories and educate the pups, but do it more with songs and poetry. What they lack in ability to record on the walls, they make up for in very good memories and great singing voices.
Hunter/Huntress - The default rank of all adult hyenas, they simply go out and hunt. They are, of course, still trained in combat, so can double as warriors in a pinch.
Apprentice - Unless they're an Oracle or Clan Heir, this is the default rank of ALL adolescent hyenas.
Youth - Regardless of who their parents are, unless they're a seer and thus an Oracle, or the oldest(sound-of-mind) pup of a Clan Leader and thus a Clan Heir, all pups bear the title of Youth. There is no other rank title for them. This comprises all pups and juveniles.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:20 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:36 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:37 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:48 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:03 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:20 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:33 pm
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:01 pm
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Reply
