Antianeira Herd (U/C but OPEN)

[She-Ra of Etheria]

The Antianeira Herd

Antianeira is a matriarchal herd, though males are allowed. As tradition dictates the herd is always run my a female, preferably one born from the previous queen, though others may be given the rank should the Queen not produce any female heirs. Females will always hold the highest ranks within the herd and shall always be given the utmost respect from the male members. While the views on males differ amongst all the females, it is the general belief that they can live strong, independent lives without males at their sides.

Males are the bottom of the barrel in this herd. They are here mainly to do menial tasks that the warriors consider not important enough to do themselves and thus they are considered as slaves, they do occasionally help produce foal . Every so often a male may prove himself to be deserving of a higher rank, though he will never outrank a female. Even the Queens mate does not outrank any females in the herd, but he is treated with a bit more respect then the others.  

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History

It started many years ago with a Soquili named Asteria, who could not longer live a life being submissive to the males within her herd. So she set out to make her our life, never again letting a male push her around. Though it had been a tough new life she took it all in stride, and eventually started to find other females who felt the same about their male dominators. Together they formed a small traveling band of Soquili who worked together to make life what they wished it to be. Asteria over time became known as the alpha of the group and together they formed a herd that they would call Antianeira. It was a sisterhood in which no male was allowed to enter. But Asteria was not stupid, she knew that without males the herd would die off soon enough. So every once in a while, she would send out several of the sister to seek out a male that would provide the necessary foals that would keep the herd alive. Asteria also insisted that they all train to be powerful warriors, for an all female herd could easily be a target for males hoping to score an easy mate.

Those foals that were born female were allowed to stay and train. The males however were often cast out when they were old enough to live without their mother, or in some cases were killed at birth since they were of no use to the herd. Slowly the herd expanded until it was swelling with members. Even Asteria had managed to produce four females, the first born of which she named as her heir to the herds control. From that point on it was said that the first born female of each Alpha would become the heir. And because it was a female run herd they decided to adopt a new name for the Alpha rank – they chose Queen.

When Asteria’s granddaughter, Aello, took her rightful place as the herds Queen, some changes were made to the herd. By far the largest change was that she allowed males in the herd, granted they were brought in as slaves to the sisters and breeding fodder. By this point the herd had grown too large for the sisters to be tied down with menial jobs, and that is where the slaves came in. It took a while for the sisters adjust to life with males in the herd but the slaves quickly learned to keep out of the sisters way and to never question their orders. Some sisters even took on slaves as their personal assistants, though it was rare.

Through the years the herd remained strong, each generation continuing on as the prior one had. Traditions were passed on that helped keep the herd together, strong and bonded. Everything had been following the vision that Asteria had set out to start, even if it did include some males within the herd.

Eventually the herd came under the reign of Queen Marpe. She was a good queen, holding true to the values that had been put in place since the creation of the herd many years ago. The only downfall of Marpe's reign was that she failed to produce a female foal among her many breedings. Some of the herd members began to question whether the queen was truly fit for her rank, for she had failed to do the one thing that was expected of her during her reign and that was to produce female foals and most importantly an heir. Slowly a rift started to form among the herd members, some remained loyal to Queen Marpe and hoped that her next little might finally produce a female, while a second group began to plot against the queen. It did not take long before the two side clashed.

The infighting was fierce and lasted for many days, as both sides were equally trained and had about equal numbers. Those that fought against the Queen were looking to remove her from power and place a new female as their leader, one who would give them a strong female heir. Divided the herd fought fiercely, the two sides each believing that their ‘leader’ should be the rightful new Queen. During the fighting Queen Marpe was badly injured. Not able to fight anymore she hid herself away, a few of her loyal subjects stuck close by. As the battle raged on, neither side seemed to be making any ground; both were losing members quickly in the bloodshed.

With the fighting continuing on, and no clear side being the victor the two sides dispersed into the forest. They would rethink their strategies and claim the throne some other day. As Queen Marpe lay dying, she asked her closest advisor to come to her. Penthesilea did as she was told, coming to the Queens side. To her surprise the Queen, passed on the leadership of the herd to her, through the Rite of Caste. Her dying words still ring in Penthesilea’s ear to this day. “Bring the herd back together, my Queen.”

And so Penthesilea set out to find those from her herd, to rebuild what was destroyed in the fighting as well as recruit new members into the ranks. It took many months for Penthesilea to find some of her scattered herd members, yet slowly but surely they returned. Their numbers were not as great as before but she knew that over time the herd would return to it's former glory. She made sure that the old traditions were brought back to life, appropriate ranks were given to both former and new members and a strict training routine was set to get everyone back in fighting shape. It would take a lot of hard work but Penthesilea was determined and she would see her old Queen's dying wish become a reality.

As time went on the herd grew in strength and numbers, it also saw the return of more old members including their Shamaness Yakut. There were a few bumps along the way as well, such as an attempt on Penthesilea's life, but the Queen turned that into something positive and used that same Soquili to father her children - all of which were female.

Now the herd is focusing on adding new blood to their ranks and keeping their traditions alive.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Herd Ranks

Queen
She is the leader of the herd. Born of the previous Queen, she is well versed in all aspects of herd life. Strong, determined and brave she will lead battles when necessary, believing that a Queen has as much reason to fight for her herd as the others do.

Princess
Generally the princess is the first born female of the current queen. However should the Queen not produce a female heir then one of her most trusted herd members will be chosen to follow her to the throne.

Royal Guards
These Soquili are charged with protecting the Queen, both present and future, at all costs. They are brave, strong and completely loyal. Willing to put their life on the line to protect the herds Queen.

Royal Advisors
These are some of the most trusted Soquili in the Queens eye. They are skilled in battle but also extremely intelligent, helping to make decisions in the herd along side the queen - though the Queen has final say over everything.

Shamaness
The Shamaness is the healer of the herd and the performer of rituals. She is highly trained in her arts and is there to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This rank is always held by a female and she will choose her successor and train them as she herself was trained. At this time there will only be one Shamaness in the herd, but more may be added as time goes by.

Head Warrior
The Head Warrior is responsible for overseeing the training of all of the female herd members. She is often the most dedicated and skilled warrior within the herd, outside of the Queen. She can be extremely tough on her students as she wishes only perfection from her warriors. Her training methods should never be questions as she has the experience and knows what it takes to be truly prepared for battle.

Warriors
The default rank of the herd. All Soquili are trained in the art of war from the time they are foals to the time they take their last breath, they are always training to become the best warrior within the herd. Honor comes to those who show themselves to excel at their duties to keep the herd safe at all times. When they are not training these Soquili checking the borders for any intruders.

Crafters
All the armor and decorations that the Soquili wear doesn’t make itself. These Soquili, and familiars, craft the various pieces of armor from things they find within the forest, or on occasion steal it from the two leggers camps. Position usually held by females, though the odd male may be a crafter as well.

Nanny
Those who look after the foals in the pack while members are busy training. These Soquili are often the more caring members of the herd and thus are more suited to looking after the young than living the lives of warriors, however they still must learn to fight.

Queens Consort
This is the male with whom the Queen will have foals with. He is loyal to her 100% and would never, ever think about leaving her for another female. If he did, then he would be severely punished, either killed or run out of the herd completely.

The Favored
The highest rank a male can obtain outside of Queen's Consort. These males have shown to be exceptionally loyal to the herd and are deserving of a higher rank than slave. They are often favored mates of a female. All in all, they have worked hard to reach this rank but they know that the smallest slip up will send them back to being a slave or run out of the herd.

Slaves
The lowest rank within the herd, most often comprised of males, though some females may hold this role if they show themselves to be not worthy of warrior rank. They spend their lives doing menial jobs for the Sisters, often things that are considered too unimportant for the warriors to both with. On rare occasions a slave may be chosen by a female to father foals.  

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Herd Culture & Rituals

Blessing of The First Born

Ritual performed to bless the first born female foal of the Queen. While the birth of any foal in the pack is a special occasion that is celebrated, the birth of the first female of the Queen is the most celebrated of all. The foal is smeared with blood of a fresh kill and the pack dances in a circle around mother and daughter to bond them together forever as the Shamaness chants an ancient blessing.

Death Ritual

Performed after the death of a herd member. Upon the death of a herd member the Shamaness gathers the herd around the deceased. The Queen will then arrive last, prompting the start of the ceremony. The herd will form a circle around the deceased, with the Shamaness and Queen in the center. Together the two will start dancing around the deceased, chanting a farewell song, the other herd members will join in matching the Queen and Shamaness' movement and words until the herd is moving and speaking in unison. After the herd has become one in chant and dance, they bid their final farewells individually, the Shamaness and Queen will be the last to leave as they continue to dance and chant until all other members had bid their fallen member goodbye.

Ritual of Blood

Every two moon cycles the residing Shamaness will preform the Ritual of Blood. During this ritual the shamaness will pick a prey animal which she saw in her dreams for the herd to hunt. Upon the animals death she will collect fresh blood onto a piece of tree bark or in a turtle shell if one is available. Using her hoof to move the blood about she will 'read' the blood. What is told in the blood will affect the herd directly, it may be the birth of new foals, the death of a member, upcoming war or something else of great importance.

Blessing of The Hunt

As some members may eat meat, this ritual is performed to ensure a successful hunt. To ensure a safe and successful hunt the Shamaness or Queen will bless those who are going out in search of prey.

Rite of Caste

In the event that the Queen does not produce a female heir she will pass on leadership of the herd through the rite of caste. The Queen will choose the one who is most worthy of the position and offer to her the role. Should the other accept the pack will celebrate their future Queen. In the rare event that the Soquili refuses the offer she will be driven from the herd and a new successor will be chosen.  

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FAQ

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Joining

Looking to join this female dominated herd? Then fill out the appropriate form below and post it in this thread, then simply wait for approval.

Female Applicant Form

[color=green][b][size=18]Let me join the female revolution![/size][/b][/color]
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Male Applicant Form

[color=olive][b][size=18]Let me grovel at your paws![/size][/b][/color]
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