[OOC] Pride Information & Ranks [OOC]

[Seorsa-fala]

 

[Seorsa-fala]

Pride History

Long ago when the world was still new a lone lioness was wandering the lands in search of a home. Her name was Sgiach. She had been born with a strange anomaly, which was a crescent moon on her forehead. It was colored in a deep dark purple. As she journeyed she noticed she was gaining these intricate symbols that lined her face. With them were little symbols of the trials she had faced on this journey. Intrigued by what their meaning could be she sought out one of the gods.

After about a year of searching Sgiach came upon the goddess Bast. She was the goddess of night and a very kind deity. However, Sgiach was so in awe of the goddess beauty and kindness she forgot what she had sought her out for in the first place. So she simply asked the goddess where the darkest place on earth was because she intended to make her home their. The kind Bast led her to the darkest depths of the forest which included a cave. Sgiach thanked the goddess for showing her the way there before she vanished. That was when the lone lioness decided to worship the goddess of night and thus began her change in lifestyle. In order to properly worship her Sgiach made herself sleep during the day and do all of her duties during the night. As time went on she began to notice others were beginning to flock to her lands in order to worship the goddess of night, and also live out their lives peacefully.

Now it is the current day in age and the pride has flourished. It is now filled with hundreds of lions as well as other creatures such as leopards, cheetahs, and hybrids of all sorts. The pride still worships the goddess Bast and lives their lives in the night. As the pride has grown over the years there have been new monarchs set up in order to keep the pride happy and healthy. At least that was the plan. The current Sgiach is about to pass her title onto her daughter who feels like she won't make a good leader. The council knows of this and is trying to get the young lioness to give them the power. However, Sgiach knows of this plan and is going to make sure that the power within the pride is left ultimately to the Sgiach of the pride. For she knows that the council is not all pure in mind. Members within the pride have yet to learn of this treachery and live out their daily lives as they normally would. But soon something will have to change. .  

[Seorsa-fala]

Location

The pride lives in a small open type of forest just outside of the great rift valley not to far from other prides but far enough away to which other to not tend to wonder, the pride enjoys there safety and privacy but is very welcoming of newcomers. The pride is surrounded by temple ruins in which lies an underground cave made of a laybrinth of passage ways and side dens. The opening of the cave is very large branching out into many passages, some of which lead to dead ends, and within those passages are the dens in which each family lives.

Each member of the pride stays withing this cave for the day because only emurging from the cave at night because this was how they were raised, its not saying that the sun physically hurts them but it causes there eyes to be very sensitive to the light till they adjust.

Just oustide the temple ruins lies the sacred bonding tree(actual name is boabab). Here is where the marriage consimation takes place, it is here becauce The Baobab is considered an aid to fertility. Infertile women place their hands(paws) on the tree vows a personal wish in hopes to be given a child(cubs). Different parts of the tree can also be taken to enhance fertility or induce an abortion.

 

[Seorsa-fala]

Coloration & Breed Requirements

Within the pride there is no limitation on coloration on markings, with the exception of a crescent moon that is on the foreheads of all of those that inhabit the pride as well as the tattoo's that encompass the SoA's face. Please bear in mind that lions born outside of the pride will not have these markings. Meaning if a male goes out of the pride and flings with a female his cubs will not carry the markings.

As for breed requirements, again there is no limit. However, there will always be more lions then any other species. Species may interbreed with one another with no conflicts and hybrids are not looked down upon. (Fertile or Infertile) Again, fertile creatures are more 'praised' then ones that can't due to their ability to expand the pride but no one will be labeled as an outcast within the pride just because they can't.

Naming Requirements:

There is a naming requirement for those born within the pride! It is required that SoA born within the pride have a Celtic/Gaelic (Irish, Scottish) name or a Native American name.

Mating & Flinging:

Both flinging and mating is allowed within the pride and outside of the pride. Mating is a very sacred bond that can never be broken while in the pride. Members may leave the pride and break their mating, but they will not be let back in. There is however another option. Pride members have the option to be a Bonded Pair. A bonded pair is basically like dating. While mating is the actual marriage. Bonded pairs are usually adolescents and young adults who are interested in another but are not sure yet how they fit together and thus want to 'test the waters'. Bonded pairs can remain just as that for the duration of their lives if they do not wish to make the leap into matehood.

Religion:

Seòrsa-fala is a semi-religious pride that worships the goddess Bast. She represents night, which is when the pride is active. They pray to her for whatever their needs may be, hoping that she will answer them. In return they hold special ceremonies in her honor and try to uphold the greatest respect for her decisions. (Such as scarce food in the pride, ect) Although she is hardly involved in the pride and does not know they worship her.

Ceremonies:

Marked:

When a new cub is born into the pride they receive a crescent moon on their forehead by one of the trackers. Upon reaching adulthood a special ceremony is held in which Sgiach will paint their crescent moon purple. This means that they are a full member of the pride and can now take a mate. However, if they do die but are 'rescued' by divine intervention they will become a Red Fledgling. They will still have the marking ceremony but instead of purple their marking will be painted red.

Tattoo's:

Within the pride everyone will gain tattoo's that will line the outside of their faces. These tattoos will be earned through many types of trails, and also by completing each milestone (cub, juvenile, adolescent, adult). They are seen as a gift from the Goddess and how they expand is through trials and milestones. OOCly they will be bred onto SoA born within the pride and will grow as they do.

Red Fledgling:

For those adolescents that do not make the change, at least not completely they will 'die'. They will actually be in more of a coma state for a couple days. (In roleplay though it will be a week) When they awake they will need to find the 'light' so to speak within themselves in order to become full members of the pride. These members have a high blood lust and thus are seen as dangerous until the find the 'light'. There will also be a group of red vampires that will sadly remain evil but they will be unable to become full vampires (but they will be able to become adults).

Ruaig:

Ruaig translates to hunt. When a SoA reaches the juvenile stage they will be tossed together with other juveniles and led to the hunting areas of the pride. Here they will be taught how to hunt in a safe environment which will prepare them for the major hunt when they reach the adolescent stage.

When a SoA becomes a adolescent they will be led away to the boarders of the pride where they will be left all alone to hunt for themselves. In order to return to the pride they must successfully kill an animal and bring it back for the pride. If they fail to do this they will not be kicked out, but will be left to do it again or in more extreme cases put back in a group with juveniles.

Weddings:

Weddings are probably one of the most respected rituals within the pride. In order to become official mates the pair must go in front of the bonding tree where they tie two pieces of hide together on the tree branch. Then they must spend the night there and consummate their marriage.

Birth:

When a SoA has had cubs (either within the pride or brings them back) a large festival will be held where they will be officially given their name and will be proclaimed a fledgling. This festival will last from dusk until dawn.  

[Seorsa-fala]

Pride Ranks

Ruler & Family

Sgiach: She is the queen who is skilled in every craft (except priestesshood). Her specialty is hunting and fighting. Sgiach is one of the few rulers who is involved heavily with the pride. (Doing all the hard work, ect.) The reason why she is above all others is due to her island being the neutral site for both good and evil, therefore, she is the strongest and most connected to the natural spirits (not gods but woodland spirits).

Heir: Normally a female cub chosen from the litter of the Priestess and Consort to follow the line of her mother as Nyx’s Priestess. However, that is not to say that the the next Queen can not come from the current Sgiach. The council meets up and chooses which cub it will be. She is raised from cubhood to be the Priestess then future Queen of the pride and is partially trained by the current Sgiach.

Guardian: This is basically a Son of Erebus who has worked his way through the ranks of being a Warrior of the pride to become a Guardian. They are usually the head warrior to Sgiach herself. It is not unheard of for the Guardian to mate with his Queen who he protects but this is not necessarily so.

High Council Class

Nyx's High Council: The High Council is compsed of seven lionesses who are appointed to their position by the High Priestesses voting them in. The lioness that compose the High Council will be High Priestesses. However, High Priestesses are not able to vote themselves in.

Nyx's Priestess: The highest priestess is Nyx's High Priestess. No other is above her except for Nyx and she also is apart of the High Council. This lioness will only mate with a male who will become the head of the Sons of Erebus. It is believed that this High Priestess is the reincarnation of Nyx herself. (Communicates with gods and does their bidding)

Nyx's Consort: The Head of the Knights and the Sons of Erebus. His goal is to protect the high priestess and queen among all others. He will more than likely become mates with Nyx’s Priestess. This is more from the fact they both proved they have been chosen by the goddess and therefore the connection is an eternal bond they feel the goddess herself has chosen for them.

Uncommon Class

High Priestess: In the pride there will be four High Priestesses who have the task of teaching the cubs about their Goddess and other pridal responsibilities. The number of cubs in which the High Priestess will teach can be anywhere from two to twelve but never more or less then that. All of the students will be cubs ONLY.


Knight of Erebus: Their job is to protect and escort around the High Council members and Queen, as well as making sure the Sons of Erebus are doing their jobs correctly in protecting the pride from unwanted outsiders.


Prophet: This is a seer's only role within the pride. They are much like a high priestess but are more directly influenced by the Gods. Some may be granted a higher position within the prophet roll (more of the ruling class) but the vast majority is just middle class so to speak.


Daughter of Nyx: The daughters of Nyx are females who are chosen because they have shown a high likelihood to be chosen as a high priestess because of their dedication to the pride. This is a female only rank. This is the stage they learn the ins and outs of the pride and how to become more dedicated to the goddess.


Son of Erebus: The sons of Erebus are guards and warriors who have shown great initiative and who are highly praised however, they are not above the High Priestesses. They are named after the consort and mate to Nyx, Erebus. This is a male only rank. They are seen to have greater training in fighting then an average guard and are less common.

Common Class

Fledging: The Default rank in the pride for those who dont want to be classified in any of the ranks below but still want to be in the pride.

Advisor: Advisors will be there to teach adolescents in a specific job that they will take when they make the change.

Nanny: Nannies are highly respected amoung the pride because they will help the High Priestesses in teaching the cubs about their Goddess and other pridal duties as well as helping rear the children when their mothers are out and about.

Hunter/ess: There daily job is to hunt for food for the pride. It’s not uncommon to see them hunt in groups so they can bring more food back for the pride and tire less quickly.

Guard: More of a ‘common folk’ guard they are seen in all the common areas in the pride. Their job is to patrol the border and help keep unwanted visitors out.

Nurse: They are around to help care for any of the pride members who might be injured or fall sick. They're quite talented in finding out what exactly is wrong and doing what they can to fix it. It is not uncommon to see them leave the pride to get what they need to help those who are sick/injured.

Youth

Dark Daughter/Son: The Cub/Juve rank in the pride given to all except the chosen heir.

Marked: The Adolescent rank within the pride.