[I/T] Prison of Ash ;; open

[Quaji]

banner

The ____ are a group of survivors, devout to their beliefs and terrified of what lies beyond. Well established, but protective of their borders, they are an old, small pride of lions that have long been forgotten by the world and now only exist as stories to warn cubs to stay in their dens at night and to not wander far from their mothers. They are a tight-knit family, living underground, only emerging from their black domain well after the sun had set beyond the horizon to scavenge the world for things they need to survive. In their land of fire, ash and darkness, they survive, but do not thrive.

OOC stuff still left to do
- Find more prides for this one to act as a boogieman too. Have one, looking for more! PM or IM me (AIM @ nnrgh) if interested!
- Figure out lead rank.
- Work out 'request' system.  

[Quaji]

lands

Bordered on the west by a plateau with a single path that leads to the top, a river to the east with vast plains behind it, too wide and too deep to cross, none have ever been beyond it. With no crossing having been discovered as of yet, several have trying to ford the river, none have survived. The black earth stretches for as far as anyone has been able to walk and return alive in both the remaining directions.

The lands themselves are dry, rocky, with tall, steep slopes and rock formations of varying sizes that from a distance, could be mistaken for small mountains thanks to their silhouettes. Entrances to caves can be found all over, though a majority do not lead to the main system the pride occupies. Fire is easily seen in the distance and looking to the sky during the day will produce a near constant orange hue.

Rocks give way to plains, but these plains are far from perfect. Ravaged by fire, black, scorched ground is typical. In the times that follow, green grass that grows in its place, only to taken away by fire once again in a vicious and unending cycle they refer to as seasons.

These lands are especially cruel to those that live there as once entered, they are extremely hard to leave. Thanks to the distance between one edge of the lands to the other and the lack of any constant surface water source, most rogues and migrating herds don't stick around for long, if they can even make it through to begin with.

A gentle wind blows through the air constantly.

wildfires

Fires are common to see in the ____ lands and are extremely dangerous. Cubs are taught from a young age to avoid them and to avoid smoke if they're ever on the surface, no matter what. Black smoke blots out the sun during the worst days of the flare-ups. On those days, no one is allowed outside of the caves for their own protection. Thanks to the moisture in the air in the lions' cavern home, the fires do not spread beneath ground and stay solely on the surface.  

[Quaji]

lore

The Old Gods
The Old Gods are believed to be the primal gods, the elements incarnate and things to be respected. They are called "the Old Gods" or "the Primals" depending on who you ask in the pride, but both terms are correct. They are believed to control their respective element, keeping the world in balance. There is one for: fire, earth, air and water, though the pride believes fire is inactive and that the fires on earth have no master, thus are out of control.

Light and dark are not included in the list of Old Gods as they are considered to be constants and are outside of all understand of what they may be. Some consider them to be the source of the four main Old Gods. Much like light and dark, the Old Gods are beyond mortal grasp and just are. They work in mysterious ways and it is generally not wise to question them.

Fire: inactive; missing - destructive, unpredictable, passionate, conflicted
Earth: active; asleep - motherly, lazy, powerful, honorable
Air: active; everywhere - playful, childlike, mischievous, unforgiving
Water: active; skittish - fearful, trust-issues, gentle, easily angered

Sem, Ral & Tyr
Said to have been created by the Old Gods, these three are believed to be the primordial ancestors of all modern life. Sem was created first, followed by the brothers, Ral and Tyr.

Sem is described as a beautiful white lioness, glowing, with a single golden horn upon her head to which all life reverts back to its original design should it become tainted. She is purity incarnate, a blueprint of a perfect world and inside of her is said to be another world in case the first succumbs to some terrible fate. She is said to have three daughters who became the first Pure to the world. Killed by Ral while protecting Tyr.

Ral is the protector of all life, impossibly large and a temper to match. He is pitch black, with wings so large they blot out the sky. He was tasked with protecting Sem from other elements at work that would wish to harm or steal her away. Jealous in nature, Ral is often attributed to the passion that burns in lovers, particularly scorned or one-sided lovers who are jealous at heart.

Tyr is said to be the provider, working to ensure the Primals have their materials, but is also said to be a judge, keeping watch over the world and ensuring it does not fall out of balance. Not many stories exist of Tyr.

traditions

Birth
Births within the pride are extremely happy times, but can also be stressful as the lands don't permit a large pride to survive without some serious work. Births are done in private, away from the pride, but still below the surface. Anyone is allowed to attend, with the mother's permission of course.

Death
Death is a tragic thing, as more often than not, the fire is to blame, be it the heat, the smoke or the flames themselves. Often times the sun and lack of a natural water source above ground is also to blame. Regardless of the cause of death, the dead are brought above ground, traditionally by the Pure and witches and are given back to the Old Gods by fire. Funerals are one occasion the entire pride will venture above ground and they are usually very quick.

Naming
Names in the ____ are typically short, mostly three letters thanks to the influence of Sem, Ral and Tyr. While this is considered the norm for most, it is not a rule and no one is forced to give or take a name they do not want.

Species
The pride is 100% lion as they believe they mimic the Primals. All other species are off-shoots, mistakes, mutants even that were not planned by light or dark. Hybrids are viewed as abominations never meant to exist, a horrible thing that is best put out of its misery. Most hybrids born in the pride are either killed or abandoned by their mothers for fear of upsetting the Primals.

Breeding
Taking a mate, be it for a fling or for life, is a very private affair. There is no ritual, no ceremony. It is typically just a simple agreement between all involved parties. As life can be short in the ___ lands, some tend to mate with friends, or ask around if anyone is looking for a mate or otherwise.

OOC: All forms of breedings done in the shop are OK to participate in.

Omens & Superstitions
The pride believes in signs sent from the Old Gods that foretell of various upcoming events. These signs are referred to as omens and are often times hard to read, but can be seen in everyday occurrences, for example:

- The wildfires burned in a certain pattern that sorta looks like a skull if you squint, could mean someone will die in a fire soon.
- A vulture eating an eye from a corpse could be interpreted as someone losing an eye soon.

These omens can be good or bad, but most tend to think the worst in them. They have also lead to superstitions against various things, for example:

- An elephant nearby is good luck, but only if it looks at you.
- Sneezing on a full moon means you're in danger.

Witchcraft
While most outsiders believe witchcraft to a vile, horrible thing meant solely to punish and toy with poor, innocent souls, the witchcraft performed within the pride is much more benign in comparison. It is a age-old practice of ancient healing arts, passed down from one generation to the next. They tend to the injured, practice making poultices to relieve a variety of afflictions. Though, some still do reinforce the outsider way of thinking by preparing events to make one believe they're cursed if they happen to not like someone.

Rogues & Cubnapping
Rogues are a touchy subject for the pride. While they dislike outsiders as they are often misunderstood, they understand that eventually their pride will end up entirely blind if they don't allow them in at some point. While most are chased from the lands to keep resource competition low, the pride sometimes allow rogues to join as First Blood so long as they convert to the pride's way of thinking. They are generally watched from a distance, even by other First Blood who have been in the pride longer. If it appears they cannot adjust to the new way of life, they are given larger rations of food and water before being sent on their way.

To supplement the frequency rogues come and go and the infrequency they're even allowed to join, some members will venture outside of the borders, beyond the black earth, to find young blood; cubs. They take cubs that appear to fit certain qualificationsand bring them back to the pride. Typically these cubs are already abandoned or have wandered and are thought to be so. Being able to grow up in the pride, cubs are more likely to be able to adjust and thus less likely to leave.

The qualifications are:
- The cub must appear to be abandoned.
- The cub must fit the acceptable colors of the pride.
- The cub must be young enough to form an attachment to the pride.
- The cub must be fit enough for the journey. If they are not, the one snatching them must tend to them first before bringing them back to the pride.

colors

The most common colors are: black, white, brown and anything between those three. This including varying shades, such as brown-reds, etc, and mixtures, like cream.
Pastel and dark colored lions are allowed as well, seeing the light lions as sort of sister-pelts to the Pure. They are, however, not allowed to become Pure. Dark pelts are often associated with Ral and welcome as cousins of black.

Bright colors, such as lime green, aqua and the like are not allowed to occupy more than 10% of the body (ears and nose count!): example

There will be a proper guide in the future, but right now, I will be judging each entry on a case-by-case basis on if they are too bright.

Extremely proud of their colors, they tend to mark some kind of long lineage from within the pride itself. Thank to long-standing traditions, the pride is made up primarily of extremely dark and extremely light colored lions. Some fall between the spectrum, but most are varying shades of black or white.

Bright markings are strictly forbidden by the pride for ____. Any cubs born with bright colors will be abandoned on the surface and left to fend for themselves. Some mothers try and take them to the borders before leaving them behind. In rare cases though, some parents leave all together if they bear a bright colored child. While the first two options have no social consequence, leaving makes them as a traitor to the pride and unable to ever return.

elder blood & first blood

Elder Blood is a simple inherited title passed down so long as at least one parent is also of the Elder Blood. These lions are something akin to minor royalty in other prides and tend to be treated a little better overall as their blood makes them alike to founding members. They are said to be direct descendants from those that sought shelter with Ral, but those are just stories as no one can record their family tree so far. In truth, most only have the passed five generations to memory, if even that.

Despite this, being of Elder Blood in a pride where tradition and superstitious beliefs run rampant definitely has it's perks. There are a total of only seven Elder Blood ancestors which members can trace their lineage to.

First Blood are members who have joined from other prides or are previous rogues.

First Blood x First Blood = First Blood
First Blood x Elder Blood = Elder Blood
Elder Blood x Elder Blood = Elder Blood

blindness

Thanks to the pride's xenophobic ways, inbreeding runs rampant and has been an issue in the pride so generations. With so little in the way of new blood coming in, blindness has become a primary defect that is produced while breeding with with those of Elder Blood.
This does not affect two First Blood lions breeding.

Blind Roll
Blind rolls are done in their own thread that will be located in the sub-forum through a 1-100 roll.

First Blood x Elder Blood = 10% chance of producing blind cub
Elder Blood x Elder Blood = 20% chance of producing blind cub
Blind Parent = +5% chance per parent

title

text  

[Quaji]

Ranks
All ranks are gender neutral and can be held by any sex.

default ranks
Cub > Apprentice > Scavenger

Warlord
Tasked with defending the pride from inside and outside sources, the Warlord oversees all common things that the Absolute cannot be bothered to tend to, such as ensuring the caverns remain open and accessible, the pride has enough to eat, etc. They are typically an old and experienced lion. Most have some amounts of cruelty in them thanks to their job and the world they live in, but it varies between each Warlord.

This rank is challenged for in a formal fight between the current Warlord and any member of the pride, including Pure. These challenges can only occur if there is reason to displace the current Warlord, such as tyrannical rule, beating the Absolute or other Pure, stealing food or intentionally spreading the fire. If the challenger loses, traditionally they are exiled, but in newer times, there is simply no punishment.

Absolute
The cultural leader of the pride, the Absolute tends to the spiritual needs of the pride. They are a mentor, a guide and most of all, they are a light. In the darker times of the pride, when the fires seem to never cease, even for a moment and food is scarce, they are the one the pride looks to for guidance and reassurance. In the end, their word overrides that of the Warlord's, thanks to their connection to Sem.

They are always Pure and are chosen from a group of cantidates which are all hand selected by the current Absolute for varying reasons. From being chosen, they are groomed to the position since young adolescence, trained like any other Pure is, but with added knowledge of diplomacy, lore, and extra training in reading worldly evens and interpreting them. Absolute apprentices Most are seers, but it is not a requirement for the pride to accept a new Absolute.

Warrior
Defenders of the inner borders, the warriors that defend the caves also defend the black dirt above and even the scavengers as they search for carcasses to bring back. They protect the pride against rogues, unwanted corpse-eaters and even against a local hyena clan that can't seem to leave the pride alone.

Witch
Practitioners of herbalism, students of lore, and brewers of poultices, the witches of the pride are the caretakers of all. Not only do they care for the weak, the old and ill, but also the young. They are typically the ones to educate and care for any young recently cubnapped and generally receive assistance with preparing this for their trouble.

Scavenger
With a keen nose, these lions act as the 'hunters' for the pride, but instead of hunting mostly live game, they search for dead. With how infrequently herds move through, finding stragglers or small game such as hares, birds and even insects is how they provide for the pride. Most things they bring back have been dead before they found it, a good portion of their haul it typically half-eaten.

Color Specific Ranks
Both ranks are gender neutral and can be held by either sex.
Neither rank is forced upon those that qualify.

Pure
A status and a rank, the Pure of the pride are believed to be descendants of Sem's three daughters and are considered to be akin to something like royalty or priests in the pride. They are treated with immense respect, but their lives are far from simple. Their duties to the pride have them exhausted by the time dawn has arrived and scarcely do they rest. They are trained by the witches, taught to reads the omens and are careful to respect all of the Old Gods.

To become Pure, they must be Elder Blood, meet the color requirements and have at least one Pure parent.

Champion
Kin of Ral, Champions are the guardians of the Pure. Each is trained rigorously by another Champion and only after they are deemed fit enough are they then assigned to guard one Pure and only one. Their sole duty is to protect them until either their death or the death of their Pure. Should they fail to ward their charge, they will be punished accordingly:

- Death by natural means results in reassignment to a new Pure.
- Death by unnatural mean, but accidental with no fault of the Champion results in retirement.
- Death by unnatural means, but accidental at the fault of the Champion results in exile.
- Death by murder results in the Champion's execution.

To become a Champion they must meet the color requirements and participate in one roleplay of whatever length with another Champion in which they finish their training.  

[Quaji]

[size=11][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Blood:[/b]
- [b]Lineage:[/b] (for Old Blood only)

[b]Extra:[/b] [/size]

Just fill the form and post in this thread!

If you're putting in an Old Blood, PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL THE INFO BELOW. Please also be as detailed as you can with their lineage. I will be adding them to a family tree and need to know how they connect.


Joining

First Blood
First Blood are certainly welcome to join, either having been established in the pride for a while or newly joining. Recently cubnapped cubs are also welcome to join.

Old Blood
For the duration of this thread, I will be allowing blank slates to be Old Blood.

- Must be a full blank slate.
- They must fit color requirements of the pride.
- No outside family except children (which can be produced with a rogue), those that left or those related because of lineage reasons. I will not be allowing rogue Elder Blood that left back in.
--- If the SoA has been certed as a rogue, don't worry, that's fine.
- You must tell me if both their parents are Elder Blood or if one is First Blood and if the Elder Blood(s) are blind as blank slates will be subject to the Blind Roll.

Open Families - for Elder Blood use only
The names below are common ancestors many Elder Blood share, those can trace their lineage to one are in a sort of family.l Several cross multiple times, but usually at a safe enough distance to keep any inbreeding mutations from showing, except blindness of course.

If you are putting in an Elder Blood character, they must be related to at least one of the families listed below at least somewhere in their line. You are free to put in multiple families if you want. They are allowed to not fit the norm of appearance or rank in the family.

How your SoA is related is also up to you, but please be aware that they will be. Most SoA in the pride cannot trace their lineage back further than five-ish generation, making say...Xic, someone's great-great-great-grandfather is viable. Though is exception for the two main Pure families who are much better documented than the others. The italicized names is the oldest Elder Blood common ancestor the family can identify, but are not the starter for each. The lines go further back than that, but knowledge of such things is muddled and unknown to much of the pride. Figuring out how they reach your blank slate.

(NOTE: For the sake of keeping family trees from becoming too large, I will not be recording anything created solely for the Elder Blood passed the common ancestors below. Consider them a 'starter' for each one.)

Each head is male and has bred as many times as people need him to have for their line.

Ixal - "Purify by fire."
The main Pure family. This family is more well-documented than others, having Ixal being nine generations back instead of the normal five. Proud of their colors, they are almost exclusively Pure-qualifying colors and tend to only take First Blood as mates that are similarly colored. Most from this family are seen as haughty and hard to get along with. Most Pure are related to this family.

Ool - "Visions of glory."
The secondary Pure family. This family is less well-documented than Ixal, but still decently so, going back seven generations than the normal give. They tend to breed out of the standards that Ixal and breed with any acceptable color by the pride's standards. Generally seen as more good-willed than the other Pure family. If not related to Ixal, most Pure are related to this family.

Xic - "Wisdom through understanding."
A family of witches and Champions, this family is dark in color, with most being black. They keep to themselves and tend not to mingle as much as the other families. They're a fairly small family, but are getting larger with their more readily acceptance of First Blood compared to the other families.

Bligh - "Death to those that oppose us."
Warriors, plain and simple. They're light in color though or else the lot of them would likely have been Champions and the main family that produces them. They're talkers, story-tellers and go-getters who actively seek out excitement.

Valin - "Strength in family."
This clan is known for their sickly looking brown colors, but they are typically the bulkiest lions in the pride and making wonderful warriors and scavengers. Valin's line is long and widespread in the pride. It prides itself on not bringing in First Blood unless needed. The family is large and related to most Elder Blood in one way or another.

Aro - "Life is a survival, survival is everything."
The main scavenger family, known for their short manes and long legs. There is no color or social norm in this family as they have bred in First Blood more than any other family.


Pure
Pure are available, but must be run by me as this rank is meant to be limited.
- Pure must be at least 50% white.
- The remaining percentage can be off-shades of white, such as silver.

- Only a maximum of 10% of a Pure half may be other colors.  

[Quaji]

Interested in joining but don't have anyone?

Fill out the form below and post it in THIS THREAD. Please be as detailed as you can for the lineage section!

I will be doing these when I have time. They are not guaranteed in any way, shape or form.

Stage: All adults. Lines are up to me!
Rank: Any rank except the two leaders is open for this.
Blood: First Blood and Elder Blood are both available.

[size=11][b]Concept![/b]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Blood:[/b]
- [b]Lineage:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b] (optional)[/size]

 

[Quaji]

Background and symbol obtained~

 

[SilverLutz]

Name: Kooltjie
Rank: Champion
Blood: First
- Lineage: N/A

Extra: Doop!  

[Quaji]

@Lutz: Ahhh yes, Kool. <3 Definitely glad to have him!



As always, anyone is free to PM me or IM me (AIM @ nnrgh) with questions, concerns or suggestions! I'd love to hear them.

I let up on the color restrictions for now. I'll set in stone stuff after the I/T phase, but there are still restrictions. Please be sure to re-read over the info! If you have any questions or are wondering if a lion might be too bright to fit, you're definitely free to ask.

Old Blood has now been renamed Elder Blood to match the coolness factor of New Blood changing to First Blood.

Ruling ranks have been added in. I'll be getting the Absolute, but the Warlord is open for application. All other ranks, including Pure and Champion (so long as they fit other requirements), are open for this. c: I'll be handing out some giveaways/customs when I'm able and caught up on things I already owe elsewhere in the shop.

To clarify on something since I just thought of it, Pure can belong to another family than to the two Pure-centric listed. So long as they're Elder Blood and meet the color requirements, they're eligible for it, doesn't matter where the colors came from.

Also still looking for another pride for them to act as a boogieman too, a sort of pride that'll be a den-mother tale to make sure cubs stay close at night. ;D
If you plan on putting in a cub that's been kidnapped, please be sure it's alright with: a) the pride's rules and b) the owners of the parents. I don't want anyone stepping on toes with this part.  

[Quaji]

Pssst, those of you interested, but don't have anything to put in...lemme know. <3 I'm gonna do a contest here soon-ish and wanna know about how many I should be looking at giving away~  

[CaliWolfe]

Hmm. I think I have maybe one boy I could throw in here. Maybe. Have to figure out some stuffs for him first. So I guess I'll just keep an eye out for the contest?

edit:
adding this in~
Concept!

Name: Endzela
Gender: Female
Rank: Scavenger
Blood: Elder
- Lineage: Her mother was from the Xic line while her father known to have ties to the Valin tree.

Personality: A quiet, half-blind female with an intimating face. Endzela often scowls or squints in order to see fuzzy shapes that are those in front of her and she is known for being somewhat grouchy because of this. She tends to bottle her emotions and is known to be rather nasty when her temper has reached it's limits, taking it out on guards or scavengers or just about anyone who crosses her path. End can be somewhat manipulative when need be but mostly is just content to keep to herself and do whatever her role as requires of her.
History: n/a  

[Quaji]

Awesome~<3

Put a form in the 6th post for custom concepts if anyone's interested. c:  

[SilverLutz]

Also, since I'm filling this out, I'll also remind us both I offered the Kwa Kikombe for a pride they can play things that go bump in the night for >W<

Concept!

Name: TBD
Gender: Female
Rank: Warrior
Blood: Old Blood
- Lineage: Both parents are Old Blood, comes from the Bligh family

Personality: Feisty but skittish, a bit like Nuka from TLK2. Not as twitchy, though XD I'll build more if I get her through RP.
History: Nothing in mind at the moment!