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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 2, 2017 11:12:40 GMT -5
The quick version: seven Clans, six of them each inspired by a different ancient Greek city-state, and the seventh being Rome. They follow a pantheon of elemental gods, and each Clan has a patron/matron deity from their pantheon who they consider to watch over them. Clan names would be in either Greek or Latin (probably Latin), such as IgnisClan or AquaClan, and their patron deity would probably correspond to their element in some way. Their religion would also be a bit more Greek; they would worship the gods, and have something more akin to the Underworld than StarClan/the Dark Forest. Their structure would remain mostly the same, but with some differences, some which might even be unique to that particular Clan depending on what city it's based on. Each Clan would (ideally) be run by a different person; the roleplay would be semi-literate minimum, but I'd be looking for advanced users to actually create the Clans. Ideally, the roleplay would be a nice mix between bloody and political, hopefully with distinct and complex inter-Clan relationships, especially what with their being so many Clans.
CLANS
Potential Greek name / potential Latin name / element
FotiaClan / IgnisClan / Fire- unclaimed
NeroClan / AquaClan / Water - unclaimed
LithosClan / TerraClan / Stone - unclaimed
AerasClan / AuraClan / Air - unclaimed
FytoClan / SylvaClan / Nature - unclaimed
SkotadiClan / NoxClan / Darkness - unclaimed
FoteinosClan / LuxClan / Light - unclaimed
GODS
MAJOR PANTHEON
(Fire God) (Water God) (Earth God) (Air God)
(Nature God) (Darkness God)
(Light God)
MINOR PANTHEON (optional)
TERRITORY
Greece? Most of the Clans being in one part of the territory, with Rome being geographically separated by something like a large river, channel, or major thunderpath.
CLANS STRUCTURE/CULTURE
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 2, 2017 11:37:15 GMT -5
So concerning names, I went ahead and translated the elements into Greek and Latin. Though Greek, thematically, might be more fitting, I feel as though the Latin is more "familiar" and thus would likely get more attention. They are as follows:
GREEK Fire - Fotia Water - Nero Earth/Stone - Petro, Lithos, Lithari Air - Aeras Nature/Plant - Fysi, Fyto Light - Fos, Foteinos Darkness - Skotadi, Skotos
LATIN Fire - Ignis Water - Aqua Earth/Stone - Terra Air - Aura Nature/Plant - Sylva (forest) Light - Lux, Lumen Darkness - Nox, Tenebra
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 2, 2017 12:35:46 GMT -5
Looking into Greek city-states to get an idea of some that the Clans could be based on, and how that would affect the Clan. Keep in mind that the information provided is vague, quickly collected, and a condensation of themes from thousands of years of each city-state's history. Here's what I have:
Athens: famous for education, art, and culture. The land of Athens is not good for growing things, and thus it became a trading city; perhaps herbs come in short supply here, and so the Clan must trade with its neighbors to get the necessary medicine. Athens is also the birthplace of democracy, so it's possible that rather than having a deputy, a new leader is chosen by vote when the old one dies. Athens was also known to be more economic and political than military, and so while they would be known as good warriors, they wouldn't be known as amazing ones. Due to their reputation as being fantastic mediators and rule-makers, they are often called upon to settle disputes between two or more of the other Clans, when those Clans want to settle their issues without claws. Due to a penchant for being more pacifist, cats from "Athens" would be rarely killed during battle, out of respect, though of course it would still happen from time to time.
Sparta: famous even in modern times for the power and brutality of its warriors. Sparta was ruled not by a single leader, but by a council of retired warriors; thus, perhaps the Clan is ruled by a council of elders, with the -star leader being chosen by the council of elders, and acting more as a "military general" than as the political leader of the Clan. Perhaps the kits of this Clan also begin training at a younger age than the other Clans- of course, due to the warrior code, they wouldn't be made "true" apprentices until six moons old, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have some gentler training from a young age. Most likely, cats would serve the Clan fervently until they reached a certain age, at which case they could "retire" and focus more on things like raising families. For that matter (similar to in ancient Sparta), cats may not even be allowed to take mates and have kits until they have served a certain amount of time and have proved their worth. Also similar to Sparta, any cat born with a disability (such as blind or deafness) would likely be rejected, though it's hard to say if they would be abandoned and left to die like in Sparta.
Corinth: unfortunately, not a lot "special" stands out about ancient Corinth. Their main goddess was Aphrodite, and they were renowned for being a bit... hedonistic, to say the least, indulging in luxury and pleasures of the flesh. Basically, they were ancient Greek Los Vegas. They tended to look down on Athens, and were one of the only city-states which didn't highly respect Athens; after all, they insisted that they were just as good. In many ways, they were, with good education and good trade. They, along with Argos, were also the first city-states to develop their own coinage, which boosted trade within the city. What precisely all of this means for their Clan- besides their tenuous relationship with the "Athens" Clan- I'm not sure of.
Megara: Megara began as a thriving region of trade, but after attempting to overthrow Athens was somewhat rejected by the rest of Greece (which generally looked up to or was directly control by Athens). Likely, this would be characterized in the Clans as "Megara" being one of the smaller Clans, likely geographically adjacent to "Athens." At some point, Megara perhaps invaded or challenged Athens in some way, and as a result, Athens took over a large part of Megara's territory, causing those who remained to suffer due to their smaller territory. Due to constantly challenging Athens and the other powers of the area, Megara is likely looked down on by the other Clans.
Thebes: Thebes was a fortified and military city, and one of the most ancient in Greece. At one point, it was destroyed by Alexander the Great, and later rebuilt. Perhaps this Clan was one of the founders or originals of the Clans in the area, but was at some point destroyed; at this point in the roleplay, it could either still be "destroyed," or it may have been "rebuilt" by the other Clans (with the other Clans essentially giving the descendants of the Clan their territory back so they could reform it). I kind of like the idea of it being currently destroyed, as we could have a plot where it is being rebuilt. As for the precise nature of it, like Corinth there's not a whole lot "special" about it besides that it had a rivalry with Athens and was very well defended.
Argos: Argos was a coastal and plains city, notably built upon two hills called Aspis and Larissa. With poor soil, growing crops was difficult, forcing Argos to become a major trade power. It was also a largely military city, in this aspect being the main rival of Sparta. Past this, not a whole lot is known. They were also known for sailing, so the Clan could have an association with water and fishing.
Unfortunately, a lot of the information is sparse and may or may not be useful. Also, depending on the number of Clans there ends up being, we may need one or two more city-states, but we'll wait to see on that point. Some ideas for other states, neither of which are actually "Greek" but which could possibly work still, are Rome and Troy.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 2, 2017 20:10:28 GMT -5
So I really like the idea of Thebes having been destroyed, and then a possible prophecy occurring stating that it must be re-established. I'm thinking the territory was likely taken over by some sort of hostile enemy; perhaps something like wolves, or a group of rogues or something. It's also possible that it was destroyed by humans, but in that case the Clans would have to find a new home for the descendants of Thebes, rather than reclaiming the original, which would be far more difficult. I like the idea of reclaiming it better.
Also, I'm thinking that perhaps each Clan has a system of there being a second "warrior" status, for cats who are either half-Clan or were not born into the Clan. The reasoning for this being that in many Greek states, a person could only be considered a citizen if one or both parents (depending on the state and time period) were citizens. I think these secondary warriors would for the most part be normal warriors, but would likely be looked down on by the other cats and probably have a few restrictions- things like not being able to become deputy/leader or medicine cat, not being allowed to attend Gatherings, or not being able to take mates outside their rank. An exception to this might be Sparta- in real-life Sparta, only the non-citizen inhabitants of the city were allowed to be involved in agriculture, while the born citizens were all warriors. Thus, in the Spartan Clan, perhaps only pure Clan-born cats learn fighting, while the "secondary warriors" are hunters instead. Of course, there could possibly be ways for the SWs to become full warriors (I'm thinking something like, perhaps if a SW of the Spartan Clan dies in battle in the service of the Clan, any of their descendants now gain full citizenship) but these would likely be rare and difficult. This could contribute to the overall plot in that most of the descendants of Thebes would be secondary warriors of the other Clans.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 3, 2017 11:15:33 GMT -5
Unique/additional animals (not usually found in Clan territories) living in Greece:
Gray dwarf hamster European ground squirrel Lesser mole rat Southern white-breasted & long-eared hedgehog Various dolphins & whales (may be seen from the coast; dolphins could be interacted with at sea) Eurasian lynx Golden jackal Gray wolf Brown bear European polecat/fitch Several martens Wild boar Wild goat
Several swan species Great & pygmy cormorant Several pelicans Great & little bitterns Glossy ibis Eurasian spoonbill Greater flamingo Many eagles Many unique & unusual vultures (I'm fond of the griffon vulture) Many harriers Several goshawks Many plovers Several snipes Many gulls & terns Rose-ringed parakeet Great spotted & common ****oo (okaaay well I guess c u c k o o is out then) Several swifts Many warblers Many nightingales Several nuthatches Eurasian golden oriole Several shrikes
Various tortoises Several sea turtles Mediterranean & African chameleon Many lizards Many skinks Many slowworms (look like snakes) Sand boa Viper
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 11:15:12 GMT -5
Hmmmm so I'm definitely liking the idea of the seventh Clan being based on Rome (I think I'll drop the eighth altogether). I think that Rome should be a Clan which was founded long after the others, perhaps a large Clan which is geographically separated from the others as well, though by what I'm not entirely sure- something mildly difficult, but certainly not impossible, to cross, such as a large river or thunderpath. It's said that one way Rome gained its large population early on is that it acted as a sanctuary for those who were rejects and undesirables in other places; thus, this Clan could have either been founded by, or simply gained much of its population from, cats who were looked down on or exiled from the other Clans, such as half-Clan cats, or Thebians. Also, because Rome was so well-known for being far more modern than its time, I'm thinking the cats of this Clan should have some very strange practices- for example, they may have built small "cat-made" streams (aqueducts), built their own dens, and perhaps primarily use water to bathe instead of tongues. Things like that. I'm imagining Rome as being the single largest, and probably most "civilized" (by a human definition), of the Clans.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 17:20:57 GMT -5
Uh.... bump?
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 6, 2017 12:17:43 GMT -5
Well this one is actually closed for the moment, and I didn't bother to mark it because I figured after like 3 or 4 days there was little danger of anyone commenting lol. I suppose I should probably mark it as closed now, however. I do appreciate the interest though!
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 6, 2017 14:02:22 GMT -5
It's fine lmao. I haven't abandoned the idea, just decided to focus on other things for the time being... So perhaps when I come back to it, it'll be a more opportune time for you as well.
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