Post by Aphelyon on Nov 25, 2017 13:54:31 GMT -5
H i s t o r y
Long ago, there was one Clan that ruled the forest. This Clan had no name besides "The Clan;" after all, with no other Clans, why would it need a name to differentiate it? But as always, over time there became disharmony. It has been countless moons, seasons, and generations since this occurred, and so no cat living or dead now remembers the cause of the split, but still it came. The cats warred among themselves. When they divided, the territory was not large enough for two Clans to survive in separate territories, though they tried for many moons. Cats starved and died. And finally, the leaders of both of the new Clans came together on the newleaf equinox- the time when night and day are the same length- and came to an agreement.
The two Clans would share their territory, but they would only use it at certain times. The one that would become MorningClan would hunt during the day, while the Clan that is now EveningClan would hunt only at night. Thus, if a MorningClan cat should at night be out of their camp or the small area around it, it would be considered trespassing; the same for EveningClan, but during the day. Both Clans claimed small patches of land around their camps that was exclusively their territory, but the rest of the land was for both. And thus the rather unique balance of modern MorningClan and EveningClan was created.
The two Clans would share their territory, but they would only use it at certain times. The one that would become MorningClan would hunt during the day, while the Clan that is now EveningClan would hunt only at night. Thus, if a MorningClan cat should at night be out of their camp or the small area around it, it would be considered trespassing; the same for EveningClan, but during the day. Both Clans claimed small patches of land around their camps that was exclusively their territory, but the rest of the land was for both. And thus the rather unique balance of modern MorningClan and EveningClan was created.
A b o u t M o r n i n g C l a n
MorningClan is one of two Clans which live side-by-side in a deep river valley. Because space here is scarce, and neither of the two Clans are neither willing nor especially able to move, the two have a unique situation where most of their territory is shared. MorningClan is the Clan which hunts during the day, their time being from the moment the sun clears the mountains in the east to when it touches them again in the west.
As one might expect, MorningClan cats generally have brightly-colored pelts in the tones of daylight- ginger, white, light brown, and russet being especially common. They may also be darker browns and gingers, but few MorningClan cats are shades of gray, and if you see a MorningClan cat with a black pelt they are likely of mixed blood. In stature they tend to be larger and more muscular than their EveningClan counterparts, and generally with thinner, shorter pelts (though there are still plenty of long-furred cats in the Clan). Most MorningClan cats have vivid eyes of gold or yellow, but green eyes are also very common.
In personality, MorningClan cats tend to be outgoing, and rather sunny. They are often bright, optimistic, cheerful, honest, and forward with their intentions. Like the daylight, they tend to hide nothing: they wear their hearts on their sleeves so to speak, loving and fighting with absolute passion and moving on with no lingering grudges once those feelings have passed. Because of this, they can sometimes seem fickle- a grudge or new love may be their singular obsession one moon, before being dropped entirely and nigh forgotten the next. Because they are so emotive, MorningClan cats tend to solve a lot of problems by fighting, often with wrestling and sometimes with claws. Of course, they would never hurt each other worse than a small scratch or two, but sometimes the best- and only- way to solve some disputes is to just fight it out.
In the end, though, MorningClan cats tend to be content with their lives and with themselves; after all, they do what they want, when they want. That's not to say that they don't have their own worries, but by way of things like relationship problems or disagreements, because they are so forward these things tend to be resolved quickly. Their laid-back attitude might also imply that they are not ambitious. This simply isn't true: MorningClan cats tend to be almost single-minded in their pursuits, particularly life-long goals. But, that doesn't mean they don't have time for the occasional brief distraction.
R o l e p l a y R u l e s
☼ Use common sense. Obey forum rules, don't troll, be respectful, don't steal other peoples' ideas, don't control or kill other peoples' characters (without their permission), etc. etc.
☼ Keep characters realistic- this goes for appearance, personality, history, and all that good stuff. This is a claim-a-cat roleplay, so for the most part this shouldn't be an issue since characters are preset- however, this will be true for the occasional OC which I will allow in as a loner/rogue, as well as for kits born in the rp. As for personality, try to keep their reactions and motivations consistent and based in reality- they will have strengths and weaknesses, and reasons for doing the things they do.
☼ Staying at a minimum literacy level is also important for keeping this roleplay going and enjoyable for all. This is a semi-literate roleplay, meaning that good (albeit not perfect) grammar is needed, as well as a minimum average of three lines per post. So, not every post has to be exactly three lines- some should be more, and sometimes they can be less depending on the situation. Just try to keep three lines as your soft minimum. As for grammar, I would count good grammar, at its lowest level as being consistent minor grammatical mistakes (forgetting some commas or occasionally using the wrong punctuation), with more noticeable mistakes (just as run-on sentences or major misspellings) being present but rare.
☼ Plots are important for keeping a roleplay interesting and progressing, so please, please, please plot away! Personal plots between a pair of characters or a small group of characters, which will not affect the Clan in any major or devastating way, does not necessarily need approval- however, if you are asked to stop, please stop. I would also encourage you to be more creative with your personal plots than just forbidden romances and similarly common themes- a few are fine, but having more than one in each Clan (maybe two max) starts to become rather unrealistic and tedious. As for larger plots- things which will affect the entire Clan, or both Clans, or prophecies, or anything of the sort- please get my approval first. If you have an idea for a plot, PM it to me. Then, we can work out the details and implementation together to make sure it fits smoothly into the rp.
☼ Keep characters realistic- this goes for appearance, personality, history, and all that good stuff. This is a claim-a-cat roleplay, so for the most part this shouldn't be an issue since characters are preset- however, this will be true for the occasional OC which I will allow in as a loner/rogue, as well as for kits born in the rp. As for personality, try to keep their reactions and motivations consistent and based in reality- they will have strengths and weaknesses, and reasons for doing the things they do.
☼ Staying at a minimum literacy level is also important for keeping this roleplay going and enjoyable for all. This is a semi-literate roleplay, meaning that good (albeit not perfect) grammar is needed, as well as a minimum average of three lines per post. So, not every post has to be exactly three lines- some should be more, and sometimes they can be less depending on the situation. Just try to keep three lines as your soft minimum. As for grammar, I would count good grammar, at its lowest level as being consistent minor grammatical mistakes (forgetting some commas or occasionally using the wrong punctuation), with more noticeable mistakes (just as run-on sentences or major misspellings) being present but rare.
☼ Plots are important for keeping a roleplay interesting and progressing, so please, please, please plot away! Personal plots between a pair of characters or a small group of characters, which will not affect the Clan in any major or devastating way, does not necessarily need approval- however, if you are asked to stop, please stop. I would also encourage you to be more creative with your personal plots than just forbidden romances and similarly common themes- a few are fine, but having more than one in each Clan (maybe two max) starts to become rather unrealistic and tedious. As for larger plots- things which will affect the entire Clan, or both Clans, or prophecies, or anything of the sort- please get my approval first. If you have an idea for a plot, PM it to me. Then, we can work out the details and implementation together to make sure it fits smoothly into the rp.
☼ Activity is also important for keeping a roleplay running smoothly, or running at all. Because activity tends to wax and wane based on the interest and real-life of those involved, there won't be a set time limit on how often you have to be on. Instead, we expect you to be on frequently enough to make a decent roleplay post every 5 pages or less, at a minimum (a decent roleplay post being one which is at least three lines; chatting posts, and posts shorter than this, don't count). If you fail to do this (without an adequate excuse) you will be given a warning. After 5 warnings, you may be removed. If you fail to make a decent roleplay post for 15 consecutive pages (again, without a decent excuse) you may also be removed.
☼ Activity rules for those who have high ranks, or are relevant to important plots, are slightly stricter. Instead of being removed after 15 pages, you will lose your rank after 10 pages of absence, or after 3 incidents of not being present (within a reasonable time frame) when needed for plot reasons (ie, a medicine cat being required for an injury, or a leader needed to make an important decision). If you think this may be a problem for you, you may mitigate it by assigning that important character an alternate roleplayer- someone who you allow to temporarily play that character when you are not on for a long time, for the sake of resolving immediate plots only (ie, a medicine cat treating a wound). You don't have to assign an alt.rper., but you may if you choose.
☼ Finally, a rule on chatting. You are expected to separate your OOC talk from your roleplaying using brackets, parentheses, or some similar and equally obvious method. Please be nice to each other out of character, even if your characters don't get along- if you have an OOC problem with someone, and cannot resolve it like an adult, please ask for help. A small amount of chatting on roleplay pages is acceptable, especially if paired with continued roleplaying. However, for conversations that are more than 5 posts long (which are not taking place alongside rp), please take it elsewhere.
☼ Finally, a rule on chatting. You are expected to separate your OOC talk from your roleplaying using brackets, parentheses, or some similar and equally obvious method. Please be nice to each other out of character, even if your characters don't get along- if you have an OOC problem with someone, and cannot resolve it like an adult, please ask for help. A small amount of chatting on roleplay pages is acceptable, especially if paired with continued roleplaying. However, for conversations that are more than 5 posts long (which are not taking place alongside rp), please take it elsewhere.
T h e W a r r i o r C o d e
☼ Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.
☼ Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
☼ Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
☼ Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating.
☼ Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
☼ A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
☼ Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
☼ A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
☼ The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.
☼ After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
☼ A Gathering of both Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting between Clans at this time.
☼ Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
☼ Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
☼ A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
☼ Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
☼ A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
☼ The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.
☼ After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
☼ A Gathering of both Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting between Clans at this time.
☼ Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
☼ No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from outside their Clan.
☼ The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
☼ An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
☼ Both Clans have the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect both. Both Clans must help the other so that neither Clan will fall.
☼ The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
☼ An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
☼ Both Clans have the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect both. Both Clans must help the other so that neither Clan will fall.
C a m p
MorningClan's camp is located in the northeastern part of the valley, near a large waterfall which falls over the cliffs from a reservoir above. The camp itself sits in a rocky clearing at the edge of the forest, protected by the trees but with a good view of the meadow. Most of the Clan's dens are in bushes or burrows dug under the rocks. Their exclusive territory consists of the all the land near their camp that lies between the river and the mountains; cats of EveningClan must never tread here without permission from MorningClan.
☼ The leader's den is....
☼ The warriors' den is....
☼ The apprentices' den is....
☼ The nursery is....
☼ The elders' den is....
☼ The medicine den is....
J o i n i n g
This is a claim-a-cat roleplay, and thus most of a character's information is already given in the allegiances. Cats are provided with a name, virtues (except for apprentices and kits), brief description, a single flaw, and an image. They also have some set relationships- parents, siblings, mates, and kits. Others may also have history anecdotes about important things which have happened to them. When you claim a character, you may add to their information as much as you want, but you may not contradict anything that has already been listed. For example, if you cannot see their tail in the image, you may specify that they have a white tail-tip. Their personality is also yours to define, but you need not describe it.