Eɴᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ Cʟᴀɴs | ᵒʳᶤᵍᶤᶰᵃˡ ᶠᶤᵛᵉ ᶜˡᵃᶰˢ

    Many moons ago, the forest was a wilderness, untamed by territories. Cats came into the forest, drawn in by the soft rustlings of small creatures, shadows under the water, and the sudden commotion of birds' wings in the trees. The cats lived in small groups, not yet Clans and there were no borders set down. The cats fought constantly, fearful that prey might run out and that their overlapping territories were being threatened. It was a lawless, bloody time for the forest, and many cats died.
    One night, when the moon was full, the cats agreed to meet at a clearing in the forest surrounded by four great oak trees. A terrible battle followed, and soon the ground was wet with spilled blood.
    Many cats died that night. When the survivors awoke, all around them they saw the spirits of their slain kin, no longer torn and bloodied but shining like fallen stars. The survivors huddled on the ground, and, as the spirits spoke, they saw terrible visions of the future. They knew that the fighting had to end.
    "Unite or die," said the spirits. Four cats--Shadow, River, Wind and Thunder--came forward claiming that they could individually unite the forest with their strengths. The spirits of the slain kin spoke again, "The forest is big enough to feed all your families and many more. You must each find other cats like you, choose a home in the forest, and set down borders." At that moment, the moon broke free of the clouds, revealing a circle of starlit spirit-cats around the edge of the clearing--StarClan. A white tom spirit-cat stepped forward. "If you do this," he meowed, "we will reward you with eight more lives, so that you may lead your Clans for many moons to come." The StarClan promised to watch over the Clans from Silverpelt, a crowded path of stars that swept across the night sky, and to visit the Clan leaders in their dreams and to guide them on their journeys. The spirit-cats proclaimed that all four Clans would meet at the full moon once a month at the four great oak trees for a night of truce.
    Thunder, River, Wind, and Shadow were pronounced warriors by the spirit-cats. "From now on, you will live by a warrior code. Your hearts will be filled with courage and nobility, and if you must fight, it will be not for greed, but for honor and justice." And so the age of warrior Clans began--ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan.
    There was not always peace between the Clans, but that was to be expected--cats are born with claws and teeth for a reason. Still, as long as they lived by the warrior code, their fallen ancestors would watch over them and guide them through their lives.
    Though there was one turbelent time in the life of the Clans. Twolegs ravaged the land of a forgotten Clan called SkyClan. After pleading for shelter, the leaders of River, Shadow, Thunder, and Wind banished them. Their faith shattered, the abandoned traveled to a gorge.
    There, they started a new life and hoped to forget the past. The gorge was not kind to them, as they had been chased from their and dispersed once by rats. When they rebuilt generations later, their kinds hearts were crushed as they had once again been chased out. Now, after two seasons, the small and fragile Clan has been brought hope. At the lake, where the four Clans who had once turned away SkyClan faced their own destruction of their land.
    When they had fought until the lake ran red, StarClan emerged and gave the Clans a quest to bring back peace. They would right their wrongs by helping the very Clan they had cast to the unknown. The wise cats of StarClan hoped their task could unite them and make them all see that no Clan could survive alone. Perhaps it would end the wars that had taken so many lives and risked running the Clans to extinction.
    The Clans forced themselves into a tense truce and awaited the day StarClan would once again speak. When SkyClan had been brought to the lake and given land, the Clans rejoiced. After giving a few of their own, SkyClan's numbers swelled and they were able to function without the assistance of the others. The five were reunited once again, yet there are troubles still ahead..

    Before we jump into the specific restrictions, allow it to be clearly stated that rules may be changed at any time and the admins of this role-play have the right to do so. Of course, it will be discussed, but if there must be an addition, change, or removal, it is not negotiable. We apologize if you do not like it, but we will run the role-play how we feel is suitable and make proper changes to improve the quality. We must also make it clear that if you have not read the rules nor the history or territory, you are stepping off on the wrong foot with us. The information has been arranged the way it has to help make it easier to understand. The work put in should not be ignored and anyone who blatantly ignores it will be directed back to it so they may read it. If you respect us, we will respect you. That brings another important point: respect and courtesy. No one should feel uncomfortable or attacked. If you differ with someone on an opinion, do not attack them for it here, please. If anything in this role-play makes you feel uncomfortable, it is advised you do not join.

    Allow us to explain one thing: staff are held at a different standard than regular members. If you are a staff member, it is highly advised you read the staff rules to ensure you are following the activity rules. These section is for "regular" members, as it will be far less confusing. Regular members, save for those with a high position, will need to be on at the minimum of four days a week. This may sound a bit strict, but due to the size of the role-play, we must enforce stricter guidelines to ensure our success. The admins and staff attempt to provide the best experience possible and with the absence of members, that experience can not be provided. Admins and their staff will keep a close eye on activity. Every two weeks, there will be a check for inactive members. Obviously there will be consequences for breaking the rule and obviously we will have members who do break those rules. It is unfortunate, but we will still not tolerate it when it happens. Background, relations to other members, and other factors will not and should not influence someone to think that they can become inactive and not pay some kind of price. However, noted hiatuses are acceptable. What is a noted hiatus? Well, if a member knows they will be absent for a week, then they can alert a staff member about their expected absence and will not face any negative consequences for their absence. We kindly ask you do alert us if you are expected to be gone. If you can no longer be a member, it is best to let us know instead of going inactive and possibly create a sour relationship with one or more of the staff members. Of course, we can understand being in a rush one day, but if you can role-play in another role-play, you should at least be able to make  a role-play post to move things. We will not allow "greeting" posts to count towards you being on the role-play.

    Unfortunately, this section will be the longest and hold many rules and regulations. We have organized it into smaller sections, but due to their relation to role-playing, they will be under this section. Again, before we jump into another batch of rules, let us go over the basics that everyone should know and should not do. Power-playing is basically taking a character you do not own and controlling them to do certain deeds and actions. While we have very few exceptions to this rule, it is still frowned upon and may result in a negative consequence. We kindly ask you refrain from doing this and if you feel you are, simply asking should not hurt. In fact, it may be better to check instead of doing whatever. Another issue that can have a few exceptions is spotlighting. The attention of the members and characters should vary depending on the location, time, and importance of what is being role-played. Depending on the "plot" depends on what should take more attention. There will be more discussion about plots, but be sure to be aware of when you should have the spotlight on your character and when you should not. The third common role-playing issue is god-modding. While Warriors has been known to be unrealistic at times and even break their own rules, it will not be allowed here. There have been measures taken to ensure god-modding does not happen in certain cases and during moments when god-modding can be more common, a watchful eye will be present. Finally, the fourth and final big issue: meta-gaming. Meta-gaming typically refers to a character knowing something they should not in canon. An example would be two characters entering a forbidden romance and then a third character randomly knowing about that relationship. If it is not role-played out and with the two giving permission, they can not know about the relationship.

    How about we move on and get to a part many despise reading. There is a lot of controversy about literacy and role-playing. On the old forums, there were typically four categories a role-play was in. However, we have decided to not exactly label ourselves. Instead, we simply ask for proper spelling and grammar as well as at least five sentences per post. Any less appears as if someone does not care and will not try. Given that the typical paragraph for children is five paragraphs, we are not asking much. You are invited to write more, but be cautious of "fluff." Filler makes the post difficult to read in terms sorting important information out from simple filler. 

    Realism is quite important in this role-play. While the admins and staff will make sure everyone is following basic logic, we feel it should be touched upon that a patrol of three cats cannot properly take on a grown badger without serious injury and in a matter of seconds. In the Warriors universe, there are certain things that can and can not happen, so please abide by those rules and our rules. Now, general role-play rules play along with realism. It is too coincidental when your character gets all of the spotlight, so please do not do that. There will be moments when your character’s plot or spot in the limelight will take front and center. God-modding and meta-gaming are a no go for us, so do not even think about it. Please keep in mind that cats do die. To combat the chance of someone taking the liberty to have all of their cats die or live through a major event, the admins of the Clans will have what is called "chance charts." Depending on the situation, these can have an impact on the Clan or just a few characters. They will be on the discussion page, and will only be used when the situation calls. If you are not comfortable with the chance of your character dying, then please refrain from joining.

    If someone had been deleted or demoted for actions outside the role-play, we will find a way to make it work within the role-play. Whether it is a quick mention, a scene is played out explaining, or we replace them entirely and have a stand-in character take their place. We have many options to make sure the plot goes on without interruption. Hate to say it, but I do. If someone is deleted, they have a week to come back and everything is fine again. We will have something that matches the season as to why they were out of commission. If they do not come back, a staff member or someone else can take their spot or we will simply state they have died. We are very aware some of it would be seen as poor writing and it would be odd if a bunch of cats just died, but it is what it is.

    Everyday life can be quite.. frustrating when it repeats. However, it is also a great opportunity that is often overlooked when it comes to developing relationships and cooling off from a major plot. Patrols are often made up on the spot and seems very out of place compared to the books. To kind of create a similar feeling in the books and motivate activity, the member owning the deputy will create a list each Saturday for patrols on each day. This is not to control a character, but initiate others to do something besides waking up and grabbing a piece of prey. We will also bring back the small journey to the Moonpool for apprentices. Unfortunately, this is a small event that even the books have forgotten about, but some readers enjoyed. Of course, there is another small event that many role-plays have possibly forgotten and that is the warrior assessment. Before an apprentice can take on the assessment, they will need to complete six training sessions. Three would be for hunting and three would be for battling. These must be completed before the assessment and before an apprentice can go to the Moonpool and receive their name. Medicine cat apprentices will have two sessions of hunting, two sessions of fighting, and two sessions of medical and spiritual training. The medicine cat will choose the full name for the medicine cat apprentice and leaders will choose the full name for apprentices. Suggestions are welcome, but the leader's word is law. For weather, you may do whatever is possible in the forecast, however be cautious of creating big storms, as the admins may not appreciate it without their consent. When it comes to herbs, be sure to check what herb is available in your territory and what herb is not. This can also create some interaction between the Clans, but make sure you have the admins permission to come onto the page.

    When you join, please keep in the mind of the characteristics, rules, and any information pertaining to your character. We advise you to not use "handsome" or "beautiful" when describing your character. Why? Well, that is kind of going into god-modding territory. Do not apply for deputy, as leaders will decide on their deputy. Please properly use our form, coding and all. LBGTQ+ characters are welcomed here. Anyone who is against this or tries to argue against this can kindly leave. As for queens and kits, we kindly ask their be a father for the kits. You may ask one of the members if they would like to have a cat father the kits. The two cats do not necessarily have to be mates, either. As for single kits, please do not join with them. We would much rather have room for kits who are born in the Clan over having an overload of orphan kits. While we will also allow permanent queens, we ask you develop them. Regarding relationships, none of the admins mind two different people having their characters join as mates, or a character having a crush on another. As for having two characters being mates and owning them, the two characters must be retired. We also encourage joining and having a character related to others if the member allows it. In the Clans, there will be available spots, so please fill free. We will restrict the amount of outsiders, half-Clan cats, and outside cats who join the Clans. Please keep in mind any cat who is not a full Clan cat or has mixed blood will probably be discriminated against. When it comes to genetics, please be as accurate as you can. The admins either have a chart, a generator, or a basic idea of how genetics may work, so please don't try to pull the wool over our eyes. Any outsiders will be limited in number and restricted to an area. The admins will decide on the number and the outsider will need to remain in a Clan area. They cannot and will not remain in the territory, undiscovered for a long time. They must have a purpose. Now, an important note to make would be that characters cannot be made for the simple purpose of finding a mate. They need to have something besides that to keep them going. Something that can help develop them. At the same time, they also should not be made for the simple purpose of plot. For every warrior that is made, one apprentice may be made. Keep in mind, the maximum amount of apprentices is ten per Clan. While we do ask genders be kept somewhat even, it will be up to the admins to moderate this for their Clans, as every Clan may vary in characters. We will be limiting prefixes to two per Clan, however the cat must be an elder for the prefix to be used again in the same Clan. Allow us to explain. If there is an elder in ShadowClan named Cedarpelt, then there may be a Cedarkit or a Cedarpaw. We will have banned prefixes and suffixes. To check and see which are banned, please refer to the prefix list on the joining page.

    High ranks of any kind are a privilege. They can be taken away if someone proves to be unqualified. Mentors and apprentices are a great example of such. In most cases, mentors fail to train their apprentices or the apprentice(s) are the typical trope. Be aware of you actions, as it disrupts the overall narrative and have some negative impact. If an apprentice is shown to be too stubborn and refuses to listen, it may result in the assignment of another mentor and a warning to cool it. Even if the mentor is not technically in the wrong, they can and will be penalized for it. Deputies and medicine cats should be active, as well as important characters in the main or minor plots. If you are not, then you will be replaced. You have the chance to be high in the ranks, do not assume you can simply do what you wish. Certain plots will take priority over the others. Events in the main plots that involve all five Clans will play out before any other plots. Minor plots refer to plots that only impact a Clan or possibly two Clans. They will take the second priority, as they involve a decent amount of characters, but still on a smaller scale. Subplots where it is a Clan life event, a fox encounter, or kitting will take the least amount of priority of the three, but still have power over instant drama plots. There will be planning for each event. A week will be the minimum amount of notice when a potential event will take place. Now, plots like kitting may be planned, but if a member of the staff is online, in addition to the medicine cat, then a queen may kit early if it will involve some complications due to early birth. However, not all kittings will proceed like this. If you are unsure about what you may initiate without permission, ask a staff member what is and is not acceptable.

    The admins and staff of this role-play should be cracking down on poor behavior and general laziness. If a member violates a rule for the first time, they will be issued a warning. Two warnings will equal a star. A star is not something you would want to receive, as you may only have five stars before being deleted. You may rejoin once and will automatically start on the second star. Now, when a member gets to the second star, they cannot not "attend" the Gathering and their characters must remain in camp for two days. For the third star, their apprentices could have an additional training session added on before they become a warrior. If they do not have an apprentice but have a warrior acting as a mentor, their apprentice will be assigned a new mentor for a week and that cat will be sick or under punishment for something. If the member happens to have both, admin may decide on which approach to take. When a fourth star is issued, it will result in previous punishments from before and a week's suspension from that Clan. Now, if they have joined two Clans, the two admins can discuss if this will impact both Clans or just the one. If they show a better attitude in the other Clan, it will only be in the Clan they're not doing so well with. Finally, the fifth star will result in deletion. If a member does rejoin, then they cannot have any special plots, positions, or even apprentices until two weeks in. If the member vastly improves past those two weeks, then the admin can discuss the possibility of cleaning the slate for the member.

        ➤ ʀᴀɪɴʟᴇᴀғ 🍁
    Rainleaf completely did the coding, graphics, and wrote the chance generators. She also typed up the rules, although all the admins went over them and discussed them. The addition to the history was written by her. The map of the lake was edited by Rainleaf.

        ➤ Erin Hunter, Wayne McLoughlin, and Owen Richardson
    The history came from the official Warriors site, and therefore is written by Erin Hunter. The artwork used in the main banner and the symbols were made by Rainleaf, but inspired by the symbols drawn by Wayne.

        ➤ Warriors Wiki
    The characteristics and territory are displayed on the Clan's page on the Warriors Wiki. It is a collection of information written by Erin Hunter. The herbs, battle moves, warrior code, illnesses and treatments, as well as the ceremonies on the special pages are located on the wiki. This information also comes Erin Hunter as well.

    This chart is not optional. It needs to be followed for the most part. The only thing that may vary is when a cat will get their warrior or medicine cat name due to our rules.

    ● Kits - 0-6 Moons
    ● Apprentices - 6-9 Moons
    ● Senior Apprentices - 9-13 Moons
    ● Warriors - 13-56 Moons
    ● Senior Warriors - 56-96 Moons
    ● Elders - 96 Moons
    ● Medicine Cat Apprentice - 6-18 Moons
    ● Medicine Cat - 18-96 Moons
    ● Queens - 18-80 Moons (The older they are, the more likely their kits will be born stillborn, with defects, or the queen's life being in danger.)
    ● Deputy - 36-96 Moons (May go longer; this is an estimate, as a cat must mentor a cat)
    ● Leaders - 36-96 Moons

    These are to determine different outcomes. Rainleaf wrote and figured them out herself, so please do not steal.

    ➤ Illness

             Below are the chances for a character to get sick from an outbreak or a seasonal outbreak. For an abnormal outbreak, all cats will be considered and a coin will be flipped for each individual to determine if they catch it or not. For a seasonal outbreak, only half of the Clan will go through this process. From that point, a dice is rolled to determine the severity of illness for each individual. There are six stages. Kit and elders will have two dice rolled as they have double the chance to catch it. The dice and coin will be flipped twice for them. Once the decision is made, it will be role-played out. Admins will have their secondary leader throw the dice or flip the coin to avoid any cheating.

         ➥ The first stage is a cough and slight symptoms. They can be easily cured before the next Gathering.

         ➥ The second stage is mild symptoms where they may take longer than two weeks real time to recover. They also become slightly contagious and are restricted from hunting patrols to prevent the illness spreading via prey.

         ➥ The third stage with full blown whitecough symptoms. Cats are restricted to camp, but may help with small tasks like rebuilding the camp walls.

         ➥ The fourth stage where the cat begins to show signs of greencough. They are restricted from assisting with tasks near the nursery and elders den.

         ➥ The fifth stage where greencough is confirmed. They are confined to the medicine cat's den and must rest. Symptoms are mild to severe.

         ➥ The sixth and final stage where the cat dies from greencough.

    ➤ Wounds

             Battles can be bloody and take many lives, however they can also be quick, simple, and result to little or no injuries. While any cat can die at any time during a battle, we have decided to make it less likely for death for small battles. Therefore, battles over borders or small strips of territory like Sunningrocks will only go to stage four unless there is a consistent conflict between the two Clans like war. However, battles near the gorge or thunderpath will have a special coin flip to determine if they will meet the terms of a small battle or large battle due to the danger of the location. To prevent a Clan losing more warriors than necessary, the death toll for a Clan will be five in big battles in three in small battles. A small battle patrol must consist of seven cats while a big patrol must consist of eleven.

         ➥ The first stage where the cat only suffers minor scratches. If anything, fur will be ripped out. Ears may be torn as well.

         ➥ The second stage where the cat only suffers a few minor gashes and blood is visible. They do require some medical treatment.

         ➥ The third stage where the cat suffers from larger and worse gashes. They are not at risk of death, but infection can easily set in if not treated quickly.

         ➥ The fourth stage where the cat suffers complete bodily injuries and needs assistance for traveling back to camp. They may risk death by blood loss if they prolong treatment.

         ➥ The fifth stage in which the cat may suffer from a major injury like blinding, broken bones, and other major injuries in addition to major gashes in which blood loss is an issue. They must be immediately sent back to camp or face death.

         ➥ The sixth stage in which the wounds are far too much and the cat dies. They do not have to suffer a broken bone or a wound similar, but they have either not made it in time for treatment, lost too much blood, or suffered a severe blow on the scene of the battle.

    ➤ Litter Size

            In the case of a real matter, she-cats normally can birth up to nine kittens. However, we will keep to the average, so the maximum amount of kits a queen can have is six. Genders and descriptions will be up to owners of the parents, but the size will be determined here. A mutation, defect, and mortality generator will also be used on the litter. However, this will be specified in those sections. There is truly no need in thoroughly explaining as it is pretty self-explanatory. The admin will flip a coin and if the coin lands on heads, the litter will be bigger than three. If the coin lands on tails, the litter will be smaller. The admin will then throw a dice to determine how many. Keep in mind that if the coin hit tails, the number can not be higher than three and if the coin landed on heads, the litter can not be bigger than six. The owners of the parents reserve the right to have one kit if they wish, but if they want more than one, they will need to go through this process. The maximum litters a she-cat can have is three.

    ➤ Birth Mutations

             While it may not seem as realistic, this section is for mutations that are nonlethal and are only for cosmetics. They will not have blind eyes or a twisted paw. This section is for tings like heterochromia, tufted ears, and so on. Members may join with any mutations they'd like if the admin allows it, as some mutations are more common than others. Each kit in a litter will have a coin tossed to determine if they receive a mutation or not. Heads means they will while tails means they will not. Then the kit will have a number dice rolled to determine the rarity of the mutation. To keep this simple, we will have six main mutations. You may join with other mutations, but there are far too many and the process of dealing with litter size, mutations, and birth defects may take a while already. The parents may turn down a mutation if they want and do not need to have one.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a one, they will receive tufted ears.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a two, they will receive folded ears.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a three, they will have heterochromia, meaning two different eye colors.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a four, they will be a polydactyl.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a five, they will have a bobbed tail.

            ➥ If the kit rolls a six, they will not have a tail at all.

    ➤ Birth Defects and Death

             While this has been researched, the many defects a kitten can face are quite serious and would be hard for someone to role-pay. The idea of the defects is to bring a sense of realism as not every cat would be 100% healthy. Given that, the majority of these defects will be nonlethal while the others are lethal. How this will happen is that a coin will be tossed for every kit in the litter. If it is heads, they will not receive a defect. If it is tails they will.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a one, they will be deaf. The chances will double if the kit is white with blue eyes.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a two, they will be blind.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a three, they will have a twisted paw. (Example: Deadfoot)

         ➥ If the kit rolls a four, they will be born weak and frail. They will die in kithood.

         ➥ If the kit rolls a five, they will be stillborn.

    Please check the list for taken or reserved prefixes. Also, be wise with your selection of a prefix, as if it sounds like something the cats may have not or will not encounter, it will not be allowed. Obviously, the names of the Clans are forbidden as well as Moon/-moon.

    Prefix
    Cherry
    Minnow
    Dapple [Reserved, may be used once]
    Blue [Reserved, may be used once]
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix

    Prefix
    Cinder
    Night
    Rowan
    Soot
    Bird
    Silver
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix

    Prefix
    Brown
    Clear
    Drift
    Dusk
    Speckle
    Zephyr
    Russet [Reserved; may be used once]
    Dapple [Reserved; may be used once]
    Silver
    Bird
    Prefix

    Prefix
    Drizzle
    Fern
    Haze
    Hazel
    Thrush
    Grass [Reserved, may be used once]
    Red [Reserved, may be used once]
    Fox [Reserved, may be used once]
    Heather
    Hail
    Ash
    Aster [Reserved for Chibi]
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix

    Prefix
    Raven
    Silent
    Smoke
    White
    Wren [Reserved, may be used once]
    Vixen [Reserved, may be used once]
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix
    Prefix