Post by crane on Sept 26, 2017 11:27:41 GMT -5
V A L E C L A N
It started with a conflict of faith.
The mountain-dwellers and the valley-dwellers once lived in perfect harmony, with no law to separate them and no ties to bind them. One could cross the river without conflict, providing you didn’t tread on another cat’s tail. Metaphorically speaking.
During this time, two separate belief systems had started to take hold; there were those who looked to the sky, the moon the sun the stars and clouds, and those who looked to all things green, the grass and the trees and the life they sustained.
It was only a matter of time before these beliefs became divisive.
Some climbed up the mountains on a permanent basis, to be closer to their ancestors in the sky. Others melded into the trees, found unity among the old and growing things.
ValeClan was the first to call itself by name; CrestClan followed suit with enthusiasm. Because what was one without the other?
And so the Clans live their separate lifestyles, with their separate ancestors and their separate ideas. Coexisting can be hard.
Some cats experience a crisis of faith. Some feel a pull so strong that they become seers and commune with the ancestors. Most accept their Clan’s way of life and defend it tooth and claw.
O V E R V I E W
Welcome to ValeClan! All are welcome if they follow the ways of the Green, regardless of whether they were born into the Clan or not.
Nature and the land are sacred and meaningful to those of ValeClan, providing direct connections to the ancestors.
CrestClan is the name of our not-so-amicable neighbours.
B E L I E F S A N D C U S T O M S
- Trees such as maple, spruce and especially birch are said to hold the spirits of those who have passed on. Their religion is deeply ingrained in how they live; trees are sacred, seers are seen as equally important as leaders, and the ancestors watch over from the Green around them.
- Seers are cats born with a deeply ingrained connection to everything the Green is. They serve the Clan spiritually and emotionally, and provide guidance to the leader in times of duress.
- Herbalists provide physical care, healing the sick and ailing and helping nursing mothers with their young.
- Leaders receive their nine lives at the One Oak, a great gnarled tree beneath which seers go to commune with the ancestors. They take on the suffix ‘tree’ when they become leader. All leaders have green eyes upon receiving their blessing from the Green Ones.
- Warriors feed, defend and work for the Clan on all levels they are able. They are the backbone upon which a Clan sustains itself. They train the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
- Elders are highly respected and often assist the leader in decision-making when they are able. They are seen as great sources of wisdom and knowledge, having far more lived-experience than the rest.
- Those in the mountains who adhere to their own beliefs are seen as misguided and foreign.
- When the river freezes completely over or runs dry, the Clans welcome a time of peace, though this is often strained.
T E R R I T O R Y
The plains make up a large amount of ValeClan’s territory. They meet the border with the mountains head-on, sprawling into sparsely-dotted trees, and eventually thick forests of birch, spruce and maple.
Streams trace the territory, meaning water is usually plentiful and easy to access.
Squirrels, mice and other rodents are the predominant source of prey, with birds and fish often making their way to the fresh-kill pile.
Landmarks include the One Oak, the most spiritually important part of the territory, the hill at the centre of the plains, the river at the border, and the various clearings within the forest that warriors and apprentices use to train.
The Clan uses two camps; one all-year round, situated in the heart of the forest, only a brief trek from the One Oak. The other is far closer to the border, by a rocky outcrop, for when the ground freezes over and the streams within the forest become unusable.
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