Post by crane on Sept 26, 2017 11:57:09 GMT -5
C R E S T 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 CrestClan! All are welcome if they follow our customs and look to the sky for meaning and guidance.
The cats of CrestClan have made their home in the mountains, closer to the sky, the moon and the stars, where the ancestors are known to dwell.
B E L I E F S A N D C U S T O M S
- CrestClan believe their ancestors watch over from the sky, and find meaning and guidance in the stars, the moon, and the clouds. Religion is deeply important to them.
- Seers of CrestClan watch the sky for clues and serve as the spiritual message-carriers of the clan. They speak for the ancestors and provide council to the leaders. They are often seen as on-par with the leader in regards to power.
- Herbalists heal the sick and tend to the wounded. They work alongside the leader and the seer to guide their clan, and are usually more practical than their more whimsical seer counterparts. Since herbs can be difficult to come by near the camp, they often travel for long periods of time, meaning there is usually more than one herbalist in the clan. Often, they trade with the herbalists of ValeClan, whose stock is more plentiful.
- Clan leaders take the suffix ‘sky’ when they receive their nine lives. This is because of the spiritual weight of leading a clan that is bestowed upon them. They make decisions for the cats under their rule, and seek council in seers, healers, and the more experienced warriors and elders of the clan.
- 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.
- When the river freezes completely over or runs dry, the Clans welcome a time of peace between them, though this often strained.
T E R R I T O R Y
CrestClan cats are mountain-dwellers. Their territory overlooks the plains and woodland inhabited by ValeClan, and they do tend to see themselves as ‘above’ their rivals in a metaphorical sense, too.
The mountains are sprawling and tall, their lower slopes littered with spruce and the occasional stream. The higher you climb, the less trees you find.
In all, there are six easily visibly peaks in CrestClan’s mountain range. The largest four are known as North Peak, South Peak, East Peak and West Peak, for obvious reasons. The Snow Peak is the furthest from ValeClan territory, and is used to keep track of the seasons; when The Snow Peak is finally devoid of snow, Summer has taken hold.
The most easily defined peak, in the centre of the others, is simply known as the Sky Peak. The plateau of this mountain is where CrestClan makes its camp, usually sleeping under the stars as a Clan and sharing feasts. When the weather is bad, they retreat down the side of the mountain to a series of water-worn caves, which serve as shelter.
Prey ranges from large birds to rats and mice, with the occasional lizard thrown in. Snow hares make for skilful hunting in winter.
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