Post by Aphelyon on Nov 15, 2017 13:11:09 GMT -5
I n f o
History
Once, there was only one Clan in the forest, a large Clan with no name (since, with only one, they need not differentiate themselves). It was very different from the Clans we know now, but it still followed a rudimentary version of the warrior code, and some of the ranks were the same. However, this Clan had no deputy, and eventually it came to pass that the leader of the Clan died with no obvious successor. Thus, the prominent and ambitious members of the Clans all claimed their right to lead, and in turn divided the Clan's loyalties between them.
With conflict came bloodshed, and before long, separate groups had been chased out or left, settling in the surrounding areas. Determined to reunite the Clan under one leader- and each group certain that the leader would be theirs- the groups continued to fight for many moons. Though they began to realize that reuniting would be impossible, the Clans refused to accept this, and still fought among themselves, refusing to truly become their own Clans under the false hope that the first Clan would come to be again. Yet, as seasons passed and they were not reunited, those who even remembered the original Clan began to die off, leaving a generation of cats who knew only their own Clans. Still, the Clans continued to fight, if only because that hostility was the only thing they had ever known.
Eventually, the members of each Clan started to become weak and sick, some even succumbing to the mysterious illness, which medicine cats could not identify. Now, the Clans' hostility began to abate, and desperate to find a cure to the sickness, they even began to work together, medicine cats sharing tips and knowledge in an attempt to find the cure. Moons passed and cats died, but no herb seemed to work. All hope seemed lost, until their ancestors came in a dream to all the medicine cats. They told them that only working together completely, sharing not only knowledge but herbs, could they find the cure. The medicine cats awoke, and decided that they would each find an herb which was unique to their territory. They and the rest of their Clans would meet on the next full moon night with as much of their respective herbs as they could carry, and there they would mix the cure.
Eventually, the members of each Clan started to become weak and sick, some even succumbing to the mysterious illness, which medicine cats could not identify. Now, the Clans' hostility began to abate, and desperate to find a cure to the sickness, they even began to work together, medicine cats sharing tips and knowledge in an attempt to find the cure. Moons passed and cats died, but no herb seemed to work. All hope seemed lost, until their ancestors came in a dream to all the medicine cats. They told them that only working together completely, sharing not only knowledge but herbs, could they find the cure. The medicine cats awoke, and decided that they would each find an herb which was unique to their territory. They and the rest of their Clans would meet on the next full moon night with as much of their respective herbs as they could carry, and there they would mix the cure.
The following full moon, the Clans met again to share news of the cure's status, which had miraculously worked. In honor of the cure that saved them and brought them together, they agreed to meet every full moon from then on in peace. Furthermore, each Clan took on the name of the herb they contributed to the cure, as a badge of honor for the part they played. And finally, the rank of deputy was added and the warrior code amended, so that the problems that caused the original Clan to split would never again occur. And thus, the modern Clans were born.
About the Clans
YarrowClan is made up of swift and clever cats of the rolling moors and open forests. Strategic and cunning, they are sometimes seen as manipulative and sneaky by the other Clans. Cats of this Clan tend to be fairly large but lithe, never bulky, as their muscle is used for running rather than brute strength. Their long, thick pelts are usually pale and brightly colored- white, ginger, russet, and tawny being the most common- but this isn't always the case, as there are quite a few dark-colored cats in the Clan. The hallmark trait of YarrowClan is their tufted ears, but they can also be easily identified by their warm amber and orange eyes.
JuniperClan is made up of cats who tend to be more standoffish than those from the other Clans. They are not ones to trust the other Clans or make allegiances, or even help the others out, unless it would benefit them as well. The cats of JuniperClan tend to be shorter and smaller than cats from the other Clans, but are still muscular. Although there is a range of coat colors, most of the cats tend to be darker colored tabbies, or just darker cats in general. Still, there is a fair number of lighter-coated and non-tabby cats in the Clan. Because of their somewhat self-serving nature, the other Clans sometimes consider them selfish and uncaring.
LilyClan is best known for the compassion and kindness of its members, and though considered a strength by LilyClan cats, other could consider it their greatest downfall. Lilyclan cats have short o medium-length, light-colored fur and sleek, long bodies. There is quite a diversity in pelt color, though most cats have dark earthy toned pelts; still, light-colored pelts aren't a strange sight in Lilyclan. Cats of Lilyclan need long, strong limbs and tails for jumping long distances above water. Lilyclan cats are often deemed soft and naive by the other clans, but are no less brave and loyal than any other clan.
TeaClan is....
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. For appearance, if you can't find a non-edited picture of it somewhere it probably doesn't exist. Some stretches of the imagination are possible (ie a gray cat with black spots or a calico tom) but some things are not. Cats will not have red or purple eyes, or blue pelts. They won't glow or glitter, and they won't have markings like a perfect star on their forehead or a perfect heart on their flank. 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. Some Clans might have slightly higher standards, so be sure to double-check a Clan's rules before joining!
☾ Plots are important for keeping a roleplay interesting and progressing, so please, please, please plot away! However, for things which will affect the entire Clan, make sure to ask the owner of that Clan, as well as the controllers of any involved characters, before commencing with a plot. For plots which would affect two, three, or all Clans, make sure the owners of all relevant Clans are okay with it. 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 the owner of the Clan asks for the plot to be stopped, 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.
☾ Similar to forbidden romances, I feel there should be a policy on outsiders joining the Clans. As appealing and interesting as this plot can be at times, it can only happen so much before it begins to feel unrealistic. Thus, I would make a loose guideline for it. Firstly, only one cat or group (ie, two or three littermates, or a queen and her kits, etc. etc.) may join any Clan every three in-game moons that pass. A single Clan may also not accept outsiders more than once every 12 in-game moons. Exceptions to this rule can be made when necessitated by plot, when the incidents of outsiders joining are somehow related (ie, "abandoned" kits are found and brought to the Clan. 4 moons later, the mother realizes what happens and decides she would also like to join the Clan), or when it just makes a lot of sense/works very well with the roleplay (this would be determined by roleplay events, and not by plotting alone).
☾ 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 (at the discretion of the owner of the Clan in question). If you fail to make a decent roleplay post for 15 consecutive pages (again, without a decent excuse) you may also be removed at the discretion of the Clan owner. 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 obvious method. Please be nice 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 a moderator 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, please take it to the Chatting & Planning Page (currently this page) if it is relevant to the roleplay, or to PM (or a personal thread) if it is not related.
☾ Keep characters realistic- this goes for appearance, personality, history, and all that good stuff. For appearance, if you can't find a non-edited picture of it somewhere it probably doesn't exist. Some stretches of the imagination are possible (ie a gray cat with black spots or a calico tom) but some things are not. Cats will not have red or purple eyes, or blue pelts. They won't glow or glitter, and they won't have markings like a perfect star on their forehead or a perfect heart on their flank. 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. Some Clans might have slightly higher standards, so be sure to double-check a Clan's rules before joining!
☾ Plots are important for keeping a roleplay interesting and progressing, so please, please, please plot away! However, for things which will affect the entire Clan, make sure to ask the owner of that Clan, as well as the controllers of any involved characters, before commencing with a plot. For plots which would affect two, three, or all Clans, make sure the owners of all relevant Clans are okay with it. 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 the owner of the Clan asks for the plot to be stopped, 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.
☾ Similar to forbidden romances, I feel there should be a policy on outsiders joining the Clans. As appealing and interesting as this plot can be at times, it can only happen so much before it begins to feel unrealistic. Thus, I would make a loose guideline for it. Firstly, only one cat or group (ie, two or three littermates, or a queen and her kits, etc. etc.) may join any Clan every three in-game moons that pass. A single Clan may also not accept outsiders more than once every 12 in-game moons. Exceptions to this rule can be made when necessitated by plot, when the incidents of outsiders joining are somehow related (ie, "abandoned" kits are found and brought to the Clan. 4 moons later, the mother realizes what happens and decides she would also like to join the Clan), or when it just makes a lot of sense/works very well with the roleplay (this would be determined by roleplay events, and not by plotting alone).
☾ 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 (at the discretion of the owner of the Clan in question). If you fail to make a decent roleplay post for 15 consecutive pages (again, without a decent excuse) you may also be removed at the discretion of the Clan owner. 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 obvious method. Please be nice 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 a moderator 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, please take it to the Chatting & Planning Page (currently this page) if it is relevant to the roleplay, or to PM (or a personal thread) if it is not related.
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.
☾ 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 all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among 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 a different 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.
☾ A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
☾ Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.
☾ 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 all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among 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 a different 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.
☾ A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
☾ Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.
L i n k s
T e r r i t o r y
The Gathering Island
The Gathering Island sits in the middle of the river between LilyClan and JuniperClan territories. The water around it is shallow and rocky, making it easy even for cats who can't swim to reach the island. The island itself is similarly rocky, not much more than a pebbly, stony outcropping from the river. Still, some sparse grass and several trees have managed to take hold on the island, and it is here that the Clans meet beneath each full moon. Because it is so open and sparse here, there is not much prey to be found at any part of the moon- this is another thing that makes it an ideal Gathering location, as no Clan loses any valuable territory by it being made neutral. Still, the occasional bird or water vole can be found, and the rocks around it can yield good fishing, and so JuniperClan and LilyClan cats might come to search here when they are especially desperate.
Most cats find their places on the various rocks jutting from the coarse soil, or in the low branches of the twisting trees, or between their knobby roots. The leaders of the Clans, however, find their perch on the southeastern part of the island, where several large, pale rocks burst from the ground, forming several distinct ledges where cats cat sit, silhouetted by the night sky, to demand the attention of those present. Deputies and medicine cats gather at the bast of the stones, either on the ground or on the lower ledges. These rocks are known as the Callingstones, and when leaders take their place on their various ledges, all know it is time for the Gathering to begin.
Most cats find their places on the various rocks jutting from the coarse soil, or in the low branches of the twisting trees, or between their knobby roots. The leaders of the Clans, however, find their perch on the southeastern part of the island, where several large, pale rocks burst from the ground, forming several distinct ledges where cats cat sit, silhouetted by the night sky, to demand the attention of those present. Deputies and medicine cats gather at the bast of the stones, either on the ground or on the lower ledges. These rocks are known as the Callingstones, and when leaders take their place on their various ledges, all know it is time for the Gathering to begin.
J o i n i n g
Please join on the Joining Page. (joining is not yet fully open; it is only officially open for YarrowClan and JuniperClan)
