Post by Aphelyon on Feb 15, 2018 15:32:56 GMT -5
W i n t e r C l a n
C o u r a g e o u s & F i e r c e
History of the Clans
The origins of the four Clans of the Seasons is lost to history, though there are many stories revolving around their founders, four sisters named Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Some cats say that there used to be no seasons, or else that the seasons had no order and were in constant chaos. Legend has it that the four sisters created the Clans to bring order and balance to the seasons, so that things could grow and die in the proper cycle that keeps life flowing.
Of course, most cats know that these are likely just stories, though it is generally accepted that Winterstar, Springstar, Summerstar, and Autumnstar did exist. Many cats also hold the superstition that if the Clans are thrown out of balance, so will be the seasons; or, perhaps the opposite, and the Clans rely on their respective seasons to survive. Regardless, the cats of the Season Clans hold much respect for the power of the seasons, and the cycle of life that they uphold and represent.
Still.... not every cat has the same respect for tradition. A darkness has been growing in the hearts of some of the Clan cats, cats who look to expand their territory and power, to throw the Clans and seasons out of balance. Will these cats be stopped, and tradition upheld, or will the cycle, and the fate of the Clans, be changed forever?
Of course, most cats know that these are likely just stories, though it is generally accepted that Winterstar, Springstar, Summerstar, and Autumnstar did exist. Many cats also hold the superstition that if the Clans are thrown out of balance, so will be the seasons; or, perhaps the opposite, and the Clans rely on their respective seasons to survive. Regardless, the cats of the Season Clans hold much respect for the power of the seasons, and the cycle of life that they uphold and represent.
Still.... not every cat has the same respect for tradition. A darkness has been growing in the hearts of some of the Clan cats, cats who look to expand their territory and power, to throw the Clans and seasons out of balance. Will these cats be stopped, and tradition upheld, or will the cycle, and the fate of the Clans, be changed forever?
About WinterClan
WinterClan is the Clan that represents the winter season. To outsiders, they appear exactly as one would expect: cold, aloof, distant. However, to their Clanmates, this could not be farther from the truth. WinterClan cats are warmhearted, caring, and unbendingly loyal to each other and to their Clan. After all, winter is the harshest season, and without each other to depend on they would surely not survive. Thus, WinterClan is a Clan which values teamwork, loyalty, and dependability. However, they can still seem a bit harsh at times: each cat must be able to pull their own weight in some way or another, as there is no room in the winter for burden. Even cats who are disabled will still have a place with the Clan so long as they can find something they can do, even if not hunting or fighting, and even warriors who cannot be depended upon will find little lenience.
Physically, WinterClan cats are small, sturdy, and long-furred cats. They tend to have small paws, short tails, and small ears compared to the other Clans- all adapted to conserve heat. They tend to be pale colored and fairly neutral in tone, with white, silver, and gray being the most common colors, though light brown and tawny is also common. They tend to have fairly faint markings, and many cats are solid colors. WinterClan cats have developed an almost unique method of hunting, which they call pack hunting, something they learned from wolves. Despite their small size, they are able to use these techniques to take down much larger prey- or more prey- than normal, such as an entire den of rabbits, or a small deer. However, taking down large prey is very dangerous, and thus pack hunting is typically only used when cats are desperate, such as in the depth of winter when the Clan is starving. The main exception to this is when a group of apprentices is ready to become warriors, at which point they must successfully complete a pack hunt without help from the warriors.
Physically, WinterClan cats are small, sturdy, and long-furred cats. They tend to have small paws, short tails, and small ears compared to the other Clans- all adapted to conserve heat. They tend to be pale colored and fairly neutral in tone, with white, silver, and gray being the most common colors, though light brown and tawny is also common. They tend to have fairly faint markings, and many cats are solid colors. WinterClan cats have developed an almost unique method of hunting, which they call pack hunting, something they learned from wolves. Despite their small size, they are able to use these techniques to take down much larger prey- or more prey- than normal, such as an entire den of rabbits, or a small deer. However, taking down large prey is very dangerous, and thus pack hunting is typically only used when cats are desperate, such as in the depth of winter when the Clan is starving. The main exception to this is when a group of apprentices is ready to become warriors, at which point they must successfully complete a pack hunt without help from the warriors.
Roleplay Rules
The rules in this roleplay are pretty straightforward, and mainly common sense. Still, I would appreciate it if you would at least skim through in case there's anything you missed/might not have thought about.
First, use common sense, as always. Don't spam, don't be rude, don't troll, don't use mary-sues, don't kit-steal, don't control/place/trap other peoples' characters (without permission), don't spotlight (ie, causing drama revolving around your character for the sake of causing drama/drawing unnecessary attention to them), don't powerplay (essentially, refusing to lose/fail even if you reasonably should), etc. The normal stuff. If you need clarification on any of those rules, feel free to ask either on this thread, or to PM me.
Next is literacy. I'm not usually super strict about literacy in Clan roleplays, but there is a certain basic standard which has to be met or the roleplay will fall apart. My rules on this are pretty simple.
- First of all, make sure your posts are coherent. This means good spelling and grammar at the very least- doesn't have to be perfect (I really don't care that much if you use the wrong than/then as long as we know what you're saying) but it has to be easily legible. On the other hand, this also means using words/phrasings/structure that a regular person can be reasonably expected to understand, and you should be able to say it fairly concisely. We don't need 2 sentences of big words to tell us that your character's eyes are blue. When you try too hard to be Shakespeare/Tolkien, it means that everyone has to take time and mental effort to to decipher what you're trying to say, which is the opposite of relaxing, which is what roleplaying should be.
- Secondly, post length should be reasonable. Your average should fall somewhere in the 1-5 decently-sized paragraphs range, in this case a "decent paragraph" being like, 3-5 sentences. You can certainly have outliers that are longer or shorter than this depending on the situation; however, if you normally write less than 3 or 4 sentences, or you generally write more than 4 or 5 paragraphs, you might need to adjust your style slightly for this roleplay.
- Finally, literacy also means knowing how to contribute to the roleplay. I don't care if you're not the most eloquent person in the universe, if you can't use the right your, or if you write a minimum one paragraph every post, as long as your characters are well thought-out and contribute to the plot in an interesting, engaging, and meaningful way. Inversely, you could be actual Shakespeare in terms of verbage but if your characters don't actually do anything, develop, or go anywhere, if you don't contribute to the plot and the story and the world, then you are not going to be enjoyable to roleplay with.
And of course, there's the ever-present issue of activity. I don't like to give a strict "you have to be on this much within this time period" rule because, well, stuff happens. You get busy, I get busy, the roleplay lags, it happens. So as long as you post enough for your characters to remain appropriately relevant for their ranks and role in the rp, that's good enough for me. So, obviously, characters like leaders and medicine cats should be pretty available, while kits and apprentices might not need to be on as much. If the roleplay is going slow but steady, you don't need to be on as much; if it's going fast, you should try to make enough time to be on so as not to become lost or irrelevant. Use your best judgement, and if I feel like your activity is a problem, I'll say something to you directly, and give you a chance to explain things or fix it, before deleting you.
First, use common sense, as always. Don't spam, don't be rude, don't troll, don't use mary-sues, don't kit-steal, don't control/place/trap other peoples' characters (without permission), don't spotlight (ie, causing drama revolving around your character for the sake of causing drama/drawing unnecessary attention to them), don't powerplay (essentially, refusing to lose/fail even if you reasonably should), etc. The normal stuff. If you need clarification on any of those rules, feel free to ask either on this thread, or to PM me.
Next is literacy. I'm not usually super strict about literacy in Clan roleplays, but there is a certain basic standard which has to be met or the roleplay will fall apart. My rules on this are pretty simple.
- First of all, make sure your posts are coherent. This means good spelling and grammar at the very least- doesn't have to be perfect (I really don't care that much if you use the wrong than/then as long as we know what you're saying) but it has to be easily legible. On the other hand, this also means using words/phrasings/structure that a regular person can be reasonably expected to understand, and you should be able to say it fairly concisely. We don't need 2 sentences of big words to tell us that your character's eyes are blue. When you try too hard to be Shakespeare/Tolkien, it means that everyone has to take time and mental effort to to decipher what you're trying to say, which is the opposite of relaxing, which is what roleplaying should be.
- Secondly, post length should be reasonable. Your average should fall somewhere in the 1-5 decently-sized paragraphs range, in this case a "decent paragraph" being like, 3-5 sentences. You can certainly have outliers that are longer or shorter than this depending on the situation; however, if you normally write less than 3 or 4 sentences, or you generally write more than 4 or 5 paragraphs, you might need to adjust your style slightly for this roleplay.
- Finally, literacy also means knowing how to contribute to the roleplay. I don't care if you're not the most eloquent person in the universe, if you can't use the right your, or if you write a minimum one paragraph every post, as long as your characters are well thought-out and contribute to the plot in an interesting, engaging, and meaningful way. Inversely, you could be actual Shakespeare in terms of verbage but if your characters don't actually do anything, develop, or go anywhere, if you don't contribute to the plot and the story and the world, then you are not going to be enjoyable to roleplay with.
And of course, there's the ever-present issue of activity. I don't like to give a strict "you have to be on this much within this time period" rule because, well, stuff happens. You get busy, I get busy, the roleplay lags, it happens. So as long as you post enough for your characters to remain appropriately relevant for their ranks and role in the rp, that's good enough for me. So, obviously, characters like leaders and medicine cats should be pretty available, while kits and apprentices might not need to be on as much. If the roleplay is going slow but steady, you don't need to be on as much; if it's going fast, you should try to make enough time to be on so as not to become lost or irrelevant. Use your best judgement, and if I feel like your activity is a problem, I'll say something to you directly, and give you a chance to explain things or fix it, before deleting you.
The Warrior Code
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.
Territory & Camp
WinterClan's territory is located in the northeastern area of the Clans' region, in the rocky, pine-covered hills that overlook the lake. They border AutumnClan to the south, though their territories are separated by rocky cliffs that make it difficult for them to come face to face. In the west, they border SpringClan, and in the south between SpringClan and AutumnClan territories is the Star Hollow. Within WinterClan territory, hardy, gnarled pines and firs cling to the rocks that make up most of the landscape, leaving little room for foliage to grow. However, the cracked and jumbled stones make good enough cover for the cats to hunt. The territory is notable for its clean, fresh air, far above the pollution of the Twolegplace, but the altitude can make cats who aren't accustomed to it lightheaded, a frequent problem when cats from the other Clans visit. WinterClan's territory has several specific landmarks within the territory which have navigational, social, and historical significance.
- landmark
- landmark
- landmark
WinterClan makes its camp between two rocky hills, at a curve in the stream. There are a few persistent dens, set in caves in the hillsides, but most cats sleep outside except in the snowy depths of winter, when they dig burrows out of the snow. During this time, there are not designated "warriors" or "apprentices" dens; instead, cats (typically kin) will group together in pairs or small groups and dig out their own individual dens. During the warmer moons, cats may occasionally retreat to shallow caves and alcoves in the hillsides in the event of rain or other conditions which make sleeping outside unfavorable. The persistent dens, and other areas of camp, are as follows:
- the leader makes announcements from high up on one of the hills, where a stone juts out from the hillside and over the camp. This boulder is called the Callingstone. The leader typically sleeps on it, or in the sheltered area just below.
- the nursery is in a burrow at the base of the hill, lower than the Callingstone. It is in a deep burrow with a narrow, winding tunnel designed to hold heat in and keep cold out. The interior opening is spacious, but very dark, and the den is well hidden and well protected.
- the medicine den is in a large, somewhat open cave on the hill opposite the Callingstone. Though the mouth of the cave is large, allowing wind and sometimes snow in, there are quite a few other rocks and alcoves within the cave that keep nests and herbs protected.
- the elders' den is less of a single den and more of a designated area. It is a small collection of fairly flat stones at the bottom of the hill, beneath the medicine den, which can be good for sunning. There are a few shallow burrows dug under the rocks where elders can take shelter from the cold or rain, though like the warriors they typically prefer to sleep outside when it's warm.
- landmark
- landmark
- landmark
WinterClan makes its camp between two rocky hills, at a curve in the stream. There are a few persistent dens, set in caves in the hillsides, but most cats sleep outside except in the snowy depths of winter, when they dig burrows out of the snow. During this time, there are not designated "warriors" or "apprentices" dens; instead, cats (typically kin) will group together in pairs or small groups and dig out their own individual dens. During the warmer moons, cats may occasionally retreat to shallow caves and alcoves in the hillsides in the event of rain or other conditions which make sleeping outside unfavorable. The persistent dens, and other areas of camp, are as follows:
- the leader makes announcements from high up on one of the hills, where a stone juts out from the hillside and over the camp. This boulder is called the Callingstone. The leader typically sleeps on it, or in the sheltered area just below.
- the nursery is in a burrow at the base of the hill, lower than the Callingstone. It is in a deep burrow with a narrow, winding tunnel designed to hold heat in and keep cold out. The interior opening is spacious, but very dark, and the den is well hidden and well protected.
- the medicine den is in a large, somewhat open cave on the hill opposite the Callingstone. Though the mouth of the cave is large, allowing wind and sometimes snow in, there are quite a few other rocks and alcoves within the cave that keep nests and herbs protected.
- the elders' den is less of a single den and more of a designated area. It is a small collection of fairly flat stones at the bottom of the hill, beneath the medicine den, which can be good for sunning. There are a few shallow burrows dug under the rocks where elders can take shelter from the cold or rain, though like the warriors they typically prefer to sleep outside when it's warm.
Joining
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Rank:
Virtues: (excluding kits & apprentices)
Kin:
Appearance: (1-2 decent sentences)
Personality: (1-3 decent sentences)
History: (no more than 4 sentences)
Other:
Pic: (required; please choose clear photos with no clearly visible man-made objects, and make sure the image is a cat of appropriate age. If you don't want to find an image, I can find one for you.)
Gender:
Age:
Rank:
Virtues: (excluding kits & apprentices)
Kin:
Appearance: (1-2 decent sentences)
Personality: (1-3 decent sentences)
History: (no more than 4 sentences)
Other:
Pic: (required; please choose clear photos with no clearly visible man-made objects, and make sure the image is a cat of appropriate age. If you don't want to find an image, I can find one for you.)