Post by Aphelyon on Mar 10, 2018 12:53:49 GMT -5
H i s t o r y
Long, long ago, the world was ruled by the three Great Clans: LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan. They were not like us, no... the members of each were the real thing. Lions, tigers, leopards. We are only named for them. For many moons, the three Great Clans lived in harmony, but as always, peace does not last forever.
Eventually, it came to pass that the lions felt themselves superior to the others. They waged war on the other Clans, killing their Clanmates and taking their territory piece by piece. Eventually, the leopards surrendered, knowing that they could not stand up to the brute strength of LionClan. TigerClan continued to fight valiantly, but eventually they were overtaken and killed off entirely.
For a time afterwards, the leopards lived under the rule of LionClan, but their strength waned further with the cruelty of their masters, who forced them to hunt and fight and eat last. They were killed off in battle, by illness and starvation, and their weak kits could not survive. And eventually it came to be that there were no more leopards.
Now, LionClan had all the territory and prey they could possibly want, with no others to challenge them. With no one else to prey on, they began to turn against each other, and soon war broke out among the lions. Their civil war lasted for many seasons, until the lions, too, were nearly gone.
The last lions looked at what they had done, and suddenly they felt a great remorse. The Great Clans were no more because of them, and now their own Clan was doomed as well. For a time it seemed that all hope was forever lost, until one young lioness- the very last- stumbled upon three helpless kittens. They were not like her, nor the others of the Great Clans. Compared to her, they were tiny and weak and frail. But they were the only hope for continuing the legacy of the Clans in some way.
The first, a tom with a thick tawny pelt, she named Lion. He grew strong and muscular, and she taught to him the value of honor and integrity. He must always protect the weak, never exploit them. He must always be aware of the consequences of his actions, and take responsibility for his wrong-doings.
The second, a lithe she-cat with a ginger coat and dark tabby stripes, she called Tiger. Tiger loved the water, just as the tigers once had, and to Tiger the lioness taught the value of temperance, that she might know when to fight and when to flee, when to stand her ground and when to compromise.
The last kit, a tiny silver-furred tom with dark spots, the lioness called Leopard. Like his namesake, he became skilled at stalking silently among the trees. To Leopard, she taught determination, resilience, and cunning, that he might never give up in the face of adversary, but instead find a new way of facing it.
As the lioness grew old, she watched with pride as her three kits grew in strength and wisdom, and she knew she had done well. Before she died, she called them to her, and told them this: that they must find others like themselves, and gather them into three Clans in the image of the three Great Clans. They would take their territories and their names, and follow their code of honor. But, they must be careful never to make the same mistakes. Thus, the three kits did as the lioness said, and that is how the modern Clans were born.
A b o u t T i g e r C l a n
TigerClan is one of the three modern Clans created in the image of the Three Great Clans from ancient times. TigerClan value temperance, as they were taught by the Mother Lioness, and thus are thoughtful and careful in all their deeds. TigerClan cats choose their battles carefully, and are the most passive of the three Clans- the other Clans often view them as being submissive because of this, but this is not the case. When they decide to stand their ground, TigerClan cats are some of the most fearsome warriors one might ever meet. Most of the time, however, they simply decide that spilling blood is not worth it. TigerClan cats tend to be reflective and quiet, and tend to save their words. Though not as fiery, their passions are no less intense than the other Clans- they just manifest themselves differently.
TigerClan lives in a dense, misty forest which straddles a wide, sluggish river. The large, ancient trees are covered in moss and vines, with mossy, rocky hills and a dense, humid atmosphere beneath the trees. Their forest is quiet and tranquil, like the river which they adore so much. TigerClan cats are adept at moving quietly through the trees, though they are not quite as stealthy as the cats of LeopardClan. Though large and strong, they can't match the power of LionClan. Instead, they take a comfortable middle, as they do with many things. TigerClan cats love to swim, and much of their diet consists of fish from the river and lake.
Tigerstar, founder of TigerClan.
R o l e p l a y R u l e s
The rules of this roleplay are pretty simple and straightforward, and mostly common sense. Obviously, all forum rules apply. Keep the vulgarity, gore, and all that stuff at a reasonable level (like half of us are adults here, or close to it, so I'm not gonna say don't be vulgar/gory at all, but like, keep it reasonable). Don't troll, don't kit-steal, try to get along with everyone (at face value at least), don't use/control other peoples' characters, don't steal, etc. etc.
As for characters, keep them realistic, in appearance, personality, experiences, and all that. That goes without saying. Please try to adhere to the appearance standards of the Clan you're joining- though they don't have to fit all the stereotypes, there are some things that are required (like TigerClan cats have to be striped, and LeopardClan cats have to be spotted). As for personalities, give them a balance of good and bad traits. Though you don't really see a whole lot of Mary-Sues anymore, what I do see a lot of are extremely emo characters who have had only bad things happen to them, are always outcasts, are always depressed, etc. etc. Don't make your character perfect, but also don't make them over-the-top gloomy and imperfect. It's annoying, and no one is gonna wanna do anything with that character. Of course, some characters will have bad things happen to them, sometimes a lot of bad things. Some of them will be sad/depressed. Some will be outcasts to some degree. The key is that some will have some of these things happen. Not many will have all of these things happen. Keep it realistic guys.
Literacy is also a very important aspect of this roleplay. This is not an advanced/literate roleplay, but I do expect everyone to be at least semi-literate. That is, I expect pretty good grammar (it has to be easily legible at least; occasional mistakes are fine, but I don't want major misspellings every sentence, with terrible punctuation all the way through, for example). You should be able to consistently be able to write a decent-sized paragraph (like, 5 sentences or so), with a little more or less here and there depending on the situation. And finally, you should be able to actually carry a plot and contribute to the story instead of just floating around trying to bait other people into interaction.
Next, activity. I'm not gonna make a strict "be on this often or I'll kick you" rule because that's silly; activity comes and goes overall. Some days or weeks will be more active than others. I just expect you to be on enough to stay involved. When people start to forget your character exists is when I'm gonna start putting out warnings. Of course, people who hold high ranks, like leader, deputy, or medicine cat, I will expect to be on more. Not constantly, but frequently enough to resolve any plots which may require you. If you are unable to do this, you will have to relinquish that rank. If it's only a temporary matter, you may assign someone else to use your high-ranking character ONLY for the sake of resolving plots needing them (for example, if a cat gets hurt and needs the medicine cat, the step-in can roleplay the medicine cat for the brief interaction of treating the patient). Hopefully it won't come to this, though.
And finally, chatting. Obviously, I expect you to separate our out of character talk from your in-character talk using brackets, parentheses, or some kind of similar symbol. I expect you to play nice with one another. And though I do hope that you will become friends over the course of this roleplay, I would like it if you would keep chatting on this page to a minimum. For long, continuing, and drawn-out conversations, please take it to PM or another thread. I've seen way too many good roleplays killed off by pages and pages of chatter with no roleplay- don't let that happen. I don't want to see more than 3 or maybe 4 consecutive posts with no roleplaying on them.
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.
T e r r i t o r y & C a m p
TigerClan territory is made up mostly of dense forest. The forest is humid and often misty, especially around dusk and dawn. Because of the humidity, most things are covered with moss, including rocks and tree-trunks. A wide but sluggish river flows through the middle of their territory, lined by a rocky and pebbly bank. There are a few landmarks in TigerClan territory.
- The camp is on a small island that parts the river, accessible only by swimming. From the opposite riverbank, it doesn't look like much- just a small island with a copse of trees and dense undergrowth.
- Fishrocks is just downriver from the camp. A small collection of large, flat boulders juts into the river. Because they are easy to stand on, and low to the water, they make a perfect place to fish.
- The Vinetree is south of the camp, in the forest. It is a large oak tree, with lots of vines and moss hanging from its branches and covering its massive trunk. Most of the mossy ground beneath the tree is bare of undergrowth, but covered in soft moss. It is a good place to gather moss for nests, as well as to train because the ground is soft. The tree is also good for climbing practice.
- Misty Grove is on the south bank of the river, where it flows into the lake. Because of its proximity to both the river and lake, it is even mistier and foggier than the rest of the territory. Even during the day, the floor of the grove is covered with tendrils of fog. It is a difficult place to hunt, because the fog makes it difficult to see, as well as dampens noise and scent.
- The Badger Tunnel is past the river north of Misty Grove. It is near the LionClan border, by the edge of the cliffs which form part of that border. It is a rocky hollow, where a large burrow has been dug out of the rocks and soil. It is abandoned, but the hollow can be a good place to find mice or rabbits.
- The Bonetree is near the norther border of the territory. There doesn't really seem to be anything special about the tree, except that it is a very large oak similar to the Vinetree, but not as mossy. Like the Vinetree, much of the ground around the tree as less foliage than the rest of the forest, though here it is not entirely bare. It is called the Bonetree because dead TigerClan members are buried between the roots of the tree.
TigerClan's camp is located on a small island, as mentioned before. The island houses a small copse of trees, and around the edges, the foliage is dense. However, the middle of the island is a bit clearer, though even the camp itself is not exactly bare. A wide path circles a large elm tree, widening at one point to form a small clearing perhaps three or four fox-lengths across. This is the main part of the camp. The camp has no particular entrance, though there are two particular trails which cats tend to take to the opposite riverbanks.
- The elm in the center of the camp is called the Crying Elm because of the way rain falls through the branches, dripping down its trunk and into camp. From a fork in the branches near the clearing is where the Clan leader makes announcements. The leader's den is located in a large burrow framed by the roots of the tree.
- The warriors' den is in a large holly bush which leans up against a fir tree. Cats make their nests in small alcoves formed by the roots of the bush and tree tangling together.
- The apprentices' den is a few cat-lengths away from the warriors' den, nestled in a dense blackberry bush. Cats must be careful getting in and out of the den due to the many thorns on its branches. It might seem odd to put apprentices in thorny den, but it is to teach them to be agile and nimble when moving through foliage.
- The nursery is next to the apprentices' den, a large burrow cleared out beneath a pair of large, flat, mossy rocks. The den was mostly dug by cats, though it did start as a very small natural cave. The entrance is small, to conserve heat, and the stones are a good place for kits to play.
- The elders' den under a thick juniper bush which lean up against the rocks of the nursery. Because the branches of the bush are so thick, the den is well insulated against the outside, equally in terms of noise, light, and temperature.
- The medicine den is closest to the northern bank of the island. It is a spread-out den nestled in a large patch of azalea bushes. The open den is quite beautiful in the late spring when the bushes are in full bloom, nearly coated inside and out with red, pink, and white flowers. The medicine cats live under one bush, keeping their herbs carefully hidden in stone-lined alcoves dug under the roots. The patients will have nests under some of the different bushes- there are three separate dens, each with three places for nests. This is to keep cats with contagious diseases away from one another.
J o i n i n g
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Rank:
Virtues: *
Relationships:
Appearance: **
Personality: **
History: **
Other:
Pic: (required; preferably photo rather than art, but doesn't have to be)
* Virtues are the two adjectives given at a warriors' naming ceremony. For example, "StarClan honors your courage and determination" or "your loyalty and honesty" and so on. Kits and apprentices will not have virtues.
** Try to make these descriptions 3-6 sentences/lines. Long enough to give a good amount of detail, but not so long that it becomes a chore to wade through.