Tʜᴇ Tʀɪʙᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Mᴏᴜɴᴛᴀɪɴ Vᴀʟʟᴇʏ

     Little note: These a tidbits when I was first coming up on the idea of the Tribes on discord and was like: Kale, let's do this together. Excuse the muddled notes. <3

I may have arranged mates in this.
tradition ideas: ancient names, spirit guide ceremony, arranged mates, war dance/ceremony, kitting ceremony, retirement ceremony, solstice feast, warrior assessment
     additions: "wedding" ceremony
So, they'd have names like Shattered Ice.
I think at nine moons, they'd have a spirit guide ceremony. They would travel to the moon place and have dreams that determine their spirit guide. The purpose of the spirit guide is to follow the path they are given at birth and learn from the stories of that specific spirit. It's also tied to basic personality traits, so similar to zodiac signs.
I'm debating on how many spirits, so far, I think four will be enough.
It's not something that is very, very serious, but when plots come in, it would be cool for a cat to speak to their spirit guide.
The spirits also provide council to the ancestors.
Arranged mates are based on the guides to ensure harmony. They're announced the day after the cat discovers their spirit guide so they may bond. However, they not become mates until after they have earned their mark.
Before any battle, unless it was a spur of the moment, the Clan will feast and the generals and their mates will perform a war dance. Pretty much a spar, but performed so they all interact.
They also paint themselves in special dye and allow it to dry so when they battle, they may see their allies clearly to avoid attacking a fellow tribemate, as battles get bloody and the mix of scents can confuse a cat. All Tribes do this and they are aware it makes it clear who is an enemy and who is not.
The kitting ceremony happens a month after the cat discovers they're expecting.
It's pretty much a baby shower, but instead of gifts, the soothsayer provides blessings to the parents and unborn kits. They also have feast and the following day, the mate of the cat expecting is allowed to spend time with them without worrying about duties.
A retirement ceremony follows the cat retiring but before, they're given blessings and gifts to add to their nest as well as honored with stories of their life.
The solstice feast is to celebrate the two solstices and wish for decent hunting during those seasons. It's celebrated at the Gathering place, with the cats bringing prey from their territory for all the Tribes to enjoy. It's also a chance for the cats to show off how plentiful their prey is. Wasting prey, however, is considered bad luck and also results in a punishment back at camp.
I may reuse the warrior assessment from RiverClan.
I have a few other ideas I used before, but I want to use these for sure and I think they'll be really unique.
I can also make some Tribe-wide and make some special to the different Tribes instead of them all having the same generic one but suited for their territory.
Referring to the marks.
I want to do something that marks the life of a cat.
I think it'll be different in each Tribe of where and how, but the general ideas and colors will be used.
Like one Tribe may have special bands around their tails colored and marked that give special details.
One may have feathers and a bone pierced in their ear.
One may use dyes that are permanent or a necklace.
I also really like the idea of Soothsayers getting super crazy with this.
To the extent it's obvious of who is a soothsayer and who isn't.
The idea of dyes are meant to their version of tattoos.
I'm debating whether chiefs wear headdresses at ceremonies and then maybe a band around their paw overall.
While everything makes it obvious of who is who and who is what, the Tribes are very into the idea of their story being the most detailed, and that you must know who they are.
Heritage and legacy is very important, as you're more likely to go somewhere if you're a hero or the kin of a hero instead of a normal warrior.
rank ideas follow: chief, chief-deputy (shortened to deputy), soothsayer, generals, council of elders, warriors, queens & kings, kits, apprentices
There are four generals and are the most experienced senior warriors. Instead of having a generic council of senior warriors and elders, these cats are chosen by the chief to help advise them. They are also expected to help lead the Tribe into battle.
When the chief dies and the chief-deputy/deputy takes over, the new chief-deputy will most likely be chosen out of the four generals, however it isn't stated in the code.
I headcanon that it was actually denied due to the possibility of the deputy, generals, and chief being elderly and out of honor keep their ranks until death, which could lead to issues if they were to die rapidly.
Falcon - Pierced ears and lowered sense of hearing.
Mist - Pierced nose, lowered sense of smell.
Willow - Bands around the tail, less balanced.

screeches into the planning page

     What do you mean by four types of cats?

     Right right right! Should we have lesser spirits? They'd be more common and fall underneath a main spirit guide?

     Sounds good. I'll type up some ideas for territory in a sec but I want to put out some thoughts on the spirit guides. I think the bear would be female and maybe take more of an honorable type of personality if that makes sense? Cats that could fall under would be caring, protective, etc. With the fox, I think female would work and show qualities of wisdom. The hawk could be independent and not quick to commit to an idea. I think they'd be the least likely to take a position of power. I imagine a majority of the outcasts having this spirit guide and possibly having this spirit guide automatically makes you an outcast as you're also associated with a bird that steals kits and small cats. Though I'm not sure about the snake. Perhaps bravery traits?