Post by Aphelyon on Aug 30, 2016 17:43:42 GMT -5
This roleplay will follow four Clans- each based around a season- with a fifth, very small group of cats known as the Keepers, whose job is essentially to communicate with StarClan, mediate disputes between the Clans, hold Gatherings, the Proving, and other such all-Clan events and ceremonies, and- most importantly- raise all the Clans' kits. In these Clans, kits are taken away from their birth Clan when they are newborns and raised by the Keepers. Kits do not know which Clan they were born into, or the identities of their parents, until they become apprentices. At the beginning of each season (so, about every 3 moons), there is an event held known as the Proving, where all kits 6 moons or older go to show off their personalities and skills. Then, the Council (who rules the Keepers), the Clan leaders, and all the Shaman of the Clans figure out which Clan each kit would fit into best, and the kits are accepted into their "new" (often, though not always, the same one they were born into) Clan. Each Clan is supposed to be the embodiment of its season, and all four Clans have their own unique ceremonies and traditions that take place every year.
Some unique aspects to these Clans, besides the Keepers and not necessarily belonging to the same Clan in which they were born, are the concepts of shaman, healers, and heirs. Both shaman and healers fill different aspects of the traditional medicine cat role. There is only one shaman at a time (besides their apprentice), and they act as the embodiment of their season, even more so than the rest of the members of their Clans. Their personalities and appearances perfectly match the definition of their Clan, and they have a unique connection to StarClan unparalleled even by the shaman of the Keepers. Shamans' duties are to communicate with StarClan and guide their Clanmates, as well as to remember important events in the history of the Clans and pass down these stories to their apprentices, so that great events will never be forgotten.
Healers, on the other paw, take on the medicinal duties of the medicine cats. They are more like warriors, in that there can be many of them at once, and they are allowed to take a mate and have kits just like any other member of the Clan (besides shaman). They are far less spiritual in their duties, and are there only to care for sick and injured Clanmates, not to speak to StarClan.
Heirs are perhaps the strangest concept, though, with no traditional equivalent. When kits are placed into their Clans, they are also assigned the role most suited to them: healer, warrior, or- most rarely- shaman. But sometimes cats will also be placed into another rank that is somewhat separate from the rest: heir. Heirs are the only cats who can become leader- healers and warriors never can. An heir is trained as both a healer and warrior, and is closely guided by both the leader and shaman. They are trained from the time of the Proving onward to become a great leader for their Clan when the current leader eventually dies. Very, very rarely, a cat can become an heir at some point after their acceptance to a Clan, and (somewhat less rarely) a cat can be removed from their role of heir if they prove they are not suited to leadership after all. Generally, though, becoming an heir guarantees leadership unless something terrible happens to the cat before the current leader dies.
Finally, more information on the Keepers and the Proving. Keepers also have unique traditions and ranks. They are, for one, ruled by a Council instead of a leader, which consists of three cats chosen from each of the three Keepers ranks. Keepers, like the Clans, have one shaman: a very spiritual cat who does not fit into any one Clan. Keepers also have healers, equivalent to Clan healers. Their more unique roles are guardians and messengers. Guardians are cats whose sole duty is to care for and raise the Clans' kits. Some of these cats are nursing queens who care for newborns, while others are toms and she-cats who watch and teach older kits. Messengers are cats who visit with the other four Clans each day; because the Keepers have such a small territory, they do not generally hunt for themselves. Instead, the Clans give offerings of fresh-kill and herbs to help support the kits and those who raise them, and it is a messenger's role to collect these offerings every day, as well as to fetch newborn kits or to act as advisors or mediators for small disputes within or between the Clans. There is a Council member for the guardians, healers, and messengers. The only ranks that have an apprentice role are healers and shaman; messengers and guardians are never apprentices, and learn their skills and duties on the job.
Kits are raised by the Keepers- specifically the guardians- until they are 6 to 8 moons old. After about 4 moons, they are taught basic skills (hunting, fighting, healing) just to see which they have the most natural talent for, as well as to see in what environment they do best in. Every three moons, there is the Proving, where kits have contests and games to show off their talents so that they will be chosen to become part of one of the Clans, or (should they not fit into any one Clan) become a Keeper themselves. For the most part, kits have an idea of which Clan they will end up in- and what their role will be- even before the Proving, but at times they can be disputed between Clans or not fit into one rank more than other. That is where the Proving really comes into play, as the Council, shaman, and Clan leaders must decide once and for all the best fate for the kit. Once the kits have been decided, they are called one-by-one (or at times, in pairs or groups if littermates end up in the same Clan), told their birth Clan and parents, and then told what Clan they will join. Once all the kits have been assigned, there is an apprentice ceremony where the Clan leader officially tells the kits which rank they will be and assigns them mentors. At this time, the kits also have their prefix changed. When taken to the Keepers, the Keepers will give them a very simple, usually descriptive name (ie, "Whitekit" or "Spottedkit"). Each Clan, though, has its own set of prefixes that they alone use, and when taken into a Clan, a kit is given a new name. SpringClan cats have names related to herbs and plants- usually flowers (even toms)- though never trees (ie, Sagepaw and Blossompaw). SummerClan cats are named after animals (ie, Foxpaw and Squirrelpaw). AutumnClan cats have names related to trees and weather (ie, Oakpaw and Cloudpaw). WinterClan cats have names related to snow and ice, stone, and water (ie, Boulderpaw or Blizzardpaw). The Keepers have descriptions as their prefixes, generally a virtue or trait (ie, Hopepaw or Quickpaw).
----
Now, the mechanics of this roleplay, which are rather unique: each member of the forums has only one character. Your username is your character's name; your profile picture is your cat's appearance; your profile is their character sheet. You can only choose one Clan at a time (or, as the case may be, no Clan), until your character dies and you make a new one. When your cat dies, their information is moved to a StarClan forum (or Dark Forest, as the case may be) and your profile (username, rank, etc.) is changed to reflect your new character. Dead cats may still be roleplayed in StarClan/the Dark Forest, but obviously their impact on the story at this point is limited except in the rare cases of prophecies and the like.
Some more things about the roleplay:
- Time progression will be linear. What I have planned now is that 1 week= 1 moon, and Gatherings will be every Saturday. This means that a queen's pregnancy will last about 2 weeks; kits will grow up in 6 and be warriors in 10-14 (so 3-4 months). A cat's full lifespan from birth to death would be about 1.5 years. It's a pace that is fast enough to keep things moving but still providing ample time for things to get done before a cat has moved on to the next stage of their life.
- In some ways, this roleplay will reflect something along the lines of the Warriors Adventure Game. Each cat will have stats, in the case of combat, these stats along with dice rolls will be used to determine the outcome of actions, in order to make things a bit more fair and occasionally unpredictable. Because of this, I'll be looking for trusted people to be "storytellers," who essentially moderate combat and perform dice rolls and skill checks for the characters. Storytellers will be allowed to have high-ranking characters as long as they can keep up with the duties of moderating and their role as an important character- and, of course, remain fair and impartial.
- Each Clan has its own forum with things like allegiances, territory, a chat and planning page, and whatnot. Members will only be able to see the forum for their own Clan, and of course places such as borders and Gathering areas that all Clans have access to.
For now, I think that's the general idea. I won't be providing an off-topic or fan-Clans forum on mine, since you have this forum for that; that board will be exclusively for things related to those Clans. I will, however, provide things such as a discussion forum and art forum.
The Clans as they currently stand are listed below, as well as a brief breakdown of the five stats. An allegiances outline is also given so that you can see what ranks are currently still available.
So, would anyone be interested in this? If so, let me know if you want to help plan, are interested in being a moderator/storyteller/high rank, or if you would just be interested in joining once it's planned out.
Some unique aspects to these Clans, besides the Keepers and not necessarily belonging to the same Clan in which they were born, are the concepts of shaman, healers, and heirs. Both shaman and healers fill different aspects of the traditional medicine cat role. There is only one shaman at a time (besides their apprentice), and they act as the embodiment of their season, even more so than the rest of the members of their Clans. Their personalities and appearances perfectly match the definition of their Clan, and they have a unique connection to StarClan unparalleled even by the shaman of the Keepers. Shamans' duties are to communicate with StarClan and guide their Clanmates, as well as to remember important events in the history of the Clans and pass down these stories to their apprentices, so that great events will never be forgotten.
Healers, on the other paw, take on the medicinal duties of the medicine cats. They are more like warriors, in that there can be many of them at once, and they are allowed to take a mate and have kits just like any other member of the Clan (besides shaman). They are far less spiritual in their duties, and are there only to care for sick and injured Clanmates, not to speak to StarClan.
Heirs are perhaps the strangest concept, though, with no traditional equivalent. When kits are placed into their Clans, they are also assigned the role most suited to them: healer, warrior, or- most rarely- shaman. But sometimes cats will also be placed into another rank that is somewhat separate from the rest: heir. Heirs are the only cats who can become leader- healers and warriors never can. An heir is trained as both a healer and warrior, and is closely guided by both the leader and shaman. They are trained from the time of the Proving onward to become a great leader for their Clan when the current leader eventually dies. Very, very rarely, a cat can become an heir at some point after their acceptance to a Clan, and (somewhat less rarely) a cat can be removed from their role of heir if they prove they are not suited to leadership after all. Generally, though, becoming an heir guarantees leadership unless something terrible happens to the cat before the current leader dies.
Finally, more information on the Keepers and the Proving. Keepers also have unique traditions and ranks. They are, for one, ruled by a Council instead of a leader, which consists of three cats chosen from each of the three Keepers ranks. Keepers, like the Clans, have one shaman: a very spiritual cat who does not fit into any one Clan. Keepers also have healers, equivalent to Clan healers. Their more unique roles are guardians and messengers. Guardians are cats whose sole duty is to care for and raise the Clans' kits. Some of these cats are nursing queens who care for newborns, while others are toms and she-cats who watch and teach older kits. Messengers are cats who visit with the other four Clans each day; because the Keepers have such a small territory, they do not generally hunt for themselves. Instead, the Clans give offerings of fresh-kill and herbs to help support the kits and those who raise them, and it is a messenger's role to collect these offerings every day, as well as to fetch newborn kits or to act as advisors or mediators for small disputes within or between the Clans. There is a Council member for the guardians, healers, and messengers. The only ranks that have an apprentice role are healers and shaman; messengers and guardians are never apprentices, and learn their skills and duties on the job.
Kits are raised by the Keepers- specifically the guardians- until they are 6 to 8 moons old. After about 4 moons, they are taught basic skills (hunting, fighting, healing) just to see which they have the most natural talent for, as well as to see in what environment they do best in. Every three moons, there is the Proving, where kits have contests and games to show off their talents so that they will be chosen to become part of one of the Clans, or (should they not fit into any one Clan) become a Keeper themselves. For the most part, kits have an idea of which Clan they will end up in- and what their role will be- even before the Proving, but at times they can be disputed between Clans or not fit into one rank more than other. That is where the Proving really comes into play, as the Council, shaman, and Clan leaders must decide once and for all the best fate for the kit. Once the kits have been decided, they are called one-by-one (or at times, in pairs or groups if littermates end up in the same Clan), told their birth Clan and parents, and then told what Clan they will join. Once all the kits have been assigned, there is an apprentice ceremony where the Clan leader officially tells the kits which rank they will be and assigns them mentors. At this time, the kits also have their prefix changed. When taken to the Keepers, the Keepers will give them a very simple, usually descriptive name (ie, "Whitekit" or "Spottedkit"). Each Clan, though, has its own set of prefixes that they alone use, and when taken into a Clan, a kit is given a new name. SpringClan cats have names related to herbs and plants- usually flowers (even toms)- though never trees (ie, Sagepaw and Blossompaw). SummerClan cats are named after animals (ie, Foxpaw and Squirrelpaw). AutumnClan cats have names related to trees and weather (ie, Oakpaw and Cloudpaw). WinterClan cats have names related to snow and ice, stone, and water (ie, Boulderpaw or Blizzardpaw). The Keepers have descriptions as their prefixes, generally a virtue or trait (ie, Hopepaw or Quickpaw).
----
Now, the mechanics of this roleplay, which are rather unique: each member of the forums has only one character. Your username is your character's name; your profile picture is your cat's appearance; your profile is their character sheet. You can only choose one Clan at a time (or, as the case may be, no Clan), until your character dies and you make a new one. When your cat dies, their information is moved to a StarClan forum (or Dark Forest, as the case may be) and your profile (username, rank, etc.) is changed to reflect your new character. Dead cats may still be roleplayed in StarClan/the Dark Forest, but obviously their impact on the story at this point is limited except in the rare cases of prophecies and the like.
Some more things about the roleplay:
- Time progression will be linear. What I have planned now is that 1 week= 1 moon, and Gatherings will be every Saturday. This means that a queen's pregnancy will last about 2 weeks; kits will grow up in 6 and be warriors in 10-14 (so 3-4 months). A cat's full lifespan from birth to death would be about 1.5 years. It's a pace that is fast enough to keep things moving but still providing ample time for things to get done before a cat has moved on to the next stage of their life.
- In some ways, this roleplay will reflect something along the lines of the Warriors Adventure Game. Each cat will have stats, in the case of combat, these stats along with dice rolls will be used to determine the outcome of actions, in order to make things a bit more fair and occasionally unpredictable. Because of this, I'll be looking for trusted people to be "storytellers," who essentially moderate combat and perform dice rolls and skill checks for the characters. Storytellers will be allowed to have high-ranking characters as long as they can keep up with the duties of moderating and their role as an important character- and, of course, remain fair and impartial.
- Each Clan has its own forum with things like allegiances, territory, a chat and planning page, and whatnot. Members will only be able to see the forum for their own Clan, and of course places such as borders and Gathering areas that all Clans have access to.
For now, I think that's the general idea. I won't be providing an off-topic or fan-Clans forum on mine, since you have this forum for that; that board will be exclusively for things related to those Clans. I will, however, provide things such as a discussion forum and art forum.
The Clans as they currently stand are listed below, as well as a brief breakdown of the five stats. An allegiances outline is also given so that you can see what ranks are currently still available.
So, would anyone be interested in this? If so, let me know if you want to help plan, are interested in being a moderator/storyteller/high rank, or if you would just be interested in joining once it's planned out.
