Post by Aphelyon on Sept 28, 2016 18:33:30 GMT -5
Many moons ago, a family of twolegs settled in this place. They had many barn cats who caught mice and rats in their nests, but when the twolegs finally left, they left the cats behind. With nowhere else to go, the cats made their dens in the house and surrounding buildings, and selected a leader of their own. They called themselves a Clan, and their leader Frost led them in prosperity for many moons. Now, there is dissent spreading in the Clan. Some cats question the authority of Frost's law, seeing his rules as outdated. As he ages, all question who will take his place as leader- many think of themselves, and gather followers behind them. If the problem is not settled definitively, there will surely be bloodshed. And so the question is asked: when Frost finally joins the spirits, will the Clan be able to survive without him?
This roleplay follows a fledgling Clan as the cats try to overcome the challenge of their first leader's death. For the moment, the Clan isn't exactly a modern Clan; there's no warrior code, no warriors or medicine cat or mentor system, no nine lives and no StarClan. All of those things will develop as the roleplay goes on.
The idea, at the moment, is that due to internal conflict, the Clan will ultimately split into two or more different groups, each of which will become its own Clan. The conflict would mostly be over leadership; who will take over from Frost, and whether or not the Clan should continue to follow the same rules. There will likely be one group that agrees with Frost's rules and wants to continue, and one that doesn't. Most likely, both groups will have different leaders, and there may be more leaders even within those two divisions.
A note now: while you can have a cat that has a sort of leadership position, you may only have one cat that actually becomes leader of a Clan. You can have as many POTENTIAL leaders as you like, as long as by the time the Clans are formed you only have one. In order to claim a potential Clan, you must be both literate and active. If you aren't both of these things, don't bother.
ROLEPLAY RULES
- Pretty much all the usual stuff: be nice, be literate, be active, don't make mary-sues, don't godmod/powerplay/spotlight/etc., be realistic, don't claim more characters than you can handle, etc. I don't feel like I should really have to make any kind of long list, but I will if I have to.
CLAN RULES
Each cat must be willing to lay down their life in defense of the Clan and their Clanmates if necessary.
No cat is to travel more than three treelengths beyond the fences. The wilderness is dangerous, and it is irresponsible to the put oneself or the Clan in danger for the sake of curiosity.
Elders, queens, kits, and the sick must be fed before any other.
Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to the spirit ancestors for its life.
No kit may leave the barn until they are at least two moons old. They may not leave the pasture until they are four moons old. They may not visit the lake until they are six moons old. They may not leave the barn without supervision until they are eight moons old.
The borders must be patrolled daily. No predator can be allowed within the territory.
No cat of the Clan may injure, kill, or steal from a Clan member.
The word of the Clan's leader is law.
CLAN TERRITORY
The land immediately around the Clan's territory is open meadow, and beyond that, the dark outlines of trees can be seen. Just to the east is the shore of a lake. The territory of the Clan itself is rather small, consisting only of the old twoleg family's farm and the land within three treelengths past the fences. However, there are several landmarks within this area.
- The house is where the twolegs themselves lived before they left. It is an old two-story log building. There is a small porch out front. The downstairs room is mostly empty, except for an old wooden table and a pair of chairs and a stone fireplace set against the east wall. Next to the fireplace, a narrow staircase leads up to the second floor. The second floor is completely empty, and cats rarely go up there. A small colony of bats nests in the rafters, but the cats mostly just leave them alone. The house is where Frost lives, along with the other older members of the Clan- elders, and any cat old enough to remember when the twolegs still lived there, of which there are very few left.
- The barn is near the house; it is a huge wooden building much larger than the house. It is divided by slatted wooden walls into six stalls. There is some old, somewhat musty hay left in piles here and there throughout the barn, where most cats make their nests. The barn is where most of the cats of the Clan live. Pigeons sometimes nest in the rafters, but only the best climbers are able to get up there and so the pigeons are mostly left alone.
- The pasture is the open, fenced area outside the barn. It is good for catching mice, small birds, and, on occasion, rabbits.
- The coop is a small chicken coop just north of the barn. The twolegs left most of the chickens when they left, but by now most are gone, eating by things like coyotes, bears, and hawks. The cats do their best to protect what's left of the flock- since they make a good food source when other prey is scarce- but there's only so much they can do and the chickens' numbers continue to dwindle.
- The orchard is just north of the house. It is an area where many apple trees grow, planted by the twolegs when they lived there. The chickens that remain like to go to the orchard for the day and eat the fallen apples. Often, wild birds, squirrels, and sometimes even turkeys can be found at the orchard. As such, it is also the place that attracts the most predators, such as foxes or hawks, and so kits and small or weak cats are warned to stay away.
- The lake is east of the house. A trail leads from the porch to the shore. It is the Clan's main source of water, and can be good for catching minnows and small fish. Wading birds like egrets can sometimes be found there as well.
- The Old Oak is just outside the pasture's fence. It is a huge, ancient oak tree whose branches nearly touch the ground. It is a good place to hunt birds, mice, and squirrels, but sometimes hawks or owls will be waiting in the branches as well.
This roleplay follows a fledgling Clan as the cats try to overcome the challenge of their first leader's death. For the moment, the Clan isn't exactly a modern Clan; there's no warrior code, no warriors or medicine cat or mentor system, no nine lives and no StarClan. All of those things will develop as the roleplay goes on.
The idea, at the moment, is that due to internal conflict, the Clan will ultimately split into two or more different groups, each of which will become its own Clan. The conflict would mostly be over leadership; who will take over from Frost, and whether or not the Clan should continue to follow the same rules. There will likely be one group that agrees with Frost's rules and wants to continue, and one that doesn't. Most likely, both groups will have different leaders, and there may be more leaders even within those two divisions.
A note now: while you can have a cat that has a sort of leadership position, you may only have one cat that actually becomes leader of a Clan. You can have as many POTENTIAL leaders as you like, as long as by the time the Clans are formed you only have one. In order to claim a potential Clan, you must be both literate and active. If you aren't both of these things, don't bother.
ROLEPLAY RULES
- Pretty much all the usual stuff: be nice, be literate, be active, don't make mary-sues, don't godmod/powerplay/spotlight/etc., be realistic, don't claim more characters than you can handle, etc. I don't feel like I should really have to make any kind of long list, but I will if I have to.
CLAN RULES
Each cat must be willing to lay down their life in defense of the Clan and their Clanmates if necessary.
No cat is to travel more than three treelengths beyond the fences. The wilderness is dangerous, and it is irresponsible to the put oneself or the Clan in danger for the sake of curiosity.
Elders, queens, kits, and the sick must be fed before any other.
Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to the spirit ancestors for its life.
No kit may leave the barn until they are at least two moons old. They may not leave the pasture until they are four moons old. They may not visit the lake until they are six moons old. They may not leave the barn without supervision until they are eight moons old.
The borders must be patrolled daily. No predator can be allowed within the territory.
No cat of the Clan may injure, kill, or steal from a Clan member.
The word of the Clan's leader is law.
CLAN TERRITORY
The land immediately around the Clan's territory is open meadow, and beyond that, the dark outlines of trees can be seen. Just to the east is the shore of a lake. The territory of the Clan itself is rather small, consisting only of the old twoleg family's farm and the land within three treelengths past the fences. However, there are several landmarks within this area.
- The house is where the twolegs themselves lived before they left. It is an old two-story log building. There is a small porch out front. The downstairs room is mostly empty, except for an old wooden table and a pair of chairs and a stone fireplace set against the east wall. Next to the fireplace, a narrow staircase leads up to the second floor. The second floor is completely empty, and cats rarely go up there. A small colony of bats nests in the rafters, but the cats mostly just leave them alone. The house is where Frost lives, along with the other older members of the Clan- elders, and any cat old enough to remember when the twolegs still lived there, of which there are very few left.
- The barn is near the house; it is a huge wooden building much larger than the house. It is divided by slatted wooden walls into six stalls. There is some old, somewhat musty hay left in piles here and there throughout the barn, where most cats make their nests. The barn is where most of the cats of the Clan live. Pigeons sometimes nest in the rafters, but only the best climbers are able to get up there and so the pigeons are mostly left alone.
- The pasture is the open, fenced area outside the barn. It is good for catching mice, small birds, and, on occasion, rabbits.
- The coop is a small chicken coop just north of the barn. The twolegs left most of the chickens when they left, but by now most are gone, eating by things like coyotes, bears, and hawks. The cats do their best to protect what's left of the flock- since they make a good food source when other prey is scarce- but there's only so much they can do and the chickens' numbers continue to dwindle.
- The orchard is just north of the house. It is an area where many apple trees grow, planted by the twolegs when they lived there. The chickens that remain like to go to the orchard for the day and eat the fallen apples. Often, wild birds, squirrels, and sometimes even turkeys can be found at the orchard. As such, it is also the place that attracts the most predators, such as foxes or hawks, and so kits and small or weak cats are warned to stay away.
- The lake is east of the house. A trail leads from the porch to the shore. It is the Clan's main source of water, and can be good for catching minnows and small fish. Wading birds like egrets can sometimes be found there as well.
- The Old Oak is just outside the pasture's fence. It is a huge, ancient oak tree whose branches nearly touch the ground. It is a good place to hunt birds, mice, and squirrels, but sometimes hawks or owls will be waiting in the branches as well.
