Post by Aphelyon on Feb 15, 2017 17:52:53 GMT -5
Our Legacy
The four ancient Clans- ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan- weathered many challenges throughout their long existence. More than once they were forced from one territory to another. More than once they were nearly destroyed by outside enemies, each other, or themselves. More than once they overcame these challenges and returned to their former glory as strong as ever. But as always, eventually there came a challenge they could not overcome, even together, and the four perished.
Many moons have passed since then. The last descendants of the ancient Clans have scattered across the land. Some do not remember their heritage, while others repeat the stories of their ancestors, and some still follow the warrior code as much as they can alone, with no Clan to support them.
It is the fourth generation since the Clans fell, and sixteen cats are guided by their dreams to a hilltop that once formed the center of the Clans' final territories. Storm, Sorrel, Finch, Cloud, Wendy, Night, Blaze, Pine, Tiger, Silver, Leaf, Seth, Bone, Duchess, Jester, and Jay- each descended from one of the ancient Clans, and each tasked with given them a form of rebirth. What once was never truly shall be again, but that does not mean the time of the Clans should end. Not entirely.
And so the sixteen cats decided to seek out other descendants, and return to the hilltop in four seasons' time. After 12 moons, they met again, this time followed by other cats who showed signs of being descended from the four great Clans. Now, they divided themselves once more, and each chose a territory that suited their needs and reflected the homes of their ancestors. Four of the sixteen became leaders, four deputies, four medicine cats, and four Seekers, and the Clans named themselves for the Clan from which they came. And for the first generation, in addition to warriors, cats would be chosen as Seekers- cats whose job was to travel across the land, finding more descendants to swell the Clans' ranks.
It has now been three years since the Clans were reformed. The last of the Seekers have returned, and the practice is retired. The Clans are strong. However, all is not as peaceful as it seems. Since their reformation, the Clans only allowed cats to join if there was significant evidence that they were descended from the corresponding ancient Clan. True rogues were never allowed to join, even if they showed skill and promised loyalty, and even descendants could only join the Clan that reflected their heritage.
There is tension between the Clans, disputes over territory, the warrior code, and other issues, and the Clans teeter on the edge of full-scale war. The Gatherings have stopped due to the hostilities, and obvious signs of StarClan's displeasure shows in the ever-present clouds that cover the moon each and every night. Beyond the Clans' borders, a group of cats gathers: those cats rejected by the Clans due to their lack of obvious Clan blood, or disallowed from joining the Clan they chose due to having different blood. They are determined to be part of a Clan, even if they must form it themselves, and they will prove their warrior blood even if they have to spill it across the ground. It has been three years, and cats are already left to wonder if the new Clans will survive much longer than that.
About GroveClan
In the forested mountain foothills is where GroveClan makes its territory, hunting forest prey in the undergrowth as their ancestors did before them. They make their camp in a hollow in the land, the same place where ancient ThunderClan did as well. GroveClan focuses on strength and loyalty to the Clan and the warrior code, though they value the achievements of the individual higher than the achievements of the Clan as a whole. Each member of GroveClan is meant to be loyal, brave, and a strong fighter. They are moral and often stubborn cats, and often are so determined that they are right that they try to force their views onto the other Clans, something the others do not take kindly to. GroveClan borders ZephyrClan at the edge of the forest, to the southwest, and shares a river border with DarkenClan to the southeast. GroveClan's foothills slope up into the mountains, where the group known as the Outcasts currently resides.
Main Plot
This roleplay takes place four generations after the original four Clans have ended, which is many, many years after even the last of the books. The Clans had been forced to move a few more times until a disaster tore them apart in a way they could not repair, and the Clans finally died. Four generations later, the remnants of StarClan guides several descendants of the Clans back to the last territory and tells them to reform the Clans by locating other descendants, which they do, forming four new Clans in the image of the old ones- all very similar, but not exactly the same.
As is to be predicted, the new Clans take StarClan's command of finding descendants to reform the Clans a bit too seriously, and reject any cat who is not an obvious descendant of their model Clan. As you would expect, this upsets many rogues and less-obvious possible descendants who would like to be a part of a Clan, and so these cats decide to take it upon themselves to create a more accepting fifth Clan- an idea that is not welcomed by the other four, and who do all they can to ignore the presence of the fifth forming Clan and push them away.
Meanwhile, there is a lot of strife within the four Clans, both within themselves and with each other. Many of the original leaders and deputies are getting on in their moons, and so this causes strife as cats try to gain power within their Clan to take the leader's place when they inevitably die, as well as cats who wonder if the Clans can even survive without their original leaders. Between the Clans, there is a lot of conflict over things like territory and certain aspects of the warrior code- after all, the code was only mostly copied accurately, and many aspects were misinterpreted, changed, or forgotten with the reformation of the Clans. The cats also chose their new territories somewhat on a whim, placing their borders and camps based on what they knew of the old Clans and what seemed ideal at the time, without having a good idea of what a Clan actually needed to support itself. Past this, the Clans seem to be having a lot of general bad luck- bad storms, sickness, few and weak kits, and that sort of thing.
Due to tensions within and outside the Clans, the Clans have stopped going to Gatherings due to the fact that every one of the last six Gatherings had resulted in a large-scale fight, and many of the previous ones had as well. Therefore, relations between the Clans are currently nothing but hostile, and obviously, this angers StarClan, who has stopped guiding and communicating with the Clans entirely, which leads to even more problems. To summarize, everything sucks and it remains to be seen whether the new descendant Clans can even survive past generation 1.
Clan Plot
GroveClan has been having frequent battles with ZephyrClan over the exact location of their borders. GroveClan's winters are harsh, as their snows are often deep from being so close to the mountains, and over time they have begun pushing more and more into ZephyrClan's territory. There have been several bloody battles between the Clans, resulting in several deaths, and tensions are so high that it is now rare that two patrols between the Clans meet without it ending in bloodshed.
Roleplay Rules
- Follow all forum rules, as always. -
- No flaming, bashing, trolling, spotlighting, powerplaying, godmodding, etc. -
- No mary sues/"perfect"characters. Your character is almost never going to be the absolute best in the land at anything. Being very good at some things (not everything), however, is entirely acceptable. Your character will be bad at some things. They will have some flaws. They will lose sometimes. Similarly, though, please don't make your character so awful that they have no good aspects and are mopey and depressed and annoyingly flawed. Give them some space to develop and improve, but also let them develop and improve. -
- As always, keep things pg. So, no excessively graphic violence, language, or other inappropriateness. If you desire any of these things please take it to PM where it is legally out of my control. -
- Please try to be literate and original. Make your characters and their actions unique and meaningful rather than making them a cookie cutter with nothing personal going for them. Contribute to the plot and roleplay in a meaningful way that is enjoyable for everyone. Use good grammar, spelling, etc. At the same time, please don't write a novel every post. If you try to make things too long and complicated it gets boring and tedious. Find that comfortable middle where it's entertaining for you to write and entertaining for us to read. -
- Please keep characters realistic in appearance. This goes for Outcasts/rogues that you create, kits that are born during the roleplay, and details you add to a claimed cat when joining. Obviously things don't have to be 100% realistic- there are plenty of tortoiseshell toms, and somewhat unrealistic pattern combinations exist, such as gray and black spotted- but keep the cats believable. So no purple eyes, blue stripes, or perfect star-shaped marking on their forehead. -
- If you are gone for more than two weeks without prior warning, you will be suspended and your characters moved to the "inactive" slot. If you are gone for two weeks after this, your characters will be entirely removed. If you have any ranks- such as a leader, deputy, or medicine cat- then that character will be available for other people to claim, or (in some cases) the character may be killed off entirely. -
- I reserve the right to reject or remove people who are not literate enough, who do not contribute well to the roleplay, who are not active, who do not keep in the spirit of the roleplay, or who do not adequately follow the above rules. -
The Warrior Code
When the Descendant Clans were formed, the remnants of Ancient StarClan were weak and fading, unable to convey any but the most general details of what life had once been like for the ancient Clans. Therefore, the new Clans were left to piece together a new warrior code from what little StarClan had given them, as well as the broken and half-forgotten stories passed down from their parents' parents' parents. As such, the modern warrior code is quite a bit different from the original, missing some rules the original code had and adding some it did not, as well as rewording and misinterpreting others. This will be a plot point, as the Clans add to and refine their code. The Code currently consists of nine rules that the new Clans adhere to strictly, with sometimes harsh punishment if they are not obeyed.
- Your loyalty is to your Clan above all others, even yourself, and you may not take a mate or have friends outside of the Clan. -
- A leader's duty is to their Clan first, and so a leader may not have kits while acting as leader. -
- Medicine cats must remain impartial in the care of their Clan, and so are not allowed to take a mate or have kits. -
- Prey is killed only to be eaten; needless killing is a waste of resources. -
- Queens, kits, elders, and the medicine cat must be fed before warriors and apprentices.-
- Apprentices are responsible for care of the elders. An apprentice may not eat unless the elders have been taken care of, unless the apprentice has special permission. -
- No cat may trespass on another Clan's territory without permission for any reason. Trespassing cats are to be chased off without question. -
- The Clan leader's word is law to that Clan. -
- StarClan is to be obeyed above all else.-
News
In-Character
- GroveClan is formed. Storm becomes Stormstar, the leader. Jay becomes Jaywing, the deputy. Leaf becomes Leafripple, the medicine cat. Blaze becomes Blazefur, the Seeker. Brave becomes Bravefeather, the warrior.
- Blazefur invites Briar (Briarleaf) into the Clan.
- Blazefur brings Lark (Larksplash) and Spot (Spottedpaw) to the Clan. Spottedpaw is apprenticed to Bravefeather.
- Bravefeather finds Yellow (Yellowflight), Fleck (Fleckpaw), and Root (Rootpaw) and invites them to the Clan. Fleckpaw is apprenticed to Jaywing, Rootpaw is apprenticed to Stormstar.
- Frostkit, Snowkit, and Icekit are born to Briarleaf and Jaywing.
- Spottedpaw becomes Spottedshine.
- Fleckpaw and Rootpaw become Fleckstone and Rootspeck.
- Oakkit is born to Bravefeather and Rootspeck.
- Frostkit, Snowkit, and Icekit become Frostpaw, apprenticed to Yellowflight; Snowpaw, apprenticed to Larksplash; and Icepaw, apprenticed to Blazefur.
- Oakkit becomes Oakpaw, apprenticed to Bravefeather.
- Redkit, Tabbykit, and Sootkit are born to Blazefur and Spottedshine.
- Frostpaw, Snowpaw, and Icepaw become Frostear, Snowwhisker, and Iceflame.
- Oakpaw becomes Oakbreeze.
- Redkit, Tabbykit, and Sootkit become Redpaw, apprenticed to Briarleaf; Tabbypaw, apprenticed to Yellowflight; and Sootpaw, apprenticed Rootspeck.
- Dreamkit and Sparkkit are born to Fleckstone and Frostear.
- Larksplash retires to the elders' den.
- Bearkit and Sagekit are born to Spottedshine and Blazefur.
- An abandoned kitten is found just outside the territory; he is adopted by Spottedshine and Blazefur and named Shadekit.
- Redpaw, Tabbypaw, and Sootpaw become Redshadow, Tabbytail, and Sootwhisker.
- Yellowflight retires to the elders' den.
- Foxkit, Thrushkit, and Specklekit are born to Rootspeck and Bravefeather.
- Dreamkit and Sparkkit become Dreampaw, apprenticed to Oakbreeze; and Sparkkit, apprenticed to Bravefeather.
- Bearkit, Sagekit, and Shadekit become Bearpaw, apprenticed to Snowwhisker; Sagepaw, apprenticed to Frostear; and Shadepaw, apprenticed to Iceflame.
- Moonkit and Birchkit are born to Sundapple and Snowwhisker.
Out-of-Character
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Relationships
♥ = mates
+ = had kits but are not currently mates
♦ = mentor/apprentice
♣ = littermates
♠ = siblings but not from the same litter
= = parent(s) of
[symbol] = adopted relationship
[colored name] = outside the Clan/of a different Clan
(symbol) = secret/unknown relationship
Larkpatch = Spottedshine
Yellowflight = Fleckstone ♣ Rootspeck
Cloudysky ♥ Jaywing = Frostear ♣ Snowwhisker ♣ Iceflame
Bravefeather ♥ Rootspeck = Oakbreeze ♠ Foxkit ♣ Thrushkit ♣ Specklekit
Spottedshine ♥ Blazefur = Redshadow ♣ Tabbytail ♣ Sootwhisker ♠ Bearpaw ♣ Sagepaw ([♣]) Shadepaw
Fleckstone ♥ Frostear = Dreampaw ♣ Sparkpaw
Sundapple ♥ Snowwhisker = Moonkit ♣ Birchkit
Spottedshine ♦ Dreampaw
Bravefeather ♦ Sparkpaw
Frostear ♦ Sagepaw
Snowwhisker ♦ Bearpaw
Iceflame ♦ Shadepaw
Joining
This is, at least mostly, a claim-a-cat rp. All cats within the main four Clans must be claimed, not created, though I may RARELY allow a new OC Descendant to appear and join their respective Clan. For the most part, though, OCs will either be Outcasts or true rogues. Though much of the cats' information is already determined- age, basic appearance, familial relationships- you do have some control over them. With the exception of "the Sixteen," which have very basic personalities laid out, you will be able to create your cat's entire personality. You may also go as in depth as you want with their appearance, so long as you don't contradict anything that's already been given.
To find which cat you want to pick, go to the page of the Clan you wish to join and find an unclaimed cat. Then, copy its description and re-post it, along with any details you would like to add, its personality, and- optionally- its history. Please try to make a cat's finished, full description at least 6 lines long when posted with the default text (about 3 when posted to the allegiances). Please refrain from claiming more than two high-ranking cats at a time, and not of the same rank (so you can claim a leader and a deputy, but not two leaders or two deputies).