TRIBE OF FLICKERING LIGHTS
You are lost. The city buzzes with activity around you, twolegs brushing past you without so much as a glance in your direction. You wander the concrete jungle aimlessly, looking for a place to settle down for the night. You eventually find your way to the edge of the city, paws weary and eyelids drooping with exhaustion. You push through the expanse of thickets, and when you do, you are face-to-face with a community of cats, much like yourself. Home at last.
HISTORY
The history of this city-residing Tribe is muddled and changed throughout the years, depending on who is telling the story, but a few things remain certain no matter the rendition. Long ago, there was a Tribe far away, tucked away deep in the mountains. They lived behind a rushing waterfall, and feasted on hawks and snow hares. One day, the Stoneteller received a vision from the Tribe of Endless Hunting-- The first Pondteller of the Tribe of Flickering Lights would be her own niece, Wren That Flies With Wind. She would break apart from her birth home of the mountainous Tribe whose name had been lost to history, bringing along a few of her Tribemates and picking up strangers along the way and form her own Tribe near a bustling city of twolegs.
The rest is debatable, ever flowing and changing with each retelling. Some say that Wren took a rogue mate and gave birth to kits, and that some of the current Tribe members were her descendants. Some say that Wren was exiled from the mountain Tribe, and hadn't left willingly. Some say that the mountain Tribe still exists, waiting for the day that their city brethren come back home to the mountains.
No matter how they came to be, The Tribe of Flickering Lights exists, standing strong to this very day.
CUSTOMS
As the years passed, customs have been implemented into the Tribe of Flickering Lights. Despite being near a modern city, they are surprisingly quite spiritual and cultural, and are expected to be followed by all members.
NEW RANKS
The Pondteller is the leader of the Tribe. They are a spiritual figure, and are also trained in medicine. They receive omens and messages from the Tribe of Endless Hunting through the sacred koi pond that lies just outside of camp, and is off limits to anybody but the Pondteller and their to-be unless it is a celebration. The Healer is also an expert in medicine, but unlike the Pondteller, is not a spiritual figure and does not communicate with the ancestors. Thicket-guards are the equivalent to cave-guards in the Tribe of Rushing Water.
TO-BE CEREMONY
Thought to have been formed by Clan cats that had joined the Tribe when Wren was journeying, when a kit is six moons old, it is given a special ceremony to become a to-be unlike the mountain Tribe that assigns their task at birth. They are also assigned a mentor. The Pondteller has watched the kits closely, and at this time, they are assigned a task, with four options. Prey-hunters are the ones who catch prey, thicket-guards are the guards and fighters of the Tribe, and those are standard tasks. A kit can also be assigned to healer to-be if there is not one already. The most special of all tasks is the Pondteller to-be, and a lot of thought and consideration goes into this decision. The healer to-be can step down if wanted, but the Pondteller to-be is linked to that task until they die.
FULL RANK CEREMONY
Much like kits, to-bes are given a special ceremony to become their full rank. When their assigned mentor notifies to the Pondteller that their to-be is ready, the Pondteller will promote them. Healer to-bes step up when their mentor retires or dies, and the Pondteller to-be will step up when the Pondteller dies.
SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
On the day of the summer solstice, the Tribe holds a big celebration. Weeks before, the prey-hunters begin stocking extra prey to prepare for the celebration, which is buried in the ground to prevent it from rotting. Everybody wakes up early in the morning, and the Pondteller leads them to the sacred koi pond. There, they will recite a prayer to the Tribe of Endless Hunting for a good year, and then a prey-hunter is chosen to catch enough koi to feed the entire Tribe. Being selected for this is one of the highest honors. The Tribe will eat the koi, and then afterwards, the day is full of celebrating, feasting, and games.
WINTER SOLSTICE MEMORIAL
On the day of the winter solstice, the Tribe will hold a memorial to those they have lost. They wake up early and head to the burial grounds. Once there, the Pondteller will make a speech on all the Pondtellers that the Tribe of Flickering Lights have ever had, ending with Wren That Flies With Wind. They will lead them to the supposed grave of the first Pondteller. Then, they will recite the names of everybody who had died since the last winter solstice. Afterwards, there is a big feast in the name of the dead.
TERRITORY
The Tribe of Flickering Lights resides on the outskirts of a busy city, where the modern technology has given way to nature. The forest is not thick but still enough to where prey hides in every nook and cranny, and to the east of camp, there is a natural spring in a pond that provides where the cats can drink.
CAMP
Camp rests in a clearing surrounded by bushes. There is a large tree at the back of it with a hollow inside, which is where the Pondteller and Pondteller to-be's den is-- You can climb the hollow to get on to a large branch that overlooks camp, which is where ceremonies are held. The healer's dens are through a squeeze into a cranny underneath the tree roots. The other dens are among the bushes circling camp, with the nursery being the biggest.
SACRED KOI POND
The scared koi pond is a small trek away towards the city, nestled in the bushes and hidden from anybody who isn't looking for it. It is off limits to everybody but the Pondteller and Pondteller to-be except for on summer solstice. It is there that the Pondteller will receive omens and messages and consult the ancestors. Anybody caught there without permission will receive a severe punishment.
THE CITY
While cats are discouraged from venturing out into the city due to the many risks there, there is no rule against them doing so. There, sympathetic twolegs are known to leave food for strays, and plump rats and other pesky rodents can be found that make good prey. However, you could end up in the pound, lost, or dead.
RULES
IC RULES
1. Always obey the Pondteller.
2. The Pondteller is allowed to have a mate and kits, but must be loyal to the Tribe first and foremost.
3. Murder of Tribemates, unless in self-defense, is unacceptable and those that do will be severely punished.
4. Kits and elders eat first.
5. If you are caught near the sacred koi pond, you will be severely punished.
6. If you have a mate outside the Tribe, unless they join the Tribe, you must break it off.
OOC RULES
1. This is a moderate to advanced roleplay-- Try to have at least a paragraph or two that have something to work off of so we can reply.
2. You may have as many characters as you like, but if you already have Pondteller To-Be, you can't have a healer or healer to-be, and vice versa.
3. Speaking of which, please only take as many characters you will be active with. I wanna see 'em around.
4. LGBT+ cats are welcome here, there will be no discrimination against them ICly or OOCly.
5. Keep things realistic to the books (or as much as you can with this group), though.
6. Remember the golden rule here guys.
7. Drama is encouraged, as long as it's IC and not OOC!
8. Put "ToFL rules" in the other section of the form if you've read all these.
ALLEGIANCE
PONDTELLER
Drift of [PALE] Cloud -- A gorgeous pale cream, almost white tabby she-cat with amber eyes -- islands
PONDTELLER TO-BE
If you would like to be Pondteller To-Be, please put it in the rank section inside parenthesis, with kit as their rank, and they'll be noticed as a candidate. I'd like to choose it within roleplay.
OPEN (0/1)
Candidates: None yet.
HEALER
Bird That Flies In [HAIL] -- White and gray tabby with tufted fur -- starypelt
HEALER TO-BE
If you would like to be Healer To-Be, please put it in the rank section inside parenthesis, with kit as their rank, and they'll be noticed as a candidate. I'd like to choose it within roleplay.
OPEN (0/1)
Candidates: None yet.
PARK-GUARDS
[RIPPLE] In Calm Water -- A fluffy dilute tortoiseshell she-cat with a kinked tail -- heruakhety
Belly Filled With [APPLES] -- White and brown tom with brown eyes -- starypelt
OPEN (2/∞)
PREY-HUNTERS
Leap Of Startled [HORSE] -- A brown she-cat with yellow eyes and white ears -- starypelt
OPEN (1/∞)
TO-BES
OPEN (0/∞)
QUEENS
OPEN (0/∞)
KITS
OPEN (0/∞)
ELDERS
OPEN (0/∞)
RELATIONSHIPS
[X] ❤ [X] (Mates)
[X] >/< [X] (Crush)
[X] = [X] (Mutual crush)
[MOTHER] ♡ [KITS HERE]
[WARRIOR] mentors [APPRENTICE]
[RIPPLE] In Calm Water > Drift Of [PALE] Cloud
THREADS
Sign Up + Guide -- You are here!
OOC Chatting + Plotting -- Coming soon.
Roleplaying -- Coming soon.
SIGN UP FORM
Name: Self-explanatory.
Gender: Self-explanatory.
Age: Self-explanatory.
Orientation: Sexual and romantic orientation. Who do they like?
Rank: Self-explanatory.
Appearance: Feel free to link a reference as well.
Personality: You can develop it over roleplay, but please, give 'em some flaws. Nobody's perfect, and complex characters are the most fun!
History: Doesn't have to be too long, but try to make it interesting!
Relationships: Mentor? Kits? Siblings? Mate? Crush? Put 'em here.
Other: Self-explanatory.
