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Generations ago there was a small, rather unremarkable tabby cat, who was visited by a spirit. This beautiful spirit understood the horrible situation this tabby cat was in, living with a pair of Uman’s that didn’t like each other and would randomly strike out at the tabby cat. It began teaching the tabby ways to live independently. It showed her how to hunt, fight and track things through the undergrowth.

Still the tabby was weary, the only life it had ever known was that of a kittypet and couldn’t fully let go of her roots. The poor thing wouldn’t leave her home and the spirit grew distraught for her safety as it was the only vessel it could connect with. Finally after weighing the pros and cons the spirit temporarily took over the she-cat’s body and started a fire while both Uman’s were out of the house. Quickly leaving through the cat-flap the spirit travelled for some distance before returning to the corners of the tabby’s mind.

The spirit told the tabby that there had been a fire at her home and a falling beam had knocked her unconscious. The damage had lost her some of her memory and the spirit had, had to take possession of her body to help her escape. The spirit suggested as a way for the tabby to move on she should chose a new name and that the two of them would find a new home in the forest. The tabby reluctantly agreed, not knowing the way back home anyway. She became known as Ember in remembrance of the fire that consumed her home.

For a time the tabby cat travelled by herself with only the spirit for company. The two covered a lot of ground before she saw another soul that was recognisable as a cat. This tom was younger then herself by several moons but the two grew very close and as she began to teach the other feline how to hunt and fight, it became apparent they were falling in love. Before long Ember became pregnant with the tom’s kits and the two had to find a permanent place to settle down. They searched for several days before Ember stumbled across an old abandoned church.

The scent of Uman’s was stale and the doors had been left open so Ember called the tom to her and together they ventured inside. The place was beautiful and had plenty of room for them to raise a family so they settled down on the altar and spent the next few moons cleaning the place up.
Ember’s kitting was smooth and the tabby was blessed with two daughters and one son; Melody, Frost and Echo. For what seemed to be an eternity the family lived alone and concealed within the church. Prey; such as mice and small birds, would venture into the church providing plenty of food for the family. Ember barely heard from the spirit anymore, content as it was with the peace and quiet.

One night Melody and Echo were patrolling the boundaries of the church graveyard. Melody was nervous. The she-cat wasn’t fond of the dark and would skitter away from anything that looked like it was alive. When the pair were finishing their last round, sometime before dawn, the atmosphere in the graveyard shifted. It seemed to the felines as if even the shadows had become weary. Echo scented the rogue gang first and yowled an alarm to his sister. But it was too late for pretty tabby and she was slaughtered before her brother’s eyes, the ground splattered with her blood.

The tom put up a valiant fight, but was also killed; his body left to lie with his sister’s. The gang invaded the church and though they were thin and malnourished they quickly killed Ember’s mate and captured her and her daughter adding them to an already ample slave population. For three days mother and daughter were trapped in their own church before the spirit residing inside Ember finally decided it had, had enough. Taking control of her body at the time of the new moon, the spirit ripped through the gang and set the slave free. The ground was soaked with blood by the time what was left of the gang surrendered.

When Ember came back to her body she was a changed cat. Dictatorial and forever thankful for the actions of the spirit she became obsessed with the religious beliefs that were entrenched in the spirit. Though welcoming of the slaves and weaker members of the gang, it quickly became apparent that she was leader. With her daughter at her side Ember established order between the members of the group and changed her name yet again. She became known as Ember that Burns for an Eternity. The group of felines began referring to her as ‘The Eternal’ and the group; The Tribe of Stained Glass (Windows) or ‘The Church’.

She pushed for the group to discover and set boundaries for the entirety of their territory and to collect cats in the area and convert them to The Churches’ beliefs. Ember established a wide territory and became known for the miracles she performed as both the spirit and as her mortal self. And her daughter, Frost |who had also changed her name to Frost that Lingers On| found a series of waterfalls with an elaborate cave system a day’s journey from the church.

When Ember finally passed away, the moon was full and high in the sky. The spirit that had resided inside Ember for so long detached itself from her soul and established its position inside Frost’s heart. And so the legacy has continued, with every new generation the soul that once turned to poor abused Ember will live on through the daughters of The Church.

The Church believe that the sky above is filled with their warrior ancestors; much like other clans and tribes. They call this group of warriors ‘The Dusk’, as The Church believe that for one’s spirit to move on to its time on the astral plane their body must be burned at sunset. If the body was burned and the sunrise of the next day was clear, then the spirit made it. If there are storm clouds or fog covering the heavens, then the Tribe believe the body’s spirit didn’t make it.

Contradictory to this, they believe that whomever the Eternal is at the time is a Dusk been sent down to guide the tribe. The do not believe, for some reason, that this spirit lost its way and ended up in the body of the Eternal, they believe it was sent. However, the Church does try very hard not to get its other ‘lesser’ members possessed as well.

Ceremonies:

Birth

When kits are born the tribe celebrates, for they are growing stronger. A ceremony will be held where the mother of the children will bring her kits to the altar and the Eternal will bless them. The Eternal will dip their head in a small wooden bowl (filled with the reflection of the stained glass windows) and press it to the head of each kit. Every member of The Church is welcome to attend this ceremony except those on guard duty.

Death

The body of the fallen cat will be placed on a nest of sticks and then carried by their brethren to the middle of the graveyard. The Head Medic (Healer) will then bring out a shard of glass from inside the church and use it to magnify the sun’s rays, helping the sticks to catch fire. |If it is the middle of winter this ceremony will be preformed inside the church, but at every other time of year it should be performed outside.| All those except nursing Gifted, kits and those on guard duty should be present.

Tyro

When a kit |Arisen, Dawn| is five moons old they are deemed old enough to become a Tyro. They must travel with the Adviser and one of the medic’s on a two day journey to a series of waterfalls known as The Path. When they have reached the largest waterfall, known as ‘Skyfall’, they must enter through a small gap between the rushing water and the wall. If a kit were to fall into the water they would die as the strength and power of the water would crush them. Once inside the group will travel along a path till the cave breaks off in the three different directions. They will be led to the furthest one on the left and upon reaching the end of that tunnel, bathe in the still pool of water.

Banded Tyro

When a Tyro is deemed old enough to move into one specific training path this journey will be repeated. However, instead of the Adviser taking them the Eternal will make the journey. When they reach the same pool of water The Eternal will touch each of their heads and proclaim which path they shall be taking. The newly banded Tyro’s will then bathe in the water.

Protectors of the Tribe

When Tyro’s have learned all there is to learn from their mentor they will again make the journey to The Path. This journey will be made alone and the Eternal will give those participating instructions on how to get to the second pool of water. |Occasionally a Healer Tyro will also make this journey with the other Tyro’s, though this is not often done.| When they Tyro’s reach the pool of water they will bathe and return to the tribe, protectors of The Church.

Fallen

Those who have fallen from the ways of The Church, or are traitors, will be publicly slaughtered. The Eternal will dip their head in the fallen cat’s blood and wail to the sky for The Dusk to forgive their treachery. The tribe will then take up this wail and all will call to the skies until the Eternal tells them to stop.

Marriage

This is when two members of the tribe wish to unite souls and commit forever to each other. One or both of the members will approach the Eternal and request to be married. If the Eternal agrees to the union the ceremony can be held publicly or in private. This ceremony will be performed by the Head Medic |Healer|, Matriarch and Eternal.

The Eternal |1/1|: The Eternal is the leader of the group and makes all the decisions for the tribe. This position is always filled by one of [Ember] that Burns for an Eternity’s direct descendants and will be chosen to be the next leader from a young age. The reason it must be a direct descendant is so that when the next Eternal passes on the soul that once resided inside Ember can change hosts. It cannot seem to do this with a cat that is not of the same blood line.

Adviser /Chosen|2/0|: The Adviser (also known as Chosen) is the deputy of the tribe and makes important decisions in the absence of The Eternal. This feline is also chosen to have the position from a young age otherwise they would only specify in one band of training. Their training and the training of the next Eternal will be down together and apart from the other Tyros.

Healer/Head Medic|2/0|: The Healer has a special connection to The Dusk and is the only other member of The Church that can enter the Pool of Echoes. On more the one occasion they’ve also been known to have the ability to see the soul that resides inside the Eternal. They have the ability to make decisions in the absence of both the Chosen and the Eternal. They also pick their own Tyro before the Tyro is banded.

Tyro Healers/Medics|4/0|: The Tyros in training and qualified medics responsible for the health of the tribe. The can make smaller decisions based on a cat’s health and learn under the Head Healers. They have more of a connection to The Dusk then other felines.

Matriarch|1/0|: The head she-cat of the Gifted. She won’t necessarily be pregnant but she will have been a mother at some point. She’ll help new mothers through the process of raising a litter. She will also be responsible for putting stray kits with already nursing mothers. Or in the event that there are none, she will nurse them herself. This feline will also have some say in the affairs regarding Queens.

Queens/Gifted|1/0|: Nursing or pregnant mores from any band. These she-cats are treated with great respect and care as they are producing the next generation.

Spring Breeze|Unlimited|: Cats that are sleek bodied, fast runners, high jumpers or talented at catching prey. These cats will specify in hunting both at night and in the middle of the day. *Usually excel at catching one type of prey but overall excellent hunters.

Summer Light|Unlimited|: Felines that have huge amounts of stamina and show great prowess in completing complicated battle moves under pressure. They often work quite closely with the Chills in practice fights.

Autumn Shadow|Unlimited|: Cats who are good at keeping to the shadows with darker pelts and good eyesight. These cats are assassins or night guards/hunters. They perform most of their training during the hours between evening and dawn, and sleep through the day.

Winter Chill|Unlimited|: Felines with great ability in the mind or at tactical operations. These cats help The Eternal to plan battles and understand the intricacies of warfare. They’re also calm under pressure.

Spring Tyro|Unlimited|: Tyros chose because of their sleek bodies. These Tyros train forever to perfect their hunting abilities and stealth. By the end of their training they should have perfected the killing of one animal. Their ability should look graceful and accomplished.

Summer Tyro|Unlimited|: Tyros of this band should be well built with good stamina and a natural affinity for fighting. Their pelts could come in any shade as they’re not needed for stealth and are instead the brute force of The Church. They train for hours to become stronger and build their stamina.

Autumn Tyro|Unlimited|: The Tyros that are chosen for the Autumn path have dark pelts and excellent vision. They’re usually naturally light on their paws and good at stealth.

Winter Tyro|Unlimited|: Tyros that show promise in developing complex strategic manoeuvres and can pick out the problems in an enemy strategy. Often these apprentices practice and train with the Summer Tyros to fully comprehend and initialise ideas.

Tyro|Unlimited|: A young cat of over 5 moons with no chosen band. They train as a group in generalised hunting, fighting, tactics and assassinations. When the Eternal deems them ready they will go on a journey with the leader to The Path before becoming banded.

Dawn/Arisen|CLOSED for the moment|: Kit’s or newborns still living with their mothers and the Matriarch.

The territory belonging to The Church is vast and filled with rolling hills and forests. Untouched in its natural beauty it is said that the spirits of the ancestors must have blessed the land to be free of Umans. Though there are a few keys places that should be noted;

The Church
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The church is where the tribe eat, sleep and hold meetings. It’s the most important place in the territory and is based on a hill so The Church can see their enemies approach. It has one central tower that is used as a lookout (and rotating sleeping nests for those on nightwatch) and a small graveyard.

The Altar: This is where the Eternal will perform ceremonies or make announcements. The chairs at the front of the church are reserved for the Chosen, Healers, Healer Tyros, Matriarch, future Advisers and future Eternal. It’s also where you must wait to speak with the Eternal.

The Eternal’s Den: Is behind the altar and can be shared with the advisers or their family. It’s a reasonable space with a small rain filled dip in one corner.

Hospital: This is a small room off the main space of the church and is where the Healers and Healer Tyros treat their patients. They can chose to sleep here too, though it is not compulsory. All herbs are stored in a room underneath the floor boards (access to this area is in the Hospital under a propped up trap door.)

(Un-banded)Tyro Den: The den for those Tyros who haven’t been placed in a band is upstairs next to the Nursery. It’s a large open space that overlooks the Altar from a balcony. There’s also part of a window missing off to one side that opens out onto the roof.

Other Dens: Once a Tyro has been banded they are separated from their peers and sleep with the other adults of their band.

– The Winter Chills/Tyros sleep off the main meeting area in a small room with no windows and a tiny escape panel. When shoved aside (which should only ever be done in an emergency and never for games) a hole appears leading out the side of the church and into some bushes.
– Autumn Shadows/Tyros spend the majority of their ‘day time’ sleeping so they get the third floor (an attic). This space is large and very dusty; it’s filled with old furniture and a few piles of silverware.
– The Summer Lights/ Tyros spend all summer and the majority of spring and autumn sleeping out under the stars. During the middle of winter though these Tyros will sleep with the Lights in a well nested area by the doors of the church.
– Spring Breezes/Tyros get up early each morning to hunt so it was decided they would sleep in the small wing directly off to one side of the church. This has its own entrance doors so they don’t wake the rest of the tribe as they come and go.

Prey: It’s stored in the smaller wing off the side of the church with the Spring Breezes/Tyros. There is a hole leading through the wall into this wing with easy access to the food storage.

Nursery: Upstairs on the balcony floor with a wide padded space. Here nursing mothers and the Matriarch sleep and spend most of their day.

Graveyard
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The Graveyard is where the bodies of dead cats are burned so that their spirit may pass on to the stars above. It also happens to be where traitors are executed.

Training Grounds

A large open clearing not far from the church used for testing all kinds of skills.

The Path

Is a series of waterfalls two days journey from the church, it has a large catacombs behind the largest waterfall Skyfall.

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Skyfall: A huge waterfall and the entrance to the hidden caves.

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First Pool: The underground pool in which Arisen will bathe in to become Tyros and then Tyros will bathe in to become banded.

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Second Pool: The underground pool that banded Tyros will bathe in to become protectors of The Church.

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Pool of Echoes: the Lake where the Eternal will go to get guidance for the Dusk.