[Pride I/T] Luut Jumalatar - Open

[Luut Jumalatar]

Owner: Mia Sharra
Cert BG: --
Cert Symbol: --



Updates:
.•Nameless rank renamed to Spiritless. Information changed to reflect this.
•Typos and weird wording fixed. Let me know if any more are seen, or something looks confusing.
•Working on Tattoo information.
•Working on a new rank.  

[Luut Jumalatar]

The History

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[Luut Jumalatar]

The Territory

The Luut live within a large swamp that is situated up against the western side of a small mountain range. To the north and to the south lie two rivers that provide lush, green grass for herds to eat all year round as this area scarcely experiences the full force of Africa's dry season. While exiting and entering the pride is possible from the west, it is unwise to the Goddess' Heart being on that side of the swamp.

Near the base of this mountain is a cave, and it is in here that the leader lives, along with the bones of all the previous leaders and those of their Goddess they have managed to gather. The rest of the pride itself lives within the rest trees between the mountain and the denser parts of the swamp. This area's ground is soft, but still quite firm under paw. Mist clings to the air, leaving the fur of pride members moist nearly all the time. This also causes visibility problems, though many veteran members are used to the white smoke and solve this problem by humming to alert others to their presence.

The plains to the west house what little prey the pride has. Past misdeeds to the herds that used to roam these lands has caused them to avoid the grasslands over the generations. Now the only prey that travels over the plains are larger, strong herds that are hard to hunt in or desperate ones. The latter making up a majority of what the pride actually hunts. Most herds are wildebeest, large zebra herds, beisa and even water buffalo. The rarest sight are the few elephant herds that pass through.

The Queen's Cave

This cave is situated within the base of the largest mountain. It is in this cave that she lives, along with the pelts and skulls of her past lives. The cave is quite spacious despite the many altars within it. Unknown to her, and any leader before and following, a natural gas leaks from within the earth into this cave. The constant exposure makes it highly likely that the Queen will become unbalanced. Signs of madness and multiple personalities are very common, and the pride members simply see this as the strain of carrying within her the soul of a mortal as well as part of the Goddess' soul.

Because the Queen is the only one to regularly be in or around here though it is unlikely any others become affected, as it tends to float harmlessly into the air once it leaves the cave's mouth, and thus never really reaches the rest of the pride.

The Goddess' Heart

Deep within the swamps, where it becomes most dense, it is believed the Goddess' body lies. it is here that her bones have come to rest, and from here that the swamp is believed to have been born. She is the swamp, and this is where her heart lies within it. Very few dare to venture into this part of the swamp, due to the thick mists and gasses that emanate from it. Her breath here is thick, and death still hangs upon the air, welcoming any foolish enough to come and stay too long. It does not take long for one's mind to become fuzzy, and one's thoughts to slow to a halt. Here the swamp welcomes you to your final rest, but here you will never give your strength back to your pride. The Goddess does not look kindly upon the selfish, so dying here will not get you reborn.

 

[Luut Jumalatar]

The Ranks

Queen

The first queen was chosen by the Goddess long ago to house a portion of her soul so she can still communicate with her pride on a regular basis. Succession is done by the next female born to the pride after the death of the last queen is to take the throne. The queen is, next to the Goddess, seen as all powerful. This role is generally female only, as the Goddess is seen to favor the fairer sex. Whether it is lion only is still to be seen.

Firstborn

These members of the pride are the personal body guards and attendants to the queen. There is generally always one or two around her at all times to make sure no harm befalls her, whether from the foul paw of someone evil or by natural sources. They are also the ones that do small errands she asks and other such menial tasks that she can not be bothered to do. They are chosen by the queen herself and are generally the firstborn of any litter as was tradition during the days of old.

Consort

While not technically a rank, it is still something of note. It is a title held alongside a rank. The queen may pick and choose consorts as she wishes, and have as many as she desires. This rank however is not a forced one, but one of great honor to be so close to the host of their Goddess. These are not limited to any gender or species either. This title does have a tattoo however, so all know that this particular member has caught the leader's eye, and it is generally unwise to bring harm upon them.

Shaman

It is said that the Goddess blessed one and only one creature with the knowledge of the herbs in her swamps, and how to use them to allow rebirth in their members. That was the original shaman. Since then only the shaman has and ever will have this knowledge, for it is not information they are allowed to share, not even to the queen. The only exception is should the shaman take on an apprentice, who will then be taught this secret and must also keep it until such as time as they need to pass it on to an apprentice of their own. The shaman is also the one to oversee the death ceremonies.

Brute

The brutes are those who watch over the general pride. They keep the lands safe from outsides, and those within as well. They are the only ones who venture close to the Goddess' Heart and along the borders of the swamp on a regular basis. These members of the pride are generally the biggest and baddest of them all and will do anything to protect their pride. To keep them all in check though, they travel as a group made of up of five brutes, one of which is named as captain by the rest.
•The title of Captain is placed before the name when addressing them formally.

Fleshripper

These are those of the pride who do the majority of the hunting. This hunting of live prey in herds or hunting of corpses of any kind to eat. It can be within or out of the land, and usually ends up as the latter due to how little game there is in a swamp. They are the only ones who leave the pride on a regular basis and do so from the north of the south, as going around the Goddess' Heart would take far too long. To keep everything efficient, the fleshrippers are divided into hunting parties of five, one of which is a prime fleshripper referred to as "Prime" by their party. They are a veteran among them who leads the hunts and makes sure none of their kills are being stolen by undesirables.
•The title of Prime is placed after the name when addressing them formally.

Fleshling

This is a rank that all rogues who seek to join the pride take as well as all cubs and juveniles born within the pride. They have not yet been reborn in the eyes of their Goddess and are not seen as full members just yet as they are still called by their 'cub name'. Their time as a fleshling is spent learning about their Goddess, what it means to serve her and to serve the pride.

Spiritless

These are the lowest members of the pride. They are those who awoke from their Rebithing ceremony and received no new life. They have rebirthed and are now nothing. Nameless, worthless members of the pride. They are shinned and generally moved to the edges of the pride, either towards the north or south, and away from the Goddess' Heart. Their bones are not likely to be hind in baskets when they fall, and their pelts tend to go unclaimed by family. Many families will not pity those within their line who are Spiritless, as the Goddess herself has seen them unfit. Those that do pity them tend to associate with them in private, so as not to be seen. They are the last to eat, and are usually only able to obtain scraps if anything at all. Wile many Spiritless may leave the pride entirely, many stay behind in hopes their Goddess may take pity upon them in their death.

Vulture 'priests'

Vultures

Familiars  

[Luut Jumalatar]

The Beliefs

The Goddess

The Goddess is a being of Life, Death and Rebirth. She who saved the pride and gave them a new life. She is said to be a lioness of great beauty, one who wears a dark pelt covered in the bones of the purest white. Most believe her to be nothingness wearing the skeleton of a lioness, a dark void beneath bone.

All the pride knows now is that their Goddess is dead. They do not know what killed her or why, but they do know through their oral history that she did die. The belief is that when she died the swamp grew from her remains. The trees her bones, the mud and water her blood, and the mist her final breath. The pride in which she looked over prior to her death migrated to their swamp and have lived there since.

Other Divine

While other gods exist in the world through Mkodi, these divine beings are seen as aspects or parts of their Goddess. They are spirits that can be asked for aid and nothing more. The children of these spirits are said to be closer to the Goddess than other common members of the pride because they are, in the pride's eyes, related to their Goddess now. Children born from the union as seen as spiritborn and as looked on with respect. Especially for their visions which are thought to be gifts from the Goddess. The mortal parent of the litter is also looked on a little higher as their Goddess saw them fit to help in the ritual to create a more gifted life.

Reincarnation & Tribute Baskets

Nearly every member of the pride believes in reincarnation though there are some very rare exceptions. The pride, as a whole though, believe that their bones are the same bones used to create someone's great-grandfather, or sister, or any ancestor for that matter. That all life creates life and that everyone, in spirit, is a brother and sister to everyone. The truest example of this is that they believe their queen is the reincarnation of herself in each new life, but with part of a different soul.

Hanging around the edges of their territory, and hung sparsely within are baskets woven from various plant matter that are hung from tree branches. Within these are left small bones of kills and past members. These, being seen as the foundation of their life, are left out for the Goddess so that she may re-use them, creating life once more from the remains of the fallen.

Cub Name & True Name

Each member of the pride has a cub name, a name in which one of their parents or another creature gave them at some point during their life before devoting it to the Goddess. This name is what all members of the pride are called when they are a fleshling.

A true name is the name given to them by the Goddess when they are reborn. Typically this name has something to do with their rank, but it is not always the case. Members of the pride are referred to by their true name, inside and out of the pride, instead of by their cub name. If a member has a true name, but is called by their cub name, it is seen one of the largest insults one can give or receive as they are saying you do not deserve your true name.

Cannibalism

The eating of other pride members is a normal thing in the pride's culture. Due to the mistakes of their past, the choice of herds to hunt in on their natural hunting grounds is slim, if not non-existent. Their ancestors needed to eat to survive of course. As members began to starve and die off, natural instincts to live on came into play as the pride began to eat the dead. Now it is seen as the last great act any member of the pride can do for their home; by giving their strength back to their pride.

Species

All may serve the Goddess so all are allowed within the swamps of the Luut. Prey beasts are seen as just that, and should be wary in the pride. One that is a companion may be less likely to be hunted in times of plenty, but will surely be eyed if food becomes scarce.

Vultures
These great birds are seen as one of the more pure aspects of the Goddess, next to the Queen herself. These birds are believed to have been created from their goddess' innards. They are scavengers, just like the pride itself, and are never hunted. This is not to say they may not chase them off from getting a meal, but it is forbidden to kill one.

The Ceremonies

The Birth

The pride as a whole believes that children are gifted to them by the Goddess. They believe that mortal bodies cannot create life by themselves and need their Goddess' help to do so. Because of this the queen gives permission to those wishing to ask the Goddess for children. The pair mate as normal, but in a more ritualistic manners, usually including pelts, bones and paint. The ritual itself is to invite their Goddess in and to create children in the womb of the mother using bones of the fallen, hung throughout the swamp. Once the cubs are born, they are celebrated by the entire pride as a direct gift from the Goddess.

To explain why same-sex couples cannot produce children or why a leopard/hyena pair cannot, read this:

The Luut believe that each species and gender houses a different aspect of the Goddess. Some aspects can not mix, and an attempt at creating a child from one of these pairs would result in nothing happening. A few species however have compatible aspects which can produce a child. Hybrids, in this case, are welcomed with open arms. The separate genders are just the same, each being a separate aspect needed to create life. Trying to create a child from a pairing of the same sex is believed possible, however it is also believed that in doing so this would kill the bearer of the child, and possibly even the child itself, and as this does more harm than good the queen would give no blessing for this. Thus those wishing for a child they can not create on their own may seek a surrogate to help them.

The Rebirth

The Goddess' Flower was found after her death, when the pride was young. The first Shaman to ingest it fell into a near death state, and in this state they communed with their Goddess. The knowledge of this flower and it's use was then gifted to the shaman, and since then it is only from shaman to their apprentice that it is shared, and no other may know of it's true potential.

When a member is born or brought in they come with the hope to see their Goddess but two times in their life, upon their rebirth and when they die. Those lucky enough to see her more are few, and of higher rank, and only the queen herself has the ability to speak with the Goddess on a daily, and perhaps even constant basis.

When a member is ready to be granted a rank, whether born in or of rogue blood, they are brought before the shaman and given a mixture of herbs unknown to them. The consumption of this mixture is believed to bring them so close to death that they may speak to the Goddess, and she may judge their lives. What they have done, and what they will do. It is by this that she decides what rank you will be, and if you are even worthy of being a true member of the pride. Those that are are given their rank, and upon awakening they inform the shaman and are granted their tattoo.

It is possible for some to wake from this with no rank nor name to show. These are deemed Spiritless. The Goddess has not seen fit to grant them a new life, and as the Rebirth ceremony has erased who they used to be they are now nothing. They are seen as weak and useless, and tend to live on the outskirts of society. They have little purpose within the pride except the hope of eventually giving their strength to the rest, and hoping that the Goddess will take their bones and remake them. While not always treated kindly they are also not slaves, and are free to leave should they desire. Many do not though, either from fear of the outside, their own weakness, or simply because they do not wish to leave their Goddess. Should they stay there is a chance that she will remake them into something stronger next time.

Death

When a death occurs within the pride the bodies are seen to immediately. The shaman, and any others recruited to aid in this, take great care to remove the pelt from the body. This is given to the closest relative of the deceased, be it mate, children or parents. After that the pride eat the fallen. This is done as a last act of loyalty to the pride, to give back what strength is left in the body so that the pride may live on. However this ceremony must be done within 48 hours as the spirit of the dead is said to leave the body after the two day wait and the strength along with it. This is usually not a problem as the bodies are usually tended to and consumed in a matter of hours. After the body is eaten, the bones of the dead are given to the family to put into a tribute basket and hang from a tree limb.

The Queen's Death

A sacred ritual, the death of a queen is one of the largest events of each generation. When the queen dies of natural causes or otherwise, the race is on to prepare the pride for the feast and for the arrival of their new queen.

The pride gather at a large stone alter near the Goddess' Heart where her body is prepared and shared with the gathered pride. Since her spirit is thought to still reside inside of her body, so does the piece of their Godess. The two great lionesses join their pride in body and soul, nourishing them for the days to come and adding her strength to theirs. It is their queen's final sacrifice to the betterment of their pride.

After their feast most of her bones are taken and put into a tribute basket in a tree near the alter immediately, while the skull and pelt are taken back to the Queen's Cave where a small, flat-topped alter has already been moved in. There her skull will sit atop her pelt for the new queen to see and reflect on.

The New Queen

As soon as the last queen is confirmed to be dead, all expecting mothers are put under careful watch and moved to dens closer to one another so the shaman may periodically visit them all. Fleshrippers, because they are usually the loudest and fastest, are generally placed near each mother to call if one goes into labor. The first female born after the last queen passed away is named the new queen and is thought to be her reincarnation.

Within the hour, the firstborn are already guarding the new cub and the mother of the new queen, along with any siblings. She, from the moment she was born, is treated as the queen.

If two female cubs, or more, are born at the same time, they are all raised as housing part of the Goddess' spirit, though all smaller portions then a normal queen should have to properly rule. At which point, as soon as the others can walk and move, they are encouraged to pursue the other potential queens and kill them and be the only ones to consume them. A gruesome, but necessary action as the last remaining cub is named queen and has the full portion of the Goddess as she should have. The Goddess rules with no others and neither shall the queen. While this is extremely rare, this is still possible.

 

[Luut Jumalatar]

Members maybe?  

[Luut Jumalatar]

Joining

[align=center][size=15][b]My life for the Goddess![/b][/size][/align]

[size=11][b]Cub Name[/b]:
[b]Owner[/b]:
[b]Rank[/b]:
[b]Why do they want to join?[/b]:
[b]History[/b]:
[/size]

 

[Luut Jumalatar]

I'm told seven is enough.
But I want eight.  

[Luut Jumalatar]

Alright, that's good for now.
Going to work on putting the information up now.  

[Luut Jumalatar]

Alright.
More info will slowly get up as we get it typed and lookin' nice.

For now, all species are accepted.
All ranks are open, save for Queen, Consort and Shaman. Firstborn is open to applications, but please have a backup rank.
I'll work on a form soon for joining.

If anyone has any questions on the current information, feel free to ask.  

[Schicksalswende]

Tiny skull gives me happy squees.

 

[Shia bean]

*3*  

[OP-Yuna]

I shall have to design someone to go here. ninja *misses swamp environment, yus* Or maybe I'll send one of my Mountie boys... I think one of them rather misses the swamp... *glances at Jin* OR MAYBE BOTH. =3  

[OP-Yuna]

My life for the Goddess!

Cub Name: Jinjurr. After his rebirth, his name will be Te'Ngaire.
Owner: F a y t h - x
Rank: Fleshstripper, or if his story is believed, maybe Firstborn? It would be fun to plot.
Why do they want to join?: Mama Asali, the real goddess of Swamps. However she disappeared from the Jini-msemi before the fires that made them migrate, so while Jin may silently question the legitimacy of this pride's 'goddess,' he can not be for certain. He will have his doubts, but his desire to live in the swampland, a landform true to his heart, once again is stronger than any desire to correct the way of a pride. He would, however, introduce himself as the son of Mama Asali, Goddess of Swamps, which I imagine would lead to some interesting RP. Jin sees no need for secrecy, so he will freely speak of the Jini-msemi.
History: Born in the Jini-Msemi swamplands, lived a fairly ordinary life, despite being a quiet fellow. Went with the pride to their migration to the mountain, but just isn't happy living there, and has sought out a new swamp home.