The Playbill (Pride Information)

[SukaFumo]

Generations ago, a brave and wise lion named Suka’Fumo founded a pride on a mountainside nestled within a deep forest. The clearing at the base of the mountain provided much room for the pride to flourish under his intellectual leadership. The pride thrived around entertaining- all forms of art highly encouraged and thoroughly enjoyed. Such a carefree way of ruling brought in maybe creatures, more than just lions, and many ways of life.

For many years, the pride grew and experienced a great time of happiness and peace, the mountains becoming homes for everyone while the forest remained a mystery. It was a deep, vast place said to be controlled by wild spirits engaging in sinful acts almost constantly. A place too free, even for them. When Suka’Fumo died, his eldest son took the throne and continued to keep things the way they were, aware that the system his father had created was one that worked extremely well. Why mess with a good thing? Years more went by.

Everything changed when Suka’Fumo’s son, the loving king adored by the entire pride, finally succumbed to his old age and passed on to the next life.

His heir, a very vain, very demanding creature soon implemented many strike rules and regulations, expelling those who did not have purple in their coat, like he, from the mountain into the valley below. He imposed terrible laws and taxes, starving his people of meat and entertainment. To him, dancing and singing was an utter waste of time. War- spreading his mighty rule- was the only real way to accomplish anything. He spent his time organizing his armies, doing everything in his power to spread his control beyond the horizon.

Many, sick of his tyranny, fled to the forest or out past the borders of the pride, risking their lives in the unknown simply because it looked like a better alternative to sticking around with a crazy lion in charge of the pride. Others suffered in silence, praying for the day the next king would come to power.

Those that stayed, but decided not to be so silent on the matter of the cruel king, were often killed for their traitorous ways. The king had little patience for public disturbances. He had no idea his own court plotted his demise as vigorously as the pridesfolk declared their hatred of him.

The devilish king only bore one son worthy of taking the throne- a rebellious youth named Bwana’kindakindaki. But he was displeased with the wicked ways of his father and, even at such an early age, knew things needed to change. He felt, however, that he was not strong enough to be the one to help the pride, his talents in acting and goofing off far more interesting to him than any notion of heroism. This being the case, the foolish adolescent, like many members of the pride in that time, ran away. In his wake remained a broken home desperate for a good ruler.

Shortly after Bwana vanished, his father was killed by a member of the war council, thus removing any king from the throne. With no heir, things plunged further into chaos, fighting for the right to lead breaking out within all ranks and job titles.

Bwana grew up outside his home, only feeling the guilt of his poor decision upon entering adulthood. With his happy life no longer feeling justified, the plum prince new what he had to do- he had to get his a** home and restore the pride before it was too late.

Assuming it wasn’t already.  

[SukaFumo]

When Bwana returned, he was shocked to discover lions living in the forest. Campanil forest had been a place of legend when he was growing up, and to many generations before him. Stories told of wicked faeries who lived within the trees- tiny creatures that lived to cause mischief. Any time something bad happened inside the pride, a rock slide or even a stolen meal, it was said to be the work of the faeries in the forest. With so much lore against the place, many members of the pride refused to go near the forest, keeping to the pride and the less dense areas of trees.

It surprised the kind, therefore, to see that some had fled into the forest and had actually set up shop there. These lions were living the carefree life Suka’Fumo had brought to the pride so many years ago, though to a much more liberal extent.

They loved to play and engage in rather sinful acts with one another, open and happy in almost all regards. They had shrugged off all rules from the former king and had avoided the wars that came after he was dead. For a few years, they had become their own little pride.

Instead of forcing them back to a pride with rules and regulations they were not used to, Bwana extended a paw of peace towards the former members of his pride, suggesting they speak on behalf of the good of the pride. The tree-dwellers, whom Bwana called fairy folk, agreed, assigning their oldest member as their “leader” to come to an agreement with the new king.

A deal was struck in no time.

The forest, which was a portion of the pride to begin with, would remain in the rule of the king, but many of the rules would not be as strictly enforced. The fairy folk, who were given the official title of Groundlings, would be allowed to continue their lives undisturbed, so long as they promised to aid the kingdom in times of hardship and need. They were a part of the pride and Bwana wanted them to know it, even if he didn’t feel fully comfortable around them. They lived with the faeries… could they really be trusted?

He felt he was putting a lot on faith when their terms were agreed upon and the Groundlings became and official branch of the pride.
 

[SukaFumo]

Breeding/Mates: The king picks a mate for life, though it has been suggested that a queen may end up befalling some kind of “tragic accident” should she fail to produce an heir for her mate. This has never been confirmed, but for some reason the rumors still circle within the upper and middles classes, perhaps from some of the performances put on by the players. As for the rest of the pride, the most socially acceptable thing to do is find a mate within the same social class and settle down. Raise a new generation as a family. Slave mating is strictly monitored. While flings are not encouraged in the upper class and may put a ding in one’s social life, they are not forbidden. It is much more accepted in the lower ranks. This includes flings with rogues. Mating between classes is also not forbidden, though whoever’s in the higher class will most likely be snubbed by a lot of their former friends. Same sex relationships are welcome in the groundling's forest, but the mountain classes will not tolerate them. (Enter cross dressing, wink wink)

Cubs: Cubs are loved by all members of the pride, from groundlings to king. Appreciating the young is about the only thing in Suka’Fumo that transcends rank. It doesn’t matter what species the babies are, either. Elders help raise the babies in general, though they don’t often head into the forest to look after the groundling children unless it’s really needed. Cubs born into the noble families that do not have purple on their pelts are not allowed to stay with them in the mountains. The parents can still call them son/daughter, but they must find another family to raise them until they’re old enough to get a job of their own. The cubs born between two houses are also split based on color. About the only children left out of this massive love fest comes from the lower class. Slaves are, and will be no matter how old they are, slaves unless set free by their master.

Accepting New Members: New members are welcome in the pride. The guards are there to greet them, inspect them and, if they feel the creature can be trusted, welcome them into the pride. Any age is welcome, cub to adult. The king will rarely meet with newcomers, unless there happens to be a good reason for it or if they catch him while he’s out for a stroll. New members to the pride are more or less automatically members of the middle class and can pick whatever job suits them best. Don’t have a skill? Hunter is a fairly general rank, since more animals do know how to hunt. New members are also welcome to join the groundlings in the forest, though they should be warned that the upper class nobles will probably dislike them for it. New comers will almost never be made slaves of the pride unless they are familiars, try to attack other members, or cause trouble.

Noble ranks are not something normal pride members can work themselves into- it’s something they’re born into. Rogues, however, are given a bit of a free pass towards higher status. Only those that come with a pelt of purple can try to gain ranks in the pride, as that is the noble-lion’s distinguishing color.

Leaving the Pride: Members are welcome to leave the pride if they have a good reason to or if their beliefs no longer match those of the pride. The king wants nothing to do with members who don’t want to be there, really. Also, merchants come and go as they please to look for new products and information to offer the others. The guards tend to keep a record of all members of the pride, to better differentiate merchants and other members from new comers. They will also ask those leaving if they’re coming back or leaving for good. Players also tend to roam every now and again, looking for stories to help them create new performances. Likewise, groundlings are also of the roaming variety. Really, there's no way to keep lions from coming and going, only monitor the activity and keep it from getting too out of control. No one is disallowed from leaving the pride.

Cross Dressing: It’s not as uncommon as one might thing. Females cross dress and impersonate males to get more respect, while male players will occasionally impersonate females in their productions. On a stranger level, some same sex couples that live inside the mountain will have one of them dress up as the other gender to keep their relationship on the level, to avoid punishment from the king. In the forest, some of the freer animals really just… like cross dressing. And in their little mostly hidden world, they can get away with it.

Visitors: Generally, visitors are treated with respect. The guards will allow them into the lands if they decide they are not threats or are brought in with other members of the pride. Always good to have someone vouch for you. It’s mostly the same as accepting new members, only they don’t… stay. They are welcome to spend the night in the forest or the free middle class caverns- the upper class is off limits unless a relationship is already established. Also: the players love visitors- treating them like audience members. You can’t visit Suka’Fumo and not take in a show of some kind.

Familiars: Familiars are slaves, it's fairly simple. Visiting familiars should turn around- if they get caught they'll have a tough time leaving ever again. The only place they're really “safe” is the forest, and even then they can be caught by the guards and taken into the mountain to be given to a family. Groundlings have no control over the laws, and their liberties can only be pushed so far.

Hybrids: In the middle class, hybrids are no different than any other members of the pride. They all work for a living and get little respect for it- what difference does species make? The players really enjoy the company of hybrids, finding their unique looks perfect for their shows. The upper classes, however, only like to look at them. They are not accepted as nobles or guards, even if they’re head-to-claw purple. Groundlings also welcome hybrids with open arms- once again falling to the “everyone is equal” mentality of life. Hybrids can sometimes be born into slavery, unfortunately, especially when a noble has a fling with something... not noble and wants to hide the proof.

Non-lions: These, including wild dogs, are all welcome members of the working middle class and the groundling forest folk. Once again they are not allowed to take on the noble rank, though unlike hybrids, cheetahs and leopards are allowed to become nobles, guards or nurses with the proper coloration.

Death: Unfortunately, death is actually quite common in this fairly peaceful pride. But only with the upper-class set, particularly within the war council/advisor rankings. The king has seen his fair share of murder attempts, but so far nothing’s stuck. This is because a lot of lions within the pride have a power-lust they need to sustain no matter what the cost. Many, though they act normal enough in the daylight, want the throne. Or at least the war council position to help them get to the throne. Because of the death rates, there is no real ceremony to honor the dead beyond family and friends gathering for a final good bye. Corpses are taken into the rogue lands where they are allowed to decompose or be picked away at, whatever nature intends for them. Even the king’s end would be treated in the same regard, though the whole pride would be asked to attend the departure.

Ranks: Class standing is very important to this society- those of a lower class are honored to speak to those above them, while those looking down would much prefer a solitary walk to the company of the lesser creatures. They treat each other with courtesy, naturally, but it’s never hard to tell who thinks what of whom. Still, there are those that don’t pay much attention to the class system on a conversation front, happy to spend time with any pride members, not just the ones in the same class. There is nothing law-breaking about that. Co-mingling is not discouraged. The players are the best at bringing the ranks together. Everyone loves a good show. Groundlings love everyone, while the upper class are picky in their feelings. These two are almost like warring houses, only one side isn’t quite aware of it. Slaves, are treated with varied level of respect, depending on how the master treats them.

Females: The ladies of the pride can hold the same positions as males, with the exception of being on the war council. Well, that and they can’t be king, obviously. Even so, females are treated with decidedly less respect than males. Even upper class females have trouble getting a proper greeting from members of the classes beneath them. They aren’t treated poorly, mind you, just… not as well as they should be. They’re normally told what to do by their mates and, like the queen, are more for show than anything else. That’s why it’s not uncommon for females to pretend to be males to get a little more respect. They sometimes take the manes of deceased males and have a costumer craft them a pretend mane to wear for their façade. The only place females are treated as equals is in the forest. Groundlings all share an equal respect for one another.  

[SukaFumo]

 

[SukaFumo]

 

[SukaFumo]

Name: Suka'Fumo
Translation: "Shake Spear"
Forest Name: Campanil Forest
Cliff/Mountain Name: Elsinore
Clearing Name: Mviringo Valley