The Mlima Tuokoa colony live within caverns on a mountain they have named Umsindisi, or savior that is situated facing inward of a valley, turned towards the east and the rising sun. At the base of Umsindisi is an expansive grasslands that stretches eastward for the entire length of the valley and forests to the west with a mountain-snow fed river snaking through the forests and out into the grasslands. Acacia trees dot the hunting, as do small watering holes.
These hunting grounds are not only theirs. The forest was once the home to the colony but is currently inhabited by the lion pride that routed them and chased them up the mountain. Entering the forests has been strictly forbidden by late king Heinrich as a tentative peace has been made.
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:11 am
Recent History
An avalanche has wiped out the original colony that lived within the mountain. No one is quite sure what caused the sudden collapse of the snow, but many have their guesses. Some, including the queen, believe it was Shan Furen's displeasure of late king Heinrich's allowance of lions, the very species that chased them from their ancestral homeland, into the colony's lands. As such, she has outlawed lions and their b*****d children from setting a single paw within her lands. While some accept this explanation for the catastrophe, not all are convinced...
In the aftermath of the avalanche, King Heinrich and his queen, Pinot, have gone missing. With their only son sickly and small, Elisheba, the eldest of the five children born from their marriage, stepped forth and took the throne from her brother. Despite having two older brothers, both of whom were born from Heinrich's first wife, the eldest daughter seemed like the right choice. She ascended to the throne during her early adolescence and with the guidance of Barafu-taji and others to give her counsel, she has become the first queen in Mlima Tuokoa history.
After banning lions and their hybrids from her lands and exiling all that resided within the pride already, she has moved to disband the templars that once served the kingdom of snow outside of their borders in favor of using their resources to find and bring back members who may have been lost in the avalanche, or at the very least find their bodies and return them to give them a proper burial.
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Talk of the displeasure of the common folk has finally reached the queen's ear as she learned that a majority of her colony did not find her banishment of lions and their kin just. Fearing an uprising she has brought them back, at the approval of the high priest, giving them one rank: servant. A rank, in her opinion, fitting of the kin of the usurpers. Any born within the pride or joining from the outside found to have lion blood in their veins will share the rank of servant regardless of their lineage.
Shan Furen
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Shan Furen
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:15 am
History of the Monarchy
Riho & Manjari: Successfully moved the colony from their mountain home onto Umsindisi with Shan Furen's (supposed) aid. Known for being kind and always putting the colony first. Riho died of old age, Manjari passed six months later due to illness and a harsh/ill-prepared winter. Succeeded by their only child Henryk. They are survived by Henryk.
Henryk & Isobel: Betrothed from a young age, their marriage formed a tentative alliance with a colony in a distant land. After coming of age and their wedding, they soon announced their first litter. Having seven children, only four of which survived, things looked bright for the colony. Henryk was assassinated, along with his two survived daughters. Isobel escaped and her whereabouts are unknown. They are survived by Heinrich and Artur.
Heinrich & Pinot: Finding love in the rogue lands, the two wed as soon as they returned from Henryk's mission for Heinrich. Reclaiming the throne and re-establishing Riho's line in power, they worked to rebuild the colony and soon announced their first litter which produced five children. Lions were allowed in for the first time, but with scandal surrounding it as some believed Heinrich to have a lion mistress. Though they were heavily watched and only allowed a rank that lasted temporarily as an available rank: consort. An avalanche hit soon after their first litter was beginning to learn how to hunt and fight honorably. Heinrich is believed to have died in the avalanche. Pinot is alive and well, acting as an advisor to Elisheba. They are survived by Eduard, Raiyana, Gisa, Waridi. Heinrich is also survived by his two legitimized children Tomasz and Mithrandir.
Batabata & Elisheba: Elisheba saw the Mlima Tuokoa rebuilt after the avalanche that very nearly destroyed the entire colony. While the colony very nearly went to war over the kidnapping of a noble, this threat was neutralized by an unknown source. Her reign was known to be a relatively peaceful one, but also one that was far shorter than those before her. She was survived by Batabata and their four children.
??? & Ann: ---
Succession: Elysande, Aalis, Soffia, Raiyana, Gisa, Waridi (missing)
History
The colony was founded by Heinrich's grandfather, a leopard by the name of Riho. He led the colony of leopards as their king as they lived within the forests that pushed up against a mountain range, the tallest of which they believed Shan Furen to live atop of. The colony was a peaceful one. At the time of founding they had little protection aside from their belief that their goddess, Shan Furen, would keep them safe from harm. Instead of investing time and effort into training guards and soldiers, they grew their mind, learned about the world around them and began to explore.
Their exploration led them to meet a lion pride, in which they invited into their forests from time to time to learn of their culture and what they knew of the world around them as well. In time, the colony grew trusting and one night, their trust was betrayed.
It was sudden. In the night, as the hunters were getting ready to leave, the roars of dozens of lions could be heard throughout their jungle. They barely had time to even panic before their larger African cousins were upon them. Blood and fur entered the air, as roars of despair and ferocity spurring both sides on, though one was for destruction and the other was for survival. Some tried to escape to the trees, hoping to lose the lions in the branched with their expert climbing but were shocked to discover that during their time in the colony, the pride of lions had begun learning to climb trees themselves. Up they went, though not nearly as gracefully, and pulled many the leopards to the ground where they gasped their final breath. The remaining leopards fled the only way they could: out and up.
They escaped the jaws of the lions only to come face to face with the bone-chilling cold of higher elevation. With only death behind them, they pressed forward, pushing through the slopes even though the chilled rain began to fall, hoping to find something other than death. Many left, thinking it foolhardy that their leader continually told them that their goddess would not have guided their paws that way if there wasn't some kind of hope. Others died along the way, left to be buried in the snow, while remaining few were left to either join them by stopping to mourn or trek onward, hoping for the chance to go back and bury the bones. No one was left unaffected by that day. No one. Their king, Riho, lost his queen that day, lady Manjari, along with nearly all of his court, colony and family.
The colony continued until they came across what would become their new home. Two caves, large enough that it is now common belief that their goddess must have lived in the caverns at one point but in truth it was what others know as the lion gods of Africa most likely inhabited them. Further exploration of these saved uncovered not only the two, but the further one led to a higher cavern with a cavern opening of it's own. Along the passageway to the third was a smaller den to the side and up, which has since become a birthing den for the colony. From the third, continuing upward, were two more den areas, connecting by a ledge outside. These highest two dens house the royal family and the leaders of the four ranks within the colony: the huntmaster, the grand master, the high priest and the captain of the guard.
King Riho continued to rule the Mlima Tuokoa until his death at a ripe old age in which his only son, Henryk, took the throne. He was soon wed to Isobel, a gorgeously spotted leopard that had been born in a far away land. Not long after they announced their first litter. The firstborn of whom was name Heinrich. Along with two other sisters and a younger brother, they became the young royalty of a growing colony. The four also had three other siblings who died in infancy.
As they grew, Henryk learned of an assassination plot and sent his sons away to find followers who would listen and respect the two boys, giving them the word to only return when they achieved this goal. Heinrich left first, confident in himself and Artur left shortly after, giving himself more time to prepare for the journey.
While out in the world, the assassination was carried out and Henryk was killed, along with both of his surviving daughters and all of their children. Isobel managed to escape and her whereabouts are currently unknown though the queen is assumed dead. The colony was all but lost with the son of a rival leopard colony's king at the helm, but Heinrich returned with a pregnant to-be queen and being Henryk's eldest son, he inspired the colony to take back their home and drive the usurpers out.
Along with with his consort Pinot, Heinrich brought back two sons from a previous mate, though their mother was lost to them, marking them as illegitimate children and unable to ascend to the throne. Following behind, Barafu-taji, the grand master of the templars, returned home to find his order in ruins as the leopard that had been left in charge of running things had become corrupt and had been involved in the assassination of Henryk and the royal family. Several ladies-in-waiting,and to-be hunters, guards, templars and priests followed Heinrich back to the colony as well, all of which solidified his reign as king.
Along with the return of a peaceful existence within the colony, he allowed cheetahs into the colony with the first being a noble who acted as his assistant until the avalanche. Lions were also allowed into the colony, though all non-leopards and non-leopard hybrids were restricted in rank, only able to obtain the rank of consort or hunter during Heinrich's reign. Pinot's litter was born shortly after her coronation as queen, giving Heinrich four daughters and one son. His son was sickly, small and weak, hardly the son he had wanted but regardless, Heinrich's son began training to take the throne one day.
Soon after the litter's second birthday came the avalanche and the end of Heinrich and Pinot's reign and the beginning of Elisheba's.
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:18 am
Weather
The Mlima Tuokoa do not experience almost any other weather phenomena except the biting cold a and strong winds that would chill anyone to the bone while on Umsindisi. The intensity of the wind, the cold and the snowfall can vary, but they are all fairly constant. This sort of environment likely would have killed them quickly, if if they hadn't adapted to survive that is. Clad in furs on their backs and something around their legs, they keep warm wherever they can. Still, cubs are kept inside in bad weather and few brave the ledges in high winds.
Off of the mountain, the plains are much more mild compared to life on the mountain. The winds can still be rough, but nearly as harsh. Snow is rare, rain is uncommon with partly-clouded or grey skies being the most common weather to experience.
Geography
Umsindisi is the large mountain that the Mlima Tuokoa call home. It is situated on the eastern side of a valley that is walled by two strings of mountains. The valley itself stretches in a northeastern direction with the colony's ancestral forest blocking the way to progress any further north. To the south is open plains where the colony and the lion pride that live in the forest now hunt. The game here varies as much of it turns around when it finds passage impossible. Continue south and eventually it opens up into the rogue lands.
A mountain-fed river snakes down the mountainside and winds through about half of the forest before heading south. It is a shallow river and slow-moving at that, making it easy to cross and hardly a natural barrier in any sense of the word.
The plains themselves are several degrees colder than most of the rogue lands due to the cold air that constantly flows over them, but rarely do they get snow, though rain isn't uncommon. Typically it is just cooler than usual and the surroundings show it. The grass is short and dry, a sort of grey-green color most of the time. Though after a good rain, this can change dramatically as flowers, new grass and the colors brighten to appear more like spring. These changes do not last long, but they definitely are pretty and give some members a reason to make their way down the mountain. Among other things, acacia trees dot the plains, as do small watering holes.
Umsindisi
Starting at the bottom of the mountain, a single pathway leads from the plains, winding its way up the rocky side of their mountain home, leading any traveler to the Mlima Tuokoa. This pathway ends only a quarter way up the mountain, opening up to the first of three ledges and a communal area which is home to two cave mouths. One, closest to the pathway down is home to the prowlers. Frequently smelling the dead, this is where all kills are tallied and processed before being split among the colony. This is also where most of the meat drying and skinning happens. The cavern further back is the home to the guards as well as the merchants. This den has several smaller ones, typically used a trading stalls by merchants trying to peddle their goods to travelers. One tunnel leads back further to an area used to hold criminals. To progress further up the mountain, one must go through the guards' den, making it an ideal place to house guards that are not currently patrolling.
Through the guards' den, there is a tunnel leading up into the scholars' quarters, though in this tunnel there is a small cavern which is used as a communal storehouse. It holds bones, furs, gems, meats and anything else the colony may need. Passed the storehouse is the scholars' quarters. This den is fairly large and is shared by members of many scholar's familiars. Inside of it are bones, each carved with pictures describing history within the colony or the outside world. They are carefully collected and stored on the ceiling by hanging from sinew collected from kills, thanks to the birds that aid them. It is not uncommon to hear the bones knocking against one another. The most precious of all bones are kept within one of three holes in the walls. This den has no outside path leading safely down to the lower tier, but it does possess a ledge that makes an excellent place to teach, share stories and contemplate the universe with one another.
Back in the scholars' den, there is a second tunnel almost directly beside the first, but this one leads upwards and come out directly instead of the temple. Inside is an altar to Shan Furen. The altar itself is a flat-top stone that is covered in furs adorned with bones, beads, gems, ore and claws. In the center of all of that is a turtle shell that is full of water, water that is forbidden to drink as it is said to be the tears of Shan Furen who shed them as the leopards were chased from their home. The High Priestess at the time is said to have collected them and brought them with her somehow. Besides the altar, the temple is home to several small dens used to house the priests and the injured.
Exit the temple out onto the last ledge and currently the highest point the Mlima Tuokoa occupy on Umsindisi. This ledge is home to the secondary entrance to the temple as well as the royal den, the largest accessible cave the colony utilizes. It is also the largest of all of them, easily fit and house several dozen leopards within it. Inside of the royal den is five other dens, each roughly the same distance from the other as they circle the central meeting point. There a crude circle, slightly raised into a hill with a sort of flat top in the middle. This is the actual meeting area for the council and monarch. Three of the five dens belong to the Captain of the Guard, the Huntmaster and the High Priest. The fourth used to be home to the Grand master of the templars before the order's disbanding, it is currently vacant. The fifth and central den out of the five is the actual royal den, where the rulers, their cubs, the ladies-in-waiting and any royal nannies will sleep. It is the longest, comprised of several chambers and a small extra den where the royal servants sleep.
Far Lands
Shan Furen
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Shan Furen
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:21 am
Allies
To go here.
Enemies
Msitu'nyeusi Known as the invaders to some, this is a pride consisting only of lions that stole the forest home from Riho. Very little is actually known about them and their way of life, but skirmishes in the flatlands have given the colony some small amount of insight in their life. All major negotiations attempts have failed when initiated by the Mlima Tuokoa. They did however approach King Heinrich and force a tentative peace with the colony. Despite this, much of the colony still fears this pride due to their history together and the countless unknowns surrounding it.
They are ruled by one female lioness, believed to be the bride to their unknown god who they proclaim to be the rightful ruler of this world with fervor. Whether or not this god actually exists on the mortal plane or is simply a belief to inspire their members to fight is unknown. They hunt on the flatlands shared with the Mlima Tuokoa, so sightings are extremely common, but fighting is not. There have been reports of several instances where the pride would chase a colony member away from a fresh kill and steal it. This is rare, but is gives the scholars the idea that they are either large in number and struggling to feed their pride, they are gluttonous or they are simply unskilled when it comes to hunting.
Currently there is a tentative ceasefire between the Msitu'nyeusi and the Mlima Tuokoa, a pact that came into being thanks to King Heinrich's efforts to form a lasting peace so that the colony may have a chance to grow without struggling, but it seems like the Msitu'nyeusi may mean to disregard this agreement for whatever reason as several injuries by their paws have begun to happen. Still, Queen Elisheba is trying to keep hold on this pact, thinking it to be the safest way to ensure the colony's safety as they are in no state for a war should it fail.
As part of the agreement, no member of the Mlima Tuokoa will interfere with a member of the Msitu'nyeusi while they are hunting and vice versa. No member of the Mlima Tuokoa will enter the Msitu'nyeusi's forest without express permission from the pride's ruler. No member of the Msitu'nyeusi will climb Umsindisi without express permission from the Mlima Tuokoa.
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:42 am
Daily Life
Daily life in the Mlima is hard, cold and mostly windy. Everyone is expected to pitch in for their daily survival. Most days begin though with a hymn sung by the priests, thanking Shan Furen for another day where the sun still rises. From there, every member goes about their day in a regular fashion. Seeing guards on patrol, prowlers dragging kills up the slopes, merchants shouting about wares and scholars debating loudly the history of the colony's goddess. All of those are commonplace in the dens and on the ledges. Of course the noise will come to an end eventually and they will all retire to their respective dens to wait out the night as temperatures drop and the winds always seem to pick up.
Traditions
Courting is commonplace when one member fancies another. It is not uncommon for them to ask permission from the head of the household though. Courting can take weeks, months, even years and it is not always successful, but is seen extremely important in determining if a couple are suited for eachother. Gifts, song and a show of good manners are the most common things to give.
The morning hymn is much less a song and more of a humming tune as the words have been forgotten, but through the nannies, who would hum it to newborns since it was founded, the tune has at least survived. It is uncommon to find a member of the colony who does not know, but joining rogues are the most likely. It's not usually taught, but something that is learned through hearing is daily.
Co-operation is one of the best gifts anyone can give in the colony. Regardless of position or breed, everyone is deserving of at least a small amount in which they can build upon. Due to the colony absolutely needing to rely on one another for survival, disrespect and complete ignorance of your fellow member's plight, while not a crime, is looked so far down upon that it might as well be.
Shan Furen
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Shan Furen
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:45 am
Marriage
Arranged marriages in Mlima Tuokoa are commonplace among those that possess higher ranks, but is practiced by the colony as a whole. It is commonly accepted that parents have the wisdom to help their children have a brighter future and to produce ideal matches in both personalities but also to help them have a better life.
It is highly encouraged that both sides of the arranged marriage promote the interaction between the two betrothed whenever possible. This is typically the affair of the entire family on both sides, but depending on the rank difference between the families, one may need to put in more effort if they are lower classed.
Most marriages within the colony are as simple as agreeing to be mates and live together. There are typically no special ceremonies held, though some families will still gather to celebrate, but it is not a pride-wide or largely attended event. Small feasts are common, as are gifts for the new couple; usually being a bone to commemorate the event with their carvings in it and furs for their den.
The marriage of a member of the royal family is a highly celebrated event on the otherhand and one in which the entire colony will pitch in for a rather large and impressive feast that will last several days. Important friends and allies will also be invited. The exacts for even ceremony vary from couple to couple, but the fact that it is large and celebrated throughout the entire colony is static.
When a couple decide to marry, if they are marrying into nobility, they take the class of whoever's class prior to the marriage is higher. This rank up is compulsory. The rank change is lost through divorce, but not death.
There are two exceptions for this: a monarch marrying; their mate will always be a consort, and the council, whose mates will retain their previous rank but be more respected within the colony.
Due to the social stigma against lion blood, lions, cheetons and most leopons cannot rank up through marriage at this time.
To Summarize: If you are marrying a Prince/Princess, Lord/Lady or Noble, your rank will change to match theirs. If you are marrying the Monarch, your rank will change to Consort. If you are marrying the Crown Prince/Princess, your rank will change to Prince/Princess. Otherwise, your rank does not change.
Examples
Example 1: A lord and a guard marry, the guard becomes a lady. Their children will now be born nobles.
Example 2: A lord and a guard do not marry and have cubs. Their children take normal ranks and are known as bastards.
Example 3: A guard and a nanny marry. Their children take normal ranks.
Example 4: A guard and a noble marry. The guard becomes a noble. Their children will take normal ranks.
Example 5: A princess rogue breeds. Her children take normal ranks and are known as bastards.
The children of a Noble do not receive any special title. While they are no longer considered royalty they can still brag about being related to it.
On the matter of bastards born in the colony, cubs born to a member of the royal family will inherit the hereditary rank available to them if both of their parents are married prior to being born. If they are not and the children are born our of wedlock, the children born will be known as bastards and take on normal ranks in the colony. There is currently only two ways to be legitimized in the Mlima Tuokoa.
The first is to approach and petition the reigning monarch to legitimize the b*****d(s) by royal decree. It is up to them now if they accept or not. The reigning monarch may also approach a b*****d and legitimize them without being petitioned by the parent(s). (OOCly, this will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.)
The second is for the b*****d's parents to marry at a later date, legitimizing any cubs born out of wedlock between them in the process. To this means, some bastards may try and get their parents together in hope of being able to obtain their birthrights.
Being legitimized by royal decree does not place them in the line of succession, but the b*****d's parents marrying at a later date does.
Colony Views
Rogue breeding is allowed, but could looked down upon depending on the mother's rank within the colony. The higher they are, the more suspicious the breeding will look and the more shame it will bring to the family. A princess or lord rogue breeding and returning with cubs, the children will be considered bastards due to the unknown other parent and will take normal ranks in the colony. A prowler or guard rogue breeding and returning with cubs may be looked upon a little strangely but their cubs will be fully accepted.
Hybrid breeding is looked upon in varying shades of light. A leopard and cheetah breeding together are looked upon fine, though possibly a little strangely depending on their rank due to the knowledge that a vast majority of hybrids are infertile. If a leopard and a lion breed, the colony would look upon them with suspicion and the resulting cubs in a similar fashion.
Marriage is not a prerequisite to be able to breed, but not marrying may carry IC consequences and not allow the resulting cubs the ability to obtain a rank they would otherwise have access to.
- You do not need marry to be able to have cubs. - While there may be some social pressure to marry for the sake of any cubs, very rarely are an unmarried paired forced into an unwanted marriage.
