The Firekin Lands
Current Weather:
As usual, the air over the Firekin desert - known as the Ardhi'a'kifo ('land of death') - is arid and dry. There isn't a cloud in the sky; during the day, the sun beats down, unforgiving. The temperature during the day is unbearable in the heat of the day, and most creatures must find shelter, or risk exposure to the sun. At night, however, one can see the moon and stars very clearly, and the temperature drops drastically.
Land Description and Map:
There are very few landmarks in the Firekin lands; the creatures that call this land their home, however, seem to be able to find their way around instinctively. To the wandering traveler, though, one dune looks very much like another.
Sand stretches in all directions, seemingly. At the southern and northern edges of the lands, sand gives way to dry, parched earth. A torrent of thorn bushes borders the southern expanse between the desert and the Pride Lands. Out of it, slightly to the southeast, a small river trickles, narrowly missing the desert, known as the Tunu'dogo'mvo ('precious little stream').
To the northeast, a vast jungle rises past the desert, a place of taboo for the Firekin pride. To the northwest and west, the desert gives way to scrub and short brush. Right before this lies a small oasis, nestled carefully between two short cliffs. The cliffs stretch towards the northern border, getting larger as they go; eventually, they split apart again, forming several natural caverns, where the Firekin pride has their home.
There is also a small rock outcropping to the southeast, but beyond that, there is precious little else to note about the lands.
(Map coming soon.)
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Firekin Pride -- History and Character Descriptions
This story is passed among slaves of the Firekin -- a story generations upon generations old, always whispered behind the backs of the Firekin itself ....
The Desert, in the beginning, was ruled by a number of gods and goddesses. They inhabited all things -- the rocks, the trees, the streams, the forests. In time, however, five of these supreme beings yearned for more than their simple existence, meandering from place to place. They grew curious, inquisitive. They grew more intelligent, more eager to learn more.
Along with this, however, came the greed to own more intelligence, hold more power, and be considered greater than all others.
In time, these siblings (two brothers, three sisters) agreed to confine themselves to the desert. In doing this, they strained, they wound be considered the greatest of all the greats, since the desert was the one place considered a wasteland, and nothing more. Few gods inhabited it. The sand god was there, of course, and the sky goddess, who was everywhere...but the list was not long, and the siblings wanted to prove that, in doing this, they would become more powerful for having to endure the hardships that the desert brings.
In time, these gods and goddesses had, with their collective powers, squashed most of the other supreme beings that lived in their land. They were able to call it their land now. All the other beings became known as the Lesser, while they themselves were the Greater. As their power grew, their temperaments and hungers grew, as well. They wanted more. They squabbled amongst themselves, like children with a new toy, selfish and possessive.
The eldest, Mau-ri, though not more powerful than his younger siblings, was usually the leader, because he was, of course, the oldest. He was associated with Time, and the passage of the seasons. He was often forgetful, and would pass into slumber for decades. He was slow and decisive, perhaps the most so of all the siblings.
The second-eldest was Naru-ni. She was perhaps the most 'royal' figure of the Greater, if one could think of them that way. She is most associated with motherhood and children, and also with life itself; energy and joy.
The third eldest was Rihn-yi. She was the opposite of her older sister; she is most associated with death. Therefore, she is also associated with the hunt, and the night.
The fourth eldest was the other brother, Dih-ji. He is associated with water -- the most precious thing to the desert. Because of this, he also stands for hope and ressurection.
The youngest was Finar-si. She was most associated with the wind; she was the most inquisitive of the siblings, and the most impatient. She adored change, and new things…at one time. She was the pride and the curse of the Firekin, as you shall soon see.
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Eventually, Finar-si wishes to have subjects to rule. The Lesser are no good; they are still gods and goddesses, after all, and she'll tire of them eventually, since they re immortal.
So she creates creatures, all the creatures of the desert (except for the mantis and the tssessebe…that's another story). She finally creates lions to rule over them all, making them a weakling, fanciful copy of herself. She sets herself up as the first Queen.
Delighted with the fact that she has beings to worship and obey her, she eventually disappears, shrouding herself in mystery and symbolism, watching as the generations pass. Because of her brutal treatment of her own people, they themselves have become brutal; taking slaves of all other feline species, and eventually any lion that is not of Her blood. Eventually, the pride itself becomes known as the Blood to themselves; but the Firekin to all others in and out of the lands.
After many generations, the other goddesses and god (Mau-ri has yet to awaken) start to complain. They do not care about the treatment of the slaves; no, instead, they're jealous themselves of Finar-si's control over them. So they manage to wake up Mau-ri, and tell him he has to do something.
So he does. He and the other Greater strip away her power, leaving her mortal for the time being; open to all pain and suffering. As an added curse, she's forced to become a slave for the Blood itself, for an entire lifetime.
And that's when she finally figures out what she's done. The lesson is more or less beaten into her -- she comprehends what the immortals cannot. So she pleads with Mau-ri, and he decides to give her back her immortality. They are siblings, after all, and siblings forgive.
But now something must be done about the terror she's unleashed. Finar-si suggests that, since she was the one to create the mess, she should be the one to fix it. Mau-ri, however, refuses; instead, he suggests that they make the mortals fix it themselves, with help. He thinks the earth could use the mortals, to worship all the gods and goddesses, not just one. So he choses the current Blood King's own daughter, Jua, already pregnant, to have the cubs.
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What's been going on down at earth at this time: Makadari, King of the Blood, has four children; Kiu and Mwali, the two boys, and Jua and Mwezi, two girls. He's a cruel leader, arrogant and confident in his skills.
Unfortunately, he gets wind of the coming disaster before the cubs are born. A Lesser god, still sulking about the arrival of the Greater gods to the desert, hints, through a prophecy, what will become of Jua’s cubs. He therefore refuses to allow her to have any children…not knowing that she's already pregnant with a rogue's cubs.
Jua disappears shortly after the prophecy, to have her cubs in a secluded place (the rock outcopping). Makadari and Walii confront Jua after Hestia, the Lesser Goddess of the birds, tells Makadari about his daughter's state. Makadari kills Jua and leaves the cubs for dead. However, the gods are watching over their own; and lead an assortment of creatures to ake and care for the cubs, leading them out of the desert. One of these is Jua's own sister, Mwezi.
Recently, a newcomer has entered the pride; Kinja, supposedly the lost member of the Blood. She has cunningly captured the heir, Kiu's, affections. The two slaves, Kitwana and Dama, also disappeared.
After several moons, Kinja produced Kiu's cubs - six strong children of the Firekin. But there's something suspicious, what with Hestia lurking around near the pridal dens much more than usual....
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Before he can bless the chosen cub, Mau-ri falls into slumber again. The other goddesses and god, unsure of what to do at this point, decide to bless the other four cubs with gifts, instead, so that perhaps someday they can come back and right what is wrong.
Naru-ni blesses the first female with the joy of life, fire, and courage in life to do what is right.
Rihn-yi blesses the second female with the power and strength of the hunt; and a gift of swift death to this one's enemies.
Dih-ji gifts the second male with the gift of hope, and the will to endure in the face of extreme odds.
And finally, Finar-si, the cause of the mess, blesses the youngest female with the gift that produced the Blood; the gift of intelligence, and the will to fight for change. Finar-si hopes that, because the child is mortal, she'll grow up to temper wisdom and morals with these two attributes.
Religion
The Firekin pride believe in their great Goddess, Finar-si, and no other god or goddess, in their eyes, exists. They believe they are superior to all other creatures because of their relationship to the Goddess. They worship the flame, fire, and desert; they are proud to be able to survive where few can. Water is a precious resource to them, but they do not love it. They take slaves quite readily and kill others.
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First Generation
Firekin Pride
King and Queen
Makadari: Brother of Waka
Jahina
Princes
Kiu and Mwali: Sons of Makadari and Jahina
Lionesses
Walii: Sister of Makadari
Sumba and Waka
Youth
Jifyo: Daughter of Sumba
Slaves
Kitwana
Dama
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Second Generation
King
Kiu: Son of Makadari and Jahina
Princes/Princesses
Kimeti and Kavuasi: Sons of Kiu and Kinja
Kwana, Motomilia, and Kijinga: Daughters of Kiu and Kinja
Lionesses
Walii: Sister of Makadari
Waka: Sister of Sumba
Kinja: Former rogue
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Third Generation
Prince
Kimeti: Son of Kiu and Kinja
Princesses
Kwana and Kijinga: Daughters of Kiu and Kinja
Lionesses
Kinja: Former rogue
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Makadari [Deceased] -- The late King of the Firekin, Makadari ruled with an iron fist, driving back all comers into the desert. He prided himself on the purity of his blood and his pride's blood; but that didn't save him from falling ill and perishing from old age.
Jahina [Deceased] -- The Queen of the Firekin, Jahina was extremely strict to the faith; but she did not have the volatile temper of most of the pride. She was considered a 'weak link' in the pride; nevertheless, she was chosen by Makadari as his consort. She died in a hunting 'accident'; a pretty excuse to get rid of the quiet, even-tempered Queen.
Kiu [Deceased] -- The prince and heir to the Firekin pride, Kiu was the very image of his father, if more impulsive and inclined towards arrogance. He feel in love with 'Kinja' when she arrived into the pride, and soon fathered six cubs on her. He died, though, not long after he took over the throne from his father. There are whispers that he wasn't as noble to his blood as he perhaps should have been...and perhaps that might have led to his early demise.
Mwali [Taken -- Played by Thalion] -- Kiu's younger brother, and a prince of the Firekin, Mwali was, when in the lands, lazy. He had no real duties, and a short fuse - his temper tantrums were very similar to a child's when he or she didn't get their way. However, he left the lands and has now taken up residence in the Pridelands Pride; a traitor to his own kin. Both of Makadari's sons, it seems, are not true Firekin.
Jua [Deceased] and Mwezi [Taken -- Played by dustfeather] -- The princesses of the Firekin; Jua was a rebellious teenager, and Mwezi is an anxious and spoiled brat. Jua, however, held a secret; she had cubs by a rogue, which meant her death by her father's paw. Mwezi knew, and her love for her sister led her to desert the pride and save the remaining cub, Dhyn.
Kavuasi [Taken - Owned by Lenta] and Kimeti [Taken - Owned by Kolina] -- Kavuasi was taken from the pride when he was just a cub, by Hestia - nobody knows where he's gone, or if he'll ever come back. Kimeti, meanwhile, is growing up to be very similar to his grandfather, but without the tempered wisdom that comes with age. He also seems to have inherited his uncle's predisposition for temper. It's likely, with so few left, and he the only male, he'll become the next King of the Firekin.
Kwana [Taken - Owned by Moofuls], Motomilia [Taken - Owned by Daimyn], Kjinga [Taken - Owned by shia-san], and Kafara [Taken - Owned by Rogue Roxness] -- Motomilia disappeared as a juvenile from the pride - some say dead, some say she merely ran off. Kijinga and Kwana are left; Kijinga seems to spend time away from the pride, and has not been seen recently. Kwana, however, is the sly one of all her siblings - and very much devoted, seemingly, to the Firekin itself.
Walii [Dispersed] -- Makadari's sister was cruel and cold; even to members of her own pride. She nurses some long-ago hurt that she can't seem to come to terms with. She's an excellent huntress, however, and was the head huntress of the pride up until the point where she left it, several months ago...perhaps to die on her own, or perhaps because her brother is now gone, and she feels no real closeness to her nieces and nephews.
Sumba [Deceased] and Waka [Taken -- Played by Wotcher] -- Two sisters, Sumba and Waka were very good huntresses and contributed well to the pride. They followed their King's every order, and were often seen patrolling the outskirts of the territory. They both had a rather nasty streak to them, and were fanatic about their faith. Sumba perished moons back in an illness, however, and Waka disappeared; perhaps too distraught over losing her sister to deal with the crumbling pride.
Kinja [Taken -- Played by Kolina] -- Kinja came to the pride many months ago, claiming to be a long-lost member of hte Blood. She certainly seemed to know much about them, and has the rusty-colored pelt of the pride, along with the bloodlines to further prove it. She had six cubs by Kiu, and was likely to become his Queen, had he but lived. She seems to be on speaking terms with Hestia...whatever that may forebode.
Jifyo [Deceased] -- Jifyo was Sumba's daughter. It's thought that her father was of the former generation, one of two lions whom recently died; but none can be sure, and Sumba remained mute on this point. Jifyo followed Sumba and Waka around like a little shadow, but perished in the same illness that took Sumba.
Kitwana [Taken -- Played by Naita] -- As a juvenile, Kitwana was found near the borders of the Firekin lands, crying for food. Surprisingly enough, Waka, who found him, did not kill him; instead, she dragged him into the pride. He was never considered an actual 'member' of the pride; he was beaten into slavery. He managed to run away as an adolescent, and by that time, the pride was already in shambles, and none went after to claim him.
Dama [Taken -- Played by TormentedAngie] -- Dama, though a former princess of the Mistweavers, has no recollection of her past. She was stolen by Sumba and Waka when she was just a baby, and brought into the pride. She ran off with Kitwana, however, when he left the lands, and now none know where she is.
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Current Pride Members
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