[META HUB '22] Solacium

[oo Ded]

Status: Ongoing, See Part One

Welcome to the '22 N'ezi-ozu Meta! This storyline will result in a few key updates to the pride and will occur in multiple parts to allow for members to interact with the current updates. As always, participation is encouraged! The N'ezi is a smaller group so activity and opinions of the members may play a critical role in the way things shake out.

A quick note:

• The pride only interacts with rogues when joining is open. Joining is currently closed, so any rogue lions would be run off by the N'echebe. As such, only pride members may participate in meta-related RPs at this time (though rogues, as always, may have interactions at the pride border). But don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to join in the near future!
  
  
• Don't have a pride member but want to play? You may play a random Elephant Shew and interact with existing pride members. They are known to live in the area that is effected by Part One of the meta. ...do take care to become a nice snack, though!
  
  
• Please do not post in this Meta Hub. This thread is for updates only. If there are any questions concerning the Meta feel free to ask in the N'ezi section in the SoA Discord or to PM me on Gaia or DM me(oo DeD) in Discord!
  
  
• Interactions for the Meta may be in the form of PRPs, SRPs, or ORPs (Official or User-run) located within the pride. Have fun!

 

[oo Ded]

Past Updates…

The Chieftain was married in a small, private ceremony to a brightly colored rogue-born lioness. For many, this might have quieted the controversial chatter about the pride opening membership to rogue lions and to those of brighter colorations. Or maybe it just made some have even stronger feelings about the matter. The Death Keepers are known to be very tied into their roots, after all, so don’t be surprised if there are still some around that are turning up their nose at outsiders, especially any that don’t match the look of native lions (A reminder: native N’ezi lions tend to be smaller in stature and with natural or dull coloration, though this isn’t a hard and fast rule)

Since then, the pride has been in a period of relative stasis. The numbers have been relatively stable, with the seasons and the herd numbers being regular and predictable enough to live a comfortable life. In short, things have been peaceful. Any rogue-born lions have had ample time to assimilate at this point.

 

[oo Ded]

Part One: The Blight

Blight has started to spread, seemingly originating from the location of the catacombs. The blight appears on plants as a black webbing that starts from below the soil up towards the leaves until the entire plant is dark. Plants affected by the blight eventually wither away, with smaller plants like grasses dying quickly while larger trees and bushes seemingly exist in this dark and eerie state for a fair amount of time.

The blight has caused a fair amount of discomfort in the pride. After all, the plague that nearly decimated the pride was close enough in history for the oldest of pride members to remember it and those not old enough to remember would have been thoroughly educated on the events that marked the beginning of the pride’s darkest times. The blight was watched closely and, eventually, it was observed that the disease spread in no way to any animals that touched the affected plants. In fact, the blight didn’t even seem to spread from plant to plant via direct contact.

After a period of weeks the blight turned from a health concern to a spiritual one. What was the origin of the disease? Surely the fact that it seemed to be spreading from the pride’s most sacred locations had a deeper meaning.

It is widely known that Onyeisi Itiri and Amusu Nchekwube have been meeting frequently to discuss the issue. These discussions take up the majority of their days with other Amoosu, elders, and other prominent pride members being brought in to consult with the leaders.

Prompts:

Let's check it out! (What was that saying? The one about curiosity...?)


Maybe it was a dare. Maybe dutiful caution. Or maybe you're just the curious sort. Either way, you find yourself investigating the blighted plants. Do you drag someone there with you? Or maybe you're caught by someone a bit more cautious? Regardless of the path that brought you here, I'm sure the pride would appreciate a bit of super-scientific investigation...

If you're feeling extra curious, choose one of the following when investigating the blight to make a discovery!

1. The dark, blighted plants are still very much alive--not at all dry and brittle. If you grind the affected plants down into a paste, the paste attracts flies.
2. Fruiting trees affected by the blight are still fruiting! The fruits you can find seem to be full of maggots. If you choose to eat one of the non-maggoty fruits, there is no ill-effect (aside from maybe your pride-mates looking at you funny). You may choose what the fruit tastes like.
3. Eating the blighted plants (whether you yourself ate it, or you watched another animal take a nibble) seems to have no ill effect. If you do choose to give it a taste, you can choose what it tastes like.
4. If you pull out one of the plants from the dirt, you find that the roots are thick, inky black, and run very deep. There seem to be a lot of bugs living in and around the roots.


I'd rather just gossip, thanks! (You know what? I don't blame you)


What are your opinions on what the blight is? What do you think it means? Are you particularly spiritual and think that it's some sort of message? Is it a bad omen? Or maybe good sign (this is the land of the Death-Keepers, after all). What do you think should be done in response? Have a run at it! Rumors have a tendency to spread like wildfire, so who knows where your chatter might lead...