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Dating back to when fair-skinned two-legs first started to wander Africa freely, the Cagoule family has had claim on the same lands since it's creation. The first Cagoule, Kiume, had taken a particularly odd interest in the two-legs. Often he would find himself wandering their borders, and even speaking with their own creatures. At first, he didn't understand their tongue at all, but after countless encounters with them, Kiume slowly started to understand and take on the language. He grew so very accustomed to the culture of the foreign creatures, and to living off the land where they had temporary settled. But as all temporary things are, they must one day come to an end.

One day, Kiume awoke, trotting over to the two-legs' settlement, only to find nothing there at all. They had left suddenly, their land empty and deserted. Going deep into the territory, he met a female cheetah by the name of Ève. She had been kidnapped to the foreigner's home to be put on display, and was just now left there, like Kiume, abandoned. After much time of being together, Kiume became her link to the rest of Africa, as she still did not speak any of the language. The two cheetahs fell in love, and right before their first litter arrived, Kiume renamed himself Arséne, and marked the abandoned two-legs' land as his own, thus officially founding the Cagoule family.

Decades passed and Arséne and Éve's first litter faded away, their blood still controlling the same lands. Their great-great-grandson, Nicéphore, had risen to the head of the family, with three generations beneath him. By this time, others had gathered to take on the Cagoule family name, pledging themselves to the old and powerful family. Nicéphore's own grandfather had chosen his mate for him, the fair and beautiful Laetitia, and the two had been undisputed as the heir's to the family line. Now at the top, it would have been Nicéphore's proud duty to bestow a female to his three grandsons, and a male for his only granddaughter. Days before the ceremony where mates were to be decided, the middle son, Amias left the family without notice, shocking the whole of the Cagoule family and creating quite the scandal. His grandfather furious, Azizi went off to traverse the world outside the family, changing his name to something that fit the outside world better- Azizi. He's by himself, now, but is realizing that he needs to go back and face his grandfather.

In short, the Colony holds many of the qualities of the Victorian Era in France, for it was a group of French sailors who landed in their territory so many generations ago. The Colony holds blood before anything else, with the noble lines holding all the power.

Birth... Not in the breeding sense, but birth order and family status means everything in the Colony. The first born son has the power to control the actions of his younger siblings, and anyone of lower birth status.

Pelt... Pelt color is something that is fairly important in the Colony. Most members of the royal line have either a black or white pelt, adorned with other colors. The majority of the rest of the population has cool-colored pelts, with warm colors being fairly odd. If a cheetah is born or carries the color red anywhere on their pelt, they are immediately exiled from the Colony, as that color represents 'the filthy' cheetahs in the world. Handy Guide

Others... Because the Colony is situated deep in a jungle, there is little to no chance of an outsider happening upon the Colony without them knowing it. Rogue cheetahs, if without red, are generally welcomed and shown their place if they wish to stay. Other species, however, are either viciously attacked, ignored, or forced into slavery.

*update* Because of Laetitia's kind nature, outsiders will be forgiven of any past discretions (i.e. cubs out of mated pair, coming from a devoted religious group, etc.) As long as they pertain to the rules from their entrance to the Colony, they will be treated well and fairly. Of course, there will be those of noble blood who will look down upon those who have any discretions, but they're snobs.

Slaves... Not a very common sight in the Colony, slaves, or 'maids' as they're commonly referred to, are usually the smaller, familiar species. They are supposed to keep quiet unless spoken to and always do what their master tells them to.

Breeding... In the Colony, breeding is something that is only ever supposed to be between a mated pair. Breeding outside a mating can cause exile or demotion for both parties involved. ** Update: As I was thinking about it, the issue of adol breeding came up. The answer is: If the pair is mated, and approved by the Colony (i.e. myself) then they will be allowed to breed. Otherwise, no exceptions.

Religion... There is no God that the Colony recognizes as it's deity; for generations, no leader has wanted to give away any power to a deity, so none have ever been publicly worshipped.

Names... While those born in the Colony needn't worry about this, rogues will have to address the fact of their names. It is customary in the Colony to have a French name of some sort - to address the issue of rogues coming into the Colony, a law was made:

"To ask for one to change their name is asking to change who they are; but if one cannot uphold the naming tradition with their offspring, that is when the Colony shall move in."

What this means is basically that a rogue doesn't have to change their name - it's an option, if they choose, but it's not mandatory. However, if they do not use traditional names for their offspring, ICCly, the Colony would move in and take the cubs from the parents and rename them. OCCly, the owners will be asked to rename their cubs or leave the Colony at adol.

.:Q: I thought that The Colony was an ICCly cheetah coalition?
.:A: Honestly, it still is. While I've been toying with the idea of making it an official coalition, it's still just an ICCly coalition. This thread is to keep things straight for members, though. It was! 8D Now we're trying to go official! <3 And just for safe-keeping: Cert Background
.:Q: More to come....

tba