| Mountain Valley Pack Info |
Decades past, the valley served as the tribal site for a small community of humans. They dwelled within homes formed from the caves, built them out of stone and wood, and decorated their valley home with the totems of the sacred beasts of the land. An illness brought on the wings of a brutal winter ultimately reduced the tribe to a few members who decided the land was no longer blessed and it was the will of the spirits that they moved on. Since then, their foundations have been over run by plant life and decay. The valley was discovered by a former mountain wolf who had strayed far from the free lands in search of a home far from the enemy packs of the lowlands. The mountain pass in and of itself served as a fortress to the humans, a long path had been made through the mountains but cleverly woven into paths that led to no where, looped, and switched back upon themselves, a natural maze with its own trial of dangers to include mountain cats, brutal winds, sharp stones, and the ever-present threat of rockslide. However, the valley itself was reward enough for the lone wolf as it was bountiful in blessings. With little natural hunters, the animals that the humans had brought into the valley had flourished. The rivers were swollen with fish, and the former homes of the humans were ideal for sheltering a pack of wolves.
The single wolf managed to gather together a small but powerful pack, teaching them from pups into adults the way of his deceased mother- the true way of the wolf.
| Beliefs of the Pack |
The True Way of the Wolf:
+ Put your faith in the spirits of those that came before you? in death one?s eyes are opened to all truths of the world, they become all-wise, and able. The dead watch over the living, forever walking beside their later generations and guiding us all to where we are to be in life. Listen closely for they speak in mysterious voices and honor them for it is they that provide us with every blessing.
+ Kill not the elders of the pack for they have lived long and carry with them the wisdom that the ancestors have guided them to. Listen well to their words for their remaining time with us is short, their knowledge will soon pass with them. Care for the elders for when they pass, they will remember all you have done for them.
+ Pray for the souls of the beasts of which we hunt, for when they pass they will join those of our kind. In death, there is no hunter or hunted. A death without a proper blessing given can turn into a spiteful spirit. These spirits will make pray more aware of us during hunts, dry the rivers, and anger the winter.
+ The crows are our brothers, a gift from the ancestors to those of the living. They know when she spirits have upset the storms, when danger is near, and where we?ve been called to our final rest.
+ The line of the alpha is one blessed by the spirits, given the strength and wisdom to both govern and protect the pack. Challenge not them for the rank of alpha, for it defies the will of the spirits.
+ Bring the lost ones into the light, slay those that will not turn, and purge the world of those that would blind the others to the will of the ancestors.
| Ranks |
+ Alpha Male | ?Chief?
The chief of the pack is said to be chosen by the spirits themselves. They are said to have a divine gift bestowed upon them by the spirits themselves. They are taught from puphood how to command the crows, how to navigate the mountain pass, and how to respect the ways of the pack. The alpha will remain as such unless slain by an enemy wolf or they step down to allow the favored of their oldest litter to succeed them, living as a guide to the new alpha and the pack until they are called into the spirit world. Alphas are to be laid to rest in the earth at the highest point of the burial grounds.
Duties of the chief are as follows:
- Protection of the pack: The alpha is to be trained from puphood so when they are fully grown they are large and powerful, skilled in combat and survival. They are not to be challenged by wolves of their own pack for if the challenger looses, he will be stripped of his sight and exiled out of the lands. If a male from an outside pack or a rogue challenges the alpha he is obligated to accept. If the alpha looses he and his kin must leave the lands, if they succeed the challenger is to be crippled and exiled.
- Upholding of the code: The alpha is to be taught from puphood the way of the wolf and taught to respect it. It is his duty to enforce this code and carry it out to please the ancestors.
- Produce heirs: The alpha?s line is a sacred one, blessed by the spirits in strength and leadership. They are to find a suitable mate and produce at least one pup between them to succeed the rank of alpha and to be raised into the ways of the pack.
+ Alpha Female: ?Chieftress?
The alpha female is responsible for the care of the pack. She is to be wise and gentle, but strong as it will be her job to see her kin to safety if the alpha male falls. She is to pass the teachings of her life down to her cubs, teach them to be merciful and gentle. The alpha female can come into rank either by lineage or by mating with the alpha male. In the case of mating, the alpha male is said to have seen the divine gift given to her by the spirits, drawn together by the will of the ancestors.
Duties of the Chieftress are as follows:
- Protection of the pack: Protection of the young. The alpha female is to raise the pups of the pack for she is the good mother, the one gifted with the divine knowledge of her mate. She is to spend much of the time with the young in their first weeks, stressing loyalty, love, and trust among the youth of the pack so they might grow as a devoted pack later in life.
- Produce heirs: The alpha?s line is a sacred one, blessed by the spirits in strength and leadership. They are to find a suitable mate and produce at least one pup between them to succeed the rank of alpha and to be raised into the ways of the pack.
+ Beta Male: ?General?
The general of the pack is to be the alpha?s right hand in every matter. He is trained to be powerful and wise to the land. The general will take command of the pack in the alpha?s absence and it will be his duty to keep the pack safe. If the alpha is slain they are to leave the pack along with the kin of their fallen alpha or avenge them so that the alpha?s successor can remain in power over the pack. The betas are taught how to call the crows, use them to keep them informed, and warn them if there?s to be danger. The Beta is to be among the first to act when danger calls, and the last to leave a fight, insuring that the rest of the pack has gone to safety. The beta is given power over the soldiers, it?s up to them to command them where they see most beneficial to the well-being of the pack.
Duties of the Beta Male are as follows:
- Protection of the pack: Protect the pack, protect the young, and most especially the royal family for they have given the beta his power and authority. The beta has been blessed with power overall, trained under the alpha himself in the ways of combat and strategy for the beta is favored above all others.
- Training of the young: The beta has been trained at the alpha?s right paw, therefore it is the duty of the beta to pass on his teaching to the younger generations. Train them hard, teach them all you have learned and test them often. The pack cannot afford to be weak.
- Produce heirs: The heirs of the beta will carry on in their parent?s place once they have become too old to perform their duties for the betas, too, have been blessed by the ancestors through their noble deeds in service of the alpha.
+ Beta Female: ?General?
The female beta of the pack is to be the right-hand to the chieftress, assisting with the raising and care of the pups. If the chieftress is in need of care the beta is to be the first to come to her call. The beta female is also the head huntress, in charge of training the wolves under her how to hunt, gather food, track, and bless the kill so that their spirit can pass without spite. The beta female can come into the rank through selection of the alpha, mating with the beta male, or through lineage.
Duties of the Beta Male are as follows:
- Protection of the pack: Protect the pack, protect the young, and most especially the royal family for they have given the beta his power and authority. The beta has been blessed with power overall, trained under the alpha himself in the ways of combat and strategy for the beta is favored above all others.
- Training of the young: The beta female will train the young ones how to hunt and provide for the pack. Tracking pray, how to attack, how to pick out which creature to target, how to coordinate with the other hunters, and how to make a quick and merciful kill.
- Produce heirs: The heirs of the beta will carry on in their parent?s place once they have become too old to perform their duties for the betas, too, have been blessed by the ancestors through their noble deeds in service of the alpha.
+ Gammas: ?Soldiers & Hunters?
Gammas are what makes up the majority of a pack. These wolves are trained under the betas how to fight and defend the pack, how to hunt and provide for the pack, and how to navigate the mountain paths so they might return to the freelands to help guide lost wolves into the way of the pack. If a beta is unable to produce a suitable heir to his or her ranking a gamma may be selected to serve as an apprentice to the beta until succession.
Duties of the Gamma:
- Hunt: Provide food for the pack. Learn to hunt from an early age so by adulthood you are strong and able hunters.
- Fight: Invading packs do happen, the mountain pack is not one favored by the lost wolves of the low lands. If a war breaks out be ready to fight.
- Care: Care for the young wolves, teach them what you know.
Omega: ?Scouts & Nannies?
These are the wolves who were unable to meet the standards required of them as gammas. Too weak to fight or hunt, or are unable physically through disability. The Omegas will be posted as scouts, keeping a watch on the mountain pass and alerting the pack to danger. They may also be assigned to the beta female as nanny wolves to pups- both of the pack and of the lost wolves.
Duties of the Omega:
- Keep watch: You are unable to fight and defend your pack, but you still must do your part. You are still essential to the safety of the pack, keep watch with what senses you have and alert the soldiers to danger.
- Assist: Help bring back kills, gather the wolves for meetings, and offer what aid you can.
