[Info] Welcome to the Castle, "Castrum de Drac"

[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

The Dark Tribe is marked by large bat-like wings and longer canine fangs. Their favored pelts are typically black or deep crimson but any dark color would fit well into their pallet. Light pelted or colorful pelts aren't turned away or treated ay differently but they are limited in their roles within the tribe. This is more or less because the Dark Tribe prefers that they keep themselves hidden in the darkness and bright pelts make this a little difficult. As their name implies, the Dark Tribe exclusively in the shadows. The light doesn't physically wound them, but they aren't able to see at all in the sunlight and thus make themselves vulnerable. By day they live in deep caves, hiding away from the sunlight. By night they take flight and feed on the land.

Once they are at Magus stage, Dark magic can be used to cloak the user in shadow, hiding them away from sight, displacement which allows them to hide their true location within a few feet of their seen position, or manipulation. The later is the most dark of the magics and requires blood to perform. In drawing in the blood of another, the caster can manipulate their own physical limitations and grant themselves a very brief period of super strength. It leaves the user exhausted as soon as their body digests the blood.

When they bite, their saliva secretes a natural painkiller making their feedings painless, and for the most part, unnoticeable.

*Credit of layout goes to Thalion  

[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

[-Spiffy Banner-]

▬▬▬ King (Arch Magi) ||
◘ Gabriel Belmont|| [ GunSniper ] | High Lord of the Dark Tribe |
(Info pending)

▬▬▬ Queen (Lead Diplomat) ||
◘ Marie Belmont || [ Ririka ] | Wife of Gabriel, and overseer of the clan |

From the light tribe.

▬▬▬ Culture ||

The dark tribe members live within a massive underground kingdom. They venture out only at night to feed off the blood of other b'alam to regain their energy. Because of this massive amount of energy they are able to acquire through the blood, Dark tribe members need to sleep very little (If at all).

Aside having to go out to feed, the dark tribe members prefer to keep to their cave city. Everything, for the most part, is right there in the cave and there is little need to venture out. They are naturally a prideful, but reclusive bunch.

Dark tribe members can range from scholars to miners to even the sub lords of their own fraction of the lower city. There is a wide range of professions within the city. Some even excel in crafting toys to entertain both young and old with their puppetry. The opportunity is limitless.

Though the dark tribe has little contact with the outside world, they have a strong alliance with the Light Tribe. This dedication to the light is widely believed to be from the arch magi's deep love of one of the light tribe's own member (It's common knowledge he is spirit bound to her).

The dark tribe are better suited with dark colored pelts with a variety of patterns. However, there at times are pelts that differ from the expected norm. In most cases the lighter or brighter pelts are not looked down upon (they just will not be as good at hiding in the dark as others). These lighter colored pelt dark tribe members are -normally- not considered to be scouters, but rather more considered for positions within the city (such as scholars). In any case, they are still very welcome among their people.

▬▬▬ Founding Culture
[ Current Timeframe ]
Rules and stories are passed down verbally, but they are also collected in scrolls and tablets than stored in a great library. They take pride in who they are and their ongoing developing history.

Some members are dedicating to digging, some to scribing, some to performing, some to cultivating the beautiful luminescent mushrooms that can be found throughout the cave. There are talents from every trade present within the tribe.

▬▬▬ Developed Culture
[ Future Timeframe ]
As more and more dark tribe members awaken some will be recruited to be apprentices to masters of the trade; Librarians, Scholars, miners, cultivators, scouters, diplomats, and even to the Toy Maker himself. Some might even be recruited to work in the palace (Those will be very special individuals).



▬▬▬ Social Structure ||

▬▬▬ Royalty; *These titles will never be available*
-High King/Queen: (Gabriel and Marie)
This position is the utmost highest position in the dark tribe. They are in control of everything listed below and are charged with writing and upholding the law. Every position of power is either hand picked by Gabriel and Marie or screened and approved by them. There is very little that goes on within their entire tribe that gos unnoticed by the high King and Queen. They are the head and representation of the tribe.

▬▬▬ Nobility; (Hereditary) *Characters with these titles can only be obtained through special events*
-Palace Knights: These knights are among the most trusted to the High King and Queen. They are in charge of keeping the upper levels of the palace safe, as well as guarding the King and Queen safe if they need to travel. Some may also be in charge of spying, scouting, or other important affairs for the dark tribe. They are also the most trained in combat. These highly important knights are personally picked by Gabriel and Marie.
Current Knights:

• Myuto: [ X ]
  

-Appointed Lords: These lords are charged with overseeing appointed sections of the territory. Each lord is responsible for keeping fair judgement, upholding the law, reporting back to Gabriel and Marie.
Current Lords:

• ---
  

-Toy Maker: The master-mind behind the puppets, the theater, and many fun inventions throughout the dark tribe. Rumor has it that he is a personal friend of the Belmont family. He comes up with the scripts and costume/puppet designs for the plays throughout the year. He is highly intelligent.
Current Toy Maker:

• Toy Maker [ X ]
  

-Toy Maker's Assistant: This position is hand chosen by the Toy Maker himself from the apprentices. They essentially are the face of the Toy Maker. Most of the duties, public appearances, ...etc. are made by the assistant.
Current Toy Maker's Assistant:

• ---
  

-Master Scribe/Chiseler: They are head of -all- the libraries, scribes, and anyone below them. They keep the records and are in charge of Gabriel's personal library within his castle.
Current Scribe/Chisler:

• ---
  
• ---
  

▬▬▬ Nobility; (Non-Hereditary) *Must have plot approved to obtain a character with these titles*
-Knights: Knights are guards to the noble. The ambassador's guards will -always- be male. However, other guards both female and male are considered for the position. They are well trained and seasoned for their positions. It is an honorable title, especially the ones appointed to be personal guards to the Blood Given.

-Toy Maker's Apprentices: These colorful group of dark tribe members have a love of fun and an exceptional gift in crafting fine detail. They are in training by the Toy Maker's apprentice, and even at times the Toy Maker himself (though few rarely see him). These apprentices live within the large theater. They help with creating the puppets for the grand performance in the fall and work with the actors for entertaining performances in between.

-Actors: Actors are sometimes puppeteers and sometimes on stage as performers themselves. Like the toy maker apprentices, they too live within the massive theater and work under one of the high kings appointed performers.

-Ambassadors: This role is reserved for females only. They are to go out of the tribe and keep in contact with the other tribes when needed. Ambassadors are also in charge of collecting resources, such as flowers, to be used during the fall festivals. When they report back they report to the Lords and even the high King and Queen themselves.

-Lead Librarians: Lead librarians are in charge of keeping tablets and scrolls safe and readable. They are also in charge of keeping their libraries clean and the staff within them busy.

-Blood Givers: Blood givers are non-dark tribe members who volunteer to live in the territory for the purpose of "donating" their blood. Dark tribe members are allowed to feed off of them (in controlled moderation) in exchange for a life of luxury. Each blood giver is appointed a personal guard, a house in the upper levels of the city, free passes to any theater event, and are honored for their gift. They are well pampered and very well taken care of.

▬▬▬ Commoners;
The general population.

▬▬▬ Low-class;
-Criminals: Criminals are locked within the dungeons deep in the city. Depending on the crime determines on how long they will dwell there. Anyone in the dungeon receives very little care, if at all. It is a punishment that many members should fear. In most cases, they are only feed scraps and left overs. If they are not of the dark tribe they are unwillingly used as feed for the dungeon guards.
All Criminals are placed in the care of Xibaliba and his guards.

-Fools: Fools have no place in society. They are either released criminals that could not integrate, have no desire to live among the rest of the tribe... or some are just plain incredibly crazy, too much to function higher in the city. They dwell in the dark corners of the cave, not willing to leave. Most that are found are placed in the care of La Muerte and her Guards.



▬▬▬ Status With Other Tribes ||
◘ Light: Allies
◘ Wind: Neutral
◘ Fire: Neutral
◘ Water: Neutral
◘ Ice: Neutral
◘ Earth: Allies

 

[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

▬▬▬ Dark Tribe Season ||

During the months of October and November the dark tribe has two festivals. The first festival, which takes place in October, is a festival dedicated to honoring the fallen and warding away vengeful spirits that might haunt them on their journey to the after life. This event is called "Festival of the Fallen". The other festival, which takes place in November, is a festival dedicated to the year's history and the theater. This event is called "Theater of Days Past".

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Festival of the Fallen; Preparation for this festival begins late summer and runs right up into the festival. During this festival, the graveyard is decorated with flowers imported from different regions all over the land. Scented candles (smelling of sandal wood) are placed around the yard. Even if none have fallen, the land set aside for the fallen is purified and prepared in the event it should happen.

What flowers and streamers are left over from decorating the graveyard is used in decorating the streets.

Members all over the tribe dress up in costumes and run around the streets to 'scare' away the ill spirits that might threaten their fallen member's journey. Kids and adults alike participate. Special treats are prepared using secret ingredients (Mostly blood drawn from animals...) throughout start of the festival. Toward the end the ones parading around the streets are rewarded for their hard work with these treats.

◘◘◘

Theater of Days Past; After the Festival of the Fallen, members of the tribe get together in the grand theater within Gabriel's castle for a series of plays throughout the month. For the first year it will be a spectacular tale of the grand-weaver followed by what little history there is of the tribe. For years to come the festival's plays will reflect the tribe's history of the year past. Though keeping true to the event's spirit, they will also be highly dramatized for the entertainment. The Toy Maker and all of his apprentices spend the whole year creating the puppets being used. The actors and puppeteers spend time recalling history and practicing for the performance.

Special toys themed after some of the puppets in the performance are given out to the young cubs throughout this event.

During this festival, other tribes are invited to attend and enjoy the festivities as well.

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[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

▬▬▬ Relations ||

◘◘◘ Within the Tribe ◘◘◘
The normal colors for the dark tribe are, well, dark. Anything that can blend well into the shadows are common and preferred. Lighter pelts are not discriminated against, however, they will have a limit on what they are able to do career wise. Lighter pelts are not able to have jobs that require work outside of the home cave. They are allowed to feed, but they are not allowed to be messengers, spies, etc. A good portion of the "light pelts" end up as librarians or even apprentices to the Toy Maker.

◘◘◘ Outside of the Tribe ◘◘◘
Currently there are no enemies of the Dark Tribe. Individually there might be some issues with them as they do need to feed off other B'alam for blood (not kill them, a little blood goes a long way). However, not many would like their blood sucked out. So at times they do need to be aggressive to survive. To preserve treaties, the dark tribe is encouraged to feed in the neutral territories where no tribe as a whole can claim they are under attack.

Some outsiders are invited to live in luxury among the dark tribe and in exchange they become "at home food sources". The ones who come willingly to do this are treated with the utmost respect and kindness. Criminals held in their prisons may also become less celebrated food sources. These are not treated as delicately, depending on the crime.  

[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

▬▬▬ Beliefs & Traditions ||

◘◘◘ The Grand Weaver ◘◘◘
Milintica is more commonly accepted than not. The life woven is celebrated and Milintica is respected for it. However, the common belief in the Dark Tribe is that one must make their own way by their own strength. They take pride in who they are and their abilities. None of what they are is considered a curse. Their inability to go into the light is more commonly believed as "the sun's just not a place for them to be".

◘◘◘ Life and Death ◘◘◘
Both life and death are held as sacred in this tribe. Death is another journey one is to take after life. Once a member of the tribe has passed they are given a cleansing ritual, and buried on sacred ground set aside specifically for the dead (Grave yard). Each grave will be unique to the member that is buried there.

It is a severe crime to leave the dead untended to. Murder is also a severe crime as life is highly celebrated.

Though death is honored, it is not more celebrated than life. Life is a precious thing and the Dark Tribe take pride in it. This pride is reflected in their theater, the Toy Maker's puppets, and the way they carry themselves. It is more common for one to be proud of life than to obsess over death.

◘◘◘ Common Name Themes ◘◘◘
There is a tradition of naming within the dark tribe. "Romanian" names are very common. Though not always followed and not normally enforced in normal situations, it is encouraged.

If you would like to follow this tradition here are some sites with lists of Romanian names;
◘[ Naming Site ]
◘[ Female Romanian Names ]
◘[ Male Romanian Names ]

◘◘◘ Gender Roles ◘◘◘
It is understood that genders are not equal here. They are not equal, but one is no more valuable than the other in any way. They are not equal because males have talents and abilities that females do not have. Likewise, females have talents and abilities that males do not have. They are two different halves to the same whole. Males are often times larger, stronger, and able to focus their minds on one task at a time. Females, in contrast, are more limber, quicker, and able to multi-task their thoughts. Both are valuable, both are needed, and both will be seen as just as important.

Gender discrimination is not part of the Dark Tribe. They celebrate the differences between the two halves of a whole. While the genders themselves are not equal in nature, they are both treated with the exact same respect. There are no tasks suited only to one gender or the other within the Dark Tribe. Female warriors are just as common and welcome as males within the tribe. However, the ambassador's guards are always encouraged to be male. The position of ambassador is more often given to a female.
*Written by Thalion  

[Gabriel Dracul Belmont]

▬▬▬ Area ||

◘◘◘ Map ◘◘◘
-Map Pending-

◘◘◘ Inspiration ◘◘◘
Because we don't have a map -yet- ready, here is what inspired the dark tribe's area. It's not exactly like this (Imagine underground and full of luminescent mushrooms/ dull glowing lanturns), but a good visual none the less:

Inspiration for area layout-

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