[I/T] UMNDENI -open-

[Umndeni]

The Umndeni is a newly founded pride and is the successful fruition of the dream one lion had to secure a future for his family. Travelling to these lands from just outside of the Pridelands, he seeks to protect and watch his family pride prosper under those skies. While the land may now be claimed, there is still much they need to do to ensure these floodplains will be able to support a growing pride. Dangers are all around them, in the hills in the form of a wild dog pack, in the river by crocodiles, currents and rocks and in the sky due to periods of heavy rain and drought. This begins the first generation within the Umndeni, but only time will tell how many it will last.

 

[Umndeni]

The Umndeni land is surrounded by steep, rolling hills on two sides, windswept plains to the east and bordered by a wide river to the south. The land itself is a verdant sanctuary that is known to tint red during the autumn months as the grass begins to become what is known to them as bloodgrass. Marula trees make up a majority of the trees found within the pride's lands. Along with them, Acacia and fever trees are the most common to see. Thomson's gazelle and zebra are the most commonly hunted prey in the Umndeni land, but other migratory herd animals passing through are also free game. The pride usually forgoes hunting any of the large prey animals (giraffe, elephants, water buffalo, hippos, rhinos), but they will go after wildebeest.

The land itself is plentiful enough for grazing herds and water to spare, even in the dry season. Despite all its wonders, this land is not perfect. Frequent rains cause flooding, which swells the river, causing smaller streams to temporarily break off from it. Flooding tends to drive herds away from the lands, leading into it into a period of little food, at least until the rivers retreat back to a manageable size.

The river, known as "the Kumita" is wide enough in its normal state, easily fifty feet across and almost half that in depth. The Kumita definitely earns the name "to devour", as this river is the source of the main causes of death in the region. The crocodiles and hippos make this river their home are bad enough, but there are unseen currents beneath the surface that can sweep inexperienced lions away with ease. All-in-all, the Kumita is both a protector, keeping outsiders away, as well as an enemy, as it has claimed several lives already. Crossing of the Kumita is strictly forbidden by Durin after losing one too many lives to it.

The slopes of the hills closest to the grasslands are fairly easy to traverse, but the further you go back, the more dangerous they become. With a steeper incline, rocks, snakes and a resident wild dog pack that make the hills their home, this land is nearly impossible to travel in. For now, only the very first hills are allowed by the pride to travel, hunt and play on.


The term 'Far Lands' refers to the unknown lands are what lay beyond the hills to the north and west. Nothing is currently known about them beyond that they house a wild dog pack.

The term 'Unclaimed Lands' is an alternate name the pride uses when referring to the roguelands. It's the same thing, just different name.

The Umndeni experiences rain on a regular basis. Above is a small, simple idea of how frequently rain falls on the pride.
While this guide is the norm the pride has experienced thus far, the amount of precipitation can vary in the future. Be sure to keep an eye on what is going on within the pride for any updates to the amount of rainfall the pride is experiencing.

During the spring and autumn, the pride experiences what they can only describe as normal for these lands. On average, during these seasons, they experience roughly 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, each. This keeps the Kumita fairly high and the grasslands around it green and flooded.

During summer, the pride experiences what they refer to as a 'drought', or less for the Umndeni lands. On average, during this season, they experience 5 to 10 inches of rain. The Kumita begins to retreat during this time, drying the grass around it and producing riverbanks. This is the only time herd animals move to try and cross the river.

During winter, the pride experiences their yearly flooding and retreat back, closer to the northwestern corner of the pride as the Kumita begins to overflow passed what they consider safe. On average, during winter, the pride receives 20 to 30 inches of rain.

 

[Umndeni]

As the pride is in-characterly newly founded, there are traditions that were brought in by the original, founding members and those who joined with them to create the Umndeni.
Future traditions and rituals may be added, but for now this is a base to work with.

Lions are the only species allowed entrance into the Umndeni except for bird companions. Even so, they do not allow vulture within the pride except as outside scavengers to keep the bodies from decaying to the point of spreading disease.

The colors within the pride don't matter all that much on the subject of acceptance, but browns are the norm as that is what much of the founding members look like. Tans, creams, blacks, whites and dark or light blues are also common to see within the pride. Murky greens are an uncommon color to be seen, but still readily accepted within the pride.

Any colors besides those listed will be accepted, but they will be viewed with some amount of skepticism as to how those lions have survived. Some may have alternate views, seeing them as strong or weak, or as a sign of bad luck or good. As a pride though, they're viewed with a curious glance and questions being asked.


Belief in the lion gods is accepted, but worship of them is not. As far as religion goes, the pride has no set deities that they worship, only those that they revere and occasionally give offerings to at specific shrines set up all around the Umndeni lands in hope of a blessing. They do not count on these blessing though, or on the powers of any one figure.

While anyone in the pride is allowed to revere their own gods or goddesses, these are the five that the pride actively pay tribute to: Seasons, Bees, Trees, the Hunt and Rivers.
The five listed above are not necessarily the gods of SoA, but their own interpretations of them. They have no names within the Umndeni and are referred to by their domains.


From the bark of the Marula tree, and harvested by an Inyozi, the pride makes a dye that is applied temporarily to each lion's body.

It's brown in color, though the darkness varies depends on if it's mixed with anything to lighten or darken it, such as honey or ash. The dye is usually applied by a close family member, typically a mother or father, but can be done by a friend as well. The one applying simply dips their paw in the dye and stamps their print upon the rump of the lion receiving the mark.

This mark is used ceremoniously to connect each lion with the earth around them (the bark used to make the dye) and with the pride (a lion's pawprint). It is temporary, only lasting about three months, but begins to wear off after about two. After that, it must be re-applied.


Beekeeping is an activity that was brought with the familial pride as they moved to the Umndeni lands by one of the first Umlondi's granddaughters. Soon after they arrived, the pride went to work preparing certain parts of their lands to support hives that now make their home in the base of the Marula trees the Umndeni prize.

Hives are handled with intense care. Only lions who have been trained can approach. Using smoldering herbs of a special formula, bundled together by Kili herself, they smoke the hives, aiming to put the bees in a more docile state so the honey and wax can be harvested without disturbing the hive itself. This also typically prevents the hives from swarming and most likely dying in the process.

Honey is used not only as a food source, but as a trade good, a medicinal reagent and an ingredient is several other things, such as the dye they use.


On the subject of breeding, the pride is extremely lax compared to how it used to be when the familial pride had no actual lands. Thanks to how things were before, one male with many females, polyamory is a common practice within the pride, though many newer members prefer monogamy. Whichever they choose, is entirely up to them and while most in the pride tend to stick together for long periods of time, there are those on the opposite spectrum, who prefer to have countless flings instead.


Raising cubs within the pride a responsibility the entire pride shares. While the mother is the primary caretaker for her young, it is commonplace for other females within the pride to help nurse, groom or generally care for them if their mother is absent or if she calls for aid. While in most respects cub rearing is a female-dominated event, males are definitely allowed to participate within their cubs' lives. Typically they play fight with cubs under the watchful eyes of the lionesses.

 

[Umndeni]

No ranks except for the Umlondi and Ukuhola are limited.
Ende have a requirement of finding four lions of the same rank to follow them, not including themselves, to earn that rank.

Old or new member?
Currently the pride has been settled for less than a year.
There can be old blood members who moved with the original familial pride, but most of them are related to or mates to the current Umlondi.
Chances are, any 'original' members would have joined as the pride was moving or just as they were settling down. New members are those that joined after.


For joining | for those who want to put in a pre-existing SoA

[size=9][b]I'd like to sign up.[/b]

[b]SoA's name & image:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Original or joining:[/b]

[b]Brief personality:[/b]
[b]Brief history:[/b] [/size]

For questing | for those who are questing to put in an SoA

[size=9][b]I'd like to join in the future.[/b]

[b]SoA's name:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Original or joining:[/b]

[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Stage:[/b]
[b]Lines:[/b]
[b]Description or reference image:[/b]

[b]Brief personality:[/b]
[b]Brief history:[/b] [/size]

Umlondi | the body
The Umlondi is the male head of the pride and acts are its last line of defense against any external threats. While his word is typically viewed as final, in truth the Ukuhola holds more power and sway within the pride and his rulings can easily be overruled if she views them to be unjust or out of bounds. An addition to being the lead male, it is typical that females approach him with the intent of him siring cubs as his genes are typically seen as the best within the pride.
Ukuhola | the head
The Ukuhola is the female head of the pride and acts are its mother, prime hunter, mediator, shaman and more. Anything that happens inside of the pride is dealt with by her. This includes births and deaths, internal affairs such as fighting and rumor-spreading, and meeting newcomers. She is always a relative of the Umlondi. The relation can be distant, but must be visible, such as a distinct marking showing, coloring, etc..

Inyozi (pl. Inyozi) | the keepers
The Inyonzi are beekeepers. They are tasked with maintaining the health of the hive by ensuring there is adequate flora present around the tree the hive is located in. Typically each Inyozi cares for one hive, but more experienced keepers can care for up to three, though they are usually in close proximity to one another. Inyozi are characterized by the leather satchels around their necks that are used to hold wax and honey.
Khonza (pl. Khonza) | the tenders
The Khonza migrate within the Umndeni lands and care for shrines to gods, as well as burial sites to any ancestors buried within the pride's lands. They are tasked to keeping debris and overgrowth off of these places. Their coats are usually paler than normal within the pride and they are also usually seers, but neither of those are requirements to become one.

Ende | the large
Ende is a prefix added in front of Mlinzi or Idili to identify them as a sort of leader. Each Ende has four other lions beneath them for whatever rank they hold. They're are then responsible for those lions' actions within the pride, as well as ensuring duties are upheld and the pride continues running smoothly. Depending on if they're Mlinzi or Idili, they'll report to either the Umlondi or Ukuhola.
Mlinzi (pl. Mlinza) | the watchers
The Mlinza are any lions within the pride, regardless if they are born-in or rogue-joining and acts as the default rank for adult males. They are typically guards and scouts. Due to their size and the fact their manes typically get in the way, they usually don't help hunt. Though they normally aren't too involved, some Mlinza choose to pursue a more familial lifestyle and help raise cubs instead, however their rank will not change to show this.
Idili (pl. Idila) | the feasts
The Idila are any lionesses within the pride, regardless if they are born-in or rogue-joining and acts as the default rank for adult females. They are typically the hunters and caretakers of the pride. Though not typical, some Idila choose to pursue a rougher lifestyle and help defend the pride by patrolling borders and scouting further out, however their rank will not change to show this.

Umfundi (pl. Umfundi) | the students
The Umfundi are the adolescents of the pride. They spend their time shadowing and apprenticing under another lion or lioness of whatever rank they intend to become when they grow older. It's considered a mild honor to be chosen to teach an Umfundi as you're seen as being skilled in your field.
Mtoto (pl. Mtoto) | the cubs
The Mtoto are the cubs of the pride. Cubs within the pride typically cared for by the entire pride and there are usually a number of cubs for the pride to watch at any given time. Some are doted on more than others, usually they're children of the Umlondi and/or Ukuhola. Regardless of birth though, Mtoto spend their time eating, sleeping, playing and learning under the watchful eyes of the pride.

 

[Umndeni]

The thread is open for posting! I wanted to make sure everyone knows that it is safe to post. emotion_yatta

If you have any comments or suggestions for the pride, you are certainly free to post them or send this account a private message about it.

I would also like to mention that this interest phase will probably be fairly short as we have enough members, the background and the symbol already. The pride will just need its roleplays to go official. However, there will be contests and giveaways done this month for those who do not anyone to put into the pride.

Thanks!  

[CaliWolfe]

I'd like to sign up.

SoA's name & image: Moema

Rank: Idili
Original or joining: Original

Brief personality: Calm, kindly and relaxed Moema is a seer who can bring forth visions at will, however will often not understand them or think of them as vivid daydreams. She also really likes honey and can be found most frequently eating it.
Brief history: Would have joined as the pride just found their home.  

[Umndeni]

Welcome, Moema!

We are definitely glad to have her in the pride, Cali!