[OOC] Pride Information

[Aegnorhini]

Aegnor'hini
The Fell Fire Children

The Aikanaro'hini was a demonic pride of lions that had been through many upsets, trials, and was finally dispersed through the losses of time and the encroachment of humans. When they reformed, they became the Aegnor'hini, changed in ways greatly needed by the once-great pride. And eventually, Death's war with Mkodi forced them out of their home at the base of their Hellgate, and now they have found a new home by the sea...

Please note that although they are considered demonic, the Aegnor are dark but not evil by nature. Evil characters happen, but they aren't all the pride is.

 

[Aegnorhini]

Mori Quenta
Dark History

Once upon a time, there was a pride full of lions who believed they housed the souls of demons. They were a strong pride, united by common beliefs despite having two opposing factions of how to execute those beliefs. They were tempered and strengthened by fire, combat, and time. But time is also an enemy. And sometimes, time brings destruction and enemies. With few births in the pride after a point, and members leaving or out of the pride for one reason or another, their numbers were low, and their allies few and far off.
The two-legs came through with their thundersticks and spears and stingers. To survive, the pride of fighters had to scatter to the winds, leaving behind the volcano lands they had once called home.
Seasons passed, and the two-legs left...

But one lioness and a goddess had not forgotten the ways of the pride. They brought together others to rebuild the pride, and take back the land they had once called 'home'. They tried to keep it whole, and hale, and do right by their demonic souls, instead of letting things fall into disarray once more...but then Death rebelled against Mkodi, and the land beneath suffered. The Aegnor'hini were driven from their home, and found a new one by the sea, and change once again came upon them...

Now, a new generation leads, while not all of the pride remain, some lost to disease, others to wandering paws, and yet more still simply lost in the journey from their old home to their new one.

 

[Aegnorhini]

Beliefs of the Dark

Demonic Souls
Within every lion, leopard, and leopon of the pride, there lies a chance for a demonic soul – an innate greatness that puts them above all others. Only lions and some leopards and leopons possess this inner power and only through faithful following of the pride beliefs will any of them be able to unlock this inner strength. No other creatures can compare in this respect, but this does not mean the demons are to abuse this power.

Strength in Blood
Every creature can provide strengthening sustenance. Carried in the blood of every living thing is energy that can empower one’s demonic soul. And so, in order to tap into this resource, at every kill the members of a hunt must drink the blood of the prey, thus taking the strength of the prey into themselves and fostering their own demonic power. This practice honors the prey and ensures no outside influence can steal the strength meant only for the pride. If this is not observed, the meal is tainted and unfit for consumption as the strength has flowed into the world and not the pride.

Blood is a sacred thing to the pride, since it carries ones' strength. Sharing one's own blood with another is considered a very personal thing, and binds the two lions together.

Strength, Unity, and Obedience
Strength, unity, and obedience are the most important facets of one’s life. They are to be respected and honored as sacred ideals. Strength allows one to bring down one’s enemies while protecting the pride. Unity enables the pride to defend against opposing factions so that they cannot subvert the pride’s power and glory. Obedience guarantees that the strongest lions can guide the pride to success and strength.

Dark Souls, Dark Pelts
To the Aegnor'hini, coloring is even more important than it had been in the Aikanaro'hini. Pale colors and hues of cool colors that are too bright are not accepted as demonic generally, seen as coloring fit only for nat and sador...with a few exceptions who have proven themselves demons through and through. Neutral tones, aside from black, were once looked down on as well, but the merger of the Dvergr into the pride has shifted this. Royal colors in the pride are black, deep red, gold, and dark purple. Silver is not considered a royal color, but is considered a strong color, as it runs in the veins of the pride's oldest bloodline.

Pale demons are accepted only rarely, with good plot or grandfathered exceptions from the Aikanaro'hini (see Noh'Vah). Pale cubs generally have two options at birth: becoming a sador, or being raised by an ally of the pride. Becoming a sador is not nearly the sentence of a horrible life that it could be in the Aikanaro'hini. The demons have learned the value of their paler members, and the sense in caring for them and protecting them in exchange for their service.

Leopards as demons is a very new thing in the pride. Though they are accepted as being capable of holding demonic souls, there are strict rules regarding acceptance as a demon. They must have appropriate pelts; pale demons in leopard skins are very, very rare and at current are only available through pride-run contests and ORP prizes noted as being capable of being a pale demon-leopard. They must have a current pride member willing to vouch for them, or have been adopted into or born into and raised by the pride. Otherwise, the rules are the same; if you're joining, you must [ICly] fight for your right to paaaaaaaarty be admitted to the pride.

Scars
Scars are symbols of strength, courage, and pride. They are not to be hidden, and are a mark of the trials a lion has gone through to reach where they are now. The only exception to scars are those deliberately made. It is considered shameful to scar yourself simply to look bigger. Even the placing of the pridal symbol is done by another lion in the pride. A lack of scars is also a point of pride among the dina'gurtha, as it means they are very, very good at their job.

One True Name
Every creature in existence has a true name. If these names are known, one can have power over others. This is especially true of those with a demonic soul. The true name of a lion with a demonic soul is the name of the lion's inner demon. The purpose of the pride's name quest is for lions to find their true name. This true name will only be known to those who witness the end of the quest, and those the lion chooses to tell afterward. Be careful who you trust with your true name. It may be the last thing you do if you chose unwisely.

The Gods
Highmost in the Aegnor religion are Morifaer and Sparda, the Demon-Gods. Morifaer is the chief god of those who think their demonic power should be used however the lion sees fit. Sparda is the chief god of those who are more inclined to pause and use their power more for co-existence than conquering. Next is Hakuna'jina, who represents loyalty and rebirth to the pride, due to her lengthy service as a mortal and her aid in refounding the pride as a goddess. Primitus also has some large sway as a god, because of his attachment to Hakuna'jina and his abilities to help determine worthy leaders. After that, the demons worship or follow a numerous amount of gods, simply due to their nature and the influences of outside blood. Please note: the gods have nothing to do with how the pride is divided up any longer. Recently, worship of Talmā [the god of stability], Galvus [the god of instability], and Valya [the goddess of influence] has started to take root, as those three are involved personally with the pride since their birth to Hakuna'jina and Primitus.

OOC Rules

1 - Please do not RP in this subforum unless you own a pride member, or have been invited to RP here by a pride member (for joining, plot, etc)
2 - Be polite to everyone OOC'ly! Yes, the SoA here are demons but that doesn't mean the people controlling them have to be lol
3 - Have fun~
4 - If a cub or adol was born IN the pride (to a female that is part of the pride and NOT outside the pride lands at current), please clear taking them from the pride with the pride owners FIRST. We want to help make sure the plot is a feasible one, as unfeasible plots have been done before without us being informed!
5 - Read all the info before submitting a joining form! It will save you and us a LOT of headaches in the future!
6 - Some plots need cleared before they are run! There are a LOT of seers in the pride, and some things are not looked kindly on ICly. So PLEASE check with us if your plot involves: faking being a demon, a dark colored lion born into the pride not having a demon, or cubnapping/removal of cub/adol from the pride.
7 - There will be consequences if you break these rules. So PLEASE do not.
Further rules may be added as needed.

 

[Aegnorhini]

Dark Doings
Rituals of the Pride

NONE of these are RP mandatory...though we do still need the info regarding them, for the sake of keeping things straight ICly.

Name Quest
THIS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL THING. EVEN IF IT ISN'T RPED OUT, IT STILL HAPPENED OR YOUR SOA WILL BE CONSIDERED A SADOR.
The Name Quest, to put it simply, is the coming of age quest. A lion's true name is the name that was given in hell to the demonic soul that it harbors. Because of this, names hold great power to the demons of the Aegnor'hini. It is a mark of maturity that you know what your own true name is. At the end of the quest a lion has found this true name and has been charged with keeping it safe, revealing it only unto a select few.

Taking place at the transition between Adolescent and Adult, the Name Quest once took place entirely within the sacred volcano, but with the changes the War in Heaven brought, that is no longer possible. With the pride's relocation to the lands once inhabited by the Simbafutaji, the Name Quest has changed. Now, one of the pride's himy'ainur and the goddess Hakuna'jina, along with a pair of mori'osta, will take the adolescents ready for the ritual on a pilgrimage to the edge of the destruction left in the wake of the volcano's eruption. Here they are, one at a time, escorted away from the others by the himy'ainur and Hakuna'jina and given a special blend of herbs that induces mild hallucinations and a heightened awareness, and are asked three simple questions. 'From where do you hail?' 'To whom do you owe allegiance?' 'What is your true name?' It is expected that the answers to these three questions have been contemplated during the adolescent's pilgrimage. Witnessed by hell and those gathered, the lion reveals their true name.

Should any of the answers be tentative or “I don’t know”, a fight ensues in which Hakuna'jina engages the adolescent in a ritual fight and tries to force the adolescent back into the still-hot trail of destruction. If the adolescent fails or concedes, they become sador. The point of this fight is to force the other into finding their name. Once the questions are answered, to the final adolescent, the group travels back to the pride, and the new adults are welcomed back as a full adult and celebrations often ensue. However, the true name is always and only meant for the individual and those who witnessed the taking of it. A lion may choose to entrust a mate with their true name but it highly frowned upon to be casual with it.


Choosing A New Leader
In the Aegnor'hini, leadership is chosen quite differently from the way it is in the Aikanaro'hini. When the pride is in need of a new leader, all the chil are gathered. They must undergo two tests: Strength of Mind and Strength of Body. In the first test, their knowledge of the pride and cunning are tested, to weed out those who would be weak-minded leaders. The second test pits those who passed the first test against one another. They will be paired off in battle, similar to a Ritual Fight, until there is one clear victor. When it is finished, the new Sheleran or Shelerana is announced, and celebration is had. (The mate of a current leader does not need to go through this, but must be approved of by Primitus to be acknowledged as a leader, otherwise they are a Shalori.)


Disputes and Ritual Fights
Usually, disputes between lions in the pride are dealt with without outside help, settled between the two lions by talking or by way of a fight. In the latter case, any lions around know the unspoken rule that one does not aid either combatant. However, when things get out of hand or the dispute is of greater importance to the involved parties, a noldo'raa/ravenne or meiv'seere is brought in to oversee a Ritual Fight and judge it. These fights are serious, and wounds do occur, but the point of the duel is NOT death, and killing one's opponent during a Ritual Fight is grounds for swift punishment dealt by the Eska'Sheleran and/or Eska'Shelerana themselves.

A dueling area is defined, and the combatants ushered into it. Once they are inside the dueling circle, no one else may enter or they will face torture at the paws of the discipliners. A time limit is set and a go announced. The two combatants must then fight one another – only mortal blows are off limits. Should either lion step outside the ring or be forced out, they lose the duel. If any observers interfere, the lion who they are trying to help loses. If a fighter calls for help, they lose. Only single combat that runs until either of the participants is subdued is considered honorable and worthy enough to be a lasting decision. However, once the duel ends, the outcome it decides is final. Any further arguing with be dealt with seriously.


Feeding Rituals
Every creature can provide strengthening sustenance. Carried in the blood of every living thing is energy that can empower one’s demonic soul. And so, in order to tap into this resource, at every kill the members of a hunt must drink the blood of the prey before eating the meat, thus taking the strength of the prey into themselves and fostering their own demonic power. This practice honors the prey and ensures no outside influence can steal the strength meant only for the pride. If this is not observed, the meal is tainted and unfit for consumption as the strength has flowed into the world and not the pride.

At pride gatherings, the Sheleran and Shelerana feed first, followed by the himy'ainur, then any children of the Sheleran/a or himy'ainur. After this, the other children feed and then consorts of the Sheleran and Shelerana, the cor'osta, and so on down the line of ranks, determined by strength. Nat eat last, always. Should anyone jump their spot, they are denied the meal entirely and banned from the gathering, their voice no long important. Everyone has a place and this hierarchy must be observed.

Personal hunts need only observe the Strength in Blood belief and can eat in whatever order they choose.

 

[Aegnorhini]

What Makes a Demon?

Average Demon
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1.) This is your typical deep red demon, complete with dark markings, and dark pelt.
2.) Black pelt is VERY common! Preferred sometimes! Ri, with brighter markings, is still primarily black/red.
3.) Dark pelt and Markings with a light mane. Also common.

Acceptable Color Variants
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1.)Paler coat, but still primarily dark, with dark markings.
2.) Dark coat and mane, with spattered white spots. So long as white takes up less than 25% of the coat, it is USUALLY acceptable. This depends.
3.) Still a dark pelt, just of a different color! Color variants, so long as they remain in the darker range, are acceptable.


Still a Demon, but Barely
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1.) The pink takes up about 50% of her body. Even with a black base pelt, this is pushing the limit. A demon like this would have to prove themselves.
2.) Dark mane and tail, but lighter pelt and markings. Also pushing it, though there would be more opportunity for him to prove himself.
3.) So much white! With a light mane and tail, it would take blood, sweat, and more blood for a demon like this to take his proper place.

Not a Demon
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1.) Cool colors are nice and pretty, and the fact of the matter is that this lion? Is just too bright! If his ane were more muted, or his pelt were a bit darker, it would be a Demon.
2.) With how pale she is, she would never be looked at as a demon. However, Mojana is one of the VERY rare pale demons. Normally, this cub would have been seen as a servant.
3.) Pale pelt, pale markings. Even with a dark mane and tail, he would never ever be a demon. His coat is just far too light!

 

[Aegnorhini]

Scratches in the Darkness
The Writings of the Aegnor

As time went on, and life within the Aikanaro'hini changed and shifted, a budding written language had been developing. This language, safe-guarded by Cionaodh, consists entirely of pictographs and easily recognizable symbols so far, but it makes keeping track of the history and events of the pride easier. And it was the reason the kiirar rank was created in the reborn pride.

Where it will go as time goes on, no one knows.