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N e w T e r r i t o r y

The Nergui have arrived at the abandoned pridelands of the Dawnwalkers [aka: Tuait'tekam'] A desert based pride with access to a bountiful oasis and strange structures that are said to have housed many a kulukadok.

All members are welcomed and encouraged to RP here! Any rogues who might be lingering (as well as ex-pride members who have yet to move on) are also encouraged to interact. If you have no one suitable, familiars can also join in.

There may be prizes and a plot twist or two as well as announcements on ranks.

Original Tauit'tekam Description

Abandoned Temple
Formerly Occupied by the Tuait'Tekem (aka Dawnwalkers)

For generations beyond count, the Tuait'Tekem lions had called this temple, hidden in the desert, their home. Originally developed by a human tribe that came south out of Egypt, the temple is one of the few man-made structures that can be easily accessed by the creatures in Shadows of Africa. Because of this, everything about these lands seems strange and unnatural, which seems fitting for how many gods governed the pride that once resided here.

The pride was disbanded and its members dispersed.


Notable Landmarks
- A town-like temple, built against a rocky outcropping in the desert, was where the majority of pride activity was focused, though there were many areas off-limits to the general population.
- A river runs through the desert, with a wide floodplain, not far from the temple.

P r i z e s

Raffle prize will be introduced if the RP reaches 3 pages in length.

[ arrow Please note that all of my Nergui are available in this RP and I will be happy to RP any of them with you if desired!]



Mchawi took a seat in the shade of a twisted tree and released a long, slow, breath; casting a critical eye out across the lands that they would call 'home' - for now, at least. It was hard to tell, after all, how long the horde would dwell here. A few days. Weeks. Months. Only time would tell and if their fortunes picked up, they might need to start getting used to heat and sand. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Already the hot sun was causing a twitch in her back and she shifted again to try and get the shade across it.



Stooped in the dry branches overhead, the three-eyed raven, Qara, cawed in his usual tone (that of dry amusement) and she cast him a momentary glance. Beside him was her preferred companion - the little raven Moma who looked more weary than anything.

"I need you two to be my eyes," the seer barked.

"You need us to be more than that," Qara shrieked, his laughter turning to coughs as the lioness swept sand up into his face.

Moma, too tired - it appeared - to argue otherwise, spread her wings and went aloft, circling a moment to clarify. "What do we seek?"

"Threats, mostly. I have reason to believe that there could be danger lurking." At that, the lioness' head snapped around to find the hunkered figure of Kefir - looking pitiful as always.

"Kaar!" she barked, "to me."



Kefir struggled, for a moment, struggled to gather his hind legs beneath him and - after a time - limped towards the Kaar Oma with the posture of submission. The journey had not been kind to him, his ribs defined against a dull and scruffy pelt.

"I will need your assistance." Mchawi replied.

"Yes, Kaar Oma."

The sand and the sun were a change from their old home. Gael found the shifting grains under his paws a bit difficult to walk on, although he was sure he'd get used to the slippery, ever-changing surface in time. He squinted a bit as a breeze blew some of the sand into the air, scratching at his nose and inner ears a bit. One thing he knew he wouldn't get used to was getting the stuff everywhere - in his fur, between his toes, in his ears, in his mouth....ugh. Not pleasant.

He didn't complain, though. Sand was a minor inconvenience for the great treasures that they could find here. Surely there had to be something left over in the ruins that had been spotted by their scouts. Now all they had to do was determine how the pride would go about things, where they would reside, and how to deal with the sun constantly blazing down on them.

Keeping off to the side just a bit, he watched Mchawi as she spoke to the two birds perched above her, then called for one of the seers to join her.

Saran, on the other hand, was dealing with the new terrain quite well. Although she had never seen such vast sand before, she found it quite relaxing to walk upon. It was like a massage for her paws with every step! Her usual smug expression fixed on her face, she padded through the Nergui that were gathered, her tail swishing away some flies that seemed to think she'd offer them a place to rest. Ha, fat chance.

"What a place," she murmured as she drew up along side Nyek, a flirtatious smile tossed his way. Saran was notorious for her habit of buttering up a male just to leave him scorned in her wake. It was how she got a feel for who was worthy to give her cubs, although for now it was just fun after a recent interaction just a few days prior. Hopefully she'd see the fruits of that labor soon.

Larak was not sure what to make of the sand beneath his paws. It was a new sensation, which was exciting to the young adol, but it was also infinitely irritating and scratchy. Dust was a comfort, certainly, even hard rock, but sand?

Knowing it was not his place to complain, Larak contented himself by standing near his parents, the closest to him being his father, Gael. He did not see any of his many siblings nor could he spy his mother, but he was certain they would make themselves seen or heard sooner, rather than later.

Unsure of what to say, he just shuffled his paws against the sand beneath them and waited. Something would happen soon, for they were the Nergui, and as he was learning, whenever the Nergui went anywhere at all, something always happened.

Pleased with the subservience of Kefir, the Kaar Oma turned to face the wide expanse that was to be their destination. She had done a little travelling in her time but she had never seen anything quite like this. Temples, they were, and the word suited them well. This was her kind of place. Creepy, unnatural and grand. She smiled a little at the thought and this smile lingered at the corner of her mouth as she turned at the sound of being addressed.

The young female - Ramla was her name - was bold but, inthis instance, knowledgeable. She would be unwise to turn down the offer of help, particularly in this instance where their experience would help things run far smoothly than otherwise.

"I wish to hear you," she agreed, "walk with me," she turned a hard stare at Kefir who bumbled to the female's side, bobbing his head.

His eyes cast sideways to look at Ramla and Ngoma, thankful for their presence and distraction. He had visions to tend to so that he might better aid his superior - even if he really didn't want to.

"Are there any immediate dangers? Traps?" Mchawi asked, "if not, start where you will."





Further out, closer to a murky body of water tucked against the face of a huge, jutting rock, an angry roar sounded out, startling a pair of vultures to the air.

Those who were close by - or who hurried to see - would find a large, snarling lioness with her jaws fastened around a lanky looking male barely out of adolescence. His eyes were wide, his posture submissive as a forepaw peddled helplessly at the air.

"Please," he seemed to be trying to reason with her through strained gasps of breath, "I only meant to warn you..."

Those who knew Gren would know that, though gruff, she would not attack without reason and yet, to an observer, it would seem unbelievable that he would even attempt to anger her, what with his somewhat pitiful stance, lying there on the sand.

"It's dangerous..." he gasped again, to no avail.

Gren tightened her jaws.


exclaim Feel free to intervene!

Looking at the temples, Ramla combed over her memories. "There's no traps that I recall. If there ever were, previous generations of the pride found and disabled them, or they simply stopped working due to time. The worst we ever had were vultures that drove the pride out for a time." She flashed a grin, looking to the large bird that settled on her back. "Part of my determination to have one, some extended revenge, as it were." Wracking her brain, Ramla tried to figure out for a moment which memories were the best to start with.

"Everybody lived in the temples, I remember that much." And, of course, chasing vultures. Ngoma smiled to himself, remembering the fake vulture he'd made for Ramla. It'd taken him a while to get the honey out of his fur, and to stop smarting where she'd hit him for the attempt to fake her out. Looking to his mate, he asked, "Wasn't there one temple that only the priests went in?" It made him wonder, had there been places like that in the Motoujamii pride? In the days when his mother and father were cubs, and the pride reigned supreme. He'd never admit it to the Nergui, but he did still harbor some belief in Finar-si.

"Let's see, there were shrines dedicated to Hathor and Sekhmet, and that island over there off the delta was dedicated to Ra..." Ramla let out a snort, "Only the pharaoh and high priestess were allowed to go in. I don't think anybody dared go in, but not due to fear of any kind of divine punishment. They didn't want to get punished by the guards or even banished. I never knew of any of those gods coming to visit, but I do know of seven proclaimed gods being paid service here... And the pride's killed one."

==

Watching Gren, Nuri scowled slightly at the strange lion. "Warn us of what? What could possibly be more dangerous than us?" She glanced over at Larak, "She's found an interloper." Slowly her gaze returned to the gold-pelted lion. "Awful pretty, gotta admit." Not that she saw many lions she'd call pretty. Like any member of the Horde, her coat was scruffy and badly kept. The almost shimmering spots that decorated her shoulders and back were partially hidden under the scraps of stolen fabrics, the fabrics themselves even more tattered and dirty than they'd been before. She got down into the lion's face, smiling slowly. "Lemme see your fear."

"Then, if what you say is true, the danger does not lie therein." Mchawi's frown deepened for a moment and sharp eyes turned back to the slinking kaar at her side. What was it, then, if not the strange monuments? "Unless, of course, the danger lies in those places that you were forbidden. Perhaps that is where we should begin our hunt."

Shrines and sacred places tempted the Nergui in her and in her mind's eye she imagined a delightful scene with rooms piled high with valuable artifacts. Perhaps some gods even returned to their shrines from time to time, blessing them with their presence so that they could bless them with a swift end. Although no one ever said it had to be swift.

"The pride has already killed one of these beings, you say? Then we have history, this place and our people." She eyed the pair carefully, "and what is it like, for the both of you, being back here after all this time?" A slight hint of a smile touched her face, "home sweet home."




The young male's eyes widened further as more and more attention began to be directed his way. This was not what he had wanted and the teeth were still at his throat! At least, however, some of them seemed more willing to talk. He would rather not have faced his death today, if it could be helped.

Gren, however, seemed to relax at the sound of her son's voice and, after a short pause, withdrew her mouth and straightened.

When the male made to get up, however, she kept a paw pressed firmly on his shoulder.

"He attacked me," she grunted gruffly.

"Not attacked!" The male was quick to correct, not resisting his bonds. "Protecting. The water is not safe. I've seen it with my own two eyes. A monster lurks beneath the surface."

Gren blinked, turning to look at her son and the female, Nuri. In their foreign tongue, so that the male would not understand, she asked: "the boy tells lies to hide valuables?"