Welcome to Gaia! ::

Two herds. Two stories to be told. Fundamentally different in purpose and culture, but both understand that strength lies in numbers. If they stick together, they can do more than just survive; they can flourish, much like nature itself. Whether or not the two herds will ever meet remains to be seen, and only time will tell if they become allies -- or perhaps even enemies. The Kawani lands were becoming whole again, and the allure to settle and find a new home in such a prosperous place was too great to ignore.

1. You must work with a group of people to come up with a concept for the herd you're entering for! Tell me what they're like; do they have any kind of structure or hierarchy? Do they have a purpose, a mission, or simply stay together for survival? What brought them together?
   
2. Only one post per group, and each group can only try for one herd.
   
3. You can edit your entries up until the contest closes.
   
4. If the person who posted your entry has to drop out, please have a new person still involved in your group re-post your entry so you may continue editing it as needed.
   
5. If the contest closes and someone involved in your group wins a prize elsewhere, you will not be disqualified! If you win, your group will be given 72 hours to find a new winner for the remaining prize(s). It will count as their Soquili freebie for the event. In the event that 72 hours pass and no new winner is chosen, the remaining prize(s) will be removed from the contest with no winner.
   
6. The descriptors for each group of prizes (ie. Appaloosa Palooza, Seeing Double) don't have to be incorporated in your concepts; they're merely intended to help tell each group of prizes apart.
   
7. Please keep entries at 1000 words or less.
   

Appaloosa Palooza



Seeing Double

Appaloosa Palooza

1. sesshiyasha

Seeing Double

1. ~Twilight...Angel~

Edited - 8:45 PM to add alpaca names as I realized I derped... (Second Edit for name being wrong...)

Appaloosa Palooza
Herd Name: Mafipacas Sherpas Of The Mountains!

Owner of Brown & Tan Appaloosa Alpaca: Niyaru Delacroix
Alpaca's Name: Clyde 'Lucky' Alpaciano

Owner of Black & White Appaloosa Alpaca: Sesshiyasha
Alpaca's Name: Arupaka Vito

Owner of Brown & White Appaloosa Alpaca: Ririka
Alpaca's Name: Genovese Albaka

Owner of Fawn, Black, & White Appaloosa Alpaca: Chexarain
Alpaca's Name: Bonnie Mafiapaca

Herd Motto/Saying: "We sell and we save. What can I help you with today?"

Entry:
The Sherpas are guides for the mountains. They will lead anyone who wishes to traverse the mountains through to their destination and are normal guides.... or at least they appear to be... on the surface.

Dig a bit deeper and you will find an intricate network of Smuggling and Thievery. During the summer, spring, and fall months they spend their time guiding people across the mountains and importing items from the neighboring regions, herds, tribes, and kingdoms. They will smuggle anything from people wanting to escape their homelands, to jewels and finery.

Their herd is run by The Don who is the leader, with his Second in command next in line. Following this it goes about as such...

Captains - These are the two captains that help make up the "Council" that will choose the extreme needs of the Herd. These Captains are very well trusted by the Don and his Second.

Healers - These are the Medics of the Herd. Sometimes things happen on those mountain treks and you need someone to patch you up. These lovely members are the ones to help with that! <3

Guides - From Blanket Sellers to Guides through the mountains, everyone is mainly just called Guide. These are all of the members of the Herd.


The Challenge - Each Year the Herd is opened up to Challenge the Don. This could mean overthrowing everything in Herd Leadership. The Don chooses to open himself up to be challenged. The challenge involves finding out not only who is the strongest, but who has the knowledge to keep the Sherpas safe and to keep their charges safe. The mountains are a deadly home after all. One wrong step can send you Careening off a cliff side.

During the Harsh winter months when the passes covered over with snow they make their way down into the lands of the Kawanii at the bases of the mountains where the weather isn't quite as harsh, but still cold enough for them to not overheat. this is where they shed some of their coats in order to have a supply of Wool for making sweaters for minis, blankets and other items they sell in their traveling village all year.

The Members - This Herd is open to all kinds. Familiars and Soquili can have equal standing as sometimes it gets hard to tell one from the other. Love is love and can be between anyone. Familiar or Soquili alike. Even some mixed pairings can be found within the tents and caravans of the Sherpa's. Flings and Matings are both welcome among the Sherpas.

Young Members and Foals are kept in the dark about the Smuggling side of things until they are older. The older members of the Herd want to keep their innocence intact as much as they can in an attempt to let them choose their own life. Once they are old enough there is an Enlightening Ceremony where they are allowed to join and older Sherpa on a journey through the mountains to learn what the Herd is truly about... Saving those that need saving and smuggling things from regions beyond the Kawanii lands to provide them to the ones living within the kawanii lands. In addition to safe passage for those that seek it through the mountains. This allows the youngins to choose their path. They can stay with the Sherpas and contribute to the mission, or they can leave and visit from time to time without having to be a full member, But they must never speak about the darker side of the Sherpas.

Young Members and Foals also have the option of being sent in packs with a young adult or an adult to gather food and health supplies. This way it keeps them busy from noticing the darker side of things. This also helps to allow the healers to concentrate on healing or teaching and not having to worry about having the supplies they need. No matter what, there will always be at least one or two healers in the village for emergency measures.

New members are treated similarly to Young Members and Foals. They are kept in the dark until the Council feels they are trustworthy enough to see the darker side of things. They are then given the choice same as the youngins.

Totem - The Totem is a Sherpa leading Soquili and Familars through a Mountain Pass.

Enemy - The Yeti! There is a beast they call the Yeti, he has taken the lives of countless Sherpa before them. He stalks them, and tracks their movements, waiting to catch them off guard. The Yeti is actually a Bear Purewalker that has followed them for a while. They do not know if this is ONE Yeti or secretly.... A Pack of Yeti.... They just blame the bad things that happen on "The Yeti!" He has become almost their legend. No one has actually seen the Yeti in a while, but they are always weary of The Yeti coming to get them once more.

The Appearance of the Village - The Village is made up of tents varying in size from small to Large to Ginormous. This keeps all of the Sherpas members and their potential Clients safe from the cold temperatures outside. They are very good at setting up and tearing down camp and have it as an exact science now. There are Rope Lines all filled with Prayer Flags of those who have traveled with them, been members of the herd, and friends of both. The Prayer flags come in a multitude of colors and with a wide variety of designs on them. The Camp is quite colorful and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank to to everyone who entered! Although there was only two entries, I really loved reading over them both! (Oh, the puns!) It looks like there was just enough entries for everyone to get a prize, and no one entered has won a freebie elsewhere, so without further ado...

Congratulations!