[I/T] Ihlathi — the prey sanctuary (open)

[Quaji]

ALLOWED SPECIES: gazelle (primary), lined prey animals (secondary) || OWNERS: quaji & ??? || IC LEADER: Queen Kihu

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Founded in legend by the previous lives of the gods of Herds and Seasons, the Ihlathi have thrived in their secluded lands, guarded by mountains and river and horns have their Honor Guard kept watch just as Seasons had before them. Lead by the bloodline of the venerated goddess of Herds, a bloodline unbroken by the mothers and daughters since the beginning. Secluded, they have distanced themselves from the world and villanized the predators whose natural cycle it is to hunt them. While their borders are closed to those who would wish to kill and consume them, others who suffer are welcome, thus was born Ihlathi's reputation for being a sanctuary for the prey of Africa.

A new day dawns on the herd wakes to a world that is the same yet different.

 

[Quaji]

Rainy Seasons / Dry Seasons
Jan - March — Normal
April - June — Rainy
July - September — Dry
October - December — Sporadic rain

The herd migrates regularly around the Grove and will stay in one place for roughly a week before moving on to ensure the lands will be able to support them. With this mind, the members of the herds may still move away from the main body of the herd to explore, forage by themselves or in smaller groups, or patrol if they are part of the Honor Guard.


The Grove
In the center of their lands is the Grove, while it may just appear like a group of trees, to the herd it is a sacred place blessed by Seasons to be permanently spring, leaving the trees always in bloom. It is also believed to be where the queen’s line was born. Because of this, it is used by the female members of the herd as a safe space to give birth and let their fawns experience the world for the first few weeks before meeting the rest of the herd.


The Neck
The twins nearly converge to the north, creating a natural pass that allows easy access in and out of the herd's grazing lands. This around is heavily patrolled by the Honor Guard and anyone, including predators, who attempt to pass are promptly intercepted. At the widest, this gap is only about three miles wide.

The River
The river has no real name and is simply referred to as 'the river' by the herd. It lies in the south and spans between 5-20 meters depending on the weather and location. Most of the river stays roughly 15 meters wide year-round except during the dry season. The river is home to crocodiles and hippos, though they all live downriver. Though the threat of drowning still exists as the river is fairly deep in places.

The river is typically patrolled by lower ranked guards or those who may have pissed off their superior as it's typically a really boring assignment.  

[Quaji]

Cadet [M fawn]/Grazer [F fawn] › Guard [M adult]/Grazer [F adult]

THE QUEEN'S LINE

Queen

The head of the herd. Descended from the Goddess of Herds. Despite this divine bloodline, she is a servant to the herd and sworn to put it first. She is tasked with finding good grazing grounds within their defended territory through listening to scouting reports, sending her own birds out and good old-fashioned investigating. Unlike queens in other groups, she is respected, but not revered.
How to get: Be the 'lucky' one.

Princess

Daughter of the current queen. The eldest of them is the heir and may be referred to as a “crown princess”, but does not receive a special ranking as her position is not secure. All princesses train in some way to take their mother's job should the need arise. It is not uncommon for a princess to give up their rank to join the Honor Guard in search of more adventure.
How to get: Be the daughter of the current queen.

Lady

Daughter of a previous queen, princess or lady and their lord. The rank of lady signifies that they, in some way, are related to queen's line. Their job is to socialize and more passively protect the herd from harm. For the most part, they take on an advisory role or act as diplomatic delegates and figures for the herd to look to.
How to get: Be the daughter of princess or lady and their lord, or be the daughter of a previous queen and their lord.

THE HONOR GUARD

Captain

Head of the guards, chosen by the queen they are tasked with ensuring the Neck and the other borders are secure. Their job includes listening to the collected daily reports, protecting the queen (alongside or instead of her lord) and patrolling to keep up appearances of strength. Additionally, another task of theirs is to oversee the induction of new members in the Honor Guard, give promotions/demotions, as well as give honors to those retiring.
How to get: Be on good terms with the queen when a vacancy pops up.

Lord

Not an actual member of the queen's line, lords are the official mates of the queen, a princess or lady. Only those in the Honor Guard may even be considered for lordship as it is their duty to specifically protect their mate from harm. They are typically lieutenants, officers or even the captain prior to taking this rank. Note: Lordship is not something that can be forced upon anyone.
How to get: Marry the queen, a princess or a lady.

Lieutenant

Oversees and commands three officers. Their job is mostly to receive reports on predator movements, potential threats from both inside and outside of the herd’s lands and deliver them to the captain.
How to get: Requires three officers to be assigned to them. Find three officers who OOC owners will allow them to be assigned to yours.

Officer

Oversees and commands five guards. Officers are assigned patrols by a lieutenant that they answer to. Their duties generally don't change much from just being a guard.
How to get: Requires five guards to be assigned to them. Find five guards who OOC owners will allow them to be assigned to yours.

Guard

Adults of either sex who possess horns and who actively work to protect the herd for harm. They patrol the Neck for the most part, but sometimes even the mountainsides and the river's edge.
How to get: Must be an adult with horns. No requirements.

Scout

A rank specifically made for members who do not have horns but still serve in the Honor Guard. They scout further ahead of the patrols and will often accompany other members of the guard on their routes. While this rank is mainly taken by birds, this rank is also accessible to members of the herd who are fleet of foot and lack wings or female cadets who never grow or lose their horns.
How to get: No requirements.

Cadet

Fawns who are training to join the Honor Guard. They shadow behind a member of the Honor Guard and train with them daily until they grow into their horns. At this point, they may choose to become a guard or find another profession. Default male rank.
How to get: No requirements

THE CIVILIANS

Herbalist

Those who focus on healing through the use of medicinal herbs. Within this rank are members of the herd who specialize in growing and tending to plants, trees, and shrubs which possess some form of medicinal use. Like florists, most herbalists specialize in a specific plant rather than trying to learn about all of them.
How to get: No requirements.

Florist

With the herd’s love for flowers it comes as no surprise that there is a rank entirely devoted to the cultivation of their vibrant plants. Most florists specialize in one or two types, but some diversify even further.
How to get: No requirements.

Nanny

Those who focus on fawn-rearing. These members have devoted themselves to teaching and protecting the young of the herd from would-be predators when the guard cannot be called.
How to get: No requirements.

Weaver

A rank made specifically for birds. They typically pair up with florists to weave flowers into wonderful things that are actually wearable in more places, such as necklaces or bracelets.
How to get: No requirements.

Grazer

The masses. They have no particular job. Default female rank.
How to get: No requirements.

 

[Quaji]

Species
Other prey animals are welcome within the lands and to join the Ihlathi if they want. While the herd is primarily made of gazelle, there are members of other species that herd intermixed within their ranks. These members are fully accepted and are not given strange looks by others. This includes non-predatory birds, rabbits, waterbucks and klipspringers.

Note: Unlined species are technically allowed as well! Zebra, wildebeest, giraffes and elephants are all allowed as well.

Pelt Colors
Light, cool colors are preferred for any females as they more closely resemble the goddess of Herds of lore.
Darker, earthy colors are preferred for any males as they more closely resemble the god of Seasons of lore.

However, these are social norms and not restrictions. The herd openly accepts any willing to make the journey to their lands.

Predators
Predators of all kinds are expelled from the lands by the Honor Guard. They are not welcome within the borders and will quickly find themselves at the receiving end of the horns of angry guards if they choose to try and stay.

The occasional small pride may manage to cross the river, make it over the mountains or (rarely) make it through the Neck. In the event, this does happen and the pride does begin to form roots in their territory, the herd will band together and actively push them out.

The Gods
The goddess of Herds and the god of Seasons are the only two deities the herd openly acknowledge as important to the herd and revere actively. While the herd may greet others, none are as important as Herds and Seasons.

The goddess of Herds was the one who led the original members of the herd to the lands they now live. Within the Grove, she gave birth to the fawn that would become the first queen and Seasons blessed the trees that shaded her as a gift. Herds remained long enough to see the Ihlathi established and her daughter take the position as their leader before leaving the lands with Seasons beside her.

Despite what rumors may say, Herds and Seasons were not mates.

Matriarchal
Due to the circumstances of which the herd was formed and that the goddess of Herds only birthed a daughter to take over the herd for her before departing, the herd has kept this line alive and the blood of the daughters of Herds at high regard. This honor towards one sex has generally translated over to the entire herd and most females are seen in some amount of reverence for their ability to give life as Herds had.

The Queen's Line
Descendants of the goddess of Herds, this family line has ruled since the formation of the herd. Despite this connection to one of the founders (gods), they are not revered or seen as a higher class than others. There is no separation from the royals, guards and civilians as far as class goes and are able to mingle just as everyone else. They are simply the ones who are trusted to lead.

Breeding / Marriage
The only part of the herd that has any sort of official marriage is the queen's line, in which all the female members who remain in the line of succession all mate for life and to break it is at the pain of death without just cause. While some of the herd does follow this as well, though in a much less strict manner, there is no law requiring a pair to be married.

___Queen x Lord = Princess
___Princess/Lady x Lord = Lady
___Queen/Princess/Lady x Non-Lord = No royal rank

Succession
Due to the matriarchal nature of the herd, male members of Herds’ bloodline are excluded from the line of succession.

___Daughters of the last queen
___Sisters of the last queen
___Nieces of the last queen
___Great-aunts of the last queen
___Continuing the same pattern until a female member of the goddess’ bloodline is found.

The Honor Guard
The Honor Guard was founded by the god of Seasons before he left the lands. Their purpose it to protect the herd and their lands, and by proxy the queen's line as well. Traditionally the Honor Guard is the only rank a male member of the herd may take, however, this tradition has wavered over the years, but it is still compulsory for all male fawns to spend their early life as a cadet so that they may be able to defend themselves and the herd if needed. After they grow into their horns, they may choose to officially join the Honor Guard or choose an alternative profession.

It should be noted that female members may also join the Honor Guard and may progress through their ranks just as males can. However, they forsake their previous rank if they are part of the queen's line and are removed from succession.

Flowers
The vibrant flowers that grow in the herd's territory are through to be the descendants of the ones grown in the footsteps of the god of Seasons when he resided in the lands or that they grew to reflect the goddess of Herds' beauty in a mortal way. Regardless, many does will turn flowers into wonderful decorations for themselves and their fawns.

It’s also not uncommon to see stags adorning themselves either.

Communal Grazing
Grazing is a communal affair that occurs all day at varying intervals so all members socialize to some extent. Due to this daily activity, all members of the herd will likely know one another with the exception of newly joined members and new fawns.  

[Quaji]

JOINING - with a pre-existing SoA

[b]Joining Up![/b]
[size=11][b]SoA Link:[/b] [url=LINK]Name[/url]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b] [/size]

SEMI-CUSTOMS - requesting an SoA (colored by Quaji)
___1. The design is entirely up to me, you decide the sex and species.
___2. You may request and receive only one.
___3. You may request one even if you already put something in.
___4. They must stay part of the herd.
___5. They cannot be attached to an SoA.

[b]I need one![/b]
[size=11][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Horns:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b] [/size]

 

[Quaji]

Kihu - Quaji - Queen - Adoven x Elanorn
Sister - ? - Lady - Adoven x Elanorn
Daughter - ? - Lady - Lord x Sister

? - ? - Captain - Adoven x Elanorn
Timai - Ecavi - Guard - ? x ?
Pranka - Puhterodactyl - Guard - ? x ?
Kutabasamu`nyota - | Lady Kiya | - Guard - ? x ?
Kulinda - Mysses Greenie - Guard - ? x ?
Easca-scath - Meepfur - Scout - ? x ?
? - ? - Cadet - Unnamed Lord x Kihu
? - ? - Cadet - Unnamed Lord x Kihu

Nyasi - Lightning Shadow X - Herbalist - ? x ?
Laumea - Andranis - Herbalist - ? x ?
Maua - Ecavi - Florist - ? x ?
Mashina - Ecavi - Nanny - ? x ?
Mto - SilverLutz - Nanny - ? x ?


1 - Unowned - Rank - ? x ?
2 - Unowned - Rank - ? x ?
3 - Unowned - Rank - ? x ?
4 - Unowned - Rank - ? x ?
5 - Unowned - Rank - ? x ?  

[Quaji]

>v> Got the joining forms up~ Including a way to request one from me. <3  

[Lightning Shadow X]

Ooooo this sounds nifty! 'O'  

[Quaji]

Ecavi

Mobile internet limits me for now but Tim wants in. He can be a guard. biggrin

edit: Also, saying Predators aren't allowed in is just making Uhai itchy to try to get in, rofl. He love-hates when prey does this (and just-hates when his brother is involved in magically hiding them). XD I wonder if he'd deign to disguise himself as an ungulate.

heck yea tim's in <3

@ predator though: I'd prob have to say hold off on that since that could be a big game changer for a herd that's supposed to be a sort of sanctuary D: gods may be okay to join since they don't need to eat and could just stay in a mortal form while around the herd but as cool as it'd be, I have to deny Uhai if he tried that atm since he'd probably try and eat them (unless he didn't for some reason??)  

[Lightning Shadow X]

I need one!
Name: Nyasi
Rank: Herbalist
Gender: Female
Species: Gazelle
Horns: Yes please <3
Personality: A professional but kind hearted medic who might be the tiniest bit overprotective of the smaller ones in the herd.
History: Born very small, she was inspired to become a herbalist when her mother died of pneumonia after a particularly bad rainfall. She's very loyal to the herd and helping her fellow herbalists keeping the herd healthy and thriving.  

[Quaji]

For those interested, I've got eight pre-colored things up for grabs over here: LINK. <3 Including the captain~ ;D