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[NymiiNym]

Rough work, will pretty this up soon!

About:
Cruor is a tribe that leans more towards darkness than the light. They do not like outsiders, prone to exposing fangs before asking questions. Joining the tribe is a difficult task, and leaving it is a deadly one. Cruor believes strongly that those within the tribe are family, and to turn your back on it is a betrayal. It is, in their eyes, an honor to join the tribe and must be worked for, often with the shedding of blood and tears.

Those with darker personalities are welcomed gladly within Cruor. The tribe is compromised of plenty of characters, though it is generally assumed if one is within Cruor then they often will turn a blind eye towards their fellow tribe-members antics towards outsiders. The tribe does not care if you're a thief or a murderer, as long as you hold the ones within the tribe above others. The only things seen as abhorrent within the tribe are sexual abuse and the harming of family outside of the battle lands, which is met often with immediate banishment.

Cruor is not above directly starting wars with other tribes or stealing land. They take what they want and murder when they please. While most battles will be for territory or something they want, sometimes the tribe is just feeling exceptionally hostile and will act on it.

The tribe welcomes all species, however those of feline nature are often seen as more useful to the tribe as a whole.

Location:
The tribe typically stays within a dark and large forest. The forest is by mountains, though they tend to avoid the mountains due to not all of them being built for it. The forest seems to stay dark for the most part, blocking out most light. Prey run rampant, however they have grown clever over the years and are harder to hunt than most.

Within the forest are six places to note.

Mothers Dens: Those pregnant will be brought to the edge of the forest, where the mountains are. Selected caves are used to protect the pregnant. Once the children are born they stay within the caves for the first two months of their life before they're brought to wherever the ones raising them live.
The Battle Lands: Off to the west of the forest is a part of the forest where lightening burned down most of the trees. This is where physical disputes amongst tribe members are handled under the watchful eyes of the Guards. While blood is shed here often, tribe members may not kill another member. A battle is over when one is too weak to continue.
The Prison: Caves far from the Mothers Den are used to capture prisoners. Those awaiting punishment, characters stolen from homes (usually cubs), and hopeful newcomers are held here until they are dealt with.
Shade Beasts Shrine: Deep in the darkest part of the forest (the dead center) one will see large rocks that happened to be in place by the time the tribe came to these lands. It is believed one of the deities they believe in resides here.
The Calm Shrine: To the north of the forest is a spot where the trees break up, allowing light. Another set of rocks that happened to be there rests, where they believe one of their deities, The Calm, resides.
The Den: A large tree stays by the Shade Beasts shrine. A massive hollow hole lays at the base, where the current alpha will reside. Sometimes, the alpha will let their family stay with them, as the tree is truly massive and has room for it!

Everywhere else of the tribe is habitable. Members of the tribe are spread throughout the forest, not kept to one exact area.

Beliefs:
While they acknowledge the Gods and Goddesses of the world and their part, they believe in two deities of their own creation; The Shade Beast and The Calm. Due to the history of their tribe, they hold these deities exclusive to their own personal beliefs above all else, and even have rituals to respect them.

The Shade Beast: The Shade Beast is believed to be a deity that protects their land and encourages Cruor members to push the boundaries of what they perceive in order to see what happens. It instills bravery and power, believed to encourage those of darker minds to explore their desires. The tribe leans more towards this deity, though the other one has their place. In stories, the Shade Beast is described as a being shrouded in darkness.

The Calm: The Calm is believed to be a deity that brings the warm of familial love and devotion to one another, as well as peace amongst their own kind. Without it they believe their tribe would have disbanded due to a chaotic need for power amongst one another. The Calm is described in stories as a deity that lives within feelings, lacking a physical body.

The Family:
The term family is used constantly throughout the tribe, though it isn't a word limited to blood. Anyone within the tribe is considered part of the family. The tribe uses three terms to refer to family.

Blood Kin: Those who share the same blood with you.
Chosen Kin: Those who are of higher status than other tribe members, usually meaning best friends, mates, close comrades.
tribe Kin: This encompasses everyone within the tribe.

Anyone within the tribe is seen as a form of family, and thus treated as so. While not all members will get along, it is expected that those within the tribe will protect one another and keep the land welcoming, even if they do not get along. However, due to the nature of the tribe, it is expected tensions will raise time to time, and thus fighting is only permitted on the battle lands when the alpha approves it.

Mating and Breeding:
Choosing ones mate is up to the individual, and the tribe does not care if you have one or more partners. Your mate must be part of the tribe, otherwise it is seen as a betrayal and the member within the tribe will be banished from the tribe. When choosing ones mate, a ceremony is thrown where those close to the ones mating will gather around a fire and each member mating will throw an item of value within a fire, showing they'll sacrifice anything for the other. Breaking up a mateship is not entirely seen with negative light and is permitted. There is no ceremony for breaking up those mated. They do not care if those of different species partner together.

Breeding, however, is very restricted to those within the tribe. Some exceptions will be made, but it will be a case by case situation brought to the current ruler. Otherwise, it's typically agreed that if you breed with someone outside of the tribe then you've betrayed your family. The traitor will be kept as a prisoner until their children are born and then the parent will be thrown out. The children will stay with the tribe and be given to those who wish to raise children.

Children are raised with care. The tribe isn't too affectionate, but they do allow the children to play and roam around the lands. They are trained very young how to defend themselves, given extensive combat classes. Every child is expected to learn some way of defense, whether it be through wit or physical power. A child that lacks a talent in some version of defense is seen as "defective" within the tribe and be viewed as lesser.

Children are seen as a blessing, as it expands their family. As a result, if any harm comes to them the person responsible is usually punished throughly.

Punishment and Banishment:
Those who have wronged the tribe are dealt with immediately. There are two ways of handling someone with an ill-standing amongst the tribe; banishment or punishment. This is only for those within the tribe, otherwise outsiders are often murdered.

Punishments range from simple ones such as cleaning elders dens or accepting a wound that will scar, to even starving or near death experiences. Receiving a punishment does not always mean you'll be welcomed back into the tribe, but typically if you're given one it is meant to state that it is your chance for redemption.

Banishment is for those who have gravely wounded another member outside of the battle lands or done something unforgivable. Banishment is given with a promise; you will be killed if you try and return. Normally, only the one who inflicted the wrong is banished, but under extreme cases entire families may be removed for the safety of the tribe.

Familiars:
Cruor does not care what familiar you bring with you, or acquire, as long as it is properly trained. Familiars are often expected to benefit the tribe in some way.

still working on this  

[NymiiNym]

Rituals:

stuff here  

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Ranks:  

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History:

The beginning history was mostly passed down through stories, as those related to the original alpha have passed. While the origin of the tribe is mostly known through stories that have remained, the stories stick pretty close to the actual origin.

Past:
Long ago, during a time where the forest was a much brighter place, there lived a group of lions who were relatively close in nature and spirit. The small group was known for being aggressive to outsiders, often lunging the second they stumbled upon a stranger. Brought together by their territorial and violent ways, the group decided to treat one another as if they were family, traveling the lands in search of a place to call their own.

It took several years, but finally they stumbled upon a rather large forest to their liking. The group settled within the forest, chasing off anyone they found within it and slowly making their mark. However, they clashed frequently over what to both call the forest and who lived where. During this time they found a strange collection of rocks within the center of the forest, where the light did not reach. It is believed that upon discovering the rocks they woke The Shade Beast, resulting in their arguments warping from practically harmless to violent in nature. The group began turning on one another, wounding each other without abandon. The group began to disperse amongst the forest, attacking anyone who dared to enter their section.

This went on for generations, and the group grew in numbers. Families would turn on one another as children began to explore and members began to expand their homes. The forest began to smell like blood and war, and the prey became harder to find as they avoided the ruthless members.

Eventually, one young lion discovered another set of rocks, bathed in light. It is told within the stories that upon the discovery a calm washed through the forest. Families began to realize they were dooming themselves, as they were running out of members to breed with and were rapidly murdering their own kind. As the last of the first group died the newer generations began to approach one another, and over the years they slowly mended years of hatred. Coincidentally, the lion who discovered the second "shrine" became the leader, as he had begun the process of leading the groups back into one.

Generations passed and the group became a tribe under the name Cruor, united finally. They believed that the pile of rocks they found were shrines hosting deities that had helped in their united nature. The title of alpha stayed within the bloodline of the first alpha, however an unfortunate plague ended up wiping out the majority of the tribe, including the alpha's bloodline.

more coming