[Culture] The Raven Lords

[Raven Flight Mule]

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The Raven Lords and their counterparts are not a herd. While there can be herds formed entirely of Lords, most of those from this group live on their own or as parts of herds which have nothing to do with their culture.

While the stereotype of Lords is that they tend to be detached and calculating they are in fact just as diverse as any other group. While there are individuals who fit the stereotype there are also Lords who are carefree, joyful and open.

This thread will detail the core ideas that all Lords follow. Individual families may put more or less stress on certain traditions or ideas, in addition to sometimes having their own traditions and rules different from other Lords.

Joining is simple. If you have a horse with no canon history (gen1, no in canon parents, no RPs or plotted history) you say it's a Lord, and now it is! It always helps if you have a raven, octopus or snake (as is appropriate) to grant them, but if you don't check (guild link here) to see if there are any familiars being given away. Everyone is welcome to make new Lords and Lord families at any time. If you are ever unsure about something you would like to do with a Lord or Lord family just ask one over three. I'll be more than happy to help out.  

[Raven Flight Mule]

The Types of Lords

Raven Lords are the primary branch. These are the descendants of an ancient and once powerful herd and they still use ravens as their companions. They value the ability to fly and look down upon any Raven Lords who are born without wings.

Their mask is usually made from leather and is most frequently decorated with feathers, fangs, talons, beaks, and cloth.

Classes they can be Speaker, Dedicated, Primordial, Conspiracy, Dread, Abhorrent, Resplendent, Awaited


Lords of the Depths - The first and only recognized sub branch are the Lords of the Depths. Early after the fall of the ancient herd some members settled near the sea and begun relationships with the kelpies living there. Over time the group became more and more aquatic, and bonds between them and their ravens became more and more difficult to maintain when the Lords could dive where the birds could not follow. After much debate between the herd's few remaining elders it was decided that octopods would be suitable partners for these new aquatic lords. Today this group is known as the Lords of the Depths and are recognized by Raven Lords as being equals.

Their mask is usually made from driftwood and is most frequently decorated with shells, pearls, fish bones, beaks, and treasure.

Classes they can be Speaker, Dedicated, Primordial, Conspiracy, Dread, Awaited

The Ophidian Sect -The Ophidian Sect consists of individuals who were born into the Raven Lord tradition but are land dwelling and lack wings. As they are ill suited for raven or octopus companions they have chosen instead to pair with serpents. They are rebels who have shunned the traditional roll of Speaker instead choosing to prove that they are equal to any other Lord. They have taken to caves and caverns far beneath the earth where octopods and ravens can't go.

While they are not currently accepted as Lords by their peers they are staying true to their path and one day may earn the respect they deserve. They are the only sect young enough to have a living founder. That leader is Melusine. At this time if you are joining the Ophidian Sect you should list Melusine as your 'family' either along side your founding family member or as the only name.


Their mask is usually made from wood and is most frequently decorated with roots, stones, gems, paints, and beetle wings.

Classes they can be Speaker (only through lifemating), Dedicated, Primordial, Conspiracy, Abhorrent, Resplendent, Awaited
 

[Raven Flight Mule]

The Culture

The mask is a sign of honour, skill, and accomplishment which can be granted to the Raven Lord by anyone they hold in high esteem. This individual can be a fellow raven lord, a familiar, or... anybody! So long as the gifter understands the importance and meaning of the mask it is considered valid. If a Lord makes a mask for themselves it is considered false and they will be shunned by all other Lords.

Flightless Raven Lords are a thing to be pitted as they can't soar with the partners that give them their names. For this reason it's rare that a Raven Lord would breed with a wingless partner. Should this happen, any flightless children born of the union will still be honoured with the title, but will almost never obtain a mask of their own.

Ravens are believed to have been the first creatures to be blessed by the spirits. Thus receiving higher intelligence and cunning than any other animal. Those who partner with them are above all others, even if they are not members of the Raven Lord line.

Names given to Raven Lords by their parents reflect what the strengths they hope their children will have. These are often not literal, and names can have more than one meaning behind them. Names can be metaphorical or even just include sounds which carry some meaning to the parent.

Foals only become Raven Lords if they are raised by the Raven Lord parent. If a foal is born to a Raven Lord then is raised by anyone outside of the culture then they lose their birthright and will only ever have access to it again if they formed a permanent mateship with a fully realized Raven Lord. An individual from the Raven Lord line may choose to adopt a foal, and raise it as a full blooded Raven Lord so long as this child was adopted as an infant (basket stage).
 

[Raven Flight Mule]

The Classes

Speaker - Members of this class are one of three types of Lords.
Most commonly, Speakers aren't individuals who were born to a Raven Lord line but instead formed a permanent mateship with a Raven Lord. No matter how deeply they adopt the culture or bond to their bird they can never become a member of a different class.
Of those born into the culture many speakers are those who were born wingless to Raven Lord parents. As they can not fly they can not properly bond with their raven and thus fail to become members of any other class.
The final type is those who reach for a class they are not able to achieve and not only fail that, but fail to bond with their raven at all. Most of those who try for conspiracy and dread classes fail to form a close enough bond to even reach the dedicated class and wind up being speakers for life.

Dedicated - Most Raven Lords choose to follow the path of the Dedicated Class. This class focuses on forming a tight knit bond with a single bird. Dedicated types grow to know their companions so well that to an outside observer it may seem that the pair has a psychic bond. They, of course, do not.

Primordial - A Primordial Raven lord has only one raven, but also has some form of magic. Suti and Uni mixes will most likely be Primordial. The main difference between a Primordial Raven Lord and a Dedicated Raven lord is that the Primordial can't focus all of their attention on their raven as they also need to spend time learning to use their powers.

Conspiracy - Any raven lord that gathers together a large flock of ravens. They achive this by bonding with an alpha raven and by helping their bonded companion build him or herself a flock. If a flock member bonds to a soquili they leave their parent flock.
This class is usually chosen by dominant types who wish to hold large territories, which is necessary to maintain the large number of ravens in a Conspiracy class' flock. The most common strategy for this class is to either put emphasis on sheer strength or overwhelm any opponent with numbers.

Dread - This is a restricted class. Please do not make a dread raven lrod unless you already own 5 lords of other classes. Dread Raven Lords are the herd leaders of Raven Lord society. Rather than focusing on a bond with a raven, Dread Raven Lords focus on leading other Raven Lords. Just being the head of a group of Raven Lords is not enough here. Their primary concern (and the primary concern of their raven familiar if they have one) is the Raven Lords who follow them.
A Dread Raven Lord may start out as any of the three above classes (Dedicated, Conspiracy, or Primordial). This is the only class where having a raven (or octopus/snake) companion is optional.

Abhorrent - Some Raven Lords may eventually choose to seek out corpse powder and form and join as one with their partner raven. Individuals who succeed are seen as simultaneously perfect, yet also loathsome. Reasons to seek this class differ vastly, but some may be seeking to hold onto a deathly sick partner, others may have gone insane long before starting their quest. The one thing they all have in common is that both Raven and Raven lord go on the quest together.

Resplendent - Abhorrent Raven Lords who have received an angeni charm can become Resplendent. This is not an automatic title and it has to be earned. The ideal Resplendent Raven Lord is one who has been cursed, then was able to regain their original personality, or better yet a personality that is a mix of their original self, and their raven companion. This fusion does not need to be moral or good. So long as the curse doesn't dominate their personality then they are often considered Resplendent.

Awaited - Ravens and Raven Lords who's partner has passed away. Often Awaited ravens will most often seek out a Conspiracy Class Raven Lord and join their flock. Awaited Raven Lords will most likely either seek out a Dread Lord and join them, or seek somewhere quiet to raise chicks for future generations in peace.
 

[Raven Flight Mule]

Read all that and want to join the Lords? Fill out the following form and post it in this thread. Your Lord is still a Lord even if you never post here, this is just so others can take a peek at who's involved. wink

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[b]Owner's Name[/b]:
[b]Lord's Name[/b]:
[b]Partner's Name[/b]:
[b]Branch[/b]: (Choose Raven, Depths, or Ophidian)
[b]Family[/b]: (If they are the first pony in their line put their name. If they were born or customed into a particular family put the name of the first pony in that line.)
[b]Herd[/b]: (Choose none, or list the herd they are members of)
[b]Class[/b]: (If unknown, choose Dedicated. Class may be changed later)

 

[Raven Flight Mule]

FAQ  

[Raven Flight Mule]

CYO Plushes

You can use these masks to make Lord themed plushes for yourself or others. Please remember that holiday CYOs are not edited and so the masks may not be translated onto a finished pony. Of course, you can also draw your own masks or enter a Lord without a mask. It's up to you!

-Masks image-  

[Raven Flight Mule]

Family Information
Founders who wish to have special traditions can have their information listed here.  

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The Queen