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 Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:55 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:55 pm
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█████████ＬＯＲＥ
█████████|━━━━✹━━━━
████████████|❧ It is said, in stories told from generation to generation; in records kept, that
█████████████████there was once a time when there was no light in the world. Everyone lived in
█████████████████darkness. It was like this for years and nothing changed; it was widely
█████████████████accepted as the norm because no one knew any different.
█████████████████But then something happened. A storm came through; one like nothing they’d
█████████████████ever seen before. Light crackled across the sky in bright flashes. Many turned
█████████████████away; their eyes not used to such harshness and those that looked for too
█████████████████long lost their adaptation to night for a period of time.
█████████████████The storms raged on and on for months; always the light flickering in the sky.
█████████████████One night; a particular bright storm passed through. The light was striking the
█████████████████ground, coming down in cracks that seemed to split the sky. A bolt hit a tree
█████████████████nearby and it ignited in flames; bright and golden. The whole lands around it
█████████████████were lit up; colours, faces, everything could be seen clearly for longer than a
█████████████████few seconds. The blaze spread through the forest; some were brave enough
█████████████████to get close to it, receiving small burns or smoke sickness.
█████████████████Panic spread through. They had lived in darkness for so long and now the
█████████████████only light they had was dangerous to them. Most grew afraid of the light and
█████████████████retreated, finding a new home where it was dark; where they were used to the
█████████████████light. However, one family stayed. The Goldenleaf family; Baran; his wife,
█████████████████Laurëa and their son; Bril.
█████████████████Baran was not afraid of the flames. He could see his wife clearly in the golden
█████████████████glow; her beauty and grace. He could see their son; what features he
█████████████████inherited from them and how handsome he had grown to be. Sadly, the light
█████████████████was short lived; the pouring rains extinguishing the flames after a few hours,
█████████████████thrusting the Goldenleafs back into darkness.
█████████████████Baran became obsessed. He wanted the light back; to see his wife and son
█████████████████clearly again instead of always looking at them through a dark-coloured hue.
█████████████████His life was spent trying to find the light again; to find a way to capture it, to
█████████████████keep it forever. It was in his darkest days when he found the light,. Frustrated,
█████████████████he had thrown a stone and it had struck another. The light was small but when
█████████████████you live in darkness it’s not something you easily miss.
█████████████████It took him months after that; but he finally discovered flint and how to create
█████████████████the light; how to create fire. He spent his days crafting cases to hold the fire in;
█████████████████ lanterns. With these, he and his son guided their small family through the
█████████████████forest. They saw the lands together.
█████████████████The Goldenleafs worshipped the fire. It had given them a life they didn’t know
█████████████████they weren’t living. They prayed to it, threw offerings into to it. One day, the
█████████████████fire took the form of a great beast. Had Baran not devoted his life to trusting
█████████████████the fires, he might have been afraid. The Fire God thanked Baran for allowing
█████████████████him to survive in this land; for making sure he was never extinguished. He
█████████████████explained that he had been sent away and needed to regain his strength so
█████████████████that he could return to his home in the sky.
█████████████████However, it was revealed that the Fire God’s powers would never be as strong
█████████████████as they once were. He would only be allowed to burn for half of the day; the
█████████████████other half he would have to go into hiding to replenish his strength. The
█████████████████sorceress who had banished him would also be returning to her home in the
█████████████████sky though the two could never be in the same place together. Lunaris; she
█████████████████was called and she ruled the night which is why she had banished the Fire God.
█████████████████“Her powers will vary. She has grown weak and cannot let her light shine
█████████████████forever. Use my flames; my light while I am not there to guide you. Let my light
█████████████████outshine Lunaris’.”
█████████████████True enough, the next day they awoke to a world of light and colours; the Fire
█████████████████God at home in the sky. Baran and his family worked on spreading the word of
█████████████████the Fire God; spreading his light. When he slept to replenish his powers so
█████████████████that he may bless them again the next day, they lit lanterns to keep them
█████████████████safe from Lunaris.
█████████████████When Baran died, he trusted his son to carry on the tradition and from then
█████████████████on, sons born in the Goldenleaf family were granted lanterns to guide the
█████████████████family through the darkness. It was a sign of bravery and loyalty to the Fire God.
█████████████████Somewhere along the line, a descendant of Baran made it so sons had to be
█████████████████proven worthy to carry a lantern. It is said this was due to a betrayal of a
█████████████████lantern carrier, but the stories vary. To receive a lantern, the sons must prove
█████████████████themselves not afraid of the flames by leaping through them. If they emerged
█████████████████unburnt they were granted a lantern. If they were burnt by the flames; it was
█████████████████taken as a sign that the Fire God did not trust them and they were banished
█████████████████from the herd.
█████████████████At one point no sons were born to the current leader. It was decided he would
█████████████████test his oldest daughter. She emerged from the flames unharmed and was
█████████████████granted a lantern. She was Gail Goldenleaf; the first female lantern bearer.
█████████████████Traditions carried on and to this day, the Goldenleaf family have carried
█████████████████lanterns to light their way in the darkness; never faltering and never losing
█████████████████faith in the Fire God.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:00 pm
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█████████ＢＥＬＩＥＦＳ
█████████━━━━━━━━✹━━━━━━━━
██████████|███❧ The Goldenleaf family/herd today aren’t religious to the point of being a cult.
███████████████████They have their beliefs and traditions, which have been passed down through
███████████████████generations, but there have been some things that have been forgotten or
███████████████████tossed aside as time went on.
███████████████████The one thing that has stayed throughout the generations is the Fire God and
███████████████████their loyalty to him. They hold festivals and celebrations in his name, wear
███████████████████charms to ward off Lunaris and, of course, carry the lanterns.
███████████████████A child born with golden hair is considered blessed by the Fire God and are
███████████████████treated as mini deities themselves. They act as Priests/Priestesses and
███████████████████communicate with the Fire God and are in charge of the ceremonies and
███████████████████festivals.
███████████████████A child born with white hair is considered moon-tainted. In older times, the
███████████████████child was believed to be a changling, sent by Lunaris heself and so they were
███████████████████killed; burnt alive as an offering to the Fire God. However, when a leader’s son
███████████████████was cursed with white hair, he could not perform the rite realised how cruel
███████████████████the tradition was. He removed this aspect from their family beliefs. As the herd
███████████████████grew and time passed, many believed those that were moon-tainted held
███████████████████more strength over Lunaris. As such, they are offered a chance to undertake
███████████████████special training in order to fight Lunaris and her army.
███████████████████On a similar note, those born on the night of a full-moon are considered moon-
███████████████████tainted. Foals born on this night are watched carefully for any changes that
███████████████████may reveal them as pawns of Lunaris. When they come of age, they are
███████████████████allowed to take the lantern test and if they pass, they are then allowed to join
███████████████████the herd – their moon-tainted status revoked – in this instance, females may
███████████████████be granted a lantern for they resisted the call of Lunaris and proved
███████████████████themselves to the Fire God.
███████████████████Outsiders are not easily trusted; particularly kalona, Ulun’suti and imps. For
███████████████████years, the Goldenleaf family have believed these to be spies working for
███████████████████Lunaris for they bare resemblances to bats; creatures of the night. For this
███████████████████reason, kalonas and Ulun’suti are not permitted entry into the family and any
███████████████████member who chooses to mate with one is exiled.
███████████████████Kelpis, mers and other aquatic breeds are also not welcomed in the herd. Not
███████████████████for the same reasons as those mentioned above, but because they’re from the
███████████████████water which extinguishes the Fire God’s lights. For the same reason, they
███████████████████don’t often travel near large bodies of water, preferring to stick to small
███████████████████streams and the like.
██████████|███❧ Flinging is not something that is... widely accepted within the family/herd. Most
███████████████████ members – particularly those of the Goldenleaf family are encouraged to find
███████████████████one partner and stick to them. When a couple chooses to Lifemate, a
███████████████████celebration is held, kind of like a wedding, but with traditions and a style that
███████████████████suits the herd dynamics.
███████████████████Partners from outside the herd must be approved by the herd leader before
███████████████████any ceremony is planned. To be allowed access into the family/herd stallions
███████████████████must pass a test set by the father of the mare he intends to mate. In the case
███████████████████of mares, they must provide an offering to the Fire God. If the offering burns
███████████████████in less than 6 hours, the mare is accepted into the herd as the Fire God has
███████████████████accepted their offering.
███████████████████A soquili who chooses to fling around is looked down upon, seen as dirty; this
███████████████████goes the same for the partners he/she flings with. If it becomes a recurring
███████████████████problem, the parties involved may be asked to leave the herd/family.
███████████████████Any soquili who breeds with an outside that hasn’t been approved by the herd
███████████████████leader will be exiled from the family, along with any children.
███████████████████Children born into the herd are raised to follow the same beliefs as their
███████████████████parents and other herd members. There is no real distinction between males
███████████████████and females until the proper ceremonies are performed; lanterns etc’.
██████████|███❧ Besides the obvious difference between roles when it comes to lanterns – with
███████████████████the exception of the few females who are granted lanterns due to special
███████████████████circumstances – there are no real harsh or downgrading differences between
███████████████████men and women in the herd.
███████████████████While it is expected of men to protect the herd, a stallion is perfectly welcomed
███████████████████to take on another role. Women are not expected to fight for the herd, nor are
███████████████████they trained to, however should a female prove herself worthy she will be
███████████████████taken on as an apprentice and, may even be granted a lantern.
███████████████████When they aren’t at risk of battle, roles amongst the herd and split equally
███████████████████between men and women. For this reason, lantern bearers may have a
███████████████████secondary job when the herd is settled. Men may find themselves foraging,
███████████████████cleaning or babysitting just as much as women would. Everyone is expected
███████████████████to pull their weight in the herd, regardless of gender and status.
██████████|███❧ Social classes are something that exist but are not a huge part of the herd. It
███████████████████is known who is noble; that is who is directly related to the current leader, who
███████████████████is next in line and who holds power in times of crisis. That’s the extent of
███████████████████social classes. At the end of the day, the Leader has final say in any decisions
███████████████████and can (and will) step in if he believes there is an abuse of power.
██████████|███❧ Death is accepted as the fate of everyone in the herd. Upon their death, the
███████████████████deceased is sent to the Fire God in a ceremonial cremation. Their lives are
███████████████████celebrated and mourning is to be done in private. It is believed that cremating
███████████████████the body will send the soul of the departed to join the Fire God in the afterlife.
███████████████████If a body is not able to be burnt, their possessions are burnt instead (it’s
███████████████████believed the soul will chase their possessions and reach the Fire God’s
███████████████████kingdom).
██████████|███❧ Ash plays an important part in the herd’s life. It is regarded as the most
███████████████████important belonging of a family and can be traced back to the very start of the
███████████████████family. The ashes are only passed down the line when children are mated but
███████████████████it is only a small amount as the ash is expected to grow with the arrival of foals
███████████████████and the death of family members.
███████████████████Ash is sacred and priestesses of the herd may use it to perform rituals or
███████████████████contact deceased family members – this is the only time it is acceptable for
███████████████████someone outside of your family line to have contact with your ash. Members
███████████████████who join the herd instead of being born into it have an ash created for them.
███████████████████All ashes have part of the Patriarchal line's ashes - tying them to the herd
███████████████████ and to the family.
███████████████████Because of its importance in the family, it is believed that the ash can be used
███████████████████to strengthen rituals. The head priest/ess keeps a small amount of every herd
███████████████████members' birth ash so that they may use it for rituals (scrying, prophecies
███████████████████etc'). Because of the sacredness of the ash, the Head Priest/ess is the
███████████████████only one allowed to perform ash rituals. Their apprentice may be
███████████████████permitted to watch and play small roles when they are deemed ready but they
███████████████████are not allowed to touch the ash until they take over their master.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:03 pm
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█████████ＴＲＡＤＩＴＩＯＮＳ
█████████━━━━━━━━━━━━✹━━━━━━━━━━━━
████████████████❧ ＭＡＴＩＮＧ ＣＥＲＥＭＯＮＹ
███████████████████The mating ceremony is performed in front of the entire herd. In a similar
███████████████████fashion to the ash ceremony, this is a joining of two families and so ash from
███████████████████one family is joined with the ash from another. In the case of an outsider, there
███████████████████is a small ceremony for her own ash to be created – this is made by burning a
███████████████████possession of them and a small piece of hair along with branches and such.
███████████████████The ashes are joined and thus, a family ash is created which is then passed
███████████████████down to children in their own mating ceremonies.
███████████████████Following the ceremony, there is a large feast and celebration – along with a
███████████████████bonfire. The mated pair are sat in the centre of the celebrations and must
███████████████████remain there until all offerings have been made. Celebrations continue until
███████████████████the last fire dies out at which point the couple may return to private
███████████████████residences. Because it is such a large celebration and quite time consuming, it
███████████████████is not uncommon for multiple couples to partake in the ceremony at once –
███████████████████and is often considered good luck.
████████████████❧ ＡＳＨ ＣＥＲＥＭＯＮＹ
███████████████████When a couple has children, the Ash Ceremony takes place. This happens the
███████████████████day of the foal's emergence from baskets. The parents light a fire on behalf of
███████████████████their children, adding ash from past fires. This symbolizes the foal's connection
███████████████████to the herd. This is typically a private ceremony with the family & herd leader
███████████████████which is then followed by a celebration with the whole herd.
████████████████❧ ＬＡＮＴＥＲＮ ＣＥＲＥＭＯＮＹ
███████████████████A ceremony for the stallions - and mares, if applicable - who have come of age.
███████████████████The herd will migrate to an open field, usually with little vegetation around.
███████████████████Once the herd has settled, they all work together to set up a bonfire. Those
███████████████████participating in the ceremony are kept separate from the herd -and each other -
███████████████████so that they might reflect and prepare in whatever way they wish. As the sun sets,
███████████████████the bonfire is lit and the herd gathers around. One by one, the participants jump
███████████████████over the bonfire, putting their trust in the Flame God and accepting his guiding light.
███████████████████Once all initiates have passed this test, they are granted their lanterns by the Patriarch.
███████████████████The Ceremony is then followed by a celebration with the whole herd.
████████████████❧ ＣＲＥＭＡＴＩＯＮ ＣＥＲＥＭＯＮＹ
███████████████████All members of the herd who pass from this life are cremated. Should a body
███████████████████be unable to be recovered, all of their belongings are cremated in their stead.
███████████████████The ceremony is performed at night – so that Lunaris may see the fire and the
███████████████████body that has served the Fire God. When the fire has died down, the ashes
███████████████████are collected and passed on to remaining family members to join their family
███████████████████ashes. All cremation locations are marked with a fire pit so they may pay their
███████████████████if they return to the area. Maps and records are kept so families may
███████████████████visit should they wish.
████████████████❧ ＭＩＤＤＡＹ
███████████████████The middle of the day is considered a special time. It is when the Sun
███████████████████is at its highest in the sky. During this time, all herd members must say a silent
███████████████████prayer to the Sun. They could pray for anything - health, love, children. Those
███████████████████of higher rank - the patriarch, matriarch, commander and head priestess - use
███████████████████this time to reflect on the herds position and current status. They pray to the Sun
███████████████████for guidance and safety and anything else the herd requires. This is done in private
███████████████████and is not discussed among members outside of this circle.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:11 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:11 pm
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█████████ＲＡＮＫＳ
█████████━━━━━━━✹━━━━━━━
█████████ＰＲＩＭＡＲＹ ＲＡＮＫＳ
█████████These are ranks that hold power and control the order of the herd. Anything
█████████they say is law unless over-ruled by the Patriarch or Matriarch.
████████████████❧ Patriarch
███████████████████The leader of the herd - part of the original blood line. He is in charge of
███████████████████ensuring the safety of the herd and making final decisions on any rulings and
███████████████████decrees. His word is final and law. Oversees all ceremonies.
████████████████❧ Matriarch
███████████████████Mate of the current Patriarch - her word is law when the Patriarch is away -
███████████████████and sometimes even when he is home. She oversees all secondary tasks and
███████████████████ensures women and children are safe and taken care of. Trained in herb
███████████████████healing. The current Patriarch takes the advice of his mate very seriously.
████████████████❧ Head Priest/ess
███████████████████First born Sun-blessed (golden haired) child in the line - either male or female.
███████████████████They perform all ceremonies and light all sacred fires. Possess the ashes of
███████████████████each family for scrying and prophetical purposes. Oversees all Priest and
███████████████████Priestesses under them - one of which is trained to be the next Head
███████████████████Priest/ess. Answers to Matriarch & Patriarch but may sometimes make their
███████████████████own decisions over-ruling the Leaders if they have been advised by the Fire
███████████████████God to do so.
████████████████❧ General
███████████████████In charge of training all lantern bearers and scouts. He is in charge of all
███████████████████military and defense decisions as well as their general travel destinations and
███████████████████ routes. HIs word in times of crisis is law and at times may even over-rule that
███████████████████of the Patriarch & Matriarch if safety is of concern. Though he answers to the
███████████████████Patriarch, they see each other as equals.
████████████████❧ Priest/ess
███████████████████Those that are Sun-Blessed - have golden hair - are trained to be
███████████████████priests/priestesses of the Fire God from the moment they are born. While they
███████████████████are taken from their parents, they are encouraged to maintain relationships
███████████████████with their family members. They are trained in healing, midwifery and fire
███████████████████scrying. Those sun-blessed who also possess unicorn horns are considered
███████████████████sacred because of their natural healing abilities.
████████████████❧ Lantern Bearers
███████████████████Typically stallions, these are the guards and guides of the herd. Whenever
███████████████████travelling at night, they always surround the herd and light the way. While
███████████████████making camp, they take rotations and protect the herd. They are all trained in
███████████████████combat and all answer to the General. Females are capable of becoming
███████████████████lanterns if they prove themselves - either in brave feats or if they pass the
███████████████████ceremony after being born on a full moon. Lantern Bearers are trained by
███████████████████the general and answer to him.
████████████████❧ Scouts
███████████████████Scouts are Lantern Bearers specially selected by the General and used to
███████████████████scout ahead for danger. They are the fastest of the fliers as well as some of
███████████████████the best fighters and quick thinkers. Their efforts help keep the herd safe from
███████████████████dangers ahead and help the herd avoid unwanted obstacles. They may give
███████████████████out minor commands to Lantern Bearers - such as sending messages etc' -
███████████████████but still answer to the General.
████████████████❧ Night Walker
███████████████████
███████████████████A newly created ranking and one that is, at current, kept secret. Those that
███████████████████are born Moon Tainted are trained specially in order to see in the night without
███████████████████a lantern. Their eyes are covered during the day - though they move as if
███████████████████nothing inhibits them. Given special combat training, they are taught to move
███████████████████silently and rid the world of any night enemies that lurk in the shadows,
███████████████████threatening the herd. Those that are born Moon Tainted are given the choice
███████████████████to become a Night Walker - it is not something that is forced upon them.
███████████████████Currently only the Patriarch, General, Head Priestess and Vilurin (the only
███████████████████current known Moon Tainted member of the family) know of the existense and
███████████████████plans for the Night Walkers. Night Walkers answer to the General, Head Priestess
███████████████████and the Patriarch.
█████████ＳＥＣＯＮＤＡＲＹ ＲＡＮＫＳ
█████████These are more so jobs than they are ranks. Everyone has a secondary rank -
█████████even those with primary ranks excluding the Patriarch & Matriarch and the
█████████Night Walkers.
████████████████❧ Gatherer
███████████████████A very common job. Though it has a specific title most in the herd will take on
███████████████████this role in some form or another - even if they have another job. Typically,
███████████████████they are in charge of gathering food, resources and fire wood. They answer to
███████████████████the Matriarch who takes log of everything and divides it evenly. Some
███████████████████gatherers may only gather specific items i.e. herbs or ores. Some gatherers
███████████████████may also take on the role of preparing meals specially i.e. cooks.
████████████████❧ Hunter
███████████████████Hunters gather meat for those in the herd that are inclined to eat such things -
███████████████████ though those who are so inclined typically prefer to hunt their own food and
███████████████████so make up the majority of the hunters. Many of the Lantern Bearers help
███████████████████hunt. Pelts are kept and used as blankets and such. Hunters also answer to
███████████████████the Matriarch who ensures every part of the animal is used and that they do
███████████████████not over-hunt.
████████████████❧ Teacher
███████████████████In charge of teaching foals the lore, beliefs and ways of the herd. They also
███████████████████teach basic surviving skills, basic self-defense and basic herbology. Teachers
███████████████████answer to the Head Priestess. This job is typically held as a secondary job by
███████████████████Priests & Priestesses, however others may apply.
████████████████❧ Nanny
███████████████████Help new mothers with their foals - this is typically a secondary job of
███████████████████Priestesses as they act as midwives for most births as it stands. They're more
███████████████████there for advice and support rather than raising the children in place of the
███████████████████mother. A way for parents to have a break without worrying about their child -
███████████████████not that they really have any need for worry. Nannies answer to the Head
███████████████████Priestess and the Matriarch.
████████████████❧ Crafter
███████████████████Typically a job taken by those gifted with claws - though some hooved
███████████████████members of the herd may find they have a knack for staining rugs with their
███████████████████hooves or the such - and may partner with a clawed herd member. Crafters
███████████████████are in charge of crafting lanterns which is their primary duty to the herd. They
███████████████████take on commission in exchange for goods and services. They answer to the
███████████████████Matriarch who ensures business is kept fair and orderly.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:14 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:14 pm
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