Post by D a R K - R a H on Nov 5, 2007 22:09:59 GMT -5
A tribe-like group of cats, the Druids function both similarly and radically differently from the clanners. First of all, instead of having a single leader, the Druids have Praisers, a group of the oldest cats in the tribe who make the desicions.
Ranks:
Becoming a Ranger:
After having been a Listener for over a full cycle, a young cat is ready to become a Ranger. He or she has lived in their Speaker's family den since they left their mothers. Communers tell the Praisers and Speakers when the Spirits have said a Listener is ready to recieve their Vision.
In the dead of the night, the selected Listener is lead to a distant clearing and is instructed to sit atop a boulder until he recieves their vision. The group of Rangers who accopanied him(always including his Speaker and at least one Communer) retreat and hide out of view. All night they take turns watching over the Listener or sleeping. At one point or another, the Listener has his vision from the Spirits, a vision said to show deep into the cat's heart and spirit. It is occasionally from that vision that the new Ranger chooses his or her name.
In utter silence, the group returns to the tribe, whether it is morning yet or still deep night. When they arrive, everyone comes out to greet them and the new Ranger tells everyone his or her decided name. While they were away, the young cat's mother, family, and friends have found him a den of his own.
Dens:
A Druid's den can be in anything from a fallen log, to under the shelter of a bush, to in a dug-out ground-den. Very rarely will a Druid make their nest in a tree, as it's dangerous for kits and pregnant mothers (and the Praisers can't get up their quite often).
It is rather heart-renching to a Druid to lose their den. It was chosen for them by their friends and family and it is their home. Still, accidents happen and they do occasionally have to move dens.
There are old, unused dens about that are cleaned out and stocked with fresh moss for a brand-new Ranger. However, sometimes the new Ranger's family decideds to make them a new den.
Dens are quite often too large for a single cat, as they're intended for an entire family. She-cats like to take their first den close to the den of their parents, and usually move into their mate's den, instead of vise versa.
The tribe's dens are usually all close together, although some cats perfer their privacy and choose dens further from the rest of the tribe.
Names:
The Druids have a very different way of naming themselves, very different from the clanners.
Kit-Names- There are two parts to a kit-name. The prefix is called the "trait name". It is a trait that the parents of the kit wish their child to someday posses. The suffix of the name is the name of the mother or father, depending on the gender of the kit. Occasionally, the kit will carry the name of a parent of the opposite gender.
Example: Frost(she-cat) and Forest(tom) have a litter of two. They want their son to be swift, so he is named Swiftforest. They want their daughter to be gentle, so she is named Gentlefrost.
Listener-Names- Listener-names are very similar to kit-names. The Listener keeps the prefix, the trait-name. The suffix, however, changes from their parents name to their Speaker(mentor)'s name.
Example: Swiftforest is mentored by Tree. So his name is changed to Swift-tree. Gentlefrost is mentored by River, so her name chages to Gentleriver.
Ranger-Names- Ranger names are very different from all other Druid names. They are one-part words. A newly-made Ranger chooses their name upon returning to camp after their Vision Vigil. Some Rangers choose a name because it portrays a certain trait, or others take names similar to their parents or Speakers.
Example: Swift-tree chooses the name Leaf, because it matches his changing moods. Gentleriver is very fond of her Speaker River and so chooses the name Stream.
Praiser and Communer Names: Quite often Praisers and Communers keep their past names. Communers choose their own names just as Rangers do. Praisers merely keep their Ranger names. Occasionally a Communer will have a dream which they interpret to mean they must take a new name.
Example: A Communer named Pebble has a dream about a river over-filling with fish. He then decides that his ancestors mean for him to take the name Fish. As Leaf gets old, he is accepted as a Praiser. He keeps the name Leaf.
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Ranks:
| Praisers: | These are the equivelent of a elder. Older cats must prove their wisdom to become a Praiser. There are probably no more than 3-7 Praisers that form the Druid Council. They serve as the leaders of the clan and, together, make the decisions of the group. |
| Communers: | The equivelent of medicine cats, these three cats speak to the spirits of their past, whom they believe have been reincarnated as other animals. They read signs of the future in the path of bird-flight or in the entrails of rodents. |
| Rangers: | General warriors. Rangers recieve their names through a heavily-relied on ceremony call the Vision Vigil. The young cat sits alone in a holy clearing, awake all night until the spirits send them a vision of their future. The rest of the Rangers hide around the clearing and watch, but never see what the new Ranger sees. Afterward, the new Ranger selects his new name. |
| Listeners: | Same as apprentices. When the Spirits say they are ready, kits spend several days trying out different Speakers until a single speaker is chosen by the Praisers to mentor the kit. |
| Speakers: | Rangers who are currently mentoring a Listener. A Ranger must be at least three cycles old to become a Speaker. She-cats aren't usually Speakers, but it's not unheard of. |
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Becoming a Ranger:
After having been a Listener for over a full cycle, a young cat is ready to become a Ranger. He or she has lived in their Speaker's family den since they left their mothers. Communers tell the Praisers and Speakers when the Spirits have said a Listener is ready to recieve their Vision.
In the dead of the night, the selected Listener is lead to a distant clearing and is instructed to sit atop a boulder until he recieves their vision. The group of Rangers who accopanied him(always including his Speaker and at least one Communer) retreat and hide out of view. All night they take turns watching over the Listener or sleeping. At one point or another, the Listener has his vision from the Spirits, a vision said to show deep into the cat's heart and spirit. It is occasionally from that vision that the new Ranger chooses his or her name.
In utter silence, the group returns to the tribe, whether it is morning yet or still deep night. When they arrive, everyone comes out to greet them and the new Ranger tells everyone his or her decided name. While they were away, the young cat's mother, family, and friends have found him a den of his own.
-------------------------------------
Dens:
A Druid's den can be in anything from a fallen log, to under the shelter of a bush, to in a dug-out ground-den. Very rarely will a Druid make their nest in a tree, as it's dangerous for kits and pregnant mothers (and the Praisers can't get up their quite often).
It is rather heart-renching to a Druid to lose their den. It was chosen for them by their friends and family and it is their home. Still, accidents happen and they do occasionally have to move dens.
There are old, unused dens about that are cleaned out and stocked with fresh moss for a brand-new Ranger. However, sometimes the new Ranger's family decideds to make them a new den.
Dens are quite often too large for a single cat, as they're intended for an entire family. She-cats like to take their first den close to the den of their parents, and usually move into their mate's den, instead of vise versa.
The tribe's dens are usually all close together, although some cats perfer their privacy and choose dens further from the rest of the tribe.
-------------------------------------
Names:
The Druids have a very different way of naming themselves, very different from the clanners.
Kit-Names- There are two parts to a kit-name. The prefix is called the "trait name". It is a trait that the parents of the kit wish their child to someday posses. The suffix of the name is the name of the mother or father, depending on the gender of the kit. Occasionally, the kit will carry the name of a parent of the opposite gender.
Example: Frost(she-cat) and Forest(tom) have a litter of two. They want their son to be swift, so he is named Swiftforest. They want their daughter to be gentle, so she is named Gentlefrost.
Listener-Names- Listener-names are very similar to kit-names. The Listener keeps the prefix, the trait-name. The suffix, however, changes from their parents name to their Speaker(mentor)'s name.
Example: Swiftforest is mentored by Tree. So his name is changed to Swift-tree. Gentlefrost is mentored by River, so her name chages to Gentleriver.
Ranger-Names- Ranger names are very different from all other Druid names. They are one-part words. A newly-made Ranger chooses their name upon returning to camp after their Vision Vigil. Some Rangers choose a name because it portrays a certain trait, or others take names similar to their parents or Speakers.
Example: Swift-tree chooses the name Leaf, because it matches his changing moods. Gentleriver is very fond of her Speaker River and so chooses the name Stream.
Praiser and Communer Names: Quite often Praisers and Communers keep their past names. Communers choose their own names just as Rangers do. Praisers merely keep their Ranger names. Occasionally a Communer will have a dream which they interpret to mean they must take a new name.
Example: A Communer named Pebble has a dream about a river over-filling with fish. He then decides that his ancestors mean for him to take the name Fish. As Leaf gets old, he is accepted as a Praiser. He keeps the name Leaf.
