#clan. religion

[everrainrp]

I may have missed this in my perusing of lore, but do leaders of each Clan have multiple lives, and if so, where do they come from? Since their spiritual beliefs vary so widely, is it different for each Clan?

Hello!

This is something I need to add and talk about, but to keep things minimally confusing between each Clan, each leader does indeed have multiple lives!

And with the idea that none of their spiritual beliefs are necessarily wrong, they still receive their lives but in different ways and rites. In the end, they act very similarly to cats of history giving lives in the form of some sort of leadership ideal, ie. a spirit granting a life and willing the leader to lead with wisdom.

Rite of the Changing Tides

Shoreshimmer prospective leaders, both Landbound and Seabound, are to go to the bleached whale bones found on their southern shores, and sit within them as they face the ocean. From here, they will spend a full day and night in meditation, watching the ocean and it's tides, contemplating life and death and how everything is intertwined. This symbolizes their patience and understanding of the rise and fall of the tides and the ocean and it's cycles. From here, they will enter a tidal cavern called Tidal Keep that is only accessible at low tide. As the tide rises and ocean water laps at their paws as sea spray and mist fills the cavern, it is here that the souls of the cycle will appear to the leader. With each beat of the waves, a new soul will appear in the sea mist and grant the leader a life, and with each life the leader feels a new thrum of energy and invigoration, as if the ocean itself was pulsing in their veins. This will last until it is once again low tide and the leader may exit the cave and return to camp, which they are welcomed as a new and official leader.

Rite of the Drowning River

Torrentfall prospective leaders must go through one of the most dangerous rites of their Clan, of which symbolizes their acceptance of the raw power of the water they deeply revere, and their willingness to push for survival and sacrifice. Prospective leaders are lead to the "Thunderpool", the most dangerous location within their territory where the water is composed of the raging and cascading waters from surrounding waterfalls, creating a dangerous, swirling pool. From here, they must enter the river and submit themselves entirely, in mind and body, to the currents. They are dragged deep under, and must not fight the pull, and as they descend further and further into the frigid waters, they will slip into unconsciousness. When awaking, it is not in the physical realm, but the afterlife, the Endless Currents, where the water is still and shimmering, creating a serene picture. Ancestors and deceased loved ones and kin will approach the leader one by one and grant them their lives. As opposed to the life giving thrum of Shoreshimmer's life ceremony, Torrentfall's feels as though they are being crushed by the weight of the water before feeling breath returning to them each time, granting them grit and resilience needed to rise from the depths again and again. Once over, the cat will resurface and be pulled to the riverbank by awaiting Clanmates who will bear witness to the first breath the cat will take as new leader.

Rite of the Veiled Whispers

Mistshroud prospective leaders will proceed to a moss covered boulder deep within their territory and consume a liquid blend of herbs that induce vivid dreams and a trance like state. The prospective leader will fall into a trance upon the moss covered boulder, named the "Veil Stone", and upon entering this trance their soul will appear in the mists of their territory. From here, they are tasked with navigating a maze with nothing but their senses and instincts, back to the location that camp would be. Instead of being greeted by their living kin, in the camp they are greeted by past ancestors and deceased loved ones that inhabit the mists of their world. From here, the spirits will grant the leader their nine lives, but this is often done in silence as those passed believe wisdom is best conveyed without words. Once this is complete, the leader will wake from their trance like state, and return to camp in reality, where they will be greeted as the new leader of the Clan officially. Not only do they carry the nine lives, but also the unseen and quiet wisdom of past lives.

Rite of the Hunt, the Howl, and the Heart

This rite revolves around their pantheon, the great boar Thornmaw (survival and the hunt), the quick wolf Silverhowl (unity and pack loyalty), and the regal stag Bravehart (leadership and compassion). Prospective leaders of Thornrush Clan must go through several trials pertaining to their pantheon before receiving their nine lives. To start these trials, they must fall into a deep sleep under a natural stone arch found in their territory called the "Traversing Stone". It is here that when they awake, that they awaken in Thornmaw's Hunting Grounds, where the greatest and most honorable of their ancestors reside in the afterlife. Their first test begins here, the test of the Hunt, where they must track and hunt a fox, a symbol of survival and cunning and a direct mirror to Thornrush Clans willingness to outlast and outlive challenges, made out of roots and brambles through the hunting grounds. A group of spirits wait underneath a great redwood tree for the leaders success and proof. From here the next test begins, the test of the Howl. The leader must lead the group of spirits through rugged and treacherous terrain, ascending the side of a mountain to reach Silverhowl's den. No cat must be left behind and one must be willing to ensure every spirit makes it, even if it means sacrificing their own comfort or safety. As Silverhowl embodies the belief of strength in unity and that a leader must never abandon their pack, this test is done to ensure that the leader can lead in unity and trust in the group. Upon arrival to Silverhowl's Den successfully, it is time for the test of the heart. The test of the heart symbolizes Bravehart's leadership and compassion, standing tall with a regal air even in the face of adversity. This test will have the leader making a symbolic sacrifice that would be for the good of their Clan. This sacrifice will vary greatly between leaders, and often revolves around something that they are unwilling to let go of. Upon successful completion of these trials, the spirits that the leader had guided in the test of the Howl, approach one by one to grant their lives to the leader as well as place a crown of thorns upon their head, allowing the leader to bear the weight of leadership and feel it. These lives are filled with power and greatness, the very same bravery and honor that the spirits hold embodied in each life given. Upon awakening, the leader will bear a crown of thorns, and may return to camp where they will be greeted as the newfound leader.

Rite of Ascension

In Skyreach Clan, prospective leaders must ascend, both physically and metaphorically, to their new rank. This is done on "Star's Summit" , one of the highest peaks bordering Skyreach's territory. The prospective leader must make this climb alone, exposed to the elements and the high winds as they hike up the ledges of the mountain. This symbolizes their willingness to rise above the struggles of below for their Clan and what they are willing to do for their kin, as well as their readiness to reach for what may otherwise be out of reach and go beyond, and to ascend to be closest to their ancestors. Upon reaching the very top, there is a cave that they must enter where many cairns are stacked by previous leaders, the amount of stones symbolizing how many years a leader had led. Few cairns are stacked due to the age of the overall Clan, but a new leader will begin a new cairn. It is here that they must fall asleep in the frigid temperatures, closest to their ancestors. When they awaken in the spiritual sense, the stars will descend to the peaks, falling rapidly through the skies leaving blazing trails behind them. But instead of brutal impact, these stars gently touch the ledge and take on the form of their deceased loved ones, as they file into the cave, turning it into almost a planetarium of sorts as stars and stardust fills the empty space. As the spirits gather, they bestow upon the leader their lives, each life filling them with a sense of wonder and willingness to carry themselves and their Clan far, each life making the cat feel as though they are drifting through the clouds on open wings with nothing to stop them. Upon waking, they may return to camp, where as the rest of the Clans, are welcome as a new leader.

[darlin-djarin]

acespec dinluke truthers are the only ones who understand dinluke fr. those two guys don't want to fuck they want to take care of that green thang !!! together !!!!

[mayasaura]

Call me a hopeless goth, but I kind of like the Ninth House's funerary practices and I wish we knew more about them. At least, I like what they could be: what I imagine they once were, before their culture was shattered.

The Ninth as we see it is a civilization in its death throes. It's a utilitarian horror show, hollowed out by tragedy and stripped of all dignity and sentiment, but we have good reason to think it wasn't always like that. They have a history of fine textile production and poetry, and occassionally forming hero cults to celebrate cultural icons. There used to be families who raised their children communally. Before the sea of tiny coffins, the Ninth may have known how to live, and even how to mourn.

There are glimmers of what their death culture might have been like in Harrow's prayer beads: made from the bones of her ancestors, a tangible link to her history and community. And in Gideon searching for her mother in the leek fields, imagining that a woman she never met is still present in her life.

In a living culture with a functioning community, the use of human bone as a crafting material could make mundane objects into momentos, ways to keep loved ones close after their passing. The skeleton servitors could be seen as a way individuals continued to care and provide for the community, even after death.

If their dead are routinely exhumed to be added to the chore rota, it would make sense for the exhumation, cleaning, and raising of those bones to traditionally be a cultural ritual like a graduation or funeral. Most of those skeletons would have had living friends and family working alongside them, when the Ninth still had generations. The skeleton sweeping the chapel used to be someone's uncle. People in these cultures do mourn death. We've seen them with the corpses of people they knew, and they're not completely desensitized; just very weird. There's a throw-away line once about Harrow having a pet peeve about personalising the skeletons, which means it must be fairly common to do that. What was to stop previous generations of the Ninth from getting scolded for putting funny hats on Cousin Balbus's bones? Nothing, that's what. Balbus liked hats, anyway, so I don't see how it was disrespectful.

I'm sure Wake didn't get a ceremony when she was raised as a servitor; the main beneficiary would have been Gideon, and god fucking knows no one ever went out of their way to make her feel like part of the community. I'm betting no one does raising ceremonies for anyone, anymore. The Ninth is as good as dead, and no one ever taught the youngest generation how to mourn. But for ten thousand years, the Ninth successfully lived in very close proximity to mundane natural death. It's fun to imagine what that looked like.

[leafpool-loves-ashfur]

guys we do realize Splashtail ISN'T an atheist right? we know the definition of atheist?

[troutfur]

My thoughts are currently so consumed by The Sisters right now thanks to all the morsels of spoilers I've been getting re: Ivypool's Heart that I think it may be about time to bite the bullet and begin reading more content relating to them other than Tree's Roots.

[theygender]

I've got too many games I want to play and not enough free time 😭 I still need to finish my BG3 playthrough but since Endless Ocean: Luminous came out I've been playing a lot of that instead. Also just got back into Wizard101 last night. Started playing House Flipper again last weekend. Still need to finish BOTW so I can start a TOTK playthrough and finish Pokemon Shield so I can start on Pokemon Violet. I've been fighting off the urge to start up a new Skyrim playthrough for weeks. My brother just told me that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is getting ported to the Switch. And now I'm suddenly feeling inspired to replay DAI... And throughout all of this I'm also playing the hell out of DragonVale on my phone. Someone just pay me to play video games all day please

[cain-e-brookman]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! So, I know a little bit about the gods of your setting, but how does your average citizen worship? Which gods get the most attention and which are less well known?

ahh, thanks for the ask! i need you to know, every time i'm asked about world building i become this image

this is undoubtedly going to get long so answer under the cut

the the short answer is: it depends. i think i mentioned in my post about Raschic but i'm not sure, but there are the 8 main gods who give power to one of each of the Mage Kingdoms. (Light, Shadow, Fire, Water, Plant, Stone, Sky, and Force. This doesnt really matter for the context but there it is.)

So Mages are expected to be somewhat religious, but depending on the god they're tied to, it changes what that looks like. The Sea God isn't horribly concerned about day to day life of his Mages, but they must still do certain rituals and pay proper tribute to allow them to remain attached to him for their power and immortality. As such, the kingdom of the Water Mages as a whole isn't super immersed in religion. On the other hand, Shadow Mages are very devout, to the point where even those without magic are still incredibly religious because it's so steeped in the culture of the ruling Mages.

even when you get into human kingdoms, it's going to look different depending on who a person is and what they do. Uslaria, (the setting for my current WIP) has the most concentrated group of witches in the known world, so much so that one town is known for being the unofficial capitol for witches. everyone in Uslaria can tell you a bit about the Goddess Lythis, Grandmother of Witches, but few actually worship her. a farmer in Uslaria might pray to the Sky God to bring his godly children through with warm winds and generous rains, may also pray to the Goddess of Stone to bless his crops with good soil, may also attend festivals or holy days for the main pantheon if they live close enough to a city or town that might make a big to-do about it, but as far as most gods go, especially the main pantheon, they're so distant from the reality of most people. gods in the minor pantheon, like the Trickster, are more the topic of superstitions and tales to tell by a fire. day to day worship might be done for a lesser god residing in their area, or sometimes house gods that follow a family line, but the names of those gods are too intimate to the area to be remarked upon outside of that circle.

tl;dr: the average citizen (except maybe in the Marshes with the Shadow Mages,) only really cares about the gods that affect them and treat any others with a distant respect. (for the most part)

[the-star-skipper-chronicles]

Concept art of Tadpolefern, who holds the role of 'StarClan Guide' in FishClan

Sprite under cut:

[bonefall]

Big question I have for the Tallstar kitten, where does Jake go at the end? If they are co-parenting, then does this child get separated from one of its parents? Would shake come visit? Did Tallstar and Jake have a messy breakup? It would make a very interesting parallel for Onewhisker, Tallstar proudly returning to the clan and claiming the kit as his

The child would very much get separated!!

Tallstar’s Collapse heavily involves the infamous BB!Heatherstar, and the death of tunnelling as she sacrifices it to advance the war with ShadowClan. Kitten or no kitten, the entire book is a lot more bitter as a result.

Tallkit grows up in a Clan that is a community. Palebird is loved and helped through her depression, Tallkit learns from all sorts of different cats. There's issues-- the war and Shrewclaw-- but this is home.

At the same time, he watches Sandgorse and the Tunnelers grow angry and desperate, realizing that Heatherstar is killing their tradition to make more fighters. It's likely that she, or one of her supporters, encourages Tallkit's fear of tunnels and division with his father.

Jake is freedom. He's a paw to offer him an escape from the drama and politics. To see that he does not have to live that way.

But the tragedy here is that Tallstar can't leave it behind. He loves his mom, his half siblings, Woolytail, his mentor, his friends... the moorland is home. Doesn't he have a responsibility to it? To serve WindClan and to fix its problems instead of running away?

WindClan is home. It's family. And Jake is family too but...

Without a kitten it ends here, basically. Tall decides to go home at this point. If he DOES have the kitten...

Then the kitten is probably adopted from parents who died, and that causes Tall to have a bit of an existential crisis. The idea of that is ALIEN to him, there's always someone in a clan to care for the kittens, community is the core of Clan life.

Even at its worst, even when Palebird couldn't take care of him, there was no question that he was loved and valued.

But here's kittens with NO family. If him and Jake and the Nomads hadn't found them...

He can't stop thinking about WindClan after that. The lessons he was taught, the gorse and the heather and the bounty it provides. Palebird and his new siblings, Heatherstar and her aging deputy. How this child he's raising would never know a trip to the moonstone or see its grandmother.

And most importantly; Talltail believes there is value in serving a Clan, and being put to the Stars in death. Where will he go? Where will Fly go??

But Jake does not want that life. He can see that his mate is growing unhappy, but he would be equally unhappy if he went with him. They love each other like a breeze loves a stone; try it might, the wind can't lift the rock.

So they have to part ways.

I think Jake visited for a few years after that, but abruptly stopped. The war grew more intense and it wasn't safe to visit anymore, especially as tensions between Clans got even worse. Tallstar chose his destiny, and Jake chose his.

[yuridovewing]

sigh…. might make isat warrior designs

[everrainrp]

I will be wrapping up the poll shortly ; it looks like Temperate Rainforests is the winner!

Admittedly, I had ideas lined up for both environments regardless of which was the more preferred, so I can give you a sneak peak on one of the Clans that Ever Rain will feature!

Enjoy a brief look at Shoreshimmer Clans religion and belief system below the cut!

Shoreshimmer Clan ; Watchers of the Eternal Cycle

"Their reverence for the ocean as a living entity, and the tides as its pulse that thrums with the cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth, means Shoreshimmer Clan does not look to a pantheon or a godly higher power for guidance or comfort. Instead, their belief that once they pass they return to the eternal cycle to be reborn brings them much needed peace and acceptance in the face of death, rather than challenging and resisting the natural order."

"There is one figure that stands out in their beliefs, however. While not a traditional deity, "The Ferryman of Souls" is a being of guidance to the deceased. Tidemurk, is how he is known to Shoreshimmer.

Tidemurk appears as a spectral and ragged tom with a dark, matted coat encrusted in brine and tangled with seaweed, as if he has spent an eternity out at sea, and eyes that glow a faint seafoam green. And though he appears imposing and sea-weathered, he is neither a cruel nor benevolent being. He simply carries out his duties with unwavering conviction.

It is believed among Shoreshimmer that Tidemurk is a ghostly guardian of the natural order, ensuring that the souls of those who have passed return to the sea of life to be reborn once more. When a clanmate dies, their spirit is said to linger along the shoreline of their coastal territory, waiting as Tidemurk emerges from the depths of the ocean, enshrouded in mist, to gather their spirit and bring them into the endless cycle of the tides."

"There are cats among Shoreshimmer, both young and old, that claim to have seen this eerie spectral figure, particularly during storms, calmly walking the shoreline as he searches for souls that are ready to return to the cycle."

And that's the brief glimpse into one of the Clans belief systems! Each Clan will feature various religions and beliefs, some with pantheons and even some with NO deities! Hopefully you enjoyed that snippet!

Hope to see everyone again soon with more information!

[justhellacesome]

i do think that Naruto would be a kitsune who would use his TRANSFORMATION capabilities to look like a toad and act like a toad cuz its fun, and when he gets kissed he turns to Girl Naruto and youd think he's done but then he can turn into a A Boy and all this time he was a Kitsune

[somerandomcryptid]

I'm designing clangen cats today so I have time to watch vods again

Gonna start with Daedalus streams cause it's been forever since I watched them (I don't even think I watched all of them which is A CRIME)

Will probably come scream at tumblr as I watch

[cardsofthemoon]

Demons and Religion

I haven't logged into this blog for two years and idk if I'm fully back but I've been undergoing some major DL brainrot over the past month, specifically about the lore and such.

We all know that the Church plays a role in the story, and while it might not be a major role as it should be, the Church is the main reason as to why Yui is even in this predicament in the first place. But I want to talk about religion as a whole, and the relationship between demons and religion, or more so, how religion could benefit demons in the long run.

While it’s no secret that demons aren’t the biggest fans of God and religion, I feel like there’s another aspect to religion that is often overlooked and can serve a greater aspect to the story, than simply just “demons hate god! Religion bad!”

In fact, I honestly think that demons and supernatural beings can more often than not benefit from religion or more specifically, benefit from how religious humans are. Throughout history, humans have undoubtedly done some horrendous and horrific shit in the name of religion (the Salem Witch Trials, the Medieval Inquisition, the Mass Genocide of Natives, etc.) It’s a pretty well known fact that human beings will do the cruelest things under the guise of religion, so wouldn’t it make sense for demons to use this die hearted belief humans had about religion and God, and use it to their advantage?

Sadistic tendencies aside, what exactly separates a demon from a God? If a human being encountered a demon, who has shown to have eternal youth, can use magic, has inhumane strength and speed, and is wise beyond their years, their first thought isn’t going to be a wicked demon, but instead a reincarnation of God. They could have used this naivety to their advantage, building a following of devoted followers, who sincerely believed that they are God, and therefore would do whatever they ask for them- including sacrificing their body and blood for the greater good of society.

In fact in most cults, followers would happily volunteer themselves as a “sacrificial bride” if they were devoted enough to the cause. And yes I say, cults because that’s exactly what this is, I honestly feel like demons would thrive a lot more in society if they had a cult following because that eliminates the need of hunting and suspicion, since no one in a cult ever questions the cult leader.

Of course in modern times, with the rise of vampire hunters and whatnot, that’s no longer possible, because now a demon would be targeted if they show even the slightest bit of supernatural ability, but I’m not talking about the modern times. I’m more talking about before, when the church and religion had such a large grasp and pull on the masses, before the invention of church and state, when the church was the government.

I know when we talk about the church, it’s often assumed to be the Roman Catholic Church, but it doesn’t have to be! Like there are so many religions out there, it would be ridiculous for Karlheinz to put all of his eggs in one basket and only have sacrificial brides come from one church. And if we really get into it, demons will have a much better time thriving under a Polytheism religion rather than a Monotheism one, because in a Polytheism religion there’s more than one God. Which allows more wiggle room and more leeway for several demons to take up the identity as "God", therefore having an easier access to prey, and therefore successfully infiltrating religion as a whole.

It’s kind of a bitter irony, humans who put so much faith in these “Gods” to protect them from evil, who shower them with praise and adoration, are unknowingly praying to the same people that they wished to be protected from.

We don’t know what age the diaboys are (but there are theories that the boys were children in the 17th century so I’m going to go base on that), and we don’t know when exactly they decide to come to the human world, but had they infiltrated religion earlier, a lot of things could have been so different. One of the reasons as to why the separation of church and state happened is because during the Enlightenment era, people were starting to believe in rationale, logic, and skepticism, religion was falling out of favor from the people, and was branded as superstitions, childish beliefs that have no substance. However if you have actual evidence that these deities and gods are real, then who’s to say if the separation of church and state would even happen?

In fact wouldn’t this phenomenon only strengthen the church more? And we know that Karlheinz made a deal with the church to send the boys sacrificial brides, so could you imagine the greater influence and power demons have over the church, now that church and religion as a whole is fueled by demons? And what would become of vampire hunters? Would the hunter organization still exist since demons are the reason as to why the state of their society is the way it is (for better and for worse), or would they still be anti-demons because of their inhumane treatment and sacrificial rituals of young girls, in exchange for helping the human society?

In the end, no matter what happens, whether it be sacrificial brides or willing cult participants, the only people that would truly suffer in the end are teenage girls.

[troutfur]

Once again thinking about The Sisters and I think a nice addition to their worldbuilding would be a theory of soul dualism similar to the Chinese idea of the hun (yang-aligned, goes into the afterlife/reincarnates) and po (yin-aligned, remains anchored to the corpse).

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

Warrior cats makes me so mad because it could've been such a fascinating exploration of how fascism takes root in a society with pre-existing honor culture, corruption of laws, the long-lasting effects on society and individual people, generational trauma, questions of compliance, guilt, responsibility, historical revisionism and so many other themes if only the Erins weren't cowards and actually paid attention to what they write