The Old Clans

[Sorrel]

THE CLANS



Many moons ago, the clans were established by several feral groups banding together under a common goal; they worshipped their ancestors in Starclan. Through their worship, they were gifted special rights and skills, and found that together they were stronger in ways that they never could be apart. Still, there was turmoil and differences sparked between what each particular group valued, and therefore four separate clans were formed, each with a distinctive style of living, hunting and training.

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CLAN LANDS

The climate for this roleplay takes place in a land very much like the Pacific Northwestern United States: Most of the flora and fauna of that area can be found here. However, as it is a fantasy roleplay; the territories found here are different and usually would not be found in close proximity to one another. We ask that you suspend your disbelief: because after all, this is a roleplay where cats believe in cat-heaven and some have magical prophetic powers. While we try to be realistic in some areas, we do want to provide a bit of freedom in the types of dangers and challenges they may face.

THE DESERT

THE SHORE

THE MOUNTAINS

THE FOREST

[Broadwaykat]

OUTSIDER RELATIONS

While perhaps they are not always the most accepting of outsiders, from time to time, depending on the leader, a clan will allow outsiders to join their ranks and prove their worth. If an outsider (and roleplayer) is looking to join any of the clans, please follow the following:

• 1st Thread: The Outsider (Rogue/Loner/Kittypet) running into meeting a clan cat, learning about the particular clan from said cat, etc.
• 2nd Thread: Meeting the leader/deputy of said clan, learning more about them getting some sort of acceptance from the leader/deputy, etc.*
• 3rd Thread: If accepted, a thread in which they try to introduce themselves to other members of their clan, prepare to show their worthiness. Most likely will contain them getting a new clan name, if rare name item is not bought to allow them to keep their outsider name.

One the third thread is complete, the outsider can officially consider themselves a member of the clan, and will be added to the clan census.

* Please be aware: a cat's acceptance is only confirmed on the whims and feelings of the leader of the clan at that time. Things can be wished and discussed out of character - but in the end it is the leader's roleplayer, as well as their character, who has the final say on an outsider joining the clan or not.

[Broadwaykat]

PEAKCLAN
(Icons by Benni )

Current Leader: 

Current Deputy: 

Current Medicine Cat: Owlmask

Current Medicine Cat Apprentice: --

Past Leaders: Blackstar, CraneStar, Maplecloud (temporary)

Past Deputies: Ashlight, Bearcatcher (Temporary), Finchsong

Past Medicine Cats: Harrierflight, Tawnymouse

Past Medicine Cat Apprentices: Tawnymouse

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Important Historical Note: Unlike the other clans, PeakClan was created on the journey to the new territory. Cats of different factions (tribes, loners, etc.) banded together, along with some cats who traveled from old clans. This is a large part of what gives PeakClan its unique flavor as a melting pot within the clans.

IDEALS

• Honor: “Our code, and our word, is a bond stronger than any stone.”
  
• Strength: “The mountain stands tall for its roots run deep.”
  
• Endurance: “Even the coldest Leafbare will pass eventually.”
  

OUTSIDER ASSUMPTIONS

• Fluff-brained Idiots: “All brawn and no brains.”
  
• Cold-Hearted Stoics: “So stiff it’s no wonder they haven’t all frozen over.”
  
• Merciless: “Don’t trespass there - Peakclan’ll feed you to the bears.”
  

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Build

• Peakclan boast some of the overall largest cats in the clan: burly types that are almost boxy in appearance. They are large-pawed to help them bound through the snow, with short, squat legs - making them the type of cat who would be unlikely to be bowled over when push comes to shove.
  

Pelts

• As a necessity, Peakclan cats need to be mid-to-long furred; the short-furred cat in their lands would have a very hard time to survive. Their colors favor solid, stony colors: greys, browns and blacks are common, as are white patches. Ginger and tortoiseshell cats are considerably rarer. These thick-pelted cats are made all the more menacing thanks to the length of their coats, which sometimes doubles their size.
  

Accessories

• As much cosmetic as it is a necessity in the non-leafbare months, cats with lighter patches will dye their fur with berry juice in order to darken it to better suit their stony territory. It is common to see a Peakclan cat with streaks of blue or red in their fur which was not there naturally.
  

Unique

• Most Peakclan cats have flatter faces, as well as a seemingly double layer of fur: giving them added insulation for the colder climates they live in. These flatter faces also make it so delicate parts such as their nose is less likely to be bitten and frozen by cold, uncaring winds.
  

FLORA AND FAUNA

Predators 

• The largest bird of prey, the eagle, can reign death from above. While other predatory birds would go for apprentices and kits, smaller cats, the eagle alone ignores them for the chance to pick up full-sized warriors: which are much more of a mouthful for them. Luckily they are often easily driven off by large numbers, so patrols are usually kept with three adult cats at all times.
  
• A lot of predatory animals in this territory are not dangerous for eating cats - but dangerous due to their sheer size and carelessness. During the leaffall and newleaf, there is a family of bears that can be dangerous - they wander around and can utterly destroy camps and simply crush a cat to death by setting it’s paws down. Worse, mountain goats can stampede, trampling cats and stripping hillsides of important herbs. 
  
• Perhaps the largest, most dangerous animal in Peakclan are wolves: larger than twoleg dogs, pack hunters, and almost vindictively attracted to attacking groups of cats whenever one comes across the other.
  

Prey 

• There are some unique prey animals in these lands: the hares are fatter, and their fur changes color depending on the seasons, as well as large fat mice-looking creatures called lemmings, which are particularly sweet and stupid.
  
• While stoats and weasels are more of a predator to other clans, the usual size of the Peakclan cats make them less likely to attack them. However, an enterprising Peakclan cat will often make a meal out of these long-bodied fiends: so long as they don’t mind getting nipped at.
  
• Large fat birds - pheasants, turkeys and quails can be found in the fall, almost crazy in their efforts to mate. They make a good meal for Peakclan cats but also attract more two legs to the area at this time.

Plants 

• Most of the trees found in this area are of the coniferous - meaning that they have needles rather than leaves, and usually remain green year-round. They don’t have leaves that can be used for healing, but their sticky, gum-like sap has been used both as a bonding agent for sticking poultices to wounds, to sweetening foul-tasting medicines, and as an occasional, exceptionally chewy treat for kits and apprentices.
  
• More so than in any other clan, there are only three real growing seasons: as the snow buries any hope of greenery growing in leafbare. But in Newleaf and Leaffall their is a windfall of berries unique to their higher climes, which they use to trade with other clans when a particular medicine is needed.
  

CAMP MAP

Nests 

• Nests are dug out of the ground, usually covered with loam and wood chippings to make it softer and keep it insulated, as well as shed fur from the clan cats themselves collected from Greenleaf Sheddings. Unlike in other clans, they are built large enough that two or three cats could fit in a singular nest, where others curl up around each other for warmth and comfort.
  

Dens 

• Small stones are piled up to create walls, while the ceilings and roofs in some areas are made from pine boughs and twigs. They are packed into place with mud in Greenleaf, and reinforced with snow and ice when it does fall.
  

Clearing 

• The Clearing of Peakclan is sheltered primarily by the fallen pine from which the leaders’ make their address - the boughs long dead but sheltering all the same. While the ground is rocky and somewhat unforgiving to sleep on normally, cats make an effort to pad it down and cover it with rich-smelling living pine to make it much more hospitable.
  

Medicine Den 

• In what was the roots of the fallen pine, and in the hollow beneath it from where it once grew, the Medicine Cat’s Den of Peakclan resides. It is clear that the small trickling steam had over time loosened the tree and caused it to fall in the first place; and now it provides a refreshingly cold source of water for those too injured or ill to travel for water. The roots twist around above them, and the large circle left behind is sheltered from the snow by walls of permanently frozen stone and dirt. Medicine cat’s hand their stores out to dry on the twisting roots that tower above their heads.
  

The Fallen Pine 

• Long-dead, the Fallen pine provides shelter from the harshest winds and the best visible spot in all the clans from which to watch both the camp below and Starclan above. Dug into the frozen ground, with it’s reaching branches partially stripped of their dry needles, the leader of Peakclan can easily scale this and be seen and heard by everyone beneath them.
  

CLAN LIFE

Ceremonial Address 

• “All cats old enough to scar the Ancient Keeper gather beneath me.” 

Warrior Challenge 

• Before receiving their warrior name, an apprentice is sent out to climb the mountain they call home, and leave their claw marks upon an old tree known as the Ancient Keeper. Often, this journey involves having to brave the treacherous territory on your own, and find your personal drive to keep going. Although Peakclan warriors do not have a concrete token to show for their achievements, unless they choose to break off a piece of bark, the hard work and endurance is their greatest reward.
  

Fighting Techniques 

• Frozen Drowning: A technique similar to what Shellcan might do - a Peakclan cat knows they can use the land to their advantage, and when the land is cold, they don’t feel it as strongly as others: so in fighting on their territory they will use snow to their advantage, pinning opponents to the ground until they feel numb or are unable to move, they may also trigger snowfalls to physically bury an opponent without having to engage them at all.
  
• Projectiles: While not tree-climbers, Peakclan cats will collect fallen pinecones which are sharp enough with scales to break skin and become irritated with pine sap or needles and hurl them as projectiles when needed.
  
• Sheer Size: Facing a Peakclan cat, they have their build for an advantage: they are big and burly, hard to knock over, and quick to pin others. Many a fight with a Peakclan cat has been settled in their favor simply by throwing their weight around.

Hunting Techniques 

• Peakclan cats will lure prey animals into snowy drift covered areas or rocky outcroppings and simply block the exit themselves, so prey must try to run past them and their hunting partners if they want to try and escape.
  
• An exceptionally dangerous technique that should only be attempted by experienced hunters, small prey beasts may be lured towards herds of sheep in the hopes that triggering a stampede will have the prey killed for them by the flashing hooves - but they must be careful to avoid them themselves.
  
• Peakclan cats are adept at feeling changes in the ground and elevation, and are good at feeling with the paws where the ground feels hollow and a burrow may be found underneath: when found, two or three cats will help to dig out the front area or scare the prey to the surface by thumping the ground with their hind legs.
  

Snowfall Patrol 

• Cats of Peakclan are always sending out patrols in order to check their lands for signs of danger of the natural variety: falling stones, unsteady earth, or cats in trouble. Their lands can be particularly dangerous due to the high climbs and larger predators, so they will often also escort strangers off their lands and out of danger as well as reminding them not to trespass - for their health as well as to keep the peace with the clan. Even though this is done in all seasons, it has been known as Snowfall Patrol, and the name just stuck.
  

Burials 

• There is a tree outside of camp which is scarred to mark the losses of the clan. The longer a scratch is, the older the cat lived to be. For example, while a kitten would have just a little nick in the bark, a senior warrior’s mark could span the height of a warrior. The depth of the scratch tells how much impact the cat had on the clan. While a kit may just be the depth of their parent’s claws, a leader could have scratches from nearly every cat in the entire clan. Some believe that a small bit of a cat's spirit remains in the last tree a cat scratches in their life.
  

Games and Entertainment 

• Sometimes, when there is a good snowfall, Peakclan cats are known to sculpt the snow with their paws, sometimes making caricatures of their clanmates.
  
• On days where the wind is too cold or the weather is wild, Peakclan cats will gather together, smaller and weaker cats such as Kits, Elders and Apprentice towards the middle, and take turns telling each other legends and stories that are either made up or from their pasts. This is to encourage general comradery and to also make the world seem a little less scary for the more fragile members.
  
• Proving to enjoy a little bit of artistry, Peakclan cats will take the berry juice that sometimes stains their fur and also use it to paint areas around the clan: leaving multicolored paw prints as well as scent markers far across their lands.
  

Courtships 

• It is common to see Peakclan cats curled up together for warmth at all times, and often nests are big enough for two or three cats to cuddle together. Often they will switch partners - unless they are steadily prepared on mating and starting a family. When two cats have been seen spending time together, and always seem to be touching in some way, it’s a surefire way to tell that their closeness has grown past simple clanmates.
  

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

• Some cats say their proximity to the moonstone makes them more religious. However, there are some Peakclan cats that don't believe in Starclan at all. This is because Peakclan, in moving into their new territory, were made up from cats of two different factions; cats who made the journey, and the hearty cats who already lived in the area in a more tribe-like mentality. They bonded together to survive, and for the most part everything amicable, but belief in Starclan, at least in this clan, is spottier than in others. Because of the many different backgrounds, Peakclan culture revolves around new changes, and integrating old and new.
  
• The founder was the youngest of all Clan Founders: A young she-cat named Peak who bested all her suitors and never ended up taking a mate, although her dark brown fur was seen as particularly admirable. She was killed in an avalanche by a falling rock, protecting another cat’s kit; and some say lost kits on the mountain and brought to Peakclan in her jaws. However, because of the fact that PeakClan was founded so recently, it is more widely accepted that Peak is no more than a kit-tale.
  
• The mountain itself is said to have been a long-ago cat; massive as the fabled lions of Lionclan, who fell asleep one day and the rocks grew over him. When there is a rumble or the snow shifts unexpectedly, it is said the lion’s dreams are trouble, causing him to stir.
• Some say that the Ancient Lion once tried to leap into the stars. 
• A story shared among the clans, some things are worse than nightmares
• There is a legend of one of their past deputies, who is now only known as PeakClan's Taint
  

[Broadwaykat]

SHELLCLAN

(Icons by Benni )

Current Leader: 

Current Deputy: 

Current Medicine Cat: Poppysong

Current Medicine Cat Apprentice: 

Past Leaders: HayStar (legend) Sabletail, Pinkstar, Runningstar

Past Deputies: Beechtail (legend) Pinkberry, Creekstep, Hollylight, Flyleaf

Past Medicine Cats: Dustfur, Stormpetal, Sereneshell

Past Medicine Cat Apprentices: Tumblebug, Dunewatcher, Poppysong

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IDEALS

• Adaptable: “Go with the Flow” 
• Strength in Numbers: “It takes many grains of sand to make the beach” 
• Steadfast: “The tide will always return” 

OUTSIDER ASSUMPTIONS

• Loquacious and Lazy: “Typical Beach Bums” 
• Strange for their love of Swimming: “Are they fish or are they cats?!” 
• Put on Airs: “Think they are better than the rest of us thanks to their seaside home.” 

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Build 

• Shellclan cats for the most part are burly and muscular, in order to battle the crashing ocean waves. However, due to being one of the strongest hit due to poisoning in their old clan lands, some of the younger born warriors were born with thinner builds, and are not encouraged to hunt outside of the shallows because of this for fear they will be swept away. 

Pelts 

• Generally, Shellclan cats bear brightly-colored pelts, with a large quantity of ginger hues and/or wild tabby markings. They range from short to long fur types, but almost always are thick and waterproof. This density helps them to keep insulated in the water; but the longer-furred cats are prone to overheating during the hotter seasons. 

Accessories  

• ShellClan cats are well known for using their namesake in decoration, and sometimes this extends to personal decoration as well as what goes into their nests. Pearls, small shells, and small flowers are common choices, but some of the more daring warriors would even go as far as to use things like fish bones or shark teeth. 

Unique 

• While not necessarily exclusive to them, there is a significant number of Shellclan cats that are born with webbed paws: almost as if Starclan made sure to give them this trait knowing they would need the ocean to survive. 

FLORA AND FAUNA

Predators 

• Unique to the lands of Shellclan are, of course, the water-born predators. A cat will often be swept up and killed by sharks - or greatly mauled by the smaller ones - as well as large fish such as pikes. Even those who don’t feast on meat, a cat can easily be drowned by trying to challenge a bigger fish such as a flounder or salmon. 
• While hunting in the cliffs, Shellclan cats are encouraged to look out for large sea birds: while some will swoop down and pick up small cats, they are more likely to kill a cat by mobbing them while perched precariously on the edge, around a sheer drop. 
• While not as common, there is a prickly creature found in tide pools known as an urchin: finding this, and pricking any part of the skin is deceptively deadly without immediate treatment of a medicine cat: they contain a deadly poison. 

Prey 

• If desperate, Shellclan cats can dig into the sand and find crabs, mussels and clams: they require more work and bashing with a rock to open, but the meat inside is salty and sweet, a particular required taste for Shellclan cats: crabs can also be dangerous, packing an irritating pinch. 
• Shellclan cats are quite fond of raiding bird nests for food, luring mother birds away in order to grab the sweet eggs, breaking the shells on stone and drinking the yolks. It’s considered a delicacy. 
• Fish, crustaceans and mollusks make up a large part of the Shellclan diet; mostly smaller cats like minnows, sardines, shrimp and sea-snails - but larger hunting parties can tackle big fish for feasts such as salmon, trout, mackrel, etc. 

Plants 

• Palm trees are found on the beach, quite plentiful compared to Valeclan: as they need water to thrive. They are well loved by the cats of Shellclan, who use their fronds to weave together their den walls. Some also provide large hairy seed-pods, which can be broken open with a stone to provide a sweet water inside which is a treat like honey would be in other clans. They are very hard to get to however - and the force of one falling from the tree may indeed kill an unwary cat, or cause severe harm. 
• Seaweed is a staple in this clan where vines may be to another clan: they are gathered by Medicine Cats, dried out on stones, and used to help bind walls together as well as bind wounds and splints. 

CAMP MAP 

Nests 

• Shellclan nests are typically made out of the downy feathers salvaged from sea-birds and fine sand: while the sand on the top that they walk across can be blazing hot the dug-out holes are naturally cool and soft, helping them to escape the heat of the day naturally. Some of the cats are known to make them pretty by decorating them with shells, bits of driftwood and sea glass. 

Dens 

• Den walls are typically made from weaving together dried palm fronds, bolstered with seaweed and grasses collected from the ocean. While it may not seem like it, they are surprisingly strong and the overhanging bits provide much-needed shade perfect from escaping the heat of the day. 

Clearing 

• Rather than sleeping in their nests, during warmer months, a lot of warriors will sleep in the open clearing of camp, snuggled up with their clanmates under the stars. Alternatively, they seek shelter together in bad weather, to better keep an eye on one another. During the mid-day, when the sun is beating down, the top sand can be incredibly hot: but Shellclan cats are adept at walking across these blistering pathways and hardly seem bothered by it. 

Medicine Cat Den 

• Sheltered under the leaves of a fallen palm tree, the medicine den is a small rocky burrow with a soft sandy floor. There are indents and shelves in the rocks where herbs are stored, and a tiny pool where drinkable water is kept handy. The den can fit up to about seven cats decently, and up to ten pushing it. Outside, the fallen palm trunk that goes over the top can be used as an alternative exit from the camp. Mentors should keep an eye on their apprentices to make sure they don't use it to sneak out. 

The Beach Wood 

• The Beach Wood is the centerpiece of the camp, from which the leader of Shellclan makes their announcements. It is a large log that had once been drifting out in the water: warped and worn swoon in swirling shapes by the waves until it was pushed up in a storm and wedged deeply into the sand: since then it cannot be budged by anyone. It provides a high vantage point for the leader, as well as a sheltered nook beneath for cats to relax in the shade. 

CLAN LIFE

Ceremonial Address 

• “All cats old enough to swim ashore gather at the Beach Wood for a clan meeting.” 

Warrior Challenge 

• In order to prove themselves ready to become a full warrior, Shellclan apprentices are given the task of fetching the egg of a sea-bird from their cliffside nests. They are allowed, and especially encouraged to work together if there is more than one apprentice ready to become a warrior - and older warriors are usually on standby in case anything were to go wrong. After they succeed, they sit vigil and can be called by their chosen warrior name. Shells of these eggs remain in camp for some time until they essentially crumble back into the sand or are washed away. 

Fighting Techniques 

• Drowning: In only the most dire of circumstances - as a warrior knows that killing force is only to be used when in protection of their own lives, when all other options are exhausted - a Shellclan cat is most at home in the water: so they will lure their opponent to a body of water and the try to force themselves on top: keeping their opponent pinned beneath the surface until they stop struggling. 

• Wave Formation: Shellclan cats often attack as a group: sending in seemingly smaller cats first; it is when the first ‘wave’ seems to be lagging that a second wave will hit - overwhelming their opponent. They will just as quickly retreat, only to rally again, with the desire to overwhelm their opponent. 

• Sand-Spray: In order to distract an opponent when at a disadvantage, Shellclan cats will kick at the ground around them: lifting dirt, sand and debris into the air and hopefully into the eyes of their opponent, blinding them. 

Hunting Techniques 

• Shellclan will drop rocks from the cliff above in order to kill seabirds that nest in trickier areas, in order to score both their meat and their eggs for food. 

• Shellclan are adept at digging in the sand for crabs, as well as hunting in the shallows for smaller fish. 

• Swimming out to hunt larger fish are usually done in large groups, but it can be a highly dangerous pursuit only attempted in the most dire of shortages. 

Weather Patrols 

• Being so close to the fickle sea can be dangerous: so, within Shellclan there is an added patrol. Beside patrolling their borders and hunting, cats are sent out on a daily basis to watch the tides and interpret the weather. Shellclan cats are surprisingly good at making sure heavy storms are warned about much in advance: although whether they choose to share this information with anyone out of the clan is up to the discretion of the individual. 

Burial Rights 

• The deceased body is placed on a bed of palm fronds, which is then watched over for one night, so their fellow warriors can say their final goodbyes. It is then pushed out into the ocean, so their body can have a ‘final swim’. If a body is unable to be recovered for whatever reason, it is considered a great offense and the superstition sadly is that the cat’s spirit will not rest easily in Starclan until another clanmates dies and is properly put to rest - in which they can then follow their clanmates' leave and find rest. 

Amusement and Games 

• Apprentice in Shellclan are constantly competing to see how many of them can fit on Sunning Rocks at one time, ending in much tumbling and laughter.  
  
• Young cats will often dare one another to swim out and touch the ‘Floating Monsters’ (Boats) that can be seen during the summer months. This is considered dangerous however, and usually discouraged by senior warriors.
• In the heat of the day, the clan will often take to the shallows and splash around in the water: what may seem to be an unnatural pastime to other cats is actually a source of great enjoyment to the cats of Shellclan.
• Very similar to the ‘badger rides’ found in forest clans, ShellClan’s kits will take turns riding on warriors backs around the tide pool, getting ‘Seal Rides’. This game is also a fun and useful way for kits to learn to swim.

Courtship 

• As with many things, Shellclan courtship often centers around whirlwind romances and offerings of pretty trinkets such as nice shells or even pearls. As Shellclan cats are highly family oriented, the desire to have large families is usually a priority. 

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

• Because the wind whips through the Sun Coves creating odd yowling whistling sounds, many cats believe the place is haunted by the ghosts of cats who had no clanmates to lead them to Starclan. After dark or on particularly windy days this place is avoided so show respect as well as avoid these wandering souls.  
• The founder of the clan was said to be a cat named Shell - a large red-ginger she-cat known for an infectious laugh like that of a gull. She was one of the most long-lived of the founder cats, and some say she still exists. Rumor has it, she swam out one day in their old territory to touch a floating monster, and simply never returned. Seeing as that was hundreds of moons ago, though, it is highly unlikely that she is still alive.
• Like twoleg sea-dwellers, Shellclan cats are very superstitious about the sky. An oft heard saying is “When the dawn is red, watch your paws or you’re dead” - as red skies in the morning are usually a clue to bad weather on it’s way, or an uneasy sea.
• Legend has it, the first Dark Forest cat came from ShellClan. 
• A story shared by all the clans, some things really are Worse than Nightmares

[/span][/div][/ul][/div]

[Broadwaykat]

VALECLAN
(icons by Benni )

Current Leader: Tickstar

Current Deputy: 

Current Medicine Cat: Flipfern

Current Medicine Cat Apprentice: 

Past Leaders: Eveningblaze (Stepped Down), Batstar

Past Deputies: Batstrike, Tickstorm, Quietstorm (Stepped Down), Yuccahill

Past Medicine Cats: Starlingleaf, Mottledfeather

Past Medicine Cat Apprentices: Mottledfeather, Flipfern

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IDEALS

• Hardiness: “Only the strongest flowers grow in the Desert, but they are the most beautiful.”
• Patience: “The prey will be much sweeter if, like the viper, you wait for it to come to you.”
• Cunning: “The turtle learned he was the slowest; but he was smart enough to bring it home with it so he was never far from safety.”

OUTSIDER ASSUMPTIONS

• Haters of Difference and Weakness: “They’re the type of cats who’d leave a lame kit on the border hoping it’ll become someone else's problem.”
• Vile Tricksters: “Don’t turn your back on a Valeclan cat unless you want a scorpion’s sting in your tail.”
• Argumentative: “If everyone else agrees the sky is blue, Valeclanner’s will say it’s purple - just to be contrary.”

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Build

• Without a doubt, Valeclan favors cats who can hold their own in battle. Whether this comes in the form of wiry strength or stocky and well defined musculature, there is no denying that Valeclan is a clan of fighters. For the most part, their bodies are taught with muscle and very little fat.
  

Pelts

• As is expected for cats that live in the hottest part of the territories, ValeClan highly favors cats with shorter pelts, as well as those sporting solid paler colors such as creamy tans, soft greys and white, much like the sandy dunes that they call home. Both of these are seen as useful adaptations that give them an advantage underneath the blazing sun.
  

Accessories

• It is customary that a Valeclan cat will often wear their scars with pride: some cats even accentuate them with bits of color gleaned from rare berries. They will also adorn themselves with the feathers of birds of prey, or even bits of bone from their first-ever catch; until, that is, it crumbles into dust.
  

Unique

• While not a universal truth, most born and bred Valeclan cats seem to have longer muzzles, almost wedge-shaped, with larger ears and smaller frames than those in any other clan.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Predators

• Valeclan has the smallest, and yet deadliest of predators in their clan, by way of poisonous scorpions and snakes. While they may not look like much, one bite from these animals can cause serious nerve and physical damage to a cat, if not outright death. Somewhat paradoxically, when it comes to scorpions, the smaller, more insignificant looking ones are actually the most deadly - with their stings always being career ending if not immediately fatal.
  
• Large birds of prey have been known to swoop down on an unsuspecting cat of any size - hawks have been known to carry off apprentices, falcons kits, but by far the most deadly would be the Vulture: a horribly large beast who could carry off a full-sized warrior in their talons. They are also disgusting for their habit of eating the dead; meaning they have no respect for any cat.
  
• A wild brethren of the warrior, the lynx, can be found sometimes in their area - they generally leave other cats alone so long as they do not threaten their young. However, if it is a mother protecting their children, they become almost suicidal in their pursuit of what they consider competition.

Prey

• Lizards and tortoises, as well as other reptiles such as non-poisonous snakes, are unique to the diets of Valeclan cats. Of course, tortoises are doubly important, as their empty shells are used to collect water, left overturned around camp for those few rainy days.
  
• A type of rat or mouse, known as a jerboa, are frequent in this area: they look like mice but can leap great tailengths of distance in one bound and have strange tufted tails. Others who are not from Valeclan who get the odd chance to taste these animals say they have a bit of a dry taste.
  
• One of the largest, most plentiful sources of meat for the clan is hare; these large beasts can feed at least three cats, and those are the scrawny ones. Valeclan cats have become adept at navigating their twisty tunnels, as well as digging them out of their homes.
  

Plant Life

• The Cactus - of small varieties - is an essential, life-giving plant to the cats of Valeclan. Small varieties are found, and with a quick bite in particular areas cats are given mouthfuls of refreshing water with a slightly greenish taste. The flesh, in between prickles, can also be eaten in the most dire of situations.
  
• There are very little times when greenery can be found in Valeclan - but sometime between Newleaf and Greenleaf there is always a time of fresh water, known as ‘The Blossoming’ in which the land seems to change almost completely for the period of a moon. There; plants with uses unique to Valeclan alone are grown, and almost all Valeclan cats are recruited to help gather as much as possible to be used and stored for later moons. Occasionally between Greenleaf and Leaffall a second, less populous season will occur, and a similar scramble will take place. 

CAMP MAP

Nests

• Clay is placed into hollow rocks, which over time will form at least partially to the outline of the cat who sleeps in that particular nest. They are decorated by small stones, bones, feathers and snake skins, according to the particular taste of the occupant. Often warriors will also keep the piece of bone they collected from Vulture’s Landing with them in their nest.
  

Dens

• Dens are created by the borders of thick twigs, sagebrush, and brambles that are carefully knit together, and then shored up by piling sand around its edges: digging out the sand around it helps to make the area wider as well, as well as digging into the cooler bits of bowled earth. Where outcroppings of stone can be found, the areas are dug out to provide added comfort and cooling from the blazing sun.
  

Clearing

• Dug out by the constant pattering of paws over it, the clearing of Valeclan is actually smooth sandstone, dotted with potholes and thankfully cool where all other areas of the camp and the sand are achingly hot. In the middle is a short Joshua tree stump, worn smooth by time, where deputies and honored cats will stand so that cats can hear them better during important announcements. In the center is a large bleached-boned pile of skulls from which the leader makes their announcements.
  

Medicine Den

• Hidden in a sandy culvert near the entrance of the camp, sheltered by a carved ceiling gathered from a long-dead, needle-stripped saguaro cactus, the ill and injured cats of Valeclan shelter. The smallest trickle - rumored to have once been part of a mighty stream - winds its way around back, close to the nests of the long-term residences. As if mimicking a burrowing owl’s den, feathers and soft soil is used to make nice dug-out nests that are kept cool with wet sand and clay beneath them. Can easily fit five cats, with room for the Medicine Cats and their apprentice, and a side den for overflow.
  

Skull Mound

• The Skull Mound, from which the leader of Valeclan addresses their clan, is a large pile of bones made up primarily of skulls from prey or what has been gathered in scavenging missions. The skulls are left outside of camp to be bleached, and then added to the pile - it is rumored there is one skull for each member of the clan who has reached the age of apprenticeship, and parents gather skulls for their kits to present to the mound at the time of their assignments.

CLAN LIFE

Ceremonial Address

• “All cats old enough to have added to the Skull Mound gather for a clan meeting.”
  

Warrior Challenge

• Apprentices of Valeclan deemed ready to be warriors are given the task to retrieve a bone from Vulture’s landing, which their mentor hid for them the night before. On the surface, this may sound easy, as simple as a classic tracking mission. However, there is much more to it. To retrieve a bone from the Vulture’s Landing, one must endure the scorching heat, avoid the dangerous predators, and most importantly, find their way home. The Vulture’s Landing is a large, seemingly desolate place, and it is all too easy to get lost out there. Because of this, Apprentices a few moons before their ceremony may take place are taken as a group out to the Landing in order to get used to the oppressive heat.
  

Fighting Techniques

• Poisoned Warfare: Only to be used in the most dire of circumstances. Rumor has it that Valeclan cats have somehow been able to collect poison from the creatures that share their land and use them against other clans. This is not true: however, they will sometimes put a coating on their claws from a plant that grows in their territory that will make their enemies very, very ill from the mildest of scratches: seeing things, hearing voices. It is particularly dangerous, and only used as a last resort in the scariest of circumstances, as it can easily be accidentally affected by the Valeclan cat using it.
  
• Sandworming: Like they will hunt in the burrows, Valeclan cats will also use these tunnels to their advantage in fighting: luring their opponent below the sand into tunnels, and allowing them to simply get lost, or ambushing them from below the sand, disappearing just as quickly if retreat is needed.
  
• Burry: An extension of Sandworming: if a cat is truly stuck, and has no other way to survive, they are able to kick forcefully to collapse certain tunnels on a cornered opponent, leaving them buried in the sand, blinded, or generally trapped until reinforcements arrive.
  

Hunting Techniques

• While not totally foolproof, Valeclan cats do have a slight resistance to some poisonous and venomous creatures in their lands. For example, they can hunt and eat some of the snakes with venom running through their veins, and larger scorpions once their carapaces have been broken. If stung or bitten by certain bugs, they can recover after illness if immediately treated by a medicine cat.
  
• Similar to what Gladeclan does with fall-traps, Valeclan will dig holes and then put a layer of sticks and twigs above it, then drive prey towards it: the only difference being rather than leaving it as it is to make it easy to finish off, Valeclan will often put sharp stones at the bottom of these bits, making sure that small prey is killed almost instantly and larger prey is too injured to fight after the fall.
  
• When in doubt, Valeclan cats know to follow the larger animals at a safe distance. In times of drought, there are small goats that stumble around their lands - not dangerous so long as you keep your distance and stay away from their hooves. These goats have an almost preternatural sense for finding water and growing areas - so if they are followed, greener lands are sure to be found, and with it prey.
  

Poison Patrol

• Part patrol, part training, cats of Valeclan have a specific group of cats who each day go out and make sure that poisonous creatures are driven far away from Valeclan Camp. It is an important - but dangerous - job. Cats are encouraged to not get too close to the creatures, and instead use sticks held in their jaws to ‘persuade’ them into leaving.
  

Burials

• Cats are buried near the river, in the one place where greenery can be found on Valeclan territory. The deceased are buried here due to an old belief that this part of the territory brings life. Their remains are sure to be placed in the ground as soon as possible so they do not fall prey to the body-snatching vultures. They are often buried with the bone that they had gathered from Vulture’s Landing, if they were old enough to have been made a warrior, and with the Skull from the Mound presented there when they had been made an apprentice. If they were stillborn or born too young for either ceremony, parents of those kits will find a small bone to place with them, so they will not be lonely in the grave.
  

Amusement and Games

• Adult cats will trap lizards and non-poisonous snakes alive and bring them into an enclosed space close to the nursery to let young cats play with them: often nips and scratches got from these animals are seen as character building, and it’s a great way for kits to learn how to hunt and fight in preparation for becoming apprentices and apprentices warriors.
  
• Small balls of collected sticks and dried brush, known as tumbleweeds, are often used in place of the typical ‘mossball’ seen in other clans. However, unlike with mossball, sometimes these balls can be so large that a kit can crawl inside it and have fun trying to dismantle it’s bits from the inside.
  
• As it gets so hot at highsun, most cats of Valeclan will spend a time in the shade rather than basking in the sun: a sort of group nap is held at these times save for the cats who are forced out onto patrol for one reason or another. Very little is done around camp at this time.
  

Courtship

• When cats are courting, they will often begin sleeping near each other. The indents of their bodies in clay is one of the telltale signs that a couple is growing fonder of one another. Also, sharing prey is a big deal - as sometimes prey can be so scarce that sharing isn’t prudent, so splitting a meal is essentially a way of saying ‘I am willing to weaken myself for you’.
  

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

• Valeclan cats pride themselves on their clear view of the night sky. Some say this makes them Starclan’s favorite, and that they are the closest of any cat to their ancestors. Coincidentally, they are also the least likely cats to come across meddlesome twolegs, so they believe they are doubly gifted.
  
• The founder of Valeclan was a wandering cat called Vale, a she-cat known for her bravery and cunning. She appeared one day over the horizon and banded together cats whom all other clans had seemingly shrugged off, teaching them the ways of working together. Then, just as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared or was swept away in the eddies of a sandstorm, never to return.
  
• Legend has it that Vale, the founder of ValeClan, was taught by a jackalope
• There are stories of cats who have seemingly been resurrected from the dead, having walked out into the sands never to return. Sometimes, these disappearances are blamed on mirage cats - cats who are not and who have never been alive, leading them away from their families. Often cats who are returned after some time are looked at either with suspicion, pity, or reverence - often a healthy mix of all three.
  
• Although details change depending on the person telling it, every clan has a version of a story depicting things that are Worse than Nightmares

[Broadwaykat]

GLADECLAN
(Icons by Benni )

Current Leader: Bumblesong 

Current Deputy

Current Medicine Cat: Brackenfern

Current Medicine Cat Apprentice: 

Past Leaders: Timberstar, Fogstar, Wolfcry (stepped down), TinderStar (missing)

Past Deputies: Wisteriadream, Leafheart, Rowanshade, Wildbreeze, Tindermoth, Bumblesong 

Past Medicine Cats: -Basilcreek

Past Medicine Cat Apprentices: -brackenfern

---

IDEALS

• Circle of Life: “The fallen tree feeds the Newleaf grass.”

• Closeness to the Natural World: “Without the seed the mouse would starve, and us with it.”

• Standing up for what they believe in: “Only tall trees cast long shadows.”

OUTSIDER ASSUMPTIONS

• Crunchy-Granola Types: “Probably enjoy eating leaves.”

• Shady: “Living in the shadows means they’re likely hiding something.”

• Unconcerned with other clans: “So long as they have their trees they don’t care about anyone else.”

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Build

Out of the four clans, Gladeclan has the most variety of sizes in their members: usually, they have muscular shoulders and hindquarters, but some of the cats are large, while others quite small in size. Almost all of them though have full use of their long tails, as short-tailed cats do tend to have problems keeping balance and scaling trees.

Pelts

For the most part, Gladeclan is made up of a variety of different patterned pelts: solid-colored cats are few and far between. The few that do are almost all uniformly dark. The colors range from shades of brown, black and grey, with white cats being a definite rarity. Their patterns allow them to blend in with the shadows and spots of sunlight cast down from the canopy above them. Fur length varies, but the longer-furred cats are typically ragged and burr-tangled individuals.

Accessories

Often, cats in Gladeclan will decorate themselves, or their loved ones, in flowers from the Stretching Flowerfields. For some cats, these decorations hold personal meaning, such as honoring loved ones, or celebrating personal achievements. For others, they are just pretty tokens.

Unique

Gladeclan cats are known to have much thicker claws, which helps them to climb and retrieve tree-dwelling prey as well as escape into the trees when they feel threatened. Most also have very tough, calloused paw pads from walking across sharp pine needles and bark. They are built for skulking and moving about as soundlessly as possible.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Predators

• Medium-sized predators, such as mink, weasels, stoats, badgers and foxes have been found wandering these lands. Rumor has it that some apprentices have seen a large mountain of a creature that has wandered down around from time to time. It has fur black as night and a tan muzzle. This is a black bear - and while it does not actively chase cats for meat they will kill one if bothered when paths cross.

• The only true bird of prey that lives in these canopied lands is the owl: swooping down in the middle of the night for a quick snack. They are only really a danger to a cat if they are small enough to be considered prey, like a kit or an apprentice, or if they attack a nest. Even in cases where cats attack an owl in the trees, they are more at danger from falling out of the tree than from being eaten by the bird.

• While not active attackers of cats, Porcupines and Skunks are a danger to cats: mainly as, when angered, they will bite, scratch, and then either SMELL or SPIKE - Skunks will spraying the attacker with a foul liquid which can burn the fur like acid and leave a cat with vision problems if not outright blindness, as well as a foul odor that will last for weeks and make hunting or being around their clanmates all but impossible. Only less dangerous due to their ability to be removed, a porcupine attacks by backing into an opponent when it’s least expected; leaving barbed quills behind that rip at the flesh and are a literal major pain to remove; cats have been made lame, blind, or outright killed in an attack from a porcupine.

Prey 

• As can be expected, mice, squirrels and songbirds are the primary source of food for GladeClan

• When times have gotten desperate, Slugs, snails and beetles have also been consumed; as well as tadpoles and small frogs gleaned from the stream running through their territory.

• Hedgehogs are considered a delicacy - the less dangerous cousins of porcupines, if a cat can weasel it’s way into the soft, delicate underbelly of a hedgehog, the meat is said to be the sweetest one could imagine.

Plants

• By far the greenest of all the clans, Gladeclan has a number of plants that are available for sampling: indeed, sometimes berries and leaves are eaten alongside prey in order to enhance the flavours of certain meats.

• Trees play the biggest part of their territory - large sturdy oaks, maples and elms primarily. They act as a secondary highway for the cats of Gladeclan, causing them to boast that they indeed have the more expansive territory - one on top of the other.

CAMP MAP

Nests

Nests in Gladeclan are dug out of the soft earth and lined with feathers, bits of fur from old prey and feathers; as well as decorated by the occupant with small flowers and sweet-smelling herbs, when it is plentiful enough. One might think it was a meadow of flowers somehow in the middle of the forest, until you saw a dark-pelted occupant move.

Dens

Den walls are sectioned off with dead gorse bushes and underbrush, woven together with bits of fine. For dens where the comfort of the ground needs to be exceptionally cautious, such as the nursery and the Elder’s den, it is lined with fresh moss so that any prickles and thorns are blocked from bothering the den’s occupants.

Clearing

The Camp’s clearing is a hollow in the earth, protected on all but one side by large briars and thorn bushes. The entrance to the clearing is blocked by a mouldering tree - so that the camp is almost completely hidden from view from others: until you are right upon it. It is a loam-filled bowl that tends to turn wet and muddy after the worst sorts of storms; but Gladeclan cats will bring in brush and stones to try and shore up the floor when worse comes to worst.

Medicine Cat Den

Beneath the shelter of the Steppes, a large cavern has been expanded and dug out by the cats of Gladeclan to provide shelter to the sick and wounded. When it rains, a trickle of water works it’s way down from the wall of the steppes and provides the occupants with fresh water, where it pools in a curved, smooth stone placed there by Medicine Cats’ past. The slots are filled with herbs and plants, some of which sprout directly from the crags found in the rock itself.

The Steppes

The Steppes are a set of gently sloping slabs of slate in the center of camp, covered in soft moss and gently speckled with bits of sunlight in the greener seasons. There are nine steps in total, representing in the cat’s minds the nine lives of a leader - and it is where the leaders of GladeClan address their clan. As it is a comfortable and good spot for snacks, when not used to overlook the camp, many in the clan can be found lounging around on the soft moss and sharing tongues and stories.

Clan Life

Ceremonial Address

“All cats old enough to ascend The Steppes gather for a clan meeting.”

Warrior Challenge

Apprentices of Gladeclan who are deemed old enough to receive their warrior name are taken out into the woods to the fringes of the territory at night and told to find their way back to camp on their own: using only their training and senses to guide them. Along the way they may face disguised senior warriors who stalk them as ‘predators’, and their goal is to make it back to camp by dawn, and upon doing so are considered full warriors of Gladeclan.

Fighting Techniques

• Disguise: At home in the shadows, Gladeclan cats on the prowl are known to work at masking their scents with mud and herbs, making it easier for them to sneak up on opponents.

• Windfall: This “Death From Above” maneuver is for when a Gladeclan cat, hidden in the trees above, drops down on their opponent to pin them or knock them out. Occasionally, however, their momentum is enough, if dropping from higher branches, to break bones.

• Distract and Defend: A dodge-and-flee movement where Gladeclan ducks under debris and into the shadows to totally overwhelm and confuse their opponent. Often their trickery is done with one or more clan-members, to give the ultimate dizzying effect.

Hunting Techniques

• Tree Hunting is common, and while other clans do hunt tree-dwelling animals, Gladeclan cats are one of the few who will actively scale trees in order to pursue the creatures in their natural environment.

• Gladeclan cats will often leave traps of sticks and leaves to pick up stupid, ground-dwelling animals like mice. They will find natural indentations in stone outcroppings, cover them with leaves, so that when something small crawls over them, the weight will cause them to fall in and become trapped, and therefore the Gladeclan cat can retrieve it at their leisure.

• Gladeclan cats will also bait areas with berries when they are in surplus to lure small, hungry animals towards areas where the ground is smooth and impediments are few - making the hunting easier.

Survivalist Training

• While all clans must learn to survive, Gladeclan cats make extra precautions to train their apprentices in extra arts of how to navigate through the shadows and foliage of their home: including classes on what berries and plants would be edible for staving off hunger, to how to tell directions from the type of vegetation growing on trees. Because of this, very few Gladeclan cats find themselves lost wandering and starving by the time they are made full warriors.
  

Burials Rights

• Cats are buried in the Stretching Flowerfield. Some cats believe that a spirit can only fully move on once things grow over the place they rest. Because of this, friends and family will place flowers on the grave in the hopes of convincing the spirit that it is time to move on.

Amusement and Games

• Tag is a common game among youngsters of the clan, but apprentices of Gladeclan will often take their games up into the lower branches of trees, for what is often termed ‘squirrel tag’. Even warriors may join in from time to time.

• Apprentices and kits are almost encouraged to try and sneak out of camp at some point, to show that they are ready to survive on their own. They will dare each other to sneak out and steal an acorn from a large oak tree that is only a few tail lengths outside of camp. As it is seen as not far enough for the young cats to run into trouble, older cats will not actively try to stop them unless physically caught in the act

• Young and old warriors alike will often test themselves with certain plants: all of them okay to eat, but some fouler to taste than others. It is considered a test of fortitude for who can stomach the strangest taste - but such bragging behavior has occasionally landed a foolish cat in the Medicine Den with a sick stomach

Courtship

• Finding flowers woven into one's nest is usually a telltale sign that one has an admirer. These flowers can usually be traced back to who is wearing them - as a cat who likes a particular flower will obviously pick them in order to tell the cat in question what their true feelings are.

Myths and Legends

• It is common to decorate your fur in flowers for special occasions: and most cats will pick a particular plant or flower that is their favorite - telltale flower or plant.

• The founder of the clan is said to be a tom named Glade: a grey tabby who found himself lost in the woods for days on end after escaping a twoleg monster in the woods. Despite having been born with no survival skills, Starclan was said to have judged him worthy and provided all he needed: when those who would be his future clanmates found him, he had ivy wrapped around his body and was said able to chitter at squirrels until they came right up to his paws and laid themselves bare and ready for being preyed upon.

• Respect for Medicine Cats are so paramount in Gladeclan lore that there is a belief that they actually have a connection and affinity for plants in their clan; almost seeming to speak to them to coax them into growing while even other Medicine Cats fail. It is rumored that almost all Medicines now widely used in the clans, when you follow back to discover their uses, were almost always discovered by a Gladeclan cat.
• Although every clan has a story of things that are worse than nightmares, it is often accepted that the original story may have originated in GladeClan
• They have a legend of a cat named Shadowfang who had a Beast in his head