[META ORP] The Calm Before

[Nezi-ozu]

The sun is dipping low in the sky. The afternoon is drifting into evening. In there secluded caldera, the is life among the Death Keepers.

It is a notable time: a new chieftain has been named. After the death of their father, the brothers Itiri and Owu undertook the Trial of the King and, after the trials had been completed, Itiri has been named the new Onyeisi. It was under the moon of the previous night that the Amoosu declared Itiri to have succeeded over his brother in the trials and now, as day turns to night once more, it is time to celebrate.

But this new development isn't the only piece of exciting news that has been chittering around the pride. Numerous counts of conflict and drama have been strewn throughout the Death Keepers. Love. Violence. Controversy. Can celebrations even be had in such a time? And what else lies on the horizon?

Welcome to the first N'ezi Meta ORP!

This RP is open to all members of the N'ezi-ozu. At the time of posting, this RP is open. The mule may be posting updates throughout the RP, so keep an eye out! If you have a member with specific circumstances and don't know if you are able to participate or any other questions, feel free to PM the mule. This RP will end when it comes to its natural conclusion.

 

[Nezi-ozu]

Summary of Recent Events…

Though your character may not know the details of what occurred in relevant RPs, a majority of the pride has a general idea about these key points.


• The trials have been concluded and Itiri has been named the new Onyeisi. It's known that Itiri is more open minded than many of the more traditional members of the pride. This may pose as a problem particularly to the Amoosu, who are more traditionally minded. Isiike, the elder Amusu and 'leader' of sorts of the death priests, has been known to be very openly against the untraditional ideas of Itiri and has butt heads with him in the past.
  
  Relevant RPs: 1, 2, 3. (Note: OOCly the trial RPs have yet to be completed, but can be backlogged at a later time)

• Ebere entered the catacombs (after a dare from Naani, but this specific fact might be unknown by many). He was caught by Isiike, who subsequently blinded the adolescent. This happened during the trials.
  
  Relevant RPs: 1, 2
  
  
• During the trials, a very pregnant rogue female was found at the outskirts of the pride and brought in by the brothers. Itiri has advocated that she stay with the pride, a controversial idea that clashes with the traditional mentality of the Amoosu. Though the Amoosu can be argued to have had more power than the Onyeisi in the past, Isiike hasn't been seen since a little while before the lioness was brought in (it is assumed he has been deep in the catacombs doing Amusu-related work after the blinding event) and has yet to confront Itiri about this decision and the other Amoosu are floundering without his leadership.
  
  The lioness in question is Kimaria's Imani. ICly, she is still pregnant and the cubs (Alpaca Chobi's Mgbanwe, Andranis's Nro, and SilverLutz's Ruaka) have NOT BEEN BORN YET.

 

[Nezi-ozu]

What now?

This is a time for celebration! Various Ezinulo have been hard at work hunting to collect enough prey to have a proper feast and the pride has gathered the evening after the completion of the Trials of the King to celebrate the naming of the new Onyeisi. It is a time to congratulate the new chief and converse with pride members as to what may be in the pride's future.

But there is conflict in our midst. It is clear than many members (older members and some Amoosu especially) are opposed to Itiri's controversial mentality concerning the desire to accept a rogue lioness, but can't do much about it until Isiike returns. What are your thoughts on the matter? And how do you feel about the chief being more openly progressive about rogues?

And there's something in the air… (Keep an eye out for prompts/mini events throughout the ORP!)

 

[oo Ded]

Nchekwube felt like there was a knot in his stomach. It was wound tight and wrapped up all of his insides. He was supposed to be happy, right? There was a new Onyeisi. It was a new era. Now they had to look towards the future and whatnot. Now they had to look forward to hope and prosperity and all that junk.

But his brother was blind. Ebere had done a stupid thing for some stupid girl and now he was blind. Marked for his wrongdoing. But it was understandable, right? Ebere was in love and people did stupid things when they were in love. And Naani wasn't so bad. And Isiike, even if he was an old grump, was only doing what was necessary. It was the called for punishment.

But still. It was his brother and Nchekwube still felt for him.

Needless to say, the adolescent felt a bit conflicted at the moment. He felt happy for Itiri. There was something he'd always liked about the lion and, despite what some of the older pride members might have thought about him becoming the Onyeisi, there was a feeling of... security? Was that the right word?

The tan lion mulled around the edges of the gathering, avoiding eye contact with most others. He still had some feelings to work out.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Urupuru didn’t know what he was more angry about. His child, HIS CHILD, had been blinded, a young boy, a foolish, silly, love lorn child blinded by a priest. He was so angry and now there was a new leader he could raise a complaint. The pale dual eyed male was fully intending to launch that complaint at the earliest possible moment.

The other issue, obviously, was that the new leader was less traditional and he had let a pregnant lioness in to the pride. Urupuru remembered the plague and this lioness could be bringing anything in to the pride. He wanted to complain, he wanted to demand that the priest be punished. He believed in the pride, he believed in the traditions but such a punishment for a silly child, for his child, it hurt his soul that his child was hurt and hurt in such a horrendous manner.

He spotted his beige son and made a beeline for him putting a paw on his shoulder the older lion frowned “have you seen..” he paused and took a breath the word caught in his maw “The Onyeisi?” He spoke the word as if it tasted sour on his lips. As much as he was angry about the lioness, terrified about the potential of another plague, he had an issue and something had to be done.  

[Krysin]

Afya laid down towards the outskirts of the feast, picking clean a rib bone carelessly. There was tension in the muscles of the dark lioness' body - the events that transpired picked at and weighed heavily on her mind. Of the brothers, she had hoped Owu would have been the one to succeed the role of Onyeisi. Itiri was a little too... liberal for her tastes, and already his mentality was beginning to show. Outside blood had only been a plague to them, literally and metaphorically. The risk did not outweigh the reward, and Afya wasn't exactly happy with the arrival of a pregnant rogue female.

She was in no position to question the Onyeisi's decision, but that hardly meant she was happy about it. She rotated the bone in her grasp, picking the meat clean from the other side. The previous day had been spent entirely hunting to provide enough meat for the feast. It was a small miracle that they had managed to acquire enough to feed the entirety of the pride, but it proved that with some motivation, they were plenty capable of making enough kills in a short period of time. Afya was very sore, but she considered the past few days a success. Her hunting luck had been so poor lately that she was glad it turned around in the nick of time.

For the most part, the lions around her seemed to be enjoying themselves. Doubtlessly Nyarai was around making an adorable fool out of herself. But there was no greater fool here than Ebere, though she had yet to see the adolescent lion. Likely he was off recovering from his wounds. It was a shame Ebere had been naive enough to entire the catacombs and expect no repercussions. But he got what he deserved - tradition had to be held at all costs. The dead deserved respect, and Ebere had shown none for them.

The adolescent's family was likely seething with rage, so Afya took care to make sure she was as far away from them as possible. It was hard to argue with those blinded by love over beliefs.

Afya was simply a traditionalist at heart, and though young, the idea of change unsettled her. A rogue female was within the pride's boundaries.
Who knew what diseases she may carry or ideals she may hold that could set off the balance within the pride. Afya believed it was her right to be cautious, even judgmental. She was not so foolish to speak her beliefs now when the pride was settling in with a new Onyeisi. So, she did her best to simply enjoy the feast she had worked so hard to provide for the occasion.

In time, she hoped Itiri would place more caution in his actions and decisions.  

[ChexaRain]

Gbaruo was anything but in the mood for celebration, new Onyeisi or not. The rather miserable Amusu was skirting around the large grouping of lions, sticking well out of reach as he grumbled to himself.

Not only had a mere child set foot on sacred ground, risking disruption to the ancestors' bones they all had vowed to restore to proper rest, but the new chief had seen to it to allow a rogue lioness into their midsts, even after the last plague had left its mark on them all.

And a heavily pregnant lioness, at that.

He let out a sigh of frustration, scouring the scene for his niece and nephew. He felt like he hadn't bothered with them nearly as much as he tended to worry about them while at work in the catacombs since his sister's untimely passing, and now, while the entire pride was gathered, was as good a time as any to see what they were up to, close or not.






Not far from the same point on the the spectrum, Noresi was uneasy at the idea of celebration. The effort it had taken to bring in enough food for the entire pride had left all too many of them weary, including himself.

He caught the whispers, he knew of what had happened within the catacombs as did almost everyone, it seemed. And he knew, just as they all did, that doing so was against the rules.

But he was also really, really glad that the boy had merely been blinded, when it could've been so much worse of a punishment, though something within him wasn't fond of the idea, and questioned where the Amoosu could find the strength to do something like that to one of their own, bound by law or not.

When his gaze fell on Afya, he was quick to head in her direction, the comfort of his sister's presence greater than those with debatable and conflicting emotions over what had transpired in recent times.
He settled himself comfortably near her, scanning the area and looking at her again over his shoulder.
"A bit much, isn't it?" He mused aloud, the humor in his voice a blanket over his real concerns.
The rogue lioness, the changes shifting like a ripple from one focal point, all of it.  

[oo Ded]

Syrius Lionwing

Nche did his best not to be startled by the cloudy lion's greeting, but the adolescent had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed his father's approach.

"Dad," he started, looking up at the larger lion with bright eyes. Nchekwube hadn't yet spoken to his father about the recent events, though the adolescent had given it some thought as to how the elder must have felt about it. He looked up to Urupuru. Even if he disagreed with some of his more traditional ideas, Nche respected that the lion was wise and, for the most part, seemed to think things through in a manner that Nchekwube wanted to emulate one day.

His father, in his eyes, was a stickler for the rules. For the way things should be. How must he feel, then, that it was those rules that now directly affected his own family?

But Nchekwube buried the desire to question and probe. Not here. Unlike some others, Nche was rather… nonconfrontational. There were a lot of lions around, and who knew what sort of mentalities they held. Above all, he didn't want to make a scene.

"Um…" he started, averting his gaze. He was obviously nervous. "He must be around here somewhere. But I haven't seen him." To be honest, though, he hadn't really been looking. For the first time since he arrived, Nche scanned the lions around him. A good number had gathered. How many must be looking their way? As the family of someone who had committed a crime? The adolescent swallowed hard. His voice dropped to a low murmur. "Have you seen Ebere?"
 

[KasaiLoki]

To say Mgbamizu was a little excited was probably an understatement. When news had broke a rogue was in the pride, he quickly scampered about to find about more about her. Plus, the trials being over, and Itiri being named the next Onyeisi likely meant more changes for the pride. (Letting in the female seemed to be the first start). Mgbamizu was only saddened by the fact he did not find the lioness, as much as he sat at those borders, watching and waiting. He'd had to speak with the brothers, maybe get the scoop one where she was found so he could change his scouting location.

Golden eyes scanned the area. Being an Ezinulo, he had helped gather some of the bits for the feast that would occur. He was sure his mother had cooked something for the pride as well, and wondering if he should find her to see if she needed any assistance in carrying her goods to the gathering.

He paused, trying to find her. Not seeing her at this very moment, Mgbamizu sat, listening to the conversations around him.
 

[MangoMeow]

She didn't want to be here. She really didn't want to be here. Naani was terrified of coming across any of the N'anya family, most of all Ebere himself, but a new Onyeisi had been chosen and as the only members of the Uju family, she and her brother needed to be there for the celebrations...

The lioness whined as she curled further into herself, hidden away in the shadows as she was. Everyone knew what had happened to Ebere by now, though clearly none knew the reason for why. Which suited her just fine - she didn't want anyone to know the hand she had had in his decision. No, the real problem came in the form of... well....While no one knew that she'd challenged him to do it, they did know that he'd done it to try and impress her.

That was just as bad.

She stared down at her paws then, recalling her conversation with Mgbamizu just before all of this happened. She should have said something. She should have done something. And now it was too late.

Her paws raised to scrub at her mane, exhaustion draining at her. She hadn't been sleeping well lately. Hell, she already hadn't been sleeping well after her parents' death, but now it was even worse. She was too jittery, too nervous. What would Ebere say? What would he do? She hadn't seen him since the incident. Had he mentioned anything to his family? They had not approached her about it, but she could never be sure. She wouldn't blame any of them for coming after her.

Honestly, she was more afraid of what Ebere himself would say. Would he blame her? Scream at her? It was his own fault! He shouldn't have been stupid enough to do it! He was supposed to just back off!

But he hadn't, and as much as she wanted to pin it all on him....

The guilt was eating at her.





Ugh, he hated drama, and it seemed like the pride was full of it lately. At least none of it was directed at him. He wouldn't have tolerated it.

Kione stalked slowly down towards where the celebration would take place, white fluffy coat mussed up and ungroomed. He hadn't bothered cleaning himself before this, having just woken from a nap, and he felt no need to put himself up on presentation for this. Besides, everyone was on edge anyway. He doubted anyone would even notice.

His own opinion on the events was... neutral.

Ebere was stupid. He shouldn't have lost his head while courting. He wasn't terribly surprised though. That whole family tended to let their emotions get the better of them.

As for the rogue female, he wasn't exactly pleased, but he would reserve judgement until after they could see what she did for the pride. He would keep his distance and watch from afar, as he often did regardless.

The same could be said about the new Onyeisi. He had never interacted with the older lion before, but he had heard rumors and gossip of him. He would likely make a good leader, one that would challenge some of the more traditionally-minded while still maintaining order, though only time would tell on how well that would go.
 

[Syrius Lionwing]

oo DeD

Urupuru looked at his son, his jaw aligned itself for a moment as he gritted his teeth. He really was so very angry, he was hurt and of course this was no place to voice his hurt really but he really couldn’t help it. He had never felt so irked by the world. He may have been a strict lion, however that strictness sort of faded away when it came to his children. He loved them, they were their future. What future did Ebere have now? He shook away that fear, what could his child do, would he ever be a truly functioning member of society now? Even if he had broken a rule he was still a child and children did stupid foolish things.

“Your brother...” Again a pause in his feeling, his voice lowering “Is why I must speak to the Onyeisi.” The word for their leader escaped his lips with spite. He really was not happy with the new leader. Part of this was fear, a deep seeded terror that the rogue would bring mass death once again to their pride. “Your brother has not given me a reason for his, dalliance, though I have a feeling I know, why.” He paused and glanced around his gaze pausing for the briefest moment on lavender fur that could not completely escape a searching gaze. “Words need to be spoken between adults. I believe in our pride my son but some things are unacceptable.”

He moved closer to his son and whispered in his ear “You will stay away from that lioness, and you will keep your brother and sister as far from her as you possibly can. I will not lose anything else this season.” He stepped away and looked down at his son, a stern look in his eyes though there was a clear flicker of worry within them. “Give me your word Nche.” His ears folded in to his mane a deep frown settling on his brow. “Promise me you will protect our family from what ever comes.”  

[ChexaRain]

"Naani."

He hadn't intended to speak to his niece at all, considering he'd never made an effort to do so in the past unless it was necessary. He was surely just as shocked as she was bound to be at the sudden intrusion.
He had been circling the festivities, dancing on the fringes of the social gathering and had expected to see her among her peers.
Instead, he'd caught distinct, familiar movement out of the corner of his eye and, unable to help himself, he approached the younger lioness when he caught a look in her eyes that she was desperately trying to hide from. Something was troubling her.

Gbaruo had never been one to bother with others, and even now he struggled with the idea of simple conversation.

"You're okay, aren't you?"

It was completely off for how he should've responded as a caring, compassionate lion as most relatives were meant to be, but it was all he could manage under the current situation, keeping his voice a low murmur. He kept a considerate distance, but sat himself down to block view of her from as much of the room as possible after glancing around, since she seemed so desperate to be away from it, and he felt the urge to assist her troubled mind.

Moments before he'd been more worried about getting back to work and ending this frivolous event, but in a second his focus had changed.

MangoMeow

 

[viatorai]

With her grandmother in no health or mental capacity to attend, and her father currently nursing a wounded paw, Sadiki was the only one of her family to attend the celebration. While she knew her father and grandmother's positions on the new leader, and his subsequent decision concerning a new member, Sadiki didn't share them entirely. So young was she that she had very little, if any, memory of what had happened before, and thus it didn't cloud her judgement. To her, it was a good thing to invite someone who needed help in. There was no reason not to.

Now that brought her to the whispers she'd heard recently. A young male had entered the catacombs, desecrated them, and was subsequently blinded for his actions. Again, her youth led her to her conclusion. One that she had yet to voice to anyone, and would not be doing so anytime in the near future.

Her mixed thoughts mingled with the fact that before now, her grandmother had not allowed her to interact fully with the rest of the pride, kept her at a distance from everyone else. While she wanted badly to go and mingle, talk, hear the news, she was utterly paranoid that grandmother would pop up out of nowhere and ruin everything.

So for now, she took a small bone with just enough meat on it, seeing as she hadn't participated in the hunting and wouldn't feel right about taking more than half her share, and lay down to nibble slowly. Later, she would catch a hare or something if she became hungry again.  

[Lightning Shadow X]

Isithunzi had been rather level headed about the knowledge of a rogue, in fact she was rather excited internally - finally some news about the outside, even if this news had also come with the knowledge that one of the youngsters had been blinded for his actions. That law'd been harsh...especially since the younger members weren't exempt from it.

But what had he been doing? What'd possessed him to do such? A sigh passed her lips as she sat herself amidst the others, wondering if her brother was sat alongside the others. She could spot Mgbamizu which made her smile, but no sight of their new Onyeisi or the pregnant rogue who'd been brought in.

That'd be a very interesting meeting to say the least.

Umhlaba was less excited, all this drama going on and poor Ebere - the trials of love were so hazardous but never in his life did he imagine the boy would go into the catacombs of all things. He would get nervous just THINKING of going near the catacombs, let alone doing something so taboo.
And now there was a stranger, a lady stranger, marvelous, more things to jangle his poor nerves as he wandered amidst his other pride members. Flushing slightly as he passed some of the ladies like Afya and Sadiki.

Oh what a bothersome state of affairs.  

[SilverLutz]

Zuko had caught wind of the news that spread through the pride like wildfire - namely that the new Onyeisi had been decided - and had come to join the celebration just like the rest of those gathered. The other news that had spread kept the whole place a little less lively than it should be and for good reason. An unqualified lion had entered the catacombs and had paid for his mistake dearly, which served him right in Zuko's eyes. There were rules to follow and if you didn't obey them consequences were sure to come quickly and mercilessly. The other bit of gossip was that a rogue had joined their ranks.

The dark lion paused beside a lighter male and he took in his appearance before placing a name to the face. The pride was small and it was impossible not to know just about everyone.

"Excited, Mgbamizu?" he said, his voice low and quiet as always. It was the type of voice that wasn't ignored, it was the type that you'd lean in closer to hear rather than miss a single breath.

"It's not every day the pride is so...active."

KasaiLoki