Generally speaking, the Solstice has always been an opportunity for new blood from the outside to join the ranks of the N'ezi-Ozu. Yet as peace descends upon the caldera it also brings cause for celebration in a variety of other forms. While new blood from beyond their walls continues to be embraced much more easily than it had been before, the pride has a rare opportunity to celebrate two other joyous events.
The first, a celebration of the arrival of new cubs into their world. In good health and brimming with life, they are sure to keep both their parents and the pride incredibly busy.
...And in a more understatement announcement, the revelation that their very own Onyeisi has become mated. Though there are no indications that he has yet to sire heirs of his own, the good fortune that he has finally found someone patient enough to put up with his antics is still regarded as good news.
The pride is now in full, celebratory mode, with each of the individuals within it enjoying the festivities in their own way. There are some who would prefer to be the life of the party, while others might prefer a quieter and more observational approach. Whatever your lion's inclinations however, there is a place for them to enjoy themselves.
For some though there are certain duties that call them to the fore, and as such, they await expectantly for all who might approach them. Safe to say that in time though they will fully expected to take part in the festivities themselves!
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Important Details:
Either Epine de Rose or oo Ded will roll for your character's family name in here for you. They will make sure to only roll for relevant families, if you are meant to be marrying into a family later, make sure this is documented in the application. There will be an RP post alongside the roll to acknowledge the result. You may stay for the whole RP, or you can leave as soon as you would like. The only requirement is the single post to approach either the Seer (Nche) or the Chieftain (Itiri). You may approach both if you like!
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Prizes:
SilverLutz has very kindly provided us with new blood for this event and we would love to give you to give them a very loving set of homes! These two gorgeous cubs are from Zuko and Sawa's litter and they come from a very warm and caring household.
One will be available through participation here (the little girl) and the other will be a concept contest (the little boy) that you can enter for by clicking the link.
Here's a sneak peek though!
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 5:23 am
Participation List Boop Boop Boop
New Members - Family Roll Record
Name - Family Name - Family Name - Family
Nezi-ozu
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MangoMeow
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:40 pm
Liling walked through the crowd with uncertain paws. This pride was so different from her previous one, but she was desperate for a new home and with how high the N’ezi seemed to hold family life.... well, it was a tempting option, indeed. Which is why she was here now, hoping to join them.
Thinking about her old pride made her flatten her ears sadly. She missed them, but there was nothing that could have been done. She now carried with her a small pouch around her neck with just a few crystals within as keepsakes of her life there, and she would treasure them always.
Following what happened, she wandered aimlessly through the rogue lands until she eventually ended up here. Looking around, she spied the lions she was meant to introduce herself to and walked closer.
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:35 am
If there was one thing that Yan had not accounted for, it was that in a world as large as this one she would have the opportunity to meet her sister again. They had parted ways some time ago and while Yan had wandered in the rogue lands for a little longer than her sister, it seemed Liling had already found somewhere else she could settle comfortable. One could only imagine the yellow lion's expression as a rather familiar form came in to sight and left her at a loss for words, mid conversation, with one of her own pride.
It was that other individual that glanced over their shoulder to check who might well have distracted the otherwise boisterous lioness. Aphelios had come with Yan and in that time things had turned out rather for the best (or so she thought).
"Someone you know?" she asked curiously, a wry smile on her lips as she pulled herself to her paws and gave her stunned companion a nudge. It was just enough to knock Yang out of her stupor and with a very abrupt shake of her head she strode forward.
"If this is who I think it is," she began, beelining towards Liling, "Then this is my sister!" she announced proudly, a smiling creeping on to her lips. "Either that or an amazing doppelganger," she finished.
"A pleasure," Aphelios clucked her tongue. "Yan continues to forget that there are other steps in social etiquette even after all these years; I'm Aphelios." She offered towards Liling.
"Oh, names, right..."
MangoMeow
Epine de Rose
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MangoMeow
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Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:21 pm
Caught up in her thoughts as she was, Liling almost missed the familiar voice rushing towards her, but as her eyes were drawn to the yellow shape, her mouth dropped open in shock. Which was quickly followed by pure joy.
“Yan?!” She could hardly believe her eyes. Here she’d thought that she would likely never see her sister again, and yet, standing in the flesh before her was that very same sister. She could almost feel herself tearing up with happiness as she hurried forward to butt heads against her, her previous action of meeting the lions to join the pride put together the wayside.
“How... when....? Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” At the sound of another’s voice, she peeked up to look at the other lioness, still smiling from ear to ear, and let out a watery laugh at her words. “The pleasure is all mine. I’m Liling.”
Liling paused, head tilting curiously, “Do you live here, Yan?” Because, oh, how happy would she be to find out she’d be living in a pride with her.
Epine de Rose
Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:22 am
"Uh huh, I've been here for um..." She paused and scrunched her face up thoughtfully. Time had always flowed a bit oddly for the young lioness, but she didn't think it had been that long. She'd certainly settled but she wasn't at that 'old codger' phase just yet.
"A little more than a year," Aphelios offered helpfully.
"That! A little more than a year," Yan pointed at Aphelios and then returned her attention back to her sister. "Followed my paws here, dragged this poor soul along and then we ended up staying," she admitted and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "A little bit of a difference from the Nergui but I...prefer this approach," she admitted after a moment.
"Not quite so determined to massacre anything that disagrees with them, but still have a healthy respect for tradition," she explained. She wasn't entirely familiar with the religious nuances yet, but that didn't seem to upset anyone here too much. Provided she was learning and she wasn't breaking any big rules, things went ok.
"But...didn't you have a home?" she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Or at least I thought you did but maybe I made that up while I was meandering," she conceded. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, I'm just surprised!"
MangoMeow
Epine de Rose
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Lethrossen
Blessed Hunter
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:04 am
Though every lovable rogue knew that wandering lands and seeking adventure was the epitome of the best sort of life... there still came a time when the heart yearned for other things. Perhaps a certain other type of adventure... one that was more rooted. Ofra had not thought for very long about the fact that it was time to settle down, it was more of a recent whim. Recent but persistent, he couldn't help feeling that his paws, and perhaps his heart, were pulling him somewhere he needed to be. A pride could be a good thing, and he'd seen many in action over his life span. He'd been a rogue for his entire life and when he was younger he believed he'd be a rogue until the day he died... but thoughts and feelings changed.
He'd started to have dreams, both during the night and during the day, of a beautiful lioness... of little paws and tiny noses... little versions of himself he could raise and tell all of his stories to. Settling just felt right. The N'ezi had been a pride he was unfamiliar with until he'd happened upon it, and so far he'd liked what he'd seen. The lions were social enough, their beliefs were interesting and most importantly... it just felt right.
After some time talking to members, both old and those joining like himself, he started to make his way towards who he needed to, or so he was told. The one that they called Itiri.
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:22 am
At the mention of having a home, Liling’s face wilted just a bit before she tried to push it back up into a smile. “Unfortunately, my former pride has, umm...” She reached a paw up to rub at her pouch of crystals unconsciously, “... gone their separate ways. I’ve been wandering as a rogue for a little while now.”
She paused here toss a look around them, eyes hopeful, “I’d like to find a new home. That’s actually why I’m here - I’m interested in joining.”
The lioness’ smile brightened, “And if you’re here, I’m sure this pride is a good one.”
Epine de Rose
MangoMeow
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Epine de Rose
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:03 am
"Oh," Yan's face fell, though she had always been a touch partial to wearing her heart on her sleeve and hiding how she felt was rarely on her radar. She knew better than to ask what had happened, pridal destruction was a particularly sensitive topic, even here, and to pry was considered unwise. Well, to pry to the wrong lion was considered unwise but there were some patient and willing enough to provide an education on why some things were the way they were.
"Well I'll not lie and say this place can't be a little odd sometimes and there are some folks who are a little," she paused to find a diplomatic way to describe those who were particularly critical of her fur colour.
"Old scars still run deep here," Aphelios offered and shook her head. "There are some who are still deeply wounded by past events and they have yet to recover. You may find they can be quite terse on occasions, but they mean no harm," she finished.
"Oh, actually that's probably the best way to put it," Yan agreed. "They've had a rough ride but everyone has a good heart, if you have any neat stories there's probably a cluster of them who'll want to hear them," she grinned.
A pause and she motioned towards Itiri in the distance who seemed to be with another lion at the time.
"Buuuuut if we want to get you settled we'll have to find out where you're supposed to be first," she finished.
MangoMeow
Epine de Rose rolled 1 12-sided dice:
10Total: 10 (1-12)
Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:10 am
[[OOC Roll here, will bring it up in conversation after for you Leth!]]
Mingling seemed to be the name of the day when it came to this particularly group of lions. In a way, Itiri took comfort from the fact that several had already found themselves in conversation before they had found who their family might be. While the pain still ran deep through some members of the pride, it seemed that the slightly newer blood had helped others to see that there was light and deep down, even outsiders could be trusted to a degree.
For this reason Itiri found himself without much to do in the meantime and while he had seated himself by Nche, he had left the others in the pride to entertain their new family. He would wander later of course, introduce himself a little more, but the atmosphere made it clear that this time his presence was not necessary and he didn't need to force conversations or act as a bridge between worlds.
Odd, but comforting.
Still, it seemed that eventually the time had come for at least a few to begin making their way towards him to at least find out where their fate would lie. Even if it was a brief encounter before they wandered back to an existing conversation, it was something that needed to be done, and so he placed a smile on his lips as he was approached.
Normally he was not a nervous lion, surprises were good and they were something to look forward to... but right now even as the lion he approached offered up a friendly smile he hesitated to stay calm. Thump-thump-thump his heart went, hammering against his chest. He went to answer but as his maw opened it felt sticky and offered no sound. He shut his mouth and swallowed, then gave a slight chuckle before nodding and trying to match the other male's smile.
"Yes, I am ready." His voice firm, even as nerves worked to undue him. He was sure, this was the pride that he belonged in... the sort of life he wanted to lead, the kind of lions he wanted to settle in with.
Epine de Rose
Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:16 am
Mae'alla was born to a rogue mother - she'd never met her father and had never known what life in a Pride was like. Now, in her second summer, a full-grown lioness in her own right, and a capable hunter, she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing from her life - a community and structure that she could benefit from, she felt that she had plenty to offer given the chance.
New to the territory, word of mouth carried to her that there was a pride that was accepting new members. A Pride where most had neutral or natural-colored pelts, and unique beliefs regarding death. She was so curious!
Mae'alla's mother had taught her from a young age to respect death - to understand that in the end, it came for all. That Death was a natural and crucial part of the circle of life, and that it was important to be thankful for, even when sometimes it was hard to endure the loss that inevitably came with it.
Her mother had also taught her that she must thank the ancestors for guiding her in every kill she made, and to thank the animal whose circle came to an end so hers might continue.
Those beliefs had always served her well, and she wondered, as she stepped into the territory with intent and hope, that she would come to learn their ways and that she might find the completion her heart was searching for.
There were others there already - some at a distance, some coming together in greeting. She skirted the group that seemed to be in conversation, not wanting to intrude, and her eyes scanned the faces of those around her; she wondered how many belonged to the Pride already, and how many were as new as she was.
To be fair to Ofra, Itiri would probably have been a little uncertain around Nche as well. Staring directly into the eyes of another could be awkward at the best of times and according to N'ezi rituals if that particular Death Priest did not approve of you then you simply couldn't join. For all intents and purposes it looked like he was judging their appearance most of the time even if the truth was far more complex. As an outsider, Itiri could only assume that this was a rather baffling thing to go through.
Disconcerting too, but definitely baffling.
Nevertheless it wasn't as if Ofra had anything to worry about and no sooner had he stepped forward than Itiri heard the familiar 'hm' of approval he was so accustomed to hearing. It seemed that Ofra was indeed well intentioned and with that in mind the Onyeisi reached out to pick up the thread and the small bone to offer to the male.
"You are Nganga," he said. "They represent Pride, and in joining them I hope you will realise we're not scary enough to hesitate around," he winked.
Lethrossen
Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:47 pm
She perked up at those words, curious and excited to meet more of this pride. "I’m sure I’ve got a few interesting stories that I can provide to those interested." She smiled softly as she continued gently, "And I can understand old wounds like that.... I’d love to learn more about everyone here."
As her attention was drawn to the lion nearby, Liling gulped and nodded. He must be the leader of the pride, or at least, the person she needed to speak to in order to join. She hoped she could make a good impression. Now that she knew Yan was here, her desire to join had risen. You couldn’t get more "family" than literally having your family here.
"You’re right. Well," she took a deep breathe, "let’s find out." And with that, she began making her way over to him. It looked like he was about done speaking with another joining rogue, and she felt that it was a good time as any.
Epine de Rose
MangoMeow
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Lethrossen
Blessed Hunter
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:00 am
Nganga the other lion said, telling Ofra that it was the family that represented Pride. As he also gave a bit of humorous advice Ofta chuckled and nodded. "Nganga.." He repeated, letting the name roll around in his mouth for a moment to see how it felt. It fit, oddly enough. Or perhaps not oddly at all... because that was why he was here after all, wasn't it?
"Well, I feel a great pride already in being accepted... and I will show my worth." He promised, a bright smile on his maw. He nodded a goodbye and moved out of the way for the next rogue to approach, moving back into the grouping of members in hopes of meeting some of his new family members.
