Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 13:26:33 GMT -5
"Reversals" takes place in an area based off of San Diego, but it has since deviated from its original source enough to simply be considered its own setting. (For the curious, the area in question is somewhat close to Sea World.) However, the forum is most definitely far enough from where the Warriors books take place that the traditions and such, while somewhat similar in some respects, are very different. For example, leadership is closer to that of a monarchy; a leader names an heir to become leader instead of the second-in-command becoming leader. Additionally, the groups' equivalent of StarClan (the equivalent varies from group to group; see the Culture of the Groups for more information) is much more passive. To a rather cynical cat, they're more of a tradition than actual guardians of any sort. Their influence is hardly seen on a day-to-day basis; prophecies and such are uncommon to receive, if there are any at all. However, the only explanation for the cats' innate ability to control the elements are these "religions", so the traditions and belief in these deities remain.
Depending on if a cat has a heritage in a particular group, that cat may be able to control the element of Fire, Water, Earth or Air. Each element corresponds to a different group. Unless a cat is of mixed heritage (and even then, it's unlikely) they cannot control multiple elements. If they can, they have lesser control over both of the elements and may be exiled completely for their mixed blood depending on circumstances. After all, if that cat has children and those children have children, there'll be an increased number of cats who cannot control the group's actual element as well as they would if they had pure blood.
Due to its proximity with many human settlements, stray pets and alley cats from the city are somewhat common sights to the cats. Depending on the leader, they may or may not be let in, but they often face ostracization from their peers because the cat in question will not be able to control the group's element and will have had a "softer" upbringing if he or she was a pet. Loners typically face the same treatment if let into the group, but they are, for the most part, treated better than former pets.
Cats are taught to be wary of the highways that divide the territories. Many a brave cat has crossed the "big black trail" to only be mowed over by a metallic monster. Fortunately, there are small "tunnels" that go under the roads, so cats seeking to get to another territory for whatever reason take those. They're fiercely guarded and checked by patrols for this reason, and some cats in the past have led groups of rangers over the highway itself to avoid running into a patrol in the tunnels.
Prey varies from territory to territory, but for the most part, rodents like small mice and birds such as sparrows make up the cats' diets. Fish, if they can be caught in the rivers or oceans, may also be eaten. It's not uncommon to eat snakes or lizards, either.
The cats don't face many competitors for food other than each other, but the beach and cliff areas get an abundance of seagulls, which, for the most part, fight back too strongly for the cats to actually hunt. Pigeons are really the largest bird that the cats can hunt, though some particularly brave and reckless cats in the past have even tried nabbing a crow or two. Aside from the larger birds, the occasional stray or runaway dog might rear its head and terrorize some of the cats.
Seasons don't really exist here; there are periods of time where it's colder and more likely to rain, but snow is just a myth, though it's important to note that the cats do use it in naming, still, and in the past, some cats that have been able to manipulate the weather have made it cold enough for this "snow" to be visible, if only for a few moments. However, seasons are too similar to each other to really be thought of as different from each other. Days tend to be rather similar with marginal differences. It might be cloudy one day and sunny the next, but neither is typical of a particular season in the minds of the cats.
ELEMENT CYCLE —
Even the strongest Fire can be quenched by Water,
but the same Fire will burn the Earth.
However, Earth cannot be moved by Air,
and Air cuts through Water like the sharpest claw.
This means that a cat that controls the Fire element will take heavier injuries from Water attacks, but less damage from Earth attacks. This is because Water beats Fire, but Fire beats Earth. A cat that controls Earth will be heavily injured by Fire attacks and will resist Air-based attacks. If a cat controls the power of Water, he or she will take significant damage from Air attacks and resist Fire ones. Finally, a cat with the Air element will be heavily injured from Earth attacks and take little damage from Water attacks.
Fire and Air, and Water and Earth, have no relationship in the element cycle. In other words, they're neutral to each other.
Not only this, but every cat who can control an element has "latent element powers", which are essentially upgrades of that element. Cats cannot tap into these powers without the help of their group's deity. It's said that, if a cat helps the group frequently and actively participates in hunts and such, it is more likely that the deity will appear to him or her in a dream to awaken a latent power. Oddly enough, some loners in the past have claimed to have seen a deity in one of their dreams to awaken latent powers, but many cats in groups scoff at the idea. As of late, however, very few cats have appeared with these latent powers awakened... has something happened to make the deities believe the cats less worthy?
RECENT HISTORY —
All history is labeled with a date relative to the present-day, such as "thirty moons ago". When a month passes, the dates here will change accordingly to accommodate for the passage in time. Recent history goes back to about eight years.
Crashingwaves —
Ruinplace —
Shadowtrees —
Sunnysands —
Depending on if a cat has a heritage in a particular group, that cat may be able to control the element of Fire, Water, Earth or Air. Each element corresponds to a different group. Unless a cat is of mixed heritage (and even then, it's unlikely) they cannot control multiple elements. If they can, they have lesser control over both of the elements and may be exiled completely for their mixed blood depending on circumstances. After all, if that cat has children and those children have children, there'll be an increased number of cats who cannot control the group's actual element as well as they would if they had pure blood.
Due to its proximity with many human settlements, stray pets and alley cats from the city are somewhat common sights to the cats. Depending on the leader, they may or may not be let in, but they often face ostracization from their peers because the cat in question will not be able to control the group's element and will have had a "softer" upbringing if he or she was a pet. Loners typically face the same treatment if let into the group, but they are, for the most part, treated better than former pets.
Cats are taught to be wary of the highways that divide the territories. Many a brave cat has crossed the "big black trail" to only be mowed over by a metallic monster. Fortunately, there are small "tunnels" that go under the roads, so cats seeking to get to another territory for whatever reason take those. They're fiercely guarded and checked by patrols for this reason, and some cats in the past have led groups of rangers over the highway itself to avoid running into a patrol in the tunnels.
Prey varies from territory to territory, but for the most part, rodents like small mice and birds such as sparrows make up the cats' diets. Fish, if they can be caught in the rivers or oceans, may also be eaten. It's not uncommon to eat snakes or lizards, either.
The cats don't face many competitors for food other than each other, but the beach and cliff areas get an abundance of seagulls, which, for the most part, fight back too strongly for the cats to actually hunt. Pigeons are really the largest bird that the cats can hunt, though some particularly brave and reckless cats in the past have even tried nabbing a crow or two. Aside from the larger birds, the occasional stray or runaway dog might rear its head and terrorize some of the cats.
Seasons don't really exist here; there are periods of time where it's colder and more likely to rain, but snow is just a myth, though it's important to note that the cats do use it in naming, still, and in the past, some cats that have been able to manipulate the weather have made it cold enough for this "snow" to be visible, if only for a few moments. However, seasons are too similar to each other to really be thought of as different from each other. Days tend to be rather similar with marginal differences. It might be cloudy one day and sunny the next, but neither is typical of a particular season in the minds of the cats.
ELEMENT CYCLE —
Even the strongest Fire can be quenched by Water,
but the same Fire will burn the Earth.
However, Earth cannot be moved by Air,
and Air cuts through Water like the sharpest claw.
This means that a cat that controls the Fire element will take heavier injuries from Water attacks, but less damage from Earth attacks. This is because Water beats Fire, but Fire beats Earth. A cat that controls Earth will be heavily injured by Fire attacks and will resist Air-based attacks. If a cat controls the power of Water, he or she will take significant damage from Air attacks and resist Fire ones. Finally, a cat with the Air element will be heavily injured from Earth attacks and take little damage from Water attacks.
Fire and Air, and Water and Earth, have no relationship in the element cycle. In other words, they're neutral to each other.
Not only this, but every cat who can control an element has "latent element powers", which are essentially upgrades of that element. Cats cannot tap into these powers without the help of their group's deity. It's said that, if a cat helps the group frequently and actively participates in hunts and such, it is more likely that the deity will appear to him or her in a dream to awaken a latent power. Oddly enough, some loners in the past have claimed to have seen a deity in one of their dreams to awaken latent powers, but many cats in groups scoff at the idea. As of late, however, very few cats have appeared with these latent powers awakened... has something happened to make the deities believe the cats less worthy?
RECENT HISTORY —
All history is labeled with a date relative to the present-day, such as "thirty moons ago". When a month passes, the dates here will change accordingly to accommodate for the passage in time. Recent history goes back to about eight years.
Crashingwaves —
- 94 moons ago (7 years and 10 months), the leader Yelloweyes retired. His heir, Fogpelt, took leadership of Crashingwaves.
- 60 moons ago (5 years), the leader Fogpelt died. Her heir, Iceclaw, took leadership of Crashingwaves.
- 58 moons ago (4 years and 10 months), Crashingwaves did battle against Ruinplace for control of the cliff. Crashingwaves successfully drove Ruinplace out and pushed the territory boundary to its current-day spot: the crumbling stone wall.
- 57 moons ago (4 years and 9 months), the leader Iceclaw retired due to her injuries suffered in the battle against Ruinplace. Her advisor, Gullwing, took temporary leadership of Crashingwaves until Iceclaw recovered.
- 52 moons ago (4 years and 4 months), Iceclaw took leadership once again, having recovered.
- 30 moons ago (2 years and 6 months), the previous leader Iceclaw retired permanently. Gullwing took leadership of Crashingwaves again.
- 12 moons ago (1 year), the previous leader Gullwing died. His heir, Mistedsky, took leadership of Crashingwaves.
- 8 moons ago, the famine began in Crashingwaves.
- Less than 1 moon ago, the famine ended.
Ruinplace —
- 90 moons ago (7 years and 6 months), the leader Bluewind died. Her heir, Drizzlepaw, took leadership of Ruinplace.
- 58 moons ago (4 years and 10 months), Drizzlepaw led Ruinplace to battle against Crashingwaves for control of the cliff. The battle was lost and Ruinplace lost a bit of territory; the boundary is now the crumbling stone wall, whereas previously it had been the river.
- 47 moons ago (3 years and 11 months), the leader Drizzlepaw died. Her advisor, Spottedpelt, took leadership of Ruinplace.
- 13 moons ago (1 year and 1 month), the leader Spottedpelt retired due to a broken leg that wouldn't heal properly. His heir, Shadowtail, took leadership of Ruinplace.
- 12 moons ago (1 year), Shadowtail died without Ruinplace's knowledge. Her sister, Stormcloud, pretended to be Shadowtail and took leadership after faking her own death.
- 8 moons ago, the plague began to affect Ruinplace.
- Less than 1 moon ago, the plague ended.
Shadowtrees —
- 93 moons ago (7 years and 9 months), the leader Greenleaf retired due to age. Her heir, Barkpelt, took leadership.
- 75 moons ago (6 years and 3 months), the leader Barkpelt died. His heir, Pinefang, took leadership of Shadowtrees.
- 60 moons ago (5 years), the leader Pinefang vanished from Shadowtrees. His advisor, Leafpaw, took leadership of Shadowtrees.
- 56 moons ago (4 years and 8 months), the leader Leafpaw retired due to failing eyesight. His heir, Tawnytail, took leadership of Shadowtrees.
- 40 moons ago (3 years and 4 months), there was a boundary skirmish in which both Shadowtrees and Sunnysands believed the other had crossed the boundaries. Tawnytail led an anxious group of Shadowtrees cats in an ambush of several rangers from Sunnysands; the battle ended in stalemate when the leader of Sunnysands, Redblaze, halted the battle and demanded Tawnytail leave; the scents of what each had thought was the opposing group on their territory was, in reality, simply the prank of some loners.
- 34 moons ago (2 years and 10 months), the leader Tawnytail died due to her injuries in the battle. Her heir, Stonefur, took leadership.
- 8 moons ago, the plague began to affect Shadowtrees.
- 7 moons ago, the previous leader, Stonefur, and the advisor Hawkheart died due to the plague. Dawnfang took leadership of Shadowtrees.
- Less than 1 moon ago, the plague ended.
Sunnysands —
- 96 moons ago (8 years), the leader Blackfur died. Her mate, Tigerfang, took leadership of Sunnysands.
- 71 moons ago (5 years and 11 months), the leader Tigerfang died. His heir, Falconstrike, took leadership of Sunnysands.
- 45 moons ago (3 years and 9 months), the leader Falconstrike retired. His heir, Redblaze, took leadership of Sunnysands.
- 40 moons ago (3 years and 4 months), there was a boundary skirmish. Sunnysands patrols were investigating Shadowtrees scents on their territory when several Shadowtrees cats ambushed them. Redblaze, recognizing the smell of several loners mingled with the supposed Shadowtrees scents, rushed to the battle and halted it. She commanded that Tawnytail, the leader, leave with her cats. While the drive to protect their territory was understandable, Shadowtrees had acted rashly, and Redblaze would not tolerate a similar action from them in the future.
- 28 moons ago (2 years and 4 months), the leader Redblaze died. Her heir, Smoketail, took leadership.
- 8 moons ago, the drought began to affect Sunnysands.
- 3 moons ago, the previous leader Smoketail died and the then-current advisor Lionclaw took his place as leader instead of the heir, Aridfire.
- Less than 1 moon ago, the drought ended.