Meet my Pride!

Adranus
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)
Adranus is a very smart king, who cares deeply for every member of his pride. He’s very good at managing pride life, such as keeping peace between pride members and strategizing the pride’s location and battles. He’s very strong, and has trained adolescents in the ways of battle. Adranus is very lenient with pride members, but has just enough force to be taken seriously. He has a very commanding presence, and when Adranus walks into the presence of other lions, they go quiet immediately, regardless of how much they had been talking before his arrival. This isn’t because they’re scared- it’s because the respect and loyalty to their leader runs deep.
Adranus is an amazing king- though he wasn’t always. The pride’s late king, Mixcoatl, trained him from the time he was a cub. He was always very difficult when he was younger, often playing pranks on pridemembers and causing all forms of mischief. Mixcoatl taught him all he knows about battling, as most kings train their heirs- but he also taught him how to connect with other lions. Adranus hadn’t really respected or appreciated this lesson as much as he later would, when he met Aodh. The lioness had stumbled into the pride’s living quarters, bloodied and disoriented. Adranus, always the sensitive one, made sure the Shamans took care over the lioness. She was nursed back to health over a period of months, and lived with the pride from that point on. Over time, love blossomed between Aodh and Adranus. They became idols to those who met them, and expanded their pride far beyond the dreams of their ancestors. Together, Adranus, and his Second Queen, Aodh, rule the pride today.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Aodh
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Aodh is a protective lion who protects her pride at all costs. However, she’s hard to get to know and particularly intimidating to members of other prides. She often gets into fights with members of other prides, especially when she finds them trespassing. She’s a formidable opponent, and is known to leave a trail of battered lions in her wake, killing only if she needs to. Usually, Aodh spares the life of her enemies, but leaves them with scars to remind them (and any lions who see them) to leave her pride alone.

Aodh is one of the best fighters of her pride. It’s very rare that any other lion is a match for her. Most think she learned these skills from her time as a lone lion, wandering the lands. Not much is known about this time in her life, other than the occasional speculation or small morsel of information given by the lioness. However, it’s thought that she had some sort of mentor who taught her the fighting skills that she uses so well. Nothing is known about what happened to the mentor, but it’s thought that they were killed or left her. What is known for sure is that she arrived at her current pride, well groomed and confident, but with multiple life-threatening injuries. She was taken in and nursed back to health by the pride, where she remains (and who she remains loyal to) today.

Role: Second Queen/Second King

The Second Queen (or second King) is a lion who is respected as the co-ruler of the pride. This role can be held by any gender. This lion is considered to be second in command to the leader of the pride, who can be a King or a Queen. This lion is typically the only lion(ess) romantically involved with the pride’s King or Queen. They handle everyday disputes among pride members, division of food among the pride, managing hunting and patrols, and more. This lion typically takes care of the pride’s domestic duties, and making sure that it runs smoothly. When the King or Queen is away, they take over as the head of the pride, appointing an interim Second King or Queen to serve the pride and do the duties they normally would. Should something happen to the pride’s leader, the Second King or Second Queen would take the title of King or Queen. The current Queen of the pride is Aodh.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Kahuna
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Kahuna is a very sweet lioness, who is very soft-spoken and quiet spirited. She is one of the kindest lions you’ll ever meet, and she will give you anything you need, even if it’s at her own expense. She shares her food, knowledge, and more with the members of her pride (and out of it!). She is very nurturing, and enjoys cuddling with cubs (...and other members of the pride, for that matter). She can make anyone feel at home, and is easy to get to know.

Kahuna has the role of Shaman, and is thus very in touch with spirituality as a general subject. She’s in charge of all types of rituals, ceremonies, or any spiritual practice of the pride. She wasn’t always so well respected, or even wanted, though. She was found by her current pride as a young cub, near a large boulder, succumbing to starvation and heatstroke. She had been born early, and was a small, fragile thing that her former pride hadn’t wanted to take care of. She had been left to die, and was found by a patrolling male, who brought her home. She was saved by the pride’s healer. It took a lot of exercises to strengthen herself and years of training, before she was strong enough to become a strong member of the pride. She trained largely alongside Aodh, and the two became good friends, which they remain to this day.

Role: Shaman

The pride’s Shaman is the most important role to the pride’s culture and beliefs. This lion is responsible for the ceremonies, rituals, and spirituality of the pride. They recieve omens and advice from the pride’s ancestors, and inform the Second King or Queen as they see fit. This lion is responsible for training Shamans to come. There is only one Shaman at a time, but the Shaman almost always has a trainee, who they teach how to read signals from the Ancestors. They also responsible for teaching their trainees how to lead rituals, and often have them lead rituals alongside the Shaman themself. Trainees are usually chosen as cubs or adolescents, though some have been late bloomers and began to start showing their spiritual affinities later than that. The Shaman, and only the Shaman, has a say in who becomes a trainee. Usually, they look for 3 main qualities: Wisdom, Spiritual Strength, and Connection. These qualities make for excellent Shamans. Trainees stay trainee until such time as the Shaman dies or retires. The current Shaman is Kahuna.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Tien
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Tien is a lion who has a great sense of justice and responsibility for her pride and it’s wellbeing. She’s well known for being good with cubs, and sometimes helps the broodmothers care for them to give them a break. It’s rare that other lions can match her impish personality, so the change is welcome (for the cubs, and also for her pridemates). Tien is responsible for raising many lions within the pride, and most fondly remember their time as cubs spent with Tien, chasing each other through fields or kicking rocks in one of her most popular games, “Rock.”
Although Tien is very good with cubs, that’s not all she does. She is also the pride’s advisor, a very important role that’s in charge of advising the pride’s ruler. Tien is newer to the position, but shows a great deal of promise. She most commonly advises the king in matters of battle or of the pride’s location. Another one of the advisor’s duties is to travel with the herbalist and find new places to live along with the herb’s growth, or to gather knowledge of the land and other prides.

Role: Advisor

The pride’s advisor is responsible for advising most lions in the pride. They advise the King or Queen as to important decisions for the pride’s development and battles. They also work with the General to make better choices in battle and to find places to hunt, as well as with the Herbalist to study nearby prides and territory.
To become an advisor, the lion who wishes to become the pride’s advisor must talk to the pride’s current advisor. If this lion is ready to retire soon or getting older, they have the chance to become the next one in the pride. The current pride’s advisor will screen them for certain qualities, such as a balanced personality and a great sense of justice. If that criteria is met, the adolescent or lion is sent on a two years’ long journey. During this time, they study surrounding prides, plants, buildings, and geography. This journey is meant to make sure this lion is ready to become the pride’s advisor, as this lion needs to be very tough to do the job well. Few lions meet the requirements or have the patience to train for this long, but some do. Tien is the pride’s current advisor.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Iris
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Iris is a very sweet lion, who is tender and cares for anything alive. She wouldn’t take a life, and instead would sacrifice her own. All living things seem to love the lioness too- she’s often surrounded with small critters, like bunnies and butterflies, who have taken to following her wherever she goes.
Iris is the herbalist of the pride. Her job often takes her to different places and new sites, which suits this adventurous lion well. She’s been far and wide, and has seen various herbs, animals, bugs, flowers, and more. She has a special interest in flowers, which she was named for. She’s notorious within the pride for collecting flowers to “study” (to decorate). Iris can name all types of different flowers, and is practically a walking encyclopedia for them. Many different flowers have healing qualities, which she often uses to give to the shaman to make different salves and serums to heal injuries or disease her pridemates obtain.

Role: Herbalist

The role of the herbalist is very important, and goes hand in hand with the role of the shaman. This lion is in charge of researching flowers, herbs, and other ingredients for healing concoctions for the shaman. They travel quite a bit, usually with the pride’s herbalist apprentice, and sometimes with the shaman apprentice and the pride’s shaman. They travel to the lands of other prides, and visit other lions with medical roles to share and spread knowledge.
This knowledge is used for obtaining new, better cures for the pride, and for learning about different poisonous plants, to help their pride stay away from them. This lion usually has an adventurous spirit, because they need to be away for long stretches of time, sometimes even weeks. The herbalist often carries the herbalist pouch with them. This pouch is very special to the pride and is passed from herbalist to herbalist. It was given to the pride’s first king, Ragdar, as a gift for his piety from Sorcerer Sphinx. The pouch is said to be blessed, and to bring good luck to those that carry it. The pride’s current herbalist is Iris.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Yatiri
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Yatiri is very shy and reserved, with gentle mannerisms. Most lions think she’s proud and narcissistic, but they couldn’t be more wrong. She has a heart of gold, and tries to help everyone (short of it being at her own expense, of course…). Even though they’re polar opposites in their personalities, she’s best friends with Iris, who she often has to save when her herbalist travelling adventures take a bad turn (which is often).
She was born in the pride, and her affinity for healing and spirituality was clear from the moment her eyes opened. Kahuna took her in to study under her, and Yatiri is the Shaman apprentice of the pride. Yatiri is very reliable and very precise, and is easily able to absorb information. This makes her a very good shamanic apprentice, as the ability to quickly and precisely make healing concoctions is very important with this role. She’s made very good friends with Kahuna, and is like a daughter to the nurturing lioness. The two can often be found going on outings together to scout for herbs with Iris, but also to have fun together. They both love swimming, and can often be found at the pride’s lake during the summertime.

Role: Shaman apprentice

The shaman apprentice is one of the pride’s most difficult roles. They study under the pride’s shaman, to learn all the pride’s traditions, connections to the ancestors, and how to make medicines, diagnose, and treat sick lions. The shaman apprentice is selected by the shaman as a cub when they are known to show wisdom, spiritual strength and connection. They often lead rituals alongside the pride’s shaman, when they’re thought to be ready. To reach this point, shaman apprentices must have been in at least two trances, and to have received a prophecy from the ancestors. This shows when their connections have been established enough to lead the pride’s rituals.
Shaman apprentices go through rigorous training. The position of the shaman is one of the most important roles in the pride, and the training required for it is also very important. It’s so hard to learn how to become a shaman, that the shaman usually needs to try three or four shaman apprentices before they find one that doesn’t give up partly through the training, and to find one that fits well with the job of the shaman. The pride’s current shaman apprentice is Yatiri.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Ula
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Ula is a very scary lioness. She’s always grumpy and has a quick temper. Ula also has large teeth and sharp claws that make her a formidable opponent, and is an important asset to the pride when battles come. She has many scars, which she emphasizes with battle paint, giving herself an even more fearsome appearance. One of her proudest scars is a large, long one in the shape of a claw swiping across her face. She got this wound during her first war.
Ula came from a very bad pride, full of abuse, emotional and physical. She was always beaten down. Most lions wouldn’t have survived this environment (much less have made it out in one piece), but Ula isn’t most lions. She fought back. Ula escaped the pride in early adulthood. She was taken in by Adranus, who taught her even better fighting and battle skills, both strategic and physical. She wears the scars of her trauma proudly, forever the survivor.

Role: General

The pride’s General is a role that is responsible for leading all hunts, patrols, training hunters and instructing and selecting soldiers. They select soldiers by handpicking the smartest and most athletic cubs and adolescents. The soldiers will be trained by those hoping to become General or by the General themselves.
The amount of responsibility associated with this role can be highly stressful if not given to the right lion, so the pride’s King or Queen and Advisor are in charge of choosing the pride’s general. They look for a lion who can remain calm under pressure, multi task well, and are natural born leaders. Requirements to obtain this role include being 5 years or older, having been a soldier for 2 years or longer, and having trained at least 3 lions in hunting or patrolling. This position can not be held for longer than 4 years. The pride’s current general is Ula.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!


Incantrix
Art By: greyseaweed (#143897)

Incantrix is very sassy and witty. She enjoys playing pranks on her pride members and getting into arguments (which often gets her into trouble!). She especially likes popping out from behind corners or rocks and yelping, to get a jumpscare. It’s unoriginal, but an almost foolproof classic. She also uses her smarts to come up with new pranks that she’s always testing out. One of them that turned out particularly well was when she chewed up some mysterious leaf and mixed it into Tien’s food. Tien hadn’t tasted it at first, but had diarrhea for a week!
It’s no surprise to anyone when they hear about Incantrixs’ heritage. She’s half demon. Her mother had been a demon, sent to torment the angels on Earth. She did her job, and she did it well. However, she had a great deal of trists with lions. To her surprise, she was impregnated during one of these trists. She used her powers to give birth immediately, and Incantrix was born, the only in her litter. The hybrid seemed most like a lion. She was left as a young cub on the lands of a random pride, who took her in and nurtured her into a healthy adult. Incantrix still lives with that pride today, serving and repaying the kindness shown to her.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!

Event Of The Pride:
The Firelight Ceremony is held when lions die and when adolescents become adults. Fire symbolizes being reborn, renewed and transformed. Through these Firelight Ceremonies, a life is honored. Young ones are wished a thriving, prosperous life, and the deceased pride members are assisted into the afterlife.
This ceremony takes place in the dead of night. Adolescents are painted with red, orange, yellow and white paint made of berries by the shamans. Protected by water, the young lion leaps through a bonfire. For a moment, their bodies are hidden by the flame; their spirits are renewed, and they transform into adulthood. They come out through the other side, with new, more adult bodies and even more vibrant markings. The adolescents are given a flower crown made of flame lilies and albino feathers. They will wear this crown for the entirety of the next day, to symbolize their entry as full members of the pride.
For the Firelight Ceremony, deceased lions and lionesses are assisted into the afterlife. During the night after their death, the pride gathers in a circle around the pridemember's body. Chrysanthemums are placed over the entire body, except for the face. The chrysanthemums will gradually turn into little flames and engulf the body. The spirit is liberated from the body. The ashes are collected and scattered at the base of Pride Rock, to give the lion the easiest path to the heavens.
Written by Polaroid (#163486) or @Polaroid0843 on discord. For more information, visit Polaroid's Lore Store!