MOONLIGHT VALE ✧ clan of nature

INTRODUCTION
It's a foggy night out. You stumble through an unfamiliar forest, tripping over the roots of trees and rocks stuck in the ground. Fear grips tight onto your heart, which pounds in your chest. You're on edge, as it's eerily quiet out--there's no crickets singing or frogs croaking. It's dead silent, save for the occasional unidentifiable groans and howls. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see shadows moving, ones that aren't your own. Suddenly, a voice addresses you, close enough that you can feel their breath on your fur.

"Wowie! You sure wandered far!" You flinch away, scrambling to put some distance between you and the unknown being.

You rest your eyes on the form of a small feline with bright blue eyes and white pupils. His body is covered with what seems like a dark cloak. He watches you for a few moments, smile never wavering. Then he tilts his head. "Well? Aren't you going to ask where you are? You're in Moonlight Vale! Pretty nifty, right?" His childish mannerisms seem at odds with the ominous feel of the forest.

He leans closer to you. "Tell ya what - you're already here, right? So join us! Please?" His smile grows wider. "C'mon! What's the worse that could happen?"

Moonlight Vale is spread out through three different regions of land. Each are unique in their own right, and dangerous in their own rights. A meadow, a forest, and a cave. A range of snowy mountains, often referred to as Cold Side or Cliff Side (nobody can quite agree, it seems) encircles the territory, and are technically apart of the territory, though are not considered a region of their own due to the lack of inhabitants. The mountains are covered in snow year round, and as such, the air tends to be very chilly, especially in the areas nearby.

Just underneath the mountains, however, is a large, sprawling meadow, going on as far as the eye can see. The meadow is referred to as 'Mallow Meadow'. Despite how near to the mountains it is, the grass is always a deep, healthy green in the warm seasons. Nearly every inch of ground in the meadow is covered in flowers of all kinds, so you must be mindful of what plant you're stepping on, lest it have thorns. Strong, healthy trees grow about the meadow, though sparsely. It's a wonder so many plants can grow in the same area and still be so healthy. At the very base of the mountain, a cave is cut into the side, surrounded by some sort of rubble. There's a banner of flowers on the overhand. This is where the shamans live. It's a rather small cave, with only a few tunnels and rooms, but it's enough for a handful of medics and their supplies. Outside of the den is a garden of medicinal herbs. In the distance from here, you can see a clear, spiraling river coming from the mountains that extends into the forest. It's very deep, though you can almost see to the bottom! Somewhere along this river, you'll find a copse of the trees, where the resident royal guard lives and surveys.

Along the border of Mallow Meadow and the forest, there is an expanse of -- well, dead. Not a single plant grows in this area, and it looks very charred, almost. Stepping even once into here fills you with a very ominous feeling that won't leave for quite a while, so the area has not yet been explored.

Even farther along, you'll find a forest of tall trees, reaching high towards the sky with green leaves. The forest is often referred to as 'Silver Woods'. The flowers are more sparse here, though still ever present, and moss can be found everywhere else. It's very peaceful, and flowers and fruit are not uncommon to find on the trees, as well. Pathways and trails can be found along the forest, but they must not be followed or even walked upon, as terrible beasts are said to wander them, and even newly made paths. Even feral animals tend to avoid them. The river continues to cut through the forest for a while, until it opens up into a very large, clear lake, nearby an abandoned village. The village in question is incredibly overgrown, and falling apart terribly. However, it is still used as a hotspot for people who do not wish to make their own dens.

A very large, tall tree grows just nearby, and it's almost difficult to see the top. The local royal guard typically lives in this tree. Farther into the forest, the woods begin to grow deeper and darker, and the trees become gnarled, rather stereotypically. Whispers can occasionally be heard, here more than anywhere. A graveyard can be found here, on the border of the Whispering Woods. (its still Silver Woods, of course, but it must be differentiated in some way) Spirits and supernatural creatures of all sorts tend to linger here, and treading on this area, especially alone, is highly dangerous. A memorial has been planted here as well, with the names of those highly influential in the clan painted on the rock. Whispering woods, farther into the forest, is a fairly typical 'haunted forest', with gnarled trees and near to no light. Many of the supernatural creatures that plague Moonlight Vale are said to nest here, as many are warned away due to the forest itself. The forest will often speak to those in the forest and compliment them and ask the to stay. It's unclear what will happen if you agree, but, well -- occasionally, starved corpses are found. Other times, there appears to be wooden, overgrown figures of animals absorbed into the trees.

Also along the border of whispering woods is the cave region, called 'Iron Shade'. The opening is simply a hole in the ground, and rather easy to miss and trip into. If you do fall, the worst you can do is break your bones, as your short fall will be cushioned by the many soft flowers growing at the bottom. Light streams into the cave very often, and they nearly cover every inch of available ground here. The walls are covered in strange runes and paintings, though it's unclear what they are.

Farther into Iron Shade, the air is warm and humid, as light continues to stream in and lush plants grow from the ground and walls. A river runs along the path, and it's very warm to the touch. Somewhere farther in, many tunnels diverge, and it's rather easy to get lost in. Crystals emerge from the walls and glow, and some flowers will even whisper back to you if you speak to them directly. It's almost serene. Some NPCs and Moonlight Vale residents open up shops or even live in these caverns, though you must be very mindful of what procedure you follow here. If not, a strange fate may befall you.

HISTORY
POSITIONS/TITLES
KING/QUEEN - leader of Moonlight Vale. Hosts meetings, and is allowed to do just about anything they wish, as long as the members don't oppose.
LEMY, played by [member=1188]candorosa[/member]

ADVISOR - second in command, and the king's successor, should they die. The king and advisor frequently discuss politics and opinions. Expected to host clan discussions once or twice a month.
N/A, played by N/A

ROYAL GUARD - Offensive branch. The royal guards are trained in combat and guard a region per, and also act as supervisors, to make sure their clanmates are not getting into trouble. Royal guards are expected to host a training session at least bimonthly. [head royal guard must host royal guard meetings bimonthly alongside this]
[HEAD ROYAL GUARD] N/A, played by N/A
[MALLOW MEADOW] N/A, played by N/A
[SILVER WOODS] N/A, played by N/A
[IRON SHADE] N/A played by N/A

SHAMANS - Medicinal branch. Shamans are the healers of the clan, and also tend to deal with supernatural/spiritual type things, as well as traditional events such as unions or soul pendants. However, they must host herb training sessions bimonthly.
N/A, played by N/A

COUNSELORS - Event branch. Counselors make sure that there is always something going on in the clan. They also are trained to deal with mental health, and must keep track of their health. Counselor's jobs are more taxing than the other hps, due to the pile up. They are expected to host make threads fairly frequently, and larger scale events less so(bimonthly, perhaps?). Also, therapy sessions.
N/A, played by N/A
N/A, played by N/A

GUARDS - Stepping stone rank, but still a full hp. Guards are training to become proficient at their future jobs, and are also allowed to do their branch's job if allowed, or if one isn't present. Their mentors in the higher branches are expected to host training sessions with them.
[GUARD] N/A, played by N/A.
[COUNSELOR] N/A, played by N/A.
[SHAMAN] N/A, played by N/A.

Council Member - Title. A lawyer of sorts. If a Moonlight Vale member does something bad, the Council Members will meet with the Royals to discuss what should be done.
Strategist - Title. Before any battle being held, Strategists will hold a brief meeting to discuss their options.
Field Medic - Title. Members certified to deal with their clanmates' health when the Shaman is absent.

Graduate - Fully grown members of Moonlight Vale.
Scholar - Moonlight Vale members in training.
Child - Moonlight Vale members under 5 months.

RULES & POLITICS
Moonlight Vale makes no attempts to categorize itself as Warbound or Passive, as they are a very withdrawn group not interested in making enemies or alliances, more out of fear for others more than themselves. However, with the right provocations, they can be drawn out to fight fairly easily.

It is somewhat difficult to ally with Moonlight Vale. While they are open to positive neutralities, it will still take time for them to fully consider an alliance. This is partly due to how Moonlight Vale handles alliances -- by going all out. They will support their allies in whatever ways possible, and it's not uncommon for them to visit and fully invest themselves.

- Allies with Snowbound.
- Unaffiliated with other groups.

RULES
-Do not bring any sort of harm upon clanmates, or even allies, without reason.
-Treat Clanmates, Allies, and HPs with the respect they deserve.
-Joiners are, of course, automatically welcomed, unless they appear to be a threat.
-All BoB apply

MOONLIGHT VALE ✧ clan of nature

TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
Souls — Though Moonlight Vale does not have a set religion, they do have a mandatory pseudo-religion. Everyone is believed to have a soul that is of a certain color that matches a certain personality trait of the member. The shaman crafts many different colored pendants from different rocks, and when a new member comes along, they must sleep in certain conditions, where the Shaman will then figure out what their soul color is. Then, they will bind a certain pendant to them. The pendant reflects the user's wellbeing -- it cracks if the user is injured(though generally repairs itself to an extent), and desaturates if the user's emotional state isn't great. The pendant will shatter if the user dies, but if they return to life, rebinding will fix the worst of the damage, though it will always be spider-cracked, and gets worse if it happens again.

Coronation Ceremony — On the day the advisor is crowned king, there will be a one week ceremony. The new king will attempt to win their clanmate's approval, and must give handmade(!) gifts to their clanmates. Members will be chosen(though some can opt-in despite not being chosen) to host minor events based around their opinion on the leader. Towards the end of the week, opinions will be tallied. If the opinions are very low, the king will attempt to convince them otherwise, and be dethroned otherwise. However, if they get past this, they will be crowned, featuring an oath, a resolve test, and the crowning itself, after all this is done with. If the oath is broken in later times, members are seen fit to punish the king however they wish.

Accessories — Accessories are a big part of Moonlight Vale's culture, and are generally seen as cool or meaningful. Members, when they do something worthy of attention or recognition, often get their ears pierced. Each rank wears a different rank, a well.

The king wears a crown, the advisor wears a jeweled collar, royal guards wear arm gauntlets, shamans, always tattoos, counselors wear flower crowns or bow ties. Guards just get a new earring. Other ranks can wear some of these accessories, though!!

Resolve Tests - If you want to get anywhere in the clan, you must be able to pass a resolve test to prove your loyalty. If you earn a rank or title, guess what, resolve test. Unions, becoming a graduate, becoming a member? resolve test. The tests given depend on the rank, and person themselves.

Feathers — Just another form of resolve test. New members and scholars must hunt down a bird, and take its feather. The more rare or beautiful, the better. You're allowed to retake the test in the future to show how far you've gotten.

Minors — Up until 10 months, your character cannot participate in battle without permission, cannot join the offense branch, and cannot drink alcohol. It's a lot harder to climb the ranks before this age as many fear it'll be too much stress.

Remembrance Day — Taking place sometime during the month of September, Remembrance day is hosted in honor of the war, and those who died during it. Those participating will gather flowers to lay in the courtyard. After this, a feast/picnic will be held.

Birthdays — Birthdays are a pretty big deal in the clan. Regardless of whether you want to share your birthdate, or simply don't remember, you'll have to choose a day to celebrate on anyways, unless it really bothers you. On your birthday, a royal will come up to your character personally to give you a specially made flower crown(or just a crown, if there's no flowers), and throughout the day, other members are expected to treat you with extra kindness. Later, a party will be hosted, and the birthday person is expected to be the last to arrive, where they will be showered with colorful powders. Flowers will be weaved into the birthday person's fur, or simply worn as bands if their fur is too short. This, of course, occurs while the birthday person is eating/making a mess out of the cake. After all of this, gifts will be exchanged between one another. (not only is the birthday person to receive gifts, they must give gifts to others as well)

Funerals — Funerals are a very large event, especially if the deceased was a particularly prominent member. After a member dies, the shaman will clean the body. Meanwhile, other members will gather the deceased's valuables, flowers, and foods the deceased had liked. They bring all of this to the graveyard, where they will put the deceased and the gathered items into a grave, then share stories of sorts relating to the deceased. The deceased's soul pendant will embedded into the headstone above them, though it's not hard to get out if you have the permissions. For at least a few days following, events will be held, doing things the deceased had enjoyed and giving out little things, like flowercrowns, if those had been enjoyed. A party will be hosted on the final day, which is just kind of, you know, a party, with the deceased's favorite foods and party games. Stories about the deceased will be discussed. It's at this time you're expected to begin letting go and letting yourself recover (though it does tend to be a little soon for some.)

Unions — After discussing it with a partner, you'd be allowed to be tied to one another. You'll wrap a pink ribbon around each other's paws, and announce it to the clan. From there, you will both be given resolve tests to complete, which will generally be based more on dedication than actual skill or passing. If you manage to pass, you will be tied to one another with a flimsy piece of red string. You must wear it together for at least a few hours until the union itself, though the longer the better, according to superstition. If the string breaks before the marriage, it's said that the marriage itself will have bad luck. During the union itself, which can be private or public, you will be given special flower crowns. The ribbon and string will be removed(but given back to the couple afterwards), and in its place, a golden clasp will be placed on both of the couple's paws, with gems the same color and material as their partner's soul pendant. Later, one of the gems can be taken out to be replaced with the partner's actual soul pendant. After this, there's a brief party held if they so wish.

Festivals — Once per season, a festival is hosted. The Flower Festival, the Sun Festival, the Pumpkin Festival, and the Frost Festival, respectively. Each festival is hosted differently according to the season.