for Life to conquer rival Death,
she needs Sight's eyes and Voice's breath;
alongside Mind and Soul and Body,
shall follow Truth, Heart, Love's harmony;
with the final pair of Pulse and Sound,
a way to stop the plague is found.
-----
For dozens upon dozens of moons, RuneClan lived in relative peace and harmony. Its territory remained large and undisturbed, the nearest other clans being far, far away, and prey was plentiful. Herbs were easy to find and large in number, with most deaths being either from accidents, old age, or other relatively natural causes. The biggest threat to the clan was simply nature itself and its finicky ways. However, as of recent, things have been beginning to change — other animals have grown hostile, with even small prey species such as mice becoming a danger to Apprentices on their first hunts. Herbs have wilted and become scarce. Rivers and streams have dried, trees have become brittle. Cats have turned on each other. Glassy-eyed Rogues and Loners have ambushed patrols. Distraught cats have begged the Medicine Cats to explain what's going on, but they have brought no answers; until just the night before this story unfolds. The current Head Medicine Cat has received a prophecy;
Quote(HMC)
[HMC] awakens in [their] den, eyes heavy. It's the middle of the night, judging by the camp outside being illuminated by the dappled rays of the full moon. The full moon already?, [they] think[s]. [Their] paws lead [them] to the clearing in the middle of the camp, where a triad of cats with shimmering, starlit fur await [them]. The first Leader, Runestar, first Deputy, Brookstar, and first Head Medicine Cat, Cherrythroat. A beautiful, long-furred, brown and cream tabby with bright green eyes, a broad-shouldered, blue-gray tom with blue eyes, and a tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes and a patch of red fur on her neck.
"What's going on, StarClan? Why have you cursed our land with this... this?" [HMC] murmurs, looking at the trio with pain in [their] eyes.
"It is not our doing," Runestar replies, shaking her head. She looks to Cherrythroat.
Cherrythroat raises her head and strides over to [HMC], pressing her nose to [theirs]. She whispers the prophecy, a ballad that reverberates in [their] ears.
"What does this mean...?" [HMC] questions. The cats begin to fade. "What does this mean--??" [They] run towards the StarClan cats. They vanish.
[HMC] awakens in [their] den, eyes heavy. It's the morning.
As the Head Medicine Cat reports this to the Leader, four groups of Apprentices eagerly prepare for one of their final days before potentially being deemed worthy of being promoted.
However, their day will not go exactly as planned...
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badly drawn maps of the territory and camp
Guide on Rune Marks
The Rune Marks are marks put on the forehead of every RuneClan cat from the day they are born. It is done by the Head Medicine Cat (or the Deputy, if the HMC is unable), and uses special dyes made from berries and fruits, carefully and delicately applied with the pawpads and claws of whoever is performing the ceremony. Part of the promotion ceremony involves adding an additional dot to the Mark, and a sort-of ceremony involving a cat being banished involves the Leader (or Deputy, if the Leader is unable) smudging the Mark and then chasing them out of the camp, claws bared.
The gray dot is a placeholder for the color of that cat's eyes -- it is not gray unless a cat happens to have gray eyes.
Guide on Runes
Life ;; A smooth stone, passed down between the Leaders for generations, bearing a white sigil. It fills the leader with the pure essence of life and StarClan itself, allowing them to live eight more lives alongside their current life. They can shoulder past even the toughest of turmoils and breathe vivality into even the most despondent of Warriors.
Death | RESERVED ;; A ragged stone, buried deep in places only the most desperate of cats would dare to go, bearing a black sigil. It is said to contain the accursed spirit of the Dark Forest, filling who holds the stone with malice and horrible energies, as if the cat has been possessed by a demon amalgamated from every last twisted soul in those deathly woods.
Sight ;; A hexagonal stone bearing a teal sigil. Whoever bears this stone can see that which is unseen, and allow their vision to pass through even the thickest of walls. A mere glance at something can fill their mind with all there is to know about it, whether they like it or not. Including looking at something dying and learning how it died :D They can also see the true form of anything.
Voice ;; A small stone bearing a lime sigil. Whoever bears this stone can talk their way into or out of anything, with the charisma of a dozen casanovas. Casanovae? Something like that. Fancy words.
Mind | RESERVED ;; A spherical stone bearing a violet sigil. Whoever bears this stone can sense the thoughts of all, from fellow cats to even prey or the dreaded Two-Legs. They hold a deep wisdom within them, and with enough focus, could even use their newfound brain power to channel stronger psychic abilities, such as moving things or creating illusions.
Soul ;; A square stone bearing a blue sigil. Whoever bears this stone can see, hear, and communicate with those who have passed on, as well as access the memories of anything they touch, such as touching a tree and seeing memories of it standing alone in the aftermath of a forest fire.
Body ;; A large stone bearing a red sigil. Whoever bears this stone gains the strength of a dozen cats, their body no longer ailed by fatigue or overexertion or pain. They can push even the mightiest of trees to the ground and conquer anything with sheer force.
Truth ;; A triangular stone bearing a yellow sigil. Whoever bears this stone can only speak the truth and can detect when others are not. Their touch can force others to speak what's on their mind, no matter how secretive or humiliating.
Heart ;; An ovular stone bearing an orange sigil. Whoever bears this stone becomes truly in touch with the vitality of others, any wound inflicted upon them or those they touch knitting itself back together, as if it had never happened. More severe wounds will scar and suffer from occasional throbbing, however.
Love ;; A round stone bearing a green sigil. Whoever bears this stone can pacify even the most enraged beasts and can create or break the strongest of bonds. They can bring together the closest of enemies, or tear apart the closest of friends.
Pulse ;; An elliptical stone bearing a pink sigil. Whoever bears this stone can move as swiftly and quietly as the wind, remaining undetected until they want otherwise. They can scale entire trees with their leap, and cross entire fields with their stride.
Sound ;; A wavy stone bearing an indigo sigil. Whoever bears this stone can hear even the quietest sounds from far and wide. They can amplify any voice, or silence it if they wish.
The cats with runes will be grouped as their runes are, sent to accomplish some sort of task together when they discover their runes.
-----
The usual rules for RP apply here!
Please limit yourself to up to two cats w/ an important Rune, and up to one high rank.
Please don't plot rush!
If your cat has one of the Runes, please use the powers responsibly unless it'd be in-character for your cat to not be able to handle it properly at first.
Code:
[b]NAME[/b] ;; Kit | Apprentice | Warrior / Medicine Cat | Leader (fill in each w/ the respective name, bold the current one, remove any that they will not acquire)
[b]AGE[/b] ;; in moons! a simple guide if you're not sure on that is that kits are 0-6, apprentices are 6-12 (or more, depending on their prowess), and elders are just... super old cats
[b]PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION[/b] ;; yknow, he, they, she, etc / Who Do This Baby Like . . .
[b]RANK[/b] ;; Current | Future | Desired
[b]APPEARANCE[/b] ;; Images or descriptions work! Be sure to mention eye color, it's important to how their Rune Mark looks.
[b]Will they get one of the Runes?[/b] ;; If so, which one? If they're getting one, unless it's the Leader (who always has Life and already has it), they have to be an Apprentice that's potentially about to be promoted. It would be preferred if the cat with Heart was a Medicine Cat apprentice and Body was a Warrior apprentice, but it's not required. The Rune should also assist in some sort of problem the cat has, such as a blind cat gaining the rune of Sight or a deaf cat gaining the rune of Sound.
[b]Describe their personality with five adjectives.[/b] ;; So you don't feel pressured to go in-depth. An easy starting point.
[b]FAMILY[/b] ;;
[b]OTHER[/b] ;; Put if you want to be assigned an apprentice or not if you have a Warrior or smth
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LEADER ;; OPEN APPRENTICE ;; OPEN
DEPUTY ;; OPEN APPRENTICE ;; Shadepaw
HEAD MEDICINE CAT ;; OPEN APPRENTICE ;; OPEN
MEDICINE CAT ;; Amberwing APPRENTICE ;; OPEN
WARRIORS ;; OPEN APPRENTICES ;; Cinderpaw, Dustpaw, Mimosapaw, Pigeonpaw, OPEN
yee haw NAME ;; Dustkit | Dustpaw | Dustwhisker AGE ;; 12 moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; She/her / Bisexual RANK ;; Apprentice | Warrior APPEARANCE ;; Here! Will they get one of the Runes? ;; Love Personality ;; Sardonic and loud. Rowdy and narcissistic, but a good companion nonetheless. FAMILY ;; None that are important! OTHER ;; An apprentice is fine if that ever comes up.
NAME ;; Cinderkit | Cinderpaw | Cinderflare AGE ;; 12 moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; He/Him / This Cat? Is Gay. And There's Nothing You Can Do About It RANK ;; Apprentice | Warrior | He doesn't really mind what comes his way APPEARANCE ;; A large, blue-gray tabby tom with blue eyes. His left eye is scarred over from a training session gone awry, and it also caused him to have a bit of a bad concussion from him getting knocked head-first into a rock rather hard. Will they get one of the Runes? ;; Mind! Describe their personality with five adjectives. ;; A quiet, stern tom cat with a bit of a stoic attitude. However, when closer to others, he comes out of his shell and is more like an older brother to others than anything. Talking is a bit difficult for him due to it being hard to focus on things and clear his mind, though his Rune may eventually help him with recovering proper. FAMILY ;; His brother is Shadepaw. OTHER ;; give this boy Responsibility
Shadepaw
NAME ;; Shadekit | Shadepaw | Shadestep | Shadestar AGE ;; 12 moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; He/him / Horrible Straight Man RANK ;; Apprentice | Warrior | Deputy or Leader APPEARANCE ;; A dark gray tom with almost black stripes and amber eyes. He's a bit scrawny compared to his brother and hates that. Will they get one of the Runes? ;; oh yknow Describe their personality with five adjectives. ;; He's sort of arrogant and cocky thanks to allowing the fact he's the Deputy's Apprentice bloat his ego. FAMILY ;; His brother is Cinderpaw. OTHER ;; wink wink
Amberwing
NAME ;; Amberkit | Amberpaw | Amberwing AGE ;; 24 moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; She/Her / Aroace RANK ;; Medicine Cat APPEARANCE ;; A creamy ginger she-cat with long fur and amber eyes. Will they get one of the Runes? ;; Nah Describe their personality with five adjectives. ;; Caring, stressed, clumsy, playful, loving FAMILY ;; Her sister is the mother of Shadepaw and Cinderpaw, but she was lost in a recent storm. OTHER ;; gimme a med cat apprentice fellas
oh, Cats? NAME ;; Mimosakit | Mimosapaw | Mimosatail AGE ;; Six moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; She/Her, Hetero RANK ;; Apprentice APPEARANCE ;; A black and white tuxedo cat. Blue eyes. Will they get one of the Runes? ;; Nope! Describe their personality with five adjectives. ;; Diligent, hardworking, and used to being seen as a 'prodigy'. She's prone to bouts of jealousy when others are deemed better than her and is surprisingly easily discouraged. Weak ego. FAMILY ;; N/A OTHER ;; heck yeah
NAME ;; Cheddar | Pigeonpaw | Pigeonwatcher AGE ;; Eight moons PRONOUNS / ORIENTATION ;; They/Them, Bisexual RANK ;; Apprentice APPEARANCE ;; A chimera cat ( tortie + blue and white ) with green eyes. They were declawed during their time as a kittypet, so they're a bit hopeless as an apprentice. Will they get one of the Runes? ;; Body Describe their personality with five adjectives. ;; Hyperactive and somewhat flighty. Excited by the prospect of being 'one of those forest cats now!' They often say things that offend others without thinking. FAMILY ;; N/A OTHER ;; They were left behind after accidentally tagging along with their twoleg family during a camping trip. They joined RuneClan a couple of moons later. Probably destined to be a late graduating apprentice.
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