History

=History=
: The Clans didn't all start the same time in this roleplay, instead, they gradually became what they were today after certain events took place. The founders of each Clan, respective to the order of founding are: Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Myrkr of ShadeClan; the Primordials of MoonClan; and Colt of NightClan.
: Below is the detailed history of each individual Clan.
:: A chronological list of rank succession for each Clan can be found here.
==ShadeClan==
:ShadeClan's history is divided into four eras; Origins, the Golden Age, and finally, the Revolution. These cats have a long and deep history with the territories and highly regard this heritage. Stories are common in ShadeClan cats and these eras are used to define the important parts of the Clan's formation. ShadeClan is currently entering its fourth era which has yet to be named, but, their current leader is Spiderstar, and some believe she will rewrite ShadeClan's past.
===Origins===
: ShadeClan was said to have been the first Clan to be officially founded. It was founded by four former members of a group known as Helheim. These cats were Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Myrkr. Together they worked as a team to create the early foundations that set them up for generations to come. Sadly, Hel passed away a few seasons after the founding, but, she and Eiríkr had already set in stone traditions and customs that would be carried on in her honour.
: Now, the beginning of this settlement wasn't without its struggles. A lot of the first issues stemmed from power struggles between Eiríkr and some of his cats. It is safe to say that the founder was able to remain in his position and continue his reign for the years to come. He was known across the territory for his need to conquer and this alone made him a fearful opponent. Other issues came from two other Clans that had slowly started forming, and Eiríkr knew that change would have to be made if ShadeClan would survive. He and his remaining co-founders continued their work of creating borders, patrolling them, and quite literally, leaving bloodstains to be found.
: ShadeClan in their early days were notorious for killing trespassers or unfaithful cats. This stemmed from the Clan's semi-connected history with the Helheim, as those cats were notorious for killing unloyal cats to promote unwavering faith in those who remained. Eiríkr committed the most crimes out of the early cats, and many knew it too. It wasn't long before rumours started about the lengths he would go to, just to have a hold of power over those around him.
: During the height of Eiríkr's reign, he began a fierce rivalry with NightClan's founder, Colt. The two would often clash over a section of territory that in the past had belonged to the Helheim cats, but, had since been marked as NightClan's turf. Eiríkr and Colt fought tooth and claw over a single section of land and many of the cats that followed them paid the price for the leader's insolence. In the end, all it took was for Eiríkr to gravely injure his rival and for Colt, later known as Darkstar, to succumb to his wounds to end this years-long rivalry.
===The Golden Age===
: The tom became a notorious lady's man and supposedly fathered multiple litters. He actually fathered litters with both Myrkr and Valkyrie without either of them knowing. However, his relationship with Myrkr was strained and eventually, after she gave birth, exiled her for treason. She left behind his firstborn son, Agnar who would be his true successor. Valkyrie would give birth to his only named daughter, Brynja, whilst fostering the kittens left behind by Myrkr. As his brood grew up, he saw that his son had a mind much like his father and suggested the idea of a deputy too. Eiríkr saw the wits in his son's idea and allowed the younger tom to pick his deputy. Agnar chose his half-sister, Brynja, as the two were quite close despite their different maternal heritage. So with these new ranks, a new era was brought into ShadeClan and these ranks remain the same in the modern Clan.
: Agnar succeeded his father following the founder's death. Agnar had a successful rule and was able to father his own children. Some say the tom's leadership would've been completely different without the help of his sister's deputyship. It is believed that Valkyrie passed away not long after Agnar fathered his own kits, and with her death, all the founders of ShadeClan are deceased.
: By the middle stages of his rule, Agnar was already the father to two toms, Gunnar and Vidar. Originally, just as his own father had done, Agnar named his firstborn as heir. However, Gunnar was killed whilst protecting the Clan's territory and this also happened to Brynja who met the same fate. The middle-aged leader was forced to name his second son as heir and also name a new deputy. He decided to name an older cat, Unnr, as his sister's successor. Eventually, Agnar would come to pass due to a mysterious illness in the mind and would leave the Clan in the paws of his second son.
===The Revolution===
: Now, the last couple of leader's fall into an interesting time for the Clans. Vidar was lucky enough to have lived during what some cat's called the Revolution. The Revolution was where the leaders of the three Clans all met for the first time in generations with no intent of murder or usurping the others. This meeting was held to lay down necessary rules that would allow less bloodshed and so that there could be order for the first time. These laws would become what the modern Clans know as the Warrior Code. Vidar was also present to learn of a naming system so that Clan cats could distinguish themselves from loners or rogues. ShadeClan was still using their old names that had been there for generations. He started the new generation in ShadeClan by taking on the name of Murkfang and later Murkstar upon the discovery of their Star Ancestors. Most of ShadeClan followed in his pawsteps by taking on new names, however, some of the older cats kept their names due to their attachment to them. It should be noted that Murkstar seemed to have had the worst luck with keeping deputies. Over his entire leadership, the tom had, including Unnar, four cats serve with him. Eventually, Murkstar lost his final life to the sinking terrain in the southern reaches of ShadeClan territory.
: His daughter, Nightflower became Nightstar and some regarded her as ShadeClan's heart. She had a slightly different outlook on how to rule a Clan and she had her best friend, Adderclaw by her side following the passing of Owlfur. These two managed to create a new era of cats aligned with ShadeClan. Nightstar essentially followed in the pawsteps of Agnar and made the Clan even better. She managed to become one of the most beloved leaders in the territories because she was able to uphold her family's desires, but, not without sacrificing her own morals to do so. It is said that towards the later years of her leadership she spent a lot of it teaching her eldest daughter, Spiderclaw, what makes a leader and how to survive in the world their ancestor's had created. It is suspected that these motherly actions are also what gave her the nickname of ShadeClan's heart and ShadeClan's mother.
===Unnamed Era (Current)===
: After the death of Nightstar due to her advancing age, her eldest daughter, Spiderclaw succeeded her leadership. It was said upon her accession to the role of leader that Spiderclaw would have big paws to fill due to the history of her family and their ties to the land.
===Traditions & Customs===
: Over the years, ShadeClan has been known to have quite a few traditions and customs. Most of them are from the early days of their founders, Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Mrkyr, due to the way they were raised in their former group. However, Eiríkr and Hel, are more notably credited with the formation of these traditions. Listed below are ShadeClan's most notable traditions and customs.
:* The oldest known tradition of ShadeClan is that a leader's successor is their first born child, regardless of gender. A leader must still name a deputy to help them keep the Clan running functionally, but, their deputy cannot succeed them. If a leader dies before they can produce an heir then the Clan must nominate the cat they believe should be the leader. This alone has not happened, but, it is assumed that it would be a messy affair.
:* ShadeClan also uses a different rank system to the other Clans. They have what they call the obvious High ranks such as; the Leader, Deputy, the Heir, and the Healer. Below that are the Common ranks. These consist of soldiers, trainees, and queens. Soldiers and trainees are ShadeClan's equivalent of warriors and apprentices. Kittens become trainees at six moons and are made into Soldiers at fourteen or more moons, dependent on how well they've progressed in training.
:* These cats are expected to serve as soldiers up until their deaths. ShadeClan has no retirement option for their senior soldiers, who don't get any special rank either. A soldier is a solider according to these cats. This custom has created a weird culture from these cats as their 'elders' don't get the respect they basically deserve until they die. Only then is a cat commended for their service to ShadeClan.
:* An interesting tradition this Clan has adopted is that every few moons they will celebrate their ancestors and those lost to them. Though the exact celebration can depend from leader to leader, most have the entire Clan, save for the healer and one or two soldiers, hunt so that they may gather a feast. Said feast is held at moonhigh and the whole Clan remembers their former loved ones or simply the early ShadeClan cats who had given their lives so that the Clan can endure. It is described as a beautiful and emotional night for some and it remains to be their most intricate and spiritual traditions.
:* A queen usually only has one litter. Maybe two if the first litter dies (or if only one kitten survives). After that, a repeat queen is seen as lazy and looking for attention. She is only perceived as lazy due to the notion that she may just be wanting to lay around and nurse cats all day instead of helping the Clan more directly. Even those more maternal cats know that they are expected to have one or maybe two litters in their lifetimes. Having too many children can again result in muddy blood for the Clan.
:* It’s considered poor taste to name a kitten after someone. The main reason is that, as said above, a prefix is meant to give a cat their own identity as well as describe their colour. To name your kitten Snake- after your mother, for example, is seen as putting unfair expectations on them and bogging them down with someone else’s memories before they even have a chance to make some of their own.
==NightClan==
It is suspected that NightClan was the last Clan to have been founded, with ShadeClan and MoonClan coming firat in that order respectively.
Colt created the Clan with his mate, Amelia, on the ideal that his Clan would be pure but most importantly that his bloodline would always take reign as the sole leader of the Clan. Colt was a hard cat to get along with and Eiríkr soon found this to be true, the NightClan founder wanted more power and land. Even claimed he had seen it in a dream, but many suspected that, that was the true sign of his illness. Mere illusions.
Of course, Amelia supported her mate and only prayed he remained safe. Colt soon knew as to why Amelia constantly begged him to find a truce with the ShadeClan cats, his mate had given birth to a single kitten - a daughter she had named Ziv. It wasn't even a full year when Amelia had caught one of the sickness, greencough, and passed to it leaving Colt and Ziv to grieve. It was here that everything would change. An era they would later call The Dark Era for when Colt learned of his mate's death, his sanity soon faded. He forced his cats to take the Clan names that ShadeClan and MoonClan were beginning to establish and named himself Darkstar. 
From the time that his mate passed and he stepped into the position as leader, NightClan and ShadeClan fought a never-ending war. Not many battles are remembered throughout history and with a founder batrle being what this was, most had simply forgotten but one battle remained memorable for these cats. A battle they call the The First Battle. This would be the battle that would change history andnperhaps give both Clans peace at least for a little bit. Eiríkr finally succeeded in killing Darkstar, leaving the newly named Brightheart to watch as her father's life slowly ebbed before the battle ended. 
This was the moment that she ascended to leadership and asked for a truce of peace between the rivaling Clans. However, Eiríkr refused. Brightstar grew weary as time went on, her Clan still fighting for that peace of territory. She bore a son early on in her leadership. Due to the ongoing war, he was immediately names her successor and later revealed to have been naned Ivykit. Brightstar continued to fight for what her father died for, praying that StarClan would soon absolve this ongoing war. Her prayers were answered when Eiríkr finally passed away, although the causes unknown to her Clan she could finally breathe and rest for once. The weary leader soon met with Eiríkr's successor, Agnar, with hopes they could form some kind of peace. Around this time, Brightstar seemed to be showing her age and was seen less. Here, her son stepped up, Ivypelt, now fully grown oftenndid the tasks of a leader when his mother could not. It wasn't before long that she passed away, oddly around the same time as Agnar. Now, Ivystar would lead NightClan and thrived for peace for all the Clans.
Much like ShadeClan's new leader, Murkstar, Ivystar too wanted peace between the Clans. When Murkstar brought the Clans together, Ivystar promised a time of peace with ShadeClan and MoonClan, despite MoonClan living only to themselves.
However, Ivystar didn't remain healthy long. Due to his ancestry, he soon fell ill. It was said that he wanted a new line ruling the Clan, that's exactly what he chose. He chose one of his closest Clanmates whom he trusted with his life. 
===Notable Cats===
*Colt, later named Darkstar, was the founder and first leader of NightClan. Upon creating his Clan, he has a mate, Amelia, who had just given birth to a single daughter, Ziv. After he took on a Ckan name, his daughter was renamed to Brightheart and named his heir. He was the first leader known to have a Clan name as both of the other Clan founders died with their rogue names. He later had a fling with the she-cat, Vega, and bore a son with her, Ophiuchus. He was later killed by Eiríkr and succeeded by his daughter. 
*Brightstar was the second leader of NightClan, the first known heir and was often said to appear sickly or weary. She spent most of her reign protecting what her father died for and bore an heir early on, one she named Ivykit. He would prove to be her only son and her successor. Of course, he would be the last of her line to hold a leadership title. She later passed due to liver failure. 
*Ivystar was the third leader of NightClan, succeeding his mother, Brightstar. It is suspected he did not name an heir due to recieving an omen on his three unnamed kits so he named Minnowsplash his successor and the first heir not kin to Darkstar.
*Minnowstar was the fourth leader of NightClan, only becoming heir when Ivystar picked her. She suspected he recieved an omen on his own kits and chose her as his heir; the first cat to be heir that wasn't kin to Darkstar. She named her first daughter, Tigerpaw, as her heir upon betrothing her to Willowface.
*Tigerstar is the fifth and current leader of NightClan, having succeeded her mother. She is said to be young for a leader however Ivystar was the youngest. She has yet to bore an heir but is currently pregnant with her first litter.
==MoonClan==
:MoonClan, founded on the belief that the Clan's founders themselves were gods and held a power much stronger than StarClan in their hands. They, as a Clan, follow customs that are completely foreign to the other Clans. A deputy that makes it leadership is believed to be the reincarnate of one of their ten founders. Their personality and the way they led let the Clan members themselves choose who they believe their leader to be.
:Their customs as a Clan aren't very different, however the freewill to believe in StarClan is forbidden, the punishment normally being banished or death depending on the severity of the belief and crime of the belief. The Clan follows the same code of conduct as the other Clans, to put on a false view that they believe in StarClan. However, it is the Clan, itself, is suspected and famed for having a great lack of belief in StarClan. It is unknown who the previous leading ranks of MoonClan are before Thunderstar.
===Traditions & Customs===
:MoonClan worships what the cats call primordial, old cat beings however it is unknown whether these cats are immortal or still alive. They have become like the eight major spirits that give lives to leaders, as it's believed that the leader's themselves are reincarnates of said primordials. Below is the list of every primordial. For more information on MoonClan and it's custom please see, this.
====Primordial Beings====
:Khothos is the leader of the primordial beings and the ruler of the sky and earth. He is born to a pair normal cats but his affinity for the earth and sky led him on his lifelong journey to the life of a primordial. There he met nine other primordials that were much like him with affinities as strong as his. The only known family he is known to have is a deceased mortal lover by the name of Zisana.
:Dytlena is a primordial being and the ruler of vengeance and war, she is believed to be the being that helps the Clan itself win it's battles and gain it's vengeance on those who have wronged them. Her only known family are her parents and a half-sister, Thaneyar, on her father's side.
:Thaneyar is a primordial being and the ruler of the seasons and natural events, such as hurricanes, floods, etc. She is believed to be the reason that no cat outside of WinterClan has ever set food in the treacherous region that MoonClan lives. Her only known family are Dytlena, her half-sister, and her son, Tirasil.
:Tirasil is a primordial being and the ruler of the afterlife, known by the Clan as the Burning Grounds, and death. He is said to be the lone cat that decides each cat's fate. His only known family are his mother, Thaneyar, and half-aunt, Dytlena.
:Xadona is a primordial being and the ruler of fertility and plentiful prey as well as other resources. It is said that when the Clan is thriving with both kits and resources that the primordial being is happy with how the Clan is doing during that season however if both are scarce the Clan sees it as an omen that the primordial is angry with them.
:Retia is a primordial being and the ruler of defense and strategic warfare. She is believed to be the rival of Dyylena, of whom is the primordial of vengeance and war. She only has her parents as her known family, they were said to be like her however very weak with their affinities.
:Phatis is a primordial being and the ruler of night and day. He is the prime decider of how long day/night lasts. It is said that the reason night lasts so long in winter is because he is hiding from the cold thus this makes the Clan itself suffer in the freezing weather of winter. He is believed to be the one that named the Clan. His only known family are his parents, however he was orphaned at a short age and raised by a rogue queen.
:Grerna is a primordial being and the ruler of the hunt and its strategies. She is the lone primordial that came up with the moves/techniques that the Clan uses to hunt in their territory. She has only known grandparents that raised her before they passed.
:Nonthar is a primordial being and the ruler of love and lust. He is known as the cupid amongst the Clan. He's said to be the reason that cats fall in love and have such a strong connection. When these cats break up, it is said that, that break up shames Nonthar himself, due to this cats who take a second mate after their first passes away are considered to be outcasts due to breaking the contract of love that Nonthar graced them with.
:Zymarae is a primordial being and the ruler of messages and architecture. She is the primordial that Clans thank for communication and how the camp itself is styled. The camp's style has never once changed since she created it.
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Category:History