Clouded Moon's received Q&A

This page contains excerpts from several Clouded Moon documents that center around answering questions from Clouded Moon fans, whether they are from Patreon, YouTube, or somewhere else social. Though, the ones mentioned on this article are the ones listed on the main corresponding documents from curious people who want to connect to the compelling story, and strive to know some secrets about it. These shown here are also the most frequently asked on the chopping block, and directly answered from the people who worked and are still working on the show itself.

## Q&A Contents

### General

1. **Question:** What is "Clouded Moon"?, and then "Shifting Roots"? What do all these names mean?
	* Answer: This is our web show! “Clouded Moon” can be thought of as the overall series title, like “Warriors” to the main books. “Shifting Roots” is the name of season 1 of the show.
2. Question: How can I support the show?

**MORE COMING SOON!**

### Additional

1. **Question:** How does the dark forest work with the new lore? Is there even a dark forest anymore? What happens to bad cats when they die?
	* Answer: We prefer for our cat afterlife to not have strict morality tied to it. It makes our system more open to morally grey and evil characters, and makes our good characters better because they aren't being good just to "be rewarded in the after life." A non-moral based system encourages Colony cats to view "might is right" as a morally good position, which we think suits their culture better. Cat morality may not be the same as human morality. What happens to ‘bad’ cats would be the same as what happens to ‘good’ cats. They don’t have the level of consciousness as they did before they died; it’s not like another dimension, so they wouldn’t fight with each other or anything like that, they still have the same options: pledge their spirit to a Captain, reincarnate, float in the afterlife like a boss… you know.
2. **Question:** Since the colonies' belief system centers around the sun and moon, what do eclipses mean to them? Would a cat born during a solar or lunar eclipse be considered cursed?
	* Answer: Lunar eclipses are considered bad omens, particularly for births or deaths. Some cats believe “evil” cats reincarnate on the night of lunar eclipses. Bad battles, stillbirths, and untimely deaths are said to happen on lunar eclipses, so Captains will take them as a sign to be more defensive of the base. There have been no solar eclipses in living memory. Colony cats honor those who have died on new moons, particularly after large battles with high casualties.
3. **Question:** So since New Claws are primarily given to newly made rangers, do the trainers then get the ones where there's no new/young rangers to appoint them to? How does the priority go for that? Or do the trainers help the new rangers train the new claws?
	* Answer: It mostly depends on the Captain/Second in charge of the Colony and the Mentors to decide how to handle training New Claws. Rangers will be assigned a New Claw, and Mentors will oversee all training and assessments. For example, Tabby and Horse will be trained by the senior-most rangers who have not yet trained a new-claw, but Mudnose, Spottedshadow and Timberleg will oversee their New-Claws training. Priority tends to go to Mentors in training, mentors, then to new Rangers, then to other Rangers.
4. **Question:** Was there a Great Journey that led the Alliance to the lake or have they always been there?
	* Answer: The Colony cats used to be a part of other, more magical groups of cats before an accident lead some cats to believe that magic was bad and the root of their societies problems. As a result, these cats left their magical roots behind and formed the Lake Alliance.
5. **Question:** I'm really curious how Spottedshadow managed to get allowed to gatherings again. I was surprised. May I know?
	* Answer: No punishment can last forever, and Spottedshadow being barred from Gatherings was not an official punishment, but a manipulative tactic from Goldenpelt.
6. **Question:** How involved are humans in the Alliance territories? Is interaction with housecats common or are most non-Colony cats Unbound/Renegade?
	* Answer: We have chosen not to include humans in our story, which isn’t to say they don’t exist (though Tiffany thinks we should yeet them all at the sun), there will be no streets, no cars and no human interference as none of us particularly find interaction with humans interesting or fun to explore. No house cats, just other cat colonies and unbound cats.
7. **Question:** Peach seems pretty aware of Spottedshadow's relationship with Wildfur, just based on what she said on the way back home. How'd she find out about it? Is Peachie any good at keeping secrets?
	* Answer: Spottedshadow probably talks about Wildfur a lot, so she would know they are friends at least. I think that the relationship is pretty well known throughout the alliance, and Peach could see as much during the Gathering.
8. **Question:** How do the Captains receive the extra lives/souls/blessings? (Are lives the correct term?)  Is there some special ceremony? In Warriors, a leader can't get their nine lives until they go to the Moonpool, where the ancestors are physically closest. Is there a place like this for the Lakefront Alliance? Or is it just when they sleep that night after? If that is the case, what if the Spirits Beyond disagree with the choice what would stop them from giving a different cat extra lives? Or do they just not give anyone extra lives in that case?
	* Answer: New Captains are invited to meet with the Spirits Beyond in their dreams and the spirits may pledge their souls to that Captain. There is no special location that new Captains must travel to in order to gain the blessing of the Spirits Beyond; it is more of a personal connection that Captains share with the spirits when they are ready to lead, so a cat can go to sleep on the night the old Captain was laid to rest and wake up having had their ‘ceremony’ and are imbued with the strengths of the spirits who pledged to them. These spirits will help protect the Captain from serious injury to an extent, so they can continue living through dire situations. If the spirits disagree with the choice of Captain, they may refrain from pledging at all.
9. **Question:** For that matter, since it is the spirits that are pledging their own souls for this cat, what stops concerned loved ones pledging their souls to their family members who aren't Captains?
	* Answer: Technically, there is nothing stopping the Spirits Beyond from pledging their soul to any cat--however, the Spirits Beyond are just as beholden to the Ancestors’ Law and the traditions of the Alliance colonies as any living cat. It would be highly frowned upon to play favorites in this way, and it would lead to chaos if any and every cat had the potential to have multiple lives based on nepotism alone. Spirits pledge to Captains only because of a combination of tradition, cultural beliefs, and practicality; they pledge to the Captain for the good of the whole colony.
10. **Question:** Who gives the Captains their special titles? I assume they are unique to each cat, not colony?
	* Answer: The Spirits share the Captain’s new title with the Captain during their ‘ceremony,’ a Captain wakes up from their ceremony with a knowing sense of their title. Their title is indicative of their achievements and actions that have earned them their place as Captain.
11. **Question:** Does everyone that becomes an elder become a member on the council? Who are the members on each colonies' council? We could make educated guesses, but a confirmation would be helpful.
	* Answer: Elders are usually council members unless they really don’t want to be. Some are more involved in the council than others. Example: Yellowflower is a very pushy council member, but Birchwhisker mostly sleeps through meetings. The members? We’ll show you!
12. **Question:** I noticed that Missingfoot is listed as a Keeper now. Is he no longer considered as an elder?
	* Answer: Physical limitations do not automatically retire a cat from Ranger status! Sometimes if a cat is injured, like Missingfoot, their Captain can suggest a change in ‘career’ path or early retirement, but it is ultimately up to the Ranger in most cases. A strong suggestion from the Captain and Second may have swayed Missingfoot to keep himself behind the scenes. Tornleg is another example, though he named himself Tornleg with the approval of Elmtail. Tornleg is permanently injured, but he did not switch jobs or retire from being a Mentor. As with many other aspects of these cats’ lives, the exact way this is handled will vary between the colonies and their Captains.
13. **Question:** Does a Herbalist have a say in the Council decisions? In Warriors there are instances in the first series where a medicine cat is someone where even the leader will look to guidance. Since it was stated that Herbalist is considered most likely to receive signs from the Spirits Beyond, I wondered if their words or advice is weighted in council decisions.
	* Answer: It depends on the colony. Field Colony’s Herbalist is a very spiritual cat and they will take part in the council with as much authority as an elder would. In Oak Colony, the Herbalist is part of the council, but has the authority an envoy might have, maybe even less; they are only there to advise the Captain on what the cliff gardens are looking like and how risky a certain course of action might be. We have also reconsidered the spiritual context of the role of herbalists, and have decided that their connection to the spirits beyond is no greater or lesser than any other cat’s, generally. Some cats are more spiritually attuned than others, but they are not always herbalists. Again, this depends on the particular colony culture!
14. **Question:** Do the Herbalists have their own code like the Medicine cats of Warriors? What is it? How does the poor Frondsway and Tornleg saga play out now if the 'no taking mates' thing doesn't apply?
	* Answer: There is not a specific Herbalist code that all Herbalists follow, it tends to change based on the colony and how strict the Captain is. As for Frondsway and Tornleg, Frondsway made the mistake that reinforced a specific Oak Colony rule: In Oak Colony, Herbalists have a very involved job of tending herbs and also healing cats, so it is not forbidden to have a mate, but having kits would take too much time away from the Herbalist’s duties so it is not permitted. Frondsway did it anyway due to Elmtail being so flippant about that rule; while she went into labor up on the cliffs, Tornleg, when he was called Swiftstrike, was gravely injured and his leg irreparably damaged due to lack of care, Oak Colony did their best to care for him and ultimately saved his life while Frondsway was nowhere to be found. The fact that it was Frondsway’s own mate that was injured was taken as a bad omen, that the Spirits Beyond did not approve (Tornleg named himself that as a reminder to himself. Ordinarily Swift would not have been blamed, but a lunar eclipse occurred during Tornleg’s accident and Swiftshadow’s birth, so Swiftshadow is seen as a cursed cat, and Frondsway was pushed away from her path because of the omen.)-- Herbalists having families is a case-by-case matter though. Perhaps if Oak Colony had had two Herbalists at the time, Frondsway would not have been blamed and blamed herself so much.
15. **Question:** Do kits still have the suffix of kit? Something else? Or are they missing a suffix like the new-claws.
	* Answer: No suffixes, they keep their same name from kitten-hood into new-claw training and only get a suffix to their name after becoming a ranger.
16. **Question:** The Spirits to Come, do the colonies interact with them at all? I saw they are represented by the Sun but I am curious about how this aspect of the colonies’ belief impacts their lives at all.
	* Answer: The Colonies don’t interact with the Spirits to Come, but they are a very important aspect of their spirituality, representing a bountiful kitten season. Cats might pray to the Spirits to Come for fertility and safety of new-born kittens, but the Spirits to Come don’t take form in the same way as a ghost or Spirit Beyond kind of does. The Spirits to Come also represents the Colonies need to care and plan for future generations. When a new cat joins a colony, either from a different colony or after being unbound, they go through a “sunrise ceremony” that acts as a kind of rebirth into the colony. Different colonies have different ways to test new members to see if they are eligible for their ceremony.
17. **Question:** What is in place for when the system breaks, if the leadership positions all die (say greencough or a flood), or other vital underpinning elements are lost?
	* Answer: The Council and Second positions are the safeguards for the unexpected death of a Captain. Envoys are another safeguard; should both the Captain and Second die at once, there are already cats with leadership experience ready to take their places. This is not ideal and fortunately the colonies of the Lakefront Alliance have never needed measures beyond those already in place within living memory.
18. **Question:** What rules and cultural norms hail from those times in the past when part or all went mushroom cloud?
	* Answer: The structure of the Lakefront Alliance colonies was developed to create clear paths to leadership within the colonies, and the Council put in place to make sure the Captain doesn’t have too much power. Whether the Council has always been effective at keeping its Captain in check, however, is a conflict we’ll explore in the story!
19. **Question:** What are some 'just so' myths and some 'everyone knows'? What are some legends and fairy tales that exist and what cultural norms do they teach (like be polite to strangers, don't lie heavily, etc)?
	* Answer: We haven’t developed the world this far yet, but it might make for some great character moments down the line! So far, older cats usually tell kittens stories about the bravery and loyalty of deceased colony members they personally knew--for example, Missingfoot telling Dawn and Dark about Whitebelly, or Spottedshadow’s generation hearing stories of their Goldenpelt and Ambereyes’ deceased father.
20. **Question:** If a Captain loses a life, what becomes of the spirit who gave them the life?
	* Answer: When the Spirits Beyond pledge their souls to a Captain, they expend energy to keep the Captain from harm. For example, if the Captain is in a fight with a dog and would have received a fatal bite wound, one of the spirits can expend their energy to prevent the bite from piercing vital organs. The Captain will still be injured and need time to recover, but it will be less severe than if they were a normal ranger. Once used, this energy can’t be regained, and the spirit returns to the Spirits Beyond once all the energy in their soul is used up.
21. **Question:** Since the series is delving into things like magic use among certain colonies, will we see other fantastical things like some fictional fantasy creatures in the world of clouded moon?
	* Answer: We currently have no plans to introduce fantasy creatures into the world of Clouded Moon, and plan to keep the story focused on cats and the kinds of animals they might encounter in the wild like foxes, badgers, etc.; whether these animals have their own magic is not currently known, but possible!
22. **Question:** Since the lake cats have an uneasy alliance, how common are battles between the lake colonies?
	* Answer: Pretty common depending on the level of alliance they have. For example, if Oak Colony cats cross the marsh border, Hawkshell and Marsh Colony council would be more likely to forgive them as it was probably an accident due to the closer alliance between Oak and Marsh Colony. On the other hand, River Colony crossing any border would be seen as a huge threat because it would probably be seen as Rainfall trying to make a move. There is a general alliance here, but colonies are always worried they will be muscled out of the territory as nothing is truly stopping another colony from starting a war.

## References

1. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/10yrgj5ZVQn4-feC5enKlX24diCf1RrGHm-B0-v2Kl-M/edit#
2. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ee70SHrzVe8yNff\_ZRL0WrlnB7PZqrRuT1RwZMPE3gM/edit