Rootclan Info

[Dreamer]

River cat. by Omygodtom, on Flickr

Rootclan

The middle clan of three, Rootclan is the most isolated of all of them, both physically and politically. They have chosen so in order to keep what they believe is the pure version of the warrior code, untainted by Waveclan relaxation of rules or the foreign blood and chaos of Ferryclan. Rootclan likes to cultivate a strong united image, and their cats are known for physical prowess and impressive confidence. They are often on the bigger side and thus are more effective in battle, and they indeed have the highest likelihood of encountering predators than either of the other clans. Unlike the other clans, their population is diminishing due to inbreeding and the lack of a wider genetic pool. While this means that certain beautiful pelts are more likely to appear, it also means that stubborn Rootclan will soon be forced to re-evaluate its strategy and beliefs, lest they be in danger of dying out.

Culture

Rootclan's demeanor is usually one of intense passion, as the clan cultivates fierce loyalty but also other fierce emotion from wrath, to sorrow, to kindness. Rootclan cats are not known for being halfway, and throw themselves into every action wholeheartedly. As such -Heart cats are actually few and far in between, and the suffix is usually awarded to a cat within the clan which has a differing opinion and belief which they staunchly hold, but which does not interfere with clan running. They value cats who are willing to stand up for themselves, as they once stood up to Waveclan. That said, most cats are of a general similar temperament and belief system.

Their territory is the most dense, and cats have to have a general knowledge of how to climb. The trees are tall and the foliage thick, but there are also rocky spots, especially along the river and lakeside which can be slippery. Usually though the biggest threat they will have while hunting is not the terrain itself, but predators. Squadrons of warriors will be the ones to mark the borders and track down any dangerous scents they find. These squadrons usually include a tracker if available. -Nose cats are highly prized in this clan as a result.

Due to being in the thick of a forest, it makes most sense that Rootclan would be the one to follow the canon way of seasons, from Leafbare, to Newleaf, to Greenleaf, to Leaf-fall. Their holidays follow the same rhythm, with their holidays being the Bloom, the Tournament, and the Hunt, more information on these holidays can be found here.

Rootclan is the most exclusive clan, and as mentioned before, they are struggling to produce enough kits to form a solid new generation. Their beliefs that outsiders are not dedicated enough (in the case of Waveclan) or not legitimately chosen by Starclan (in the case of Ferryclan) lead to hostilities, particularly with the latter. This reclusive clan does not even allow outsiders and chases them off clan land without any discussion, unless they are queens with kits (and sometimes even then only until they are old enough to fend for themselves). Despite the complicated genealogies which Rootclan medicine cats are asked to keep track of, even they realize the danger of a completely isolationist policy, which has led to some division in the clan.

Religiously most of Rootclan are truly and even zealously devoted to Starclan, with the strength of their beliefs ingrained in them by their mothers at a young age. They can easily recite the code and will even engage in vigorous debates over the smallest connotations of the code and clan law, and the most studious will often challenge cats from the other two clans, although the other clans usually find the conversations more amusing or annoying than impacting their own beliefs. Their warriors ceremony and their connection to Starclan comes from their bloodprint, where each new warrior will cut their own paw on a jagged stone and leave a bloody paw print beside the ones of their ancestors in an old cave near camp. By leaving their own blood behind they pledge their life-force to the clan and to the code. Often when Rootclan warriors find that they cannot make it to Starclan, they manifest in the area around their bloodprint, where their tether to the physical plane is until they can resolve whatever kept them from Starclan.

[Dreamer]

Ranks

Rootclan contains only the ranks present before the split with Waveclan, and thus only the most traditional structure of a clan. None of these ranks are gender/sex specific.

-Leader-
The head of the triumvirate which rules the clan, the leader is the ultimate authority on law and behavior, and is usually required to approve major initiatives within the clan. By taking on the -star suffix, they acknowledge that their duty and authority comes from Starclan and it must be used to secure and protect the clan, as well as keep it on the path of revering Starclan and the Ancient Ones, that their beliefs and practices do not slack like the other clans. Their nine lives are used most often in battle as the leader is likely to be included in battle parties against larger and more dangerous predators, with the understanding that unlike their other clanmates, they are more likely to heal. When a leader dies, the deputy ascends straight to leader

-Deputy-
Often chosen from the ranks of senior warriors, these cats are usually of middle age, with the understanding that a leader is likely to go through more than one deputy before his leadership ends. Deputies in Rootclan are usually known as the battle leader and are more often skilled in fighting, diplomacy, tracking or tactical planning. That does not mean that others are not chosen for deputyship, it simply means that they must understand the rigors of the job and must be willing to take on what the clan is most worried about. It has been said that the best deputies and leaders were the so-called "warrior queens" she-cats who saw their kits or clanmates in danger and felt the intense need to protect them, these have gone unmatched. The deputy is also in charge of ensuring that each apprentice when completing their battle training has a sufficiently appropriate response, and if they are not skilled in that manner, that they are not assigned to battle patrols for their own safety.

-Medicine cat-
There are always two, a master and an apprentice. It does not matter the age of either one, and there have even been times when a master was younger than their apprentice, but no master retires from his post, usually they serve until they die. It can make times bleak for the clan, especially should a master be elderly and have become mentally incapacitated. But by that point an apprentice will already have their eyes on a replacement and act in all but name as the master, until their master finally passes on to Starclan. Rootclan sees it as dishonorable to force any medicine cat to retire, particularly with their Starclan given gifts. They specialize in earthy medicine and medicines relating to correcting the spine, or broken bones, and particularly how to fight off infections and gangrene in wounds.


-Elder-
Cats who have reached the age of 100 moons or more, or have had severe injuries, and who have retired from their warrior duties. Elders never truly retire from the clan, although their duties are far more several limited than they were as warriors. Elders assist a few younger warriors and occasionally the deputy, in training squads of apprentices to fight. They spend time teaches the apprentices tactics such as ambush and flanking, but also different points of weakness in certain predators and different fighting styles. They are still offered the respect of first pick of prey, and cats are encouraged to show them deference by never looking them in the eye.

-Queen-
The cats who take the main responsibility in raising and educating the young. They provide the kits with food, shelter, and instruct them in the knowledge of the code and way of life of the clan. The position of queen is usually only taken by a few, as many she-cats wish to return to their warrior duties as soon as they have finished weaning, in order to keep providing for the clan. Thus -flower cats are few and far in between in Rootclan.


-Warrior-
Rootclan warriors are defined often by their prowess in battle. While not every cat passes the strictures of warrior fighting, they all are given more extensive battle training than the other clans, in order to defend themselves and their clanmates. Beyond battle training, most cats tend to be general with the other skills they acquire, and are not nearly as specialized as Waveclan. Earning specialized suffixes is truly not hard in that regard. A one on one mentor system for the second part of an apprentices training is usually conducted by older and more senior warriors, so that younger warriors often wait several seasons before their first apprentice. The idea is that each warrior who wishes to be a mentor must have acquired the skill to do so.

-Apprentices-
Apprentices start training at 6 moons of age, and train on average for 6-8 moons. The first three moons of training are strictly battle training, and apprentices are usually grouped in threes or fours, to teach them how to work in patrols. They are taught by the elders during this first section, and learn great respect for their superiors. Once they have passed their group assessment, they will continue on to another three moons or more of training with an individual mentor, learning the basics of other skills that are valuable within the clan.

-Kit-
Kits, especially healthy ones, are highly valued and fiercely protected in the clan. Kits are not even allowed to exit the nursery until they are a moon old. There is no illusion on their part that they will ever leave camp until they are an apprentice, and as soon as the kits are old enough, the dangers of the outside are made very clear. Breaking this rule will lead to delaying apprenticeship until the next litter of kits is apprenticed, or by a full season. Unlike the other clans, apprentices are encouraged to share their lessons with older kits, and the older kits and apprentices share the brunt of the load of chores around the camp. Every paw is needed to make sure Rootclan keeps running.

[Dreamer]

Appearance

Usually on the larger and stockier side, many cats in Rootclan are either substantial or cobby build, similar to Maine Coons or for British shorthairs (for cobby build). They generally are on the darker spectrum of pelts, with only a small amount of dilutes and whites. They carry the unique Amber gene, which like colorpoints, usually leads to one or two name changes as a kit grows. Cats with the Amber gene are seen as cats who are touched by sunlight, a beauty that is linked with devotion to Starclan or a blessing on the parents. Other genes include curly fur, and chocolate, along with a heavier prevalence of classic tabbies. Beauty is usually linked to strength, energy, even size, and scars are considered very attractive.

Naming
Rootclan are very earthy cats, and usually find a way name their kits after animals or plants, with the idea that an animal name will give them the strength and character of that animal, and a connection to them which may help the kit to become a better hunter or fighter. Both parents and often elders will participate in naming the kits, although the queen will spend a month in isolation while she is preparing her kits to join the clan, which is why a special birthing den separate from the rest of the clan but still close enough to camp to be protected is provided for queens. The only cats to visit her during her month of seclusion are the medicine cat and whoever is assigned to bring her food, so that she need not hunt for herself.

Once the month of seclusion is ended, the kits are brought to the clan, where the queen is asked to vouch for them and their integration. They will then be blessed by the medicine cat and anointed with crushed with a variety of crushed petals or leaves which are commonly found in the territory, signifying that they have been brought into the fold and now their scent will begin to conform more to the rest of Rootclan.

Unlike the other two clans, Rootclan has no specific prefixes of its own. It sees the inclusion of non-natural prefixes by the other two clans as against the code and allowing for a dangerous closeness to two-legs (as they call them) and the life of indolent kittypets.

[Dreamer]

Law

Root clan has an odd hierarchy when it comes to offenses against the code.

The top and worst tier is the one which involves murder and violation of another cat. These most despicable acts are punished by the death penalty. They are executed by a medicine cats severing of the neck arteries, and bled out. Cats who die by the death penalty have their bodies taken out beyond the borders and left to be eaten by predators.

The second tier contains treason, insubordination, and fraternization. Treason includes direct plotting against the clan, particularly the leadership, with intent to harm. Insubordination includes disregarding or contradicting an order which leads to the harm or endangerment of a clanmate, this can be both intentional or non-intentional but based on pride or overconfidence. And fraternization is association with cats outside the clan in a manner that undermines loyalty and clan security and well-being. The two options a cat may choose from, are exile or the gauntlet. Exile is said to be the coward's way out, and an admission of guilt. The truly loyal and repentant would choose the gauntlet, where they are forced to make their way through two lines of hostile cats which are allowed a single blow. Depending on the severity of the crime (ie if it ended in death or was simply a bad choice regarding a mate) there are more or less cats. If you survive the gauntlet and healing afterward, you are seen as forgiven by the clan and starclan, and no mention will be made of it again. Repeat offenses will end in exile, or if it escalates, the death penalty.

Punishing smaller offenses like crossing borders or stealing prey, usually end with a cat being confined to camp or forced to hunt twice as much to make up for their mistakes. Usually this is accompanied by withers meals, so that the cat gets a physical reminder of his misdeeds without too severely endangering them.