The Descendants of the Great Lion Kingdom
The "Prides", as I refer to them, are the prides that came from the dissolution of the Great Lion Kingdom in the Cariponi and northern Mianmoae regions. This kingdom was formed from the "Families", as they called themselves, basically clans that lived along side one another, for the most part in peace. The kingdom was formed when the coastal families went to war with the Mountain Family, and the Forest Family aligned with the Mountain. The war ended when a third side came in, headed up by the Golden Suns, who were well respected by all the families, and the dark and mysterious Fallen Stars, having been fed up with the other two sides pulling innocents into their war. The leader of the Golden Suns was declared the king and ruler of all the Families, elected so by the other Families. His dynasty was never broken, and the Golden Suns would continue to rule over the Prides for generations and generations to come in the aftermath of the kingdom's dissolution. The monarchy was abolished by itself, as the king at the time, having been king for only a day before he did so, devised a new system, and split the kingdom into three prides, each of his brothers ruling the other two. Vyta-Lujyah(meaning "Sun's Dream") was the last king's pride, named for the Golden Suns. Serr-Ceri("Shadow Stalker") was his twin brother's, and was mostly made up of the Fallen Stars, Cloud, and some Mountain lions. The third was founded by their younger brother and named for him, Luhati-Joli("Fire of Peace").
Not long after the dissolution of the kingdom, the prides former ally among humans turned on them, and they were forced to flee Cariponi, fleeing south. Firepride settled just southeast of Parmoae, believing the land they chose to be suitable enough for them. The other two prides continued south, however. Both Vyta-Lujyah and Serr-Ceri would settle together in the Valley. Eventually, the peace, unity, and communication between the three would soon be non-existent.
Not long after the dissolution of the kingdom, the prides former ally among humans turned on them, and they were forced to flee Cariponi, fleeing south. Firepride settled just southeast of Parmoae, believing the land they chose to be suitable enough for them. The other two prides continued south, however. Both Vyta-Lujyah and Serr-Ceri would settle together in the Valley. Eventually, the peace, unity, and communication between the three would soon be non-existent.
Vyta-Lujyah|The Noble Ones
The Vyta-Lujyah, noble and proud, they are the epitome of what the once royal family, the Golden Suns, stood for, and at least one of their leaders have always been a descendant of the kings. They have the largest numbers, and the largest territory. They've always had several camps, or mass den sites, one being the Nobles Camp in the Highlands region, the other being known as the Alphas Camp, or the Main Camp. Previously, the original Main Camp was the Lake Camp, but this was later abandoned in favor of the Delta Camp, which was more or less a large island between two tributaries of the river that flowed through the Valley. The Delta Camp provided protection from rivals, as few other than Vyta-Lujyah lions were willing to get their fur wet. In the time of Dez, the last leader of Vyta-Lujyah, or rather her brother's reign over the pride, a new Main Camp was formed, and it was in fact Dez and her mentor who found it in the heart of Vyta-Lujyah, in the Grasslands region, where few dared to go, for superstitious reasons. This camp was a mighty canyon, formed by an ancient river, now only a small stream.
The population of the Vyta-Lujyah has varied quite a bit over the many generations, but it ranged from as little as a few more than 140 at its start, to as many as 800+ at its peak. In Dez' time the numbers were around 400. The size of their territory is massive, in order to support such large numbers. To compare it to the real world, I'd say roughly the size of the state of New York. In order to keep such a large territory, patrol outposts exist along the border, and within the territory. Here, anywhere from 20 to 30 lions will live, till they are stationed elsewhere, and a noble always heads the outpost. This is a common tactic among many great lions.
The Vyta-Lujyah's fighting tactics are highly adaptable, the train to fight in any situation, even at the edge of a cliff(the region they once inhabited was scattered with cliffs and ravines, and in the Valley this is still fairly true in parts of their territory). They don't mind water, considering how much of their territory has some sort of body of water or another.
Vyta-Lujyah territory consist of several regions. The Highlands have a plateau with sheer cliffs on the southern side which looks over Lakepride(once just the Lake region), on the western side it has a gentle incline(for the most part), and to the east mountains and more highlands, which are home to the Great Lion Elders. Going west and down from the Highlands region, a small pine forest opens up into grasslands, which are then interrupted by the a river delta. This is the Delta region. Going south from the Delta Region, branching smaller river goes through a massive area called the Grasslands region. In this region, as mentioned before, a large canyon is found. The rivers and streams of the Grasslands drain into the last region, the Marsh region.
Because of such a varied territory, Vyta-Lujyah has a large variety of prey and hunting tactics. In the Highlands, they hunt namely Firntia in the winters, which are pretty much bison, and pretty much wild goat and sheep type animals the rest of the year. The small pine forest to the north of the Delta is rich with deer, elk, and wild boar, which were the Capareon Lion's favored prey. In the Delta, more herds of deer are often found, as they migrate between the pine forest and the Grasslands region, but fishing is much more common here. The rivers are rich with large fish species, and a fish or two is usually enough to sate a hungry lion till larger prey can be caught. River drakes and the occasional migratory crocodile are also on the menu for Vyta-Lujyah lions, but these are very difficult prey, seeing as they are in fact among the top predators of the Valley too. The Grasslands is home to more Firntia, deer, elk, and other various large prey. The Marsh region has plenty of marsh deer, boar, and a somewhat difficult prey choice, the Valley Marsh Wyrm. River drakes and crocodiles are less common here, as it is cut off from the main river system, which they use to migrate south to warmer regions in the fall and winter, but some are found.
Vyta-Lujyah's lions primarily consist of the "Standard" Capareon origin race, and the other Capareon origin races, but due to Great Lions having a high sense of security in much larger numbers, smaller, wandering prides and groups at various times have joined Vyta-Lujyah, bringing in Southern Lions and even the occasional Snow Lions into the mix.
The population of the Vyta-Lujyah has varied quite a bit over the many generations, but it ranged from as little as a few more than 140 at its start, to as many as 800+ at its peak. In Dez' time the numbers were around 400. The size of their territory is massive, in order to support such large numbers. To compare it to the real world, I'd say roughly the size of the state of New York. In order to keep such a large territory, patrol outposts exist along the border, and within the territory. Here, anywhere from 20 to 30 lions will live, till they are stationed elsewhere, and a noble always heads the outpost. This is a common tactic among many great lions.
The Vyta-Lujyah's fighting tactics are highly adaptable, the train to fight in any situation, even at the edge of a cliff(the region they once inhabited was scattered with cliffs and ravines, and in the Valley this is still fairly true in parts of their territory). They don't mind water, considering how much of their territory has some sort of body of water or another.
Vyta-Lujyah territory consist of several regions. The Highlands have a plateau with sheer cliffs on the southern side which looks over Lakepride(once just the Lake region), on the western side it has a gentle incline(for the most part), and to the east mountains and more highlands, which are home to the Great Lion Elders. Going west and down from the Highlands region, a small pine forest opens up into grasslands, which are then interrupted by the a river delta. This is the Delta region. Going south from the Delta Region, branching smaller river goes through a massive area called the Grasslands region. In this region, as mentioned before, a large canyon is found. The rivers and streams of the Grasslands drain into the last region, the Marsh region.
Because of such a varied territory, Vyta-Lujyah has a large variety of prey and hunting tactics. In the Highlands, they hunt namely Firntia in the winters, which are pretty much bison, and pretty much wild goat and sheep type animals the rest of the year. The small pine forest to the north of the Delta is rich with deer, elk, and wild boar, which were the Capareon Lion's favored prey. In the Delta, more herds of deer are often found, as they migrate between the pine forest and the Grasslands region, but fishing is much more common here. The rivers are rich with large fish species, and a fish or two is usually enough to sate a hungry lion till larger prey can be caught. River drakes and the occasional migratory crocodile are also on the menu for Vyta-Lujyah lions, but these are very difficult prey, seeing as they are in fact among the top predators of the Valley too. The Grasslands is home to more Firntia, deer, elk, and other various large prey. The Marsh region has plenty of marsh deer, boar, and a somewhat difficult prey choice, the Valley Marsh Wyrm. River drakes and crocodiles are less common here, as it is cut off from the main river system, which they use to migrate south to warmer regions in the fall and winter, but some are found.
Vyta-Lujyah's lions primarily consist of the "Standard" Capareon origin race, and the other Capareon origin races, but due to Great Lions having a high sense of security in much larger numbers, smaller, wandering prides and groups at various times have joined Vyta-Lujyah, bringing in Southern Lions and even the occasional Snow Lions into the mix.
Serr-Ceri|The Fierce Ones
Zater-Lossi|The Rebellious Ones
Hetur-Aleyk|The Peaceful Ones
Firepride|The Forgotten Ones
Families and Bloodlines
The "Families", as they once were, still exist within the prides. Although it usually is a meaningless part of one's title, for nobles it is a symbol of pride and honor to belong to a great family. Each "Family" has a its own "crest" of sorts, a band which each member of that family wears around their right foreleg. Only a certain number of the families are more well known or considered the true noble families, but here's the whole list.
Noble Families
Noble Families
- Golden Suns: (AKA: Lujyrola) The Golden Suns are known as the old royal family, but only one bloodline was actually the Royal bloodline. Two others were noble bloodlines, the descendants of the first king's two cousins. There were a total of twenty three bloodlines in the Golden Suns before the creation of the kingdom. During the war that lead up to that, roughly ten of those lines were entirely killed off. Two more eventually died off or married off into other families before the dissolution of the kingdom. By the end of the 7th Age(during the time of RotD), within a little over fifty generations, only three or four bloodlines remained, including the "royal" and two noble lines. Two rather discounted Golden Suns lines existed in Parmoae, just south of their ancestral homeland. Golden Sun lions are known for bright coloration and having amber or brown eyes.
- Fallen Stars: (AKA: Faolserri) The Fallen Stars were once among the most powerful families, but when the Golden Suns became the ruling family, their leader, the first king's brother-in-law, gave the rights to his lands to the royal family. The Fallen Stars were a mysterious family, shrouded in secrets before they joined up with the royal family, and afterwards, this didn't change much. They were mostly healers and seers, but in the time of the kings, their warriors served as the king's personal guard and their stealthy ways made them a perfect network of spies. By the late 7th Age, like the Golden Suns, however, they became few and far between. Most married into other families, so their descendants still live to this day, but not as Fallen Stars. Fallen Star lions are known for dark pelts, with colors of browns and dark tans or even grays.
- Forest: (AKA: Parirei) The Forest family are a distinct family, so much so that they are an entire sub-species of Ketio. Descended from ancient Snow Ketio who came down from the mountains and settled in a forest ravine, they later mixed with Capareon Ketio, making them what they are now. However, the family itself no longer exists. When the Capareon prides were forced into exile from their lands, in an event they call the Night of Fire, almost the entire Forest family was killed. Before this, they, like the Fallen Stars, had given their lands to the king long ago, and had become most healers and historians of sorts. It was a sacred tradition of the Forest family that every second born become a historian, while firstborns were healers. The historians would dedicate their lives to keeping records and keeping the history of the Capareon Ketio alive. With their deaths, the last two remaining members of the family, two sisters, one having been the last queen of the kingdom, declared that none of their children would be Forest. Because of this, no "true" Forest family lions exist, but the genes for their sub-species are quite strong, meaning their descendants are almost mirror images of them. Forest lions were known for tans and tawny colors, with dark colored "eyebrow" markings, and had rougher, scruffy fur. They were quite large in build, but sleekly built, not bulky like other large Ketio.