[OOC] Warriors: Trial of Shadows

[Marlowe]

Have you heard the legends of the Clans in the valley?

Countless seasons ago, four cats and their followers arrived in the valley territories. Their names were Thorn, Birch, Mist, and Dusk, and under the guidance of StarClan, they were brought to the valley with the purpose of forging Clans. Thorn and his cats took to the cliff-sides, Birch and his own kind remained in the greenwood forests, Mist's cats roamed south, to the wetlands, and Dusk and his cats chose to reside in a labyrinth of interwoven tunnels that opened up to grassy plains. Thus, ThornClan, BirchClan, MistClan, and DuskClan were formed.

Though again, this was seasons ago-- more seasons than the elders and even the elders' elders could even count. Now is a different story. This tale begins on a precarious precipice. Clan cats are suddenly showing up dead, and no one knows who is to blame. When StarClan remains silent, tensions rise and cats start to blame others. In the midst of chaos, one question stands stark against the looming night... who can be trusted?

LIST OF CHARACTERS

The valley is divided into four territories, one for each of the four Clans. There is a large lake in the middle, giving accessibility to each Clan. Here, leaf-bares can be rather harsh, and Clan cats must sometimes deal with threats larger than foxes and badgers. Nevertheless, the four Clans have been able to thrive for seasons, having been staunch in the face of adversity and severe weather patterns.

ThornClan

ThornClan lives to the northeast of the valley territories, sharing borders with both BirchClan and DuskClan. These cats have flourished on the stark cliff-edges of their home; having adapted to the dangerous environment, they boast of their strength and power. The heart of their Clan rests in the break of a pine forest. There, they are sheltered by both trees and the walls of the mountainsides. The cracks in the mountain walls are used as dens, and the leader makes announcement from the camp's highest ledge, which almost rivals the height of the pines themselves-- the Skyledge.

NOTABLE FEATURES: their fur is usually warm-colored and ranges from black, grays, and browns; broad-shouldered, powerful legs, long tails for balancing; larger in size than other Clans' cats; proud, loud and arrogant

PREY: hawks, hares, small birds, squirrels, and even small deer

THREATS: the very cliffs that ThornClan resides on have caused multiple deaths. Other than that, they must sometimes deal with larger predators, such as mountain lions, bears, and wolves

BirchClan

BirchClan lies to the west of the valley territories and shares a border with ThornClan and MistClan. To the south lies the Oak Dens, where Twolegs sometimes come to spend the summer. The forests there are mostly made of oaks, birches, and other types of deciduous trees. Streams and brooks run across the territory, some of which are filled with fish. BirchClan's camp is also in a clearing in the forest-- their dens are hidden under the roots of trees or in fallen logs scattered around the camp. Their leader makes announcements from the top of a tree that had toppled against another-- the Fallenbranch.

NOTABLE TRAITS: the largest Clan in the valley; adept at climbing trees; silent stalkers

PREY: moles, voles, small birds, squirrels, sometimes fish

THREATS: foxes, badgers, adders, and very rarely wolves, mountain lions, and bears; close proximity to the Oak Dens

MistClan

MistClan is riddled with wetlands, a variety of shrubbery, long grasses and reeds, and very few trees. They share some of their border with BirchClan, for the Oak Dens keep them only a bit separated, and DuskClan. Their camp is made atop the driest island in the wetlands, and their dens are made of reeds and long grasses. The leader makes their announcements from atop a rock in a pool of green water-- the Poolstone.

NOTABLE TRAITS: sleek, glossy fur; long claws and furry pads used to grip terrain; very powerful jaws used to wrangle large fish; webbed paws make them amazing swimmers; great leapers; sharp sense of hearing and smell due to having to deal with morning and evening fog

PREY: mostly fish, lizards, and birds, but may be able to get their claws on snakes and baby crocodiles. Sometimes they're lucky enough to catch small deer and squirrels

THREATS: flooding, crocodiles, and close proximity to the Oak Dens

DuskClan

No one knows much about DuskClan. This is mostly because, despite having the moors to hunt and frolic in, they spend most of their time in an elaborate series of caves. All of the cats in DuskClan are taught at a young age to maneuver around them and recognize the scratch marks on the cave walls in order to know what direction they're going in. Contrary to popular belief, DuskClan doesn't live in total darkness. Every so often, there's openings in the roofs of these caverns and tunnels that provide the Clan with light. DuskClan's camp is in one of the largest caves. Similar to ThornClan, their dens are made in cracks and openings in the wall, and cats are able to walk and lay on the soft sand floors. There are many pools located in the caves, one of which being in the camp itself. The perch where the leader makes their announcement is actually connected to their den; they climb up a slope that leads to the highest opening in the camp-- the Stonewatch.

NOTABLE TRAITS: lean and long-legged; cunning and sharp-witted; very secretive, leading to suspicion coming from other Clans; great runners; amazing hiders and stalkers; their Clan's camp has almost never been invaded due to fear of getting lost in the tunnels

PREY: hares, rabbits, birds, squirrels

THREATS: cave flooding, some cats have gotten lost in the deeper sections of the tunnels

Neutral Territories

The Splintered Rocks

The Splintered Rocks are where the four Clans hold their Gathering every full moon. It gets its name due to the fact that they are a series of rocks that jut up into the sky. Clan leaders take their place at the top of these rocks, while the deputies perch on the outcroppings just below them. The rest of the Clans sit in the sandy clearing at the base of these rocks. The Splintered Rocks is just behind ThornClan territory, as if the already proud Clan needed anything else to brag about.

The Moonbrook

The Moonbrook is where medicine cats and their apprentices go every half-moon to meet with StarClan. It is an underground brook in the tunnels underneath DuskClan. To get there, one must be allowed to cross DuskClan's very camp. Most of the time, medicine cats are allowed passage.

The Oak Dens

The Oak Dens are a cluster of log cabins that sits between BirchClan's and MistClan's westernmost borders. Twolegs come year round to camp there, but it's at its most full during greenleaf. Twolegs are known to fish and boat in MistClan's territory, and will often go into BirchClan to set up tents, walk their dogs, and even hunt deer.

The Lake

The lake is the body of water that sits in the middle of the four Clans' territories. Any cat can go drink there, if they wish. It's best if they drink the water from their own territories, for the water at the lake is sometimes overgrown with algae and moss.