Pirates. Y'all asked for it, so I made some pirates. A usually nomadic pride and crew of rough and tumble, plundering lions. Loyal to themselves and themselves only, willing to lie cheat and steal to get what they want. They live by a code, follow it as much as they are able, and generally just do whatever they want. Alignments can run from good to evil, with the understanding that clashes are going to happen between crewmates but it should not affect their loyalty to the captain and the crew as a whole. Read below to find out more. To apply, give me a concept appearance and a personality, and maybe mention if they were born into the crew or plundered at some point!
Code & Culture
- The captain has final say, weighing in on all opinions. They decide where the crew goes, where they plunder and where they fight.
- Every lion has an equal vote in affairs and is entitled to equal rations (barring children and pregnant lionesses, who are given their fill first). Under the captain and captain’s second, all crew are equal and are treated as such.
- Children - born into the crew or plundered - are raised by the crew to be full members. They are taught skills by each member and will choose their own place in the crew as healers, fighters, spies or otherwise.
- At one year old, children are seen as full members of the crew and may vote and perform all duties expected of them. To become an official member, they are to repeat a pledge vowing loyalty to the crew. Should they choose not to, they are left at the next habitable prideland. Yearlings that leave the crew are not to be harmed or seen as traitors.
- They are not eligible to put their name forward for captain until they are at least two years old, needing at least one full year as a crewmate to be considered ready to lead.
- Upon the death of the captain, the second shall hold an election - no child of the previous captain is eligible for election to ensure there is no bias. Eligible lions that wish to lead put their name forward. Each crewmate votes for the lion they deem worthy. Should the vote come to a tie, either one withdraws or a fight for dominance determines the leader. The new captain may keep the current second or pick a new one.
- To be eligible, crewmates must have been in the crew for a year, be at least two years old, and hold a position within the crew (not captive, slave, or strong-armed member).
- Punishments: slitting the ears and nose, lashes to the back (claws raked down the spine to leave visible scars), removal of tail, removal of tongue (often handed out for spilling crew secrets to outsiders), removal or rations for a number of days, beating
- Once punishment is dealt, the guilty party is to be forgiven and accepted back into the crew without further bias. Failing to do so will result in similar punishment for the crewmate.
- Children do not receive scars as punishment, they are beaten or starved instead.
- No child or pregnant woman to be allowed amongst the fighters
- Deserting the crew in battle is punished with death.
- Fights between crew are dealt with by fights of dominance - or first to draw blood.
- Maimed and injured crew are looked after until their death - their own weight to be pulled where able, but they shall not be left to die.
Hierarchy
Captain - King/Queen equivalent - Rue
Second/First Mate - one step under Captain, they organise the crew and keep everyone in line - Kieran
Quartermaster - organises crew life, from food storage and hunts to captives - Finn
Master-at-Arms - in charge of the fighters and training/leads battles and raids - open
Surgeon/Medic - the healer - Vex
Infiltrators - normally females, often used because the general population does not see them as threats. They are sent into prides to gage numbers, strengths and weaknesses, and report back to the Captain before raids. - unlimited
- Teuta
Juniors - teens to yearlings being trained by one of the above ranks (not including captain) to one day take over that position - open, unlimited
Appearance
Because of the long history of plundering and lions joining freely, there is no set appearance or truly common markings. Families are common in the crew, so when making blood relatives keep that in mind (and please ask the owners of the family you want to make before doing so, thank you).
