[META - ORP] - The Gathering - [OPEN]

[KizingoZaa II]

Much has been happening in the Kizingo’Zaa late, and not much of it positive. From natural disasters that impacted the land in irreversible manner, to talk of the threat of Demons looming at the border, wind whispers through the Kizingo’zaa land with but one word- change.

For a while now, however, new whispers have joined the wind- whispers of lions and muses both. A meeting was to be held at the rift that served as a physical reminder of the troubles that plagued the pride, to decide what was to be done.

Hadithi has stepped back into his role as Story Keeper- a sudden change to go with the sudden meeting, with Puzzle stepping down from the position quietly and without much warning, shortly before whispers of the meeting began. The Kizingo'Zaa is changing, and only one thing is certain- it is being put to the pride whether this is for good or ill.

With all the Chaos going on the past year, both OOC-ly and IC-ly, it has been a touch difficult to shift the current pride political climate away from Shandor-days and into what it was originally meant to be. However, after much work, we've gotten to a point where we feel like shifting the pride entirely back to what it was originally meant to be, pretty much cold turkey, is going to be the best way to go about things. The Kizingo'zaa were never meant to use the word 'Gypsy' in their culture - they are vaguely inspired by romani culture, but this was meant to be a lose thread, and we certainly did not wish to use the term of slang when we started the pride. It deviated in many ways, away from the original idea, and we want to just shove it back into slot. This, icly, means several things.

- Muses are back in full swing. Everyone in the territory will be affected. Those that do not like idea of muses or don't want to be affected should leave the pride.

- There are new leaders. Chi'pya, Grandaughter of Pride founder Misae, will be Song Keeper, and Hadithi, old pride founder and mate to Misae, will take the role of Story Keeper until he can find and train a new candidate. He's old, but wise, and will find someone as soon as possible.

- Brew is entirely outlawed. The muses were never meant to be treated as drug induced hallucinations - they are a part of a religion, in a way, for these lions. Mystical, and they feel they are REAL aspects of life, not hallucinations. Only Brew Mistress (or her apprentice) should know the recipe, and no lion within Kizingo'zaa will be allowed to consume it in the territory or make it. This is one of the terms the new leaders of the Kizi have hashed out with the Bahari.

- There will be NO hostility towards the Bahari. For now, they are to be left to their own devices, and if you wish to visit, you are allowed to do so so LONG you follow their rules and do nothing to shame the Kizi; if you are found to be problematic to either pride and their fledgling alliance, you may face consequences! Know that whilst in the Bahari lands, you will be watched like a hawk, and if you wish to set foot in their land, you must put up with it. The terms of the new alliance are strenuous at best, and as such, there is no real 'free passage' between the prides as it used to be, as of yet, please be patient!

- ICly, the the Demon pride is at the Kizi's borders. Members are not to be hostile towards them in any way, shape or form. They are allowed to be wary of them due to stories and hearsay, but should not poke the dragon, per say.

- Gypsy names are no longer a thing at all. Please do not request certists tag your lions with the old certs, etc. In the same vein, please remember that 'Royal blood' has no meaning in this pride. There are no princes, no princesses, and no real blue blood here!

This new meta thread asumes you know most, if not all the information above OOCLY, but your character may not; it hopes for characters to icly discus the merits or downfalls and for your lions to decide if they wish to stick around to witness the changes or move onto greener pastures. So discuss away!

 

[KizingoZaa II]

The prize, the game, the rules!

First off, the prize!



Colored by Safaia, this cutie cub is the son of Muhali herself! Born from the goddess and the Stormborn Captain Midas, who is lingering with the Kizingo’Zaa pride until the cubs are adolescents. When he grows to adolescence, he will have the option to stay with his mother and siblings in Kizingo’Zaa, or return to the Stormborn with his father- but Midas will not be claiming him as son, so he’ll have to challenge his way into freeborn or get used to life as a thrall!

So now those rules!

Quote:

- Everybody in the pride may join, as it is a pride meeting- your voice needs to be heard! This includes cubs, so long as they behave- parents of unruly cubs may be asked to take their kids home!

- Only Kizingo’Zaa members are allowed to join, with the exception of the visiting Midas.

- You may use as many characters as you have in Kizingo’Zaa, but please use them all in the same post! Wait for others to post before you post again, or you’ll be voided from the raffle!

- Posts should be a paragraph each to count for a ticket in the raffle.

- This is a meeting to discuss recent events amoung the pride, but please remain civil Icly- if your lion gets too… Shall we say, ‘spirited’, a Watcher may arrive to escort them out of the meeting until they’ve had a chance to cool their head- they may rejoin the meta when they’ve calmed down.

So much has been happening in recent days, it’s hard to know which way is up and which way is down- the Kizi pride has gone down the rabbit hole, and for once, this is more distressing than comforting!

With the Bahari’Moto’s recent hostilities, the Aegnor’Hini gathering along the border, changes in leadership, the return of Muhali, and troubles with the Brew… There’s certainly much to discuss, and not much of it is pleasant!

Hadithi, having stepped back into his old role as Story Keeper, has called the pride together for a meeting- over what, he has not specified further than ‘recent events’, but one thing is certain- the Story Keeper and Song Keeper want to hear your voice!  

[Daffupanda]

Raffle list goes here~~  

[LadyPipen]

Hadithi was too old for this s**t- and yet, he loved his pride. There was little he desired more than a quiet retirement with his mate and children, to enjoy watching the children of his children, and their children, and yet further generations, running up and down the beach for what years he had left. To watch the pride he and his love had fostered grow. Chi’pya deserved a Story Keeper who could keep up with her- not her grandfather hovering over her. The elder lion was no stranger to the imbalace the relationships presented- a young, green lioness as Song Keeper, he’d be looming over her at every moment whether he meant to or not.

Sitting upon a rock that lay at the edge of the ravine that now seperated the Bahari’Moto and the Kizingo’Zaa prides, Hadithi waited for the pride to arrive as the sun grew low in the sky, casting a light of warm brilliance on the surroundings. He fancied he still looked rather noble, perched as he waited for the first wave of arrivals, even if he was old. He purred a welcome to his granddaughter as the Song Keeper approached, butting her head in affection before casting a look around- more than enough had arrived to say they were ready to properly begin.

“Welcome,” He rumbled warmly to the pride, “And thank you each and every one for attending so late in the evening. The days have been finding more peace where the earth is concerned, and yet the Kizingo’Zaa still finds turmoil- with the Bahari’Moto, with Demons that amass on our borders, within our very pride, with the brew, and with those who do not remember the truth of the muses,” He began calmly, but firmly- there were plenty of new members to the pride, and he was certain that ‘truth’ would be as subjective to the pride here as anywhere else- but they were not there to debate definitions.

Looking to the Song Keeper at his side, Hadithi settled, “I believe this meeting is best commenced with our decision to outlaw production of the brew- practice of production and consumption of the brew from this day onwards will result in exhile. The Muses are no drug-induced hallucinations, and it’s time we reject the notion,” With this revelation, Hadithi nodded to his granddaughter to continue, ignoring any outbursts that might have been sparked by the new law.  

[Daffupanda]

Change was... scary, but it was certainly something Chi'pya had grown up with. Born to a rogue, in the roguelands while her mother made the trek back to her ancestral home after her arranged marriage and alliance with another pride fell through - Change had rather much marked her whole life. From the insecurity of the rogue lands, to the commodity and later turmoil of the ocean kissed lands the Kizi called home. The role of Song Keeper had been thrown on her slim shoulders without barely a moment to actually consider the position or otherwise argue that perhaps she was not the ideal person for the position.

She had, after all, not been trained from birth, but then again... no one had, and she had grown up at least with her mother's knowledge of the pride. Her uncle and grandmother, both prior Song Keepers, had both imparted knowledge upon her, true, and they'd had little trouble offer support and guidance, the blood ties between them strong and healthy.

Her escapade, welcoming the approaching pride that currently resided in their outskirts at least made her confident enough to stroll up to Hadithi and bump her head against him in greeting. The genuine purr of affection that rumbled through her throat was enough to prove that despite everything, she felt safe among family and friends. They would pull through this all, together. She took a seat on a rock near Hadithi, allowing him the higher ground for now; he had life experience on his side, and at the moment, Chi'pya lacked the knowledge to lead on her own. She would defer to her Grandfather, until she could gain the knowledge needed to stand on her own.

“Friends,” she began after Hadithi's speech finished, “Brothers, sisters, all of you... we live in some troubling times. Even those of us too young to know the muses have noticed a change. The very Earth has split beneath our feet, a rejection if ever there was one, for our conduct and our hubris in the recent past,” her gaze turned to look over the Rift with a sigh, “We have alienated friends, allies of ours for many generations. We must work to repair not only the physical rift that sits beneath our paws, but the emotional one between Bahari’Moto and ourselves. We can only do so by returning to our roots, when it was peaceful, when it calm, and when we had friends beyond the border of those trees.”

She waited for a few moments before continuing, “Steps have been taken to initiate talks between our prides, and they have moved in a positive direction. The Bahari wish, before we may continue, for us to return to being the pride we once were - no Brew, no stepping on each others' toes. Despite the Brew no longer having a place within our culture, the Muses will resurface once again, for the Mother has been woken. The Muses will return,” she paused and looked upon some of the newer face, “I know some of you are new here, and that you did not sign up for this. Any lion that wishes to move on will obviously be allowed time to say their goodbyes and move on. They will always have a home here though, and will be welcomed back within our midst if they change their mind. We hold no one here against their will; people may come and go as they please. We are a safe haven, a refuge for anyone that needs it... outcasts, loners and and anything in between. That's what we were once upon a time, and that's what we'll be hence forth.”  

[MangoMeow]

Maikoa was torn. There was really no other way to put it.

This was her home, where she always knew she could return to, and she would always see it as such, but she had to admit, privately of course, that she wasn't sure how she felt about the changes. The loss of brew was good, in her opinion. Having grown up with a mother that liked to use it... she was happy to see it gone. But muses were still a strange concept to her, despite having a brother that relied on them so heavily, and honestly, she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with the idea of them. However, she also couldn't see herself leaving the pride, especially with all of her family here.

Of late, she had taken to just taking longer ventures outside of the pride. As a Story Seeker, no one batted an eye at it so long as she came home from time to time, but because of her cubs, she has had to stay grounded. She was looking forward to the day they were old enough to be left alone. In the meantime, she would just try to ignore the changes. Life, as a whole, wasn't that different.

So why was she here at this meeting?

Not surprisingly, Digitalis had refused to come, but what was surprising was that he wanted to hear what had been discussed, and, knowing that she was really his only source to the outside, Maikoa had agreed to come to the meeting. Most of her cubs were with a sitter, sound asleep and not willing to venture out of their den, but there were a couple that had chosen to follow her.

Such was the case for Nymphaea. It wasn't often that her mother allowed she and her siblings to see what was happening around the pride, and far be it that she didn't snap up the chance to see it. The little cub gazed around the congregation of lions with wide blue eyes from her position between her mother's legs. She wondered idly if she could try talking to them, but shyness reared it's head every time someone came near.

Ducking back behind her mom's foot, she curled her tail around her leg in comfort.  

[Rennekae]

Dhoruba and Nema had, of course, attended the meeting together. They stood, gently leaning against each other, and listened to the words of Hadithi and Chi'pya with joy. Nema had joined the pride and Dhoruba had been born within the last few years before The Lifting, and both dearly missed the old ways - and their muses. They could barely contain their happiness to hear the pride was returning to its roots; in fact, Nema was actually bouncing on her front toes with excitement. The two exchanged an ecstatic smile.

"This is wonderful news!", Dhoru whispered to his lifemate. "Though, I do have to wonder which pridemates we may now lose."

Nema nudged her shoulder against Dhoru's gently and whispered back "I'm sure you will lose no more family, My Heart. All of those we love most share our love for the old ways. And besides... Now, when we have our cubs, they can be raised as you were."

Dhoru's smile warmed and crinkled his misting green eyes as he gazed lovingly at his beautiful white lady. The two briefly rested their foreheads together before turning back to the pride leaders.

The burgundy Watcher stood at the front of the crowd and facing it, close to her leaders and ever ready for anything. One ear remained cocked back to better hear their words as her turquoise orbs surveyed the crowd.

Hana nodded approvingly at Hadithi's outlaw of the brew; the dark lioness had never been a fan of the concoction's existence. Her great-uncle, Dhoruba, had often told her stories of his childhood and the pride's old ways; as a cub, she had lamented not being able to experience it. Not enough, however, to try delving into the hallucinogenic liquid, especially when her great-uncle - who so loved his muse - also rejected it.

While slightly more wary at the news concerning the Bahari, Hana still found herself nodding with satisfied regard for the efforts to mend the bond between the two prides. They had always been allies and their new relationship was straining to say the least; having to protect your family from old friends and familiar faces was something Hana never wanted to have to do.

The announcement about the muses was enough to make the maroon protector turn her head. She had yet to feel anything herself, but she had heard some of her pridemates - mostly those who had been part of the pride pre-Lifting - whispering of the sensation of the muses returning. Her great-uncle included. Turning back to surveil the crowd, she considered in her own mind what it meant for her. Part of her was excited - after all, she had wanted this since she was a cub, even if she had put it aside and dismissed it as impossible - but part of her was wary. Hana had heard stories of lions completely enveloped and taken over by their muses. She didn't know what it would be like for her and that was a frightening thought.

Best to just keep listening and see what else they say. Though, it seems I may be asking Uncle Dhoru for more of his stories again soon, she thought with an amused smile.

Marzel stood at the edge of the gathered pride, close enough to hear but definitely apart from the main group. His sister, Zuni, crouched beside - and almost under - him, the reason for their separation. Their mingling grayscale coats and geometric designs must have painted quite the abstract picture from afar. It had taken much convincing to get Zuni to come from her den to the meeting. The two had originally planned to meet up with Dhoruba and his mate, Nema, but upon seeing that they were surrounded by other, less familiar pridemates, the siblings had decided to stay on the outskirts of the gathering.

Mar was fairly new to the pride and had no experience with the old ways, so much of the meeting was lost on him. The brew was a part of the pride before he was and he never saw the harm in it. The Bahari and Kizi hadn't been allies since he'd joined, and he was more accustomed to strife between different groups of lions so that hadn't seemed odd. But the muses... Now, the muses meant something to him.

He had started hearing a voice not long ago, and without Dhoruba as a friend would have been very concerned for his own well-being. Mar had told his sister first, of course, who had also admitted to hearing voices. Zuni had tried to explain what Dhoru had told her but, not fully understanding herself, had bungled the words. She brought Mar to see the orange lion with the wild mane and his much sleeker white mate, who had explained things to him as best they could. To hear things straight from his leaders was a comfort and a point of great intrigue.

"Did you hear that, Sister? The voices are just our muses finding us." Mar whispered excitedly, looking down into his sister's wide, golden eyes.

Zuni nodded, a tight, quick motion that revealed her discomfort. "I trusted Dhoru when he told us that," she responded, trying to be conversational but clearly only feeling anxious.

Mar smiled and, ever the guardian, stepped closer to and over his sister so that her head and shoulders were under his chest while the rest of her body was out to the side of his. The paranoia-stricken lioness noticeably relaxed - slightly, but noticeably. His smile softening, Mar returned his attention to his leaders.  

[LadyPipen]

Hadithi watched Chi’pya step forward with no small amount of pride swelling in his chest- she was a good girl, nervous as any young lioness with the responsibility of ruling thrust upon her, but kind and wise beyond her age as well. She spoke better than any lion had any right to hope- gave a better speech than he, with all his years of experience, had bothered to give. She would do just fine, of that, Hadithi had no doubt.

Casting his gaze to the gathered lions, however… There was his family, of course, but not near so many as he had hoped to appear, and perhaps that in and of itself spoke volumes of the need for change, of the need to return to the Kizingo’Zaa’s roots, if the pride had lost its way as so far as to forgo attending a pride’s meeting.

As Chi’pya settled into silence and the whispers began, Hadithi settled onto his haunches, tail curling over his paws as he rumbled to life once more, smiling warmly and just a bit sadly at those of the pride who had gathered, eyes glancing over each face as the murmers quieted and he spoke again, “In respect of the current turmoil, both within the pride and with the Bahari’Moto, Puzzle has decided to step down from his position as Story Keeper. The Kizingo’Zaa are following their path back to their roots- and for this purpose, I have accepted the honor of stepping back into the role of Story Keeper once more, until the time in which I may find and train one of the younger generation to rise to the position,”

Adaeze’s young ones had grown into fine young lions already- and Muhali’s own children were fast growing. There were options to test, and options yet still, the old lion mused, eye catching cubs in the crowd as well as adults. It would be a long process, and not one he had exactly asked for in retirement, but the Kizingo’Zaa was his home- he did not begrudge the service. “I did not expect to find myself as Story Keeper again, old as I am, but even for a small time, I am happy to serve you all once more. To this end, I, and our beloved Song Keeper Chi’pya, would like to hear from you- the pride. As the way things once were, things will be again. How may we serve you, Kizingo’Zaa?”