Struggling to survive in the midst of a bitter-cold and deadly leaf-bare, the Clans are hopeful for the reprieve the turning season will bring... but a place beyond the stars has other plans for them.
![Rise, Awakened Shadows [Sitewide Announcement] B4bce7b6814b730a726dc8906b9cb49b](https://i.ibb.co/YRgqxKZ/b4bce7b6814b730a726dc8906b9cb49b.jpg)
Klaus, formerly known as Dawnhawk, has won himself the favor of the cats of the Dark Forest and brought them to being, at the cost of his own life. With his body left at the Night Fangs, the reanimated Klaus leads his army of the dead to Fourtrees; with no protection from their starry ancestors, the Clans are felled easily, taken under swift and merciless control by their dark opressors. I hope you've all had fun speculating, because the sitewide is finally upon us! Here's a quick recap of recent events:
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Darkglow confides further in Klaus about her ability to walk among the stars•
Shortly after having kits, Darkglow receives a message from Sageleaf, learning that the moon will disappear and StarClan will fall at the Gathering. She leaves to seek Klaus' comfort.•
Darkglow finds Klaus at Highstones, where she tells him what she's just learned from Sageleaf. Satisfied with the information and knowing he can't let her tell anyone else, Klaus kills her.•
Klaus arrives at the Night Fangs, where he meets with Slatethroat to share what Darkglow has told him. Klaus is killed by him, but he reawakens as Morningstar, as a Dark Forest cat– and brings the rest of the dead back to life with him.•
Klaus, now Morningstar, leaves for the barn to summon Tarot and his family with intent to lead them and his new army to the Gathering to force the Clans to submit.And that's where we are now! The Clans are now officially under Dark Forest occupation. Check out our NPC sign-ups
here for a little more information (and to get in on the fun of tormenting your Clanmates)! Annddd take another little list so you guys have an idea of how things are going to run in-character:
• The Dark Forest has fully invaded your territory, your home. NPC warriors will be stationed around the Clans, staying in their camps, helping to train those that choose to follow and disposing of those that don't.
• Along with the Dark Forest warriors, Klaus has dredged up an especially gruesome foe– the Awakened, cats of the Dark Forest whose memory has been lost to time, left to decay into their most base and bestial selves.
• If leadership resists, they will be temporarily replaced with a Dark Forest NPC.
We will do our best to match leadership that gets replaced with their roleplayers so they can maintain the positions they've earned.• Your characters are welcome to attempt to fight back,
however at this point in time your oppressors are an unbeatable foe. Resistance will be met with claws, teeth, and no mercy! >;)
• If your cat dies during the sitewide,
they will not be able to reach StarClan at this time. Your soul will be trapped within the forest, left to wander aimlessly the place that they died, both unable to join their ancestors in StarClan or to make contact with the living.
• Dark Forest NPCs / PCs will have
100 HP/180 SP, and they'll deal
Tier 5 (+2) damage.
• Speaking of fighting... Here's some new moves we'll be using during the sitewide! For our Dark Forest NPCs and those trained by them:
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Keen Eye [Passive]
Your trained senses prevent an opponent from dodging a move.
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Dishonorable Charge [Special, Stun]
Feint one direction before ramming into your opponent's ribs, disorienting them and knocking the wind out of them. Stuns for two turns.
Stun cannot be overcome using Random Recall. Apprentice/Tier 1 Damage: 8
Tier 2/3/4 Damage: 9
Tier 5 Damage: 10
20 SP Cost
And for those Awakened cats you're gonna love:
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Spine-chilling Sap [Passive]
A cold chill runs down your spine, sapping you of every ounce of both energy and happiness. Reduces an opponent's SP to 0 if attacked.
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Eldritch Cry [Standard]
Deals -15 HP to all nearby creatures not engaged in combat.
• Medicine Cat Meetings and Moonstone Journeys both will be held secretly in camp– the medicine cats and/or apprentices (where applicable) will try to find StarClan in their dreams, but only be able to find darkness. Requirement will be fulfilled when the cat posts confirming they only see darkness, or having a (non-StarClan!) dream of their choosing.
• In a similar manner, traditional Gatherings will not be held during the sitewide. We will set up a topic every month so people can still get that requirement filled.
• Be careful if you choose to follow the Dark Forest– you'll be at your leader's mercy later ;)
• Large scale plots have been temporarily put on hold for the duration of the sitewide! Small, personal plots are still permitted (and encouraged!), but as Staff already has the events and timeline of the sitewide planned out, anything beyond that will
not be approved during this time. If you're unsure where your idea falls, ask Staff!
• As a bonus take Ripped's crazy headcanon for how Starclan works, which helps to act as a guide for how this all happened and played out in character:
- Spoiler:
Before there was Starclan, in the world of warriors, there was nothing. The world formed through a series of events that slowly crafted what we know today.
As cats began to pass away, the ranks of Starclan were formed in a blissful afterlife. After a hard fought, physical life, they gained the ability to watch from another plane of existence and enjoy their unending happiness before eventually fading into the universe. From this position, Starclan cats become more in tune with the matters of being than their former physical selves. This sense of enlightenment comes in the form of vague visions of future events or abilities to impact minor things like influencing the weather. These beings are far from all powerful, and their ‘enlightenment’ does little in the way of changing their sense of self. Some wisdom comes from a long life in the stars but it is far from holding all the power and answers.
Above Starclan is the natural way of things. How the seasons change, the course of the river, natural states of the weather, etc. It is a force that created all things, is all things, and controls all things. This thoughtless force simply is - and is what keeps life moving forward, growing, and changing. A part of this force dictates the abilities of the afterlife. Starclan draws their power from the stars, sun, and moon - sources of light. The dark forest draws their power from darkness. Since the warrior ancestors keep a watchful eye over the night and day, and light naturally prevents darkness, the dark forest is generally a weak and miserable bunch condemned to their rotting afterlife.
It is the intentions and character of a cat that determines where they reside. Cats dictate where they go by their lives, thoughts, and actions. There is no general blueprint but generally decent cats end up in Starclan and those who lived despicable lives or had horrible intent will go to the Dark Forest. In general, cats do not leave the afterlife they are in until they fade away from the memory of the living and slowly being one with the supernatural forces. In the case of the dark forest, they become carnal and horrifying beings with few cat-like characteristics - wild monsters who have lost themselves over time.
Changing seasons and nature will influence the power of these passed cats as well. With shorter days in leaf-bare, Dark Forest might feel just a tad stronger, but never enough to be influential. Until the lunar eclipse. A rare phenomenon that has not been seen in the lives of most Starclan cats, blots out the moon and stars.
It is with this upcoming shift in the natural order of things, that the universe creates a being to connect the realms. There is no thought, no reason, it simply is a companion to the circumstances. And so, Darkglow was born with the ability to walk the afterlives.
If you have any questions, please comment below or reach out to Staff directly! We want everyone to understand and get a chance to be involved. We've been really looking forward to this, and we hope you're all excited too!
Enjoy your occupation :D!
[s/o to Downfive for throwing this announcement together]
