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indentwaves crash, wind tears, and the ocean rages down below the natural rock face that drops from the highest point at the edge of storm's end's territory and descends drastically to, as legend has it, the edge of the world. foam bubbles on the top of the dark waves, and the salt is palpable in the air this close to the ocean. seabirds squawk and, in the far distance, strange fish pop out of the water, only to immediately dive back down out of sight. such is the sight of storm's end, where the ancient tribe first formed seasons and seasons earlier.
indentregarded, long ago, as one of the strongest and most powerful tribes in existence, ruled by a powerful kings and queens, their influence spreading further than the largest seabird could possibly fly, there was never a reason to question the tribe for their seat. prideful and quick to anger, the cats of storm's end were better to be kept at a distance, out of reach in the case they were set off by some offense known only to themselves. the cats were close-knit, holding their loyalties close to the chest and seeing no real reason to seek outsiders for help. why would they, when the cats never had reason to fear. they stood at the edges of the cliffs, stared down into the ocean, and felt no fear. they felt only the rush of their own power thrumming through the ground into their paws as the ocean's spray clung to their pelt. lighting crackled, storms rumbled, but storm's end felt no fear. what was there left for them to cower away from when the elements were their friends, when they were stronger, faster, than anyone else?
indentat the height of power, however, storm's end found itself divided from within when a pair of brothers fought for their father's seat of power as king of storm's end. the waves reached further up the cliff's side than ever before, and the lighting strikes dug craters into soil as the pair fought for leadership of the tribe. the older brother fought for his bloodright, the right promised to him from the moment he was born and nestled beside his brother, who fought for his own ideals, with the knowledge that he would be a better ruler, a stronger ruler, a smarter ruler, but who lacked the birthright of his brother. each brother had their followers, their supporters. in the end, younger pushed away older, and the brother with the birthright was forced to flee storm's end, taking half of the tribe with him, but leaving the promise that he would never forget the injustice that took place there, and that storm's end would pay the debt.
indentfor a time, those who remained with the younger brother lived in fear of retaliation, that the ones cast out would return to storm's end with a fury unlike any other, that they would be wiped out and replaced. however, days passed, moons passed, seasons passed, and the older brother never appeared to follow through on his promise. word spread that the older brother died not long after his departure, his followers swept away in a storm, never to return, never to come back. at last, the younger brother - now an aged king - stopped looking over his shoulder and allowed his guard to drop. before winter could turn to spring, the king was blown from the cliff, down into the raging ocean, and he, too, was lost. those who witnessed the death of their king swore that it was the ghost of the older brother, come in the wind to take his brother away just as he had been cast out. others scoffed at the idea of spirits and forces beyond their control and said it was the will of the gods, and others scoffed at that idea and pointed to the storm as the culprit without any deeper meaning behind it. the winds were strong, and so the king fell. however, in the end, after more kings and queens rose and fell and history marched on, what remained were the ideas of spirits and magic, of superstition and divide in the tribe. the power of storm's end waned...
indent... and then the tribe fell. at last, the mighty storm's end fell after so many seasons of moving with the tides. storms battered the cats who suffered poor hunting and attacks from groups of rogues and other tribes. those who survived had no choice but to move on by orders of the last queen of storm's end, who knew that there was no hope in sight for her tribe. by the will of their ancestors, the cats were told to flee or perish. their ancestors said that there would be no mercy for them in the tribe, and that they would need to find homes elsewhere if they wished to survive. and so the cats did, scattering to find a place that would take them. even still, after the cats had gone, the waves continued to batter the rocks, and the wind blew on. storm's end waited for its chance to rise again.
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indentstorm's end is a tribe of cats hardened by their environment, their past, and their peers. quick to anger and harboring big egos, this tribe is not one known for getting along well with outsiders, and are not famous for hospitality. a cat who wishes to join storm's end has to undergo a trial of sorts, not only to get to storm's end and navigate the harsh environment of the cliffs and ocean that always threatens a cat who strays too far to the edge of the territory, but to earn the respect of their prospective tribemates and earn the favor of the king or queen. strength is incredibly important for these cats: even the smallest of hunters needs to be able to prove their worth, or be cast aside. however, perhaps surprisingly, storm's end is not a tribe who would send a cat away for any ailment that might make it difficult to perform in the same way as others. instead, the tribe tasks itself to find a way to boost the cat into a rank and position where they can perform to the best of their abilities, and be trained to handle themselves as well as any other cat, if not better. it's a matter of any cat pushing themselves to prove that they are investing the time and energy, and they will be rewarded in kind.
indentmost hardships in storm's end come from the environment, not withstanding the storms for which they are named after. storm end's camp is located in a crack in a cliff, made large enough for the cats to make their home. a system of tunnels protect the tribe from the fierce wind and rain that storm's end is known for having. as expected, storms come often and with a vengeance, and a cat who cannot find shelter in time, or is untrained to survive in the weather will have a hard time dealing with the elements. additionally, the ocean serves as a threat for any cat who strays too close to the edge of a cliff and might lose their balance, be swept into the waves by the wind, or otherwise fall. other dangers include outside groups that have settled nearby storm's end territory, and try to steal prey, or otherwise threaten the tribe.
indentstorm's end's cats are also superstitious. they believe deeply in forces beyond their control, though do not necessarily have a set religion or set of beliefs. majority believe in the traditional faith of the seven, though others may have their own spirits. however, the ancient stories of storm's end have been passed down through the generations, surviving even the scattering of the tribe, with legends of magic, of heroes, of brothers and stray gusts of wind. whatever they do believe, commonality forms in that their lives might easily be lost if they are not careful, do not train hard even after reaching their full rank or do not keep their wits about them.
rank names:
healer/teller - king/queen, the head of the tribe, they rule the tribe. the rank name is dependent on the ruler at the time, as the role is not exclusive to one gender
healer to-be - heir, the first-born of the king/queen, the heir is trained from the day they are born to how to rule the tribe
hunters - cyclones, the fastest and cleverest members of the tribe who are responsible for their ability to catch prey and feed the tribe
guards - squalls are the larger and more-muscled members of the tribe who are more equipped for fighting. trusted squalls who have seniority may also be given the unofficial rank of kingsguard/queensguard
to-bes - strikes, named after the strikes of lightning, these members are those in training to become cyclones or squalls
mothers - skies are those who are pregnant or caring for clouds
kits - clouds, the youngest members of the tribe who are not yet ready to begin their training
elders - thunderstorms, the oldest members of the tribe who are regarded for their rumbling wisdom
notes: this is my second tribe!! i'm keeping the tribe of northern winds, but they are undergoing a few changes, so i'm posting this while working on that. i'd prefer lineart over ftu pics, but written descriptions are also fine, to whoever my mod is: please don't stress over it, it's literally fine skjhskjhs any mod is totally fine with me as well, i love you all so much. just a note that i might be pming/dming whoever my mod is for story-related reasons so hope you don't mind i'm just very excited
