the amu-het - - - - - - valley of kings

[zoocyte]

thread for valley of kings writing prompts and world-building
valley of kings arpg - - - pride storage - - - feather claims - - - prompt list

[zoocyte]

index

level 1

• founder prompt -- 100 words about the territory -- [255/100]
  
  level 2
  
• halloween 2019 xp ticket -- 50 xp
• halloween 2019 xp ticket -- 50 xp
• prompt A1 -- map of pride’s territory -- 100 xp
• halloween prompt 2019 E29 -- environment of territory this time of year -- [242/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt A9 -- pride's biggest threat --[250/200] -- 150 xp
• prompt B2 -- founder traits -- 50 xp
  = 500/500 xp
  
  level 3
• prompt A5 -- pride name origin -- [232/50] -- 50 xp
• prompt A14 -- pride expectations of cubs -- [187/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt A30 -- pride romantic relationships -- [593/100] -- 100 xp
• prompt P2 -- pride member (ithca) traits -- 50 xp
• prompt B1 -- founder personality -- [539/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt P1 -- pride member (ithca) personality -- [213/150] -- 100 xp
  = 500/500 xp
  
  level 4
• prompt B8 -- founder sketch page -- 150 xp
• prompt A31 -- magic -- [305/300] -- 200 xp
• prompt C11 -- new pride members -- [353/200] -- 150 xp
  = 500/500 xp
  
  level 5
• prompt B16 -- founder view on pride members -- [186/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt B30 -- founder regulation weakness -- [169/100] -- 75 xp
• prompt C9 -- lowest ranking member's duties -- [277/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt C12 -- brute force of the pride -- [221/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt P28 -- pride member (ilset) feelings about love -- [334/200] -- 150 xp
  = 525/500 xp
  overflow = 525 - 500 = 25 xp
  
  level 6
• overflow from level 5 -- 25 xp
• prompt D2 -- story (lhan, markelle) -- [493/400] -- 300 xp
• prompt P2 -- pride member (idrie) traits -- 50 xp
• prompt P2 -- pride member (sahved) traits -- 50 xp
• prompt P2 -- pride member (ilset) traits -- 50 xp
• prompt P2 -- pride member (zekele) traits -- 50 xp
  = 525/500 xp
  overflow = 525 - 500 = 25 xp
  
  level 7
• overflow from level 6 -- 25 xp
• prompt P33 -- pride member (idrie) promises -- [222/100] -- 75 xp
• prompt P9 -- pride member (zekele) motivator -- [207/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt C14 -- weakest/most skittish pride member -- [194/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt D8 -- relationship between lions (lhan & ithca) -- [284/150] -- 100 xp
• prompt D5 -- draw art (lhan) -- pixel + fullbody -- 65 xp
• prompt D5 -- draw art (sahved) -- pixel + headshot -- 40 xp
  = 505/500 xp
  overflow = 505 - 500 = 5 xp
  
  [changed to feather system]
  
  claim [01]
• B 02 --- general art prompt --- zekele = 4 white feathers
• B 02 --- general art prompt --- gift art for Kitten-Girl-500 of fallow = 9 white feathers
  
  claim [02]
• I 04 --- role in pride --- maezi --- [237/150] = 1 white feather
• I 43 --- alone or company --- maezi --- [241/150] = 1 white feather

[zoocyte]

founder prompt

the lion with the tongue of a poet, the heart of a dreamer and the mind of a visionary. from a cluster of dark rocks jutting sharply from rich flaxen grass, they stand at the peak of the tallest boulder.

"all who see and feel the world beyond senses, the world sung by rhythm and rhyme, come and hear my voice."
creatures of all manner of hide and hair gathered at the foot of the stones, the Singing Stones as they were called, for upon them the poet would regale tales of melody, about woe and beauty and spirits and dreams, to which any listening ear was welcome to spectate.

here the lion, whose origins the grassland residents could only speculate, would croon in their strangely mellifluous, resonant roars and calls to entice an audience to listen to their stories. stories that they had seemingly fashioned themselves, for nobody in the grasslands had ever heard of anything like them before. vivid, soulful, poignant, capable of inspiring deep emotion and moving even the hardest of hearts. unfailingly, they would appear every dawn to tell a new tale to the curious onlookers, and afterwards urge them to share their own stories among the singing stones.

soon, lions drawn to their inexplicable aura would choose to stay and follow their path of storytelling, sometimes travelling far out to introduce their craft to foreign regions.

here was founded the heart-tongues, a congregation of lions dedicated to a life of creative pursuit and performance, giving meaning to living beyond survival.

[zoocyte]

halloween prompt 2019 E29

the territory of the Heart-tongues is rounding off the last segment of the rainy season. at this point in time, the lions of the Heart-tongues prepare for the coming of the dry season (otmundo - season of cloudless skies), of hotter days and drier winds. the humidity (sugo - heavy air) will begin to peter out, sucked up by Yihunde, the air deity. the rain deity, Shishios, after many months of watering the savanna and filling the rivers, will lay to rest and slumber until the end of otmundo.

the herds would be due to travel past River's Crossing to traverse the Dead Sands in search of richer, greener grass, leaving the Heart-tongues to work harder to seek out meals. prayers are offered to give the pride strength in the hardship to come, and to plea for protection and good health.

the migration is a sight to behold, and a common game among the pride is dakyth-man - roughly translating to 'crossing death game'. lions gather at a vantage point overlooking the River Crossing and choose a particular member of the migrating herd, usually wildebeest or zebra, and bet on its chances of surviving the cross. they often choose herd members that are visually distinct from the rest, as scent is difficult to pick up from a distance, and from such a large throng of animals. bets are tracked using river stones, and the lion that makes the most accurate guesses throughout the game wins.

[zoocyte]

prompt A9

to the north-east of the Singing Stones lies the Hyena Lands. it is home to a clan of spotted hyenas that is roughly 50 members strong, and still growing at a fast rate. they call themselves the Nuhehesklahe, and they make their home by a rocky outcrop called Skullpoint, which lies at the end of Akja's Maw (a gorge that closes off the far eastern border of Amu-het territory).

the Nuhehesklahe have plans to invade Amu-het land to take control of the Greenplains, the most prey-rich area for miles around. already they have launched a handful of small attacks to test the strength of the pride. so far, all attempts at negotiation with the clan matriarchs have failed, particularly hindered by the limited knowledge the Amu-het have of the Hyaenid language.

the Nuhehesklahe stall their driving out of the Amu-het only because the internal politics of the clan is wrought in political strife, with mutinies and civil wars cropping often enough to distract them from effectively uniting as one. the leadership is fluid, for each new matriarch has to actively defend and justify their position as the highest in the pecking order. showing any sign of weakness will destroy whatever measure of control they have over the clan and lead to their displacement.

until the Nuhehesklahe settle their issue of deciding who's in charge, the territory of the Amun-het are safe from a full-blown, organized conquest, however they can never rest easy knowing what brewing danger lies beyond their borders.

[zoocyte]

prompt B2

positive traits

• eloquent
  
• creative
• sincere
  
  negative traits
• detached
• inefficient
• unrealistic

[zoocyte]

prompt A5

The heart is the core of a lion’s being, both in the material and immaterial realms. Kamun is the Pantheran word for the literal, physical heart, which gives life to the body, while Amun on the other hand is the word for the figurative heart, the center of feeling and thought, which gives life to the soul. Het is a Pantheran word that can mean either tongue or voice. Together, Amun-sa-het (sa being a connecting word) means tongue of heart, or heartful tongue. It describes a lion’s voice or, in the context of the Heart-tongues, their manner of telling stories, to be particularly sincere and provoking.

The word Amun-sa-het first came about as a title for onlookers to address the founding Heart-tongue, Lhan, whose actual name for a long while he had initially kept to himself. It was a title the lions gave to him as solely his own, Lhan Amun-sa-het, Lhan with the tongue-of-heart, but long after his reign the title evolved to refer to Heart-tongue grand leaders, often master storytellers and the wisest of the wise.

The group of lions comprising Lhan’s pride were initially simply referred to as Lhan’s followers, or the Amun-sa-het’s followers. As the pride grew larger and more organized, the phrase was used frequently enough that it was naturally shortened to Amu-het. The group now collectively refers to themselves as The Amu-het (in English, The Heart-tongues).

[zoocyte]

prompt A14

the pride sees cubhood as a time for play, growth and bonding. there's no pressure for them to grow up fast or start doing work in the pride (at their age, it's more likely they'd be more a hindrance rather than a help anyway) right away.

one of the vital aspects of cubhood is that it is the period when pride norms, expectations and culture are inculcated in them. cubs are taught the founding principles of morality, laws and etiquette. to easily introduce them to young minds, adults integrate them into the stories they tell them. fables, proverbs, and other nursery tales are created and preserved not only to entertain, but also to serve as important channels for teaching. they teach cubs what is right and what is wrong, what behavior is acceptable and what is not, what consequences there might be for particular actions, what values to uphold, what changes are to be expected of them as they grow, and so on and so forth. when cubs are told stories, they are both having fun and building character at the same time (without them realizing it).

[zoocyte]

prompt A30

the pride is very fluid with romantic relationships. each individual chooses how they define them and can engage in them on their own terms. the Pantheran word for romantic love is triseh, the word for lover is trisehi, and the most general word for a romantic relationship is trisetheta.

common labels for romantic status include the following:

okel-amun (okel means 'nervous' or 'tense', and amun means one's figurative heart, otherwise the soul) is a crush, an initial infatuation or adoration for someone.

kytnokkon-isiwasi (kytnok means doomed and misfortunate, the addition of kon is a reversal of nok done for humorous effect, and isiwasi means 'pursuer' or 'chaser') is an amusing nickname for someone considered unlucky or unsuccessful in love.

isiwa-sinke (isi means 'chase or pursue [a goal]', wa means 'to', isiwa roughly translates to 'to chase/pursue' or 'the act of chasing/pursuing', and sinke means a period of time or state of being.) is the courting period when a lion attempts to pursue and win over a romantic interest.

sulhatris is a romantic relationship between either adolescents or young adults. the pride doesn't take these relationships that seriously because they generally aren't expected to last long, at least not until both parties mature enough to have clearer judgment.

hihatris is a fling or short-term relationship. it tends to be casual and neither parties put pressure for it to last any longer than they want it to.

sesiotris is a romantic relationship wherein the partners are not fully committed yet but considering a commitment. at this point they have both admitted their feelings for each other and are testing the waters.

skiotris is a long-term relationship wherein the partners commit to each other for, hopefully, as long as they stay together. at this point they are familiar and comfortable enough that they are willing to dedicate their entire selves to the other.

kaochetris is a romantic relationship that is gradually deteriorating, or perceived by others to be going downhill. lions don't use this word to the couple's faces unless they want a confrontation.

chetrisi is an ex-mate, or a lion that broke up from a romantic relationship. chetsi is the shorter slang term for it.

festeleo-amutrisun (festeleo means 'blessed' and 'pure' and amutrisun roughly translates to 'love partnership') is a serious romantic relationship that is considered the deepest and strongest passion possible for the lions involved. there is a small ceremony where lovers can declare themselves festeleo-amutrisun, however it traditionally requires the approval of an outside perspective, usually the closest friends and family of the lovers, to ensure that there is a general agreement that the love is true and real, and not just infatuation clouding the judgment of the partakers.

sateh-trisehi (sateh means 'many' or 'multiple', and trisehi means lover) refers to a lion open to having multiple romantic relationships at one time, in other words a polyamorous lion, and howen-satetrisetheh (howen meaning 'unconstrained' and satetrisetheh roughly meaning 'relationship of multiples') is a group of lions in a polyamorous relationship.

although parents that are romantically involved are common, lions do not need to be in romantic relationships to mate or raise cubs. blood is not a huge issue for parents, so if there was a situation wherein one or more of the partners is/are unable to have cubs themselves, they often ask the help of a surrogate parent (usually someone they are close to and trust) to help be the sire or dam of their cubs. sometimes they involve the surrogate in the raising of the cubs, sometimes they do not.

[zoocyte]

prompt P2 - - - ithca

positive traits

• strong-willed
  
• loyal
• alert
  
  negative traits
• impatient
• tense
• terse