Lanius

Lanius, The Dynasty of The Purple Moon

Ambitious, dominant and often cruel Lanius is the founder of the Luna Luceat Pack. As the Alpha and most dominant wolf there is not much that goes on without his approval. He maintains a strict hierarchy within the pack as well as strict rules. Under his rule the pack went from 7 starting members to nearly 30 wolves. Many pups were born during that time, but a few - the strongest ones - survived. Lanius is an average height and weight wolf with a lilac coat covered in black and white markings. His eyes are icy blue and strangely intelligent for a wolf.

He is very strict which wolves enter the pack. Only healthy wolves - both body and mind - are allowed as he has no desire for weak and sick offsprings. As cruel as it sounds he kills any pups that don't match this criteria. What use of the pack is a crippled wolf? Or a delusional one? Mental issues in the litters is hard to spot as it might develop later on. The pups that meet the criteria of healthy wolves in terms of body are put on examination up until they are almost adults. This is done to ensure they don't have any abnormalities in their development. Once they pass this they can assume a role fit for their skills and abilities and become a rightful member of the pack. It's only due to this policy that the pack has survived epidemics and illnessess.

Pack rules:

1. The Alphas are in charge at all times, UNLESS they are currently preocupied with other matters. In that case the Beta pair takes over.
2. Alphas decision are not up for discussion. Alphas always mean the best for the pack, so pack members have to have trust in their leaders.
3. A pack role is chosen depending on the skills of the wolf. Pack roles are not forever though. A wolf can climb up or down the ranks depending on their dominance, behavior and skills or if the Alpha pair decides to assign him/her a new role.
4. Pups under 6 months are under the protection of Pupsitters and are not allowed to wander far from the den. They also don't have a specific role - a role is assigned once the wolf reaches adulthood.
5. Hunters are after Betas in ranking due to their important role for the pack's survivability.
6. Healers are right after the hunters in importance. Those roles are to be shown respect.
7. Pairbonds are allowed and encouraged. A pairbond can be formed only between a male and a female wolf. This is not up for discussion.
8. Males in a pairbond are not allowed to breed with other females other than their mate, unless they are a breeding male.
9. The Alpha position is not inherited. Any wolf can become an Alpha either by challenging the current Alpha and winning or be chosen as an heir by the Alpha pair.
10. All wolves are obligated to use pronouns corresponding to their biological gender/sex: male - he/him, female - she/her.
11. All rotting food is to be burried. After a few cases of hungry pack members eating a rotting carcass and getting ill, the Alpha pair and High council has decided that rotting meat should be burried outside the territory borders.
12. Inbreeding is discouraged, but not forbidden. It is done in special cases in order to cultivate certain traits.

Pack status and alliances

Allies: None
Enemies: None
Other packs: Neutral, if not a bit distrustful
Humans: Neutral and a bit cautious. If humans don't bother them the pack will return the gesture.
Rogues and lone wolves: Unfriendly
Other predators: Hated. Other predators pose a threat to the pups and must be either killed or driven away.
Joining: Open, but limited. A lone wolf can join the pack only after they've proven their worth, skills and are willing to work with the other pack members.
Beliefs, religion and deities: The pack worships all the Lunar Gods. They believe in spiritualism and magic and often perform rituals at full moon.

Roles and ranks

Alpha Male - Alphas are the leaders of the pack. They make the important decisions and their word is the law. They are the highest ranking wolves within the pack. Alpha males and alpha females have equal rights when it comes to ruling over the pack. A lone Alpha is a possibility, but it is recommended that the Alphas have a mate. Having a mate shows that the Alpha is reliable and responsible wolf that is willing to take the burden of ruling. The Alpha position is not inheritted. Any wolf can become an Alpha under the following conditions:
- Won a challenge for the Alpha position
- Is named heir by the Alpha pair
- Be taken as a mate from a current Alpha
Alpha Female - The life-long companion of the Alpha male. While bonds between other wolves can be abolished the Alpha's bond cannot. Once in a pair bond the Alpha pair is obligated to stay together for the rest of their lives.
Beta Male - The Beta is the second-in-command advisor of the Alphas. Like the Alphas the Beta position is not inherited. It is a limited rank only one male and one female at a time can take this position. Betas rule over the pack if the Alpha pair is indisposed. In normal situations the Betas act as advisors and asset managers. They handle the pack's invetory and currency.
Beta Female - A compainion to the Beta male. Both genders have equal rights.
Hunter - The hunter role is one of the most important role in the pack. To be a hunter a wolf must have certain physical traits such as speed, strength, agility as well as wisdom and intelligence. A hunting party consists of 5 wolves. The Hunter role has 3 subroles:
- Stalker or Tracker - A wolf that tracks prey and leads the rest of the hunting party to it. Requirements for this role are: good sense of smell, intelligence, recognition of different kinds of prey. A stalker must always be focused and precise as they assess the situation and make a choice to lead the hunting party. They must also be aware of other predators in the area. Only one tracker per hunting party.
- Chaser - As their title says Chasers have the job to chase down the prey. Chasers can be up to 3 wolves. Requirements for this role are: speed, agility and stamina. Chasers are tought several different techniques for prey diversion and steering they use in different situations. Their main objective is to seperate a targeted prey from it's herd and steer it towards the Finisher at the while tiring it out.
- Finisher - The Finishers deals the final blow and secures the kill for the hunting party. The most effective way is a choke hold on the neck of the animal, so it cuts the air supply. The Finisher subrole is the most dangerous subrole of all the hunters. When hunting bigger prey Finishers are at risk of being injured by the trashing animal. Many inexpirienced Finishers have found their death taking on big and strong prey such as Elks and Moose. When the finisher is a young or inexpirienced in the role it is recommended that they go after smaller prey such as hares, birds and boars until they are experienced enough. Even then there is no guarantee that they won't be injured during the hunt.
Herbalist -This roles required vast knowledge of herbs and medicine making. The required stats for this is smarts and wisdom. Herbalist are trained from a young age learning about herbs, medicines, illnesses & first aid. The role is limited to one herbalist and one apprentice at a time. The apprentice will take on the herbalist role once his/her mentor passes away. The herbalist role is one of the most respected ones within the pack.
Pupsitter - Pupsitters take care of the young pups and act as their guardian in the case of their parents being hunters or other taxing role. The pupsitters watch over all of the pack's pups and supervise them at all times. Pupsitters rarely leave the den as they need to be close to the pups. The pupsitter role doesn't have a number limit so there can be more than one pupsitter at a time. It also depends on the number of pups. There are no special reqiurements for this role.
Delta - Deltas are the majority of the pack. These are the middle class wolves who are not tasked with anything specific. They can help the other roles and if they show willingness and skill they can assume another role. There are no requirements for this role and no number limit. Wolves who retired from their previous roles automatically become Deltas, unless they wish to become a mentor.
Omega - The Omega role is the lowest ranking role in the whole pack. Omegas are wolves who have violated the rules and are put on a trial or newcommer wolves who have yet to prove their loyalty to the pack. In the first case a wolf has violated a rule or disobeyed a direct order from his/her superiors however it is not a serious violation. The said wolf is stripped of their previous rank/role and assigned the Omega role until he/she proves they've repent. If the wolf does not repent he/she is faced with exile or punishment from the Executioner. The later case is when a wolf has entered the pack he/she is automatically assigned the Omega role until they prove their skill, loyalty and willingness to be a full member. Omegas are the last ones to eat and do not have many of the priviliges other roles have. This role is meant to be temporary so no wolf remains in this role for long.
Mentors - The Mentors are elderly wolves who have been retired from their previous role tasked with teaching the young pups lessond in survival, hunting, battling, foraging, etc. Mentors teach essential lessons to the pups and help them develop important skills. The requirements for this role are: 5 or older years old wolf, previous experience in other roles (hunter, scout, pupsitter), patience and willingness to work with young pups.
Executioner - The Executioner serves justice to the wolves who have wronged the pack. It is an exclusive role - only one Executioner at a time. They are the wolves who are tasked with the role of punishing wolves who have broken the rules or were sentanced to death. They are usually brutal and ruthless wolves that do not hesitate. Equally feared and respected no wolf would ever want to be faced with an Executioner. The requirements for this role are: strength, stamina, ruthlessness, savagery and loyalty to the pack. The Executioner answers to the Alphas and The High Council.
Scouts - Scouts are tasked with the job of patrolling the territory's borders and reporting any disturbances to the Alphas. They explore the outer borders of the territory and report the following things: other packs' activity, prey migration, other predators, human activity, unexplored parts, sightings of rogue wolves, herbs and other useful recourses. The requirements for this role are: speed, agility, stamina, strength, wisdom, smarts. This role spends most of the time away from the pack and they don't have very close ties to it because of that. It requires a wolf to be mentally stable and to have a strong wolf as many of them live the live of isolation for the most part. There can be up to 2 scouts.
***Breeding male - A Breeding male is a special role in the pack. Breeding males are usually male wolves with specific genetic traits. Their job is to provide healthy litters and pass those genetic traits onto the next generation. With explicit permission he can breed with any female wolf within the pack. They are the only males that can breed with females outside of a pair bond. A perfect candidate for a breeding male would be an outside wolf that is not related to the pack's bloodline, has higher stats and has rare coat or marking. A breeding male can also have a normal pack role as well.

Collective organs and roles

High council - The High council is a collective role that consists of high ranking wolves such as Betas, Herbalists, Hunters & others. The High council's task is to help the Alpha pair with important decisions and act as judical organ when it comes to crimes against the pack and rule violations. They dish out the punishments and in severe cases sentance wolves to death.

Traditions, rituals, lifestyle

Pair Bonding - The Pair Bonding ritual is informal event that is meant to proclaim two wolves as mates. If two wolves wish to form a Pair Bond they need to put out a request to the Alpha pair and High Council. After the approval there is a small informal ritual the two wolves perform and solidify their bond in front of the higher ranks. The ritual consists of the male and female wolf exchanging flower crowns and performing a special bonding dance. Once complete the wolves are considered mates by the law of the pack. After that the newly bonded mates need to announce their status to the other pack members. The mates can consummate their bond whenever they please. The pair bond is a legally binding contract between two wolves and as such should be respected by all of the wolves. A pair bond can be terminated upon the two wolves wish and consent to it, however they won't be able to pair bond with another wolf for some time. A pair bond should be taken seriously and as such the decision should not be made under any kind of influence or momentary whim. To form a pair bond means that the wolves consent to it, are aware of the responsibilities and agree to live as a bonded pair.
Death and burial - Wolves who die of natural causes such as old age or dealy disease are burried in a special place reserved only for this purpose. In death all wolves are equal and get the same treatment. The Herbalist prepares the bodies - cleans them and applies special ointment - and are transported to the graveyard. There a ceremony is held and any wolf who wishes to make a speach or gift something does so. Many wolves bring trinkets or mementos of their memories of the deceased in order to help their journey to the spiritual world. In case of an Alpha dying all of the pack is required to be there.
The Challenge of The Moon - An Alpha can be challenged by any member of the pack except an Omega. In this case a Challenge of The Moon is invoked. The challenged Alpha wolf and the challenger face off in the highest point of the pack's territory under the Full Moon. The High Council is there to watch the process. Once invoked it cannot be canceled and both the Alpha and challeger are obligate to battle. The winner determines the fate of the loser. If the winner is the challenger he is to become Alpha the very next day. He can also exile, kill or assign a new role to the defeated Alpha. Same goes if the winner is the current Alpha.
Anniversaries - Anniversaries are held for different kind of past events: the founding of the pack, the death of a pack member, paird bond etc.