RiverClan
RiverClan, at a glance, might be seen as the lyrical romantics of the forest, living a leasurely life of fishing, laughter, gossip, and tea. Deeper within, they pride themselves on deep familial ties, with their dens being separated by relations, not ranks. They take special care on appearance, dressing extravagantly for any event, with over-the-top displays, pointedly dotted with shiny pearls. Despite this soft appearance, they are no pushover and will happily let their sharpened shell gauntlets speak for themselves.
As the name suggests, RiverClan's territory is cut through by various waterways—from the smallest of streams, to thick, roaring rivers surrounded by towering reeds, abundant with aquatic prey and resources, even in the coldest of moons. The land itself is dotted with both dense and sparse forests all over, vast fields and rocky peaks separating them. These open grounds may be composed of clovers, grass, even leftover twoleg fields. The past presence of twolegs themselves is more obvious in the west, with various campsites and abandoned barns or other structures.
Ternstar
Ternstar's Decree
"I am forever grateful for the kindness Riverclan showed me- the home it gave, the sanctuary it is, and I hope for all who come seeking the same to find it within our lands. I promise to follow the river's ripples and the waves of the tide my whole life, and that my loyalty lies within the river's rapids, now and forevermore. May we be a sanctuary amongst the river's rapids- a sanctuary we will protect from harm, no matter what." - Ternstar
StarClan & Faith
A former outsider, Ternstar's beliefs are a little unconventional- he believes the dead watch (particularly from the river, and other bodies of water), but do not interfere beyond vague signs and gestures. While it holds its own beliefs for what lies after death, it does respect Starclan and does not deny its existance- however, it does not believe any spirits in any form can influence the world in a significant way. Not that this is a bad thing- those that have passed deserve to rest, in pixels eyes. Pix is a bit of a passive believer, and believes everyone should be free to believe however they'd like, as long as they do not hurt others in the process.
Warrior Code
While Ternstar appreciates structure, motive has always been more important than outcome, and punishments may vary based on reasoning and remorse. Pix is more inclined to listen to every side before deciding punishment- and pix likes to discuss such with pixels fellow high ranks when pix can. He feels it's unfair for one cat to decide such fates for so many others, all by themself.
Ternstar's biggest point of contention is with the laws on crossclan relationships- it is cagey when asked about its stance, but anyone can see the longing in its eyes when it looks upon its wife and kits in Shadowclan. While he's inclined to be gentle in his punishments... he tends to be more strict when it regards kits, simply because he has made such a mistake before- and he sees what it has done to his own.
Council
?
Deputy
Spectralsight
Healer
Lovervow
Healer
Everlastingstorm
Healer
Skyserpent
Healer
Apprentice
Haddockhark
Healer
Vestigepaw
Healer
Apprentice
RIVERCLAN VALUES
CREATIVITY!
For whoever stepped foot in Riverclan camp it quickly becomes clear that Riverclan just loves arts and crafts. Intricate paintings decorate every rock, flower garlands hang from den to den, even dens themself are often made with personalized flair, especially if made by an ambitious Campminder. Riverclanners love fashion and are very proficient with weaving garments and putting together delicate accessories. Art plays a huge role in courtship traditions: Siren's Cove is often used to practice special courting songs, Lovers' Meadow provide a variety of flowers for bouquets with secret meanings, and Hidden Grotto just waits to be filled with special decorations for that perfect proposal.
COMMUNITY!
Riverclan prides itself in being a very tight-knit Clan, with familiar bonds and general sense of community playing major role in everyday life. With dens divided not by rank, but rather by family groups, there is an unwritten rule present that no Riverclanner shall sleep alone - even a stranger will easily find someone to share a nest, and it's common to see groups of close friends establish a den together. Most of Riverclan's holidays revolve around being together in some way: on Moonless Night there's a big feast, and at Firefly Festival cats share efforts in building their lanterns and flower statues. Riverclan apprentices also aren't relying on just one sole mentor, and they are often taught by multiple cats throughout their training.
CHIVALRY!
A high virtue of a RiverClanner is their generosity, honour, and a strong sense of justice. Riverclan values grand gestures and will never turn back on someone in need, as it's frowned upon if a cat is selfish or possessive. Cats from this Clan are not afraid to call out injustice when they see it; even if it doesn’t concern them personally or might bring them punishment, a RiverClanner will defend what they deem is right. In battle, a warrior will not lower themself to using dirty tricks, even if it’d bring them a quick win, however taking it as a weakness would be a great mistake: Riverclan prides itself in fighting fair, but with strength and till the end; they’re not afraid to get gravely injured or even die to protect what they hold dear. With values like these, it's not surprising that over time the idea of knighthood took over Riverclan, starting with a group of apprentices who carried it into adulthood and spread across the rest of Clans.
Clan culture
SPECIALTY RANKS
WaterWeavers
When one envisions a typical Riverclan warrior, one envisions a Waterweaver. Masters of the water and elegant to a fault, Waterweavers are well-trained in the arts of silence, stillness, and patience, relying on the rivers that name their home to shelter them and act as their guide. They are ambush predators both in combat and when hunting; they wait beneath the water's surface, unmoving, for as long as necessary, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Waterweavers reinforce their claws using gauntlet-like contraptions crafted from shells, which are first made when apprenticeship is reached, and continuously (and carefully) maintained when not in use.
ShoreKeepers
Shorekeeper warriors are less specialized (but no less significant) than their Waterweaver counterparts. Though still trained in the ways of the water, they primarily stick to dry land, meeting enemies and prey animals alike on even ground. Taking a more defensive approach to combat, they're trained to take hits well and hit back harder. Shorekeepers are assigned to a rotational guard of the borders, making them Riverclan's first line of defense in the face of danger. Prior to battle, they will reinforce their claws with wet clay - this gives their attacks more weight, thus causing more damage to their opponents.
Campminder
RiverClan's Campminders are the most versatile role that serve to keep the clan afloat in many ways, both literally and figuratively. Many of them split amongst themselves into teams, often handling multitudes of tasks, depending on what they might be best at. Their day-to-day consists of maintaining and fortifying the camp and its dens, lantern upkeep, Elder care, Healer aid, and so on! Campminders also lead the cooking of brews and stews for clan events, including making the bowls and cups themselves. RiverClan’s Campminders are among the busiest of the bunch, but it certainly helps keep camp bustling with energy!
MONARCH
Although RiverClan doesn’t have a kit den, Monarchs are still a very important group in the clan. These cats will often visit family dens that have kits, checking in on everyone inside the den and bringing food and gifts along with them. It’s also not rare for Monarchs to temporarily den with families upon request until kits are older. Monarchs spend most of their time tending to kits and their families, but when there’s no kits in camp they will aid in taking care of Elders, patients of the Healers, and training Apprentices. They also tend to any cats in the clan who are expecting kits, alongside talking and teaching about how to care for kits. While they don’t have many tasks outside of this, Monarchs are usually the ones caring for everyone in the clan and making sure everyone is happy and cared for.
HOLIDAYS
THE MOONLESS NIGHT
❄️🌷☀️🍂 MULTI-SEASONED
This is the catch-all Holy Day for RiverClan. This is when new ranks are given, exclusively, unless it is a time-sensitive ceremony (such as a dying apprentice or a new deputy). During this night, all of RiverClan's efforts are toward the reaffirmation of bonds between family groups. Elders will tell stories, warriors will recount grand battles, apprentices do not have to train and all the Clan is relaxed. The day before is spent almost exclusively fishing, to feast on when the night comes.