Roles

• Make crucial decisions for their tribe.
• Represent their tribe's interests.
• Coordinate daily activities and patrols.
• Perform traditional ceremonies.
• Shape the tribe's future and maintain its traditions.

Each tribe is led by a single cat who has been gifted nine lives by the spirits of their ancestors. Once appointed, they take a new name ending in "Star." They are commonly symbolized by a nine-pointed star and referred to as the guiding Star of their tribe.

• Consult with the current Star on important matters as preparation for leadership.
• Step in to manage the tribe's daily affairs if the Star falls ill or is temporarily incapacitated.

The Star selects one cat, generally an experienced waybound, to be their successor.

• Hunt, scout, and protect the tribe's territory.
• Take part in particular outings assigned by the Star.
• Help train wanderlings.
• Support the tribe with their specialized skills.

The waybound are the fully trained and mature cats of the tribe. The term waybound does technically encompass all the tribe's members who have found their way, but it more commonly is used to refer to the members with no special appointment like the caretakers or successors.

Once a wanderling completes their final assessment, they are given their full names and earn the title of waybound.

• Train toward a well-rounded skillset under the guidance of an overseer and many waybound.
• Travel and visit the other tribes to learn from them as well.
• Return to their overseer for a final assessment once they feel they have found their way.

When they come of age at 6 moons old, each wanderling is assigned a waybound to be their overseer. This cat, chosen by the tribe's Star, monitors the wanderling's overall progress, though their training is assisted by many waybound.

During this period, wanderlings are not expected to stay within their tribe's boundaries, but are encouraged to travel and visit the other tribes to learn from them as well. Though uncommon, some find themselves drawn to the life of another tribe and choose to join once their training has concluded.

Once a wanderling feels they have found their way, they return to their overseer and undertake their final assessment. The nature of assessments vary greatly depending on the wanderling's chosen way and the tribe's traditions, but upon completion, the wanderling is given their full names and earns the title of waybound.

• Care for the needs of the injured, ill, kits, queens, and retired.
• Serve as mediators during conflicts and arguments.
• Perform burial rites for the deceased.
• Oversee the maintenance and safety of the camp.
• Help maintain harmony and comfort within the tribe.

In each tribe, there are typically between one and three caretakers.

• Look after the young and give queens a chance to rest.
• Remain in camp under the caretakers' supervision.
• Watch over and guide the tribe's growth.
• Provide council and teach history.

Some cats are unable to perform typical duties due to kitting, age, injury, or illness among other reasons. Instead, they spend their days in camp, comfortable under the caretaker's supervision. This is referred to as being "held by the tribe" and can often be a temporary role.

• Nurse kits during their earliest moons.
• Remain with their kits after weaning if they choose, until training begins.

Queen is a term used for cats nursing kits, but is not a technical role. They are considered keepers and are looked after by the caretakers, who help with the menial tasks of grooming, fetching food and water, and cleaning out nests.

• Remain under the care of the caretakers and keepers until they reach 6 moons of age.

At 6 moons of age, kits become wanderlings and begin training.

• Treat the sick and injured cats of all tribes.
• Deliver messages and important news between the vast territories.
• Travel continually, stopping only for a few days at a time before moving on.

Kits born with the Sign of the Stars are raised within their birth tribe until they reach 6 moons old. At that point, their connection to their tribe is severed and they are sent to the Spire to train as traveler wanderlings.

When the wanderling arrives at the Spire, a teller volunteers to be their overseer and guide them through their training.

• Extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs.
• Techniques for treating various injuries and illnesses.
• Understanding of the histories of the tribes.
• Diplomacy and navigation of safe routes.

Once their training is deemed complete by the overseer, the wanderling is given a guard and the title of traveler. The guard may be from any tribe, and is chosen by the overseer according to their ancestor's will. Unlike tellers, once their training is complete, travelers do not remain at the Spire.

• Ensure the traveler's safety on long and dangerous journeys between tribes.
• Serve as trusted confidants and counselors.
• Act as navigators, hunters, intermediaries, and companions.
• Alleviate the isolation that accompanies a traveler's calling.

Guards tend to be selected from the ranks of experienced adepts, cats respected for their exceptional combat skills, loyalty, and judgment.

Despite their title, guards are not only physical protectors. Relationships between guard and traveler frequently evolve into something deeper than friendship, though not necessarily as mates. No matter the dynamic, relationships between guard and traveler are celebrated as a fated and sacred connection.

If a traveler dies or is otherwise unable to continue their duties, the guard returns to the Spire and spends their life serving the tellers by hunting, scouting, and assisting their daily routines. Though not nearly as strong as the connection of teller, many guards who outlive their travelers report sensing their presence or hearing their voice in passing.

• Reside at the Spire and the labyrinth of caves below.
• Commune directly with their ancestors.
• Advise the tribes through the messages of their ancestors and their own accounts of history.
• Preserve and pass along the valley's knowledge like a living library.
• Continue their duties until death, leaving the Spire less and relying on guards for support as needed.

The process of connecting with the spiritual world is highly personal and the effectiveness of methods vary from cat to cat. Some cast stones, bones, or carved objects with symbols that provide meaning based on their formation. Others interpret celestial signs like falling comets or constellations. Others experience vivid dreams where they walk with forgotten spirits or receive whispered omens in waking visions.

While the messages of their ancestors are important in guiding the future of the tribes, travelers themselves are equally responsible for advising Stars based on their own accounts of history. Tellers pride themselves on being a living library of knowledge, always seeking to better understand the past and pass along all the secrets the valley has to offer. Stories are passed from overseer to wanderling and swapped between tellers like prey. The result is an encompassing history of the tribes, tracing countless lineages back through the decades.

A traveler retires to the Spire and becomes a teller when they are no longer able to travel between the tribes. This can be due to their guard's death, an injury, or simply old age.

Once their guard joins their ancestors, the teller's spiritual connection intensifies, allowing them to commune with their spirits and interpret their signs more clearly. In rare cases, some travelers can see and hear the deceased guard as clearly as if they were still alive.