Valhalla


Valhallan Common Law (much is WIP, but here ya go.)


•    The Spirit’s final word is law – and the laws are here for a reason. Follow them or suffer the consequences.

However, the pack Council is to be involved with the creation of new laws beyond these foundation stones.

•    Pack meetings are mandatory for all in the pack except newborn pups (Hopes) or severely ill or injured members. Missing two in a row with no notice given to the Spirit will see you removed from the pack, should you be in the Common Tier, or demoted to the Trouble Tier should you be in the working or upper Tiers. Tardy paws catch no prey, and slackers get no quarter.

•    During times when the pack’s numbers are high, mating rights are restrained to a ‘permission only’ status. To avoid overhunting the prey animals with a population too high for the territories, members must make the Spirit aware of their desire to sire or bear pups. Love itself is encouraged, mind.

Members are also encouraged to pay close attention to the numbers of the pack to be sure they won’t be stressing the population by bringing new lives into the pack.

These are also times when the least active wolves will not be encouraged to remain in the pack.

•     Love beyond the pack is fine. However, be aware that any litters sired by a male member of Valhalla are expected to become members of the pack, along with the mother, unless an agreement can be made or a foster mother is chosen to raise the pups.

Love between packs is… surprisingly not unencouraged. However, it is to be understood that the pack the love interest, litter parent comes from should be an ally of Valhalla and friendly with the pack. The parents must be able to agree to a partial parenting plan at the very least. The pups are to be raised, once they are weaned, half the litter in one pack, half in the other, switching out between the packs each half season to learn about both sides of their parentage.

However, should the mother of the litter decide to move to Valhalla, she is welcome to do so. Alternatively, if the father of said litter desires to leave and join the pack his lady resides in, this is acceptable as well.

•    Members of Valhalla are to demonstrate dignity, honor, regality, unity and endurance to outside wolves. Thus, members of the pack are expected to show some measure of respect to others, whether they know them or not, until a valid reason has been given to hurl insults and bare fangs.

Misbehavior will not be tolerated and will be dealt with publicly via demotion or removal from the pack. Regardless of your personality, show a mature, polite, united face to the outside world. “Kill ‘em with Kindness.”

•    The Spirit is not responsible for picking mentor-apprentice pairings. You are. The Spirit needs only to announce your choices at the next meeting. Mentors are responsible for paying attention to the new or young wolves in Valhalla and choosing those who show the promise needed to accel in the mentor’s Circle.

Similarly, young wolves or newcomers to the pack (Outlanders) are highly encouraged to explore the various Circles and consider their paths wisely, and should they wish to learn under a certain wolf in the Circle they choose, they are responsible for telling the Spirit and their chosen mentor.

•    Challenges for higher ranks or tiers are not un-encouraged, but those considering that path must reflect upon their past performance to decide whether they are truly worthy of the rank they desire, or if harder work and training are needing before they should ask the Spirit for a blessing to challenge.

Those who challenge for a rank despite being told they can’t will be removed from the pack, likely maimed – especially if the rank they desired and challenged for was a high rank such as the Soul.

•    Trespassers run the risk of maiming and force-claiming should they not heed the one warning to leave the territory. Those who caught the trespasser are to escort them from the territory and watch to be sure they leave.

While it is customary to give a warning to a trespassing wolf – or any creature – the exception is during defense from raids and sieges. Since a raiding party is well aware they’re trespassing and are doing so intentionally, there’s little need for warning. Attack on sight, Valhallans.

Similarly, Valhallans are expected to send up a stand-by warning to the pack when suspicious wolves are found hanging around the border itself or the bordering lands around Valhalla’s claimed territories. This is not an optional rule.

•    Those outside the pack are not to be privy to Valhalla’s secrets. Maintain discretion regarding numbers, health, and morale when speaking to non-Valhallans. The exceptions are details about Valhallan Laws, Customs, and its overall values as a whole.

(i.e. “Our pack values teamwork and working hard on skills and fighting.” Is just fine; it promotes the pack and presents it as strong and united. “We have twenty-four members, and our healer is sick; we don’t think she has long” is not okay and is grounds for punishment or even banishment.)

Anything else can only be divulged by the Spirit, Soul, Heart, and Second Tier members when accepting new members or conducting recruitment forays.

•    When leaving the pack borders, it is mandatory to at least howl to announce one’s intention to venture out for a time. Those who leave without telling anyone run the risk of temporary demotion if at a higher rank, and to Delinquent if among the lower tiers.

Let the Spirit know you’re going out, and where you’re most likely to be, not because you’re in trouble, but because if something goes wrong, someone knowing at home will result in a much swifter search party bringing help.

[You do not need to actively thread with me to have the character let mine know—all pack members have permission to PP having told my alpha characters they are going out. At the very least, howl to announce it.]

•    








Shadow Circle Laws

•    Harm not those who are innocent. Go forth with Honor.

•    Share not the secrets of the Shadows. Not even with thy closest friends within the Pack.

•    Devote thyself to the pack and protect its secrets and people with thy life if necessary.

•    Apply thyself tenfold to thy studies in the Circle. Learn thy trade and livelihood to the utmost.

•    Betray thy Pack and Circle and thou shall forfeit thy health and virility.

•    Be adaptable to thy situation.

.

— *Another rule goes here.*


Customs:

Valhallan Customs

•    Playtime!

In Valhalla, importance is placed upon friendship, playing together, working together, and creating lasting bonds that will hold up even in the darkest of hours and toughest opposition.

This custom is not an annual festival or every now and then kind of thing—nope! Spur of the moment playtime is encouraged, both among the young and the adults and elderly, with the hope of boosting energy in the pack, lightening the mood during hard times, and bringing the pack together to simply bond and enjoy each other’s company.

This is also a good chance to practice skills, like tracking, during games of hide and seek, or coursing stamina in games of chase and tag. So, relax, let loose, and let your heart and mind relax, and just have some fun before going back to the daily life of duties and responsibility.

•    Festivals:

Games, festivities, spars and hunts galore. Valhalla may not hold a Festival for all every year, but when they do, it can be assured that it will be a thing to be remembered. Hostility is not allowed during the festival’s events unless there is a highly valid reason.

This is a time for packs to come together, loners to mingle with pack wolves and perhaps to assess a possible new home, and for everyone to relax and have some fun, test their skills against new faces in spars, share knowledge between healers, and bring down a feast!

Trading is welcomed at these festivals, so those with all the things are welcome to join in the festivities.

Pups old enough to travel are welcome and rest assured that any who try to harm any children attending the festivals will be dealt with in a particularly bloody manner, regardless of what pack they belong to or whether they’re loners.

•    Gladiatorial Sparring Contests:

Unlike the Festivals, where all kinds of games and skill-building opportunities are presented, this fest is very much geared toward fighting. Annual events are held at various neutral locations by Valhalla, (or an allied pack, if the leaders of each pack set something up) and are open to all wishing to test their skills in fights in a fun contest.

Pairs and melee teams will be chosen by the host or hostess (or plurals of them should other pack leaders host it with the Spirit).

Maims and Death Matches are not welcomed in these events, spars and dominance matches being the only allowable type of fight. If someone has problems with someone else, they will not be allowed to be opponents unless they swear an oath to keep it clean and fair. If they wanna rip each other’s throats out, they can do it on their own time and not at the event.

Records will be held! Champions crowned and challenged the next year! Glory and fame to spread across the land! Are ya game enough?



•    Market Day:

Twice a year, Valhalla will open a trading fair at a neutral location, sometimes in the West, sometimes the south, and maybe even the east of Boreas, depending on where trading is best. Open to packs and loners alike, it’s a chance to trade one resource for another, and not just in goods. Hunting agreements, trades of skill… these are just a glimpse of what may be available.

•    Storytime:

Twice a month, the pack gathers, not for a meeting, but to settle in together with metaphorical popcorn (read deer legs, bison haunches and bunny cuts) to share stories about anything in particular, from legends they grew up with as a puppy, real history, or just stories about something funny that happened the other day. Doesn’t matter what the subject is.

The purpose is to bring the pack together without any formalities, to get to know one another, and probably laugh at a few funny tales. There will be no mandatory call from the Spirit to gather the pack – instead, a schedule will be announced, for all to keep in mind.

The Storytime gathering is semi-optional—you are highly encouraged to join in but won’t be penalized if you don’t.

•    Hunts Beyond the Wall:

Twice a year, the Spirit will lead a hunting party beyond the boundaries of Valhalla – once in Spring, once in Autumn – to hunt prey animals that don’t commonly graze in the pack’s lands and add variety to the long winter’s meals. Hunters are expected to attend and will be penalized – even demoted – if they do not attend to successfully bring down prey.

The meat will be hauled home on travois and in hide pack bags to be preserved and cached for winter or times when prey at home may be scarce or needing to rebuild numbers.

•    Wood Gathering Galivant:

Through late Summer and Autumn, the pack is expected to gather in groups and teams to gather firewood for the fire that burns in one of the caves within the Adravendi Seat. Near and far, hardwood and softwood.

As this fire is open to all pack members to visit and warm up beside through the cold weather of winter and is also the source of the healers more advanced methods of making healing salves, hot poultices, and brews, this isn’t just a boon for the Spirit and their family—it’s for the pack as a whole.

•    Ursine Bounty:

A dangerous custom, but one that holds great hope of stocking the larders for winter. At the cusp of winter, as Autumn deepens and the snow begins to fall and bears settle in to slumber in their dens, the strongest wolves of the pack shall gather to track down a bear – maybe more than one – to hunt and harvest for its meat, bones, sinew, and pelts. Only the most skilled of the pack are allowed to attend, and it is considered an honor to be allowed to join the hunt.

This is also a custom to commemorate the late secondary alphess, Gwenevere Adravendi, who founded the idea one frigid autumn day.




Pack History:

• 12 -29 15 | Late Winter - Year 6: Surreal Adravendi has, after much planning, staked a claim upon Vericona Plains, raising the standard of Celestial.
  
• *1 - 31 - 16 | Late Spring, Year 7* » Kavdaya, Celestial's Master Healer, has called Celestial's first Healer Meeting! Much is to be discussed, ideas to be shared, and knowledge to be learned!
  
• *2 - 22 - 16 | Early Summer, Year 7* » Surreal calls a pack meeting to discuss plans for a festival! All are required to attend the meeting.
  
• *2 - 25 - 16 | Early Summer, Year 7* » Surreal calls a mandatory pack-wide Fight training session, wishing to bump up activity within Celestial and hone Celestial's fighting skills. | In the meeting preceding the training, she Promotes Miksa and Faite to Legionary in return for their dedication to Celestial.
  
• *4 - 29 - 16 | Early Autumn, Year 7* » Surreal calls a mandatory meeting! Surreal states that she is stepping down as she's about to birth a new litter and Regulus takes the reins with Creed as his Right Wing! Varda is promoted to Master Hunter and Baine has finished her apprenticeship and is now an Emissary. Also please welcome Castiel back into the pack as well as three new members: Acapella, Crucible, and Dagger.
  
• *5 - 03 - 16 | Late Autumn, Year 7* » Surreal and Falk's newest litter has arrived! Please welcome Kieryn, Laisrén, and Rasiel into the world!
  
• *7 - 12 - 16 | Early Spring, Year 8* » Kavdaya calls Celestial's second official pack-wide Healing Lesson; attendance is moderately good, as the healers and the attending members of the pack discuss herbs and wounded transport techniques.
  
• *8 - 07 - 16 | Late Spring, Year 8* » Regulus calls a Pack Meeting! Topics for discussion are demotions, announcements of new members (Welcome to Celestial, Solveiga and Luck, our two newest healers), the departure of Zuriel from Celestial, and the upcoming crowning of his new Right Wing, Faite Adravendi, among several. Attendance is mandatory to all not on absence.
  
• *9 - 18 - 16 | Late Summer, Year 8* » Please welcome Creed and Kavdaya's first litter! Valor, Fable, Justice, Knight, and Exodus have been born!
  
• *Since so much has happened since this history section was last updated, I may just give up and begin updating when Aurielle takes over the Pack. >.>
  
• *8 - 16 - 2019 | ahem... Autumn - Year 13 - Aurielle throws Valhalla's first Festival, with much help from the Nomads, for all of Boreas to attend! Among the festivities provided over the whole week or longer are the Opening Greetings, a bountiful Feast,  a Trade Fair each day, and a Fighting Contest to be held each evening!
  
• Early Winter of Year 13 - Mount Volkan Erupted, and Aurielle called the pack together in an emergency meeting to decide what is to be done. Scouts were sent out, east to assess the level of threat, and west to seek possibly locations to retreat to. Members missing: Geoffery Adracendi, and Laisren Adravendi (since before Eruption).
  
• Mid to Late Winter of Year 13 - Aurielle and some of Valhalla attend Winterfell's Tournament and Festival.
  
• Spring of Year 14