That's right. Spartans are coming! (Hopefully!) And please bear with me on this, tried to make the culture as accurate as possible but may not be completely historically correct <3 The Story My girl Okami has spent her time away from Boreas and everything she knew for some much-needed soul searching, and what did she find? A clan of Spartans! Or rather...they found her on the verge of collapse. This clan took her in and cared for her until she was well enough to no longer need their assistance, but instead of leaving, she decided to stay awhile. She lived among them, learned from them, trained with them, even fought some battles alongside them against tyrant enemies, and even went as far as raided for resources with her new comrades. And, of course, she fell in love with one of the warriors. The pair grew close of course, (though they are mostly best friends and not true lovers currently) and it was with his help that she grew out of her meek little shell and blossomed into the fierce warrior that she is now. They accepted her as one of their own and painted her body with the crimson marks of a warrior, and thus she earned her warrior name Odyssia. She is one of few women who have managed to make into the ranks of the Spartan Warriors. Now they've come to Boreas in search of new things. potentially even command and conquer! The Spartans The life of this clan revolves around fighting & always being prepared for war. They're a rigid militaristic group who have no qualms about fighting their enemies, and potentially even taking from others when they need resources. They are a war society, after all. With these Spartans, strength was admired and weakness was despised. The greatest virtue was bravery and the greatest honor was to die fighting in battle. The most serious crime for a Spartan was to retreat from battle. Endurance, putting up with pain without complaining, and following orders without questioning were all traits that were greatly esteemed. The Spartan poet Tyrtaios wrote: "It is a novel thing for a good man to die...fighting for his fatherland. Make life your enemy, and the black spirits of death does as the rays of the sun." From the time that pups reach training age (6 months), they are rigorously trained in battle tactics, discipline, obedience, endurance, courage, and self-control. Let it be known that women have a harder time when they're trying to become a Spartan warrior unless however, they show great promise. For the women who don't make the cut, they are still allowed an education and are equal to the men (barring the Spartan soldier position in most cases). The culture of Sparta and the Spartans was pinpoint focused upon their military, they are a highly efficient unit on and off the battlefield. Spartan men, women, and children were born into, and lived in an existence that was ruled by regiment and organization. Religion The Spartans believed in religion and the gods, of course. Therefore the religion of Sparta was Polytheism, which means that the Spartans believed in not just one god, but many gods. The primary gods in their homeland and from their ancient forefathers at the time were of course the Olympians lead by the mighty Zeus who was connected to all the Olympian gods in some way, and the Spartans followed the belief in the powerful Olympians. The belief in the gods was as strong in Sparta as in any ancient pack that shared similar views to their own. In many cases it is reported that other, less religious packs from their homelands in fact mocked the Spartan's fastidious praise of the Gods, as the Spartans believed the gods were to be obeyed and respected without question. The ancient Greek gods themselves were of course fitted with each state of the Greek empire and groups of people in a unique way, and the gods would serve different purposes for different states and Sparta was no different on this matter. Aphrodite for example, the goddess of love, was in ancient Sparta considered and worshipped as a warrior, which complemented perfectly the Spartan attitudes to not only fighting but also their equality towards women. Favorite Gods of Sparta The Spartans like many Greek states would have favorite gods, the ones who merged most effortlessly with their lifestyle, their mantra, and their ethics. With the military-focused Spartans their favored gods were of course the war focused ones, likes Ares and Apollo, though the Spartan are eager to appease all the gods. As such, the Spartans do hold festivals and ceremonies in honor of the various Gods. Festivals, Customs, & Traditions COMING SOON! Spartan women & marriage Spartan women had a reputation for being independent-minded and enjoyed more freedom and power than their counterparts throughout their homelands. While they play nearly no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education. In part to attract mates, females engaged in athletic competitions, such as sparring one another, hunts, and others. And also sang and danced competitively. As adults, Spartan women were allowed to own and manage the property. Additionally, they were typically unencumbered by domestic responsibilities since those are generally handled by the helots. Marriage is important to Spartans, as their traditions & laws put pressure on members to have male children who would grow up to become citizen-warriors and replace those who died in battle. Men who delayed marriage were publically shamed, while those who fathered multiple sons could be rewarded. In preparation for marriage, Spartan women decorate their bodies with intricate body paint that corresponded to their rank (blue for hunters, green for healers, etc.) & accessories to symbolize their status and their best skill (those who excelled at hunting, for example, often wore large game pelts, antlers, etc.); Afterwards, they may choose to continue wearing these decorations, or a matching accessory with their mate. Children of Sparta If you were a child in Sparta, you would have to be strong, blessed with excellent genetics or a fast learner. Spartan children had a responsibility placed upon them at birth, to serve Sparta, and in order to serve Sparta, you had to be strong and learn fast. The Spartans are only interested in the best for their ranks, which meant that strong children were the only ones that would survive. Both young girls and boys were put through initial tests to see if they were strong enough to be useful to them. If a child did not pass these fitness or health tests, they would be left to die in the mountains, or culled. Sparta was not a state to accept anything but the best, and this practice has been done for generations. The treatment of boys and girls in Sparta was different, but they shared many similarities, something other states could not. The Spartan way of life required that both boys and girls be strong, powerful, and capable. Education of the mind and body was deemed important for both sexes, and the Spartan girls and boys would have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of membership. Just like the boys, Spartan girls would be expected to be physically fit. A healthy female would give birth to healthy babies, thus creating more strong warriors. Spartan girls are allowed to train with the boys and are taught the same combat training as their counterparts in the event they ever need to defend themselves, their honor, their families, or Sparta. Life for a child in ancient Sparta was not easy, you would be expected to be strong from birth, otherwise, you would not make it. For those that did survive, life would continue to be tough, but at the end of your training, boy or girl, you would be a physically strong, mentally strong member of one of the most powerful forces ever. Plot Ideas Plot #1: so as mentioned at the start, Okami grew close to one of the warriors. They're best friends (and later, potentially mates). I'd love for this to happen because she's overdue for some falling in love action *winkwink nudge nudge* Plot #2: The Spartans are a tight knit group (obviously). They come to Boreas in the hopes of finding a new home after their old home was terribly ravaged by war & natural disasters. On that note, since they're a war driven culture, they potentially seek to take over Boreas and put their strongest, able bodied warrior at the helm of whatever packs they manage to take over. Bands are permissible too, of course, but this group aims for greater control! Plot #3: I encourage competition between the men and women of course. Who knows, maybe any female characters are driven in such a way that they want to be part of thr Spartan army and prove themselves they're just as capable? No meek ladies here, this is for those strong of will driven ladies that wanna prove they can be among the best of the best! Plot #4: Helots (aka slaves), are very welcome as well and they can be any personality. Since they're generally the ones that handle the basic duties such as crafting, preparing food, etc, we may need some of these guys or gals! There is no age limit, so they could range from pups to elders and there might even be the possibility of Helots ranking out by proving their abilities and showing their loyalty to the Spartans! It may not always be guaranteed but hey, ya never know what can happen icly! ;D Plot #5: Okay so not really a plot but I have some designs that work for a twin set, so if anyone wants twinsie plots hmu! I'm definitely playing a twin if there's interest cuz I love the designs I found for these LOL **more plot ideas and other info can be added at any time, so if you have an idea, shoot me a dm!** Adoption Info -Coats must not be unnatural colors. They can be any natural occurring color like brown, white, cream, Auburn, black, etc. Albinism & melanism is also okay! Eyes may be any color as well (except black unless melanism is purchased). I am providing some designs below to be used but they must remain on Ardent & will remain with the character should the character be reclaimed. Of course, you're also welcome to use your own design! Also note that the warriors generally wear war paint so this would need to be purchased via small accessory! The only exception to becoming a Spartan with an unnatural coat, would be via recruitment by the Spartan leaders themselves icly. Mutations are welcome and the Spartans usually kept the breeding in such a way that their offspring often had claws or elongated fangs, tusks, and other such things that were beneficial in battle! -Sizes & builds are usually in the large-extra large range, but smaller wolves can also happen. Tiny extra small wolves may not be considered for warrior positions among the Spartans, however, so anything below 23" is unlikely to ever achieve a warriors rank. However, it isn't impossible if a tiny wolf can prove themselves. -Please be aware that there may be times when someone may need to be culled if they're deemed unfit for the Spartan ways. The Spartans have absolutely no problem with culling weak or genetically unfit children (or adults), so keep that in mind when applying/becoming a part of their culture & don't whine if this ends up happening to a child/spartan character should they meet criteria that deem them unfit/unworthy later on. -Names must be Greek or Greek related (This whole thing was inspired by 300 & Troy: Fall of a city, after all >.> <.<) -Alignments can range almost anywhere, but keep in mind that any really evil alignments who jeopardize their own will be dealt with by their own! The Spartans are a tight-knit group and loyalty to their fellow brothers and sisters is of utter importance! -These wolves heavily believe in the gods & goddesses, some more than others, and those who shun them may face consequences. In other words, please don't make a char that would outright shun them. I understand IC development may occur so that's okay for the most part. **I reserve the right to reclaim an adoption if it hasn't been posted with for 2 months (8 weeks), or set inactive with or without warning. If the character falls inactive but you communicate with me on why, then I may consider letting you keep it, depending on circumstances.** Available designs Twin 1 & Twin 2 Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4 Design 5 Design 6 Design 7 Design 8 Design 9 Design 10 (ignore the names on the last two lol. Also since I have so many options available, the rest will be linked in an album so as not to post an insane amount of links here! The ones posted with individual links above were some that I thought were some dang fine looking designs *winkwink*) Even moar designs <- couple more twin sets in here lol Code: <b>Name:</b> <b>Gender:</b> <b>Design:</b> <b>Physical Description:</b> (site minimum) <b>Alignment:</b> <b>Skills:</b> <b>Personality:</b> (site minimum) <b>General plans:</b> <b>Interested in plot?:</b> If any, please indicate which one(s).

Name: Halcyone
Gender: Female
Design:

Physical Description: Halcyone is a tall woman, with long legs and lean, athletic features. She lacks the heavy set build of a warrior, but she’s far from appearing weak or helpless. Her pelt is mostly made up of dark colors, black and dark brown warring for dominance, and broken up with slashes of a pale grey. Bright, violet eyes peek out from a dark mask on an otherwise pale face. Each movement she makes is elegant, graceful. She considers herself to be a picture of perfection. No matter how physical her duties require her to be, she makes sure to keep her appearance pristine as possible.

Alignment: True Neutral

Skills: Hunting and Healing

Personality: Halcyone is an arrogant woman, thinking herself to be nearly perfect and has a difficult time admitting to any flaws. She is calm and level headed, thinking through all of her actions and responses carefully rather than rushing in and making reckless decisions. Self preservation is something that comes naturally, thinking always of what will put her in the best possible position. Power and prestige are always on her mind, and she can be ruthless when reaching for what she desires. Those not of Sparta are of little consequence to her, and she has no issue using and manipulating others for her own benefit, if the rewards are worth the effort.
Despite her cold approach to advancing her own station in life, she is not heartless or cruel. She doesn’t do anything to harm or take advantage of others without just cause, and can even be quite helpful. As long as it doesn’t directly interfere with her motives, she is often ready and willing to aide those who ask for assistance, knowing how useful it can be to have others out there in the world who owe her favors or look upon her favorably.
The woman is also quite emotionally distant, finding it difficult to make genuine connections with others on a personal level. Even when she does find herself caring about others, she has an odd way of showing her affections, and in the early stages can become harshly critical, a trait that may show itself often throughout the relationship. She tries to keep others at arms lengths, and struggles with letting others in, fearing that it could prove to be a weakness later on. Despite all her flaws and emotional shortcomings, she is deeply loyal to the Spartans, and the needs of the group are one of the only things that she places above her own desires.

General plans: I would very much like for her to make some strained friendships, or at least acquaintances. She’d definitely want to have some strong Spartan babies at some point, and I would really like to explore possible romantic relationships to see how she handles the idea of falling in love with her emotional issues. Very open to unrequited love situations as well, I could see her lusting after someone who isn’t interested and it making her that much more bitter.

Interested in plot?: If/when the Spartans start to work towards taking over packs or claiming lands for themselves, I see her wanting to be very involved in that, and striving for some sort of notable non-warrior position.

Name: Zosime(meaning Survivor)
Gender: Female
Design:
Physical Description: Zosime is a dame of cream and darks. Her physicality is built like most other young women are, a sturdy but still feminine build. She is a feme with looks that could turn heads if she flaunted it, but she doesn't. Her form is wrapped in a creamy brown, its the base of her pelt color and makes up the majority of the color upon her form. The next most prominent color is an off white that touches her underside and the entirety of her face and neck showing a prominence of albinism in her bloodline but on her it is a mere accent. The third color that makes up her pelts markings is a brownish-black that paints the edges of her ears and the streaks along her bodice. Those same streaks house the off white color in the center of them as if a natural war paint was gifted to her upon birth. upon the backs of her ears sets the creamy brown that is her base, and the interior of her ears is the white that marks her bodice. Her eyes are captivating, one a mint green in color and the other a shadow of that but a pastel mint green with a pupil of an even more muted coloration. Her nose flesh also shows her slight albinism, in the way it is more liver colored than black like her paw pads. Upon her face is the marks that are proof of how she earned her name, her right eye rendered blind from the gnarly scars. Her tail is also shortened as a family trait, it bares no mark of removal nor of shortening so it is easily known that she was born with such a nubby tail.
Alignment: Lawful neutral(might change from ic development but gonna start in a more neutral good category)
Skills: Intellect and Fighting
Personality: Zosime is a toughened young girl, a survivor of many things. Her main personality would have you thinking she is a bitch in both senses of the word, but to know her is to know a woman who strives to become a warrior of Sparta. Her body may be seen as a set back as her size is not as massive or muscular as most men but this girl is hard working and when she gets her mind set on something works her ass off to achieve it. Even though she was not born a Spartan, and was brought into their society, she has more than adapted to such a place. She doesn't view the Spartans as captors, but instead as those that saved her when others may not have. They have her loyalty and her heart, they are her family when she has no other. She could not see herself in the future without her Spartan family and allies beside her.
She is however still young, meaning there is still a lot for her to learn, and she is a malleable mind(somewhat). She has always sat through her lessons silently and with determination in her eyes, only asking questions to clarify what she becomes unsure on. She idolizes those that achieve greatness and high ranks in their society, striving to become like them as much as she can. She would defend those she respects with her life if she had to, after all to die a warriors death is the highest of honors she believes one can achieve. She does have a softness to her though that she hides, a love for life that can be seen rarely. She sees it as a weakness to be soft towards anything but your family, so she keeps a firm handle upon her feelings and who and where she shows such things. Some might even say her hardened personality and demeanor gives her "resting bitch face", but really its just a sternness that she keeps a firm grasp on. She is studious and dependable though and prides herself on never missing her lessons and training.
General plans: i want to get back into the roleplay world and hopefully give myself reason to play a character a lot and since i actually love the spartan culture i figured i would apply :3 though i wanna get a rogue pup pass for this girly and start her out as super young but not so young that she's no fun for me. No rape or murder plot for this girl ever, unless icly she is "culled" by the Spartans for whatever reason, this girly is gonna be like one of my most loved characters and one of my only two, since i don't plan on taking on more than two characters for the longest time. maybe some friendships and romance in the far future but i just wanna get her out there and play her some.
Interested in plot?: I'm down for the helot plot or anything with this little kiddo. down to have a twin for this little gal, i wanna pour a lot into this girl since her and Dyrk will be my only two characters for a super long time. I'm not down for blood related siblings unless they might be a twin but I'm ok with an "adopted" family being made for her. if your interested in a twin dm me on discord i have her design without the scars and can edit the eye color to your liking.

Zosime will have Albinism in her bloodline but it is not the prominent feature she shows. she can pass this onto her children, so yay potential albinos in the future and as her siblings if any are adopted out, also shortened tails is a common family feature in her bloodline. I also intend to start her out as a 4-5 month old pup. I had in mind that she was taken in by the Spartans at a very young age and that her family was slaughtered mostly in the crossfire of a spartan war with another clan.

Congratulations Asena & Vasilia!

Apps look good, can't wait to play with them! Since I forgot to mention this in the main post, it's safe to assume any incoming Spartans (whether from the original clan or adopted/accepted into the Clan) would know Okami (AKA Odyssia to the Spartans). She was heavily involved in the clan for a couple of years during her time with them and may have even trained some of the incoming characters!

Congrats, and have fun!

Name: Apollinaris Galanis (Apollo; pale blue)
Gender: Male
Design:
**Would change his eyes to ice blue if that's okay
Physical Description: A beast of a man, Apollinaris is tall and muscled. His large paws grip the earth with a familiarity of a warrior in tune with his surroundings. Though solid, he is light on his paws with quick movements. It's obvious he is at one with himself, his years of training allowing him to learn his body. His face is handsome and angular, his strong jawline cutting an imposing image yet his features are extremely expressive. Ice blue eyes watch closely, yet his charm often belies what is behind that gaze. The base of his coat is a steel blue cut through with dove gray, arctic white, and coal in various flecking and stripes. Each leg is dipped in white, giving way to gray midway. The coal speckles his gray cheeks and muzzle, while white and gray blaze from the base of his eyes and up his forehead.
Alignment: Ranges from Lawful to Chaotic Neutral; truly depends on his company and the matter at hand. Profile would say True Neutral.
Skills: Fighting and Hunting (might change to Intellect or Navigation depending on his feel IC)
Personality: Groomed from a young age like every other Spartan, Apollinaris was destined to become the greatest warrior. His father, a prominent warrior himself, pushed his first born son to become exactly like him. For the most part, Apollinaris succeeded; he is fierce, loyal, bloodthirsty in battle, intelligent on and off the battlefield, and quite prideful. A couple traits that were absent in his father or much more prominent in the son are his vanity, pompousness, ego, and self-righteousness. Having been groomed since birth, these traits were bound to show up eventually - praise is a huge motivator, as is disappointment. To see his father's thin lips turn to a frown or worse was like sticking a spike into the son's heart - and his ego. As such, Apollinaris grew up with much hubris and did not make many friends. But, that was alright - where you needed friends most is the battlefield, and every Spartan naturally takes care of their own there, of all places. Shed of his warrior's mantle, the man can very much take care of himself and still continues to strive to be the very best. He is often pushing his fellow hunters to go after prey that is much too large or aggressive for a safe hunt, wanting to push the boundaries of what he can and can't do. The thrill of the hunt very much sings in his blood.
The man's reflexes aren't the only thing that is quick - his tongue is silver-edged with a hidden bite. He absolutely loves to poke fun at others, sometimes to the point of near-bullying, and he can take it almost as well as he gives. A battle of wits is also entertaining to him, finding weaknesses in his opponent's mind like in combat. However he would hate to make a real enemy; that would be one less person to adore his triumphs. So instead of driving one to the edge, Apollinaris will simply push and pull along that line. He is mostly insincere with his words, seeing most interactions as just passing time that has no real effect on his life. It's hard to say what would happen if he had to face something serious head-on.
General plans: He wants to be the star warrior of the clan, and will often volunteer for fights and missions where others think it foolish. He loves the spotlight, so anything to get him noticed he will readily do. Rise in the ranks of the Spartans and become an important figure in the pack/band. Being named after the God of War comes with a price - he dreads failure and will develop a complex surrounding that; is he really that brave or is he doing it to impress? With his chaste yet flirtatious nature, really wish to get him involved in a heart wrenching plot where he knows/believes his duty is to produce strong warriors so he will gladly (maybe secretly not so gladly) marry to further the Spartan cause, but will pine for someone he actually loves. Or if that plot doesn't come to fruition, have a slow burn romance that starts off as friendly rivalry and morphs into something else, but he refuses to acknowledge his feelings believing he needs to serve his clan first and foremost. In the end, I want him to eventually be happy and make me feel just ooey gooey - big strong warrior man putty in someone else's paws. PS I don't see him falling for a non-spartan.
Interested in plot?: I volunteer him as tribute to serve as a rival for any lady (or man for that matter) in plot #3. ALSO if he gets accepted and anyone would like to be a brother of his, LET ME KNOW ;D Need some brotherly rivalry. His brother would need to be the blue-gray color with ice blue eyes. Saw a couple adopts that would fit the bill ;) Would also be down if someone wanted to play his dad. Hit me up in discord if you wanna plot!

Congratulations Dino! Apollonaris looks good! You may change his eye color to your preference :) Can't wait to play with him!

Name: Odyssey Demides
Gender: Male
Age: 8, born Autumn of year 7
Design: Up top. I will do another with his red war paint later.
Physical Description: 36" | 150 lbs | Short Fur | Stocky
The man is short compared to other Spartans. His family lines were more focused genetically on powerful warriors than tall ones. He only stands 36" at the shoulder, but he makes up for it with the amount of muscle mass the man contains. Due to rigorous training since pup-hood, he's a stout wolf with a broad chest, thick legs, and just pure muscle from head to toe. His short fur only enhances how stacked this male actually appears. Granted some of the muscle will fade the more he ages, but he looks good for a wolf his age. It certainly was enough to make up for not being the tallest wolf of his clan.

He has more earthy tones with a coat that makes it easy to blend in to most surroundings. His base color is a medium woody brown with darker fading around his face, neck, and stomach. His natural camouflage appears in the form of darker brown brindling. It covers every inch of his short fur in the areas where the brown coloring is prominent. The brindle coloring appears like larger stripes on his sides and tail, but the farther up his neck you look it appears less prominent and blends in well with the lighter brown on his face. His neck, chest, stomach, hindquarters, and legs are a stark white as well as a snippet up his nose. Certainly a contrast to the earthy tones farther up his body, but once in tall grass he's barely noticeable due to his colors and stripes. Seen one second and gone the next. His eyes follow along the same color range, but are far more beautiful than the natural color of his pelt. The orange eyes stand out brightly against the warmness of his coat and appear almost fiery when he's angered.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Skills: Fighting and Navigation
Personality: Devoted would be the first word that comes to mind when they think of Odyssey. Born into the Spartan clan, he's grown up with their ways and customs since birth. It's instilled into every fiber of his being to protect his people and uphold their laws. He's a fighter by nature, (how could he not be?), but he doesn't unnecessarily seek out fights unless it's to further his own purposes. He's a level-headed man with an eye and mind for battle. Every decision is calculated and precise. He's not selfish by nature and would often do anything for his family and clan. Anything required of him and he's the soldier to comply. He values the structure of their order and will uphold the laws with an unbroken rigidity. Disobedience, carelessness, and rebellion are not tolerated by him at all.

He has many goals, all of which included finding a wife, settling down, and raising the next generation of Spartans. While confident in his own fighting abilities, he never passes up an opportunity to further his skills. He won't maim someone in a spar, but he'll seek them out often to stay in shape. Rigorous training is a part of his life and will remain until the day he dies.

He tends to be a fairly religious wolf as well. While he isn't as devout as some of his brethren, he has a firm understanding of the gods, their meaning, and their importance in the spartans life. He often makes time during his day to pray to them, particularly before an important battle, and will offer a sacrifice around once a week to appease them. After seeing some of the horrors in his life, he believes that only a strict belief system will bring them good fortune and victory in their lives. Disgracing the name of the gods will certainly bring them untold misfortune. While strict in his own belief, he doesn't expect those not of the clan to believe in their gods and won't make a scene if such is the case. Despite that, should you disrespect them, you won't make the mistake of doing so a second time...

Despite the soldier in him, in times of peace he's quite the caring individual. He feels deeply for those he loves and holds a strong pride for his family, blood or not. He would defend them with his life without a second thought. He would be the type to return a lost pup home if the situation arose. Generally he can show a rather pleasant demeanor, but overall he's rather quiet and collective, choosing to listen rather than speak. That isn't saying he doesn't have feelings, but when he speaks his mind it's because he's absolutely sure of it before hand. Nothing he says is a waste of words.
General plans: I plan to bring him in, reunite him with Okami/Odyssia, and then meet up with current Spartan's on the board. Maybe plan some group stuffs or something so they can f stuff up. Definitely throw him in some fights and get him to scout around the packs and whatnot. And of course further his and Okami's relationship.
Interested in plot?: Applying for Okami's man friend c:

(because of his age, I'm trying to avoid using gem purchases cause of future pup plans (you know who Drag) but if it's a big deal I'll chalk up the gems to give him height!)

CONGRATS SHRAPNEL! Odyssey is accepted and no worries on the height since he's an older char!