The top of the top, equal to no one but those of this rank, named for their power with the -star suffix.
Leaders are the head and face of a Clan, responsible for the lives of every single one of their Clanmates and every decision their community makes. While the code states that leaders can be rebelled against or demoted, it is a rare situation in practice that leads to anyone leaving the position by any means other than death. It is vital to a Clan that their leadership be presentable as wise and noble and confident; open defiance will not look good to their neighbors at the next Gathering.
While it’d be ridiculous to say that every leader is exactly the same, there are common traits one looks for in a -star: intelligence, an even temperament, practicality, confidence and assertiveness. No leader is perfect, and will rarely have all of these traits together. But even just being emotionally intelligent and calm, while suffering from a lack of confidence, is better than being completely bereft of any virtues. There are, of course, many types of cat, and many have been middling in leadership only to fade in the memories of their descendants, while the best are few and far between, but remembered for ages to come. It is no accident that the greatest leaders are often recruited into one of the halls after death.
A leader is under an intense pressure at all times – every move must be carefully considered, every ceremony’s script must be memorized with every new warrior’s name fitting them perfectly, every conflict must be managed with a delicate but firm paw, and so on. They have the automatic respect of the Clans, who only vaguely can understand exactly how hard a leader must work just to be seen as acceptable. It’s no surprise that leaders regularly seek advice from their elders, seers and matriarchs, their deputies standing close by to listen and offer their own words.
An aspect of leadership that one does not often consider is its loneliness. Many leaders have a weight in their chest that is impossible to share with others in a meaningful way. Leaders often do not interact with anyone but other leaders at Gatherings, both out of tradition and due to average warriors and apprentices being too intimidated to initiate conversation. Leaders rarely are able to slow down and raise a litter of kittens (or even interact with them past initial kithood if they do), and even their relationships with their mates suffer under the strain of duty. Friends are often distant now that their buddy has made it into a position with such power over everyone else, apprentices are best given to someone else to train, and the average Clanmate instinctively gives the leader space and silence so they may think over the current situation, whatever it may be. A leader has to work doubly hard just to have companions. It is not an enviable place to be.
The wanderers do not have a formal, singular leadership as most clans do. They lack a formal -Star, instead leadership duties are split between several deputies, each acting as heads for their internal clowder. This group of cats is typically called The Council, with high respect and regard for those who participate or previously did. Basic Wanderingclan philosophy has guided them to the following practice: Clowders follow not a physical cat, or -star, but the direct guidance of Starclan, their travels dictated and guided by the constellations. This dispersed leadership also allows for different sects or “bands” of cats to split and converge with Wanderingclan throughout their journey.
Bands:
A band is a sub-group within Wanderingclan as a whole. These usually consist of a cats of similar work specialties, sometimes an extended familial group. Typically they don’t have their own names, and consider themselves all apart or within Wanderingclan. Bands are self-led, with internal decisions made as a group, but each band’s will is voiced by an elected Deputy. Deputies are selected by vote to represent their band at larger council meetings, and act as a voice for their community within the larger deputy collective. There, deputies (sometimes called “denmas” as a slang between younger members), make plans of travel, ration food, and make camping arrangements. This is also where deputies may make announcements that their band plans to separate to a new path, or stay behind and make a permanent camp. New deputies can be elected when a band is deemed large enough to require one, or when a cat declares their intention to make one, and there can be anywhere between 10 to 50+ deputies at any given time within the Wanderingclan council. No one deputy or leader may control the entirety of Wanderingclan. A deputy can be of any rank, whether warrior or healer, hunter or artisan. Or any age, some bands believe their deputy or chosen leader reincarnate and the title can be given to anyone of speaking ability (this includes interpretation through the various cat dialects, cat sign, etc.)
Wanderingclan Warrior Classes and Ranks:
Because of the diverse nature of Wanderingclan’s population, there are also less formalized ranks and classes compared to other clans. Young cats are still apprenticed at six moons of age, but are given a generalized apprenticeship in many roles and tasks before announcing a finalized specialty sometime around twelve moons of age. Mentors will typically pick their own apprentices, or be asked by their personal band’s deputy. It’s less taboo to have family mentor their own kits, and family trades are commonly passed down.
Apprentices do generalized tasks, hunting, patrolling, cooking, and cleaning from six moons to twelve moons, to understand community action and support the clan. During this time they may scout various trades, whether be hunting and patrolling specialty, or becoming an artisan and historian. They may switch mentors around this time, but many are considered full adult members of the community by 16-18 moons of age. It is up to each band and deputy to declare what constitutes a fully trained apprentice within their individual code – but pan-wandering code requests an apprentice be able to hunt (or otherwise feed themselves if left alone), understand basic poisonous plants to avoid eating, and a few basic survivalist skills in case of any natural disaster that separates them from the larger group.
Warriors – not the battle hardened fighters of a typical clan, but one of the smaller groups within Wanderingclan. With no borders to protect, warriors mind their days patrolling their clanmates. Keeping the collective group together is no easy task – hence the phrase
“herding cats”. Warriors circle the main traveling group, keeping an eye out for dangers like wolves and other canids, monsters, twoleg activity – also managing more emergency services, saving clanmates from sink holes, mudslides, flash floods, and fires. They maintain an important and stressful job, hunt less and don’t battle for glory. Warriors tend to be stoic, calm in the face of danger, and tend to be a little aloof or intimidating to other clan mates. Some warriors who are startouched have picked up the title Monk, claiming their belief in the Ethereal Plains grants them some sort of strength, but it has yet to be seen by enough eyes to garner major popularity.
Hunters – like the name suggests, hunt for the clan. Masters of topography, climates, and fauna, they are built to adapt to new territory and new prey as needed. They work with caretakers and historians to keep track of total food counts, making sure kits, queens, elders, and the sick are fed. Trained in many diseases, hunters know how to avoid sick prey, and are trained in edible flora like berries and wheatgrass for gathering. Some hunters specialize in gathering food from twoleg areas, whether tracking down twolegs who leave kibble out, or hounding for various carrion and food waste.
Artisans – one of Wanderingclan’s primary exports. Due to the nomadic nature of the clan and their philosophy of crafts, community and trade, Wanderingclan hosts a huge population of artisans and crafters from around Turtle Island. Caretakers used to be considered a part of the artisan group, but has since split into two separate Culinary and Support groups. Artisans will typically specialize in a specific craft, but many are trained in at least a few separate arts and will float between tasks where needed. These floaters are the most likely to settle down permanently in clans along the way, and attempt to strike out on their own.
Emberkeepers – The fire masters of the clan. Wanderingclan used to only have access to fire through a select group of ex-Valleyclan firekeepers, but since have learned fire making from other clans throughout their travels. Culinary cats also know fire management, but emberkeepers are in charge of transporting embers in glass, metal, or lined leather containers. They manage torches, primary bonfires, and typically are well knowledged in wildfire emergency response, as well as using specific herbs for smoke-signaling. Major overlap with culinary groups, as emberkeepers, support, culinary, and potters all work together for digging and building ground ovens for their various tasks.
Tanners – As the name suggests, tanners prepare pelts using brain, egg, or smoke tanning methods. Produce soft leather wraps and pouches for healers, bags for gatherings, and large pieces are used as den floor coverings. Extras are sometimes used as décor or personal adornment, but leather and cloth are a valued resource, and typically only cats who find their own fabric are allowed to keep it for themselves.
Weavers – Make baskets, fish traps, and sleeping mats from cattails, rushes and reeds, and other long grasses. Woven grass cord or even sinew based cords are used often. Fabric is a prized resource among the clans, typically high quality fabrics only coming from trade with kittypets. Weavers are in charge of sewing or patching tents and clothing garments, many of which have been passed down generationally between cats. Some specialize in knot mastering, quick release tethers, pack knots, and tripwire toggles. Weavers do have access to a basic paw-looms, but struggle with creating wind and watertight fabrics of a large enough scale to be useful instead of purely decorative.
Potters – Collect and gather clay from riverbeds and the seaside, potters create low-fire clay pots. Typically managing the clans entire collection of vessels, from tin kittypet bowls to glass jars to woven baskets. Not all vessels are watertight, but their job involves making sure the clan has a supply of fresh drinking water during droughts, working with culinary and healers to safely store herbs and prey. Previously potters worked closely with historians, providing cuneiform tablets for record-keeping, but the heft and weight of transporting said tablets wasn’t effective, and historians have switched to birch bark, or the ever valuable kittypet paper and parchment.
Carvers – Using a litany of materials, carvers supply anything from woodworking, creating flush joints and building pull carts, to carving stone, bone, and claws for tool making. A typically small group of related cats who’ve passed down the skill generationally, and suited primarily for large strong cats who can handle delicate work. These cats built the majority of carts and tents used by the clan on a day to day basis.
Masons – a small group split off from carvers, masons work with larger stones to build permanent carins and stone walls at basecamps. Many will split off and find a stable home to maintain, or will work in support or carving while traveling.
Adornists – Catagorized as cats who create purely for fashion and décor. Previously a sub-group of weavers called Tressists, they specialize in fur braiding, corded jewelry, headpieces – working with shells, clay, wood, and bone beads. A sub-group of painters and dyers has blossomed within this caste, working with healers to create bright pigments for marking trails, historians to write with, and fur or fabric dyes.
Musicians – Another small group, this sub-band manages the clans collection of lyres, drums, and flutes. Singing and dancing are a common passtime within the clan, but instruments are of incredibly high value and are considered delicate. Not just any cat can play, and it is a skill revered to a select few. Rattles are made, and more commonly gifted to kits and apprentices. Bells are of a high value, as they are typically only scavenged. Musicians typically will only have one apprentice they’ve picked throughout their lifetime, who becomes the primary owner of a particular instrument upon their mentor’s death. Some cats criticize this will lead to a vacuum of knowledge, let a musician die without a suitable replacement, but it’s yet to become a problem with a significant group of kits and apprentices vying for the positions.
Historians – sometimes considered a subset of artisan, make themselves a bank of knowledge over particular subjects – whether that be history, weather and prey patterns, storytelling and music, sometimes overlapping with healers and clerics with herb/fauna knowledge, and tracking various theologies throughout their travels. They are also prized in their communities as linguists, allowing the bands to more accurately understand each other and make good trade relationships in their travels. Some carry tallow tablets, a plate of tallow or beeswax inset into a wood case, for quick notes that can be wiped or remelted away. Historians also track major social events, religious schisms, stories and fables, plays and songs – some of these more charismatic historians have picked up the title of Bard, but it’s uncommon.
Culinary/Chefs – Wanderingclan has developed the necessary advancement of cooking their prey. Not only are kits and queens only allowed to eat cooked prey, but its typically suggested to only drink warmed water as well. Wanderingclan has several earth ovens that are broken down and built up during travel. Chefs are taught how to hunt, but specialize in preparing prey cleanly, and supplying small amounts of herbs, fibers, eggs, and berries into a cats diet. They also must keep track of individual bands food tolerances – some won’t eat certain kinds of prey, or won’t eat in kittypet dishes vs clanmade.
Couriers – another small group compared to the total population, are the guides of the entire convoy. Couriers specialize in the territory and travel, and will scout miles ahead to plan optimal routes for kits and elders to manage. Masters of the sun and stars, some act as message deliverers, sending information across plains like wind. Unlike other deputies, most couriers believe their specific leader to be reincarnated upon death, choosing a new kit to guide them, and by extension the entire clan. These cats are typically the most associated with Starclan and the Ethereal Plains.
Healers – like most clans, are designated with the care and health of the clan. They are not automatically Startouched the way that Clerics from other clans are, and instead focus on reality – real blood, real injuries, real solutions, as they’d say. Learning to collect and preserve herbal remedies while traveling, and supporting those with chronic conditions, is a valued skill for any cat. Permanent queens or kings are a subset of this group, specializing in pregnancy, birth, and kit-rearing. Clerics are healers who use their connection with the afterlife – Starclan and the Ethereal Plains – to heal the sick and wounded.
Support – possibly the largest population, is also the least defined. Unfortunately categorized as a profession that a cat falls into when they have no specialty, Support are generalized and give help where needed. Usually in charge of hauling, or wheeling, ovens, temporary dens, bulk stocked prey and supplies, sometimes carrying the youngest or eldest unable to walk anymore – support breaks down and builds out camp whenever the clan stops to rest. In charge of making sure dens are unloaded, supplies are accounted for, kit-sitting, cooking, or running for water as needed. They are also trained in scavenging, hunting smooth driftwood, herbs and berries, and twoleg supplies like tarps, fishing hooks, or glass.
Mediators – A specifically pacifist band within Wanderingclan, these are the cats’ peacekeepers and politicians. These cats work closely with the council (if not already on it themselves), and couriers, to manage social graces with clans as they pass through established territory. Mediators are typically multi-lingual, and manage hunting-rights, broker trades, and internal clanmate conflicts. Socialites and silver-tongued, while warriors and healers manage the body, mediators manage the heart and souls of the clan. This is a role many cats will fall into as they retire, specialists in their respective fields who spend their days keeping an eye on the generations they’re leaving behind.
Elders – Those who don’t practice their craft till death, will retire due to age or other permanent conditions. Most will typically find a clan they enjoy well enough, and leave Wanderingclan to settle in a single location along the route. These cats will maintain base camps and relationships with locals, and welcome Wanderingclan back during seasonal migrations. There are a group of elders who continue to travel within Wanderingclan, energized by the fresh air and exercise – these cats are valued family members, and elders and kits who are unable to keep up with the pace of travel are carried in pull carts, or the smallest in woven baskets on specially built pack-frames.
Hi hi! I love reading along with shepherds and their shenanigans. But I have a question, What exactly are the ranks in the shepherds because I’n curious on this topic?
Hi, I'm so glad you're enjoying the game! Your question is answered in the #ranks tag! :) Hope that helps!
