I had an Image in my head of the average body types for each Sect and had to draw it.
Windi
- Based on oriental cats
- The tallest of the Sectish, with the longest tails/legs and largest ears
- long bodies and faces
- lots of boxy shapes
Riverish
- Based on maine coons
- The fluffiest of the Sects and with the largest paws
- Has two layers of fur- outer layer is thick and water-repellent, inner layer is soft and downy
- Tufted ears are very common
- Rotund
Thunderian
- Based on birman cats
- Shortest tails & thickest legs of the Sects, but itty bitty paws
- Oval/rectangle shapes
Shadower
- Based on singapura cats
- Tiniest of the Sects; scrawny babies
- Sharp, thinner shapes
- Basic cat silhouette (but smol)
Many cats have specialties- a job that a cat does often and well. Specialties come about for a variety of reasons; out of enjoyment of a specific task, simply because a cat does a task very well and therefore keeps getting assigned to do it, or because they have specific skills and/or abilities that make them great at some tasks and not-so-good at others. Specialties are like unofficial sub-ranks. There is no ceremony, but everyone in Thunder Sect knows that Commonclaw is a patrol specialist. A cat can specialize in numerous things at once; there's no limit to how many specialties they can have since it's all about their skills.
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Multi-Rank Specialties
Mentoring
Some cats gravitate towards teaching. They spend more time with kittens, teaching them history or the codes, and they often volunteer to take on another apprentice or teach a Clanmate's apprentice when they're sick or injured.
Camp Keeping
Camp keepers are the cats who spend time building dens and nests, keeping the camp clean and organized, and making sure the camp is well-defended.
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Warrior Specialties
Patrolling
Patrol specialists are cats with high stamina who know how to pace themselves.
Hunting
Hunting specialists are particularly skilled at stealth. They excel at the hunt itself instead of or alongside setting traps.
Messaging
Messengers are the swiftest of the swift, and they're the ones who are most likely to be sent across the territory with important information.
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Healer Specialties
Medic
Medics are healers who excel at thinking on the fly with limited medicinal supplies. They're often taken on patrols in case of border skirmishes or encounters with predators, and they're a great amount of help on battlefields.
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Sect-Specific Specialties
Trapping • Warrior Specialty • Shadow, River, & Wind Sects
Trappers are skilled at both creating and setting traps. Thunder Sect believes that trapping is undignified and undermines the natural skill cats have in hunting; you will never catch a Thunderian making or setting any traps.
Gardening • Multi-Rank • Thunder Sect
While almost all Thunderians garden, some seem to have a particular skill in it.
Swimming • Warrior Specialty • Shadow Sect
As the Shadow Sect makes their home in a marsh, swimming is a skill that all Shadowers have at least a basic understanding of. Some Shadowers even enjoy swimming, and employ this specialty to hunt things like turtles!
Fishing • Warrior Specialty • Shadow Sect
Fishing isn't a popular specialty in the Shadow Sect. Whereas in the River Sect it's a part of daily life, Shadowers tend to prefer other prey, like birds and lizards.
Artisans • Multi-Rank • River Sect
Artisans are Riverish who are particularly skilled in pottery. They know where to find the best clay, how to mold it into the shape they want, how to paint and carve images into the pot, and where the sun dries it out the best.
Diving • Warrior Specialty • River Sect
Divers can hold their breaths for a long time and are the ones who collect river oysters, clams, and mussels.
Land Hunting • Warrior Specialty • River Sect
Land hunting is a relatively rare skill to find in the River Sect. While all Riverish have the basic knowledge on how to hunt on land, it's not often needed, as the river is large and plentiful.
Gardening • Healer Specialty • River Sect
The garden specialty in the River Sect is very different from the one in the Thunder Sect. To the Riverish, gardening is reserved for healers and advisors and is only done with medicinal plants.
Weaving • Multi-Rank • Wind Sect
A specialty most often found among those who find themselves with long stretches of time with nothing to do. Weavers sew, dye, and embroider blankets and tapestries using a variety of materials, including long grasses and rabbit hides.
Tending • Warrior Specialty • Wind Sect
The only Sect to develop animal husbandry, the Wind Sect has cats who spend most of their time tending the animals they care for
Shadow Sect - Tense
Relations between Thunder and Shadow have always been somewhat tense due to their cultural differences. Thunder Sect values loudness, brashness, and bold fighting prowess; Shadow Sect values observation, stealth, and sneak attacks.
River Sect - Tense but amicable
Things are almost always tense between Thunder Sect and the River Sect due to the Sunning Wars. For the first time in a long while, things are friendlier between them. This is because of the friendship between Thunder Sect's deputy, Blueflood, and River Sect's leader and deputy, Squallstar and Woodheart.
Wind Sect - Peaceful
Thunder Sect and Wind Sect rarely encounter each other due to the positioning of their territories, so tension doesn't often develop between them. This also means that ally-ship doesn't develop often either. Thunder Sect is curious and displeased with the Wind Sect's disappearance, but not particularly motivated to go looking for them.
The Parklanders - Distant disdain
Thunder Sect is vaguely aware of the Parklanders, but they don't have much of a relationship with them. There's a sense of disdain for them, that they're a group who avoids fighting and worship the idea of being pampered by beings long-dead.
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Twisting Shadow Sect
River Sect - Relatively indifferent
The Shadow Sect doesn't see much of the River Sect beyond gatherings, so there's not very many chances for any relationships to develop.
Wind Sect - Indifferent
Why should the Shadow Sect feel anything towards a Sect they've successfully driven out? Even before the attack, they were mostly indifferent. The Wind Sect was simply in the way of territory they needed, nothing more.
Thunder Sect - Tense
Relations between Thunder and Shadow have always been somewhat tense due to their cultural differences. Dreamstar considered driving the Thunder Sect out first before targeting the Wind Sect, but he ultimately decided that the Wind Sect was smaller and would be an easier first attack.
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Glittering River Sect
Wind Sect - Indifferent
Despite the closeness of their territories, the Wind Sect and the River Sect don't interact often. Though Squallstar forbids his warriors from hunting on the abandoned land, not all of them listen to him. After all, what use is it to the missing Sect?
Thunder Sect - Tense but amicable
Things are almost always tense between Thunder Sect and the River Sect due to the Sunning Wars. For the first time in a long while, things are friendlier between them. This is because of the friendship between Thunder Sect's deputy, Blueflood, and River Sect's leader and deputy, Squallstar and Woodheart.
Shadow Sect - Distrustful
The Shadow Sect has been making moves recently. Though Dreamstar has offered both the River Sect and the Thunder Sect usage of the Wind Sect's lands (and some Riverish have taken him up on that), there's a silent understanding that the relative peace between the two Sects won't last forever- probably not for very long, either.
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Howling Wind Sect
Thunder Sect - Indifferent
Thunder Sect and Wind Sect rarely encounter each other due to the positioning of their territories, so tension doesn't often develop between them. This also means that ally-ship doesn't develop often either.
Shadow Sect - Intense hatred
Prior to being driven out of their territory, things were fairly tense between the Wind Sect and the Shadow Sect. Ragweedstar kept making grabs for territory, and after her death, Dreamstar did the same. Things escalated to downright hatred on the Wind Sect's end after being driven out.
River Sect - Indifferent
Despite the closeness of their territories, the Wind Sect and the River Sect don't interact often. A gorge filled with dangerous rushing water separates them, after all, and there's not much of a reason for either Sect to try crossing it.
The Flock - Peaceful admiration & respect
The Wind Sect has always held the Flock in high regard, and the guidance they have given the Sect after being driven out has elevated that respect.
Shadow Sect traditionally has female leaders due to the fact that the Shadow Star, founder of the Sect, was a she-cat. It's unusual for a non-female cat to be leader, but it can happen- an exception might be made if the cat is Blessed, particularly by the Shadow Star.
(And yes, this does mean that Ragweedstar/Raggedstar is now transfem!)
