#unique rank

[lostcoastclans]

GAMEKEEPER

MeadowClan Unique Rank | Singular | art by @rainstride

The most knowledgeable cat in the Clan on the subject of all puzzles, riddles, and games. These are most frequently cats with excellent memories and a knack for organization and strategy, and are usually selected by the previous gamekeeper for training only after they have already earned their full rank names. Gamekeepers are not trained to perform the same duties as leaders or deputies, but the tasks they do perform are just as vital to the wellbeing of the Clan, and they are typically just as involved with their community.

A gamekeeper’s primary duties involve overseeing the training of apprentices (particularly assisting apprentices soon to earn their full names with their warrior assessments, self-directed events known as thesis projects in MeadowClan), the conduction and management of Clan-wide games, contests, and other team building activities, accident or crisis planning, and general strategy for dealing with all manner of potential threats. While gamekeepers do not call Clan meetings or conduct ceremonies, they are the go-to cats to chaperone and referee various events, and they are go-to instructors during any crisis. If, for instance, a fire broke out uncomfortably near MeadowClan’s camp, the Clan would look to the gamekeeper for instructions on how best to evacuate or otherwise manage the situation. Accident planning and running safety drills are common everyday duties that the gamekeepers perform with their Clanmates.

While a gamekeeper’s job is incredibly important to the overall safety of the Clan, it is also a position coveted for the joy and creativity involved in it – brainstorming ideas for projects with apprentices and organizing Clan game nights and escape rooms is good fun, after all.

[lostcoastclans]

SCRIBE

MarshClan Unique Rank | Multiple | art by @rainstride

Scribes are a small but incredibly vital group, specially trained from apprenticeship and tasked with the management of MarshClan’s ever-shifting territory. They are oftentimes the most agile, sure-footed, keen-eyed cats in the Clan, in addition to being skilled navigators, in order to survey the marshes swiftly and effectively. Though there is little restriction on who can train to be a scribe, the job is incredibly demanding and time-consuming, and it is not uncommon for cats who begin training as scribes to opt out to become warriors instead.

With the constant ebb and flow of the tides changing the territory daily, navigating it can be tricky even for experienced warriors. Scribes mitigate these challenges for their Clanmates by scouting the marshes and carving maps noting safe paths through. Scribes are typically the first cats awake and patrolling, particularly after storms or spring tides, when changes to the territory’s topography are the most drastic. They work closely with the Clan’s healers to monitor the growth of herbs, and are often the first to go to work constructing things to divert water flow away from vital areas. Salt marshes can be a harsh environment for many plants and animals, but scribes work to ensure both that the territory stays stable enough to provide for MarshClan’s needs, and that MarshClan doesn’t damage the ecosystem they live in. Scribes act as an advising council to the Clan’s leader and deputy on many internal affairs, and hold the collective ability to veto some decisions if they believe it will threaten the balance of the marshes’ ecosystem.

A scribe’s work seems to never be finished, but by working as a team, they ensure MarshClan’s prosperity – and make sure everyone gets time to rest. Though their skills are most frequently put to use in their jobs, many scribes have artistic and curious spirits, finding joy in learning about the natural world, and in the acts of carving or crafting – form and function should coexist!

[lostcoastclans]

SHEPHERD

MeadowClan Unique Rank | Multiple | art by @rainstride

Though typically there are fewer shepherds in the Clan at any given time than warriors, the rank is rarely left wanting for cats to fill it. Shepherdhood tends to rely on diligence, levelheadedness, and an ability to mind and nurture the plants and insects that are a shepherd’s charges; while many who choose to follow a shepherd’s path rather than that of a warrior prefer the more peaceable lifestyle, those devoid of the nerve or will to chase out destructive pests or face down wildfires might find the position’s duties challenging.

Shepherds are tasked with the care of certain flora and fauna in the boundaries of the Clan’s territory. Primarily, shepherds care for the many species of solitary bees that live on their Clan’s land. The bees help to pollinate and keep healthy many plants that are important to healing and ceremonies, and, most vitally of all, defense against wildfires. Daylilies are the most important of a shepherd’s charges, as the water in the lilies’ roots can help to regulate or halt the spread of wildfire across the Clan’s territory. Shepherds attempt to guide the growth of these flowers in specific locations to protect the camp and important hunting grounds, and lead the bees along to pollinate the flowers to foster them. Shepherds typically form close bonds with their insect charges and attend to their fields loyally, even creating small structures for solitary bees to take shelter in. Cats may be trained into shepherdhood from apprenticeship, if they take interest in the work in their youth, or may train and join their number later in life, after serving the Clan as a warrior or monarch previously. Trained shepherds may also transition out of the position and into another if they wish to.

Shepherds may choose to hunt and patrol like warriors do when they are not attending to their bees or flowers, but their duties do not require them to venture beyond MeadowClan’s own territory.

[lostcoastclans]

ARGONAUT

WaveClan Unique Rank | Multiple | art by @rainstride

A select group within WaveClan, warriors vastly outnumber the argonauts in the Clan at any given time, and this has been the trend throughout the rank’s history – both because an argonaut’s duties can be rather risky, and because some are more inclined to be homebodies than the adventurous spirit being an argonaut typically demands.

Argonauts are tasked with the restoration and maintenance of historically or culturally significant sites, and with the exploration of the territory’s furthest reaches to contribute to the archivist’s records. Argonauts are often the first to investigate any changes that may befall the territory following things like storms, and may act similarly to a lifeguard or first responder if a Clanmate is injured or trapped in dangerous terrain. They work to avert the deterioration of historical sites; they will often dive to remove debris like rocks or sea life from the surface of underwater landmarks, and do much the same at low tide when they are more easily accessible. Investigating new or lesser-explored areas of the territory, such as the caves, tidal islands, sandbars, atolls, etc., for resources and relics is equally important. While the majority of the exploration part of an argonaut’s duties is spent planning expeditions, with expeditions only happening once every half or full moon, exploration can uncover new places to hunt or collect herbs that are useful to the Clan, and argonauts may be tasked with recovering the remains of cats who may have perished in hard-to-access locations. Additionally, though it is not a prescribed duty, argonauts are often the most knowledgeable about both land and sea wildlife, and similarly are the most likely group to interact with fauna that can verbally communicate. Cats must be trained into this role, and can only be selected for it by the Clan leader and other argonauts after a cat has received their warrior name.

Argonauts may perform warrior duties like hunting and patrolling, but their focus is on expeditions and maintenance tasks.

[lostcoastclans]

ARCHIVIST

WaveClan Unique Rank | Singular | art by @rainstride

Archivists are the Clan’s recordkeepers, keeping track of the Clan’s history in the form of both stories and lessons, and shanties, hymns, and other songs. These cats are both knowledgeable and artistic, not only memorizing the oral history of WaveClan’s past, but also chronicling major events occurring in the Clan throughout their own lifetimes. An archivist is not chosen from birth or apprenticeship, but rather it is a position given specifically to a senior member of the Clan, when an older archivist feels it’s time to choose a senior warrior to train as a successor.

Archivists keep track of events within the Clan such as births, deaths, rank changes, and more. They are generally very eager to share their knowledge and to collect more tidbits of history. Though archivists are largely uninvolved in the political aspect of leadership, they are viewed as community organizers, and may conduct certain ceremonies – such as weddings, funerals, and the promotion of new argonauts – and lead celebrations or festivals within the Clan. Archivists can also be an invaluable resource in assessing situations dealing with natural processes or events, such as tides, weather, flooding, rockslides, and more. If something has occurred before in the Clan’s history, then it may not be cause for concern, or if it is, there may well be a protocol for dealing with it. Archivists also work very closely with the Clan’s argonauts, often the first that the argonauts report to after an expedition, and typically the keeper of any artifacts recovered on those expeditions that the argonauts do not use for piercings.

An archivist’s job, while not always physically demanding, is one that requires thoroughness and dedication, and archivists typically take to their work with pride. Whether they are advising the leader and deputy in crisis management, noting reports and recovered artifacts from argonauts’ expeditions, or working with the monarchs to begin educating kits on the Clan’s history, there is joy to be found in performing and sharing their duties. What’s better than whistling while you work being your work?