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👑 King Pantera I 👑
Confident. Lively. Ambitious. Dutiful.
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🪝 The Pantera Pride 🪝
Said to be the descendants of both panthers and lions, members of the Pantera pride place high value in panther-like markings. Those with the 'Sacred Spots' are said to have been blessed by their god Pantera. The King is believed to be an incarnation of that god.
To those outside the pride, it may seem like a cult. Pantera lions are fiercely protective over their religious beliefs.
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The God: Members of the pride worship an ambiguously-gendered god named Pantera, who their pride is named after. Pantera is a God of Night and the Moon. They are said to be dark, mysterious, clever, stealthy, and unpredictable, but very protective over the ones who worship them.
The King; Believed to be the living incarnation of the pride's god. All Kings, regardless of the name they are born with, take the name Pantera when they come into power. Like the god they are expected to embody, the King must protect and provide for the pride. He is held to the highest standards. A weak-willed, unproductive King is thought to be an imposter of the god Pantera. If a King is judged to be an imposter, it is pride law that all lionesses must come together and kill him. Thankfully, this has not been a problem yet.
The Queen: Voted into power by other lionesses in the pride. A Queen often rules for life, though she can potentially be overthrown at any time if enough lionesses decide that they disagree with her method of leadership. While the King manages the religious affairs of the pride, the Queen oversees all social and political affairs.
Princes: Any adult male related to the King may be called a Prince. Most males are kicked out of the pride before they hit adulthood, so Princes can be a rare occurrence. Their primary duty is to assist the King and to learn how to be a king themselves, in case the current king should die unexpectedly without an appointed heir.
Princesses: The daughters of the Queen. They are given special privileges within the pride, as well as additional responsibilities.
The Matriarch: The oldest non-royal lioness in the pride. She might not be royalty but she's given the royal treatment. They are often retired denmothers or high-ranking huntresses.
Lords: A Lord is a male that is not related to the King, but is allowed to stay in the pride for separate reasons. He might be a lower ranking co-ruler, the son of the Queen, the consort of the King, or an adopted male.
Ladies: A Lady is a female relative of the Queen (who is not her daughter). Aunt's, cousins, nieces, grandchildren, etc. all get the title of Lady.
Mistresses: High-ranking lionesses who have proven their worth to the Queen. They have full authority when the Queen isn't present, outranking even the Princesses.
Denmothers: The primary caretakers of the pride's cubs. They are often assisted by lower-ranking huntresses. They are respected almost as much as the royal family. The Queen appoints denmothers based on their patience, compassion, and disciplinary skills.
Prophets: Lions with pure black or white coats (melanism or albinism) are believed to be prophets. As soon as they're old enough to leave their mother, they are put in the care of the eldest Healer, who teaches them how to hone their psychic abilities.
Healers: Skilled in all types of healing, from herbalism to spiritual matters.
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Religious Practices
• The King is treated like a living god. He is worshipped like a god and in return, he is expected to protect and provide like a god would.
• Every month on nights of the full moon, the pride holds a huge celebration.
• When the moon is not visible in the night sky it's considered a bad omen.
• Cubs are not given names until they reach adolescence.
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History:
It's unknown who originally founded the pride that came to be known as Pantera, though the first king to actually be named Pantera is often referred to as their founder. He was the son of a panther (or possibly panther-lion hybrid) named Skarlyx, who died at an old age and was said to be a wise and confident leader - though not necessarily a king. Skarlyx had been adopted as a cub by a lion who called himself Lord Koba, who rejected the title of king altogether. Some say there were others who ruled before Koba, but if there were their names have been lost to time.
King Pantera I was the first to bring real order to the pride. He encouraged worship of the pride's god, which brought unity and a sense of purpose to his lions. The pride began looking somewhat cult-ish to those outside, but no one in the pride seemed to have any problems with their odd religious practices.
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