Shisa III's Den

"Welcome. You have come across Intaba Pride's territory. You may leave as peacefully as you came, but if you wish to deal business with us, you may follow me to our home."

The Intaba Pride is a closely-knit but large family of around 30 adult lions and their young. They live in the marshlands of this land, and the pride has been raised on the more formidable prey of these lands - water buffalo, for instance, is something this pride is used to hunting. Most lions born and raised in this pride are stocky and well-built to hunt large and challenging prey. Listed below are notable lions or ranks of the pride.

Chief - the Matriarch
The chief of Intaba Pride is almost always female, nicknamed the Matriarch. She is the most experienced lion of the pride in terms of motherhood, hunting, and teaching the younger generation. While the holder of the role of Defender can change frequently, the Matriarch stays in her position until her death from old age or otherwise. The chief has the support of the entire pride, the lionesses, so this position is rarely challenged. While the position of chief is often passed from mother to daughter, it's only with the approval of the shaman.

Defender
The Defender is the pride's resident - or most dominant - male. He handles the pride's territory, defending the borders and leaving for days to explore and patrol. He fathers most of the pride's cubs and may occasionally assist in hunts.

Shaman
The shaman of the pride may be male or female and sometimes secludes themselves in a separate spot or den. They sometimes wear strange garb and have an excellent knowledge of the plant life around them as well as the history of the pride. The shaman primarily uses their knowledge of plants to induce visions and communicate with the ancestors of the pride or certain spirits, but they know the uses of plants that can affect a lion in many different ways.

Broodmothers
Broodmothers are the family's non-hunting lionesses. There are only a select few of them, and this role may vanish whenever the pride's numbers are low, and every lion is needed for hunting. Broodmothers stay behind on hunts and other activities to protect and care for cubs. While they mainly raise and nurse the newborns of the pride, they also assist in protecting and teaching the juveniles and adolescents.

Clans of Intaba

"We're a pride, so of course we're all family, blood or not...But, well, some stick to the old ways. Whether they're related to an ancestor of Intaba or not, some lions in Intaba form clans or families and claim a certain lion from our dynasty as their ancestor. It's the Chief's job now to manage relations between the clans, because some tend to...not get along."

Suneza
Once, in the old days, known as the Chezas, the Sunezas claim one of the oldest huntresses of the pride - and the most evil - as their ancestor. They consist of the more skilled and experienced hunters of the pride, and regularly try to make matches between lionesses of their clan and renowned kings of the land. They value strength, intelligence, and a willingness to achieve success no matter what.

Arctos
They claim one of the past leaders of the pride, previously a role named "King" and held by male lions, as their ancestor. While not as large in numbers as the Sunezas, their attitudes are generally just as malicious. The role of shaman is typically held by an Arctos lion due to the first shaman being the grandmother of this clan's first head. Other clan members typically serve as the huntresses that track down and select prey for hunts.

Vikela
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