Kiongozi | 0/1
The tournament leader, with Shujaa gone this coveted spot is now open. The Council of Champions votes on two lions who are worthy of the position and the two fight (usually to the death) in a winner takes all battle at the end of the tournament. Though not entirely fair some lions take to bribes to make sure their names are considered for the position

Will be decided in role-play.


Malkia | 1/1
Usually the queen of the Kiongozi's pride, though technically can be any lioness of his choosing. She does a lot of the 'behind the scenes' organization and handles all of the group hunts.


Council of Champions | 2/4
A group of seasoned champions who aid the Kiongozi in tournament affairs. They also make decisions on who will fill the tournament leader spot when it becomes vacant. To become a member of the Council one must have at least two 'First Circle' wins.


Competitors | 4/8
Lions who are competing in the tournament. They don't have to be a king, can be a sub male, or a rouge lion. MALES ONLY


Zawadi | 4/4
The prized lionesses of the kings that have passed. They are currently without a pride and have no social standing, prizes are not to fraternize with competitors in attempts to earn their favor. They are typically given as First Circle winnings.


Wasaliti | 2/4
A band of lioness that call for a reform of how the tournament is run, they believe that lionesses should be considered as equals. They call for the end of offering lionesses as prizes for victors. Some even believe that lionesses should be able to compete in the tournament for territory and hunting grounds.


Mtazamaji | 1/Unlimited
Spectators. Mostly lions that have no real interest in participating, lionesses that are apart of competitors' prides, and cubs that are too young to take part in the tournament. Your character can start out here and move to a different group if you are unsure of where you'd like them to end up.

Tournament Organization:

First Circle:
Participants: N/A
Prizes: Lionesses, Large Territories

Second Circle:
Participants: N/A
Prizes: Smaller Territories, Hunting Grounds

Third Circle:
Participants: N/A
Prizes: Hoard Items


A competitor may compete in all three circles (though it's unusual). Battles are ether 'winner takes all' or 'ranked' (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd), most aren't fights to the death though if both participants choose to do so the winner will 'inherit' the defeated's winnings. No blood is to be drawn in spars or practice matches, and there will be no bloodshed on the first and last day (save for the battle for the title of Kiongozi).

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Occasionally lions will form alliances in an attempt to gather as many winnings as they can. While this is frowned upon by the Council there are no official rules barring lions from doing so, most deals are made quietly as not to antagonize other competitors. Oftentimes lions are apart of multiple alliances at once, though the risk of getting found out by your allies far outweighs the benefits. With the inclusion of outsiders in this year's tournament there is a general 'Rookies' vs. 'Veterans' feel, though that may shift throughout the tournament.

Alliances:

None Currently

Talutah
Female | Malkia | 6 years

To say Talutah was frazzled would be an understatement. She had been running around all morning like an angry buffalo, it seemed as if in this tournament there were twice as many things to do. The passing of Shujaa had taken a toll on the lioness, and not in the form of grief. If Talutah allowed herself to be completely honest she was a bit relieved when the old lion took his last breath. Though now she was saddled with even more responsibility for the tournament this year. It had been a struggle to tackle Shujaa’s duties as well as her own, especially when it came to dealing with the Council. That band of old lions were stubborn and set in their ways, it was almost impossible to convince them to let outsiders join in the tournament. But now, as she checked the burrows surrounding the main arena, she was almost trembling with anticipation. She could tell this tournament would be vastly different than any that had come before it.

After spending a chunk of the morning making sure the infirmary was stocked up and tidying up the sparring arenas she was close to burning out. Talu would need to find her second wind if she had any hope of making it to the opening ceremony at the end of the night. For the first time in a long time she let herself daydream a bit about her future. Finally free from under Shujaa’s paw she imagined the type of king she might serve under in her new pride. Faint memories from her cubhood of her rather agreeable father put a wistful smile on her face. It soon slipped away as those pleasant thoughts gave way to her radical sister and her backward, foreign pride. Talu had really struggled on whether or not she would extend the invitation to Taka, the queen of the Mut Ma’at pride to the far north. In the end her diplomatic nature overrode her weariness and she invited the domineering lionesses, only to get a thorough tongue lashing from Taka about the ‘abhorrently barbaric and archaic practices’ that Talu still takes part in. Though a small part of her knew Taka was right, in a way, the spotted lioness couldn’t really see the forest for the trees. It was tradition after all and who was she to go against it?

Taking a deep breath to bring herself back up from the depths of her thoughts, she ran through her mental checklist for the upteenth time that day. It seemed as if she had completed all of the preparation and now all that was left for her to do is to greet the competitors as they registered for the event. She was quite curious to see what sort of competitors this year’s tournament would bring. Talutah made a beeline for the entrance and took her place off to the side to watch the males and the spectators enter.

Rameka
Female | Wasaliti | 4 years

The large lioness belched loudly, licking her lips with a look of content on her bloodied face. The large eagle that was perched on a nearby branch let out an indignant squawk, shooting her a look of disgust.

“How charming.” He said scathingly.

“Ah, shut up. You’re such a prig, Enapay.” Rameka shook her head as she stood up and stretched. She had been traveling for what seemed like years in order to get to this tournament. When she had heard of the appalling display of male dominance she was intrigued. Her mother, Taka, had ranted for hours about her ‘weak’ and ‘vapid’ sister. Until the day that the messenger had brought news of King Shujaa’s death and a formal invitation to participate in the tournament (so long as it was a male representative) Rameka had heard very little about her aunt who lived down south. At first Ram really had a hard time believing that her mother was related to a lioness who was still a part of a patriarchy but the longer Taka complained the more intrigued Rameka became. Egged on by the fact that they wouldn’t allow a lioness to fight alongside males and a strong desire to liberate the lionesses being offered as prizes, the maned lioness took off towards the tournament.

Her pride was located far north and the journey was long and arduous. She was nearing the end of her expedition though, as the lioness could hear the dull hum of activity from the arena. Rameka had paused for a quick meal, in hopes that it would settle her nervous stomach. She had never formally met her aunt and for all she knew the lioness could turn her away or worse, treat her as a hostile threat. Rameka had so many questions for her and the other lionesses that went along with this, any attempts she made to try and wrap her head around the idea of following behind some dimwitted brute like some sort of trophy consort ended in annoyance and irritation. The lioness had no idea what awaited her at the Great Tournament and she was dying to see what all the hubbub was a about.

Rameka approached the edge of the main coliseum and stopped to take in the sights before her. Her tail flicked with excitement as she watched the line of felines enter into the arena. Other competitors were littered around, some chatting, others training for the upcoming battles. With a calming breath and a signal for Enapay to follow after her the lioness made her way down the steep cliff.

Mokiki
Male | Council Member | 10 years

Naps were rapidly becoming Mokiki’s favorite part of the day, though he was doubtful that they would surpass eating. The large male lounged on one of the many sunning rocks that were located in the spectator area. He rolled over onto his back and stuck his paws into the air, his tail flicking back and forth lazily.

The old king had been to many a tournament in his lifetime so all of the pizazz had worn away. He had arrived a couple of days early, mostly due to his maddening desire to get away from his suffocating pride but he was also interested in seeing how Talutah would fare sans Shujaa. Mokiki wasn’t disappointed, the lioness was frantic, she dashed to and fro fussing over every little thing. It made Kiki glad that his only role was to observe the matches and help choose a victor.

A wistful smile graced the kings face as he thought about the reaction Chui would have had to Talutah’s actions. His missed his queen terribly. Though it had been many months since her passing, he still woke up somedays expecting to see her looming over him, paw raised to clobber him. Mokiki practically ached with need to let off some steam this tournament. But pride rules dictated that he would stay in mourning for four full months, prohibiting him from participating in this year’s tournament. He let out a low grumble as he rolled back over on his side, the warm rays causing his muscles to relax a bit. Even though he would be watching the action from the sidelines, he had a feeling that this would be the most interesting tournament he’s attended.

Aithusa ● Council Member ● Male ● tagged: Mokiki

Up early, and up to no good, the white lion wandered the hills a while just past tournament grounds. A few lions and lionesses scattered there recognized him and glanced thoughtfully in either respect or distaste. There was no in between for the members of his pride, especially from the older females who had grown together with him and thus knew all his past selves. It was an old love, a tough love. He would groom them a brief good morning before waddling over to a small pond to refresh himself after a day's travel. The grand Aithusa, who still thought himself just as grand, wrinkling up in the water's reflection. His glamorous coat riddled with stories and dulled over the years. Once a competitor years ago, he know took on a different role of wisdom, which seemed ironic to Aithusa because since when has anyone believed he made proper decisions? He recently got into a fight with a monkey about taking aromatic herbs which the lion certainly found of course. The world continued to make him wonder.

The little locust known by everyone else as Andiron was no where to be found with the rest of his pride members, and even upon asking no one knew where she'd gone. Coming of age for a lioness, Aithusa grumbled to himself, thinking she may be nothing but trouble this year. Shrugging it off for now, he decided to head into the coliseum. The sandy colored rocks of the tournament arena glimmered in the sunlight, casting short shadows as the day dwelled on. Aithusa stalked up the side of the spectator's area after noticing a familiar blob on one of it's bathing rocks.
"Wakey wakey..." He cooed, clapping Mokiki on the shoulder to get his attention, "The party has arrived!" Aithusa rasped a greeting, a genuine gladness in his sore eyes. He hadn't been in touch with the lion for a little while, at least not much since the last tournament, and now they were brought together again to experience another tournament.

Andineo ● Mtazamaji ● Female ● tagged: Talutah

There was so much noise. Voices cluttered Andineo's head as she sat in the shade. Aithusa, herself, and few other pride member trekked entire day before on the same familiar route they took to the tournament each year around. Although she had been there before, this time felt odd. Different. Hungry. As the sun made it's way through the sky, more and more lions filled the coliseum, their voices filling the air. Adineo inhaled the energy, then let it escape her lungs in a sigh. Under her watchful eye a lioness with paint on her face appeared on the slope. Another addition the mass. Curiously, she hadn't seen her before. Perhaps the news of Shujaa's death attracted more contestants and observers to the tournament like moths to a light. Her focus was abruptly ended as a stocky lioness asked her where the parties would stay over the duration of the tournament, to whom she gave a harrowing stare with her one eye. "Over there." She cocked her head to the left, glancing up towards the spectators area and beyond. The disturbed lioness then brusquely thanked her and uncomfortably wandered away.

The painted lioness dissolved into the crowd where Andineo could no longer find her with her gaze, so instead she leaned back against the cool stone and lost herself in a distant plane of thought. From all walks of life lions gathered her, and a creeping chill clung to her coat at the mere thought of seeing her father or someone from her pride here. From what she could remember, he was the ambitious type who stood no chance against Shujaa. Now that could all change. She prayed that she would not have to see him again. That was a bad place, a bad time. She dug her claws into the dry soil, as if in attempt to anchor herself to reality as she grew weary and light headed. After all the years it still haunted her. Slowly she stood and walked around the edge of the arena, striding up the slope towards the entrance where she recognized Talutah standing near, watching the stream of the lions flow. Approaching her, she started:
"Long day?" Andineo felt the aura of mental fatigue emanating from the lioness, behind the welcoming facade she used to greet the others.