[News] February 2023

['Souls Assemblage]

Spotlights for February 2023

Spotlight Soul
A delightful character whose adventures throughout his time on the forum and who truly exemplifies the "doggy" aspect of Luperci, this month's Spotlight Soul is Arran Fir-Chlis. A tried and true Caledonian, Arran recently completed his Grand Quest to earn the title of Shepherd. When he's not tending to his flock, Arran serves as a comfort-companion and gardener. He especially loves to play ball! While he sent his family away for their safety, he remained to defend his pack to the bitter end. With any luck, he'll be able to reunite with them soon.

Community Soul
This month's Community Soul is veldt! Not only has she been very active and engaging not only in the main 'Souls chat, but in pack and group Discord channels as well. She went above and beyond contributing to NC's disbandment plot and assisting leadership with its launch while also participating and helping to keep players engaged. veldt helped to co-write a lot of the disbandment plot, and sacrificed her own character as a villain in the process. Thanks for all your contributions to ensure New Caledonia went off with a bang, veldt!

Featured Pack Adoptable
Son to the long serving Labor Head, Honrin and the respected Brotherhood member, Guinevere, Tristan has many connections through his family ties. Along with his brother Nanouk, Tristan has recently joined the adult ranks of Casa, looking forward to what kind of future he had in front of him. Surrounded by peers of a similar age, Tristan finds himself in the center of a new generation in Casa, one yet to make its mark on the pack as a whole. Where will Tristan find himself during this time? Will he strive to race up the ranks like his parents and earn a title befitting of their son? Or will he focus more on himself and who he personally wishes to become?

Contact Casa di Cavalieri for details about adopting Tristan!

News & Updates

Table of Contents

Happy Lunar New Year!

The chill lingers in the local territories, but with the coldest month of the year behind them Luperci and other animals alike can look forward to this short month passing quickly. Snowfall will remain common, with a few rainy days in between and even fewer dry ones. In their dens, black bears give birth to cubs, while the screams of foxes in their breeding season can be heard throughout the night and evening hours. The same is true for cats both domestic and wild. These eerie and sometimes frightening noises are a sure sign that while it may not feel or look like it, spring is coming.

SoSuWriMo Winners

Big congrats to this year's ELEVEN SoSuWriMo winners!

Congrats to Mel, Shannah, Salena, veldt, Sami, Jazzy, Dark, Raze, Jace, and Myst, but special shout out to Larki, the absolute mad lad who wrote over 125,000 words in a month??? What the hell, dude.

Be sure to claim your prizes by February 7th!

New Caledonia Disbandment

As the year turns, change again comes to 'Souls.

In the late summer of 2019, a group of refugees fleeing their war-torn home arrived on the scene, Led by two charismatic men, these loners brought with them a rich culture and variety of talents and skills. They rallied others to their banner, including remnants left behind from other packs who had been destroyed by violence. Together, they banded together and formed a pack: New Caledonia. The Sun and Moon Kingdom was styled and inspired by medieval societies of old. Honor was valued among its people, who sought to prove their worth through various co-ranks, Guilds, and Grand Quests -- sprawling challenges uniquely tailored to the individual.

Unfortunately, peace seemed to be temporary. In late 2021, strange symbols began to appear around New Caledonia's territory. These marked the beginning of an assault on the pack which would last several months where bloody confrontations, kidnappings, and a full-blown assault with siege weapons would drive New Caledonia to the brink. Luckily, they were aided by their trade allies Salsola, who traveled north to help deliver the final blow and end the war.

This event, however, had long lasting consequences.

Over the next year, New Caledonia set about trying to rebuild. The pack had many happy days, and began finding its feet once more. New Councilors rose to aid the leadership, and Guilds strengthened their bonds as well as increased their production. Even so, much of the innocence and joy of the pack seemed to have been lost -- and by the early winter of 2023, the feeling of uneasiness was catapulted into the fray, when an incident at the Call to Court brought with it an ill omen. This would not be the only malady caused by the event: members of both New Caledonia and Salsola, who had been guests of the pack, began suffering from an unknown sickness. When the truth of the matter -- an intentional poisoning -- was revealed, the trust between the two groups shattered. The poison struck New Caledonia especially hard, resulting in the death of one member and leaving the High King bedridden.

It was around this time that familiar, eerie symbols began appearing around New Caledonia once more. Many who recognized these began to suspect that their old enemies had returned. Several chose to flee, not wishing to endure the horrors of the previous winter once again. By the time the main culprit behind the acts was discovered, however, it was too late. A new wave of violence struck New Caledonia, razing structures and attacking the already weakened pack with terrible force.

Though ultimately defeated, the conflict left the remnants of New Caledonia found themselves unable to endure the tests of time. The pack split, and while many of its former members relocated to The Citadel in Portland, others remained behind, intent on making their own place in the world.

The 'Souls Map has been updated accordingly.

Update your NPCs!

The new year (and events of SoSu) can mean that some NPCs are not listed accurately anymore! Take a few minutes and ensure that your character's profiles and/or Wiki pages are up to date. At the very least, it should be easy for other players and staff to know which cNPC belongs to which character!

Remember, yNPCs age out of this category when they reach two years of age and must become active characters, cNPCs, or move off-board.

Don't forget to include your animal companions in these updates! Aging varies between species, with some animals maturing faster than others. Elderly animals will have different needs than their younger counterparts. Keep in mind that while Luperci have some medical knowledge and skills that can help ensure longevity above average, they cannot match the standards humans have for domestic animals.

As a note, please remember that Loners are restricted to two livestock per adult.

In Memoriam: Sunny

Thank you to all who submitted messages and well-wishes for Sunny. A memoriam page has been added to the 2022 Yearbook to collect them.

Feeling the Post-SoSuWriMo Burnout?

If you've started a bunch of threads in January and are now feeling like you can't keep up, remember it's always okay to slow down! Take it one post at a time and reread what you've written!

And if you need to take a break from writing, there are plenty things on and around the site to help you stay connected to the game (and maybe inspire you along the way!) as well.

• Update your character's profile, Wiki page, or thread archive! Did some really awesome stuff happen over the last month? The last year? Make sure that all your stalkers fans can stay up to date!
  
• Speaking of dates, there's a lot of events that go on – and plenty of plots with more layers than might be expected. Take some time to update our History pages.
  
• Really want to work on the Wiki but the coding feels intimidating? Take advantage of our Collaboration Forum or the #wiki-collab channel on the Discord and see if your fellow players can lend you a hand!
  
• Chill out in our General Chats, either on the forum or in our Discord! You can play some fun games, talk about all the cool stuff your characters got up to, or what your upcoming plans with them might be.