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CoC General

From Children of StarClan

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The Cats of Camelot were founded in early 2007 by Pendragon with the purpose of restoring the ancient royal order and locating Excalibur so that mighty blade could be restored to it's rightful place in the hands of the bloodline of Uther Pendragon.

Rank Structure

  • King/Queen: Ruler of Camelot, charged with the authority to aide the group in attaining their goals.
  • King Consort/Queen Consort: Mate of the King/Queen.
  • Crown Prince/Crown Princess: Offspring of the Ruler and the Consort selected to inherit the throne of the Cats of Camelot.
  • Crown Consort: Mate of the Crown Prince/Princess
  • Prince/Princess: Offspring of the ruler and his or her Consort. They may be biological or adopted.
  • Lord/Lady: These cats are the highest amongst the Knights. These cats are the King's inner circle. They lead missions for the ruler, attend the ruler themselves and work to achieve the goals of Camelot.
  • Sir (Knight): A cat accepted as a full Knight of the Camelot. These can either be inducted from outside (after a brief Squiring) or raised from amongst the Squires. These cats are expected to attend to missions in the name of the king, take an oath of fealty to that same king, and work to achieve the goals of Camelot. A highly valued knight might be raised to be a lord is his own standing. They might also serve as an aide-de-camp to a prince.
  • Dame: A cat accepted as a lesser knight of Camelot. These cats are expected to undergo a squiring (brief, if not raised from amongst the pages/squires raised in the kingdom). These cats are expected to attend to the orders of the king, and might serve as Ladies-in-waiting to a princess. A valued dame might someday be raised to the rank of lady in her own standing.
  • Squire: Around 12 weeks of age a Page is considered able enough to begin serving as a squire. These cats continue their training, and are finally permitted to branch into proper hunting and battle teachings.
    When cats from beyond the group wish to join they must spend a short squiring learning the code and other proprieties.
  • Page: A weaned cat not yet old enough to Squire to a specific Knight or a cat who is of-age but for which there is not a knight available to do the squiring.. They are expected to learn the code of chivalry, run errands and undertake other such tasks as asked by their betters.
  • Kitten: Cats born to a member of the peerage prior to their weaning at 6-8 weeks of age.

View also:

Lands & Titles

Lands & granted titles are listed in the order of establishment.

  • Fief Whitehart & the title Lord of Whitehart, granted to Socrates by Pendragon I with lands extending for 2 fences to either side of his keep.
    • Order of Inheritance
      On the death of Socrates the honors would pass to Plato.
      Should Plato die they would pass to Theophrastus.
  • Fief Von Monte & the title Lord of Von Monte, granted to Aslan by Pendragon I with lands extending to to include the pair of yards facing on the keep.
    • Order of Inheritance
      On the death of Aslan the lands & title would pass back to King Pendragon to redistribute as he saw fit until such time as Aslan produces an heir.

Terminology

  • Adult - Cats are considered adults when they reach breeding age, around 6 months of age. Cats who are younger than 6 months are not yet eligible to take an oath. Any cat born of the peerage is expected to swear fealty at this age.
  • Aide-de-camp - A personal aid to King or Prince. Typically of the High Peerage, though sometimes a Knight.
  • Audience - A formal hearing in which the King permits others to approach and speak to him.
  • Brother - A male cat trained in the service of God, but who is not a priest.
  • Cat of the Cloth - A Priest.
  • Commoner - A cat who lacks a rank.
  • High Peerage - Cats of the upper ranks. Lords, Ladies, Princes, Princess, Crown Princes, Crown Princesses, Queens, and Kings.
  • Lady-in-waiting - A personal aid to a Queen or Princess. Typically of the High Peerage, though sometimes a Dame.
  • Low Peerage - Cats of the lower ranks. Squire, Page, Dame, and Sir/Knight
  • Of age - A cat who is an adult is this.
  • Peasant - A cat who lacks a rank.
  • Peerage - The name applied to the ranks of Knight, Dame, Lord, Lady, Prince, Princess, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, King and Queen as a group.
  • Peer - A cat of rank within Camelot. Cats who are not commoners.
  • Preist - A cat trained in the ways of God who has been ordained and has a place as the head feline in a house of God.
  • Royalty - Cats of the highest rank. Prince, Princess, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Queen, and King.
  • Servant - A cat not of the peerage who has been taken on to serve some useful capacity by a peer. Ranked higher than a commoner/peasant, but not considered a peer.
  • Sister - A female cat trained in the service of God.

Traditions

Church

Pen encourages consistent attendance of mass, including midweek services.

Inheritance

Unless a will has been registered with a cat of the peerage it is assumed that the lands and worldly goods of a cat are inherited by their firstborn offspring. This includes the titles of Lord/Lady and King/Queen. Announcements of changes to inheritance are expected to be made before the court, preferably in the presence of the King or Queen during a formal public session of the court..

Current Order of Succession to the Throne

  • At the dead of King Pendragon I the throne would pass to his Heir Apparent, Crown Prince Arthur.
  • Should Crown Prince Arthur die, the throne would pass to Princess Kelia, secondborn of the royal line.
  • Should Princess Kelia die, the throne would pass to Prince Gareth, thirdborn of the royal line.
  • Should Prince Gareth die, the throne would pass to Prince Cearnaigh, forthborn of the royal line.
  • Should Prince Cearnaigh die, the throne would pass to Princess Ceridwen, firthborn of the royal line.
  • Should Princess Ceridwen die, the throne would pass to his lady wife, Queen Valiant I.
  • Should Queen Valiant I die the throne would be passed into the linage of Fief Whitehart, with the Lord or of the Fief to rise as ruler and be welcome into the house of Camelot as royalty.

Current Order of Succession of the Regency

  • Queen Valiant I would serve as Regent.
  • If in any case Queen Valiant I cannot take the post of Regent, it will fall to Lord Socrates of Whitehart or his Heirs.

Manners

Manners and deportment are considered important to each and every cat within the Cats of Camelot, from commoner to King.

Mating

Group members are expected to take a proper mate and swear a proper bond with them before God.

To be eligible for a marriage a cat must be at least 6 months old.

Any God-fearing cat is considered a suitable mate, though it is preferred that one mate from amongst their proper social tier.

Pregnancy

  • Ladies/Dames: Cats of this rank who are pregnant a leave from normal duties are granted.
  • Squires: Squires who are old enough to swear the bond are free to mate, but must make up the time of their Squiring that is missed for the pregnancy and nursing.

Marriage

Marriage is an oath promised before God that two cats will, til death do them part, be loyal of the flesh and of the spirit to only one another. Cats of the Peerage are required to spend at least 2 months betrothed before being married.

Betrothal

Betrothal begins, for the Peerage, at the point of formal announcement before the Court of the Male accepting the offer of the Female's paw. It is customary for this offer to be extended by the father and it may be offered without the consent of the Female in question. After an initial 24-hour period has passed either party may end the betrothal. (As a matter of propriety and politeness, most will accept a proposal publicly and end the matter in private even if they have no interest in the cat in question)

Durring the Betrothal the terms of the marriage, including matters such as Dowry, are negotiated. Ususally the father negotiates with the potential groom on the behalf of the potential bride. When all matters of the terms are settled, and the minimum of 2 months of betrothal have passed the marriage ceremony can be arranged.