valleyclancampfire

[valleyclancampfire]

RITUALS+CEREMONIES

SPIRIT BASKETS

ValleyClan camp is full of small campfires, all lit by the Eternal Flame, the sacred portal between this world and StarClan. These fires attract wandering and lost spirits, so to protect the clan from their mischief, small woven baskets of dried pond reeds are left beside each fire that burns overnight. At sunrise, the baskets are then burned, returning the trapped spirits back to the spirit world with the rising smoke.

Camp artisans are responsible for collecting enough material to craft enough baskets to last all year, as the pond reeds are only available seasonally. During the seasonal collection at the Bear Pond, the cats sing traditional songs of the glory of StarClan to bless the reeds as they harvest them, ensuring the reed always returns.

[valleyclancampfire]

RITUALS+CEREMONIES

EMBER PACTS

Ember pacts are personal ceremonies held between cats with a shared goal or promise to each other.

Each cat that wishes to enter the pact must bring a kindling branch and add it to an ember from the Eternal Flame, starting a small shared fire.

As their branches burn down to hot coals, all cats involved in the pact must make their verbal agreements, solidifying their oaths to each other so everyone understands exactly what they’re agreeing to.

Using green branches dipped in a small drop of pine tar, the coals are then retrieved and carefully pressed to each cat, one at a time, in a spot of their choosing, permanently singeing off a small patch of fur. The scar will henceforth represent the oath each cat has made to each other, words with an impact that cannot be twisted, ignored or forgotten.

Note: Ember pacts cannot be forced upon an unwilling cat, nor a kit below apprenticing age, willing or unwilling.

[valleyclancampfire]

RITUALS + CEREMONIES

ASH VEILING

Ash veiling is a common practice done by herbalists (for spiritual reasons) and cats with bright pelts (for protection from predators), where one adorns oneself with black soot, collected from campfires lit by the Eternal Flame.

Veiling patterns include using fresh black soot to cover light patches on spotted and mixed colored cats, as well as a solid black veil covering the forehead, ears, muzzle, back and tail, so as to be rendered invisible from above, the more common Herbalist option. Although slightly unorthodox, many young warriors have taken to the addition of pure white soot dotted down the spine or tail to resemble vertebrae, in honor of their ancestors.

[valleyclancampfire]

📜 mayhaps? (Ask game)

There's so much to say about this one, I figured I'd just start with ValleyClan's vows aka warrior code. Let me know if this sparks any more questions!

VALLEYCLAN’S VOWS

The Eternal Fire

The Eternal Fire is the womb of StarClan, a passage between worlds. Losing one’s life protecting it is the greatest honor.

Should the Eternal fire go out, the Leader who allowed it must be sacrificed to appease StarClan’s wrath.

Upon death, a Leader’s body must be burned in the Eternal Fire; the three deputies carry them to the top of the mountain, and FireKeepers divine their successor from the smoke and charred bones.

StarClan’s Authority

The Leader’s word is second only to StarClan’s will, as divined by the FireKeepers.

There must always be nine FireKeepers, in order to maintain balance and properly divine StarClan’s will without mortal bias.

All ValleyClan Vows are subject to reinterpretation by the FireKeepers if so directed by StarClan.

Purification & Death

Any cat who intentionally kills a healthy kit must be sentenced to feed the Eternal Fire (death by burning).

Cats that die of illness or weakness of the soul must be purified in the Eternal Fire to prevent their spirits from attaching to others and spreading illness.

When a cat dies, their bodies are to be given to the Eternal Flame to cross over to StarClan. The Clan is then to lead their soul to rest by bringing pine sap torches, lit from their cremation fire, back down the mountain to camp and adding them to a large ceremonial bonfire. This ceremony is one of mourning, but also of celebration for their life and their sacrifices.

Ancestor Veneration

Honor thy ancestors: adorn yourself with their bones or display them in sacred spaces. Never let a purified bone touch the dirt.

Spirits are attracted to the sacred flames of the Eternal Fires, including those in our camps, so always be respectful to the flames, treat them as you would your ancestors. Never snuff a sacred flame with dirty water. Never speak ill of other cats around a campfire. Never harm an innocent cat with flame.

The Three Deputies

By FallenStar’s decree, three deputies uphold balance: Hunting, Patrol, and Herbalist. All serve the Leader equally.

Defection & Loyalty

Deserters are shunned forever; no exceptions for return.

Those who kill their own kin must be sentenced to feed the Eternal Flame (death by burning).

Inter-Clan Relations

Relationships with other Clans are forbidden.

All Clan treaties and inter-Clan agreements must be made with the approval of the FireKeepers

Bastard kits born from a non-clan parent must be exiled, along with their Clan-born parent.

Apprenticeship & Coming of Age

At six moons old, kits undergo an Apprenticeship Ceremony, where they swear to uphold ValleyClan’s code and begin training in all skills: hunting, combat, herb lore, and artisan crafts.

Apprentices may not train outside of camp without completing eagle and hawk evasion training.

After mastering their duties, apprentices face a Coming of Age Ceremony, where they receive their full name and choose their role in the clan (warrior, hunter, herbalist, artisan, etc.), proclaiming it proudly before the Eternal Fire for all of ValleyClan and StarClan to witness.

No cat—queen, mate, or parent—may influence this choice. The decision belongs to the apprentice alone, guided by StarClan’s whispers in the flames.

The apprentice’s assurance: No mentor may strike without cause.

Patrols & Combat

Defense comes before bloodlust. A true warrior removes threats without unnecessary killing or harm to Clanmates.

To abandon your patrol post is to abandon your clan. Deserters will be shunned.

Any cat that harms another in training will be put on a probationary period where they can no longer train or preform their daily duties until approved by their deputy.

Those injured in FallenStar’s name shall want for nothing. All prey, medicine and desires within the Clan’s ability to retrieve shall be given to warriors recovering from honorable wounds.

Prey & Respect

Respect prey with a swift, painless death. Waste no part, no feather nor dibble of fat, lest their spirits abandon future hunts.

Fish, feathered and four-legged prey smaller than a cat must be cooked or smoked before eating.

Never hunt an abnormally weak or ill animal, lest its spirit takes its revenge on those who consume it.

Queens’ Rights

A queen need not reveal a kit’s parentage or share kits with the biological parent if she refuses.

A queen may always have her own den, and need not share unless they desire to. If a queen prefers to stay in the shared queen’s den she is allowed to, but not permitted to remove another queen from the space.

Clan Welfare

Kits, elders, nursing queens, and the ill eat first. Leaders and deputies eat last.

When available, more stock of prey, herbs and supplies should be kept than necessary in preparation of hosting guests or harsh seasons.

No cat shall freeze while the sacred flame burns. Elders and kits have priority seating close to the fire on cold nights.

Herbalists must treat all cats, clan-born or otherwise, with equal care. No cat should suffer from a Herbalists’ prejudices or personal biases. Should a Herbalist be found to be neglecting life-saving care, they are to be shunned/exiled.

Monthly Rituals

Once a moon, should the weather allow, all cats bathe in herbalist-treated heated water to prevent illness.

Confession: On new moons, when the land is at its darkest, all cats young and old must bring one stick to a communal bonfire in camp. As they add their stick to the fire one by one, they whisper a secret or an apology to the fire, letting the flames carry the confession to StarClan and absolve them of its weight.

Roles for the Vulnerable

The disabled, sick, or elderly may renounce warrior duties to become Artisans (crafting, storytelling, decorating).

The ill and disabled have equal right to chose how they serve the clan, and cannot be relegated to menial tasks due to their physical limitations.

The disabled, sick and elderly may not be shunned/exiled for their inability to serve the Clan.

[valleyclancampfire]

Clangen Ask Game V2

I had some questions I wanted to edit, some I wanted to add, so here’s round 2 of the Clangen Ask Game! Most are phrased in reference to clangen comics or fan writing, but this can apply to whatever clangen/clangen-adjacent media you create!

For the cats, please include a cat you’d like to answer

🎨 Favorite Hobbies?

🌙 Heavy or light sleeper, what are their dreams like?

🐀 Favorite Prey?

🌿 Favorite herb?

🎉 Favorite Holiday/Seasonal Event?

👯 Wild circle of friends, or a few close ones? Who’s their best friend?

🌳 What does their family tree look like?

⚡️Special powers or abilities?

🌷Quirks or other mannerisms?

🎯 What do their life goals look like? Deputy, Leader, Medcat, a family?

🏠 Would they ever consider becoming a kittypet?

🐾 What do they think of nearby clans/groups?

🪲What do they value the most?

🌲Favorite location on the territory?

🌧️ Favorite weather?

🧹 Favorite and least favorite clan task/chore/patrol?

🙀What do they fear the most?

✨ What is their relationship with StarClan like?

🍀Secret they’re hiding?

For the clan

🏞️ How did your clan start?

📜 How does your clan’s warrior code differ from other clans?

🎭 Does your clan have any specific traditions, rituals, or holidays?

🌌 Does your clan believe in StarClan, or another sort of afterlife?

💥 What’s the most dramatic event in your clan’s history?

🗿 Does your clan have any important or physical artifacts they keep?

🗣️ Which cat is the biggest gossip in the clan?

👑 Your leader and deputy disappear into thin air, who takes over?

⚔️ Who is the best and worst fighter in the clan?

🐾 Best and worst hunter?

🌟 Which cat has the strongest StarClan/Dark Forest connections?

🔮 Which cat is the most superstitious?

⚰️ What are your clan’s death rituals?

🛡How does your clan choose new deputies?

🌠 Are there any cats in your clan who don’t believe in StarClan?

🐱 Who are some of the cats outside the clan, and what is the clan’s relationship with them?

💔 Which cats have the most complicated relationship with each other?/make you go feral?

🎆What do omens/messages from StarClan look like to your cats?

For the World

🗺️ What does the territory look like? Any unique landmarks?

🐇 What are typical prey you’d find in the territory? Rare or unusual prey?

🐺Typical predators?

🦌 Are there animals that the clan can’t or won’t hunt?

🏘️ What is the twoleg activity like?

⚠️ Are there any dangerous areas cats have to avoid?

🏵Areas that are considered cursed or sacred? Your clan’s equivalent to Moonstone/Moonpool?

🌋 What sort of natural disasters happen here, any that have significantly changed the landscape?

❄️ What is the most challenging season for your clan?

🪴What herbs are most important to your med cats? Rare or magical herbs unique to your world?

🪵 What natural resources does your clan collect for tools, rituals, decoration, etc.?

For the Author

✍️ What inspired you to make your clangen comic/ other media?

⏩ How far ahead do you play in clangen? How far ahead do you draw/write?

📝 What do your notes look like?

⏳ What sort of deadlines or rituals do you follow to keep yourself on schedule?

⛔️How long are you planning on making your comic? For as long as you feel like it, or is there a set end?

🎲 How close to “canon” clangen RNG do you follow?

🔄Do you let clangen fully control names, or do you interfere? Where do you get inspiration for names for warriors and kittypets?

❔Do you have any suggestions for people looking to start their own clangen blogs?

💘 Any cats you ship? Any non-canon/crackship/oddball pairs?

™️Who is your saddest little guy?

😻Which cat would you steal to be your kittypet irl?

🐈 Are there any characters currently based on your irl pets?

🌀Out of context spoilers/WIP?

🏔Lore you’ve been wanting to share but haven’t gotten a chance to?

✏️Who’s your favorite character to draw/write?

❤️ Which character does the audience seem to love that you weren’t expecting?

🌍 What are some of your irl inspirations for the lore/worldbuilding of your comic?

💭 Fan theories or headcanons you love? How much does audience interaction change the events of the comic?

🤝 If you could collab with any other clangen creator (or just want to shout out your favorites), who would it be?

This also might just be me, but be sure to give your favorite creators time to draw or write their responses! Don’t be discouraged if it takes a minute

[valleyclancampfire]

Hello! I'm Minnow and Valleyclan is currently my work in progress - these panels are what I've kept after deciding to go in a different direction and focus more on writing, and sharing Valleyclan lore. (I'm too busy to draw these days lol)

I got the ask game from @ranchclan to help spark ideas, but I'm planning written lore drops in the near future. If you have any questions let me know and I'll try to answer them :)

[valleyclancampfire]

Im about to be busy asf tomorrow driving 10hrs for rabbits

[valleyclancampfire]

These bitches be gay

[valleyclancampfire]

Oops! Wrong blog! Which speaking of, you can follow my sideblog @hiddenvalleyclan where I reblog other clangen artists!

[valleyclancampfire]

Our founders 🍀

[valleyclancampfire]