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Allowed Species: Any species that is not a Ma'ome or Ma'duwi - those species being the largest and top of the food chain.

Lifestyle: Mostly, to go unnoticed by the larger species, but still enjoy comforts and safety in numbers. Any larger gathering of technically "prey" animals is bound to be dangerous, as they could be wiped out by predators in one fell swoop. But this colony has found clever ways to gather in hiding, right beneath the noses of their larger neighbors. Some in the colony prefer simply hiding, while others enjoy taunting their "enemies" by stealing from them, or even massing together to wage what, in their minds, are wars, though they may feel more like just annoying pests to the large species. At the end of the day, though, the Miguu's specialty is melting away into hiding where none but other colony members can find them.

Location: The colony is, by necessity, a bit spread out and decentralized. They do all meet up at certain times in hidden areas, but for the most part, they live in fairly isolated groups - with Messengers the only contact between them. These groups gather anywhere there is a hidden spot that larger species would have trouble getting into - hollow trees, caves, underground dens, even treetop settlements that cannot be climbed into. Any existing colony has the potential to have a settlement from the Miguu in it - but would they ever know the colony members are there.....?

Terms
Village: Any significant gathering of colony members into a single place, where young are raised. A home built and maintained by adult colony members, that is kept hidden and safe. Usually, there will be a small area near the hidden den/nest/etc for young to play and explore safely.

The Wilds: The area outside and between Villages. Young colony members are never allowed in the Wilds, except on very rare occasions.

Hunter: A general term for any of the large predator species.


Traditions
Hidden Homes: The main overall goal of any in the colony is to keep their homes and their young safe from the larger predators. As such, they carefully choose places to make dens, nests, etc where they cannot be found. They also carefully watch population numbers, and anytime their are too many individuals, some will choose to split off to find a new home, keeping the colony scattered in groups known as Villages.

The Gathering: Usually once a year, though not always, on a randomly chosen date, colony members will gather in a somewhat central location. This trip is meant for adults only, as it can be a dangerous trek across the Wilds. At least one Leader from each Village will attend, as well as Messengers that lead the expeditions, and any other adults who choose to come. There are a few sites for the Gathering, and one is chose randomly each time one is held - so there is not a set pattern that predators would notice. The Gathering is a place for swapping tales and goods, for Leaders to share news, and (try) to make colony wide laws. It is also a place for colony members who wish to leave their current Village to assess and then perhaps join a different already established Village.

Individual Villages may have their own traditions/holidays, aside from these.


Laws
Leave no Trace: Tied into the Hidden Homes tradition above, is the overall colony law to pass through the Wilds without leaving any trail for predators to follow.

Don't Annoy the Hunters: This is meant to be a colony-wide law, and should be easily understood. But there are some Villages that enjoy flirting with danger, and at least one that plans and executes head-on attacks of the Hunters in their area. So... the Leaders tried??

There are a few ranks that are universal across all Miguu villages, which will be listed first. After that, each village will have a section with ranks specific to that village.

Note - plot/rp required ranks may be held by those who do one or the other, or both. I know not everyone has the time to do full on rp, but some measure of plotting, at least, is needed in these ranks!

Universal Colony Ranks

Village Chief - plot/rp required
Pretty much exactly what it sounds like - these are the main leader(s) of the village, who make village specific laws, judgements, and decisions. Each village will have at least one Chief, though there can be up to three per village.

Council - plot/rp required
Essentially, advisors to, and helpers of, the Village Chiefs. Different villages' Council may function differently, but the rank name is the same - for example, Thornmount Councilers are more like a war-council of generals, where Embervale's Council seem much more like a gathering of friends gossiping about goings-on in the village.

Chief Medic - plot/rp required
Usually one Miguu that speaks for all other Medics to the Council and/or Village Chief. It's not unheard of for there to be more than one of this rank, though it is unusual.

Medic
Another obvious rank, these are the general healers, herbalists, doctors etc of the colony.

Artisan
This is a catch-all rank for any Tiny Paws that make the creation of things their business and/or pleasure. It covers everything from crafters of physical items, to entertainers. Though they definitely tailor their creations to what village they live in, the Artisan rank is a staple throughout the colony. They are often some of the most flexible and free thinking Miguu, and most likely to move villages at least once, and often more than once.

Guard
Essentially, these Miguu patrol near the edges of the villages, watching for any intruders, and doing whatever their specific village deems necessary if one is spotted. They also generally watch over any young paws that may be wandering, and keep them from going too far into the Wilds.

Thornmount Guards are the most aggressive, trained to repel invaders on their own, and having ways to quickly call for reinforcements if needed.
Cliffshade Gaurds are typically fairly self sufficient, but their strategy is usually to run away, losing any invaders among the blind and dead end trails within their cliffside home.
Embervale Guards are almost non-existent, since their village is so well hidden. A Guard in Embervale could be just an older Miguu who holds the position as sort of a formality.
Rocktumble Guards watch over the landscape below their hill from a wall cleverly constructed by the village's Builders to look natural, and also to be a bit of a maze for anyone to try and get through. What looks like a solid wall of rock from a distance actually hides many different passages, and defenders know exactly how to navigate this area to best drive off invaders.

Young Paw
The rank for any and all babies within the colony.

Messenger
These brave and bold Miguu are respected by all the villages for their job of traveling through the Wilds between villages to bring news, letters and messages from family and friends, and any other needed communication among villages in between Gatherings. They go through extensive training to be able to travel and survive on their own during Message runs. They do have a home village, but many Messengers also do consider every village to be equally their home, since they spend so much time traveling. Any Miguu in any village will gladly host a Messenger in their family home, and feed and take care of them for free. Messengers have their own sort of loose council and rules, but these things are generally a mystery to the rest of the colony. The one downside to being a Messenger (other than the dangers of the Wilds) is that it is rather difficult to have a family if you're constantly running around between villages, staying away from your home for long periods of time - or, for some, not even really feeling like any one village is 'home'. As a result, these Miguu tend to only form loose attachments to others.

Chief Messenger - plot/rp required
A sort of 'hidden' rank, only other Messengers know who these Miguu are. They function as another governing body, of sorts - gathering observations from all Messengers and making decisions for the good of the entire colony. They will often decide to reword or rework, or sometimes even 'forget to deliver' messages about laws that they deem could be harmful to the colony as a whole. If these discrepancies are brought up at a Gathering, they can and do use their influence and pressure Village Chiefs to back down from what they feel are bad decisions.

Thormount Ranks - Note: Loosely based on the structure of an army, but I am not at all very familiar with such ranks and what they do IRL, so forgive me XD

Recruit
A temporary rank for any newcomers to this village - meant for adults who move here from a different village, though some who grow up there may also hold this rank. Miguu in this rank are considered to be learning the ways of the village, are typically not trusted with anything but the simplest of tasks, and are looked upon almost as servants by higher ranks. The get tasked with a lot of cleaning duties, and similar things. (unless it is for plot purposes, it's usually not necessary to have this rank on a cert just to change it relatively quickly, but know that it exists IC'ly)

Soldier
A step up from a Recruit, this is the rank that most Tiny Paws in the village hold. Basically, a regular normal Miguu that lives their life in the village and follows orders from the higher-ups, going to fight when and where they are told.

Corporal
These Miguu are in charge of a small troop of Soldiers, usually around 4 to 6. They will pass down orders to their troop and fight alongside them in battles. They also train Recruits and continue that training with the Soldiers in their troop.

Sergeant - plot/rp required
The leaders of the 'army' that is Thornmount, these Miguu are in charge of multiple Corporals, and thus, the Soldiers under them. They will sometimes go out to fight personally, but more often than not tend to lead from the rear or the sidelines. They make decisions on orders and battle plans, alongside their Village Council, whom they actually refer to as Generals in common speech.

Trapmaster
As mentioned above, there are many different traps surrounding this village, and it is the Trapmasters' job to create and maintain these traps. They report to a specific Sergeant who is in charge of all of them, along with whatever other Corporals that are under that Sergeant.

Cliffshade Ranks

Trainee
Similar to the Recruit rank in Thornmount, with much the same caveats. But Cliffshade tends to respect their newcomers a bit more, and focuses more on teaching survival skills and how to 'borrow' than just using Trainees for cleaning and fetching things.

Borrower
The main backbone of this village, alongside Artisans. Borrowers venture out into the nearby Wilds, to find and 'borrow' (steal) from larger Hunters. It's a risk, and a thrill for them all at the same time. The more and better things that you're able to 'borrow', the more famous you can become. Artisans will sometimes partner with a favorite Borrower, to use their spoils in crafts which they can then sell to improve the village, or to trade to other villages during a Gathering.

Embervale Ranks

Farmer
A somewhat obviously named rank, these are Miguu who are skilled at working the fertile land in their hidden valley, and growing food. This covers everything from those who prepare the land for crops, to those who plant seeds, to those who harvest.

Cook
It isn't enough just to grow the food, you have to prepare it for eating, as well! Though many foods the village grows can be, and are, eaten raw - a Cook knows ways to pair things together so they taste the best. They do also actually cook certain things, of course.

Trader
Though Embervale is thought of as one large village, and on the surface, it is - its also made up of many separate smaller hamlets scattered throughout the valley. Farms break up these smaller communities, and there are those Miguu who have made it into a business to travel from farm to farm, trading goods, seeds, and crops around.

Rocktumble Ranks

Sacvenger
The main rank of the village, these Miguu are somewhat similar to the Borrowers in Cliffshade, competing to find the best things out in the Wilds. But, they tend to be a little more careful about it, due to trying to avoid being near Hunters at all.

Builder
A sort of more specialized Artisan that comes from this village, alone. Due to the excess of rock that covers their home, this group of Miguu has found ways to shape the stone and build complex structures with it - making the hilltop look like a gathering of tiny houses and castles, once past the village's defenses.

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Open for posting~ Ideas and brainstorming welcome!

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