Herds, Bands and Rookerys

[Legend]

• A Herd, Band or Rookery without a Lead Stallion or Mare (Band) can be claimed.. If there is a Lead Stallion - then the herd or Rookery must be challenged for in one on one Combat.

• All Herds, Bands and Rookerys can be challenged for.. but in order to challenge, your character must have at least 100 posts and 500 currency. (Currency is gained at 5$ per post so getting 500 won't be hard). This is done to ensure an established and active player can take control of the group and remain active.

• A Lead Mare can not lead a Herd, or Rookery alone. She can, however lead a Band alone. And it is to be noted that a Band is the ONLY group that is run by a female.

• Once a female or foal has been accepted into a Herd, Band or Rookery under a Lead Stallion, they are unable to leave without permission of the Lead Stallion.

• More then one ranked Stallion may turn up to claim however the first to arrive has the claiming rights unless the second Stallion challenges them right there and then to steal the Mare or foal.

• Stallions cannot be claimed but can be invited. Ranked stallions at the Mists all have a fair share of being able to convince the Loner to join their Herd. At the end of the thread it is down to the Loner to decide where it is they want to go.
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• If the Leader of the Herd, Band or Rookery does not log in or post every 7-10 days without an excused absence they will be demoted to the next highest position within their group. If there is no Second to step up and take the mantle of Leader - the members of that demoted Leaders group will all be once again listed as Loners and will need to find a new place to live. The Herd, Band or Rookery will then once again be up for claim by a stallion.

• If a Mare is stolen into another Herd, Band or Rookery and she has a foal that is Three months or younger, the foal will go with her.

• If the leadership of a group changes for whatever reason any challenges currently in place are forfeited.

[Legend]

Herds/Rookerys:[/b]

• Herds and Rookerys are designed to be almost completely ruled by the male gender. They cannot be ruled by a Lead Mare - and only by a Lead Stallion. Most herds and Rookerys will have very few Stallions of mating age permitted on their lands...though some may work differently - it is all dependant on the Lead Stallion's philosophy.

• Herds and Rookerys can be led by a pair of Lead Stallions working together, both having the Lead Stallion rank. Should a challenge arise in such a situation, only the 'senior' Stallion of the herd will be permitted to respond to the challenge. Should the Senior Stallion lose the challenge, the second Lead Stallion will be demoted to the next available rank until they are removed or reranked by the new reigning Stallion.

• The territory of a Herd can be extremely vast.. but if the territory is not patrolled often - a loner may very well sneak into the lands and steal some of the Stallions members without his knowledge...Even a constant patrol may take the Lead Stallion too far from his herd to be of assistance should a bandit come attempt to steal his mares.

• In contrast, the territory of a Rookery will usually consist of their mountain 'nesting' grounds.. and a vast amount of ground based territory. Rookerys territories may very well overlap the territories of the Herds that live on the ground as air travel is much faster and covers much more ground than those surface dwellers. It is generally unspoken that if they should see a herd grazing below that they won't also take to grazing the same patch of land, but will instead move onwards from it.

• Herds and rookerys are able to be formed should a Lead Stallion gain a following of three adult Mares and mapped out an approved Territory to call their own.. They will also not be allowed to be created willy nilly but will require Admin Approval first. The creation of these will be closely monitored to ensure that we do not get too over populated with herds that don't have many horses.


Bands:

• A band is run very differently from a herd in the fact that a band is run by a Lead Mare instead of a Lead Stallion. Males are permitted in the Band, but not permitted to lead alongside the Lead Mare. Bands do not have mapped territories, but instead move from place to place as they search for food, water and shelter.

• Bands are usually small and made up of 3-10 individuals.. If a band gets too overpopulated, the Lead Mare will most likely banish young Stallions or unruly Mares to make room.

• Bands usually have a better time of colder seasons than the Herds and Rookerys do as they are free to roam whever they wish to find forage...And usually know the lay of the lands fairly well as they traverse them constantly. However it is ill advised that the members of a Band trespass onto the claimed territory of a herd..It is by doing so that they forfeit their rights to be 'free' and are able to be forced into the Herd no matter their rank.

• Mares and foals that are in a band are considered immune to being claimed by a Lead or ranked Stallion of a Herd barring three circumstances. 1) They wander into a Herds territory. 2) They stray too far from the band and are found. 3) They willingly approach a member of a herd for acceptance. This does not include being forcibly removed from the Band, as once you are Forcibly removed you are no longer under the protection.

• Formation of a Band is watched much like the formation of a herd.. a Lead Mare must gather a group of 3 adult females and approach the Administration for permission to create the band. They may request a 'home' range where the band may generally stay, but they have no set territories.