The Mice of the Waterwheel Colony
Sept 23, 2017 13:37:00 GMT -5
Post by Adagio on Sept 23, 2017 13:37:00 GMT -5
The Mice of the Waterwheel Colony
The most diminutive players, the mice. Us. Read about your history, and your kin, and so know yourself.
Founding of the Colony
The Waterwheel Colony was founded 5 years ago now; by a brave young mouse known as Steadyset, our bravest predecessor, who took the perilous journey across the wheat field by their very lonesome. The why for their journey has been forgotten since Steadyset's death 4 years ago, our courageous founder's history fading into legend over the seasons. In time following, we descendants have slowly built ourselves a respectable city-in-miniature in the humans' unused millhouse - living at first in quiet hiding from the humans of the farm, and then simply in quiet when the humans just... suddenly disappeared last spring. Things here, for now... Are quiet. And quiet is good for a mouse.
Clans of the Colony
Clans | Description | Height | Weight | Caste | Clanhome |
Whitefoot | The mice of Clan Whitefoot are small and brown with white feet. They are a bit more independent in nature and work as scouts and lookouts for foraging and guard teams. Families are nuclear, with nests carved into the slats of the millhouse by the waterwheel. | 3.5–3.9 in | 0.7–1.1 oz | scouts | waterwheel on the hill |
Woodtail | Woodtail mice are round and small, found often in shades of brown with a yellow bib under their chins. They live in extended families in the branches of the pine by the millhouse and often work as foragers - a dangerous task. | 3.5-5.25 in | 1.0-1.5 oz | foragers | tall pine up the path |
Willheart | Clan Willheart mice are typically larger than their colonykin, with grey or brown fur and dark markings on their faces and fuzzy tails. They live in polyandrous families in tunnels under the woodpile and work almost exclusively as guards. | 5.5-7.5 in | 4.2-5.3 oz | scufflers | woodpile in the shade |
Winterwhisker | Delicate and colorful, Winterwhisker mice come in a wide variety of colors and coats. They're builders, potion-makers, designers, artists. They live in a large commune of alchemists and traders in the millhouse. | 3.0in-3.4 in | 1.0–1.6 oz | alchemists | winterheap nigh the shed |
Wheatnose | The mice of Wheatnose are the smallest of all, honey-colored with big round eyes. They live in polygynous families in the garden bed by the millhouse, working together to raise a handful of vegetables to get the colony through harsh winter. | 2.2-3.0 in | 0.14-0.39 oz | horticulturists | garden bed yon the fence |
Outsiders | Occasionally an outsider will be allowed quarter with the colony in exchange for work. A lost mouse from the outside, a gentle rat who has worked out the intricacies of mouse language. Outsiders are rare and mistrusted, but they are here. | various | various | N/a | N/a |
Colony Governing
The colony's leadership is composed of the eldest mice from each of the clans, who meet in a council of five at least once a week to discuss the direction the colony is taking. Internally, age is the greatest signifier of wisdom. Clans, families, and work groups are naturally headed by the eldest and most experienced. Decisions and punishments are talked out without violence among the highest ranking members of a group with the eldest taking advice from others before handing down decisions. Typically, punishments are focused on rehabilitating the rule-breaker so that they can be helpful members of society rather than on making them suffer for their mistakes. Family is family, after all.
Clan Leaders
Clan | Leader | Description |
Whitefoot | Marcona Pennon | Something of a busy body, but well meaning. Could drink a rat under the table. They offer scouting work for curious mice. |
Woodtail | Cypress | Softspoken but surprisingly funny. Easy to miss in a crowded room. She offers thoughtful advice, as well as foraging work. |
Willheart | Corpse Knell | The youngest of the Colony Council, she has a rather... dark sense of humor. She'll happily give work to anyone wanting a fight. |
Winterwhisker | Flaxen Hat | He's a bit flaky, plagued by a tendency to hyperfocus. He organizes trade in the colony to make sure everyone has what they need. |
Wheatnose | Huld | Serious and work-oriented, he can be a bit imposing. He offers training for horticulturists. |
Daily Life
The ultimate purpose of any member of the colony is, of course, to contribute to the continued survival of the colony. Nearly everything that breathes will happily eat a mouse, given the opportunity, and keeping the clan alive is a constant struggle. Therefore; An individual's greatest responsibilities are to work and to raise pups. This, traditionally, means sticking to your family's longstanding profession until you die. Individuality is far from a priority in mouse society, when survival is so hard already.
Life Cycle
Age | Description |
0 - 3 Weeks | Mice pups are developing, too small to be away from their mothers for long. They are weaned near the end of this period. |
3 - 6 Weeks | Pups continue to grow, reaching sexual maturity by the end of this period. |
6 Weeks - 1 Year | The full lifespan of a typical mouse - considered young adulthood, but most don't live beyond it. Mice can have multiple litters during this time. |
1 - 2 Years | The fullness of adulthood, and deeply impressive for a mouse to reach. It's rare to survive this long with all the dangers that loom. |
2 - 3 Years | Elder status. Reaching this age is extremely impressive, and by default any mice that survive this long are afforded high status. |
Marriage and Child-rearing
Each clan has its own marriage traditions, although these are typically loose in nature. 6 weeks is the age at which most mice choose to start seeking their partner (Or partners, perhaps) and it is common to marry quite young due to the unpredictable nature of life. Mice of varying sexualities and gender identities are not uncommon or unaccepted.
Marriage ceremonies are colony affairs that take place in the clanhome of the partners' choice and involve a long process of sharing food and vow-making. The first litter is swift to follow in couplings where partners are able to conceive. If a couple cannot conceive, they must raise orphaned pups (Of which there is always a solid supply,) or be judged harshly as selfish members of society. Any couplings that do not eventually contribute to the colony's population tend to find themselves ostracized.
The clans Whitefoot and Woodtail are typically monogomous in nature. Clan Willheart is polyandrous, with does taking many husbands. Clan Wheatnose is polygynous, with bucks taking many wives - and Clan Winterwhisker lives in a commune, sharing loves like bread. Children are largely raised by everyone in an It-Takes-A-Village style setting, though they bed down with their parents.
Each clan has its own marriage traditions, although these are typically loose in nature. 6 weeks is the age at which most mice choose to start seeking their partner (Or partners, perhaps) and it is common to marry quite young due to the unpredictable nature of life. Mice of varying sexualities and gender identities are not uncommon or unaccepted.
Marriage ceremonies are colony affairs that take place in the clanhome of the partners' choice and involve a long process of sharing food and vow-making. The first litter is swift to follow in couplings where partners are able to conceive. If a couple cannot conceive, they must raise orphaned pups (Of which there is always a solid supply,) or be judged harshly as selfish members of society. Any couplings that do not eventually contribute to the colony's population tend to find themselves ostracized.
The clans Whitefoot and Woodtail are typically monogomous in nature. Clan Willheart is polyandrous, with does taking many husbands. Clan Wheatnose is polygynous, with bucks taking many wives - and Clan Winterwhisker lives in a commune, sharing loves like bread. Children are largely raised by everyone in an It-Takes-A-Village style setting, though they bed down with their parents.
Religion
Mouse religion is largely based on ancestor worship, the movements of the stars, and a large pantheon of nature gods and spirits. Superstition abounds - the best way to protect yourself from the demons of the forest, from bad fortune, from cat teeth and all the other garbage out there trying to kill you - is to pray to your ancestors for protection. Common rituals involve offering food and drink to them before journeys from the colony in festivals that are, essentially, block parties. You speak to your ancestor's stars for guidance, and follow the paths they scrawl across the sky that you may always find your way. Along with ancestral stars, there are six major constellations that rule the sky throughout the year, each representing nature gods who played major parts in Steadyset's historic journey to the Waterwheel. Mice are believed to be blessed by whatever god was ruling the night sky at the time of their birth.
Ruling Constellations
Constellation | Blessing | Season |
The Viper | Automatically stabilize after hitting 0 HP. | Early Spring |
The Man | Grants 1 extra resource on resource rolls. | Late Spring |
The Hound | +1 to perception when tracking. | Summer |
The Voles | Immunity to poisons and illnesses. | Early Autumn |
Steadyset the Founder | 19 & 20 become critical successes when guarding a colonykin. | Late Autumn |
The Falcon | 19 & 20 become critical successes if your target has not noticed your presence. | Winter |
Death and the Afterlife
Death is simply a reality for mice. Any time one leaves the safety of their Clanhome their life is at risk, and even when one does not step from one's home there is still the threat of a nest being destroyed by man or nature. Its relentless presence makes death less scary somehow. Death crops up commonly in conversation and idiom, and neither widows nor orphans are uncommon or thought particularly tragic.
Funerals do not involve display of a body (As there usually is not a corpse to display,) and instead involve loved ones of the deceased throwing a large party. Stories of the decedent's life are passed along with heady drinks, until everyone passes out where they sit. From thereafter, every deceased mouse is given a status of demi-godhood and a star is named after them. So long as a mouse's name is remembered by its colonykin, they are believed to live on in paradise in the night sky. Family members will usually be able to point out a deceased loved one's star at the drop of a hat.