This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of violence, misogyny, homophobia, sexual abuse, general abuse, killing of cubs, cannibalism
Darkstone is a few days walk from Amaryllis in a vast desert. There are now many lions onsite from this family and from the pride. Many of them live in the Lightstone band, run by Gawain in the Jungle.
Gawain has spent his life trying to rescue lions from this pride.
Alexon Skye was the first to escape. He was followed by Elijah. Then Gawain showed up, bringing Nazonal with him. Thana and Alva were next to arrive (apparently security really went downhill). Then, Phantom arrives. Next, Gawain went to rescue Frog, blowing his cover in the process. Landon showed up later, then finally, Gawain left for Darkstone one last time. He returned with Melli, Death, Menodora, and Landicus himself, who he brought back so that his children could get closure and decide if they wanted to kill him.
Heirarchy and Laws of the Darkstone Pride
King: Landicus Darkstone (Has been taken, a new king will take over)
Not to be questioned, only obeyed. Questioning the king leads to demotion, torture, or death. Operates under no laws
Heir
The heir can only be male- Darkstone believed only males are capable of leadership. The heir is the king's favored son and will become king upon the king's death.
Elites
The elites are warriors favored by the king. They have taken many lives and proven themselves time and time again in battle. They are allowed to breed with whatever female they please except the Queen (unless they get permission) and are allowed to deem cubs "weak" or "unfit" and kill them. They hold the power to question or kill anyone except the heir and the king.
Warriors
These are the lions who go out to fight, kill, and take prisoners. They may only be questioned by the elite or the king. They hold the power to demote omegas to prisoners and are free to do as they please to anyone beneath them but must have the king's permission to breed.
Warriorling
Lions one year or younger who are in training become warriors. Each must be approved by the king as a cub, then is trained by at least 3 warriors, then must preset a warrior ceremony and be approved by the king again to become a warrior.
Warrior Ceremony- Either torture and kill a sibling and an omega or prisoner or kill at least two omegas and at least one prisoner. Must show no weakness, the ability to make a clean kill, and the ability to effectively torture a lion. All members of the pride must watch the ceremony.
Queen: Melli (Has been rescued, the new king will take a new queen)
The king's favored mate. No one is allowed to touch her or interact with her except the king. She is only allowed to be in his den and her own (connected), unless she receives permission. Some kings decide that she is only allowed in the king's den and block off the queen's. as Landicus did. She has no autonomy and must make herself available to him at any time but is protected from the rest of the pride, unless the king offers her up as a prize.
Cubs
Cubs any age up until 2 months. If seen as unfit to become warriors, they become omegas. If considered exceptionally weak, they are killed or tossed to prisoners.
From here, there are three possible prisoner positions
Pitfighter/Gladiator or Prisoners
These are the lions that are either exceptionally strong, a threat, or those that need to be disposed of quickly. The pit is a massive hole in the ground with no shade. It has one way in and out that is guarded by several elites at any given time. There are a couple of caverns along the edge, but these tend to be occupied by the highest ranking fighters.
Prisoners and Pitfighters occupy the same space, Pitfighters are just the prisoners who survive the fights.
They are not allowed to breed, but no one will actually stop them. They will just take and kill the cubs. Cannibalism is common, and so is infighting, because they are tossed the scraps after the rest of the pride has eaten.
Rarely, these lions may be promoted to warrior if they truly prove themselves. If an elite decides he favors one, they must entertain him, regardless of what he asks.
Breedstock
Females 2 years and older who have been deemed "fit" to breed by the king. They are usually locked in one large breedstock den and tend to be reasonably well-fed. They are demoted to Omega if unable to produce cubs and Prisoner if aggressive or disobedient. They have no autonomy at all. Failure to submit means immediate demotion or death.
Omegas
Males that cannot fight and females that are too young or unfavored for breeding. Omegas hunt for the pride and often outnumber the warriors. They are used for menial labor, target practice and training dummies. They are entirely disposable. There is no punishment for killing an omega unless done by breedstock (demotion to prisoner) or a prisoner (death). Leaving the territory is punishable by imprisonment or death.