In most cases, a character is not allowed to start out the game as a displaced wolf. To put it quite simply, being displaced is not something wolves of this game strive for, and thus, most starting wolves must belong to a pack. However, there is a list of qualities that must be met for a select few that wish to take on this great burden as a starting character:
~~ Having a Currently Active Character on the game that has been around for at the very least; 90 days
~~ The Ability to Role-Play to the Admins' standards (which are at the judgement of the admins)
~~ Having no more than two other currently active characters on Paragon at the time of your request. This is something that should be taken very seriously, not just as a "side" character.
~~ Providing a good, role-playing reason for said wolf that you wish to play to have been displaced. This does not count as "Oh they got bored with the pack and wandered off". Reasons must be well thought out and described in detail so we have a feel for what truly happened.
Most commonly, displaced wolves are those that have been either:
~~ Kicked out of their pack by an Alpha. Alphas have this right, to remove anyone from their pack that they wish, and thus if they do so, they act in accordance with their Celestial and the removed wolf immediately loses any elemental charms and abilities. Thus, it's never a good idea to irritate one's Alpha . . .
or
~~ Has decided to "go rogue". In the event of being too wounded to get back to one's pack in the required time period or even simply becoming lost or kidnapped; an Alpha will grant one access back to their pack upon their return without any issues. "Going Rogue" means that a wolf voluntarily chooses to not return home and as thus, have their mind set on not being a proper pack wolf. This of course, means that they have disavowed their elemental ties and are now dirtied in the eyes of their former Celestial.
A displaced wolf is one without a true pack and without a true home. They are rugged individuals that live on the fringes of proper wolf society. As thus, they generally have an appearance of being ragged, scrawny and always looking out for the wolf that might come along to cause them to move from their current location. Displaced wolves on Paragon are not in the good favor of the Celestials, and thus, always feel as if they are not a true part of the world as a whole. Keeping these characteristics in mind when role-playing is a good idea, lest you wish to be struck down from above. ;)
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How to Become Un-Displaced:
Becoming Re-affiliated
It is actually quite a bit difficult to become re-affiliated with an element. There are several steps one must go through to do this:
~ Renounce all ties with a former pack! Unless of course, you are re-entering the pack you were displaced from, one must have been without their prior element for 14 days, or two weeks before attempting acceptance into another one! This IS OOC time that must be spent role-playing a wolf without it's powers. You MUST inform an Administrator when this time starts, so that we may keep track. Failure to do so may be failure of your wolf to complete the reaffiliation.
~ Apply for acceptance into the pack to the Alpha of said pack. Yes, this will require role-playing. Alphas do not have to accept displaced wolves into their pack to try and re-affiliate. Thus, a wolf will either need to show that they truly desire to aid the pack in some way, are truly dedicated to the element, etc.
~ Complete the pack's chosen ritual of reattunement. Each element has a ritual that must be completed to reattune oneself to the element again. This, also must be role played.
~ Gain the acceptance of the Celestial in charge of that element. The Celestial will decide whether the wolf has done all that is needed to come into a new elemental set of powers. This is a final decision made by the Administration; which will reflect on your role-playing ability.
Rituals:
Each element has it's own ritual, most lasting anywhere from 3 days to an entire week:
Air ~ 
Dust ~ 
Earth ~ 
Fire ~ 
Lightning ~ 
Spirit
Air:
~A wolf will be told to travel to the Whistling Rock. However, before going to the Whistling Rock the wolf must find the ritual feather, which only the Alpha will know the location of. There will be a time limit of three days to find the feather and travel with it to the whistling rock. Through the journey they will experience the visions. Right before finding the feather they will have it's vision of the joy of flight and freedom. When they reach the Whistling Rock they will experience the second vision of an amorphous being made by the wind. At the end of that day after they reach the Rock the last vision of a bright, blinding light, will appear and the wolf will ideally feel that they have gained their acceptance. The last part will entail jumping off of the ridge, and if they've done everything right, the semi-transparent wings will form and they will be taken into the air.
Dust:
~Upon acceptance of the Alpha to attempt to re-join the Nomads of Dust, you are sent to the Diamond Shores and told that you cannot return until you have gathered 100 grains of sand. You then will call upon Deannach to grant you the element of dust, and if she accepts; the 100 grains of sand will whirl about the wolf in a spiral, settling on his/her fur, at which point, he/she returns to the pack a full Duradan.
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Earth:
~Meditation for five days in the clearing of the great stone. For each day there shall be a test that must be passed using nothing but one's own mind and available materials in the clearing.
Day 1: Go without sleep for an entire day/night cycle
Day 2: Fend off a 'bear' without spilling it's blood (hint; there are no bears on Paragon. Thusly, this will be a test of the spirit to see if a wolf can truly tell what is there, and what is not, and how to fare vs something that they do not know save simply attacking it)
Day 3: Find food without leaving the clearing, or calling out to the food in any way.
Days 4-5: Meditation to receive a vision. Depending on what vision comes and the interpretation proves how worthy the wolf is for the gift of earth. If a wolf sees a great tree growing amidst the clearing, splitting the rock in twain, and understand that this is merely the mother earth showing that her power comes through her vessel; they pass.
Fire:
~Staying for 3 days in the underground caves to prey in the sacred cavern for Karrash's return. After they have done this and received a vision of the Celestial, then they must survive in the hot desert during the hottest part of the day and it's freezing coldness during the night in one of the worse areas of the desert for two entire days.
Lightning:
~Beneath the Acropolis is the den of Toirniull, the Celestial of Lightning. There is one entrance, the cavernous opening that looks out across the ocean. Without the aid of flight, scaling the walls of the cliff from the beach far below is the only option. Between the winds of the ocean and the near omnipresent and thundering rains, climbing the rocky slope is difficult.
It is not, however, impossible. Should a wolf manage to climb the cliff and enter the den, it may call to the Orb of Tempests. The Orb, should it appear, materializes in the Celestial domain, swirling with its black etched surface hinting at the knowledge it contains. Only by unlocking its wisdom will the attunement begin. For three days, the wolf must subject itself to the pattern of storms, the sigils rewriting the core of its spirit and allowing the wolf the power to perform one simple task.
When the three days have passed, a thundering echo passes through the cavern. And the wolf has but one thing to do: walk to the cave entrance and attempt to stride across the open air over the stormy sea below. If the wolf has brought itself into proper alignment, its desire will cause a path of blue energy to materialize from the sky above; if the wolf had failed, no bridge of energy will show. Instead, the wolf simply falls to the oceans below.
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Spirit:
~The wolf lives in the alpha's den, who periodically (and these will be covered in IC threads that will last several OOC days) gets taught the ways of the spirit by said Alpha. Every so often, he or she asks some kind of pointless question that the student needs to find the answer to. Something like, "What is the nature of mist?" Through education, study, and seeking answers to pointless questions, the wolf evolves into that of spirit. The new spirit wolf also must learn the history of the pack. This involves learning the history of all the packs in Paragon: current and past.
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Pack Displacement:
Pack displacement does not happen often, but as was the case with the water wolves, it can be possible. OOCly, a pack will become displaced if they drop below three active members at any one time. "New" packs are exempt from this rule for a time period of two months from the official starting date of their pack. ICly, it is said that a pack becomes displaced when they either no longer worship the god/gods correctly, or are no longer dedicated to their element.
A pack becomes re-attuned to their element, able to re-take their packlands, by a particular ritual. This ritual usually involves a period of one week of meditating and praying around the focus of the packlands. They must meditate on their element, and how it feels to be one with it, and pray to their gods to grant them the ability to use said element again. These rituals will be embellished upon when and if that happens; and will generally involve a plot centered around that pack!
There are some times when a pack is displaced, and may not lose their abilities. This is very rare, and will only be played out via plots decided upon by the Administration. :)
Questions?
Please, any questions, PM us or send us an email! Cheryl can be reached pretty much anytime via her Sylvan Shadows account, email or aim as posted on the Staff page.Top!
