A Beginner's Guide to Evergreen (New Info 2/15/11)

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A Beginner's Guide to Evergreen

With such a vast diversity of creatures and very different ways of going about their daily lives, I thought it would be helpful to simply write up a guide to help explain what makes Evergreen and its inhabitants tick.
Obviously, the animals here are very different from animals in the real world; a kingdom-based society, the ability to speak, and so on.
But they're also similar in some of their behaviors as well. Few things means more to the creatures here than having a piece of land to call their own, along with a readily available source of food and water.

That aside, I would now like to present to you the Guide to Evergreen.

x An Introduction to the Species

Considering the very different habitats of this land, there is also a diverse animal population to accompany it. The lists below are simply guidelines for the many species found in the specific regions, and do not list every single animal. You also do not have to pick only from those lists when creating your character(s). If you would like to make a suggestion to the list, or some other question, feel free to PM me or another staff member. (The animals are not listed in any specific order.)


To the North...

• Polar Bear
  
• Arctic Fox
  
• Wolf (Tundra/Arctic)
  
• Wolverine
  
• Lynx
  
• Snow Leopard (Mountains, Rare)
  
• Tiger (Extremely rare. Currently not a shop species, but if too many start popping up this will quickly change.)
  
• Snowy Owl
  
• Caribou
  
• Musk Ox
  
• Arctic Hare
  
• Ermine
  
• Lemming
  
• Sea Otter (Sea and Shores only)
  
• Leopard Seal (Sea and Shores only)
  
• Harp Seal (Sea and Shores only)
  

To the East...

• Deer (Most species, also including Elk, Moose, and Woodland Caribou)
  
• Black Bear/Brown Bear
  
• Badger
  
• Coyote
  
• Wolf (Various species)
  
• Fox
  
• Bobcat
  
• Mountain Lion
  
• Tiger (Extremely rare. Currently not a shop species, but if too many start popping up this will quickly change.)
  
• Bald Eagle
  
• Red-Tailed Hawk
  
• Small Birds (Many species; if any questions, contact a staff member)
  
• Pine Marten
  
• Mink
  
• River Otter
  
• Bongo (Uncommon)
  
• Nyala (Uncommon)
  
• Opossum
  
• Hare
  
• Porcupine
  
• Raccoon
  
• Squirrel (Various Species)
  

To the West...

• Equine (Horse, Burro, Mule)
  
• Plains Bison
  
• Pronghorn Sheep
  
• Badger
  
• Black-Footed Ferret
  
• River Otter
  
• Sea Otter (Sea and Shores only)
  
• Bongo (Uncommon)
  
• Nyala (Uncommon)
  
• Jackrabbit
  
• Prairie Dog
  
• Coyote
  
• Fox
  
• Wolf
  
• Owl (Various species)
  

To the South...

• Coyote
  
• Dhole
  
• Wolf
  
• Desert Bighorn sheep
  
• Equine (Horse, Burro, Mule)(Few)
  
• Fox
  
• Hawk (Various species)
  
• Owl (Various species)
  

x The Territories

There are four main territories, all with various sub-territories within them. Each territory is vastly different from the other, and some animals can only be found in one (for example, you won't find any polar bears anywhere but in the north... unless of course one or two decides to leave.)
Below are brief descriptions of the four territories and how they operate.

The Kingdom of Ice
The only place where snow can be found year-round. Though the lower elevations get slightly warmer in the summer months, it is nearly always cold in the mountains. The Kingdom of Ice is ruled by Polar Bears, and has been for generations. The King and Queen have full control over the entire North, though the King is slightly more powerful. He is the one who decides who gets what in his land. You'd best hope that the King isn't greedy or cruel, because his word is law.

The Forest Domain
To the East is one of the largest forests in the known territories, and is watched closely and protected by the Lord of the Forest. Traditionally, the Lord and Lady have always been some type of deer, but there are records of other species having this rank in (distant) the past. The Lord and Lady are more like guardians than rulers; they make sure all is well with both the forest and its inhabitants, and that everything is peaceful. The vast majority of the Easterners are the down-to-earth and peaceful type, unlike their more aggressive Northern neighbors. The only problem with the Forest-dwellers is that they're quick to trust others, and can easily be manipulated by those close to them. The same goes for the Lord, and it isn't unheard of that a Lord is overthrown because of his too-quick-to-trust nature.

The Tribes of the Plains
A vast territory with few inhabitants, those creatures that do call this place home tend to form what have come to be called tribes. Strength in numbers, as they say. Regardless of what species make them up, the tribes here are usually just small family units accompanied by a few friends. However, large groups are just as common. The largest group usually belongs to the Chieftain, who is the designated 'ruler' of the Plains. If anybody has any problem, you'd best take it up with whoever holds this title.

The Southern Deserts
The least liked of the four territories, few willingly travel here and fewer still actually settle down here once they arrive. The Southern Deserts, also called the Eldoro Desert, is generally thought of as a place for outcasts and fugitives of the other territories. However, not all of the inhabitants are all bad; there's the occasional friendly grouping here and there. Still, you'd best keep your wits about you while you're traveling through here. Contrary to its name, this place isn't entirely a sand pit. But the vast majority of it is indeed hot, dry, and barren. If you make it to the sea, though, you will be rewarded with the cool waters of the southern Sapphire Sea.

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x The Ranking System

Since the animals residing here are far more intelligent and civilized than their real-life counterparts, this also calls for an advanced ranking system. Though each creature is considered equal, some species are viewed as more 'higher ranked' than the rest (hence the reason why a long line of Polar Bears has ruled over the North, and the Deer to the East.)
Each habitat has a slightly different ranking system, with some more simple than the others. They are listed below from most to least powerful.

The Kingdom of Ice

• King
  
• Queen
  
• Prince
  
• Princess
  
• The Royal Council (Or 'Council member' for a single creature)
  
• The Frostclaws (Basically the Royal Guard and Army, which has a whole ranking system of their own)
  
• Scout (Part of the Frostclaws, but they only patrol a small area and sometimes deliver messages.)
  
• Subject (Just your average inhabitant.)
  

The Forest Domain

• Lord
  
• Lady
  
• Council of Five (also known as The Elders, who help make decisions and devise new plans, among other duties.)
  
• The Royal Guard (The Forest's version of an army.)
  
• Messenger (Usually an eagle, hawk, or owl of some sort, who delivers messages for the Lord or Lady as well as the army.)
  
• (Average inhabitants don't get a special name here. Sorry. xD)
  

The Tribes of the Plains

• Chieftain
  
• Chief (A regular tribe leader, as opposed to a Chieftain who speaks for all of the tribes.)
  
• Warrior
  
• Villager
  

The Southern Deserts
[They do not have a known ranking system]

* Warrior/Military Ranks

Below is a basic outline of the ranks of the different territories' fighting forces. (The list below applies most to the North's warriors, The Frostclaws.) The ranks are presented from most prominent to least. To have your character apply for a territory's fighting force, simply PM a staff member. Since few are actually interested in Military ranks at the moment, there is currently no master ranks list. However, this is likely to change as more people ask for Military ranks.

• Captain
  
• First Officer
  
• Sergeant
  
• Knight (Fighters)
  
• Runner/Messenger
  
• Scout
  

x Interaction Between Different Species

This has earned itself an explanation because it's usually not as simple as a deer just walking up to a squirrel and saying 'hi'.
Though different species are able to communicate freely among one another, they must learn each others 'language' first. Think of it as an American-speaking person going to Spain and having to learn Spanish, or going to Germany and having to learn German (though not nearly as hard to learn the different languages).
However, though some species can have an 'accent' (for instance, a songbird can have a light and choppy sounding voice), they do not have individual languages. Instead, the language is native to the entire area. Each territory has its own distinct language that all species born in said territory learn. If your character was born in the East, they would have a massive amount of trouble speaking to creatures in the West if they did not learn the Western language beforehand.

There is also the issue of carnivores interacting with herbivores.
In this world, if they are a part of a prominent group, tribe, or what have you, they take an oath to never willingly attack and eat their brethren. They must learn to live on berries and the like, as well as fish (which are your average, non-speaking everyday fish and are considered a food source).
As for those not associated with any Royalty, Tribe or some other mixed-species group... well, you'd best watch out for them.

x Interaction Between Different Alliances

The North, East, and West all share a mutual sense of friendship toward one another, though aren't fond of having creatures from one territory intruding on another. That said, it is possible for, say, a Western allied creature to visit or even settle down in the East. They just need to gain clearance from the Royal beforehand, else they will be regarded as trespassers. The South, on the other hand, is not favored by any alliance. Just about any creature that sets foot on territory outside the desert will be punished, and any creature going into the desert is looked at as nothing but trouble, or someone willingly looking for it.

To communicate over long distances, the Royals sometimes appoint Long-Distance Messengers to carry their messages either on written parchment/paper-like material (only the small mammals, such as mice, squirrels, and the like can learn how to write, which introduces a whole other section to be discussed. But to keep things simple, written messages are quite uncommon, and are written with rune-like words/letters in charcoal or natural dyes/inks.) But since the materials to actually write a message are hard to obtain, Messengers often deliver the intended messages by verbally relaying them. Only very important, 'top-secret' messages are written.

x The Arrival of Weapons

Considering the intelligence and abilities these creatures have, there's little preventing the stronger and bulkier few from being able to craft and use crude weapons and armor.
The Bears are best known for creating armor, and in particular, the royal Polar Bears of the North. Very few bears, the King included, have the privilege of knowing how to craft armor and wear the reward of their work in the forge.
However, due to the lack of good metals and those with the knowledge to do anything useful with them, the crafting of armor and weapons is a relatively rare and secretive business.

Because the above skill is so rare, if you would like a character to have it, it must be purchased from the Shop. There are three levels to this skill; those with a Level One skill level have the knowledge to make only very crude weapons. These include sharpened stone daggers, and spears and such created from said daggers. Level Two means that your character not only somehow has access to the required metals, but can create simple daggers/swords/etc with them. It is very hard for an average creature to get to Level Two. Level Three is almost exclusive to Northern Polar Bears, usually the royalty or those associated with them. Those privileged enough to gain the knowledge to be regarded as Level Three are able to craft detailed weapons, such as spears, armor, swords (for four-legged animals' use, of course) and the like. (For an example of the armor, think of Iorek from The Golden Compass. Yes, I did get the idea of armor-making from this movie. If anyone has an issue with it, please let me know.)

So, in summary:

• Level One: Able to craft and use crude stone daggers/spears/etc.
  
• Level Two: Able to craft and use simple swords, daggers, spears, etc.
  
• Level Three: Able to craft and use bulky armor, swords, spears, etc.
  

x So, Where's the Humans?

Though humans are by no means a major part of this site, there actually are some residing on a few small islands of the coast of the mainland. It isn't unheard of for small groups of them to travel to the mainland, and while they're here, occasionally manage to snatch a few of the residing creatures (with particular interest in horses, burros and the like.) This also includes looking for any domesticated escapees from their islands. So yes, this means that the occasional cat or dog can be seen roaming Evergreen.

x In Closing...

Hopefully you found this guide helpful, and I hope you enjoy your time here on Evergreen! :D
As said before, should you still have any questions or you have a suggestion for something to be added to this guide, feel free to PM me or another staff member. n_n