Hey! We want to formally welcome you to The Apostles! If you couldn’t tell, we’re a warriors cat roleplay based in northern Wisconsin on the Apostle Islands

Starting in the fall of 2019, The Apostles has grown at an exponential rate and matured into a community we could have never anticipated or dreamed of! Created by six long-time friends, TA is a, for a lack of a better word, a passion project that has delightfully gone awry because we’re constantly still in awe that random strangers on the internet want to pretend to be fake battle cats with us!

The Apostles is first and foremost a warrior cats roleplay centered around creative writing, collaborative storytelling, and advanced character development. Our literacy rate is a bit more advanced than some of the other warrior rps out there, and we have some unique rules concerning forbidden romances, apprentices, and litters! So if you’re up to the challenge or feel comfortable writing around 200+ words per post, then you’ve found the right place!

Our community is largely made up of post-college adults who are in the midst of their careers, so we generally try to encourage an 18+ member base. While we are a warriors RP before anything else, we are also a community who likes to chat, share life experiences, game together, and inspire each other to be creative.

Despite our history together, we are in a constant influx of new and old members alike! So we’re thrilled that you’re here! We hope that this Newbie Guide is able to direct you through the entire TA experience, and answer any questions you may have!

Reach out to a Peer Mentor! In addition to staff, we have a wonderful list of site volunteers who serve as Peer Mentors. They are more than willing to guide you around the site and answer any of your basic questions regarding character creation or plotting! Though they can’t answer things from a staff perspective, they are familiar with The Apostles lore and can provide important insight and redirect to the appropriate resources for questions and concerns!

Mentors have also agreed to schedule live site demonstrations to guide and assist you on the forum and answer any questions in person either through the chat or on voice chat. If you find yourself struggling with where to start or having problems navigating the site, please take advantage of this feature!

If you’re interested in a Peer Mentor, one will be assigned to you after you join the site.

PEER MENTOR LIST ---

The following members have agreed to act as a Peer Mentor to new members:

• maxx
• moony
• fallenreaper
• kaz
• soot
  
• lightning
• Egotistic
• Wolfie
• Akura

If you are interested in becoming a Peer Mentor, please reach out to a staff member to be added to this list.

THE RULES ---

Before creating a character, it’s important to read our Rules, which covers our minimum expectations for the site.

a. The discord has its own unique set of rules as well.

Our site uses an optional dice system for battles and hunting, and a required dice system for site-event battles. See the Dice Rules sub-board for more information.

a. Dice mechanics for battle dice and other in-character actions, like hunting, are found under the the TA Dice System.

b. Weather on the island will impact your hunting rolls (which are done on the discord). It is also important for setting the scene, important plot-related alerts, and the stillborn rate of kit litters.

THE ISLAND TIMELINE ---

The Island Timeline covers the vast history of the island and each of the clans. Our in-character roleplay started in 2019, but the events leading up to this point are all equally relevant!

When creating a character it is important to take the moons of their age and convert them back to where in the timeline this correlates.

a. For example, if your character is 48 moons in 2022, then they would have been born in February of 2018.

b. This will be the setting a character is born into and the relevant events happening in their life.

Plan history and relationships around the timeline. This page is updated regularly to reflect roleplayed events.


THE PLOT ---

While the Island Timeline is the most useful thread to understand the overall and individual clan plots, both the Lore and the Plot threads provide additional information about our overarching plot and clan and tribe dynamics.

a. If you want to participate in plot-related threads, please fill out the plotting form in our Plot Thread. More information about our plot thread rules is available in the thread.

A bit of a warrior's AU, The Apostles boasts three unique clans, a tribe, and land for outsiders and loners to roam. Before you make a character, it’s important to meet the factions! More information is available in the Clan and Tribe information thread.

REDWOODCLAN ---

Born among the giant redwood trees that govern their home, RedwoodClan warriors are as magnificent and noble as their namesake suggests. Loyal to the warrior code and their clan-mates, they are a close-knit group of cats who are not afraid to help another in peril, whether it be a loner, rogue, or cat from another clan.

THISTLECLAN ---

Beneath the pines and firs, Thistleclan resides within the shadows. Small and dark in color, they make their home in elaborate burrows, far beneath their camp. They are known for their sharp tongue, disregard for the warrior code, and distaste for non-clan-born cats.

LICHENCLAN ---

Upon the shore, LichenClan makes their home in the elaborate sea caves that sit near the lake. They are light-pelted in color and rather nimble on their feet. Sanctimonious and reserved, they are the most religious warriors on the island, and their most loyal clan-mates persecute those who are not born in their clan.

TRIBE OF FLOATING STONES ---

Across the sandbar, the Tribe of Floating Stones inhabits a second island, where they tend to the flora and fauna as stone-guards and prey-hunters. Tribe members are diverse in appearance but unite together under a love and appreciation for their tribe. Averse to conflict, the tribe cats find it strange the clan cats are always at war with one another.

OUTSIDERS ---

In the ungovernable, wicked lands, rogues and loners roam without rule, but not without consequence. The northern stretches of the island are cruel and unforgiving, making it difficult to find prey or shelter. Kitty-pets are uncommon on the Apostle islands, due to their secluded nature and lack of two-legs.

Before creating your first character, please read through the Create a Character Rules and the Character Application Form as we have several unique character rules, such as rare traits and murder plots.

Note: There are separate applications for clan/outsider cats vs. tribe cats. Tribe cats use a separate application form as their names tend to be much longer.

If you’re not sure where to start or want to immediately jump into a tasty plot, browse the TA Canon Adopts. These adopts are directly linked to an in-site plot. However, if you go inactive for more than a month, you will need to return the character, so keep this in mind! These adopts are based off of our NPC characters who have played a significant role in our plot and lore.

a. You are also welcome to browse members’ character adopts found on the adoptions board as well.

Before you create your first character application, please check the bans and encouragements and rare traits and breeds threads, as you decide the type of cat you want to create and which fraction they will join. Adoptions do not count for bans and encouragements. However, a member cannot create an adoptable for the sake of grandfathering in your cat.

a. We strongly discourage creating an apprentice as your first character due to our unique Ceremony Request Rules.

b. If you do, however, create an apprentice as your first cat and you are up for the challenge, you must do all of the starters for your mentor unless they volunteer otherwise.

If you’re struggling with names for your character, check out the Naming Guide. We do not accept names that are outside the traditional warrior lore or are not native to Wisconsin.

a. Please also check the Taken Names thread. Duplicate prefixes are not generally encouraged but can be permitted at the staff’s discretion.

Feel free to post in the #character-planning channel on Discord to help brainstorm ideas. Our members have a lot of resources from name ideas to entire face claim albums.

Once you are finished with your character bio, please drop the link in the #maintenance-requests channel in Discord and tag @maintenance. Staff will review characters and you with any adjustments!

Once it is officially approved, we will @ ya in the discord with approval, add your cat to the allegiances, and you are free to start plotting and making connections!

STARTING A PLOT ---

Once your character is accepted, you have a lot of ways to get involved at The Apostles:

• Advertise your character in the #thread-finder or #looking-for channels on the discord, where you can fill out a form to find threads or plots for your character.

  a. Typically these discussions will continue either through private messages or in the appropriate fraction plotting channels.

• Join or create an open thread posted on #open-threads.
• Send out an SOS for threads in our different plotting channels on the discord:

  a. #rwc-plotting
  b. #tc-plotting
  c. #lc-plotting
  d. #tribe-plotting
  e. #outsider-plotting
  f. #border-plotting
  d. #rebel-plotting

• Kick it old school and create a thread in our plotter board, where you can advertise and/or describe potential plots for your character(s).

  a. You can also browse other member's plotter threads and reach out to make a connection!

• Adopt a character from another member to jump into the roleplay with a plot already set-up from the get-go!
  
• Sign up to be added to our Mentor List so your character can eventually mentor a future and/or current apprentice.
  
• Reach out to a Peer Mentor (see Where to Start tab above) who can help you find a plot or to plot with one of their own characters.
  

When plotting refer to the flow chart provided below:

• Plotting Flow Chart (Zoom in to view Chart)
  

SITE-WIDE PLOT ---

How to start getting involved with larger site plots:

• Adopt a TA Canon Adopt, who are either related to or connected to character from our NPC bios.
• Sign up for the Plot List, so you can be included in important, timed plot threads.
  

Note: As noted in our official Plot thread, The Apostles has an array of individual plots, clan/tribe plots, and site-wide plots. While you are more than encouraged to create and involve your character in our larger plots, we also want to be transparent and note that member participation in larger plots, such as joining the LC rebellion or leading an official patrol, are always based on merit and activity.

As a new member, the best way to get involved is to start small with threads within your clan to get a feel for the plot and make connections with your clan-mates. Then as you get more comfortable and more active, you will be added to larger and more complicated plot threads

PLOTTING CONTACTS ---

When contacting staff for plotting reasons, contact the staff as follows:

wish

• Site-wide Plots
• Lichenclan Plots
• Thistleclan Plots
  

moony

• Site-wide Plots
• Tribe Plots

maxx

• Medicine cat plots

rain

• Redwoodclan Plots

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS ---

Keep up with our monthly announcements, where you will find exciting events and contests we hold on the site! All of our site updates, in character and out of character, will be showcased here. Think of them as patch notes!

We will also, frequently, solicit information from our members in this space. Input your voice, volunteer for events, and nominate seasonal OTQs in this space.

TA DeviantArt ---

The Apostles have their very own Deviantart Group, where you can join in on the fun! We accept submissions of all fan art related to The Apostles and cat-related art studies. We host all of our TA art contests on Deviantart so you’ll need to make an account and join if you plan on submitting artwork!

Join the Discord ---

If you haven't already, please consider joining our Discord! While all of our writing takes place on the forum, the majority of our community unites together to chat, plot, connect, game, draw, and just appreciate one another in our TA Discord! The Discord is the bread and butter to our community, so please consider jumping on in! We promise to pelt you with welcome gifs galore.

#Gamenight ---

Every first Saturday of the month, unless noted otherwise, we host a jack box (and other games occasionally), game night! This event is +18. Mix up your favorite cocktail and get ready to hilariously degrade ourselves as we hop on the mic, make some jokes, and play for sweet sweet points that don’t matter. If you wanna join, just add the #gamenight role to your discord profile!

Gaming Channel ---

A handful of our members are out there chuggin’ some gfuel and getting their game on. Head over to the gaming channel and sign up for #pokemonunite to team up in the pokemon world or check out our #amonguspeeps tag!

Track 'n Chill ---

Every once in a while we get a little behind…not just on posts, but the general site maintenance too! Members use this time to listen to some soothing beats and work on all their TA-related business things like adopts, trackers, and character applications! You’re welcome to post as well, of course, but sometimes we can get a little chatty :-) #trackandchill

Art Time ---

Where does the talent end? Not only are our members incredible writers, but many of us are skilled artists as well! Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned pro, make sure to check out the #arttime tag if you wanna stream your art or just sit back and watch!

Story Time ---

On the occasional Friday members have banded together to read aloud our very own Apostles threads. Get ready for some high-quality theater (Do valley girls exist on our island? They do now), and jump on the mic! #storytime