okay, I was reading a bit in Utopia and my English Lit. where they were discussing stuff and was struck with a few ideas reguarding Aliroo social structure. This is just a tad more organized than it was. -This is the vague and basic history of the High Court and the Aliroo Alliance- Alright, recall if you will, the days of old. This is before Roos had communication tech or magic. Aliroos, at this point, are divided into Leaps (or mobs, troops as they are also called. Sometimes they're also called Those-Things-on-The-Golf-Course-That-are-blocking-the-flag) with a vague heirarchy that goes something like a wolf pack (alpha male and female, the alpha male is dominant over the female, yet the alph female has dominance over the other females of the pack...eh, kinda confusin'). Also, in the troup, there was also (usually) a designated roo of each of the following occupations..I say usually because: because of the isolation, for example, not all leaps would be guaranteed to have, say, a Mindmaster. Key...AM="Up"..."Best" B'-"One who does" -AM'B'in-exco (Mindmaster): Well, a psychic at any rate -AM'B'a'injur (Mage): Magician.. These two (above) also act as teachers in their trade if necessary. It's hard to teach a true blue magic. -AM'B'cern'icti'sil (Storyteller) and AM'B'exiz'ki-hilo (Scribe) (usually the scribe would be the storyteller's apprentice): These two are often the same Roo. In charge of the preservation of history of the leap, carried through in stories, songs and scriptures. Schools fledges in history and storytelling -AM'B'arrk (Healer): Often the same as any of the three above. This one knows what is required in circumstances when a healer is needed. Later known as the "Family Physician" ;) In charge of teaching the fledges about life science -AM'B'ern'ic (Messenger): Usually one of the younger roos, designated for carrying messages between leaps...this place in the leap dissapeared after the invention of the carrywave, which, coincidentally, carries sound waves. -AM'B'exco (Scholar): Many times the same as the Mage. This Roo is also mainly in charge of deciding what the fledges of the leap should be taught. This Roo usually is in charge of teaching mathematics and diplomatic-whatnot -AM'B'a'arrk (Crafter): This is the one who eventually is the inventor, the one who knows how machines and spells are crafted. Later this sired an offshoot, the AM'B'a'arrk-rez, the computer technian hehe -AM'B'ö-mer (Fighter): Oooh, big name. Not really. This one knows how to fight, uses his or her powers and advantages to the fullest and trains the fledges of the leap in combat. NOW...Those are the basics. The way the structure of the Old Leap worked is that the Am'b'exco would take in what had been learned by the group, and what they would need for survival, and then tell the Roos in the leap (usually ranging from 10 to 40 Roos) what would be taught to the fledges (since shelter and food and water were never a problem for Aliroos, due to conjuration). Land and territory feuds were rare due to the relatively sparse population of Roos compared to the land, and also because A) unlike humans, Aliroos don't pop out a billion fledges every 13 years B) unlike a lot of other species, Aliroos usually have a single child, rarely twins, and definately not litters of fledges. Also, Roos of one color rarely passed into the next Country, due to the variation and contrast of landscape (i.e. the plain Roos of Violet and Green wouldn't fare to well in the mountainous land of Blue Country, etc) Later, after leaps became stationary and no longer migrational, cities and foundational networks of dwellings appeared, and then the leaps grew quickly, since the fledges no longer broke off to begin their own leap. Now y'got Aliroo Cities, and this is when the AM'bs began the Guilds and apprenticing young Roos. Soon, after Roos had taken over most of the planet (excluding Quin and Terran, mostly) and had begun relationships between the leaps, long-range communicators were invented and ¤ became smaller still. After a few years, the first manufatured technology for transportation appeared, the very first TDT. Only it really was only a T. hehe A transporter that was capable of transporting any Roo to any other area of the world in a flash...wowee! Soon the cities (which were previously leaps and basically all the Roos were of the same colors) became diversified, with different colors of Roos freely intermingling. The historical Leaps became strained as the members of each extended family became interested in exploring other places. The invention of the transporter was also benefactorial to the Am'bs, however, because now they could communicate with eachother and join the Guilds worldwide. The young Roo Raya McCall was the first Am'b to lead the Fighter's Guild (I'm going to use the english words so you don't have to refer each time), and she still does (she's nearly immortal). So, with the 8 Guilds up and running, and the free transportation throughout the planet, ¤ became a relatively unified planet. Of course, none of the so-called structure to this came into play, until the fatefull day... It was a year like any other. The discovery of the Black Isles in the middle of the Cerulean Ocean insipired a few Roos to take residence there. Unfortunatly...this gave way to the first and only Black Isle-born Roo. I wrote down his name but unfortunatly I can't remember it. If someone knows, please LMK *G* It's not Pheobe or Raya. This Roo was uncontrollably insane, he was Black and born during the silver cycle. In a single fit he wiped out the current population of the Black Isles and went on to twist the Isles to his will. The guilds came together and counciled while the B'l'ink (bringer of death...teehee) was contained by a spell. They resolved first of all that the Guilds would need a place to Council later in the future, and secondly they divined a strategy to get rid of the B'l'ink. The strategy really isn't legitimate to this, it just shows that the need of organization pulled the Guildmasters together and became the High Court. The first Cheif of Court was Dikson Aslar, seconded by Hanes Enriksin. Both were of the Scholar's Guild. The High Court deals with internal affairs of ¤, while, as you know, the Alliance deals with external affairs. The High Court's representative in the Alliance Council is, coincidentally, Kiv Sirris, who as well as being the Council's representative, is also Second Cheif of Court. One the High Court was established, it was much easier to coordinate the goings-on. The High Court's main building is called the Ote-ö'cern'ic (Oh-TOO ser-nik) which loosely translated is the House of Law. hehe The first thing that went about was the Pendant ranking system. So although the Guilds came together, the leaps of Roos stayed (a good majority of Roos from most leaps had ¤ residences in the same area) together but for the most part, were no longer needed. Aslar made sure that there was a school in every major city, and the content taught became generalized. Every Country has it's representative to each Guild in the Court, and of course appealed to have additional courses to suit the Roo's general abilities. Unfortunatly, there were not enough Goldborder Mages and Mindmasters or Fighters to send to each school, and so as a result, Raya McCall was sent from the Court (as senior of the Fighter's Guild) to Green Country to teach classes on combat there for aspiring Roos. That didn't calm the Reps from the magical Isles; there were far too many psychics and mages without proper training. After contemplation, Aslar ordered a team of Roos to constuct the Spectre Academy, and employed Goldborder Mages and MMs to teach there. Working efficiently, the Aliroos worked hard at developing interstellar technology. They had conquered their own world, and as a people they took leaps towards developing it. And, in the year 14500, the Roos completed the first interstellar communication device and sent out audio/visual signals into space. The first to return the call were the Drahls, who, just as the other species of System One had been doing, were seeking out new life. Very soon the transporting technology was advanced enough, and finally the species made first contact. After getting to know one another, a young brash Roo from the Scholar's Guild brought up the fact that interstellar warfare would obviously be extremely destructive. He proposed an Alliance of Planets. The High Court agreed, and after speaking with the others of S1, the Aliroo Alliance came into order. But where would it stay? To be the Headquarters of a Galaxy (and later, Universal)-wide Alliance, AHQ would need a proud place. And so, under the instruction of the young roo, Silverstreak Island was constructed. The largest Roo-created landmass on ¤, Silverstreak sits to the south-eastern coast of Vosh. And who better to put in charge of the Alliance but the Roo who claimed he knew everything; Darbo Greensborough. (Note...just before this, Greensborough's friend Cerra Dixon took over his father's position as Cheif of Court) The Alliance lasted a good deal. The first advancement in transportation was made, and Aliroos spread their reaches to nearby Dimensions and other Galaxies. With the help of the Qu'cef, the first two Aliroo ships were developed; Qu'ef's help for the Silvers, and the help of a young roo named Randy. Tragedy struck as Shaedrygyn got evil ideas. The 100yW ensued. I have a vague summary of this written up, but I hope to only use that when we re-enact it (see above). During this time, Greensborough and an un-named accomplise "27" developed Diamond and the PZ/TDT. After that, Raya (who led the last battle, on foot, on the Black Isles) firmly decided that the classes she taught in Green Country were NOT enough to train the roos, and she petitioned to the Court to establish the Green Country Gym, which uses the same name today. ...Most recently in the history of the Court... Dixon remains as mentally stable as ever, and as shrewd, while Greensborough went cenile. Upon request of the Council, Kiv was asked to take over. He declined, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he too would have to step down, and instead he assured the Council he would find a young roo who would be willing to take on the responsibility. Raya, who showed no apparent signs of aging, declined in the light that she had her paws full with the Gym. The roo Cobalt, who had been recomended by the Mages at the Academy, was mysteriously missing. Kiv searched the planet, and finally his eyes fell upon Boomer Flyer, the son of perhaps the two most important Roos in the 100yW, Flier Sada and Tess ReKorz. Kiv, satisfied, contacted Boomer, sure that he had found the one. Boomer's record showed a steady voice at command, even his name meant "one who commands." To Kiv's distress, Boomer declined as well. But he did point Kiv in the direction of his younger sister, whom Sirris had never heard of. Before leaving, Boomer warned Kiv not to ask Blu, but rather to tell her is was her obligation, otherwise she wouldn't agree. The Alliance had been without it's Aliroo representative and leader for too long, and Kiv agreed. He called the younger Roo in, and found her overconfident and cocky. She spoke back to the council with an air of carelessness, and Kiv wondered if Boomer had been correct in assuming that this Roo would be a worthy Chair'Roo. And that's how things stand today. *GASP* Wow! Hey, that looks pretty good, actually....Yay! A bit of post-script: Although the leaps no longer stay together due to the TDT, Roos that are Boomer's age are older still remember their Leap Name, and take pains to remind it to their younger sibs and children. Leap Names are carried by blood, not by location.