Jackdaw’s Flight is a small, tightly-knit pack settled in the northwestern outskirts of the taiga. Although the founding leader Diorite’s reputation has preceded them at times, the pack attempts to stay out of other wolves’ affairs. A self-sufficient, laid-back culture defines the Jackdaws: there is no formal hierarchy (although Diorite and Andesite have always been considered leaders), and members are bound by few laws or restrictions; if a wolf is willing to contribute to the pack and not start trouble, they are welcome.
For a detailed snapshot of the pack’s history through the ages, see the timeline. This page documents less-temporal details, like role information, cultural norms, and relationships to other wolves & fauna–all of which is being developed as events progress.
[contents TBA]
Laws & norms
For the most part, rules are informal as the “hiearchy” and boil down to “use common sense.” That said, the turmoil of Y4 Spring warranted the establishment of the first formal law: Do not murder, unless in self-defense. The consequence for violating this rule has yet to be established; the Jackdaws hope they never have to.
Although a wolf can leave the Jackdaws whenever they please, it is strongly preferred that they disucss the situation beforehand.
Relationships, pups, and names
Wolves are free to mate with whoever they want, whenever they want, and are under no obligation to disclose this information. That said, it’s advised wolves who wish to have pups coordinate with the pack beforehand, to avoid a pup overflow like Y2. Whether the litter is raised under the care of their biological parent(s) or the active pupsitter(s) depend on the individuals involved; either way is #valid. Throughout the pack, the lines between familial, platonic, and evn (to an extent; hashtag no incesto) romantic relationships are blurred.
Mateships and growth milestones may be celebrated via pack hunt. It hasn’t been long enough for this to become an established tradition, but it’s happened at least twice on a whim (first at the announcement of the Aspens’ mateship, and again later when their pups reached adolescence) and was enjoyed by all both times.
In keeping with the loosely-defined familial relations, names are also understood to be fluid. Talak, who changed their name on the spot during pack formation, repeatedly stressed pups are not obligated to keep the names they’ve been given, although as of Y5 Autumn no given name changes have actually happened. (Lichen’s been thinking about it, however.)
Surnames are also a thing, primarily courtesy the Hawk’s Eyes hunting party and Aspen family. These additional names indicate not necessarily familial relatedness, but something else significant to the wolf: for example, Husk’s surnames are Orilet-Hawkeye, after the wolf who raised her (Oriole Epaulet) and the hunting party Hawk’s Eyes. Meanwhile, Idril and Oriole coined the Aspen surname upon becoming mates, and their pups inherited it.
Roles
No role, no shelter; wolves who want to remain with the Jackdaws are encouraged to contribute via hunting. That said, hierarchy is still loose and roles are understood to be fluid. leaders’ word is law, but they consult packmates before making major decisions
Leaders & scouts
The relationship between these roles has always been in question. For roughly four years from founding, Diorite and Andesite were leaders, and alongside scout Glaucous (who showed no interest in leading the pack) spent much of their time exploring territories both adjacent and afar. Although the leaders’ words have always been lore, they rarely exerted this authority, which worked out for the small pack.
However, between Years 3 and 4, Diorite’s stability as leader was called into question, and there was an overhanging attitude of him and Andesite being too separate or above the rest of the pack. Subsequently, Diorite deferred more of his responsibilities to Andesite; she, later, dropped scouting duties in favor of joining the hunt, in an effort to establish more equal relationships with the pack. Glaucous followed suit within the year, leaving the scout role vacant.
In Y4 Winter, upon reaching adulthood, Liesl took up the mantle of scouting once more, and shifted the role’s purpose from exploring for its own sake to scoping out nearby packs to stay in the loop. Many of her efforts have been focused on maintaining diplomatic relationships with the Boreas wolves, which she feels current leadership has been neglecting. Rumor has it she has her own ambitions for power.
Hunters
Hawk’s Eyes
The pack’s main hunting party is Hawk’s Eyes, named by founding member Talak; he, Idril, Husk, and later Drove even adopted Hawkeye as a surname. They, alongside Drove’s sister Leveret, made up the core five for about three years, even through serious injury. (A broken leg forced Idril to take a break in Y2, and when Drove refused to stop under similar circumstances, the party significantly slowed their hunt frequency to avoid exacerbating the wound.)
In Y3 Winter, Idril’s retirement marked the party’s first permanent leave, and her previous stand-in Carcass has stepped up to fill her place as chaser. In Y4 Summer, Leveret left the pack; at Idril’s recommendation, Hallow took her place. In Y5 Spring, Talak passed away; their place as chaser has yet to be filled, but Moulin has his eyes on it.
[party2]
Wickfen inadvertently started a second party in Y3 Spring, when he wasn’t interested in hunting with Carcass or vice versa and set out as a solo hunter. He was later joined by Zephyr, who already had experience as a chaser, and they formed a nameless two-wolf party until Y4 Summer, when Andesite joined the group; glaucous and newcomer Lichen joined the gang in winter that year.
The party remained nameless until Y5 Spring, when [something happened and Andesite got customized or something. Maybe. IDK they were never half as formal but they’ve been Around]
other hunters
Although not a strict rule, past norms have determined that, if a wolf wants a place here, they should hunt; going solo is better than not making an effort at all. Multiple smaller parties have emerged through the years:
- Y2 Winter–Y3 Winter: After filling in for Idril, Carcass set out as a solo hunter, and was later joined by Oriole and Hallow. This group disbanded when Oriole retired alongside Idril to watch their pups, and Carcass filled Idril’s place in Hawk’s Eyes.
- Y4 Summer–Autumn: When the Aspen pups grew, Idril and Hallow agreed to resume hunting as a duo, in a bid to reevaluate Hallow’s skills and trustworthiness; subsequently, she’d vouch for his place in Hawk’s Eyes. The “test run” proved successful, and he found a lasting place with the main party at the start of the next season.
Herbalist
The herbalist’s job is dual. Their chief responsibility is, as the name implies, healing the pack with medicinal knowledge. Myrtle, the pack’s first herbalist, brought with her knowledge of a biome-spanning bartering network, through which she traded excess prey for herbs. But when the pack had more pups than they could handle in Year 2, Myrtle also used her connections to find prospective new packs for willing pups. (There’s no nice way to incorporate pup sales into lore without them all going missing or something; for levity’s sake we’ll assume this totally isn’t wolf trafficking at all.)
Micah, Myrtle’s son and current herbalist, is the only other Jackdaw with knowledge of/access to the network. The connection was lost in the wake of the first move in Y3 Summer, and he was unable to reestablish it until Lichen’s introduction in Y4 Autumn.
Pupsitter(s)
Pupsitting is something of a stopgap role; Oriole inadvertently held it long-term but never set out to make it her one and only job, nor have other pupsitters gone out of their way to do nothing but pupsit. That said, it’s a grueling and potentially thankless task, and supersedes a wolf’s other responsibilities for its duration.
A pup’s parents are not necessarily the wolves who raise them, or vice versa, but recent years have seen a trend towards parents ensuring their own pups’ survival–if not the whole pack chipping in.
Reputation
The pack largely minds its own business; in their first home in the mountains, all they were known for was “there’s a pack in Cougar’s Maw now.” However, Diorite has always had a peculiar aggressive streak, and packs in the coniferous forest proved less tolerant of his presence. This, alongside their former home having been a cougar’s den, caught up with the pack for the first time in Y3 Winter; a cougar-aligned pack deemed the Jackdaws enemies on arrival, which culminated in a surprise attack before the end of the year.
During their exodus, the Jackdaws encountered the Boreas wolves. Relations were tense if bloodless until Diorite attacked their leader Silverback, which seems to have obliterated any hope of an alliance; however, although Diorite and Andesite consider the pack an enemy, individual Jackdaws may feel differently. Silverback, for one, has expressed willingness to welcome any deflecting Jackdaws–an offer which one Jackdaw-born wolf, Jackrabbit Aspen, took advantage of. Subsequently, Liesl has reached out as an individual to smooth over relations, even though she harbors little love for the Boreas wolves herself. Generally, the packs avoid each other when possible.
The Jackdaws have basically no battle training except for whatever a wolf joined with. But hey, they survived the cougar+pack attack, and presumably Lichen knows a few tricks from her time elsewhere, so maybe this is a thing that can be looked into whenever.
Territory
Jackdaw’s Flight has never been markedly territorial; they’re concerned only with having enough land for the pack to regroup at between outings. Their first home, Cougar’s Maw, provided natural defense via geographical inaccessibility; later, although they established a temporary “base” in the coniferous forest during Y3, an attack indicated borders meant little to a determined enemy.
Since Y4 Autumn, the Jackdaws have settled in a small aspen woodland at the edge of the taiga somewhere (northwest?); details TBA. Lichen led them to it when she introduced herself to the pack, and they’ve stayed since.
[Descriptions of notable locations goes here; there should at least be a “base camp” and whatever place Andesite and Moulin got zapped by the customization beam.] For more about the wilder world of Wolvden, see the Setting page.
Non-wolf fauna
The Jackdaws have no spiritual beliefs or animalistic connections in the aggregate. However, various species have proved noteworthy:
- Jackdaws are a given. They live among the peaks of the pack’s first home (and namesake), and in the most notable encounter, Diorite found them circling the body of a dead pup; the mountains give, the mountains take. Although they haven’t been seen further north, the name stuck.
- Cougars have been regarded with a sort of reverence from the getgo; one lived in both of the pack’s homes thus far, the Maw in the mountains and the “Prowl” by the coniferous forest. Diorite avoids (but is not wholly above) fighting them. However, the one that claimed the Prowl before the Jackdaws’ arrival returned with a vengeance. If nothing else, the pack has been left with a very strong reminder that these big cats are to be respected as much as they are feared.
- In Y2, after Diorite fought some bears at the beckoning of the questing snake, the mangled body of a pup (Flint) was found outside a bear den. Although the surrounding scents suggested Flint was used as a plaything by passing adolescents, Diorite couldn’t shake the feeling it was an act of vengeance. The coniferous forest was his go-to location for bear fights, but he avoided battling a single one while the pack lived there.
- Owls proved helpful during the pack’s stay in the coniferous forest; Diorite has enjoyed several successful hunts with their guidance.