The Nightingales

The Nightingales
Once upon a time, some distant time ago, there was a concert hall in a city - one where cats walked the streets and the alleyways, living in the shadows as their nature calls them to. The concert hall, however, was a place they were welcomed - there were mice and rats throughout, so they never had to go hungry there, and the performers were happy to have their problems dealt with.

So it was that the cats began to stay, and the performers continued to perform; and the cats began to join them. This was the beginning of something beautiful, though no one knew what just yet: this was the beginning of the Nightingales.

They would sing, and revel in the music; it was their calling and their sanctuary. The performers called it their Hall, and so it became the Hall of Music in the words of the Nightingales; a name bestowed on them by someone whose name has been lost to history.

(Most, though, attribute it now to the first they can name: Melody Nightingale, far from the first of them, but it was her that began most of their traditions; the practice of teaching their songs to the youngest and weaving their history into such, ensuring that what could be remembered would remain so. Many, still, were lost to time and the wandering winds, but her efforts were felt for generations if nothing else, enough that her name is spoken still. It is her they remember as the First Nightingale.)

Though many remained in the Hall, some began to wander; and they carried with them their songs and their way of life even as they traveled far from what had once been their home. Some settled in groups, others moved on to live on their own; but they are all Nightingales still.

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The Altars of Music
The Hall of Music is a distant place, and most cats keep themselves quite separate from the Twolegs that wander city streets - but even such cats may be Nightingales. An ‘Altar of Music’ is a settlement of Nightingale cats away from the Hall, typically in the wilds. Still, there are a few in city spaces such as underground tunnels.

Unlike those who dwell in the Hall, they don’t always have readily available prey or shelter; though they do tend to settle in places that offer such things. Though the Altars vary wildly in culture and conduct, they share the love and reverence that all Nightingales have for music.

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Nightingale Vocabulary
Band: A group of Nightingales that travel and sing together.
Soloist: One who sings without the accompaniment of their kin; typically refers to a Nightingale who lives or wanders alone.
Accompanist: A Nightingale who resides within Altar society. Also known as Altar cats.
Fledgling: The formal term for a Nightingale who hasn’t yet come of age, particularly one currently in training. Also known as students, the length and specifications of their training varies from place to place.
Apprentice: One who has come of age and is no longer a fledgling student, but continues training under their teacher for one reason or another.
Melodist: An Altar Nightingale who spins new songs like spider-silk, or one who passes them down.
Virtuoso: One whose skill is highly respected. The skill in question isn't always musical; it's not unheard of for skilled fighters or those who perform exceptional acts of selflessness to be considered as such.
Maestro: A Nightingale who is regarded as a master, in their art or some other skill. They tend to serve in leadership roles, thanks to their lifetime of experience.
Speaker: One who doesn’t sing as they do; most often used to refer to non-Nightingales.

Known Settlements
Moonsong Altar (Destroyed)
Located near the Clans' original settlement; the Moonsong Altar was caught in the disaster that devastated the forest territories. The survivors have scattered.

Lost Ruins Altar

Allegiances

Moonsong Altar:

Lost Ruins Altar: