The duties of a Miner are tough and difficult: creating new tunnels for their Clan, bearing heavy and painful loads, felling trees, and more. This only scrapes the surface of what Miners do for their Clan!

Tunnel Creation, & Upkeep

The main task of a Miner is to mine! Miners are vital to CavernClan's way of life in their vast underground territory. The earth of Arcana is constantly shifting, the rains and winds turning conditions from sturdy to dangerous at the drop of a whisker. Miners main job is to collapse and repack the earth within tunnels that have grown too dangerous for regular traversal, and to dig out and fortify a new path forward.

Miners are also in charge of maintaining the safety and structural integrity of CavernClan's tunnels. They often fell trees or get wood imported from VerdureClan's Gardeners to hold up the walls of the caverns and tunnels to prevent collapse during the rainy season. Furthermore, smaller, leaner Miners are in charge of digging out ventilation and drainage tunnels, as well as maintaining them. This task is the riskiest of all, as their clanmates are normally not able to access these narrow tunnels to pull them out in case of emergency.

Navigation & Mapping

Miners have vast memories, having to quickly navigate and understand their tunnels better than any average Guardian. Thus, Miners are at the forefront of any rescue missions or search parties, risking their lives to track down cats that may have stumbled into old passageways or tight squeezes.

Furthermore, Miners have large mental maps of the tunnel systems, and are in charge of scratching out 'maps' in frequently used locations, updating them as old tunnels are broken down and new ones dug out. CavernClan uses these maps to find their bearings when navigating tunnels without any form of daylight.

Clan Protection

As the strongest members of the Clan, both physically and kinetically, Miners are at the forefront of CavernClan's war efforts. With their brawn and quick wits, they are among the most dangerous cats to anger in the Valley, capable of breaking limbs and landing fatal blows in a matter of a few seconds. Miners are also tasked with fending off the dangerous predators that lurk on CavernClan's surface from creeping into the tunnels below.

Miners are a rowdy, loyal group of cats, and Captains choose their new members very, very carefully!

Field Days

At 9 moons old all apprenticed go through a Field Day- a part-interview, part-competition to showcase their kinetic knowledge, memory, and strength. Miner Captains round up a group of apprentices, typically 2-3, and have them partake in 3 of the activities listed below. This, however, is at the current Captain's discretion, and may change between players. Apprentices are judged on a number of qualities: success, attitude, determination, and more. Even the most talented of cats fail if they lack in one or more areas.

• Kinetic Sparring

• Memory Tests

• Wildlife Knowledge

• Strength & Endurance Testing

• Anything to showcase Kinetic ability

Consider checking out the Field Day page for more information.

Mentorship & Apprenticeship

When an Apprentice is chosen after their Field Day, they are assigned a Miner as a mentor! This mentor takes over their training, honing their abilities as both a Guardian while focusing on the harsh duties of Minership.

Miner Apprentices are often trained an extra 2-5 moons in comparison to their peers, depending on when their Captain deems them as ready to graduate. Mentors are typically experienced, older Miners, around 25 or more moons, and are chosen by the current Captains, not the Clan's Leader.

As he and his Clan descended into the sprawling, unknown tunnels of the mountains of CavernClan, Cavernstar knew that they could not continue as they were, wandering tunnels without any knowledge of their inner workings. Miners came to exist almost as soon as CavernClan did, an elite force tasked originally with one thing in mind- understanding how and why the caverns worked the way that they did. 

As the Clan's understanding of the tunnels grew, the tasks of the Miner team gradually grew as their original tunnels became damaged or worn with time, and as predators turned the underground lands dangerous to inhabit and hunt within. One of the first Miner Captains, Opalfang, spearheaded the shift in Miner duties.

Opalfang, with Cavernstar's blessing, ensured that Miners began to both create and maintain their tunnels, too- not without many losses in trial and error. The ways and rules of the Miners have all been written in blood. Opalfang's sharp mind and problem solving lead to the creation of CavernClan's mapping system, the fossilized pawprints leading lost cats out of the main cave systems, and the existence of ventilation in the deeper caverns. Eventually, growing overly confident in her capabilities, Opalfang herself fell victim to the dangers presented by the cavernous territory. A vast nest of Burrowing Lizards had settled near a key passage, and believing them to be a threat, Opalfang lead a battle against the lizards, succumbing later to their necrotic bite.

Her death lead to the discovery of Burrowing Lizard spines and their tranquilizing effect, as well as the dangerous effects of their bites.

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