Mnara

Mnara was a role-playing message board based on The Lion King. In the plot there, Kovu and Kiara never fell in love. Kovu fufilled Scar's wish and became king after Simba's death. The Pridelanders and Outlanders joined into one pride: the Mnara. When first created, Mnara had a sister-forum named Uchawi, specifically for hyenas from the Uchawi clan of the defunct African Tails MUCK. A later addition was an in-progress sister-forum by the name of Jora'Kelb, whose plotline revolved around a pack of Cape Hunting Dogs and which was scheduled to intermingle with the Mnaran storyline; this project was abandoned with the demise of Mnara.


 * Address: http://mnara.ftewa.com/ (defunct)
 * Founders: CountryGoalie (played Nala) and Jennko (played Kovu)
 * Ran from/to: 2003 - 2004?
 * (Reopened) January 2005 - April 2005

Closure
Mnara was closed due to a miscommunication between Jennko and her webhost, resulting in the deletion of the website, the nearly simultaneous crash of CountryGoalie's hard drive, where the original plot and character information was saved, and personal reasons on the part of both founders that made it too difficult to dedicate the time it would take to rebuild what was lost.

Characters

 * Afia
 * Angaza - Lioness Cub. Daughter of Kovu and Polaris.
 * Barafu - Lion Cub. Son of Simba and Nala. Ice in Swahili.
 * Kata - Lioness Cub. Daughter of Kovu and Subira, identical twin of Kato. Fragment in Swahili.
 * Kato - Lioness Cub. Daughter of Kovu and Subira, identical twin of Kata. Fragment in Swahili.
 * Kayla - Adolescent Lioness. Daughter of Simba and Mardea.
 * Kifidio - Lion Cub. Orphaned son of Kovu and Sarafina, raised by Nala. Ransom in Swahili.
 * Kiowa - Adolescent Lioness. Daughter of Simba and Nashraia.
 * Kivuli - Lioness Cub. Daughter of Kovu and Nakama. Shadow in Swahili.
 * Kovu - Lion. Son of Scar and Zira.
 * Mardea - Lioness.
 * Mbi - Hyena
 * Mkaragazo - Lion Cub. Son of Nuka and Kiara. Downpour in Swahili.
 * Msichana - Lioness Cub. Daughter of Kovu and Subira. Girl in Swahili.
 * Msomeshaji - Elder Lion.
 * Nala - Lioness. Daughter of Sarafina.
 * Nakama - Lioness. Mother of Kivuli by Kovu. Former Outlander.
 * Nashraia - Lioness.
 * Nipo - Lioness Cub. I Am in Swahili.
 * Njozi - Lioness Cub. Orphaned daughter of Kovu and Sarafina, raised by Nala. Phantom in Swahili.
 * Nuka - Lion. Son of Matapishi and Zira.
 * Shetani - Lioness. Daughter of Scar and Zira; Vitani in the movie.
 * Subira - Lioness. Former Outlander.
 * Zira - Lioness. Hate in Swahili.

Official Original Storyline
The following is an original plotline write-up by the founders which was placed on the Mnaran website and was recently recovered from the deviantART account of Zira's player, Unzumi. This plotline includes information from approximately the first year of Mnara's existence, including the birth of the first generation of cubs.

Imagine a world where Kovu never fell in love with Kiara, and Zira successfully fulfilled Scar's last wish on the earth ...

Upon the defeat of Scar, known previously as Taka, the young adult lion known as Simba began his reign. However, all was not peaches and cream. A lioness who had joined the pride while Simba was away had recently given birth to a pair of cubs sired by Scar. The cubs' mother, Zira, was a lioness who was half-starved for attention upon her arrival to the Pridelands. Rejected from her previous pride, and nearly crazy, Zira thrived under Scar's attention, quickly giving him a litter of three cubs. Due to the condition of the lands, however, only one cub survived, though in a malnourished state. This cub was called Nuka, and at first was touted by Scar as his heir. Nuka, like his mother, seemed to adore this attention, but it soon became apparent that Nuka was very similar to his sire in physical features, though clearly weaker due to low nutrition. Scar slowly began to shun the young cub, eventually drawing to a decision that he would not make a proper heir.

Nuka was devastated by this decision -- not only did his father begin to show a clear disliking for him, but now his mother, too, seemed to turn her back on him as she brought on new attempts at bringing about the heir Scar sought. As young Nuka began to tread on the days of becoming a juvenile, Zira gave birth to twins, a dark male and a lighter female. Scar was delighted, and was quite prompt in naming the male his new heir.

Not a week after the cubs were born, Simba returned, and Scar was killed by the hyenas. Zira automatically took a disliking to Simba. He had killed the only soul who had ever shown her kindness, and the anger drove her crazy -- not that she had been very stable to begin with. With the new king came a respite from the drought, however, and Zira's young cubs began to thrive. Zira still held on to a glimmer of hope that perhaps Kovu would be king someday, though she never voiced Scar's wish that his young son be heir to the throne.

Shortly into the rainy season, Nala gave birth to twins, a male and a female, both in high likeness to their father. Upon presentation of the male to the kingdom, Zira calculated a plan. She would dispose of the young cub, thereby securing a future for Kovu. One night, while Nala and Simba were taking a stroll, and the rest of the lionesses were off on a hunt, Zira payed a visit to the young cubs and the aging Sarabi. Maliciously, Zira attacked Sarabi, killing her in cold blood, before turning upon the cub. She quickly dealt with the male, but was soon interrupted by the returning King and Queen.

Banished. It was a cold word. A harsh word. But thus was Zira. Simba, in his somewhat niave heart, simply sent Zira away, instead of dealing her what she truly deserved -- death. Zira departed, taking with her her three cubs, as well as a few lionesses who had rallied behind her since Scar's death. They were mostly younger lionesses, ones who had known little but Scar's reign, as well as some who had also joined during the time that Zira had arrived.

From here, Zira began to raise her young cubs in the arts of attack, hunting, and general animosity towards the Pridelanders. Much of what took place here can be seen in the movie known as The Lion King 2. However, partway through this film is where we depart from Disney's plotline into our alternate universe. Sent to the Pridelands to befriend Kiara, Simba's daughter, and eventually assassinate Simba, Kovu stayed to his training. Despite being tailed by the overzealous, noisy, and downright annoying daughter of Simba, Kovu stayed to the plan. Cool and calculating, he never missed a step. A few months into his residency with the Pridelanders, Kovu followed Simba to the watering hole in the shroud of a foggy dawn. As had been agreed upon by him and his sister, Vitani, they met there, and took Simba down. Their task accomplished, they returned to the Outlands border to rally the remaining Outlander lionesses who had not perished in their dire surroundings.

Moving as the lethal group of trained killers that they were, the Outlanders swarmed Pride Rock, dominating the fight, and quickly subduing the Pridelander lionesses which fought back. Casualties were few -- the Outlanders lost but one lioness, while the Pridelanders lost three of their most stoic lionesses to the onslaught of the enemy.

Zira quickly set her son up as the King of the Pridelands, considering herself to be his advisor. Although he listened to her counsel, he was not one to merely go by whatever one said. He truly had the calculating mind of his predecessor, Scar. He obeyed some of the commands of his mother, while weaseling his way out and around other commands. He had a way with making her believe she was being obeyed, though he was often disregarding her words.

Although Kovu began his reign while the Pridelands were under the spell of the late dry season, at the time when lionesses begin to bear their cubs, he mated with only one of the Pridelanders -- an elder lioness, nearing her waning years, by the name of Sarafina. Once drawn to the intelligence behind his father, Sarafina seemed yet again drawn to the dark lion in power.

Yet this was not the only romance blossoming in the savannah. No, there was another. Nuka, the lion so often looked down upon by those around him, seemed drawn towards the clumsy, boy-crazy Kiara, and an awkward relationship seemed to develop. They found acceptance in one another, a first love for both.

And so, as the dry season passed away and the rains arrived with their shadowy rumblings, a new generation was born. Sarafina bore two cubs, the elder a female bearing the rich mahogany pelt of her father; the younger, a male with the soft cream pelt of his mother, yet with the contrasting dark shades atop his ruffled head, the start of a dark mane. Yet all was not well with this birth, and Sarafina passed on to the skies above, leaving behind two innocents. Nala, there for the birthing, quickly took them in as her own, naming them and vowing to raise them as her mother might have.

Njozi, the phantom, was the name born by the the elder cub. An odd name for one so dark, yet earned in its own right. And Kifidio, the ransom for his mother's life. Yet there was a third element soon added to the equation. Another young cub. A cub bearing heavy resemblance to his grandfather, the mighty Mufasa. A cub disliked by Zira. Barafu, cub of the ice. Barafu, offspring of Simba and Nala.

Zira called for the extermination of this Barafu, this supposed threat to the throne, but Nala stood by her cub, adamently defending his right to live. Kovu intervened, bringing about a compromise between the two lionesses at odds. The cub could live, as a token of gratitude for the upbringing of his two cubs, Njozi and Kifidio. Though Zira was not happy, she backed down, accepting her son's creed.

Two cubs were born to Kiara a week after the turmoil between Zira and Nala was settled. Despite being inexperienced with handling and caring for cubs, Kiara has managed to raise both of her cubs succesfully thus far, with Nuka as their happy father. The elder is a male, a scraggly gold-pelted fellow with the beginnings of a black mane and already a sharpness developing about his personality. The younger, a golden female, bears more resemblance to her parents, however, displaying a certain naive quality.

And thus we find ourselves, in the rise of the rainy season, a time of renewal, a time for the start of another circle, another generation. Turmoil and bickering arises at times amongst the lionesses, and the new generation faces hard days ahead, but as the circle continues, life will continue.