Subject says it all. The downtime has officially started.

Please note that a lot of threads have been locked in anticipation of the upcoming changes. At this point we are not accepting new profiles or introductions, as the systems will change soon.

Also, please hold off on making any big plans until we have made an official lore announcement. Thank you!

This is the current list of Heroes! There will not be any more Heroes added until after the server is back up and running and more candidates are discussed.

Congrats and THANK YOU to:

Sersay

TwilightDisciple

Krent

Kainue

Rakkezai

Maeven

They have already begun assisting us in planning big things for the server's future. Hoo-rah!

This one's fairly short, but it will answer some very common questions.

First, the server rates. They will not be changing. That was easy! Moving on!

Next, the timeline. The decision has been made that we will be "falling back" to the existing, official timeline. That is not to say that we will not have our own lore! Customized areas may end up being re-customized, and certainly new ones will spring up.

And now, the Hero FAQ:


What exactly does the Hero rank mean?

Let's break this down into a few simpler questions.

How are Heroes chosen?

Heroes are players that we consider to be a major asset to the server. In character, it means they handle their characters in a realistic way, and dance joyfully on Mary Sue's grave. It means they are capable of putting others before themselves to enhance an RP experience. It means they have affected the flavor and plot of the server in a way that extends beyond a small circle of friends and touches the whole server. Out of character, it means that they are an example to others in their behavior, treatment of others, and attention to writing details. It means they try to make new players feel included, and keep them on the straight and narrow. It means that they handle adverse situations with dignity and maturity. This is our way of saying THANK YOU.

What will Heroes do for the server?

Their advice and input will be asked on a LOT of things as the server develops and changes, including world events, location development, server plot and any other crazy ideas that they may offer up.

What do Heroes get out of the deal?

Lots of things, actually. We feel we can trust them with advanced characters, like guards, high-ranking officials, and special titles. They will still need to apply for these with profiles, but they will be in the Special section of the Profiles forum. There is still a reasonable limit to how powerful of a character they can play. There are other possible in character perks being discussed as well!

Does this mean Heroes get special treatment?

The Hero status is, to sound like Everyone's Mother, a privilege and not a right. If we feel that they are making choices that make them no longer Hero material, they will not receive a warning before they are demoted.

How do I become a Hero?

The qualities we look for in a Hero are listed in the first answer. That said, this rank is intended to be a SMALL portion of the server population. It takes a long time to establish yourself in any group, and while we may earmark more players eventually for Hero rank, we will spend quite a bit of time observing them before we offer them the rank. You CANNOT apply to be a Hero. GMs will approach you if they feel you are Hero material and offer the title, which you are free to decline or accept for any reason. If you harass any GMs for the Hero title, you will be demoted one level, and will have to re-earn your previous rank.

A lot of people have asked how their characters and accounts will be handled. After much discussion, designing, more discussion, and redesigning, this is the system we will be using:



Visitor - This is the rank you are when you first visit the server. You don't need any work to get it, it's free of charge. You can view the forums and post in the Introductions, General Discussion, and Off Topic areas.

Peon - Once your application is accepted, you'll be bumped up to a Peon. Work work! Now can log onto the server and post in any of the public forums, including the ever-important Character Profiles section.

Grunt - After you earn three vouches and are approved by a GM, you will be a Grunt. You can log onto the server and post in the public forums, and can vouch. Make sure those vouches are well-thought-out and sincere, or they may be negated.

Hero - Heroes are a special rank of player that the GMs have decided unanimously has shown excellent RP skills, model OOC behavior, an impressive grip on the lore, and dedication to the server. If you attain this rank, you can log onto the server and post in the public forums as well as the Heroes discussion area, can vouch, and can claim a title or advanced power. (Such as a prestige title, or high ranks in military or political arenas.) As the GMs settle into the new system, they may decide to offer Heroes even more perks. You CANNOT apply to be a Hero. GMs will approach you if they feel you are Hero material and offer the title, which you are free to decline or accept for any reason. If you harass any GMs for the Hero title, you will be demoted one level, and will have to re-earn your previous rank.

Trial GM - These are players that the GMs have discussed thoroughly and are considering for the GM rank. They have many of the same benefits as Heroes (and may in fact be promoted from the Heroes rank), but they can access portions of the GM discussion area and have some of the GM commands. They will be able to help out with some small problems, but they CANNOT level players or give them items, so don't ask them for those.

GM - These are full-fledged GMs that can do a multitude of useful things for the server. They have full access to the entire forums, and can post topics in the News, Server Policies, and move threads to the Articles and Guides section. They can approve applications and profiles, as well as level characters and add items to their inventory.

Content GM - These are exactly the same as GMs, just with a more focused goal: world and storyline development. They may opt out of having the ability to level or add items to character's inventories so that they may better focus on weaving new stories and adding new lore content to the server.

Admin - Kretol! He has all the big, fancy buttons that allow the server to function. This is his server, and you are a guest here. Please keep that in mind as you read the rules.



Candidates for the Hero rank will be contacted soon and an announcement will be made when we know who all has accepted the rank. (FAQ on Heroes coming soon, too!)

Shortly after the server goes down, everyone's rank will be dropped to "Visitor", save for the GMs, Heroes, and a number of Grunts that we feel represent the Grunt rank well. Once the server is up again, we will be accepting applications to join the server (these will be in a specific format, which will also be announced shortly in a news post).

The original intention of the server was to be a very small, family-like group of dedicated RPers. We have strayed from this, and we'd like to get back to that. What this means is that we are going to "downsize" a bit in our population. This isn't meant to be a punishment or a threat, as I said, we are returning to our original purpose.

And now a word on timelines:

Please do not assume you will be able to copy and paste your profile when the server is back up and running. The timeline WILL be changing, although we are still discussing exactly how. It is safest to assume that you will be starting with a "blank slate", although that doesn't mean that you cannot MODIFY a character to fit the new timeline. The official decision on the timeline will be announced when it is agreed upon.