199 Views

11349 Views

The Last Alliance of Men and Elves
In 3430 of the Second Age of the Sun, some 3000 years ago, the Last Alliance of Men and Elves was formed to defeat Sauron, the Dark Lord, once for all. This alliance was primarily formed of legions of Men led by Elendil, ruler of Arnor, the North-kingdom of the Exiles of Númenor; Elendil’s sons Isildur and Anárion, co-rulers of Gondor, the South-kingdom of the Exiles of Númenor; and legions of Elves led by Gil-galad, the ruler of Lindon and High King of the Noldor. Durin’s Folk, the Longbeard Dwarves, also served along side Men and Elves, for it is written:

"All living things were divided that day, and some of every kind, even beasts and birds, were found in either host, save the Elves only."

After eleven long years the Last Alliance finally achieved victory over their Enemy but at great cost. Elendil and Gil-galad fell to the Dark Lord himself, but they threw down their foe and Isildur struck the killing blow. Earlier during the seven year Siege of the Barad-dûr, Anárion had been slain by a rock thrown from the Dark Tower.

The Blades of Anárion are Formed
Anárion was not forgotten when he perished on that fateful day. Isildur honored the memory of his brother by planting a seedling of the White Tree of Minas Ithil in the court of the citadel of Minas Anor where Anárion had ruled. This seedling was a descendent of Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor, from which Isildur had rescued a fruit before it was destroyed.

The survivors of Anárion’s guard, the Men of Gondor sworn to defend their liege-lord to the death, also did not fail to honor their great ruler. In his memory they formed a company that came to be called the ‘Blades of Anárion’, for before battle they would raise their weapons and cry in the Elvish tongue: Avam luithio, an Anárion!, which means, We will not falter, For Anarion!

The Blades of Anárion in the War against Sauron
In honor of Anárion and their ancestors that defended him, the Blades of Anárion have reformed to battle the Enemy once thought to be defeated forever. The now kingless descendents of Númenor, the Elf-friends of old, have joined forces with many of the Eldar, also kingless, as well as the stout Dwarves of Durin’s Folk and the Periannath (or Hobbits as they prefer to be called), who have arisen ‘from their quiet fields to shake the towers and the counsels of the Great’.

---

Our Mission Statement
We are a mature and casual kinship with a very simple and precise goal: we strive to provide a kinship for friendly, mature and like-minded individuals who enjoy the high-fantasy genre of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth as depicted in The Lord of the Rings and other works. We employ light-to-medium roleplay (RP) to keep ourselves within the context of Tolkien's lore while also sharing experiences, stories and friendships outside of the realm. Music, life, folk-lore, battle, camaraderie, and brotherhood are aspects we all enjoy. If you enjoy these as well, consider joining the ranks of the Blades of Anárion.

How we Play

Casual
Overall, the Blades are best described as a "Casual Kinship". Members, individually or as a group, may participate in Role Playing, Raids, Crafting, PvMP, or anything else the game has to offer but they are not required to participate in any of these activities. Instead of focusing in on one or two aspects of the game we instead like to equally participate in everything the game has to offer- this lets our members, if they so choose, to experience everything within the rich world of Middle-Earth and to play entirely at their own pace. The only restrictions we do enforce is that all new members are required to be at least 18 years of age, to ensure a certain level of maturity, and to have reached level 25 on their main character, we figure by this level people are intending to stick with the game, and have found the class/race they enjoy playing the most. Below you will find more information about each of the major aspects of the game, and our views on each of them.

Roleplaying
We are what is commonly called a "Role-Play Light" kinship; it is not our focus, but something we are happy to encourage and embrace. Many of our members enjoy roleplaying while they are playing within the world of Middle-Earth, but like all of our interests, it is neither our focus nor a requirement. We encourage our members to try role-playing, and of course to be accepting and understanding of it when they encounter someone else role-playing, be they a Blade or otherwise. We have many regular events designed to accomdate role-playing and general socializing with kinmates and friends. We also encourage members to do their roleplaying within the /say channel, and keep the /kinship, /fellowship, and /raid channels stricly for out-of-character chat- this is because we beleive role-playing should be in person and not done from opposite sides of the world. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, we look forward to seeing you at the local pub!

Raiding
As Blades, one of our many interests is raiding, and we do take part in all the raids that are currently available, though like all events, attendance is never required. It should however be made very clear, our style and view on raiding is very lighthearted and laid-back. While "beating" a raid is certainly fun and rewarding, it is by no measure our primary goal. We go on raids to have fun, to enjoy each others company, and most of all for the experience. The only thing we take serious about raiding is our excellent ability to work as a team and to listen to each other. If you are looking for a kinship that just likes to have a lot of fun while on a raid, please do consider applying for membership, but if raiding is your only interest or if you are someone who is all business while raiding, you may want to seek a more raid focused kinship.

Crafting
Crafting is a big part of Middle-Earth and we believe it is within everyones best interest to support that as much as possible. We have no requirements regarding crafting, in fact you need not even have a profession if you do not want, but should you be interested in it you will find a great network of support with the Blades. Not only do we have Craft Banks set up to facilitate the exchange of resources and components between members, we also have regular events and contests geared towards crafting specifically. With an officer position dedicated towards this aspect of the game, it is an area we are serious about supporting and helping nurture.

Player Vs. Monster-Player
Ah, the thrill of the hunt! The adrenaline flowing, the heart pumping - this can easily be one of the most exciting aspects of the game and we are happy to support that. Should you be interested in entering the 'Moors, be it as "Creep" or "Freep", you will find your fellow Blades by your side. Just as we have a dedicated Crafting Officer, we have another dedicated to PvMP who is one of the highest ranked on this server. And if Creeping is your flavor, we offer an established Tribe, Bane of Anárion, that you are welcome to join as a member of the Blades. As with all other aspects of this game, however, we do expect our members to treat eachother and other players with the up-most respect. Trash-talking and teasing excessively will not be tolerated.

8577 Views

Maturity

• You must be at least 18 to join the Blades.
• As all members want to participate in a mature, peaceful, fun and relaxing environment, we do take the word "maturity" seriously and apply it to our everyday lives within the kinship. If you do not take the kinship seriously, then we shall not take you seriously.

Roleplay Policy

• Roleplaying is a fun element in the kinship and is encouraged! Do not spoil any roleplaying activities that would ruin the motive or mood of the event, communication, or members partaking in roleplaying.
• Be Courteous to all players, RPers and non-RPers alike.
• Kinship Chat is generally considered to be out-of-character (ooc). There is no need to surround your text with (( text )) to indicate ooc chat.
• /say chat however is considered always in-character (ic). If you have something ooc to say please use either kinship chat, fellowship chat or a tell.
• Fellowship and Raid chat can be either ooc or ic, it is entirely up to the group as a whole. Please respect whatever the group wishes to do, especially if you come into a group late.
• As we do not require hardcore Tolkien thumpers, we do encourage that everyone stay in the highest spirit of roleplay. It is fun and it is relaxing for many of our members.

Chat Channels

• Chat Channels (Kinship, Allies, Fellowship, Raid, etc.) are to be kept clean and respectful at all times, there are to be no racial slurs, no swearing, and no implementing different spelling of curse words. These actions will not be tolerated, and you will be punished accordingly. Even though there is a language filter, many prefer not to use it, and for this sake please give each other some common courtesy.

Inactivity

• If you plan to be inactive for 2 weeks or more, please notify an Officer.
• You must let us know through the Vacation forums if and when you will be gone for an extended period of time past the 2 week grace period, after that period if there is no reason/excuse, you will be removed from kinship. If this is the first time you have been removed for inactivity, you are eligible to rejoin one time, providing your membership was in good standing before the inactivity occurred. Should you again be removed for inactivity, you will no longer be eligible to rejoin.
• All players will be removed if inactive for 1 month and who have not provided any notification

Website and Forums

• Please realize that many have taken a lot of time and money in order to provide accomidations to the guild such as a domained website and bandwidth. We'd ask that you please get involved in our forums! Communicate with one another! It is vital as well that you view any pertanent information such as news, changes to the guild, etc on our website. We try to utilize the message-of-the-day in game as much as possible, but it is very limiting. Most news will be on the site only. Please view our website & forums at least 3 times a week!
• Forum signatures fall under the following criteria:
  • Maximum Height: 250 pixels
  • Maximum Width: 500 pixels
  • Maximum Characters: 255
  • One image per signature

Kinship Alt Policy

• We understands the need to occasionally take a break from your main and play an alt. To accommodate this we have created an alt rank for alt characters.
• Having an alt can be beneficial, we encourage it.
• You are allowed to have 1 alt in the kinship until which time that alt reaches level 50. At that point you are allowed to have 2 alts in the kinship until the 2^nd alt reaches level 50, in which you may have 3 alts in the kinship- and so on.
• Alts are exempt from the application process. Simply notify an officer you want to have your alt join the kinship.
• You must be a full member to have an alt join the kinship.
• Your alt may also freely join another kinship as long as that alt does not become your main character.
• All alts should use the Kinship Note feature to indicate who their main character is, for example, "Sandriell's Alt".

Real-life Family

• Real-life family are permitted to join the Kinship without having to go through the application process. When you have a RL family member join, you are essentially putting your own membership up as collateral should a problem arise.
• While RL family is exempt from the application process, they still must submit an application so that we can track and record their membership. They should specify within their application that they are a RL family member of a Kinship Member and state which member.
• Real-life friends are not exempt from the application process and must apply like any other applicant.

Behavior

• It is expected that all members of the kinship treat each other with respect.
• Continuous use of so-called ‘leet-speak’ or foreign languages is not encouraged, try to use (standard) English in the guild channel. Bad language on accident is understandable sometimes, but if taken to excess or if members complain about it, the offender will be asked to moderate their language. Continued excessive swearing can ultimately lead to disciplinary action. Also bear in mind that our members come from different backgrounds and all ages races and sexes.
• Other kinship Members. If you need help with item trading or other dealings in the guild, feel free to ask an Officer for assistance.
• Cooperation is something we pride ourselves on. We wish this tradition to continue. It is not expected higher level characters give up too much time to help out the lower level characters, however, help is always appreciated and reciprocated.

Attitudes

• Members will carry an attitude that is motivational, and uplifting in the general spirit of the kinship. We will not harbor nor accept members who are emotionally unstable or have attitude issues with various members.
• Character Attitudes, they may be one thing, attitudes out of character is completely another. There is a distinct difference, so please recognize this.

Partying Raids & Instances

• Agree to a Leader. The Leader is the one who organizes the run as it progresses, he or she is not a dictator, remember you are supposed to be cooperating. However, listen to the leader if his requests are reasonable. (Picking a leader does not apply to official kinship parties or raids as the leader will be picked by the Officers.)
• It is expected that all members of a party involving kinship members behave in the spirit of the game.
• Loot rules must be established before the group gets involved in the coming adventure. Examples of Looting Systems are: Need before Greed, Roll on BoE, Pass on BoP, DKP etc. Please discuss the matter extensively beforehand if there is the intention to use a “non-standard” system. (Loot rules for official guild parties will be determined by the Officers ahead of time.)
• Members are expected not to pick unnecessary fights with people from outside the Kinship. However, should the behavior of an external person in a party/raid be utterly intolerable (e.g. ninja-looting, verbal abuse), all members are encouraged to stick together, and, if appropriate, to warn the Guild as a whole against these persons.
• Preference for attendance at official Raids is given to Kinship Members, Kinship Recruits, Allies, Friends, Everyone; in that order.

Disputes and Arguments

• We are all human and we will, at some point, disagree with each other. All arguments should be handled discretely. This means no spamming kinships with insults, accusations etc. All arguments should be taking to private channels (email, PM's, /w, /p) as soon as possible.
• We utilize a chain of command. Under no circumstances will an Officer be scrutinized, harassed or verbally abused as this is a direct violation of your subordinate rank. Officers work hard for the kinship and are the creators of the community in which we all enjoy. Please respect them.
• If a problem can not be resolved please bring it to the attention of the appropriate GM or Officers as soon as possible.
• Under no circumstances are arguments to be carried on using the Forums. This causes more problems between Members and makes the kinship look bad.
• The GM and officers have the final word in any dispute between Members.

Sanctions

• We are not a Kinship that wants to police its members. We hope to use this section only rarely, but any breach can be reported to the Guild Master and/or Officers who will deal with the matter.
• The Officers are responsible for deciding how to deal with Members who break charter rules.
• Officers have complete freedom of action and can warn, fine (as reparations, in case of breaches related to money or items), demote or remove Members as they see fit. Immediate removal from the kinship will only occur in the gravest of circumstances. If possible, the breaches should be discussed by several Officers before the more severe measures of demotion or removal are taken.
• Breaches by recruits will face a lower level of tolerance than those of full members; they may be removed without consultation if their actions make clear they don't share the general kinship spirit.
• The Kinship Officers have the right to use their judgement concerning anything that is not covered in the Kinship Charter.

The Final Say

• As before, the Leader has the final say. An Officer is not allowed to deviate from this charter or enforce rules not explicitly mentioned herein without consulting the Leader first, except under extreme circumstances.
• The Kinship reserves the right to change the contents of the charter at anytime it is deemed necessary to do so. Agreement between the Officers and Leader is sufficient for such changes.

7053 Views

Why should I donate?

---

While we offer these service and experiences to you for free, nothing is truly free in this world. We the staff pay monthly costs to keep the Blades of Anarion site online, forever growing, and improving. We are okay with this, this is our hobby and something we all enjoy doing. However if you are willing to help out, in even the smallest fashion, we will graciously accept whatever help you volunteer.

What is my donation used for?

---

All donations go towards:

• Monthly server upkeep.
• Monthly web site upkeep.
• Monthly bandwidth costs.
• Ventrilo server sosts

How do I donate?

---

There are currently two ways to donate. You may either make a donation towards the website and it's costs, or you may make a donation directly for the Ventrillo server we provide.

A quick note about the Ventrilo donation. The default donation amount is $9.25, but you are free to change that amount to anything you desire. You may donate as little as 25c if you like.

Website Donation	Ventrilo Donation

3143 Views