Post by Salthair on Mar 30, 2006 12:00:06 GMT -5
Guild Leadership and Structure
((Hey Hammers! This page is, at the moment, considered under renovation. But I've left it up for a historical reference, so we can see what the original vision was for this guild 5 long years ago. We've lightened our rp requirements considerably since then, and opened up a whole new set of ranks and a new branch for our Elven friends. I'll be redoing this soon but for now am leaving this as is, even if much of it no longer applies))
The Hammer of the Ancients is comprised of the following ranks:
The Unwashed- New members being considered for full membership
Initiate- These are new members who are being considered for full membership.
Full Members - On the path to Enlightenment
Earthborn- Signifies a member’s status as a Child of the Earthmother and full membership in the Hammer of the Ancients.
Bloodkin- Signifies acceptance by the Living Flame and also entails entering a brother or sisterhood with another member of the Ancients’ choosing.
Drowned One- This signifies a member’s willingness to surrender to the will of the Ancients and be reborn as a Child of the Deep.
Enlightened – Children of the Aspects
Awakened- The Ancients have deemed you ready for a new level of awareness and set you on a path devoted to one (and sometimes two) Aspect of the Ancients.
Chosen- These have been selected by one of the Aspect of the Ancients to serve that Aspect if the member agrees to heed the call. If not they may remain an unbound Awakened, which is considered an entirely honourable path.
Hand- This is the first Officer rank. There is one Hand for each Aspect. These are the most enlightened children of the Earthmother, the Living Flame, The Deep One, and the Skyfather. There is also one more, unaffiliated Hand whose task is to act as liaison between the other Hands and the Elders.
The Council of Elders – The Guild’s Leadership, responsible for all major decisions
Shield of the Ancients- Protector of the Ancients and General of the Hammer
Spirit-Talker to the Ancients- Interprets and communicates the words and will of the Ancients
High Priest of the Ancients- Responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Guild
Guild Admission and Promotions
All potential members must be interviewed and approved by at least one Officer accompanied by a second member of any rank.
If the recruit is deemed a potential he is welcomed into the guild as an Initiate. He will spend his first phase in the guild improving his skills and learning the teachings of the Ancients. The Initiate will be watched carefully and given guidance as is necessary.
After a time and when she is deemed worthy, the Initiate will be promoted to Earthborn. At this point, she is considered a full member of the guild, accepted as a Child of the Earthmother and blessed by the Ancients. She also earns the right to wear the guild tabard.
When an Earthborn has reached a certain degree of training within his class and a fundamental understanding of the teachings of the Ancients, he is ready for the next phase in his guild membership. At this point he must pass a test to honour the Living Flame. In the test, he will be paired with another Hammer chosen for him by the Ancients and the two must face a combat trial together. Once this test has been passed, the two Hammers are blooded together and bound as Blood-Brothers/Sisters from that point on, achieving the new rank of Bloodkin. From that day on the pair are responsible for each other physically and spiritually in a most holy bond.
When a Bloodkin has been deemed worthy, she may request the honour of being tested by the Deep One. In this ritual, the Bloodkin is drowned by the High Priest or Chosen of the Deep One and then brought back to life. After this, she is considered to be cleansed of the evils of her old self, and is now also free of fear (one who has died and has risen need never fear again) and achieves the rank Drowned One.
After a Drowned One has been deemed worthy of taking the next step, he is given a quest by the Spirit-Talker or Chosen of the Skyfather. This quest will test his wisdom and tenacity, and once completed will give him the rank of Awakened.
When the Ancients feel the Awakened is ready, one of their four Aspects will choose her to enter its service. This is a free choice for the Awakened and, should she choose not to accept the calling, may retain her status and be considered an unbound Awakened. There is no dishonour in this and is considered a perfectly respectable choice. Out of each set of Chosen, one will be selected to represent that Aspect as the Hand of that Aspect. This is a position of great responsibility as it makes the member responsible for all the Chosen under her. There is also one Hand who will be named Hand of the Ancients and does not serve a single Aspect. This Hand shall act as liaison between the Hands and the Elders.
((Hey Hammers! This page is, at the moment, considered under renovation. But I've left it up for a historical reference, so we can see what the original vision was for this guild 5 long years ago. We've lightened our rp requirements considerably since then, and opened up a whole new set of ranks and a new branch for our Elven friends. I'll be redoing this soon but for now am leaving this as is, even if much of it no longer applies))
The Hammer of the Ancients is comprised of the following ranks:
The Unwashed- New members being considered for full membership
Initiate- These are new members who are being considered for full membership.
Full Members - On the path to Enlightenment
Earthborn- Signifies a member’s status as a Child of the Earthmother and full membership in the Hammer of the Ancients.
Bloodkin- Signifies acceptance by the Living Flame and also entails entering a brother or sisterhood with another member of the Ancients’ choosing.
Drowned One- This signifies a member’s willingness to surrender to the will of the Ancients and be reborn as a Child of the Deep.
Enlightened – Children of the Aspects
Awakened- The Ancients have deemed you ready for a new level of awareness and set you on a path devoted to one (and sometimes two) Aspect of the Ancients.
Chosen- These have been selected by one of the Aspect of the Ancients to serve that Aspect if the member agrees to heed the call. If not they may remain an unbound Awakened, which is considered an entirely honourable path.
Hand- This is the first Officer rank. There is one Hand for each Aspect. These are the most enlightened children of the Earthmother, the Living Flame, The Deep One, and the Skyfather. There is also one more, unaffiliated Hand whose task is to act as liaison between the other Hands and the Elders.
The Council of Elders – The Guild’s Leadership, responsible for all major decisions
Shield of the Ancients- Protector of the Ancients and General of the Hammer
Spirit-Talker to the Ancients- Interprets and communicates the words and will of the Ancients
High Priest of the Ancients- Responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Guild
Guild Admission and Promotions
All potential members must be interviewed and approved by at least one Officer accompanied by a second member of any rank.
If the recruit is deemed a potential he is welcomed into the guild as an Initiate. He will spend his first phase in the guild improving his skills and learning the teachings of the Ancients. The Initiate will be watched carefully and given guidance as is necessary.
After a time and when she is deemed worthy, the Initiate will be promoted to Earthborn. At this point, she is considered a full member of the guild, accepted as a Child of the Earthmother and blessed by the Ancients. She also earns the right to wear the guild tabard.
When an Earthborn has reached a certain degree of training within his class and a fundamental understanding of the teachings of the Ancients, he is ready for the next phase in his guild membership. At this point he must pass a test to honour the Living Flame. In the test, he will be paired with another Hammer chosen for him by the Ancients and the two must face a combat trial together. Once this test has been passed, the two Hammers are blooded together and bound as Blood-Brothers/Sisters from that point on, achieving the new rank of Bloodkin. From that day on the pair are responsible for each other physically and spiritually in a most holy bond.
When a Bloodkin has been deemed worthy, she may request the honour of being tested by the Deep One. In this ritual, the Bloodkin is drowned by the High Priest or Chosen of the Deep One and then brought back to life. After this, she is considered to be cleansed of the evils of her old self, and is now also free of fear (one who has died and has risen need never fear again) and achieves the rank Drowned One.
After a Drowned One has been deemed worthy of taking the next step, he is given a quest by the Spirit-Talker or Chosen of the Skyfather. This quest will test his wisdom and tenacity, and once completed will give him the rank of Awakened.
When the Ancients feel the Awakened is ready, one of their four Aspects will choose her to enter its service. This is a free choice for the Awakened and, should she choose not to accept the calling, may retain her status and be considered an unbound Awakened. There is no dishonour in this and is considered a perfectly respectable choice. Out of each set of Chosen, one will be selected to represent that Aspect as the Hand of that Aspect. This is a position of great responsibility as it makes the member responsible for all the Chosen under her. There is also one Hand who will be named Hand of the Ancients and does not serve a single Aspect. This Hand shall act as liaison between the Hands and the Elders.