Table of Contents:

Guild Website
Introduction (Search for 'Introduction' with CTRL + F)
The Story (Search for 'The Story' with CTRL + F)
OOC Information (Search for 'OOC Information' with CTRL + F)

Introduction:

This guild is designed to perpetuate the idea of the blending of high quality, heavy Roleplay with the fun and engaging environment of PvP combat. It is not an RP-PvP guild as many are, in that they focus on one element and detract from the other. The premise of this guild is not to merely RP, nor merely PvP, but to allow TERA players to engage in an environment wherein they can add story and development to their conflicts. Where, it isn't about one person's story, but about how each individual progresses and grows - as a character, and a person within the TERA mythos.

I have been leading guilds since the original Guild Wars / World of Warcraft. I've been on every major MMO release since then, including AION, RIFT, CoX, CoH, DCUO, Global Agenda, APB and doubtless more that don't occur to me at this moment in time. I am an avid gamer, an aspiring author and have a background in the military. I am not a child, nor interested in appealing to children. This guild is for those with a firm grasp on literacy, a passion for storytelling and a desire to further themselves - both as Gamers (PvP) and as Authors (RP).

The initial section of this post will cover the introduction story, which I shall write below, followed by the relevant Out of Character details - as well as more intimate knowledge pertinent to the guild's infrastructure and how it will be run, with mentions towards the ideal 'member' for the Legions of the Black Phoenix. So, without further prelude, I give you the story...

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The Story:

Rain poured heavily upon the stained glass windows littering the high, gilded frames lining the stone walls of the guild hall. Tapestries depicting the Phoenix of House Crasus hung in crimson streams, the coal-black bird of legend inscribed with tribal attention upon the sanguine canvas. The Hall itself was long, and spacious within, extending a good two hundred metres from the back to the large, currently closed double-doors at the entrance. Tables and chairs littered the area, over a dozen rounded wooden tables present - though only perhaps five had people seated and even then, few at best.

At the very back of the Hall, seated in a chair of black iron inlaid with crimson stylizations carved in with ruby flakes, was a hulking figure in master-forged plate armour. An already large frame was augmented by the overlapping plates, two monstrous pauldrons bearing the Federation's emblem inscribed on each shoulder's arced rise, with skull-shaped endorsement on the knees and a shield-shaped clasp at the waist. The chestplate was dominated by a phoenix, painted black in contrast to the silver-white armour.

No helmet sat on the bearer's moderately youthful human face, the plume-bearing armament instead settled on the left armrest of the monstrous throne. A massive Greataxe rested upon the throne's side, its head immolated with faint flickers of golden-white fire. The steel had been blackened, with red illuminations traced upon it in ethereal stylization. Black hair fell upon scarless features, framing a pair of piercing crimson eyes that were transfixed on a letter grasped near to tearing within armoured fingers.

My dear Markaeus,

I hope this letter finds you well, and in a receptive mood, for its words are not, I fear, what you desired to read. Your request for me to return from Allemantheia must, unfortunately, be met with a vehement denial. Regardless of what we share, and what binds us, my duty is first and foremost to the sanctity and security of my homeland - and my people. Do not confuse me; the Valkyon Federation is of utmost importance to we High Elves, but I must organize my priorities in terms of my culture's survival.

Whatever it is that is between us, whatever intimate connection we share, it cannot come before the good of Allemantheia and indeed, my entire species. Thereby, as of this moment, it is with a heavy heart that I must sever our betrothal and renege on the promises we made to one another. I am so truly sorry, Markaeus, that we could not find a means to be married - but please understand, my love, that it is simply not possible.

Furthermore, the aid promised to you by my Father is no longer capable of being sent. We require every one of our soldiers and sorcerers for the days ahead, for they shall be trying. It is with knowledge of your cunning and unwavering dedication that I write these words, for I know they shall not be more than a bump in your righteous path. Truly, it is unfortunate, but these times call for such drastic measures. I know you will find a means to continue, irrelevant of all else.

Deepest regrets,
Saeralith.

The letter ripped abruptly when Markaeus' eyes re-read the conclusion once more, torn by an involuntary flex of his gripping fingers. His lips pulled into a grimace and the Human placed the ripped page on the arm rest to his left, bridging his fingers. Behind him, a click of heels and the sound of trailing fabric brought his eyes up to the white-clad Human woman who came to stand to the left of the throne. Brown eyes peered to his red with golden framing blonde strands cascading in faintly curled locks around her. The robes - crafted from fine silk, cloth and linen - accentuated the curvy figure of the woman even while allowing her to appear devout.

"Eithne," Markaeus said in a welcoming tone. "I see you've returned. What news from the Federation?" His words were faintly demanding, though respect was mixed within them. The priestess was indeed dear to him.

"About what you would expect," she said in reply before using lacquered nails to meticulously lift the torn letter. "Many vague assurances of support, with little to no tangible aid. They did promise not to interfere with the House's activities, however."

Markaeus thudded back against the throne in response, staring darkly at the doors at the end of the chamber. Continuously, the rain fell.

"They are crippling us," he muttered with cold fury, "devastating our finances and holdings... and for what? Politics? Pagh!" His left hand slammed onto its arm rest with a loud thud, drawing glances from the men and women seated at the various tables. Only the Amani did not look askance, silently sharpening their blades or tweaking arrows.

"You must be steadfast," Eithne's melodic voice intoned. "Falter now and your House will crumble."

"Another one of your visions, or portents of doom, Eithne?" He enquired with a touch of bitter sarcasm.

"No," she replied calmly. "Merely stating the obvious repercussions of losing Faith."

“You say that as if there remains a faith to be had,” he said with a dark murmur. “Velik has no interest in my woes, Priestess.”

“Do not blaspheme,” replied Eithne in a stern tone. “You cannot afford the ire of the Goddess with such a situation on your hands, Lord Crasus. You must stand loyal.”

“Loyal...” he repeated, as if considering the word’s flavour in his mouth. “I have never wavered in loyalty. Unlike my Praetors and the Centurions beneath them, I have remained steadfast to the cause.”

“Yes,” she replied with careful words, “you have never wavered and should not do so now.”

“My forces are crippled, woman.” He snapped. “I have but a handful of loyal Centurions, with two Praetors left.”

“But they are not obliterated.” She maintained in a firm tone. “You must look past shallow concern towards the larger picture; you are a Lord of Velika. As one, you must take the burden of defense and progress upon your very capable shoulders.” She reached out and gently brushed her soft fingers through his hair, “as you have so many times before.”

Markaeus Titus Crasus felt Faith and determination stirring in him at her words. Not because they were inspiring, but because they made sense. Because they were true. It was fact, that his bloodline was of ancient Humanity. That when Velik has dreamed Velika, the House of Crasus had vowed to defend it and its interests within the Valkyon Federation against any who would see them assaulted. A smile dispelled the shadow of doubt, and he turned to face the priestess wryly, standing from his throne with a creak of plate and chainmail - dwarfing the 5’8” woman at his own towering 6’10”. “You are right.”

A smile was given in reply, and Eithne dipped her head, the transparent, priceless circlet upon her brow glinting in the light reflected onto it. “I am with you, my lord, from now unto the end. Since we were young.”

Markaeus nodded and gave a firm reply, “Never leave my side.” Turning from her, he looked to the men and women now gazing to him with mixed expression of curiosity, hope, doubt and even outright hostility - many of them blamed him for their current situation. “Retainers of House Crasus,” he announced in triumphant tones. “Today, I have received the most dire news thus far - but, I have also seen the revelation of a hope I thought lost long ago.”

“Many of you remember the days when our forces championed Velika, when the entire Federation would pay tribute to our Legions and their exploits on the fields of war. Now, the time has come to return to those days.” His voice rose in strength, and he picked up his axe, peering at it. “We have never been... eloquent, never refined. We have always been weapons, soldiers, a powerful and unrelenting military juggernaut.”

Looking back to them, he hefted the axe one-handed, resting its head on his shoulder. “I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me, but I do not let it infect my form, for I am defended by the Faith of Velik and the promise of tomorrow.” He tightened his grip, and grinned at them in a way that once inspired armies to roar. “The road ahead shall be dark and full of doubts. We shall stumble, and falter, more than once. But we shall never let ourselves lose sight of our mission - of our duty.”

“We shall travel the world, from north to south, to find the deepest secrets of the Federation.” He pointed his free left hand, right holding the axe, to all of them. “You, are the instruments of inquisition. Our Legions shall grow, and we shall find all those who work to the detriment of the Federation and we shall crush them. We shall end them, now and forever, so that our banner may once again fly at the top of the Pillars of Unity.”

“So give me your support, my Centurions. Give me your unwavering loyalty as your Vanarch, your Lord Commander and let us seize the day - for Velika, for our Gods and The Legions of the Black Phoenix!” Turning away, he smiled to Eithne amidst the carrying sounds of the soldiers chanting a repetetive ’Crasus! Crasus! Crasus!’ A victorious gleam sat in his eye. “Let’s get to work. We have an army to build.”

Outside, the rain had finally stopped, allowing sunlight to break through the clouds.

A new day had dawned.

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OOC Information:

Mission Statement: The Legions of the Black Phoenix exist to provide a military force led by Prince Markaeus Crasus VII, dedicated towards the upholding of the Federation’s ideals, the glory of Velika and the promise of a better tomorrow. They exist as the first and last line of defense against all the Federation’s enemies, within and without.

Leadership Style: The chain of command of the guild is a simple, totalitarian system of complete authority stemming from the Guild Leader, to the Senior Officers, Officers and Sub-Officers. Each plays a specific role, with the Guild Leader at the head of the chain, a council of Senior Officers acting as his advisors, a larger group of Officers to act as the Senior Officers’ own advisors and Sub-Officers to assist with leadership delegation during events and meetings, that otherwise have little power outside of those conditions. Of course, much of this is subject to change depending on the success of the guild. Upsizing or downsizing may occur as needed.

Guild Infrastructure: What follows is a complete and concise listing of the Guild’s Infrastructure and Ranks, from top to bottom.

Guild Leader:
-Prince/Lord Commander: The Prince of the House Crasus, this is both the military leader and poltical proponent of the Legions - also, by tradition, the hereditary heir and/or Prince of House Crasus.
Senior Officers:
-Praetor/Archon Maximus: The underlord of the Legions of the Black Phoenix and the Sub-commander of the Berserkers and Lancers. This individual commands with authority second only to the Vanarch.
-Praetor/Magicus Primus: The underlord of the Legions of the Black Phoenix and the Sub-Commander of the Mystics and Sorcerers, the Magicus Primus is one of the most powerful Magi in the Federation and leads the Magi corps of the Legions.
-Praetor/Eidolon: The underlord of the Legions of the Black Phoenix and Sub-Commander of the Slayers, Warriors and Archers. This individual commands the leather-wearing, swift-style assault groups to great and ruinous effect.
-Praetor/Reverentia: The underlord of the Legions of the Black Phoenix and Sub-Commander of the Priesthood. The Reverentia stands in charge of the Faith of the Legions, and the spiritual and morale levels of the Legions. Furthermore, the Reverentia acts as the chief inquisitor, rooting out betrayers of the cause, House and Federation.
Officers:
-Legatus Armos: An Officer of the Archon Maximus.
-Legatus Arcanis: An Officer of the Magicus Primus.
-Legatus Morbidus: An Officer of the Eidolon.
-Legatus Seraphus: An Officer of the Reverentia.
Sub-Officers:
-Centurion Armos: A Sub-Officer of the Legatus Armos.
-Centurion Arcanis: A Sub-Officer of the Legatus Arcanis.
-Centurion Morbidus: A Sub-Officer of the Legatus Eidolon.
-Centurion Seraphus: A Sub-Officer of the Legatus Seraphus.
Senior Members:
-Triarii Valiance: A Senior Member of the Archon Maximus’ branch.
-Triarii Sorcerous: A Senior Member of the Magicus Primus’ branch.
-Triarii Phantom: A Senior Member of the Eidolon’s branch.
-Triarii Ascendant: A Senior Member of the Reverentia’s branch.
Members:
-Legionnaire Principes: A Member of the Archon Maximus’ branch.
-Legionnaire Magus: A Member of the Magicus Primus’ branch.
-Legionnaire Plutonus: A Member of the Eidolon’s branch.
-Legionnaire Angelus: A Member of the Reverentia’s branch.
Recruits:
-Velites Inducta: A Recruit of the Archon Maximus’ branch.
-Velites Aculta: A Recruit of the Magicus’ Primus’ branch.
-Velites Abyssus: A Recruit of the Eidolon’s branch.
-Velites Sancturas: A Recruit of the Reverentia’s branch.
Trials:
-Auxiliary: An attache or unproven trainee of the Legions.

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Thus concludes the infrastructure of the guild and most of the OOC information. PM me here if you are interested in joining!

I look forwards to the replies.

Cheers.

First of all, allow me to express my approval of your writing skills. Though there are usually a fair number of excellent roleplayers on games such as this, I find that very few of them have a grasp of the literary talent that I...prefer, if not expect from mature roleplayers. The few days I spent with Tera in-game did little to inspire a depth of character to the NPCs or much urgency to the goings-on behind the crisis but your little introduction helped add something to that, whether it may be canonical or not. :)

Being a disabled veteran, I have a great deal of free time on my hands and spent most of that time running table top RPGs such as AD&D, Exalted, Tinker's Dam and dozens of smaller ones as well as text-based online games and I find that character development amongst people willing to play along is one of the most rewarding experiences a gamer can enjoy. Consider this my application, I am certainly looking forward to finding out if your guild can bring those elements into a hack n' slack environment like Tera.

Character: Namisa
Race: Elin
Class: Lancer

Quote: msiren on 04/14/2012, 06:23 AM - view

A very impressive post, and application.

Please, PM me with any means I can get into contact with you outside the forum medium and we'll undertake an interview.

Cheers.

I have to say, I am very impressed with the work that has been placed into this post. It is very inspiring and caught my attention immediately. I was quite worried about what would happen with the rp in regards to this game, having participated in the beta and noticed how little effort was placed in npc interaction. Seeing a post like this however, reminds me that it's not always about the game itself but the stories that we, as players, create. Consider this a post of my utmost interest, I hope to be able to lend a hand and participate in the development of such an intriguing guild.

Character:
Name: Asha
Surname: Blackthorn
Race: Human
Class: Warrior

Quote: Rydian19 on 04/14/2012, 05:42 PM - view

Glad to see more interest!

Head on over to our Enlistment section and submit an application!

*Amberlena salutes*

An honor to join your ranks sir....

*she grins as she bows lightly*

its just good to know that people like this will be on this server :)

*Gelthorn walked in stopping before the Lord Commander. Raising his hand in a salute, leather clad hand hitting his forehead*


Reporting for duty.

*Hears the call to arms and stirs slightly; feeling that old yet familiar rush of anticipation as he remembers the sound of battle drums and war-horns. Excitement grips the Aman slayer as he stomps firm-footed to the armory and makes ready for combat. "It's a good day to kill," he smiles, smacking a fellow soldier on the back.

*turns her head as she hears the slap on someones back slightly behind her, seeing the Aman she bows her head respectfully and looks to Gelthorn, her love that just got thumped on the back, grinning she chuckles and walks up to them.*

~Aye, it is always a good day for that m'lord, and who might you be?~