CURRENT LOCATION: Orendil’s Retreat, Ashenvale
RECRUITMENT STATUS: Open!
CONTACT: Mythundis (Discord: Karbonkel#3509) (BNet: Karbonkel#21774)
AA:https://www.argentarchives.org/node/211703
Hand of Cenarius
Concept
Founded shortly after the third fall of the Burning Legion, the Hand of Cenarius is an aggressive, extremist order consisting of both Night Elves and worgen devoted to protecting nature. Leading a nomadic lifestyle, the Hand roams freely through Azeroth, heeding the call of nature. They travel far and wide to protect the lands from any defiler, be they Horde, Demon or Undead.
Small in number, the Hand of Cenarius often employs guerrilla warfare; their mobility allows for hit-and-run and ambush strategies, and is effective in their battle against the Horde. Currently, they are most active in northern Kalimdor, where they fight who they believe to be nature’s – and the kaldorei’s - greatest foe: the Horde.
Fueled by vengeance for the War of Thorns, the Hand of Cenarius feels increasing disdain for other, more passive druidic organizations like the Cenarion Circle. Keeper Mythundis is a strong critic of the Cenarion Circle’s deeds in the Battle for Azeroth – he believes that they shirk their responsibilities by not taking up arms against the Horde who desecrate Night Elven lands.
Expectations
What can you expect from us?
The Hand of Cenarius offers quality roleplay. With little to no druid roleplay guilds around, it is important that we put a fine example to the rest of the realm. We will look for quality over quantity – this may make us seem a little picky when it comes to recruitment, but this shouldn’t deter you.
It is important that the guild is open and communicative towards each other. With these two values, we ensure that we have strong mutual cooperation. This, in turn, leads to a strong guild and a stress-free atmosphere OOC. Guilds are communities and thus it is important that we communicate clear intentions; any decisions that affect the guild are, for this reason, also polled.
Another important concept that you can expect from us is character development. Through our own storylines and through casual roleplay, we strive to stimulate individual character growth.
What do we expect from you?
We expect that our members are mature. Mature members do not let themselves be swooped off their feet by emotions, and thus are easier to speak to when there happens to be an OOC dispute.
Treat your fellow guild members with respect. Disagreements happen and we understand this, but keep it civil. It plays into the rule of maturity: disagreements may happen, but mature people can keep it civil. Harassment will not be tolerated.
When you join the Hand of Cenarius, we expect that you show interest in the guild by attending our events and roleplaying with us. In short: be active!
Keep in mind that, when you join the Hand of Cenarius, you represent our guild tag. Your actions reflect not only on yourself, but on the guild as a whole. Keep that in mind in what you do and say.
Hierarchy
The hierarchy within the Hand of Cenarius is mirrored by one’s devotion and time within the order. Companions & Neophytes have a low, unimportant voice in order-wide matters, whereas those of the Guardians & Champions are respected.
Below, at the bottom of the food chain, stand the Companions. These are not actual members of the Hand of Cenarius; they have shown a desire and will to join, but they must first be tested. Although they may attend Rites of Initiation, their vote does not count as much as the higher-ups.
Companions have completed a Pilgrimage of Reverence and stood through a Rite of Initiation and, when the Keeper deems them capable, are to be sent on the Trial of Spirits to become Neophytes.
Neophytes are still newcomers to the ways of the Hand of Cenarius, but they are actual members of the order that have been welcomed in – they have succeeded in a Trial of Spirits and earned the favour of a lesser spirit animal. Their voice still does not account for much yet.
When one completes both the Trial of Spirits and the Trial of Nature, they become Guardians. Proven devotees of nature that have shown their strength, they become fully-fledged members. Their voice becomes heard and respected, and they are well-known with the others of the Hand.
The most devoted of Guardians are picked out to partake in the Trial of Strength. Here, in these tough trials, several traits are tested: strength, wisdom and faith. The Guardians that return from this Trial are the Champions; they are marked out as respectable paragons of the ways of the Hand of Cenarius.
At the top stands the Keeper and his council of Advisors. Usually, the position of Keeper comes with respect and responsibility – they make the final call and cut the knots. They are the main face and voice of the Hand. Together with his Advisors, the Keeper leads the Hand of Cenarius.
The Hand of Cenarius also enlists the aid of nature’s own forces: Moonkin and Treants mainly, with Furbolg on a case-by-case basis. These are the Protectors.
Recruitment
Since the Hand of Cenarius does not stick in one place for long and wanders the lands, it may be tough to find us. While we are away on campaigns, recruitment is closed unless specified otherwise.
Recruitment in the Hand of Cenarius consists mainly of two events: the Pilgrimage of Reverence, and the Rite of Initiation. The former sends a recruit out to prove their faith, whereas the latter consists of the Hand congregating and voting together on this possible new recruit’s worth. Although we are generally fairly easygoing, it may be smart to pick a concept that suits the guild’s concept; one can still be denied from an IC perspective and although that may mean we’d love to have you around OOC, your character simply is not accepted by the Hand’s members IC.
The Companion rank serves as an OOC trialing rank, too; for a short period (or longer, also somewhat dependent on the IC situation), you will be in a trial period where we see whether or not you suit the guild. During this period, we’ll look at your activity, personality and preferences to see whether you suit the guild. We reserve the right to remove you from the guild if you do not fit.
IC progression in the Hand features various trials:
Pilgrimage of Reverence
Joining the GuildUpon expressing interest in joining the Hand of Cenarius, the interested is sent on a pilgrimage that will test their faith and worth. They are accompanied on their pilgrimage by a Champion or Guardian of the Hand that will intently watch them.
The pilgrimage sends the recruit out to honor nature’s sacred entities - be that by placing an offering at the shrine of a Wild God, paying tribute to one of nature’s smaller animal spirits or simply visiting places of druidic importance (Dream Portals or Nordrassil, for example).
The accompanying Guardian or Champion has a clear and distinct role in watching the to-be recruit on their pilgrimage - they observe closely what the recruit does, says and, through social roleplay, tries to work out whether they would be a good fit for the Hand of Cenarius. This is important for the following Rite.
OOC: the pilgrimage focuses heavily on the social aspect of the travel itself - there’s naturally DMing happening, but it is kept on the low and a focus is placed on the interaction between the Guardian and the interested pilgrim.
Rite of Initiation
After the Pilgrimage of Reverence, the recruit is thrown before a congregating Hand of Cenarius. At this congregation, the accompanying Guardian speaks mostly for the recruit, offering their thoughts and opinions to the rest of the order. Together, the order judges and deems the worth of the recruit. If the Hand deems them worthy, they will be allowed to become a Companion of the Hand. However, if they are not, they will be shamed, rejected and cast away.
Trial of Spirits
Companion to NeophyteIn the beginning of the Hand of Cenarius, there was a wooden symbol that was given out to members. However, not much was done with that. Now, with the rework, that is going to change. Idols of Spirits, as they will be called, will be given out again when one is ready to undergo the trial to become a Neophyte. They’re wooden idols that are shaped crudely in the form of a claw-like hand, much like that of a Keeper of the Grove.
In this trial, the to-be Neophyte is sent out to one of nature’s lesser animal spirits to gain its favour. Said lesser animal spirit’s favour is all the trial revolves about; when the favour is gained, the trial is complete and the Companion shall be offered a place in the Hand as a Neophyte.
Trial of Nature
Neophyte to GuardianThe Trial of Nature is a later follow-up to the Trial of Spirits. Here, the trialist’s connection to nature is tested through various means - for druids, this can mean a test related to their druid totem, but for others it can simply revolve around the Idol of Spirits.
In the end, these will be hand-crafted not only to suit the environment, but also to create a unique and satisfying experience for the trialist.
Trial of Strength
Guardian to ChampionThe Trial of Strength is the last and arguably the toughest trial the Hand offers. The opportunity to undergo it is rare, and only few do. Currently, only Erania Stormsaber has.
In this trial, the Guardian shows they are worthy of being a Champion - they show their strength, wisdom and knowledge on a lone, dangerous journey. When they return, they will be crowned Champions.
Much like the Trials of Nature, Trials of Strength are handcrafted to best fit the character undergoing it. They’re also a bunch harder than the trials before and may or may not involve multiple parts.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, leave them below or contact one of the officers! Either do so in-game through mail/whispers, via Battle net, or Discord.
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