[H-RP] Orcs of the Red Blade – Twenty Years Later

Argent Dawn
929

While you might have been right if it weren’t for the fact all of any officers with spotty attendance were still running things behind the in-game scenes, I’d daresay you have missed some essential parts. You talk about the past two years. Two years ago I ran a multi-guild campaign on behalf of the guild, to build relations and storylines going in to Shadowlands. Nakobu, Kozgugore, and Razaron were the figureheads of early SL content and continued running events, coordinating with other guilds for campaigns, and running the community (which I hope we’ve understood by this point is a MAIN POINT OF CONCERN?) outside of the game when real life commitments took priority. Never once were any of the old officers absent enough to justify claiming that we’re “coming out of the woodworks” two years later.

And on the note of blessings, it is worth remembering what premise the “blessing” of taking the GM role was. Which, to remind, was to give it back to Kozgugore (while he had a period of prolonged activity, spanning about a month) after claiming in order to ensure nobody else took it and sabotaged the Guild. Which, ironically…

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930

Congrats to Verzan in simultaneously dismissing Koz’s actual point while saying basically nothing. I’m going to be blunt because this is the same tactic you used on me every time I went to you.

I’ve been in the guild since vanilla, close to 17 years and actually longer than Koz so I’ve seen all the ups and downs and the year before I quit was quite frankly one of the worst experiences in my life. This isn’t a disagreement or a failure to communicate, but an actual targeted campaign against most of the core the guild. Not only have Verzan and their little clique harrassed and bullied older members, but also segregated the community, pitted new bloods against the rest of guild and spread a hostile sense of outright misery against anyone outside of their small circle. This has recently lead to the collapse of the core guild membership; having failing to understand that the blades were not just a RP guild, but a long standing established community I’m surprised they’re saying it’s ‘been a rough week’ when they basically orchestrated the mass exodus of much of the established players and their canon - anything outside of their approved, niche level, was subject to harassment and accusations that we, or other guilds, were being cruel and unpleasant. That we were being difficult to work with and ‘ruining’ things despite all the work us established members, and officers, had done throughout the years. If we, pray, were so vile why exactly did our guild last for so long? Surely we’re not so omnipresent in RP communities that our terrible, tyrannical grasp chokes everything on this server preventing your honest, simple RP from ever happening in a friendly, safe way?

Of course not, that’s daft. All what’s happened is that they have twisted our actions into malice in order to paint themselves better, thereby shattering the community we helped created. Thanks for that.

Since then I’ve had conversations with people out the guild and new bloods who have since wondered where the old legacy - the history of the guild- has now left en masse; and done a little digging about what others have thought.

In the interests in being honest, frankly, Verzan’s little clique of Rykana, Naroda and I believe Zitani needs to go and make their own guild. You have deliberately directed a campaign of hate against everyone else, you have run off into your private channels were you badmouth and dismiss everything other people have done while simultaneously wrapping yourself in the veil of victimhood so you seem beyond reproach. Yet above all, you have painted people in our community as some sort of threat while we have done everything in our power to try and help. If I’ve get new bloods, randoms and guild friends still asking for me in channels wondering where we went, explain to me just how we were somehow upholding a reign in terror against them?

Because I don’t think Stockholm Syndrome explains most of it.

17 years I spent in this community. And for what. I have never had such crude accusations levied at me and that you persist is just beyond ridiculous. The blades have had lulls of membership over the years sure, but life goes on. If the guild was to go inactive -as it has in the past - then at least we can leave a good legacy and plenty of friends. But you have chased that away. Thanks, mate. Appreciate it.

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931

It saddens me to see this whole situation happening.

ORB is the guild where I first started roleplaying, back in WoD when the guild first moved to AD, a huge coincidence that it did so right on my birthday.

I had much fun in this guild along the years, despite real life having me take breaks sometimes, but I always knew the guild was still there when I would return.
Unfortunately over the years all the old members I knew left and soon I returned to a guild that I didn’t recognized.

Guess I can take this opportunity to thank Kozgugore and any of the older members that I met along those years for all the great memories.

Also Verzan, can’t say I know you as we didn’t RP together, you might have helped with the restart campaign, but don’t claim to be with ORB since the time they moved to AD. They moved during WoD, while the hiatus and restart campaign happened somewhere between Legion-BfA.

P.S: Nosh, my back itches. Can you give me a hand and scratch it for me? >:)

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932

You can’t hear it, but I’m grumbling something about throwing said hand at you. :eyes:

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933

Can’t figure out if that’s a threat or a promise.

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934

I have so much respect for Koz and the other members of the OotRB, and all of the time and effort they put in to create Orcs of the Red Blade. Throughout Defias Brotherhood and our time on Argent Dawn, the guild’s presence was always the mark of a thriving RP community, and I know some members really valued the friendships and ‘online family’ it created. Even though I was never directly involved, people I’m close to were (and still are) hugely committed to it.

These days communities transcend actual WoW guilds, and I think Koz if you created a community space, many would follow.

We are all RPers, and I think there is an opportunity here to make a great IC story about a split in the Red Blades, and then allow the two factions to part separate ways, with respect, and no further hostilities. Whether one wants to keep the ‘Orcs of the Red Blade’ name, or both create new identities with which to go under.
There are ways of writing stories so that there is a misunderstanding or disagreement without either side being ‘good’ or ‘evil’.

Of course, Red Blades of Kozgugore has a nice ring to it, and a justified honour to a great Chieftain…

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935

Poor form.
Removing inactive players who still consider themselves part of the community

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936

Could be worse. You can be removed from the discord server for just saying you miss the old members you knew after years of playing together.

Well, at least it saved me a couple clicks as I was about to leave the server anyway. I wasn’t really checking it or posting and I didn’t want to get accused of professional espionage or something like that.

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937

Could be worse,

You could be getting backup / pep talk from someone who ERPs (with underaged people even):zipper_mouth_face:

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938

Oi, I still haven’t forgotten about that time you injected me with the berserk serum!

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939

Well this exploded…

Hello, Krogon/Okiba/Yorold here. I was a Red blade for ten years. (Yeah I get around).

It’s a truly awful thing to see that the Heart and soul of what it meant to be a Red blade has been subjected to this… ‘this’, afterall it’s because of him that OoTRB is arguably one of if not the brightest jewels in the WoW-EU RP crown.

Now, as many folks here will know, me and Koz did not always agree. Heck we tore into each other a lot, in no small part about officer activity and the community as a whole. And I was rightfully removed on a few occasions, but we always patched things up. I crossed a few lines in this time…

But never, not in a million years, would I ever dare to even venture a dream of snatching GM from him. Be it IC or OOC. Kozgugore is Orcs of the Red blade, Orcs of the Red Blade is Kozgugore.

So fathom you if you will my fury when I discover that without warning, or request and full well knowing what they were doing… his position as GM was snatched from him.

Congratulations to Verzan, Rykana and Zitani/Tialas. You crossed the one absolute line I would never. And frankly, no other RP’er would. Some things are SACRED.

So here is a question, what right do Thieves have to flog their ill-gotten gains? Abhorrent, heinous, disgusting, shameless. are the immediate words that pop to mind but i’ll not ramble off into nothingness.

If you had an ounce of self respect you’d return that role to him immediately without even a moments hesitation and make your own guild in whatever image you wish.

But don’t stand atop his achievements after such a disingenuous deed.

For lack of a better quote by Churchill, I’ll use some harry potter:

“how dare you stand where he stood”

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940

Disclaimer: I’ve willingly quit the game in February 2021.

Well, what a thing be presented. Koz, I am sorry this is how it goes after you poured your love, sweat and money into this community for almost two decades. Real life can get in the way of the best of us, but you’ve always been a presence in the background even when you were unable to come online.

As the others have said Koz IS ORB, presenting the best of it. Or perhaps its better to say Koz was ORB, as I don’t see a lot of the old guard remain now that I go through the guild’s roster. A terrible end to a guild tag that represented a long-lived, healthy and supportive community.

If you’ll excuse me, I have a particularly large glass of “I told you so.” to sip infront of a few friends.

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941

Seems I still have sub time from when I tried out the pre-patch talent change. I’ll put it to good use. I have not been active in the Red Blades for well over a year now.

I’d like to tell a story about the only time there was a change of Chiefain both IC and OOC in the Red Blade history since Koz became GM, during Mist of Pandaria. During the rebellion patch. We were a Tribe back then on Defias Brotherhood! Kozgugore was having some issues going on in real life that was affecting his time. I was on an Orc called Keishara back then, the horrifically bad character that she was.

There was a situation where the High Blade Rrosh’tul Rargnasha was running a lot of the guild - And by all accounts, he ran fairly well. It was suggested and put to a vote that because we were at a time of war, Rargnasha took over leading the Tribe - For both IC and OOC reasons as Koz was struggling with stuff. And we, as a guild, voted -unanimously- for that, mainly for Koz’s sake OOC.

We could not have been more wrong.

There are many conflicting views on Rargnasha. I considered him a friend for some time, but he became a tyrant that ruled with an iron fist both IC and OOC. A lot of drama happened that led to his eventual leaving the guild and Koz returning as GM.

Koz has had many spells of inactivity, and he hasn’t always handled Officer business inthe speediest way. But he’s also incredibly forgiving, laid back and understanding that humans make human mistakes. My time in ORB was not my best mental health wise, and I made many, many mistakes. MANY. Every single time I was welcomed back with open arms, forgiveness and acceptance.

Koz even allowed me to do some insane Time travel idea to resurrect an alternative version of my character I killed, Keishara. It was a TERRIBLE IDEA. But he let me do it becauase, he believed if it would make me happy - Why should he stop me?

Even leaving the ideas of segregating the Discord aside (Horrendous idea, ORB has transcended just WoW for a while now) The very idea of snatching GM leadership from Koz is … Well. I can’t put into words how I feel. Other than echo a lot of people here. Koz is, and always was the very heart of ORB. A titan of a man that has been at the very centre of a community in spirit and in person for nearly 17 years.

For what its worth, I still speak about ORB in the highest praise. And for any “Old guard” members who I may have lost touch with - If you knew Keishara/Makaroth/Azolg; my Discord is DawnLily#6498

"For the Blood."

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942

OotRB was my first guild, and Realyn my first char in WoW.
I’ve always felt welcomed, made many friends which are still going strong up to this day.
But the moment I was ready to return after RL kicking me down hard, I came back into a different vibe.
A splitted discord for active and not active people, no way to read any intresting things happening IC did not make it better for me to really wanting to return.
I felt pushed aside by that, while everyone always told me take your time, we will be here when you are ready again!

Now I have pulled my character out of my first guild ever, and that really saddens me, but I’m just happy I still have all those of you that matter close to heart.
The ones I mean know it themselves, this is for them.
Thank you for an amazing time, you will always be OotRB to me, even without the tag. <3

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943

You can not expect a guild you have checked out of and yet wanted to continue in your absence to not change. People are drawn inherently to guilds based on those active, and quite frankly, it’s an immature wish to have wanted it to remain preserved with people who don’t play the game vs people who do. Your going to expect a fracture. I would urge people who cling to the way it was to remember that because it isn’t unique to one guild concept. It’s how life works. You don’t leave a job and get upset that it’s got new people and you no longer fit that because you left.

Good luck to the Red blades of 2022, may you continue to share amazing rp together and create new memories that you can be as passionate about as those who were once in the guild.

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944

Wait a minute… :thinking:

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945

Damn this is disheartening to return to.

I joined this guild back in Cataclysm when it were still on defias. At that time I were a noob, and a bit of a prick, I wore my feelings on my sleeve and would get into arguments with people over the slight imaginary slight, and I had a hard time to separate ic and ooc. But despite all those things, never did I feel unwelcome in the guild, despite my screwups, and bad ideas people helped me improve, and learn. They gave me chance after chance, and let me know I were a part of a community.
Their support and Friendliness, made me improve myself. And as a result I ended up being an officer of this guild not just once, but twice. And even though I took breaks I knew I were always allowed back, and when I were active I tried to give forward, what had been given to me throughout the 11 years I joined.

I still remember fondly when we in WoD decided to move from Defias to Argent dawn. A move we were told were stupid, that we would lose the members that couldn’t afford it. But instead of leaving behind those who wanted to move, but couldn’t afford it. Those of us that had money each gave a little, and so we managed to pay so that everyone that wanted to, could move with us to Argent dawn, other times there have been people who couldn’t afford an expansion because times were tough, and they were given it by members, or people couldn’t afford their gametime so it were bought for them. This have always been the moments I have been the proudest of The Red blade, because it proved we were more of a community, than just a guild in a game.

So to hear that now that community have been broken up in only a little over 2 years since I left because i left the game itself, because I just were burnt out of the game really hits hard. I would rather have had the guild have died and become inactive, than this Hostile Takeover that seems to have happened.

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946

Maybe actually read what people have said, and realise it’s not solely about ‘change.’

Also I hope you cleaned up the straw after making that man.

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947

You can get upset for you and your closest team getting fired as the CEO of your own company, which you built from the ground up, by someone who swooped in and just told you they’d watch it all while you were on vacation, though. That’s a reasonable assumption, at least in my eyes. Since we’re doing the business metaphors.

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948

This ain’t about changes. The guild went through many changes over the years, but members always felt right back at home after returning from breaks.

This is about the fact it was more or less a coup de grâce and a culling of the older members so the new leadership can change the guild from Orcs to Green Humans of the Red Blade or whatever they want to turn it into without any opposition.

You know how GoT was a hit show then slowly became worse in the last season? This is the ORB version of S8 of GoT.

Edit: To put it in a better comparison with something similar happening IRL:

Koz is ORB = Henry Cavill is The Witcher TV show
Old members/officers/feel of ORB = The Witcher books and games that everybody loves
New leadership = the writing team that does not like the original material and think their view is better
From here you can easily put 2+2 together and figure it out (hopefully).

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