The Cursekeeper Association
A neutral guild bringing together practitioners of magic and those who would ward against it. Seeking a better understanding of forces feared in order to fight their influence across the realm.Keepers of curses. It sounds rather ominous, does it not? Yet wherein lies the definition of a curse? Is not cursed the destitute farmer who enacts a local ritual hoping for crops to grow, yet accidentally opens the way for beings wicked and ill of intent? Are not cursed they who now wander the worlds for so long, forbidden to realize their demise in decades past?
A curse comes not only as a touch of the void in passing, demons in the dark of a mirror or the recurring nightmare that denies you sleep. It is a wickedness allowed to make manifest. It is a treacherous thought left unindulged until it overtakes all reason of the mind.
It is blood spilled without cause.
It is agony and cruelty where once had been such promise and only love.
The Cursekeeper Association aims to battle such tragedies across Azeroth and its otherworlds through forming a united front for those magically inclined, practitioners of powers otherwise feared and those who would seek mend the wounds of both places and the people of the realm. By piling their understanding and building their strength on unity they seek to form a bulwark against the destructive powers connecting the worlds and to establish order in the chaos threatening everyday life.
What is the association's primary purpose?
To serve as a foundation for experts and fighters to meet, share their knowledge and resources and to work together to make the worlds a better, safer place for those who have not the means nor expertise to fend for themselves where magic is involved.
In short: A union of people from all over that seek to understand and attain power of all kinds in order to counter the coming threats across Azeroth and beyond.
What kind of content will this guild participate in?
We are primarily a roleplaying guild. We will host events ranging from combat to casual slice-of-life meetings and even take breaks! Battling the magical forces across worlds tends to rather do a number on your mental health. We also aim to do events with other guilds in order to establish a reputation and bring players together.
That being said, our members will dabble in PvE and likely PvP. If there’s want for it we will also do old content for those sweet epic transmogs.
What would be a reason for my character to join this association?
Why, I can think of plenty of reasons! It can be something as little as just wanting access to more exotic reagents, wanting to meet new people or simply needing that extra set of eyes and arms as you set out to a distant place to gather something. It could also be that your character has a healthy mistrust of magic practitioners and wants to keep a close eye on them, or he/she simply feels the need to help out battling the wicked forces imbued with our worlds.
For the less socially inclined there could be reason that you’re in need of services that are difficult to find elsewhere. Think of a death knight requiring upkeep, a wandering demon hunter in need of reinvigorating his/her arcane runes and so on.
An argument could also be made for once-evil characters seeking a redemption arc. If one is not currently affiliated with an openly hostile faction and willing to contribute they will be given a fair chance. This extends to publicly accepted races only.
Then there are the bound. You could be a captured agent put to work, admit yourself willingly for a sense of purpose (and relative safety) or a wayward creature bound into service. More on this below.
What races/classes do you accept?
The association is open to all races and classes as long as they are fit to contribute and refrain from waylaying one another on personal bias. For example, a warlock and demon hunter combine their knowledge to bind and destroy a powerful demon. Or a necromancer, paladin and druid team up to banish lingering spirits, cleanse the cursed object that draws them into the world of the living and restore life to the dead earth left in its wake.
Is this guild only for sorcerers?
Not at all! Although due to the nature of the guild I expect to draw in plenty of wizardy types we too seek the faithful, followers of the elements, knights and warriors of all sorts. After all, the situations we encounter will be greatly varied and often dangerous. Where magic might fail, strength and steel may prevail and vice versa.
If your character has zero magical aptitude nor the ability to call upon any higher powers (loa, light, wild gods, etc) we do expect your character to learn over time how to counter certain magics if not only for the practical purpose. We’re meant to be some sort of experts, after all.
Do you accept demons/darkfallen, etc?
Yes, but this comes with an extra set of rules that I would urge you to consider carefully. For demons, undead, spirits, elemental entities and so on we require you to be bound into service to another player. This is done in order to control those who would suffer dark urges and to ensure that they can be made to follow a command, regardless how they would feel about it personally. This player could be either a friend, an officer or the GM.
Be aware that bound creatures are unlikely to be able to attend social gatherings and general public events, thus limiting their availability.
If you want to avoid having your character bound and limited in their movement, I advise you do not apply. If established lore shifts over time (such as the Man’ari being openly accepted) this rule may be altered.
Is there room for evil characters in your guild?
Technically, no. Since members of this guild can dabble in dubious sorts of magic (fel, shadow, etc) we will likely often walk the thin line of suspicion. However, we are to be considered a necessary development in the face of all Azeroth has been through in the past decades. Extreme situations left thereout, we seek to follow the law of the places we dwell and refrain from practicing the publicly feared in, well, public. There will be far more leeway as we travel across the lawless places of the worlds but it is advised to keep your fellow players and the effect your actions might have on them in mind.
A benefit of being part of the association is that if an individual gets caught in an evil act we can simply wash our hands of it. Since we strife to maintain a positive (if not merely tolerated) public image, severe acts of evil from members might be met with a counteraction from the guild and will have repercussions.
However, if you want to be secretly evil and can maintain the façade of neutrality, we wouldn’t well know about it. Try this at your own risk though.
What guild ranks are there?
- Head Supervisor. The person responsible for running the guild and looking out for its members. IC they will be the person who has the final say in official association business. This will be me, at least for the foreseeable future.
- Supervisor. The officer rank of the guild. IC they serve as a point of reference and guide for other players. They fill in in the absence of the Head Supervisor. OOC they bear much the same responsibilities.
- Conservator. Main melee rank of the guild. A veteran and expert in their field.
- Attendant. A pupil of a conservator. Can work their way up to a conservator rank.
- Master. Main caster/specialist rank of the guild. A veteran and expert in their field.
- Acolyte. An apprentice of a master. Can work their way up to a master rank.
- Associate. The rank for people wishing to be affiliated with the guild yet not commit themselves fully. They can join us in pretty much anything but are denied access to the more dangerous research and components we acquire.
- Unproven. The rank for new people who are either still an OOC member or have yet to prove themselves through committing to the association. The how and when can be discussed OOC.
- Event Character. The rank for alts used to portray enemies/NPCs during events.
How does the hierarchy function in the guild?
As an association, there will be the main supervisor and associated supervisors working to keep things organized and running smoothly. There will however be no means to force anyone to do anything, so for associates there is a lot of freedom to be had.
Once we established a group of core members I aim to form something of a society within the association that guards access to the more dangerous and limited reagents, research and artifacts. Although this offers a means to more power, it will require signing a binding contract which will not be so easily nullified.
Since I feel there shouldn’t be a need to bind your character, the associate rank will be involved in most, if not all content event-wise.
If the opportunity arises we will also offer apprenticeship, provided there will be a player willing to teach.
What is your approach to combat?
Since the guild is still fresh like a steaming bun it will probably involve some trial and error. We do seek to set up an easy-to-understand system that will allow your character to shine in their area of expertise, yet refrains from anyone becoming a master of all trades.
This is in order to keep the class fantasy strong whilst allowing players to fill an actual role befitting their character. This also will strengthen us through diversity in the roster.
What reasons would a guild have to interact with the association?
- If your guild is for hire, be they mercenaries or the likes, you could be hired by us to provide muscle or guidance. We learn to use all tools at our disposal!
- The members of the association, if willing, are for hire too! For only a modest sum to cover expenses will you enjoy your own expert in their relative field. This includes services such as enchantment, warding, inflicting a curse on that neighbour who mows their lawn at seven in the morning during the weekend, and so on. It could even be for lessons or advice on a situation.
- Necessity. Say your guild runs into a situation that’s not quite their area of expertise, such as a giant slime imbued with elemental energies rampaging throughout your base, you could always contact us in the hopes it will be beaten before it eats all of us.
- Exchanging or purchasing goods. In due time we aim to build a repository of acquired artifacts and to build up a steady income of expertly crafted goods. Think of spells inscribed on parchment, mana gems, stored enchantments and so on. This will require an influx of reagents which in turn gives us the incentive to connect with trading guilds. If an acquired artifact is not deemed too dangerous for the public it might even show up during server-wide auctions.
Why would a guild seeking out magical perils across Azeroth and beyond mingle with the common folk and attend seemingly unimportant business?
IC there would be two reasons. First being that the guild must build up trust with the denizens of the worlds. Were they to be only feared it would hardly make for a hospitable environment once they travel someplace public and too it would hinder their connections and work.
Second being that the instigator of the association believes that in order to know what they are fighting for they must at times stop and appreciate the mundane. We are sure to witness peril wrought upon the innocent, suffer injury and loss and face grave foes. Depravity will be unavoidable in pursuit of our goals and she knows that it is easy to distance oneself from the joys of the world as a means to protect your sanity.
As Gandalf once said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBH_mUn3po0OOC it serves both as an incentive and excuse for people to join public events. Browse markets, visit feasts and mingle with the people they seek to protect.
What are the IC rules of the guild?
- As an associate, you are expected to contribute before receiving access to reagents, research and other assistance. This can be through sharing a journey, contributing your works and other such means.
- As a bound character you are expected to adhere to your master(s). Of course there can always be some leeway and it is best discussed OOC if you want to do something elaborate, lest the results might backfire. This is strictly an IC measure and no player can tell you how to behave OOC. Any appointed master will be subject to the same rules of conduct that is expected of all guild members.
- Although the guild can look the other way out of necessity (such as when utilizing the blood of the innocent to enact a necromantic ritual to force a main baddy into physical form or sacrificing a criminal’s soul to summon a demon against their enemies) it does NOT condone acts of obvious evil. That means that any character openly affiliated with a hostile faction such as the Scourge or remnants of the Burning Legion will be considered an outlaw. A lesser incident could result in a restriction of access to resources or a trial. Greater incidents might result in right out banishment or joining forces with the local authorities to safeguard the association’s reputation. This includes acts of forced conversion and purging/cleansing of people who are otherwise tolerated in public.
What are the OOC rules of the guild?
- What occurs IC must remain separated from OOC. This means no metagaming and not taking words or a stance from characters personally. On the flip side we must understand that behind every character sits a passionate person trying to have fun, so strife to maintain a pleasant environment for all involved.
- We understand that people have their reasons to take a break from the game. We do however expect people to mention it if they plan a prolonged leave. If someone has been offline for over 30 days and hasn’t made mention of their whereabouts we will assume you’ve moved and remove your character from the guild. If you return at a later date and wish to rejoin just contact us through regular means and we’ll help you out.
- Respect people regardless of their backgrounds, social standing and so on. We’re all people just trying to have a fun time amongst friends. Racism, sexism and hatred will not be tolerated.
- Don’t ERP. We are above policing our members and quite frankly, what you do on alts is none of our business. But if your TRP contains explicit descriptions or you openly ERP with the Guild Tag unwrapped, it will be cause for a stern talk.
- Related to the above, WoW is a PG12+ game and we aim to stand by that. This means that during our RP if we aim to include overly graphic depictions of bodily harm or anything of a sensual nature permission is first asked of those involved. We will avoid overly explicit descriptions because I feel it isn’t necessary in the context of the guild concept. If you feel it is a part of your character’s background or something similar ensure the people involved are of lawful age (through Discord) and do mention it beforehand.
Will you accept new players?
Indeed we will! We understand that the mightiest of rivers each started with a single drop hence we’re willing to take new players under our wing and teach them about the game and roleplay. This is provided that the player is willing to receive criticism, learn and adapt.
No one has perfect grammar and the majority of players are not native english speakers, so we do not expect extreme punctuation. We do expect people to pick up details over time however such as applying capital letters and dotting your sentences
.
What does the recruitment process look like?
Generally you contact us OOC and we discuss a time and place to meet either the GM or an officer. What follows is an IC meeting on which will be based whether you will be a match for the guild and whether we can provide the environment you are looking for. If all goes well this will attain you the unproven rank and act as your introduction into the association from which contribution (can be decided through OOC discussion) will lead you to becoming an associate.
I am interested but I'm already in another guild. Could I still be connected as an associate of sorts?
Glad to hear of your interest! The answer is yes. I will also set up a community and after a process similar to the recruitment you will receive an invite.
You will receive notifications of our current location and upcoming events, but know that when there will be a character limit involved guild members take precedence.
I seek more information, have a complaint or want to make contact for some other reason. How do I contact you?
You can post in this here forum and mail or contact our officers Tiuviel (Alliance) / Záyzi (Horde), Vesparin (Alliance) / Illarois (Horde), Leytrapper (Alliance) / Reylyn (Horde).
Thank you for reading about the guild! It is my sincere hope that we can provide a welcome environment for people and have a great time for everyone involved. Good day and may your time on Azeroth remain curse-free!
