The Ashen Eyed

A FORMAL ADDRESS FROM THE REGIMENTAL COMMANDER

"People of the Empire, Dwarf and Elven allies -

I am here today... To address the coming of war to our lands, our cities, our homes. We have lived; it seems, too long in the comfort of relative peace. And peace, as it has since the birth of civilization, has proven bittersweet. Not only have our fortifications crumbled with neglect, but we rot from the inside as well. Our bellies and our purses have become glutinous, growing fat at the expense of the strength of the nation. Our armies are weak, many warriors inexperienced. No man or woman is guilty of this crime of neglect, and yet none are innocent. We have, collectively, welcomed this silent plague within our defences, and committed a terrible sin - that of idleness.

It is because of this that our lands are ravaged with plague and bloodshed. Because of this alone that so many have already been taken from us. That we have not already crushed the disorganized northern horde, the barbaric Greenskin clans, the overreaching Dark Elves.

Though it is tragic, this is the curse brought by peace on a state founded by conflict, and those that have long known it. No more will this continue. War is upon us once again. With our swords in hand, we shall be bound together. The engines of our factories shall grind once more; the spirit of our cause shall compel us to victory. A cleansing flame shall sweep the land, and we shall be reborn into our former glory, as it was in better times. And when our foes are driven back, defeated, and utterly removed from the Old World, we shall be better for it.

It is with this in mind that I announce the reformation of the Ashen Eyed regiment, declared disbanded five years ago and renowned for its efforts in purging interior threats from the Empire, and announce a call of recruitment. The regiment, in times past, has worked well in routing corruption from within our societies, while still participating in the outward war-effort. I seek only the best combat-trained or otherwise versed men and women of the Empire, as well as Dwarf or Elven allies, who are dedicated to the cause in a manner far beyond the average citizen or warrior. The regiment has always been a small one, though we have no official maximum on our numbers. Subsequently, our strikes against the enemy will aim to be well planned, subtle, and precise to compensate.

I bid you understand that, due to the nature of the operations of the regiment, and so that I may be removed from corrupting influences that affect many leaders, my identity will not be revealed to the membership, though I will be present as part of it. I can see that this may be seen as unconventional and inhibiting in some ways, but I ask for your faith and promise that I am capable of managing it in such a manner. It shall be led by means of direct instructions from myself to a small group of regimental Captains, whom I have appointed with the highest regard.
The coming months and years will determine the fate of our races. Though the enemy is numerous, that which binds them together is little more than ambition. They have been defeated before, and they shall be again. We cannot fail.

I hope to see you on the front lines.

For the Empire.

-Aren"

Out of Character Q&A

Q: What is this about?

A: The Ashen Eyed is a heavy RP/PvP guild based on the Phoenix Throne server.

Q: What do you do that makes you distinct from other Heavy RP guilds?

A: The Ashen Eyed intends to hold a very developed and detailed storyline, with frequent tabletop-esque events to advance key parts of the storyline.

Q: A lot of guilds do that, though. What makes you further distinct from them?

A: Ah, this is the meat of the matter. We take a very different approach to roleplay and storytelling then many more traditional guilds of this breed do. Allow me to explain.

Idealism vs cynicism

The world of Warhammer sucks. It's not a place of black and white, clearly defined good and evil. It's a sick, sad world, where even the most idealistic people are often pushed into grey morality simply in order to survive. Our guild aims to try and exist in this grey area. We accept all characters except the outright evil - anything from heroic innocents to zealots and borderline sociopaths, as long as they will offer a degree of loyalty. Choices during the storyline will often be morally ambiguous, with the most "good" option frequently not the most rewarding.

Off the railroad tracks

The constrictive environment of an MMORPG, as well as personal preferences, often leads to events and guild storylines being very linear, with not much choice of the outcome of events and storylines in the hands of the players, but in those running the event. Not so here. The outcome of events, or even the way the event plays out, is never set in stone. Think you can approach a problem in a way different then what is suggested? Your attempts will not be ignored. Want to shoot the NPC, though you might be risking a hostage’s life? Go ahead, if you are prepared for what may happen. Before every event, we'll consider as many possibilities as we can - But surprising us is supported, even encouraged.

Character involvement equality

To everyone, their character is the protagonist. And so, we think that they should all be treated like one. No one should feel like a mindless grunt that follows the band around and thumps the group’s enemies when prompted, or a plot device with legs. Members are encouraged to involve their backstories in the storyline - either by talking with the leadership about how they could be involved in an in-depth manner, or springing them on us. So, for example, an antagonist could be conspiring with one of our foes, or simply arrive in a situation as a wildcard. We have plans to expand this idea as we test the waters.

Realistic scenarios

As I mentioned a moment ago, we don't want people to be simply following the group around as they complete tasks. Indeed, we hope that storyline events will not simply be movies, but interactive adventures where the party will be required to think and strategise for themselves to achieve the best solution, often splitting up to tackle multiple objectives. We believe we have the resources to do such things.

Not a job

When you get right down to it, we're here to play a game. We don't want people to feel like it's anything else. So, in OOC terms, we firstly don't want people to be split up too much based on the rank they hold in the guild, so we'll be keeping that to a minimum. Secondly, we don't want our members feeling weighted down by a bucketload of rules and regulations, so we leave it to them and have only one: "Don't be a ."

Q: Can you tell me a little information on the guilds background?

A: Ashen Eyed is an Imperial based private regiment under the command of an anonymous noble known only as "Aren", who directs and leads through the standing Captain-General. His voice is only ever heard, distorted, through a warp communicator, and he is never met in person. The regiment has mysteriously opened and closed over the many years it has existed, the most recent closing just fifteen years ago.

The regiment takes great pride in its use of the most advanced - if dangerous - technology, from both renegade Dwarf engineers and the Imperial college of engineering. It's also known for its great zeal in its merciless destruction of the foes of the Empire.

As it is a Regiment of the Empire (Though partially maintained by private interests) it operates as all patriotic and well disciplined military units do.

Beyond that, the rest will be revealed as the storyline unfolds.

Q: So who is leading the guild?

A: It's actually being led by myself (Escreon) as well as Rakk.

Q: What kind of people are you looking for?

A: We're looking for committed and open-minded RPers who don't mind putting a bit more in for a big reward. Character wise, pretty much anyone. Though those with an aversion to extremist methods may not last very long.

Q: Where do I sign up?

A: Go ahead and submit an application on the "Applications" forum of our site, ashen-eyed.com. We don't keep a strict amount of fields you need to fill in - submit anything that you think might give a good impression of you and your character, and then we will contact you in game.

Shape the story from the start - join the Ashen Eyed today!