(07-27-2013, 01:11 AM)Ashren Snow Wrote: So I have a group put together already, however the ideas that I have are still fluid and I'm continuing to work on them until launch when I'll be finalizing what I have. So far the idea is that I'll have both a LS and a FC that will be linked to one another IC, the story behind it is that they are supposed to be a secret society of "black knights" (not to be confused with Dark Knights) who serve the same purpose as a typical order of knights, to protect and serve the realm, but do so by sacrificing honor and renown for steely dedication to do absolutely anything to protect Eorzea. That means even if they would need to sacrifice the lives of a small town to save thousands of lives elsewhere, they would do so without hesitation. They make hard choices others cannot, and they do so in secret or behind anonymity.
The society itself is a well guarded secret that has existed since the Sixth Umbral Era, somewhat based on real world secret societies like the Knights Templar or the Free Masons/Illuminati, and like the Free Masons I wanted to give them a very public front that had to do with some form of crafting/gathering. So effectively there'd be a small office or shop that would be the public face of the organization, a place where members can come to receive orders anonymously, or where people who are in the know could contact the order if they needed them for something.
Now down to the point where I need some input, I've decided that the best way to accurately portray this would be to have two different bodies, a Free Compan which would serve as the secret order part named the Blades of Nald'thal, and then a Linkshell which would then be the public face of the group. The logic behind the idea was that while you could only join one Free Company (and thus requiring you to be a full fledged member of the order to join ours) you can join up to 8 Linkshells, which meant that the Linkshell could contain outsiders, such as freelancer contractors, contacts, fences, or regular clients.
So from here I have three questions that I'm seeking some advice/input on. Firstly, what would be a good company to use as a front for an organization like this. I had considered perhaps going with a sort of freelance Carpenters Guild, (aka the Free Carpenters, instead of Free Masons) however this would require everyone to be carpenters in it and that's just not feasible. The other idea I had was that it be some kind of just freelance craftsman guild in general, for any kind of worker whether they be a miner, a weaver, or an armorsmith. Another idea I had as well was that they work sort of like a bank or money lender, and while that might be interesting and definitely something EVERYONE would deal with in a normal fantasy setting, I realize that the retainers effectively serve as banks (both in the sense of keeping your money and your items). So I'm looking for input on what would be a cool idea for a front company that isn't being used a lot already (especially by other LSs).
The next thing I'm kinda looking for help for is a name. While I already have a name for the FC I don't think it would be a good idea if the LS shares the same name. If you heard some shady rumors of a secret society that lurked about Ul'dah, and then there also just so happened to be a shop in the market ward that shared a name with the rumored secret society it might be a bit too obvious. So I was trying to think of a cool name that would work well for the group, or whether people think I should even bother with a separate name.
Lastly, I wanted an opinion on how viable people thought this idea even was in an RP sense. The idea is that the LS and the FC will somewhat support each other. The LS will contain most of the groups crafters and gathers, while the FC will contain the groups combat characters. Now this isn't at all to say that the two are mutually exclusive, just that when I plan events for say the LS I'd be more focused on "shop" type roleplay and things like that, while the Free Company would be more focused on dealing with threats, taking out an NM, or protecting a hamlet. If a person wants to play a DoH or DoL primarily they'd still be welcome in the FC, just the same as someone who wants to play a DoW or DoM can still freely join the LS.
Anyways, this is getting way longer than I meant for it to be. I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts on the ideas, and whether you guys think it's a good idea or perhaps a bit too ambitious.
I co-ran a guild much like this in Guildwars 2, and in here in 1.0, before that. Love the idea. I think it has a lot of possibility.
Now, for those questions..
The guild I was in - The Midnight Covenant - used a tavern as it's 'front' so to speak. The idea behind it, was that the guildleader suffered from MPD. He had the 'real' him, who was pretty dark and sadistic. Good, but.. Yeah. Dark and sadistic. Then, there was the other him... Had a different name, and he was the owner of a tavern/merchant trading company (TMC was our initials. The Midnight Covenant/The Merchant Caravan. Or was it Company.. Ah well.)
The tavern was a real business, and the owner, though the same person as who lead the guild, had a -entirely- different personality. He's an awesome RPer in that regard, for being able to pull that off well. Â Anywho, other members of the guild worked at the tavern as well, as bouncers and barmaids, etc.. All of them leading double lives. Other people interested in the guild OOCly would join up, and essentially be employed at the bar. Then, after X amount of time, they would be aprehended by dark, mysterious figures and inducted into the Covenant. The tavern also served as eyes and ears. The bartender would overhear rumors of things needing to be done, and the guild would do them. It was a requirement to wear masks, and they had to select outfits for guild missions, never to be worn otherwise.Â
Now, you could do something similar with a bar.. But, since you're more interested in it being a crafting-based front, i would suggest a market, ala a Flea Market... Like, a bunch of crafters (fronts for people in the guild, possibly.. As well as contacts and such) would come to peddle their wares, while also keeping ears out. The area they do it in, is a marketplace owned by X company, or organization.
I'm not so good with names, so I'll leave that up to others.. But, for the last part. Yes. Feasible, very much so. Rolll with it, you have a good thing goin' here.
Also - I'm talking with one other LS/FC currently, buuuuut.. I'm highly interested in the Blades as well. Keep in touch. ^.~