RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

EBONGUARD is a lore-compliant criminal network linkshell on Balmung. While oriented toward morally-ambiguous lawbreakers, the linkshell is open for any interested parties to join—after all, picking up the telltale black linkpearls is a simple enough task in and of itself…

WHAT IS EBONGUARD LOOKING FOR?
Ebonguard is a criminal network LS, but it’s open for characters of all persuasions and alignments to join due to the fact that, well, it’s an actual linkpearl from an in-character standpoint. As a result, there’s no real restrictions on the sorts of characters we’ll accept. Anything that fits within the scope of the lore goes!

This doesn’t mean that every applicant will be accepted into the linkshell, though, since the linkshell itself tends more toward grounded characters with fantastical elements in the background, as opposed to characters who spend every night trying to take over the world or signing a new Void pact.

WHAT KINDS OF EVENTS DOES THE LINKSHELL RUN?
Ebonguard has over the course of its run, done story-driven events, criminal shenanigans such as heists, and social events geared toward letting members of the network get to know each other.

The Cloak & Dagger is run by the leader of the linkshell and is intended to provide a hub for the linkshell members to meet. It is located at The Goblet Ward 11 Plot 55 and is currently looking for volunteers who are interested in helping to run a tavern event on a roughly-monthly basis on Sundays (as schedules allow). For more information, please see this page!

WHO CAN I CONTACT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
The leader and owner of the linkshell is Leonnaux Altoix. If they are unavailable, feel free to contact:

• Edda Vincents
  
• Aran Aethersmith
  
• Vasir'li Sohlu
  
• Gwannes Oskwell
  

HOW DO I JOIN?
Membership does require an application and a short OOC interview, though many of the questions are marked as optional. Said application is made in Google Forms.

Hey there; we (or... I) are in the process of planning a little thing for our first "event". It’ll be a meet-and-greet for members and potentially non-members. It will be done somewhere public and isn’t necessarily a formal event so much as a chance to RP together and get to know each other IC better, and the location is still a bit up in the air. 


[sub](We might end up dropping in on some tavern night or another such RP event going on, since nothing explicitly illegal should be happening at this point; more or less it'll be less an LS thing and more a "we are travelling in a pack at the moment" thing.)[/sub]

The earliest it would probably happen is September 18th, while the latest estimates could push it all the way back into October so that we can have it be themed like something spooky, but the exact details are still being panned out. It basically boils down to whenever is most convenient for the most members.

But the important part is that it's happening, right? Hue. It's important to try and get RP going; we're still pretty small but we're growing and we've got a few interesting characters in our midst!

We of Ebonguard are going to be blowing some stuff up with ceruleum and firesand at Nophica’s wells on Wednesday, October 5th at 8PM CST(6PM PST/7PM MST/9PM EST).

Why? Because we can, and some men just want to watch the world burn. This escapade is going to be open to the public, of course, but what's the fun if we keep all of the ceruleum tanks and fireworks to ourselves? Like/Follow/Subscribe for more High-Quality, Borderline Pyromanic Content. As a group we've got our quirks but that's what makes us lovable. By some definition probably.

As the leader and currently-only officer of Ebonguard I’d just like to say I’m astonished and proud of how much interest this has garnered, so to those who are members and are following this blog or those who are following this blog and are still on the fence about joining, I offer this:


I highly encourage the use of Ebonguard as an “organization” (which it’s less of an organization and more of a like-minded group of individuals… Lore-wise, there’s no true leader and it’s kind of anarchy so you know!) in plots and other things; plotlines are a nifty way to get everyone up and raring to RP. I’ll leave it up to individuals whether they want to be involved with any specific plotline but using the LS as a device or some-such is definitely encouraged!


I’d also like to note, with some recent applications we’ve received (that were all accepted!): it’s much easier to use the alternative contact methods listed for you if you list your usernames. I can use any Discord names provided to invite you to the Discord if I send a friend request first, but it’s much easier and it keeps my DM list clean and keep my follow-ups professional if I have something like a Tumblr URL or RPC username to contact you with!


And finally, I've started up a search for officers, extended to members of the LS. There's no real base requirement except for being a member and having a desire to help out! Officers will be chosen on October 12 after 3:00 PM CST, so keep an eye out for any new names you can contact to learn about or get an invite into the Linkshell and Discord! [sub](I say as EVERYONE has invitation privileges because no one has abused it and it fits in with the theme/lore of the LS but hey.)[/sub]

I went ahead and selected officers early because I needed the extra help; warm welcome to Itara Irispyre, P’ianthe Aliapoh, and Evelyn Koizumi as part of our team! This position has no IC significance whatsoever, but as part of their officerly responsibilities they implicitly consent to be contacted in-game if you have any questions about joining the LS and I’m not available for whatever reason. The decision was made based on the content of their officer applications and how engaged they’ve been with the LS.

The officer team is subject to grow or change at any time, as officers are absolutely free to step down, just as I’m free to dismiss them from their position of responsibility or appoint new ones to join them. ♥

Our event on 10/5 was also just as much of a blast as anticipated; many members of the LS were there along with a few non-members! Lots of fireworks to go around, but we were too spread out so I couldn’t get any good screencaps on my shite graphics settings, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. (I mean, I definitely took screencaps... But they weren't great so I didn't bother putting them through Photoshop.)

Come in close. Closer. Because the more you think you see...


The easier it'll be to fool you.

There's lots of funtimes and plots unfolding with our growing community, and even some people trying to strike business deals... Like Nerve, if only Crow would let her. Do Not Trust Nerve. Needless to say that among all the going-ons, there's plenty of fun to be had, from the silly... To the serious. There's quite a bit of RP going on in our Discord's IC channel as well, and the lore book has some of us hypeeed.

This, of course, among our usual OOC shenanigans and some IC snark...



Needless to say, things are shaping up to be a lot of fun.

Also, PSA (I guess!) that The Ebonguard Discord does have a role created expressly for people who want to try it before they buy it! Though LS slots aren't particularly expensive. Any who wanna chat with and get to know the people we have in the LS or talk about characters or, more likely, just talk about memes are welcome to PM me and I'll shoot them an invite to the channel. The only channels that non-members cannot type in is #IC, because of the nature of LS-based interaction.

Please look forward to it. The location, date, and time have already been settled on, but some finer details of these business relations still need to be ironed out. Given the nature of Ebonguard and given that we like to plan these things for public spaces, we can't exactly stop anyone from tagging along out of curiosity...

In addition, Ebonguard is seeking venues kind enough to offer the space to us so we can do some shady dealings.

Now you see me... Now you don't! 'Til next time!

Our second meet-up has been officially planned, details and all! Well, insofar as things I planned. One of our officers, Itara Irispyre also has an event planned for us -- two! A soft opening for a small speakeasy she created for us, and then the grand opening on November 3rd and 30th respectively. Information on that one over here: link!

Needless to say we have a lot of stuff to do, and if you wanna get a feel for the group before you send in an application, then I can think of no better way than to drop in on one of our meet-ups.

Also, we cleaned up the rules to prevent any nasty misunderstandings; a lot of the rules were redundant so we managed to mish-mash them together until only the best four remained! They're up in the main post, but I'll put them here in spoilers for convenience as well.

I love the look of this and may send an application your guys' wait in the future after I tidy up some of what I already have!

We'd love to hear from you! There's always room for more company!

Speaking of company, we have quite a few get-togethers planned for the month of December! Our meet-up on the 18th went swimmingly, with everyone in attendance happy in part because Crow was kind enough to pay for drinks. What a kind man. Unfortunately he is now also a poor man... Well, or at the very least poor enough that he has something to complain about.

Many members of Ebonguard also attended the Black Lotus's Black Market, but I've yet to see any screencaps crop up.

Anyway, on with the main things! First and foremost, one of our officers, Itara Irispyre, has so kindly created a speakeasy for us to use, which is having its grand opening on the 30th! There's some information on it here, but needless to say that Ebonguard certainly knows why the number 7 is so lucky... And a rather interesting cast of characters is already sure to assemble. Personal recommendation: The Choking Crow drink sounds good, and no I'm definitely not saying that because it was named for Ebonguard's illustrious and arrogant "leader." There was a soft opening for it on the 3rd as well that went swimmingly, and even up to recently, there has been some mischief in its halls!

On top of that, we have some rather nebulous events planned for December 8th, December 16th, and December 31st. There's also another event that we're working on, but it depends heavily upon how other things pan out -- needless to say that when the details are sorted, they'll be posted up here, and insofar as the more public events of ours go, I'll certainly start trying to put them on the calender! Stay tuned for fun and games and mischief!

In an effort to somewhat combat the holiday lull and lent the use of the Artifice of Reason's FC house, Ebonguard took a bit of time to get festive! Happy Starlight, everyone -- though in this case we used it as less a chance to make merry and spread cheer and give gifts than a chance to get together and drink ourselves half to death. Moonshine that Eight brings along is always strong stuff.

Provided good graces, we'll likely make use of the space again for a (more/less/drunker) official Heavensturn meetup! Please look forward to it.

This Friday, we send off the old year... Probably with a bang, because we're a band of filthy pyromaniacs and what's a party without some fireworks. There will be a raffle and a little contest of talent with might and magic going, but that stuff is members-only. (But hey... Peanut galleries are always welcome. Maybe welcome with the threat of becoming a firework, but welcome nonetheless.)

We're also looking forward to getting some plot lines going among our members, which is obviously a members thing to discuss - but hey, anything for fun pictures and good screencaps! I'd say do it for the Vine, but Vine doesn't exist in Eorzea, and also it got/is getting shut down... Oh, I made myself sad.


Also, updated the OP to bring it up to date for the new year, which means we finally have a new little banner at the top and... That's pretty much it. Oh, and I made the thread title allcaps because that's how it's stylized almost everywhere else (fun fact though: the eorzean script that I use for all of our official event flyer things is NOT in all caps... But only because I feel like it looks better cased normally). All of the content is the same pretty much word-for-word, but I split off our list of kind and benevolent officers into its own tab.

At the time of this posting, that kind and benevolent officer team consists of Itara Irispyre, Edda Vincents, and Ma'sae Pohju, (and me) and I'd certainly love to take a moment in this post to give them a shout-out because hey, they're great. Ebonguard is possible because of our officers and members, after all!


That's all I have for now; there probably won't be another post until the new year because... Well, there's like a week - no, less - left in 2016. So, see you in 2017, where we still won't guarantee a refund... But, you know, I heard that Black is Back.

(That was a very lame attempt at Please Look Forward To It/Foreshadowing but I'm not sorry.)

Going into the New Year, some things are actually going to be changing, as per issues that I and my officer team have identified given feedback from some members and a brief moment of retrospection of what the goal and theme of the LS has been meant to be since the beginning. In an effort to steer the LS in a more serious direction, we are going to start planning more serious events going into 2017. While socials are well and good, they get stale quickly, and when that’s all there is. Needless to say, Ebonguard will soon be offering things akin to job opportunities to its members both over the linkshell lines and through clearly-endorsed outside means.

In order to facilitate this, we will be expanding our Officer team in order to include people who want to dedicate some time toward planning events for our LS and collaborating in order to put together a story arc for the LS. These officers will carry the title of ‘Organizer’ (tentatively). There are no qualifications necessary to be an Organizer; even people who have only just joined are welcome to become one so long as they’re willing to step up to the plate and help plan things and get people involved.

(Some concepts that the officer team is already toying with in terms of jobs include: bounties (deserved or no) and heists, but we need more brainpower and hands on deck.)

We are also putting into place some changes regarding our recruitment process. Because Ebonguard is lore-wise not a formal organization, prior to 2017 we had no IC screening. The standard to pass this will likely be somewhat low, but we’re going to start doing something like that for our new recruits -- this can be handled by any member of the LS as long as it’s logged and sent to an officer. In short, applicants must now be played into the LS.

This extra step in our application process is meant to not only make sure that new members of the LS are characters that will mesh well with the LS both in terms of concept and member base, but provide new recruits with a hook into the network in the form of pre-forged connections and perhaps motivation with regards to a job. For people in strange time zones, we’re also open to simply planning out how this happens and leaving the actual RP to be implied or happen at a later date. The invitation for this to be done with people who are already members has also been extended.

Please look forward to it!

A plotline in the making since the new year began is finally kicking off, with our first official session having been held tonight. Click the link above for a summary of the story so far, and some nice screenshots I took when my game's textures weren't deciding to bug out! (Odd cropping and bad angles are pretty much exclusively because my game decided that it didn't want to load some textures and made the ground of some parts of the South Shroud flash yellow. And made heads disappear. It was bad.)

As well, recent applicants may have noticed that we’ve been a bit delayed in contacting them about the status of their application. For this, I take it upon myself to apologize!

Life obligations have been kicking each and every one of our officer’s collective asses right now; while I (Crow) attempt to pick up the slack, there’s also quite a bit I’m focused on running outside of recruitment for Ebonguard – such as looking for a job, recruitment for my FC, and of course doing my best to GM the plot event Blackback, which has been in the works since the beginning of the year.

Due to our new procedures in playing applicants into the LS, this means that we haven’t been able to get to everyone yet, though we do our best to welcome everyone into the Discord in a timely manner. But with time zones (we are pretty American) and obligations and occasionally, lack of alternate contact information given, this has gotten difficult. While we aren’t closing applications to the general public, I figured it would be best to let people know.

Thank you for understanding! Any questions can, as always, be directed to our Tumblr, any officer in-game (but preferably Leonnaux Altoix), or here in the RPC thread.

Ebonguard was not always what it is, so what was it like in the time before? What lead it down this path? How is membership of the network typically granted? What is the purpose of the Ebonguard logo if Ebonguard itself is not an organization in the truest sense of the word?

The Ebonguard lore write-up has been updated, fleshed out, and redecorated, so hopefully it’s more complete now. Of course, complete is subjective, because very little of the history is actually defined – partially because it is something I would like to explore over the course of a story arc. But for now, this is a good starting point.




The Lucky No.7, a speakeasy owned by one of our officers, Itara Irispyre, is opening for the beginning of its run as a bi-weekly tavern on Thursday, February 9, 2017. it is located at Goblet Ward 11 Plot 39 Room 7. For more opening information, go here. I myself am not in charge of arranging or organizing anything official with the Lucky No.7, so for any questions with regards to that, Itara's your person to ask.

Information (Rules, Background) + Drink Menu