The Silvermoon Academy

Guild Policies

I. Role-Playing
II. PVE and PVP
III. Unsanctioned Services (Buying Gold, Leveling Services)
IV. Guild Amenities
V. Activity
VI. Alternate (Alt) Characters
VII. Voluntary Quitting from the Academy (/gquit)
VIII. Harassment
IX. Guild Ranks

I. Role-Playing:
The Silvermoon Academy is a role-playing guild. While we enjoy player-versus-player (PVP) and player-versus-environment (PVE) activity, our primary focus is on role-playing (RP). Please refrain from being out-of-character when using the normal mediums for role-playing (e.g., /say, /yell, /guild -- occasionally /party or /raid but only in pertaining circumstances). Wyrmrest Accord is an RP server, and therefore it maintains a rule on character naming and RP behavior. Do not harass or grief role-players. Do not name your characters in violation of the naming convention rules for RP servers.

Please remember that the difference between a good roleplayer and a weak roleplayer is the ability to distinguish out-of-character sentiment from in-character sentiment. Respect the boundaries of in-character awareness and "suspension of disbelief" within the role-play environment. "Meta" RP is highly unwelcome here and can constitute harassment if encountered frequently.

Players are not required to have 'approval' before they play a certain RP plot line or event, but it is heavily suggested that players work with others and promote involvement. There are many avenues available to engender creativity and networking on role-playing and plot ideas.

While Blizzard tends to be whimsical with their lore, we do our best to adhere to whatever they dictate as canon. Players who restructure ("ret-con") their characters around non-canon lore that goes against the established Blizzard canon will be asked to change their character information. Players who initiate storylines or plots that are improbable and inappropriate given the established guild and Blizzard canon will be asked to divert their storyline into something more feasible. Character concepts that are strange, unnatural, and outlandish will be weighed on a case-by-case basis, but be advised that no improbable characters will be allowed (e.g., Demons, dragons posing as mortals, stereotypical werewolves, archetypal vampires, etc.) Please contact an officer or the guild leader if you have questions about character or plotline concepts.

Guild leadership shall not inflict judgment on player creativity and role-play, but we do offer a great amount of respect for Blizzard canon and ask that members do the same.

Overall, please respect your fellow role-player and consider their experience as much as your own.

The Silvermoon Academy does advocate mature and adult themes -- pertaining to a collegiate atmosphere in a time of war and strife -- in its role-play, but it is NOT a cybersex group or "e-RP" guild. Because of the mature content of some of our storylines, fiction, character concepts and plots, we currently have an age limit of eighteen (18) years or older.
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II. Player-Versus-Environment (PVE) and Player-Versus-Player (PVP):
As a member of The Silvermoon Academy, you are requested to act maturely and respectfully of others when involved in player-versus-environment (PVE) and player-versus-player (PVP) content. Please do not bring shame or scorn upon the guild by behaving inappropriately while in a group, raid, battleground, arena or PVP group.

If you are involved in PVE or PVP content and find the situation distasteful or not to your liking, please do not submit yourself to annoyance. Make the mature decision and leave the content.

You are not required to raid, run instances, or be involved in arenas/battlegrounds. All PVE- and PVP-related information and policy should be followed so that you and the rest of the guild will enjoy any content into which we venture.

Overall, be considerate of your fellow players, and be mindful of your own experience.
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III. Unsanctioned Services (Buying Gold, Leveling Services):
We do not accept any behavior from players that violates the Blizzard EULA. If evidence is presented that you have purchased any gold, item, or leveling services or participated in them, you will be removed from the guild. We do not permit players to allow family members or friends to level their characters for them as it violates the privilege of admission into the guild. However, we do allow for characters to be played by other people for brief periods of time as long as guild leadership is aware and approving of the circumstance.
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IV. Guild Amenities:
The Silvermoon Academy asks that you use and respect all its associated amenities.

a. Guild Chat and Guild OOC Channel -- All affiliates of the Academy are given the standard-issue hearthstone; this small device was engineered within the College of Science and Medicine as a communicator to link students, faculty and staff via voice transmission. Therefore, our guild chat is entirely in-character, and is the 'channel' of communication over the hearthstones. Please keep guild chat in-character at all times. Faculty, staff and guards use a similar device for more official in-character communication: officer chat (/o) is used for that purpose. Please, understand that while on a student character you as a player will be able to read officer chat, your student character will have no knowledge of the conversations happening in that channel. Remember the IC/OOC barrier. Don't meta-game.

OOC discussion is held in our OOC channel! This is not a public channel. Only guildmates, guild alts, and guild-approved players are allowed in our OOC Channel. Please do not join if you are a potential applicant.

b. Guild Site -- Please post on the guild forums and website and use it to its full potential! We ask that you mark all posts with mature content as "NSFW" and try to edit embedding and formatting errors. Abuse of the forums and website through spam or harassment will result in your temporary or permanent loss of website privileges.

c. Guild Bank -- All members are encouraged to contribute and use the guild bank. Valuables and rare-level items will be accessible to members on a per-request basis. Members need to ask an officer for permission to use valuables.

d. Guild Ventrilo -- All guild members and guild friends are permitted to use the Ventrilo server. You are not required to use it, but it is one of our key facets of communication beside the guild site.

Please use discretion and caution when giving out our Ventrilo information to others. We don't mind if you use it for raids and groups or chatting, but we do not want to have a lot of strangers in the channels. Visitors who disrespect our Ventrilo will be banned.

The Silvermoon Academy Ventrilo server comes with a very large NSFW warning. Do not join the Ventrilo server if you are easily offended by adult content and strange discussions. Conversations that constitute harassment or extremely offensive language (racial slurs, direct insults, etc.) may be subject to officer intervention. Use your best judgment before opening your mouth, but do not feel that you must keep it closed.

Show respect for your guild mates and their eardrums by maintaining your Ventrilo transmissions in a decent volume.
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V. Activity:
You are not required to fulfill a quota of time for RP and gameplay in the Academy. However, if you do not log on your character for twenty-five (25) days, you will be given an inactivity warning. After twenty-eight (28) days, you will be removed from the guild.

If you wish to return to The Silvermoon Academy after being removed for inactivity, please contact the guild leadership and your re-admission will be negotiated. Re-admission will be permitted following a majority consensus.

Continual "inactivity hopping" -- going inactive for long periods of time and then logging in to refresh your inactivity timer right before the warning or removal -- can result in removal from the guild with no option for re-admission.
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VI. Alternate Characters (Alts)
The Silvermoon Academy permits Senior Members to have up to 4 characters (one main, three alts) within its ranks.

The Silvermoon Academy permits Sophomore-ranked members to have up to 3 characters (one main, two alts) within its ranks.

If you intend to change your main character and relegate it as an alt character, please contact the guild leadership and make your request clearly.

Currently, we have no objection to having alts or mains in other guilds on Wyrmrest Accord or other servers.

Your alts are subject to the inactivity policy.
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VII. Voluntary Quitting From the Academy (/gquit):
You may voluntarily leave the guild at any time, for any reason. However, using the /gquit command will result in your loss of privilege within the Academy.

You will no longer be permitted to use any guild amenities. You will be removed from any guild-associated channels and no longer permitted on the guild Ventrilo server. Your information on the guild site will be disabled and you will be relegated to Visitor status. Your alts will be removed from the guild list.

Within the in-character sphere of the guild, you will be allowed to dictate to the guild leadership what is to be done with your characters. You have one week to issue this request. If you issue no request, your characters and plotlines will be handled by the guild leadership. Please close out your characters and storylines before you leave; it is respectful to your guild mates.

If you wish to petition to join the Academy again, you may do so. The guild leadership will reach a consensus on your re-admission after a brief period of discussion. However, if you choose to /gquit a second time, you will be banned from re-admission.

Due to the loss of privilege and difficulty of returning following a /gquit, we ask that you please consider voluntary quitting as a last resort. The guild leadership is always willing to hear your concerns and answer your questions. Please use them as your first line of defense and assistance before resorting to a /gquit.
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VIII. Harassment:
The Silvermoon Academy does not tolerate harassment in any shape or form. If you are reported for harassing someone via RP, OOC communication or Ventrilo, you will be swiftly removed from the guild.

There are many different offenses of communication that constitute harassment. Slurs and attacks against race, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexual orientation, and lifestyle can all constitute harassment. Continuous attempts to maliciously control or dictate role-play -- also known as "Meta RP" -- can constitute harassment if it occurs frequently. Sexual harassment takes many forms over a medium such as the internet. We do not tolerate any kind of harassment. The moment you feel uncomfortable, hurt or suspicious over someone's behavior, it can qualify as harassment.

If you are being harassed by a member, inform them to cease the behavior that offends you. IMMEDIATELY contact one of the officers. Document all instances of harassment (screenshots, forwarded e-mails, copy-and-paste PMs) and send them with your notification.

Members removed from the guild due to harassment will be banned from the guild, OOC channel, Ventrilo server and website.
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IX. Guild Ranks:
Freshman: All newly admitted members attain the rank of "Freshman." Freshman members cannot have any alts within the guild. Freshman members can be promoted to the next rank by maintaining one month of activity in the guild and having a properly updated character template on our website.

Sophomore: Sophomore members can have two (2) alt characters within the guild. After another month of activity, they will be promoted to "Senior Member."

Senior Member: Senior Members have displayed two months of activity in the guild and a properly updated character templates for all their guilded alts. They can have three (3) alts within the guild.

Dean/officer: Deans are the leadership of the guild, responsible for administrative tasks, admissions, coordinating College or guild-wide role-play, answering the guild members' questions or complaints and deciding punishment whenever codes of conduct or policies have been violated.

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