The Sworn of Azeroth

We are the Sworn of Azeroth
Formed from the long-dormant remnants of an older union called the Servants of the Light, its ideals were formed from the fundamental basis wrought through the imagination of a young Paladin's father, who since finishing his work had gone missing, along with the young Paladin's mother, his brother, and two sisters.

I still have not found my parents.

One of my two sisters, however, has resurfaced. In undeath, apparently, yet I have made my peace with her, for I am not a judgmental man by nature. Ceryne continues to forge her own destiny as the Death Knight she had become, and thankfully as one of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Kira, on the other hand, remains missing.

My brother, Gareth...the slightly less virtuous of the two Riordan boys...has since chosen to call himself "Klavikull" for reasons I have yet to discover. He has chosen the path of a Rogue.

But I digress. The Golden Gryphon that is our chosen sigil as a Guild bears two names, one for each of its heads. '''One is called Unity. The other, Justice.'''

Our ten separate associations form the unified whole of our Guild. Each are based on the many creeds of the Grand Alliance, yet any of the various creeds may intermix within them.

Grab a pint, if you feel so inclined, as I describe them all...

= Hearts of the Lion=

The militant wing of the Guild, formed from the ideological ways of the Warrior, is the Lionheart Brigade. So named in honor of the Lion of Azeroth, Anduin Lothar, and bred to the battlegrounds and the arenas, and committed to the defense of Alliance territories rather than brash, deliberate and entirely unprovoked skirmishes into Horde lands, the Brigade always strives to temper its battlefield ferocity through the restraint embodied by the ideals of the dual-headed Gryphon they wear upon their breasts.

= The trinity of power =

Fire, Frost, and the Arcane. The watchwords of the Mage. The philosophies of the Sworn of Azeroth's Arcanum Society. They are currently under the administration of Archmage Mercey, one of the Officers of the Guild. In addition to marrying their very philosophies to the three schools of sorcery(leading to the creation of "fire wisdom"(aggressive action), "frost wisdom"(discretionary action), and "arcane thought"(unconventional action)), they share the dwarven resolve to engage in archaeological pursuits.

= On the watch =

The vastly-misunderstood Warlocks of the Grand Alliance are as much of an asset to our resolve as the Death Knights continue to be. It is one thing to embrace knowledge of the Fel and have such knowledge willingly consume your soul. It is another thing entirely to acquire knowledge of the Fel and use it to become what they are regarded as within the Sworn of Azeroth...the Gatekeepers of the Twisting Nether. Qualified experts on the essence of corruption(and never victims of the urge to corrupt others), and disciplined to the point where their every word of wisdom...dealing with their modus operandi...can be trusted(in some cases, at the sacrifice of the ability to display emotion), the Sentinels stand watch at the gates of the Fel Legions, grabbing hold of a single minion from the horrific cacophany and forcing the foul beast into personal servitude, while the rest fruitlessly rend and tear upon the Gates, hungry for wayward souls to infect with their vile urges, only to be kept restrained through the raw will of the stalwart Gatekeepers. The current High Sentinel for the group is Buj, who shares her duties with her Kal'Dorei husband, Malnor.

= Healing the lands =

In demonstration of its resolve for Unity, the Guild recognizes not only belief in the Holy Light, but also in the druidic ways of the Moon Goddess Elune as well. It is through the World Keepers of Elune that one may find like-minded practitioners of the worship of the Kaldorei Goddess, herself as much a Light of wisdom as the Holy Light is to those similarly bathed in its radiance. Regardless of the land...Azeroth, the remains of Outland, even faraway worlds like Argus...the World Keepers will always step forward with a desire to cleanse its taints, and if possible, foresee the onset of future catastrophe wrought by corruptive taints upon the land. Their current High Priest is Ellbor, appropriately a restorative Druid within the body of Guild Officers.

= Taming the wild game =

Never as rabid, nor as materialistic as the renown of the legendary dwarven Hunter, Hemet Nesingwary, or his morally blind throngs of prize-hungry followers, there is a delicate balance to be kept between man and beast, and none within the Guild are more aware of this than the Beastmasters of Azeroth. The Hunters of the Beastmaster Lodge are distinct in that they are uniquely identified according to their specialities, their sobriquets respectfully modified accordingly. One who bears a keen eye for detail may be thought of as being "of the Hawk's Eye", while one who is slow to react to threats might be called "the Slothful". The ordained Mistress of the Hunt is the Kaldorei Hunter Eppie, who keeps a stable of various pets and is currently accompanied by the loyal Nightsaber she calls "Spot".

= Positively scoundrelous =

If they didn't skirt the edge of the law, they wouldn't be Rogues. Those who are of like mind within the Guild bear the potential to join the merry rapscallions of the Scoundrels of Azeroth. While loyal to the Guild's two tenets, they still lay a claim to the basements of any given Tavern(or in the case of Dalaran, the sewers) so they can hold clandestine revels of their own, and perhaps exchange pilfered valuables or two(while always seizing the excuse that they were being "borrowed" and assuring that whoever they hand it off to "gives it back" when they're done with said valuables). Then, of course, there are those like Gnomeregan liberator Pikyl who, in their own words, "just like to stab things", while on the constant hunt for fresh supplies of peanut butter. Among the Scoundrels, the words Rogue and Criminal never go hand in hand.Uh...from a certain point of view, that is.

= For the Light =

Respect, Tenacity, Compassion. Such are the tenets of the Holy Light, and with no group is this more apparent than the Holy Order of the Light's Grace. Though those of the Priest's mantle may find themselves drawn to the Order's calling(even those of the Shadow-aspected Priests, in demonstration of the Guild's Unity focus), belief and worship in the Holy Light are the only parameters for acceptance into the Order. Not at all an exclusive Order, however, as they show recognition of the Guild's Unity focus by exercising open association with the World Keepers of Elune, through their mutual belief that even the Light of the Moon is as much a Light of wisdom as the Holy Light itself, and a beneficial one at that.

Zador, a specialist in the fields of Healing and Shadow applications of his abilities, has been ordained the High Cardinal of the group.

= The Argent resolve =

Not just for Paladins like myself, of course, but for anyone who shares in the beliefs that led to its forming. In noticing Argent Crusade Highlord Tirion Fordring's attempts to unite the factions against the Scourge through the Argent Tournament exercises, I humbly requested for Highlord Fordring's blessing towards the formation of a special unit within the Sworn of Azeroth devoted to promoting what I call the Hyjal Initiative, so named for the one time in which the Alliance and the Horde worked together for the good of Azeroth. Highlord Fordring could not make any official proclamation supporting such a move, citing the rising tensions between King Varian Wrynn and Grommash Hellscream, Warchief Thrall's ever-tempestuous right-hand. Fordring, however, quietly advised me to go forward anyway within the boundaries of my own Guild, but warned to go about such a goal cautiously.

This unofficial blessing from the Highlord has therefore led to the creation of the Knights of the Argent Accord, which fully supports the Hyjal Initiative and embraces any attempt to practice it. The Knighthood also supports any activities relating to the Argent Tournament, and any further initiatives undertaken by Highlord Fordring. I, Garedwynn Riordan, oversee the activities and development of this Argent Order, and have bestowed Highlord status upon myself...to be honored solely within the constraints of the Argent Accord, and nowhere else...unless otherwise dictated by the Argent Crusade's upper tiers of leadership. As per the mandates set down in my development of this Order, I remain subordinate to whatever commands and/or requests are sent down by Highlord Fordring, the Argent Accord being a supplemental unit to the primary body of the Argent Crusade.

= Fighting the Scourge...with the Scourge =

As Highlord Fordring and Highlord Darion Mograine, the Commander of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, have united in their mutual desire to eradicate the Scourge, so has the Knights of the Argent Accord accepted the Death Knights of the Sworn of Azeroth as brothers and sisters united in purpose in matters dealing not only with the Scourge, but also in defense of the Guild's twofold motif. In honor of this unity, the Ebon Knights of the Withered Hand has been cultivated within the Guild, and stands in emphasis of the resolve of most Death Knights...of both factions...to earn redemption for the sins forced upon them in their former servitude to the Lich King. The Kal'Dorei Bonemistress Kyrela is the current overseer of the Ebon Knights, and stands in support of not only the Guild's twofold focus, but also in the desire for redemption.

= The spiritual ascendants =

We never came to them. They came to us. Guided, perhaps, by spirits of the slain, seeking reckoning. We can never truly understand how the Exodari came to know of us, but the Shamans of the tribe...and all their followers...have made it clear that their mission mirrors our own. Perhaps our purpose pleases the spirits that guide them along the road to enlightenment. One thing, however, is for sure. It is out of personal respect for the Draenei as a whole, and their uniform desire to survive in the face of catastrophic hardships, that their tribe will always be welcome among us.

= The road awaits... =

And upon all this, lies the diversity of our Guild. Our fellowship. Our mutual purpose. Spreading the tenets of Unity and Justice, bringing hope to those who feel it is in doubt, and adapting to whatever challenges lie ahead of us. Whatever challenges lie beyond the Icecrown reckoning. Whatever worlds, beyond Azeroth, and beyond the remains of Outland, await upon the road we shall always walk.

For the sake of Unity, and Justice.

OOC
The Sworn of Azeroth is a balanced RP Guild, covering all facets of WoW play. Although we are largely inclined towards PvE, we will not deny anyone with a desire to engage in PvP(we would not have the concept of the Lionheart Brigade, otherwise!). As of this writing, we are assisting in the leveling up and gearing of characters within the Guild towards the formation of a 10-man Raid group.

Characters who are brought into the Guild begin as Initiates, and an In-Character interview is necessary. Following this, the Initiate must attend the next Guild Meeting...held bi-weekly on Sundays at 1pm Realm Time either beneath Stormwind's Cathedral of Light, or in the Beer Garden section of A Hero's Welcome in Dalaran...and swear to a series of vows in front of the Guild Officers. Doing so will bring you out of Initiate status and into the baseline rank of "Strider".

As mentioned above, we have ten groups within the Guild, and regardless of your character class, you can join any one of them, or none of them. We make occasional visits to Alliance Taverns to engage in open RP, and we are certainly open to alliances with RP-based Guilds whose modus operandi is not too far removed from our own.

&lt;G&gt;uild chat is used primarily for RP chatter(and no, we do not use Hearthstones as communication devices), and the &lt;O&gt;fficer chat channel is restricted to Officer use ONLY. A separate channel for our exclusive use has been created for all Out-Of-Character chat traffic.

RP-wise, we play against the developing Lore of the WoW metaplot, and applying RP to the general questing and/or daily quest grind.

Further, we prefer to operate against WoW's game mechanics, rather than through emoted attempts at god-moding(ie: An "evil" Lv 80 Warlock bringing a Texas-sized meteor down on one or more of our Guildies in the Trade District of Stormwind City for whatever reason).

So if you want to interact with us, it's game mechanics or bust. Fair enough?