Houyhnhnm (Guild)

The Officers are listed in the Guild InfoBox.

Veteran1, Veteran2, Veteran3, Unlimited Veterans.

Member1, member2, member3, Unlimited Members.

Recruit One (No Sponsor), Recruit Two (No Sponsor), Recruit Three (No Sponsor), Recruit One (No Sponsor), Unlimited Recruits until the guild is full.

To join, you can approach any member, who can then introduce you to an Officer, or you can speak with Karhea if can you find him. He is sometimes found in Rescue Camp, and sometimes in Haven telling stories. The rest of the time, we think he goes off wandering the clockworks alone.

• There is NO skill requirement.
• The only requirement is to be a person of good character.
• Joining is easy.
• Becoming a member requires a small amount of effort. Learn the rules.
• You must own a Miners Hat to become a member. We will wear them as a costume helm to some official events. It is the only equipment that we require. The rest of your armor and weapons are up to you.

Of course, anyone may leave at any time, but we would like to make nice and keep you as our friend. So tell people when you are thinking of leaving. Karhea learned that it is always best to stand up when you come, and also when you go.

We discourage guild hopping. You are welcome to try us on, then try on another guild or several. Then if you want to come back and a slot is available, you will be welcome. However, if you repeatedly jump in and out, we may choose not to accept you back a third or fourth time.

If you are unhappy about something, talk to the officers about it, and they will try to make you happy if they can.

- Will I get kicked?

We do not kick players, unless they refuse to leave when asked.

Before kicking anyone, we will first talk to them. We will let them know why we are concerned and try to get them to follow the guild principles. If they won't, or if the infraction is serious enough, then we will bring it to the officers or Karhea to decide your fate.

Nobody, not even Karhea will ask a player to leave on his own. The Officers must vote, and any involved players will also vote. If Officers abuse their power to kick, then Karhea may kick them instead.

-  What if I can't play for a while?

The time limits for inactivity are very long. If the guild is not full, nobody will get purged.

If you do not log on and say nothing, then you get one month grace period. After that, we may start recruiting for your slot. If you say nothing and do not play for two months, then we may offer your slot to a player who is active.

If you are purged for inactivity, you are always welcome back if there is a slot available when you return. Just reapply. If you were in good standing when you left, you will be repromoted to member immediately. Take a vacation, your job will be here when you get back. Unless the guild is full.

Everyone starts out as a recruit, and everyone gets a trial period as a recruit to make friends in the guild. If you can secure a sponsor, and make some friends in the guild, then it should not take even a month to arrange for a membership vote.

• To become a member, you must have members sponsor you. Play with them in missions, be nice to them, impress them... make friends and you will be fine.
• To become a Veteran, you must become a Vanguard and you must consistently live by the principles of this guild. We may have some Members, who are Vanguards, but never become Veterans. Veterans are the life blood of the guild, and we hope to develop many Veterans.
• To become an Officer, a position must become vacant. Veterans in good standing will be elligible to become officers. The first few officers will be chosen by Karhea. Then the rest will be chosen by, and voted on, by the officers themselves.
• Most people will not be promoted above Member or Veteran, because we are hoping not to be a top heavy guild. Karhea expects that we can take care of ourselves.

THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE

The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. I will list the rules below. Those of you who want to know more, go to the website and click on each rule for elaboration. [1] These rules have been online since at least 1990, and before that they were sent around by Email. It is the definitive guide for how NOT to be a flamer online.

• Rule 1: Remember the Human
• Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
• Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
• Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
• Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
• Rule 6: Share expert knowledge
• Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control
• Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
• Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
• Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

Three Rings first rule is our second rule.

There will be some requirements for qualifying for membership. Mainly, you need to understand the game, how to get around, and how to learn all you need to know. Fortunately, we are patient, and will help you learn what you need to know to achieve success in this game.

• Read the Spiral Knights WIKI. Especially the Terms of Service, Community Standards, New Player Briefing, List of commonly used abbreviationsand Playing Guides
• Read the Houyhnhnm_(Guild) WIKI page and also the Houyhnhnm Guild web page when there is one.
• Watch and Listen to other players.
• Learn from your errors.

In this guild, we understand that people like to play with others at their own level or higher. But, we have also discovered that playes get better from hard work and experience, not when things are handed to them. So, here is the deal.

• The rank above and the rank below -- In general, we expect to see people match up by level and rank. 1* with 0, 1 and 2*, 2* with 1, 2 and 3*, and so forth. That is the best way, and by matching skills, everyone tends to have a better game.
• We like to see 1* helping 0* and all the way up the line. Share what you know, and pay it forward. We all learn from each other.
• Rescue Missions -- In general, we expect to see higher level players helping players of lower ability, regardless of level. You can go on "rescue missions" but you are discouraged from the bailing players out. They need to learn to win, by losing and learning from their mistakes. If you want to go in and help, great. But don't just carry the mission. Make them carry their own weight, and chat suggestions to them about techniques and strategies that will make them better players.
• No join spamming or invite spamming -- Nobody should join another players mission without first asking. That is polite, and it matters.

You can ask once on the guild chat channel, and once by private message. Do not send a mission invitation without talking to the person first.

• The party leader is the leader of the party -- Simple enough? They outrank anyone in the guild on matters concerning how they want their mission to be led. They can invite, or kick, anyone they choose to. We trust they will have good reasons, because kicking without good reason is Yahoo behavior.

List things people appreciate seeing others do.

• Communicate. Say hello, and answer when spoken to. Let people know what is on your mind. If you don't tell them, they will never know.
• Friendly. Not just in the guild. All the time. Smile when you type, it makes a difference.
• Praise others. Everybody likes to hear a good word said about them. Pump up your team mates.
• Helpful. The strong have an honorable duty to help the weak. Be prepared to share what you know.
• Self-reliant. Be prepared to do everything in this game on your own.
• Show gratitude. Be appreciative when others do help you. Thank them.
• Show respect. For yourself, and for others.
• Be kind.
• Share. Share the health and the wealth.
• Ask before you tell. If you want to share advice, ask them if they want it first. If they say no, then you should say nothing. Allow other people the freedom to make their own mistakes without unsolicited criticism.

List things people do not appreciate seeing others do.

• Begging. Learn to accept gratefully, but never ask for stuff you did not earn.
• Join spamming. Sending unsolicited mission invitations is spam. Don't invite people until you have chatted with them first. Then tell them what the level is so they can bring the right Loadout.
• A Sore loser is a poor loser. Learning to lose well is an important skill.
• Boaster. Confidence is good. Cockiness is Yahoo behavior. Learn the difference.
• Selfish or Foolish. Find the balance between giving too little, giving too much, and giving just right.
• Disrespecting yourself, or others.
• Name calling. This is one of the worst things you can do in this game. Tearing down another players esteem is very much Yahoo behavior.
• Don't use foul language. We have guild members of all ages, from many parts of the world.
• No name calling. Do not offer criticism, unless the person actually asks you to give it, then only tell them what they need to know to get better.
• Act like a Yahoo too much, and you may be asked to leave this guild.

It takes time to level your character up. Eventually, you can experience everything this game has to offer, if you will set aside expectations that are not yet in your grasp, and work toward goals you can achieve. Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointments, and we want you to feel the power of tangible success.

For now, the cost is zero.

When three Rings upgrades the guild halls to include guild banks, and other premium items, then they may start charging maintenance fees to pay for guild hall upkeep. Nobody knows yet how that will work. We will learn how that works in October 2012 perhaps during the test server for guild halls.

Mostly we just get together to do missions. Duh.

• Some will work rank missions to build up their gear.
• Some will run boss levels to make crowns so they can craft and level up.
• Some will run prestige missions to earn glory.
• Some will play team Lockdown, or Blast Arena. Established squads will play together often, so do not crash their party without an invitation.
• Some will run expansion missions. Get the missions, and you can join.
• Some will run Shadow Lairs. These are expensive, so usually by invitation of the party leader only.
• Some will just hang out and chat all day, and that is okay too.

For every rank promotion you get, and even for other rewards. Your friends and sponsors should take time to meet in the guild hall and throw a little party. They might even bring in game presents, like crowns, mats, or anything they choose. We will hold a Vanguard party for all new Vanguards. If a Vanguard becomes a member, then they get a party too.

• Invite People - If costumes, uniforms or gifts are required, then mention that in your invitation.
• Make a short speech to let people know what the occasion is.
• If it is a rank promotion ceremony, or an induction ceremony, then line up and salute or whatever becomes customary.
• Exchange gifts if there are any.
• Hang out and have fun.

This guild will hold events. We are open to ideas from all guild members, so stay tuned.

• Silly photo ops where we all get together for a screenshot.
• Contests to see who can do something better, faster, stronger, slower, more accurately, etc.
• Special missions with made up rules. Funny games, like hide and seek, Marco Polo, Tag, Catch, Monster soccer, and any other nonsense we can dream up to have fun. Some ideas are: Swords/Guns/Bombs only, no shields, Designated killer, [and the list goes on.]

This section pertains to GUILD BUSINESS ONLY. If you receive a compliant that goes to Three Rings, then you are subject to the Terms of Service and Community Standards, and any such complaint will be decided by the Three Rings Game Masters.

Here is what pertains to guild business. Nobody gets asked to leave without a fair hearing.

Sleep on it first

• No complaint will be accepted the same day. We ask that guild members wait at least one day to allow emotions to cool. We hope this takes care of most conflicts. Try to give others the benefit of the doubt and be forgiving.

Anonymous complaints are not allowed

• All complaints must be made openly in guild chat with both parties present as well as at least one officer, plus at least two additional witnesses who are not involved with the incident or issue.
• You can discuss anything you want in private, but to complain, you must be willing to repeat the complaint and explain it to other people who may challenge you. Other people not speaking will reserve their comments until the matter is reviewed by an officer.

You will be heard

• If you complain about another player, then you are the defendant, because you must defend your complaint.
• If a player complains about you, you are the opposition because you will oppose the complaint.
• Both sides will get the chance to state their side and face the other side in turns.

You do not need to be alone

• You may appoint an advocate, or request an advocate, or, if you start freaking out, an officer may may appoint an advocate to you. Your advocate represents you in public. Only the parties and the advocates may speak publicly to oppose or defend a complaint.

There will be a mediator

• If a complaint is made, then one officer will be appointed as the mediator. The job of the mediator is to help the parties resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved by the mediator, then the matter will be escalated to all active officers for a vote.

Guild Business is Private Business

• All guild members are expected to limit talking about an open complaint to private chat channels.
• Idle gossip is not encouraged. If you were not there, then do not try to guess. If you were there, then do not talk about it behind people's backs.
• Do not talk in guild chat. Do not talk openly in Haven where you might embarrass this guild. If you want to talk in a group, go to a mission lobby, or to the guild hall if it is empty. Some place where you cannot be overheard.

When it is done, it is done

• If the matter is resolved by the parties, one way or the other, then the matter is closed.
• If the matter is escalated, then after the active officers vote, the matter is closed.
• Once a matter is closed, we should all try to put it behind us.

"Gulliver's description of the horses, the Houyhnhnms, is almost idyllic: "The behaviour of these animals was . . . orderly and rational . . . acute and judicious." Indeed, it is a horse that rescues him from the Yahoos — not by any overt, physical action, but by simply appearing on the road — no physical action being necessary.

Houyhnhnms live simple lives wholly devoted to reason. They speak clearly, they act justly, and they have simple laws. Each Houyhnhnm knows what is right and acts accordingly. They are untroubled by greed, politics, or lust. They live a life of cleanliness and exist in peace and serenity. They live by the grand maxim: Cultivate Reason and be totally governed by it. So perfect is their society, in fact, that they have no concept of a lie, and therefore no word to express it. The only word for evil is "Yahoo."

Swift defines Houyhnhnm as meaning "perfection of nature." This definition establishes an important distinction. The horses are uncorrupted by passion — either base or noble. They are devoid, for example, of charity. Also, they are not subject to temptation. Swift, however, never suggests that the Houyhnhnms stand for perfected human nature; on the contrary, they manifest innocent human nature. What they do — and what they say and think — is akin to human nature, but the character of the Houyhnhnms is far from Gulliver's. They are ignorant of many things which most people would consider venial. They cannot, for example, understand lying — or even the necessity for lying.

Swift thus establishes a range, or spectrum, of existence. The horses are literally innocent, having never (in theological terms) "fallen"; the Yahoos are super-sensual and seem depraved. The Houyhnhnms are ice-cold reason; the Yahoos are fiery sensuality. In between these extremes is Gulliver."

Excerpted from: Gulliver's Travels: Book Summary

Gulliver in discussion with Houyhnhnms (1856 lllustration by J.J. Grandville.)

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