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**Queen Mum** · 6th December 2006, 06:56 AM

Greetings fellow Sosarians!

We travel to Land of Eldador on the Pacific shard to visit the Ancient Order of Elves. Elven kind are a very private people. They gather themselves into small communities away from human eyes, but those communities are very peaceful ones and they are a great environment to grow up in.

With a warm welcome at our back we "take a walk down the forest path outside of Eldamar, take a deep breath and in hale the sweet scent of the blue bells growing along the pathway through the trees. Listen to the cheerful songs of the birds in the trees above, feel the warm sun upon your cheek, hear the crunch of the sutumn leaves beneath your soft leather boot." We are in the magical forest of Elador, Land of the Elves...

'Mae govannen', a gracious spirit with a refreshing smile greeted me along the path and bid me to follow. As we walked, the long dark haired elf introduced himself as Sarlock Longbow, Elven Elder, Retired King of the Elves. As if reading my thoughts, he invited me to query him about the land and the world of the Ancient Order of Elves [AOE].

Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew the entrusted scribed scroll filled with questions from members of the UOForums community and began ...

Q: The AOE rp'ed the Elven race long before it was introduced as an option in UO, why elves, and what is your perception of elves as a race? (Eowyna Rohan)

Sarlock: As most of us are big Tolkien fans, we have modelled ourselves after the elves in Tolkien's lore. Magical beings with a powerful connection to nature, elves have a very appealing attraction to them that many players enjoy. Their longevity creates immense wisdom and knowledge and an appreciation and love of all creatures.

Q: What's the history behind the AOE guild?

Sarlock: The Ancient Order of Elves was formed 1998 by Mystic One and has evolved many times over the last eight years.
A full history can be found here: http://www.elvenorder.com/elf/eo/Abo...history15.html

Q: What type of guild would you say AOE is?

Sarlock: We are an elven Role-Playing guild that focuses on having frequent and engaging guild events and being an integral part of an active online community.

Q: Is AOE a "pure role-playing" guild?

Sarlock: While we encourage role-playing 100% of the time, this is generally only enforced when in group situations or public gatherings. Some events are also "non-RP" and enforcement does not occur at these times.

Q: Does AOE have a ranking system?

Sarlock: Yes. Our members start off with an unranked title appropriate for the path they have chosen. There are then six different ranks a member can be promoted through for each of the paths. Administratively, we have Elders, Arch Elders and the King/Queen.

Q: Can you explain the "Paths" and ranking system within the guild? (Maddux)

Sarlock: We have several paths which our members can choose to follow within the guild. Each path is centered around an RP theme and is loosely connected to certain skill types. For instance, the Istarie (magi) are centered around the ability to cast magic, but any who have a keen interest in the magical arts, whether they are directly mages or not, may wish to join the Istarie path. Within each path, promotions occur, and a member can move through six separate ranks each with its own unique title.

Q: Can you explain some of the awards awarded within the guild? Which is the most prestigious? (Maddux)

Sarlock: Our awards and medals are issued based on certain criterial for each. For instance, the Elven Cross is issued to those members who risk life and limb to rescue another member who may have found themselves in a difficult situation (such as dead and looted by a powerful monster). The most prestigious medal would be the Quenya Excellent Award (basic understanding of the elven language of Quenya) or the Gold Leaf (running a major guild event).

Q: What are some benefits that AOE offers that other guilds don't?

Sarlock: The main benefits our members enjoy are that we are a long-standing established guild and thus experience no turmoil in leadership or direction that the guild is taking, have a mature and easy-going membership and our members know that our guild will be around for many many years into the future.

Q: Is AOE recruiting, and if so, what are the minimum requirements?

Sarlock: We are always recruiting. Our minimum requirements include meeting our name restrictions to ensure that members' names are within our RP guidelines, that new members demonstrate a certain level of maturity (we interview new members before accepting them in to the guild) and a willingness to learn to RP if they come with little or no RP experience.

Q: Currently how many members are in AOE?

Sarlock: There are about 20 active players in ELF at this time. We have seen dozens of players leave for World of Warcraft but still check our forums and IRC channel frequently and hope that with the Kingdom Reborn expansion, most will return to experience the changes.

Q: How many AOE guild members are spellweavers? (Branwilde)

Sarlock: About 25%

Q: Have they been able to gather enough weavers to cast a full five person arcane circle, and if so, what effects did a full circle cast have on the power of spellweaving spells? (Branwilde)

Sarlock: We have, several times, taken five elves to the arcane circle in the Prism of Light dungeon and attained level six arcane focus. The effects of this were impressive, especially Word of Death against powerful creatures (such as peerless bosses).

Q: Does AOE have any enemies?

Sarlock: Orcs. We are sworn enemies of orcs and will defeat them at any opportunity. We are also sworn enemies of drow elves who follow the evil Lolth.

Q: If a guild was looking to Ally with AOE what would be the requirements and where could they contact AOE at?

Sarlock: We do not actively ally with other guilds, though we may fight alongside them in situations where we share common enemies.

Q: If you had a say in which playable race was introduced into UO, which would you choose? (Maddux)

Sarlock: Orcs for sure. It would be great to finally meet our nemesis in their true form.

Having reached a clearing on the outskirts of the city, we sat down on a fallen tree log with the open waters at our feet and continued ...

Q: If you could sit down and talk to the UO developers right now, what would you say to them? What ideas and suggestions would you give?

Sarlock: To put more resources into the storylines and fiction. To have more consistent and deliberate storylines and events. The storylines come and go and are often interrupted by long delays in fiction continuity. I imagine this is due to not investing adequate resources (people) to the storyline generation and continuation. The game is growing stagnant with very little new content and many players are only playing UO part-time these days.

Q: If you had an opportunity to remove an element (ie: pvp. insurance, etc) from the current UO as we know it, what would it be? (Maddux)

Sarlock: I am very happy with the game as it stands. I would like to see more new things added, not things removed.

Q: What professions do you like most?

Sarlock: I have always been a mage, so naturally those who practice the magical arts are in my good books :-)

Q: I’ve heard by some that running a guild is like having a second full-time job, would you agree?

Sarlock: Absolutely. The number of entire evenings of I have invested over the years on administrative issues or guild fights is numerous. Some nights I don't even get to play UO because I am tied up with leadership chores.

Q: In your opinion, what does it take to make a good guild leader?

Sarlock: Being an effective guild leader takes patience, dedication and a tremendous amount of energy. You need to be able to shake off setbacks and disappointments and continue to lead the guild with a positive attitude. Humility is extremely important - you must be ever-willing to admit when you are wrong and listen to the consensus and act on their behalf even when you think otherwise. Delegation is also extremely important - you cannot do it all yourself or you will burn out in short order. Seeing the leadership potential in members and developing their skills and promoting them at the appropriate time is key to continuing to have a strong and healthy guild.

Q: For smaller guilds who are looking to become larger, what advice might you give them?

Sarlock: Slow and steady wins the race - be patient. Find good people and hold on to them.

Q: If someone was starting a guild, what would be the advise you would give them? (Maddux)

Sarlock: Be patient, hold on to the right people and build the guild slowly. Build too fast and you will be overwhelmed with administrative duties and burn out.

Q: AOE has been involved in every Pacific Shard Event and has played a major contributing factor, How does that make you feel? (Maddux)

Sarlock: Good! I am glad to have such a long and rich history with the guild that we can look back over eight years and remember the many many shard events we were a part of.

Q: Most notable Player Character in UO who made a lasting impression on a (young) Sarlock? What did he or she do? (Maddux)

Sarlock: Lord Gunther, the King of the Elves when I joined the guild back in 1999. Gunther was very instrumental in teaching me about guild leadership: The dedication it takes, how to deal with issues and eventually those teachings gave me the knowledge to be able to take over the guild in 2000 when he retired.

Q: In the Great Elven Library, what player written book would you recommend? (Maddux)

Sarlock: All of them! As guild master, I certainly cannot show favorism ;-)

Q: Will Sarlock ever take the journey to Valinor? (Maddux)

Sarlock: One day, perhaps, but as elves live for many thousands of years... it may be a while!

Q: Is it a hard task to keep Gwendolyne Firemane (Retired Queen) from spending all the gold in the royal coffers? (Maddux)

Sarlock: *chuckle* She is quite proficient in earning enough funds to cover her spending without dipping into guild reserves

Q: Does anyone in AOE know the secret cookie recipe? (Silverfoot)

Sarlock: Of course!

And with that answer we rose and headed towards the Thorn and Bow Tavern to enjoy the 'secret' with a few mugs of ... milk!

Tenna' ento lye omenta, AA'menle nauva calen ar' ta hwesta e' ale'quenle.
(Until next we meet, May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back.)

6th December 2006, 06:56 AM	#1
Queen Mum Lead Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Shard: Sonoma Posts: 2,952 Gold: 3,725 My Mood: Blog Entries: 18 Thanks: 88 Thanked 232 Times in 80 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	Welcome to the Ancient Order of Elves! Greetings fellow Sosarians! We travel to Land of Eldador on the Pacific shard to visit the Ancient Order of Elves. Elven kind are a very private people. They gather themselves into small communities away from human eyes, but those communities are very peaceful ones and they are a great environment to grow up in. With a warm welcome at our back we "take a walk down the forest path outside of Eldamar, take a deep breath and in hale the sweet scent of the blue bells growing along the pathway through the trees. Listen to the cheerful songs of the birds in the trees above, feel the warm sun upon your cheek, hear the crunch of the sutumn leaves beneath your soft leather boot." We are in the magical forest of Elador, Land of the Elves... 'Mae govannen', a gracious spirit with a refreshing smile greeted me along the path and bid me to follow. As we walked, the long dark haired elf introduced himself as Sarlock Longbow, Elven Elder, Retired King of the Elves. As if reading my thoughts, he invited me to query him about the land and the world of the Ancient Order of Elves [AOE]. Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew the entrusted scribed scroll filled with questions from members of the UOForums community and began ... Q: The AOE rp'ed the Elven race long before it was introduced as an option in UO, why elves, and what is your perception of elves as a race? (Eowyna Rohan) Sarlock: As most of us are big Tolkien fans, we have modelled ourselves after the elves in Tolkien's lore. Magical beings with a powerful connection to nature, elves have a very appealing attraction to them that many players enjoy. Their longevity creates immense wisdom and knowledge and an appreciation and love of all creatures. Q: What's the history behind the AOE guild? Sarlock: The Ancient Order of Elves was formed 1998 by Mystic One and has evolved many times over the last eight years. A full history can be found here: http://www.elvenorder.com/elf/eo/Abo...history15.html Q: What type of guild would you say AOE is? Sarlock: We are an elven Role-Playing guild that focuses on having frequent and engaging guild events and being an integral part of an active online community. Q: Is AOE a "pure role-playing" guild? Sarlock: While we encourage role-playing 100% of the time, this is generally only enforced when in group situations or public gatherings. Some events are also "non-RP" and enforcement does not occur at these times. Q: Does AOE have a ranking system? Sarlock: Yes. Our members start off with an unranked title appropriate for the path they have chosen. There are then six different ranks a member can be promoted through for each of the paths. Administratively, we have Elders, Arch Elders and the King/Queen. Q: Can you explain the "Paths" and ranking system within the guild? (Maddux) Sarlock: We have several paths which our members can choose to follow within the guild. Each path is centered around an RP theme and is loosely connected to certain skill types. For instance, the Istarie (magi) are centered around the ability to cast magic, but any who have a keen interest in the magical arts, whether they are directly mages or not, may wish to join the Istarie path. Within each path, promotions occur, and a member can move through six separate ranks each with its own unique title. Q: Can you explain some of the awards awarded within the guild? Which is the most prestigious? (Maddux) Sarlock: Our awards and medals are issued based on certain criterial for each. For instance, the Elven Cross is issued to those members who risk life and limb to rescue another member who may have found themselves in a difficult situation (such as dead and looted by a powerful monster). The most prestigious medal would be the Quenya Excellent Award (basic understanding of the elven language of Quenya) or the Gold Leaf (running a major guild event). Q: What are some benefits that AOE offers that other guilds don't? Sarlock: The main benefits our members enjoy are that we are a long-standing established guild and thus experience no turmoil in leadership or direction that the guild is taking, have a mature and easy-going membership and our members know that our guild will be around for many many years into the future. Q: Is AOE recruiting, and if so, what are the minimum requirements? Sarlock: We are always recruiting. Our minimum requirements include meeting our name restrictions to ensure that members' names are within our RP guidelines, that new members demonstrate a certain level of maturity (we interview new members before accepting them in to the guild) and a willingness to learn to RP if they come with little or no RP experience. Q: Currently how many members are in AOE? Sarlock: There are about 20 active players in ELF at this time. We have seen dozens of players leave for World of Warcraft but still check our forums and IRC channel frequently and hope that with the Kingdom Reborn expansion, most will return to experience the changes. Q: How many AOE guild members are spellweavers? (Branwilde) Sarlock: About 25% Q: Have they been able to gather enough weavers to cast a full five person arcane circle, and if so, what effects did a full circle cast have on the power of spellweaving spells? (Branwilde) Sarlock: We have, several times, taken five elves to the arcane circle in the Prism of Light dungeon and attained level six arcane focus. The effects of this were impressive, especially Word of Death against powerful creatures (such as peerless bosses). Q: Does AOE have any enemies? Sarlock: Orcs. We are sworn enemies of orcs and will defeat them at any opportunity. We are also sworn enemies of drow elves who follow the evil Lolth. Q: If a guild was looking to Ally with AOE what would be the requirements and where could they contact AOE at? Sarlock: We do not actively ally with other guilds, though we may fight alongside them in situations where we share common enemies. Q: If you had a say in which playable race was introduced into UO, which would you choose? (Maddux) Sarlock: Orcs for sure. It would be great to finally meet our nemesis in their true form. Having reached a clearing on the outskirts of the city, we sat down on a fallen tree log with the open waters at our feet and continued ... Q: If you could sit down and talk to the UO developers right now, what would you say to them? What ideas and suggestions would you give? Sarlock: To put more resources into the storylines and fiction. To have more consistent and deliberate storylines and events. The storylines come and go and are often interrupted by long delays in fiction continuity. I imagine this is due to not investing adequate resources (people) to the storyline generation and continuation. The game is growing stagnant with very little new content and many players are only playing UO part-time these days. Q: If you had an opportunity to remove an element (ie: pvp. insurance, etc) from the current UO as we know it, what would it be? (Maddux) Sarlock: I am very happy with the game as it stands. I would like to see more new things added, not things removed. Q: What professions do you like most? Sarlock: I have always been a mage, so naturally those who practice the magical arts are in my good books :-) Q: I’ve heard by some that running a guild is like having a second full-time job, would you agree? Sarlock: Absolutely. The number of entire evenings of I have invested over the years on administrative issues or guild fights is numerous. Some nights I don't even get to play UO because I am tied up with leadership chores. Q: In your opinion, what does it take to make a good guild leader? Sarlock: Being an effective guild leader takes patience, dedication and a tremendous amount of energy. You need to be able to shake off setbacks and disappointments and continue to lead the guild with a positive attitude. Humility is extremely important - you must be ever-willing to admit when you are wrong and listen to the consensus and act on their behalf even when you think otherwise. Delegation is also extremely important - you cannot do it all yourself or you will burn out in short order. Seeing the leadership potential in members and developing their skills and promoting them at the appropriate time is key to continuing to have a strong and healthy guild. Q: For smaller guilds who are looking to become larger, what advice might you give them? Sarlock: Slow and steady wins the race - be patient. Find good people and hold on to them. Q: If someone was starting a guild, what would be the advise you would give them? (Maddux) Sarlock: Be patient, hold on to the right people and build the guild slowly. Build too fast and you will be overwhelmed with administrative duties and burn out. Q: AOE has been involved in every Pacific Shard Event and has played a major contributing factor, How does that make you feel? (Maddux) Sarlock: Good! I am glad to have such a long and rich history with the guild that we can look back over eight years and remember the many many shard events we were a part of. Q: Most notable Player Character in UO who made a lasting impression on a (young) Sarlock? What did he or she do? (Maddux) Sarlock: Lord Gunther, the King of the Elves when I joined the guild back in 1999. Gunther was very instrumental in teaching me about guild leadership: The dedication it takes, how to deal with issues and eventually those teachings gave me the knowledge to be able to take over the guild in 2000 when he retired. Q: In the Great Elven Library, what player written book would you recommend? (Maddux) Sarlock: All of them! As guild master, I certainly cannot show favorism ;-) Q: Will Sarlock ever take the journey to Valinor? (Maddux) Sarlock: One day, perhaps, but as elves live for many thousands of years... it may be a while! Q: Is it a hard task to keep Gwendolyne Firemane (Retired Queen) from spending all the gold in the royal coffers? (Maddux) Sarlock: chuckle She is quite proficient in earning enough funds to cover her spending without dipping into guild reserves Q: Does anyone in AOE know the secret cookie recipe? (Silverfoot) Sarlock: Of course! And with that answer we rose and headed towards the Thorn and Bow Tavern to enjoy the 'secret' with a few mugs of ... milk! Tenna' ento lye omenta, AA'menle nauva calen ar' ta hwesta e' ale'quenle. (Until next we meet, May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back.)