The corruption begins with the eyes, the page, the hunger. It hangs on the first hook of the first comma. The corruption begins with the mouth, the tongue, the wanting. The first poem in the world is: I want to eat.
Beware, child. They say that monsters lurk in the woods.
Yet when you venture through the forest, ducking 'neath overhanging branches and nearly stumbling over unseen roots, you find no monsters awaiting your arrival; darkness is your only company, the yawning sky overhead hidden behind the crooked fingers of the trees you happen past.
Apprehension creeps along your spine. You lengthen your stride, your heartbeat thundering in your ears as you shove aside the brush that reaches to claim arms and legs alike. Between a space in the trunks ahead, you see it: a bonfire whose flickering flames fend off the night.
People congregate around the fire, each a stranger in your eyes; they trade stories and laughter between sips taken from a borrowed cup. Before you can apologize for intruding, one extends the drink in invitationβ join us in our drunken revelry, they say, and you claim the chalice with unsteady hands as you settle at their side.
You hear them tell tales of battles won, of wounds sustained, of trades made and secrets kept. Anyone can be a hero, right? another asks, and even you feel compelled to bark a laugh at that. When the conversation drifts to confessions of misfortunes and guilt, you admit your own, and they listen with rapt attention, eagerly drinking every word.
The fire grows hotter, brighter, the flames dancing faster. The voices spiraling all around you seem so far away. Try as you might to keep up with it all, you cannot; exhaustion bears down on you, and as your eyelids flutter to a close, the empty chalice falls from your hand and crashes to the forest floor with a soft thud.
It's the warmth of the morning sun that rouses you from your dreams. Blinking the sleep from your eyes, you chance a cursory glance around you and spot naught but a mound of ash and cinders mere inches from your feet. With the sun as your guide, you find your way out of the forest, oblivious to the glint of silver between the trees and the eyes that bore into you with predacious intent.
Come the next morning, you realize that the warning had it all wrong.
It is not monsters you need be wary of, but men.
You hear a whisper weaving through the trees.
β ... i am the knife which will slaughter heaven.
Days pass before an envelope finds its way to you, dropped into your lap by an unseen hand. Faceless, bereft of both return address and any indication of who sent it, you think it wrongfully delivered until you spot the delicate black script written across its backside.
THERE ARE NO HEROES HERE.
CROW is an immersive, high-stakes role-playing community hosted on the US-Moon Guard server within World of Warcraft. Through an overarching narrative designed to explore internal conflict related to grief, religion, and trauma, we seek to test the limits of human morality and redefine what it means to be a βvillain.βOurs is a community built on four values integral to any shared space: Communication, Compassion, Collaboration, and Creativity. In embracing these values, we thrive together, united by our shared love of storytelling and the respect we have for one another.
β HEAVEN IS FULL OF BLOOD. SOON IT WILL SNOW. β
We take pride in cultivating an environment that is safe for underrepresented players. Thus, if you are among the individuals who advocate against being "politically correct" or label those different from yourself as "special snowflakes", we strongly advise you seek out a different community; our community and its associated spaces will not tolerate your hateful rhetoric.
HOW TO JOIN
Individuals who are interested in learning more about Crow or who think their character might be a good fit are encouraged to contact Cryptid [@ Insane-Moon Guard and/or lordaeronian (Discord)] for additional information. Should you wish to proceed with filling out an application, you may do so by clicking here.
You might find that you're well-suited to join Crow if:
You enjoy an enriching, fan-created environment. Our setting and its history has been painstakingly put together by the individuals who are proud to call this guild their home. If you harbor a special love for lore-crafting and world-building, then this is definitely the place for you!
You like a realistic approach to writing. Realism is the mainstay of our day-to-day operations; we do things slowly and with purpose, bearing in mind the consequences of our characters' choices.
You prefer open-ended narratives. All of our campaigns are designed without a clear ending in mind. It's up to the players to decide what will and won't happen!
You might want to try a different community if:
You are disinterested in world RP. Due to how our characters operate, we tend to abstain from venturing into centralized role-play hubs. Instead, the majority of our writing occurs out in the open world in a sandbox-styled setting crafted by our players.
You prefer a d20 roll system to be used during events. We approach combat in a way that makes sense to the characters and their respective experiences. As a result, we don't use rolls to determine if a hit lands or not.
You want immediate results. Our normal method of storytelling is organic and slow-burn. We like to see things come together over time rather than right away!
OUR CODE OF CONDUCT
We do not subscribe to the assumption that an individual is a 'good person' just because we have had decent interactions with them. Experiences matter; a person's behavior behind closed doors is of paramount importance. Thus, should someone's character be brought into question due to evidence of insensitive behavior that occurs outside of our purview (i.e., in direct messages, group chats, or otherwise), we will take immediate action. Role-play will never be so important that we overlook a person's actions to preserve it.
OUT-OF-CHARACTER EXPECTATIONS
| ONE. | Pyre is dedicated to cultivating an environment that is safe for underrepresented players. We take a zero tolerance stance against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, harassment, and other forms of bigoted and disrespectful conduct exhibited at an out-of-character level. For this reason, individuals who advocate against being "politically correct" or denigrate those different from them as "special snowflakes" are advised to seek fellowship elsewhere; our guild and its associated spaces do not tolerate such hateful rhetoric. |
| TWO. | All members must be at least eighteen years old. No exceptions will be granted to any party, regardless of whomever they might associate with or how "mature for their age" they might be. |
| THREE. | Pyre's overarching narrative is designed to explore internal conflict related to religion, trauma, grief, and other unsavory themesβ the gamut of which is intentionally structured to reflect realistic, lived experiences in such a way that it may cause mental or emotional distress. While uncomfortable subject matter is intrinsic to the guild and its setting, members will always have the agency to choose or continue their involvement based on personal preferences; they reserve the right to withdraw their consent at any point. |
| FOUR. | Our guild's collaborative endeavors are enriched by the creative contributions of our committed players, often resulting in the development of supplementary non-canonical, or "fanon," content. This approach is not a means to refute or invalidate Blizzard's established lore but to expand it, absent the harmful stereotypes consistently present throughout canon sources. As such, we expect all members to treat this content with consideration and respect paid to those who have labored over its creation. |
| FIVE. | We are a community of creatives that embraces original work. Therefore, AI-generated contentβto include images and text, in whole or in partβis explicitly forbidden in our community and its related spaces (such as: the guild server, guild sites [like Carrd or Fandom], TRPs, et cetera). |
| SIX. | Pyre is an independent entity that does not abide by the rules, systems, or lore generated by server-wide projects. Thus, though we recognize the existence of communities like the Stormwind Law Project, the Eternal Court of Lordaeron, the Stormwind Crown Association, the Grand Alliance, Warcraft Conquest, et cetera, we do not engage with them or acknowledge their respective storylines. |
ROLE-PLAY ETIQUETTE
| ONE. | Members must seek explicit consent before undertaking any actions that impact the portrayal of another character. This obligation extends to interactions both inside and outside the guild, as our guild's success relies upon the collaborative participation of all players to craft a narrative that accommodates and fulfills the aspirations of all involved parties. |
| TWO. | While an old adage posits that IC β OOC and, therefore, that a character's actions are separate from the individual controlling the character, this principle cannot be exploited to trespass upon a player's boundaries. The assertion "That's simply in line with my character's nature!" or "That's just what my character would do!" is not to be used as a shield against legitimate grievances and concerns. |
| THREE. | In-character actions have in-character consequences. Though we will consider the circumstances beforehand to ensure unanimity, it is essential to recognize that the concept of a flawless transgression is non-existent; if a character is foolish enough to get caught doing something they shouldn't, repercussions will ensue. |