Post by Kestrel on Oct 12, 2009 23:35:05 GMT 1
Draft for ratification:
Stereotypical Guardian - notes to help designing new characters or introducing old ones to us. This is the type of stuff we expect and respect. 1/1 match isn't required, but you should hit the points marked non-negotiable, and miss the things marked unacceptable.
Skills:
Combat - Even healers are expected to know how to defend themselves. Inexperienced rookies are not acceptable.
Survival - Missions may take Guardians into corrupted lands for long times. They are expected to be able to survive, living off the land, even if the land is hostile to them.
First aid - Healers are handy but not to be relied upon. A Guardian who can't fix their own wounds is a Guardian who won't last the year, and a Healer who can't fix stuff without magic doesn't deserve the name.
Personality:
Fanatic - Balance is always worth dying and killing for. We aren't happy hippy treehuggers - we're eco terrorists who shoot up rhino poachers, assassinate people caught dumping toxic waste in the river and go to deforestation sites at night to pipebomb the bulldozers. People who tell us we're too harsh obviously haven't grasped the damage our enemies do to the world. Some of us may feel bad about the extremes we go to, but all Guardians should feel they are needed.
Violent - Violence is normal, a part of life. Guardians expect to be injured, see their fellow soldiers to be injured, and don't think punching someone is a big deal. Corporeal punishment is okay and natural. If an injury doesn't keep you from walking and holding a weapon, it's not a big deal. Individual tolerance may vary - but this is the default expectation.
Practical - The mission matters. All other stuff matters less. Laws, grudges, personal relationships and personal emotions are no reason to fail the Balance or fail a Guardian (though everyone will sometimes, and that's okay so long as you own up and take your dues and do better next time). Good manners aren't important. A cool head and coping skills are vital. A Guardian with both is an exception to the rule. Very few of us are happy, healthy people, so tolerance bad manners is a necessary skill.
Discipline - Think Mossad, think IRA, think African paramilitary. We may not always agree, we may even disagree violently, but there is no question we will always act in the best interest of the cause and the whole unit, and keep everyone in fighting order. This is what keeps us all alive when we are picking fights with gods. Brazenly rebellious primadonnas endanger the mission by making things not be fast and smooth. They also get OOC annoying after a while.
Values:
Anti-magic - Everything wrong with the world can be traced back to magic. Everyone who ever screwed up with it thought they were the exception who could use it safely. We have marginal tolerance for the Kirin Tor only because they agree with us on this.
Most Guardians will feel the only "safe" way to use magic is to be willing to kill the user the second things look to be going badly. Many Guardians will feel Malfurion's greatest mistake was merely exiling the Highbourne. Balance above all, even bloodkin.
All life is equal. -- A plant or a person, both are equally part of the Balance, and equally worth saving. We are dedicated to protecting the Balance, not just Kaldorei or the Alliance. If the land suffers more than the people, we -will- focus on the land first.
Reverence for Dragons. -- The five aspects are practically gods, their flights are the children of gods. We owe them loyalty because our ancestors promised so, when they made Nordrassil and gave us immortality. Just because we aren't immortal anymore doesn't mean that we don't still. NOTE - it's also possible to take the view Staghelm holds, that Dragons are high and mighty gits who don't actually get involved until their own bacon is in the fire (such as in the Qiraji war). This is the less common view, though, and their semidivinity is still definite.
The High Guardian's word is law. It may be disobeyed in three cases: if it goes against the Circle, if it goes against the Balance, or if it is outright bad tactics. The Guardians have sometimes collectively disobeyed one order from the Circle in favour of another they feel better serves Balance (That's the problem with rule by committee. If the High Guardian is somehow acting against the Balance, or in error, it's a Guardian's duty to correct this. Ideally in private, so it won't undermine the chain of command.
Stereotypical Guardian - notes to help designing new characters or introducing old ones to us. This is the type of stuff we expect and respect. 1/1 match isn't required, but you should hit the points marked non-negotiable, and miss the things marked unacceptable.
Skills:
Combat - Even healers are expected to know how to defend themselves. Inexperienced rookies are not acceptable.
Survival - Missions may take Guardians into corrupted lands for long times. They are expected to be able to survive, living off the land, even if the land is hostile to them.
First aid - Healers are handy but not to be relied upon. A Guardian who can't fix their own wounds is a Guardian who won't last the year, and a Healer who can't fix stuff without magic doesn't deserve the name.
Personality:
Fanatic - Balance is always worth dying and killing for. We aren't happy hippy treehuggers - we're eco terrorists who shoot up rhino poachers, assassinate people caught dumping toxic waste in the river and go to deforestation sites at night to pipebomb the bulldozers. People who tell us we're too harsh obviously haven't grasped the damage our enemies do to the world. Some of us may feel bad about the extremes we go to, but all Guardians should feel they are needed.
Violent - Violence is normal, a part of life. Guardians expect to be injured, see their fellow soldiers to be injured, and don't think punching someone is a big deal. Corporeal punishment is okay and natural. If an injury doesn't keep you from walking and holding a weapon, it's not a big deal. Individual tolerance may vary - but this is the default expectation.
Practical - The mission matters. All other stuff matters less. Laws, grudges, personal relationships and personal emotions are no reason to fail the Balance or fail a Guardian (though everyone will sometimes, and that's okay so long as you own up and take your dues and do better next time). Good manners aren't important. A cool head and coping skills are vital. A Guardian with both is an exception to the rule. Very few of us are happy, healthy people, so tolerance bad manners is a necessary skill.
Discipline - Think Mossad, think IRA, think African paramilitary. We may not always agree, we may even disagree violently, but there is no question we will always act in the best interest of the cause and the whole unit, and keep everyone in fighting order. This is what keeps us all alive when we are picking fights with gods. Brazenly rebellious primadonnas endanger the mission by making things not be fast and smooth. They also get OOC annoying after a while.
Values:
Anti-magic - Everything wrong with the world can be traced back to magic. Everyone who ever screwed up with it thought they were the exception who could use it safely. We have marginal tolerance for the Kirin Tor only because they agree with us on this.
Most Guardians will feel the only "safe" way to use magic is to be willing to kill the user the second things look to be going badly. Many Guardians will feel Malfurion's greatest mistake was merely exiling the Highbourne. Balance above all, even bloodkin.
All life is equal. -- A plant or a person, both are equally part of the Balance, and equally worth saving. We are dedicated to protecting the Balance, not just Kaldorei or the Alliance. If the land suffers more than the people, we -will- focus on the land first.
Reverence for Dragons. -- The five aspects are practically gods, their flights are the children of gods. We owe them loyalty because our ancestors promised so, when they made Nordrassil and gave us immortality. Just because we aren't immortal anymore doesn't mean that we don't still. NOTE - it's also possible to take the view Staghelm holds, that Dragons are high and mighty gits who don't actually get involved until their own bacon is in the fire (such as in the Qiraji war). This is the less common view, though, and their semidivinity is still definite.
The High Guardian's word is law. It may be disobeyed in three cases: if it goes against the Circle, if it goes against the Balance, or if it is outright bad tactics. The Guardians have sometimes collectively disobeyed one order from the Circle in favour of another they feel better serves Balance (That's the problem with rule by committee. If the High Guardian is somehow acting against the Balance, or in error, it's a Guardian's duty to correct this. Ideally in private, so it won't undermine the chain of command.