About Arcanum Vox
Guild Purpose and Objectives
Arcanum Vox is driven by PvP, or 'Player versus Player' interactions. While PvP can (and often does) involve combat between players, do not let this definition restrict your perceptions of our guild. In actuality, PvP encompasses a wide range of common interactions between competing players, such as manufacturing or commerce. Arcanum Vox thrives in any and all of these facets of PvP.
There are some in our guild who enjoy a good killing as much as they do manipulating the game economy. If you like crafting and commerce, then by all means apply also.
Our purpose is PvP first, PvE second. With the game not out yet, it is hard to say how things shape up, so if a mastery of PvE is what is needed in order to excel at PvP, then that is the order things are done in.
Hopefully, Age of Conan will provide us with a unique challenge, free of the usual equipment grind found in other MMORPG's. A dichotomy of PvE and PvP must exist, and all of us love a good dungeon crawl. But it goes without saying that when it is the equipment a player has that will solely dictate the outcome of a battle, one must gear up first before one can PvP.
How we're different
It goes without saying that some people find pleasure in helping others. We, on the contrary, find pleasure in helping ourselves. That should not be confused with not helping others at all -- we will, if the price is right. It may not be mere gold, but perhaps a favor or a fair exchange of goods or services later on. We're crafty businessmen and if we cannot solve our indifferences with words... well, maybe the threat of death will help.
We are not evil for the simple fact that we want to destroy and ruin everything. A better way of describing us is to say that our philosophy is we do not respect the moral and ethical codes many others do. We prefer to act covertly, where possible. Instead of mindlessly butchering people in the public light, we prefer subterfuge and choice assassinations.Our philosophy is really quite simple:
vox et praeterea nihil: A voice and nothing more.
Our operations are covert although our organization may be public. We bear the guild tabard and banner with pride, and we are proud of who we are and what we do. Do not take this to mean that we employ a cloak-and-dagger system internally; all issues are resolved without violence or bloodshed. A dead player is a poor player.
Perhaps the best way to describe our alignment would be in the form of the well-known Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Alignment. See above for the spatter chart and how our members' alignments are spread out.
As shown on the chart, the majority of our members are of Lawful Evil alignment. For someone unfamiliar with AD&D the terms may not make a lot of sense, so perhaps an explanation is in order:
What we do
We kill people. We threaten them with death in exchange for a toll. We're evil, but only so much as it will help us achieve our own ulterior motives. Some people are evil for the heck of it -- they tend to be Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil. Right psychopaths they are. An example would perhaps better demonstrate just what we mean by evil.
You and your band of evil cohorts are camping the only bridge leading to a nearby town. After waiting a while you are greeted by a fellow player; you don't know him so you naturally you give him an ultimatum: Give you and your band money and live, or refuse and be thrown into the river -- in pieces. This follows the If it's red, it's dead principle of determining allegiance. Should the player refuse, then the outcome is simple: you kill him; however, if he hands over a toll then you let him pass -- or do you?
This is where the difference in alignments come into effect. A Chaotic or Neutral Evil may easily kill him for his money or for the fun of it, whereas a Lawful Evil would honor the oath. In the interest of economics, it is financially prudent to let him live, as if word gets out that you kill people who pay your toll, people will stop paying.
Location, location, location...
Most of our members are either EST (US East Coast) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) so we cover most of the normal gaming spectrum, but we accept people from any locale, provided that they are capable of playing on EU servers and are fluent, or near-fluent, in English.
What is Lawful Evil?
Lawful Evil people respect law, and they respect order. The two may not necessarily be what the average good, honest and hard-working person respects. More often than not, the Lawful Evil person will respect the laws and edicts governing society as a whole; such as, not killing, stealing or other malicious, illicit activities -- the reason for this being the fear of persecution.
If the Lawful Evil person has a chance to react outside of the law, she will! An example of this could be the assassination of somebody important in exchange for money; another would be the employment of slaves or vassals to execute the actions that are too petty for them. A classic example would be the devil tempting mortals with the lure of fortunes and power in exchange for their soul.
They do not kill for the sake of just killing, and quite a few lawful evil characters have their own ethical code, such as not harming women or children, or not killing in cold blood. Although, it should be said, these moral codes may be... shall we say... bent if the right chance appears, or the need facilitates.
Despite the evil nature, the lawful evil person will almost always honor and obey a contract signed by the lawful evil person. The reason for this being that an oath, a word or a signed promise is held to a high standard in the eyes of the lawful evil. Of course, the Lawful Evil will happily seek vindication in courts against an adversary if he is found to have broken the laws of society; if no proof exist, then perhaps, with a little help it can be made to do so.
Despite all of this, they believe, that, if law isn't upheld (no matter how twisted or evil it may appear to, say, the Lawful Good) then there is chaos. And that's a bad thing.
Chaotic/Neutral Evil vs. Lawful Evil
On the grand compass of ethics and morality, one will find the Chaotic Evil to swivel relentlessly out of control, flexing between order and disorder. To the Chaotic Evil, one does not find solace in following rules; be it one's own, the one of your peers or those of the society you live in. The Chaotic Evil will react with emotions first and rationality later -- if at all.
Chaotic Evil can be anything from docile to rabid, depending on personality traits and their character. Most Chaotics find no home in any group or other social engagement, or if they do, it tends to be short lived.
Of the three branches of evil, the Neutral Evil follow no man and no path. Law, chaos and order are mere vehicles they use to further their hunt for personal benefit; for some that is gold, for others it is the sport of killing, or something entirely different (like power). Not above killing their superiors to advance in rank, they will mercilessly pursue their goals without thought or care to whom they do it to.
The distinction between Lawful and Neutral is that the Neutrals are out for themselves; some commit "evil" for the sake of comitting evil, which is in stark contrast to the Lawful where it is just another way of getting through the day. Lawfuls and Neutrals usually get along just fine, as many people may not be entirely Lawful or entirely Neutral. More often than not, however, the Neutrals do whatever they please.
How will this affect me?
Well, you don't necessarily have to pin yourself up as a Neutral-, Chaotic- or Lawful Evil personality. You can be a blend of all three, if you don't feel like making the distinction. You may think that, in being evil, you should treat people like dirt. From a role playing point of view, this may be true, but it's important to consider that there's a human being behind all characters. We don't advocate swearing, rudeness of impoliteness. It would make more sense if you acted evil through your actions than your mouth (or keyboard).
The Good and the Neutral
Much can be said about good or neutral people, but that would sincerely be a waste of space. They uphold the laws of society and morality, no matter how inane and stupid they may be.
They will uphold any law or edict if it meant protecting the lesser people. Neutrals are slightly different and believe in a balance of all things. That means that too much snuggly goodness will have to be balanced out by a few choice killings, for good measure. The exact degree of this and whether or not they carry out these actions depend entirely on the type of Neutrality.
So much can be said, though, that Neutrals are not welcome in our guild. We don't need people who run to a confession booth or help kittens down from trees as a moral counter-weight to ruthless, delicious murder.
An interesting point is that being Lawful Good means you must uphold good in the manner expected. This leads to certain paradoxes in the alignment system (or the addled mind of a Lawful Good person...):
A Lawful Good person upholds and defends goodness; he will do this by defending against evil. This, in turn, is done by slaying the followers of evil. An example could be a goblin. Thus, if he slays a goblin then that creature must be evil. If it's a baby goblin, then it might grow up to be evil, and thus has to be slain...
Ranking and Signatures 
In absence of a lengthy explanation of who your character is, and what the guild is about, a signature must stand on its own. While it's hard to convey a story with a signature, we've opted for a unique 5-part system (subject to change when the game is out) that will ensure a uniform look across the board for all our members. (See Signature Key).
The signature a representation of who you are and what your standing is with Arcanum Vox. It explains your rank, your name and, when we get closer to release, possibly your race or class icon.
Each rank will grant you more access on our forum and higher respect from your guild members. As you progress in rank, you will be able to command the dogs below you around as you see fit. We hope that aspiring to achieve rank by being an active, polite and reliable member will serve as a motivator for the rewards and boons we will be offering the longer term.
You start out at the rank of Consul. This is more of a trial rank than a real rank. We use this to limit information to new members who may or may not be proper guild material or, perhaps, even spies. This also cuts down on the administrative work as Consuls cannot hold titles within the guild. This is only possible at the rank of Decurion. Of course, if we feel you've earned a title or job then we'd certainly raise you in rank.
Attaining the rank of Decurion entitles you to your own e-mail alias of the form: nickname@arcanumvox.net.
At the rank of Centurion you belong to the elite membership of Arcanum Vox. There's a lot fewer members of this rank and, should you desire to achieve the rank of Praetor, will find the competition severe. We only have a certain number of ranks and progressing through them will be hard. It will take dedication, time and a willingness to work with the guild.
At the rank of Praetor you belong to the guild elite. Few people have a say in what you do and you are given an unfathomable amount of autonomy and control over guild resources and members. People look up to you for guidance and wisdom. With this comes responsibility -- you must lead the guild members and direct them for the greater good of the guild. You must be willing to stand up and take charge and lead PvP aswell as PvE parties. You will also settle disputes between members.