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Opening Statement – The Chronicle of The Green Company

The Coming of the Dúnedain

In an age long past, following the fall of the first dark lord Morgoth, the Númenóreans rose to the height of their power, masters of all that they surveyed, living on the Island of Númenór and colonizing the coast of Middle-Earth with great cities. The only great stronghold that eluded them was the Undying Lands, where the immortal Elves and the Valar lived. Seduced by the second Dark Lord Sauron (cloaking himself in fair form) and their own lust for power, the Númenóreans raised a massive fleet and sailed to conquer the Undying Lands, believing wrongly that the land itself would give the gift of immortality they so desired.

As punishment, the fleet was destroyed and the island forever sunk beneath the waves, wiping out the Númenórean civilization. A few of the Númenóreans, those who disagreed with the war against the Undying Lands, foresaw the tragedy and escaped by sailing to Middle-Earth before the invasion. These Númenóreans, known as the Faithful, founded the twin kingdoms of Arnor in the North and Gondor in the South. They were also permitted to keep the gift of the Eldar, enduring long life (though not immortality), for their faithfulness to the Firstborn.

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The Dúnedain of Middle-Earth are the descendants of those few Númenóreans who survived. Though Arnor has been destroyed, and Gondor greatly diminished, the blood of Númenor has not all been spent…

The Founding of The Green Company

After nearly 3,000 years of being scattered, Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, the Chieftain of the Dúnedain formed The Grey Company, a pure group of the descendents of the faithful of Númenór living in the land of Eriador. The Grey Company acted as Aragorn’s elite fighting force against the enemy, called “Rangers of the North” by those outside.

As more Dúnedain continued to come forth, it was decided to form a second company, and The Green Company became a sister-kinship to the Grey, aiding them in what ways they could in the fight against the shadow. As the need for arms increased, and as warriors and free-folk beyond the bloodlines of the Dúnedain began to come forth seeking to join forces with the rangers, it was eventually decided that The Green Company would be a hybrid kinship of Rangers, and should they prove their quality free-men beyond the blood of Númenór could fight alongside the Dúnedain as Rangers representing their own folk.

Since then the Green Company has attracted men and elves from across Middle-Earth, brought together to fight the shadows of Angmar and Mordor. Their ranks now include men from as far as Rohan and Gondor, and Elven ambassadors from Lorien, Lindon, Mirkwood, and Edhellond. In the aftermath of Isilduir's Bane, the One Ring, having been found, the Green Company now fights the growing shadow looming over the free lands of the North, aiding their Chieftain Aragorn in what ways they can before he departs with the Ringbearer…

The Green Company as a Kinship

Concerning game-based info, the Green Company is a moderate-heavy RP kinship on the Landroval server. We were founded in open beta by Borrhavan and Mirathel, and despite having gone through some leadership changes, have stood strong since our founding. Our ideal roster is around 35 members (a number we continually grow closer to, standing at about 20 right now) who enjoy playing actively and continually encourage their fellow company members both with creative RP, and with being an aid for questing.

Concerning Roleplaying

Roleplaying does definitely make up the brunt of what we do. For this reason, it is necessary that interested applicants have an interest in participating actively in RP.

Some things we do not have/require:

• We do not have an age requirement. We welcome members of all ages so long as they are willing to learn and show some signs of maturity.
• We do not require that you be a veteran roleplayer, only that you show a willingness to learn and grow if you're new at roleplaying. We encourage creative-well thought out stories and RPing over other requirements.
• We are not what some guilds like to call 18+, not so much meaning we don't accept younger members but rather that mature content is common in stories or kinship chat. Both storylines and kinship chat is to be kept clean, and repeated use of explicit language or content is grounds for being removed from the roster.
• We are not a PvMP, raid, or primarily questing kinship. While we do have combat/quest/deed events, even those are intermixed with RP when we can (though /f chat is specifically an ooc channel according to kinship guidelines).
• We do not have requirements concerning never speaking in ooc or 'breaking character'. RL happens and sometimes it’s worth chatting about. Like any good actor, you learn how to go in and out of character as things happen. This is why we are considered moderate-heavy instead of hardcore. We also welcome humorous and sometimes absurd stories because of the flavor they add.

With that info in mind, here's some guidelines on what we are and how things work concerning RP.

• Both kinship chat and /say are automatically considered in-character chat areas (kinship chat is sort of like our invisible meeting camp for casual RP). That means if you speak in these channels, its going to automatically be assumed you're speaking in character. The way we distinguish that is if we need to speak out of character, we just enclose whatever we type in double parenthesis ((pretty standard in Lotro)).
• We maintain a section on our site (under the Roleplay forum) called RP Fodder. This is basically a listing of character bios and information that the owners of such-said characters have offered as ‘ripe for RP fun’. This allows more dynamic storylines to take place at our events, and for characters to have some room to develop.
• Have fun! We have a number of serious stories (ex. Our relationship with Anubias and The Omega Syndicate, Defending the Shire, etc.) and a number of absurd stories (ex. Scorric's shrunken head collection, Amonthir's rhymes, Aminth's obsession with Legolas, elves swooning whenever they hear the Black Speech). Both are welcomed; what we encourage most is well thought-out creative story-telling that people can enjoy participating in.

Ranking System

Along with officer positions, we have a ranking system based on how long one has been in the guild. These are separate from position-based officer ranks.

• Rank 1 - Ranger Initiate / Elven Envoy : This is what you are considered during your first month in the kinship. That first month is a sort of trial period where, usually if any major problems are going to occur, that's when they'll be addressed quickly. During your one month trial, you are not eligible for officer positions but are welcome and encouraged to participate in kinship meetings, events, RP, and quests.
• Rank 2 - Ranger / Elven Ambassador (1 month) : Once you pass your trial period, you graduate to either the status of Ranger or Elven Ambassador for your homeland. You are at this point, eligible for officer positions if you so choose to apply.
• Rank 3 - Ranger Elite / Estelcyll of *Elf Realm* (3 months) : Estelcyll translates to "Hope-bearer" in Sindarin. Whether man or elf you stand as an example of faithfulness and dedication to initiates and envoys.
• Rank 4 - Ranger Veteran / Sadron Tirith of *Elf Realm* (6 months) : Thus far, this is our highest veteran honor. Sadron Tirith translates to "Faithful Guard". You are a hero amongst your people and have proven your quality serving the free peoples of Middle Earth.

Concerning Questing

The leadership of The Green Company knows that the questing in this game is fun, and it’s well worth it to have a group of people you can attack fellowship quests with. For this reason, we do try to accommodate for questing events and needs! Our Huntmaster, Scorric, is specifically responsible for that, and all members need do is (whether formally on the site or casually over chat) let him know what quests, hunts, deeds, etc. they would like to tackle with the company, and provisions will be made. Most recently we made a fantastic run through Thieftaker’s Bane, which proved just how worth it it is to have a team that you can work with.

Concerning Recruitment and Applications

The process for applying starts on our website, and is actually much simpler than it sounds. These are the steps:

1) Go to http://thegreencompany.guildportal.com and click the “Forums” link. Go to the “Apply to the Green Company” forum and read the rules thread. Copy the application from there and post it into this month’s recruitment thread.

2) Click the “Join The Green Company” link at the top of the page so I can add you onto our site-based roster and allow you access to member-only features.

3) I’ll review your application and if I have any concerns, will contact you probably via guildportal mail. If all is well, you will be added to the in-game roster as an Elven Envoy or Ranger Initiate (dwarves and hobbits are exception cases due to the RP base of the company, but exceptional cases will be considered via company vote).

That’s pretty much it! The best way to ensure your application and trial period go through fine are simple. Stay courteous, stay creative, and never stop learning… If you have those qualities, the others fall into place.

In Closing

If an active RP kinship with the setting of The Rangers of the North is what you seek, The Green Company might just be the kinship for you. For other kinships looking for allies, we are always interested in partnering with other companies to contribute to Landroval’s dynamic RP community. Feel free to call on The Rangers of the North if you see fit, and The Green Company will be there to answer!

Visit: The Green Company.

Read The Green Company Tentonhammer interview Here.