Membership in Our Community

Membership in the community is open to all who are willing to roleplay to develop their characters. At all scheduled and impromtu gatherings during which plotlines are in effect, members of our community remain in character. If OOC comments are necessary, they are enclosed in parentheses () or reserved for @tells. Out-of-character poses (YMCA, etc.) are are considered horrible form.

All who visit us are considered "guests" until formal membership is conferred. Membership has its privileges! Members are able to initiate plotlines (or take key roles in the plotlines of others). Members are able to call events and be guaranteed a turnout. Members are also often invited to private events, during which secret elements of plot are revealed.

Members of the community do not have to be Sho, do not have to subscribe to the tenets of Jojiism and do not have to pledge to Jojii's Sword, or anyone else. Many current members are pledged to others, or no one, and use our community as a way to roleplay part time. They are seen as no more or less valuable than other members.

Those who wish to be members should secure parchments of recommendation from TWO current members. (The current members must appear as the authors of the parchments.) Current members include all of those who have biographies posted in the Biographies forum or who are currently pledged to Jojii's Sword. This requirement should not be taken lightly; members may require a task be done, a quest fulfilled, or a certain amount of time be served as a "guest" before granting their endorsement.

Once the two parchments are presented, the applicant will be declared a member of our community and allowed to post their biography into the Biographies forum. (The new member's name will also be brushed by Asoka onto the Parchment of Unity in our Hall. Hope that he has not indulged in sake first, or it will be unreadable.)

Members may be expelled for serious infractions against the community (without reasons of plot) or against the "institution" of roleplaying. Expelled members will be banned from our forums and declared unwelcome at our gatherings.

Membership in Our Allegiance

Some of the members of our community pledge toJojii's Sword. These characters represent the students of Iwata and Basho Genji in the Way of the Sword. The Way of the Sword is a branch of Jojiism that practices in the Four Stones through the application of force.

To pledge, one must first be a member of our community (see above). One must then present a Tome of Supplicaton to Iwata or Basho Genji. The tome should contain the following text:

Realizing that life is fleeting and death ever-present, I wish to train to perfect myself and be of service to others. I therefore vow to obey and respect my seniors and the elder members of the clan. I vow not to reveal the teachings I will receive to others without permission. Casting aside selfish concerns, I vow to avoid violence with others and to draw my blade only in the cause of righteousness. I vow to make of my body an incense burner, burning night and day with the effort of training, giving forth the holy smoke of virtuous endeavor. I vow never to harm the weak, but rather to protect and defend all in need. Remembering always the debt one owes to teachers and parents, I vow to recompense them by enlightening myself and spreading goodness to others. Should I betray my fellows or break these vows, may the Elders of Three Stones strike me down.

Signed, [NAME]
KEPPAN (blood seal)

This tome must be presented publically. Iwata and Basho Genji may also require an additional task be completed or oath be taken.

Students of Jojii's Sword are required to practice in the teachings of Jojii and the precepts of the Four Stones. They need not be Sho. Jojii exists for all. They should be well-versed in Jojiist philosophy and in the plotlines developing in our community. They should know the histories, ranks and quirks of all of our members. They will be tapped to fill positions of leadership within plotlines and seen as teachers, in their own right, by the younger members of our community.

A student who finds that he or she is no longer willing to follow the tenets of Jojii, but who still wishes to be a member of the community, may leave the allegiance with no fear of rejection as long as a private explanation and a "by your leave" are tendered. Students may be dismissed for serious infractions against the community (without reasons of plot) or against the "institution" of roleplaying. In particularly serious cases, students may also be expelled from the community entirely.

Plot Control

Each member of the community may take control of the "plot" by introducing a storyline. There is an overall storyline, sort of, but there is always room for new developments. When everyone takes a share of the responsibility, then the plotline is guaranteed to remain fresh and enjoyable for everyone. Even Iwata and Basho Genji -- don't let themn on your secrets just because this is his site!

All should honor the control of the author over the plot.

Guests of our community should be particularly respectful. We will try to include as many people as we can in our plots, but we must also cater to our members. Guests should not expect a major role, but can certainly make a difference on the outcome if they take part in events and make a name for themselves. Most of our plots offer plenty of opportunities for participants to create their own roles. Honorary membership is not an unheard of award to one who distinguishes oneself.

Members have plenty of flexibility, and have the right to initiate a plotline when another one concludes. Once a member initiates a plotline, he or she becomes the author and is given special status (for example, the ability to moderate the in-character forum if it is desired). Members should be respectful of one another's plots and wait for one to conclude before initiating another, unless they are related or there is purpose to "planting the seeds" of one story within another.

Those who pledge to Jojii's Sword have the particular duty of trying to keep an ongoing timeline from the various plots that occur. They should try to keep older stories alive by alluding to past events. "Ah! We return to Uziz! Could this demon that we fight this evening be the very demon that captured Basho Genji years ago?" This insures that our exploits will have a serialized flair, and will give us history.

Good plotting is hard, but here are some suggestions.

Have it all planned out, but be flexible. Know where it's going to end, but also leave room for people to exercise their own creativity and maybe even change your planned course of events. If someone does something unexpected, see if you can use it before you declare it to be stepping on your toes.

Use your empty character slots to add depth to your plot. Cameos by strangers or "old friends" are always a good way to spice things up.

Keep your secrets! Don't give away plot twists to anyone, even out-of-character. You'll spoil it, especially if those twists get leaked.

Make sure your plot can fit into the general storyline of Jojii's Sword, as well as connect to the heritage of Dereth and maybe even the monthly events sponsored by Turbine.

The Forums

There are three forums connected to the Jojii's Sword web site, and they are integral to plot development.

The In-character forum is limited to in-character questions, stories and comments. Don't ask if AC will run with your nifty new graphics card, or who has a cable modem. The In-character forum is best used in several ways: to recount plot events that occur in the game; to announce upcoming events (in-character, of course); to tell stories that provide background to your character or your plot, if you are the author of the current plotline; to espouse Jojiist or other philosophy ... the list goes on and on.

We have found, however, that major plot twists are best made in the game, rather than in the forum. Plot action should really only take place in the forum if the action would be impossible to accomplish in the game. However, a creative roleplayer, with several more behind him/her, can make anything happen in AC!

Posters to the in-character forum should also be careful that they do not take control of the plot away from its author. A lot of time and effort are put into coordinating a plot in the game. It is very frustrating to have someone post a message killing off your Demon of the Undead Who Rules from the Depths of Hell. They should consult you first, right? That's why anyone who is recognized as the current author of the plotline is given "Moderator" status in the in-character forum if they request it. This allows them to delete messages that run counter to the plot.

The Out-of-character forum is used to discuss any out-of-character issues. Talk about anything, here -- even graphics cards and cable modems. The OOC forum serves the plot, as well. Confused by our often complex storylines? Post a question into the Out-of-character forum. Looking for advice on how your character should react to a recent event? OOC forum. Wondering if the message you want to post into the In-character forum may derail the plot? The author of the plot would appreciate hearing from you. The OOC forum is also very useful for coordinating the gatherings in the game that are required for plot development. Plotlines with only three or four major events may take several weeks to run, due to scheduling.

Messages in both forums should be respectful and mature. Messages in the In-character forum, in particular, should be written as if all of us, even the most elderly and respected of our community, are present. Members who abuse the community (without reasons of plot) in either forum, or who severely break the mood of the In-character forum with Out-of-character posts, may be banned from the forums or even the community.

The third forum is for Member biographies. Once a guest of the community has received two endorsements, he/she will be given the password to this forum to post a character biography. No other messages should be posted to this forum. They will be deleted.

Jojii's Sword is a dynamic community.

People come and go. Events occur. Great battles are fought, and may one day be all but forgotten. Yet, we continue our practice in the Wayl.

The greatest thing, however, is the depth that we give to this game for one another. We create landmarks for one another. We gathered there. Things happened here.

Where will you leave your mark?