ABOUT THE GRAY CORPS

Background    About Melniboné    Tanelorn   History of the Gray Corps   Rules of Conduct    Membership

Background

The Gray Corps is a roleplaying guild based loosely upon the Chronicles of Melinboné (the Elric Saga) by the renowned author Michael Moorcock.  Located on the Lake Superior Ultima Online Shard, the goal of the Gray Corps is to maintain the scales of the Cosmic Balance in Britannia, what Melnibonéans consider to be a "Young Kingdom".  

The background of the Gray Corps and timeline is as follows:  During Emperor Elric VIII's legendary exploration journeys to the Young Kingdoms, he appointed Prince Yyrkoon, his cousin, to sit upon the Ruby Throne at Imrryr to rule as regent during his absence.  In his ambition, and to demonstrate his power to the Melnibonéan nobility, Prince Yrkoon commands the conquest of several of the "Young Kingdoms", including Britannia, as well as Elric's assassination.  Still faithful to his emperor and friend, Dyvim Tvar, Lord of the Dragon Caves, sends his eldest son, Slorm, to find, warn and inform Elric, who is resting currently with his companions Moonglum and Rackhir in the city of Tanelorn.

In terms of other background information, it is useful to understand the underlying conflicts of the Elric Saga:  Elric's world (including the island nation of Melniboné) is one of many worlds and dimensions of existence (of which Brittania is another, for example).  Each and all of these worlds intersect through magical means (similarly to Britannia, the Lost Lands and Ilshenar) and are the battleground for three "powers":  The Gods of Law, the Gods of Chaos and the Cosmic Balance.  Each of these forces influence and control the various worlds to differing degrees, with one power having more influence in some worlds relative to others.  Each of these powers uses "mortals" to perform tasks and achieve their goals in a given world. For example, the Melnibonéan nobility aligned themselves with the Lords of Chaos in order to gain worldly dominance in exchange for their souls.  Although Elric's patron was Lord Arioch of Chaos, he often found an ally in Lord Donblas of Law, the Justice Maker, and ultimately helped maintain the forces of the Cosmic Balance.

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About Melniboné

An island nation, Melniboné is also called the Dragon Isle.  The capital and only remaining major city, Imrryr the Beautiful (also called the Dreaming City), is located along the eastern shores of the isle.  Once a great and world-dominant power under the patronage of the Lords of Chaos (primarily Duke Arioch, the chaos-god oft-called the Knight of Swords), Melniboné now is a mere shadow of its former glory.  Decadence and self-indulgence over many centuries left the Melnibonéan nobility without the ambition for conquest that marked the once dominant nation.  Nonetheless, Melniboné is still a power feared across the Young Kindoms of mankind, and men speak of Melniboné's Dragon Riders, magical-prowess and golden Battle Barges in hushed whispers, for fear that the Imrryrians will one day return.

Melnibonéans, as a whole, are a haughty lot, have a cruel sense of humor and claim intellectual superiority over the other races based upon their accomplishments over centuries past.  Indeed, their race was old when the world was young.  As such, and in a rather patronizing fashion, the Melnibonéans dubbed the world beyond the shores of the Dragon Isle, the "Young Kingdoms".  The Melnibonéans believe first and foremost in power, and that the powerful should rule the weak.  As such, the Sorcerer Emperors, along with the Melnibonéan nobility, have ruled the Dragon Isle for countless centuries, with Elric VIII, the Albino Emperor, the current reigning monarch.  However, Lord Elric's extensive studies in philosophy and the Young Kingdoms have led him to question the superiority of Melniboné, resulting in his leaving the Dragon Isle to explore new lands and cultures with the fabled black runesword Stormbringer at his side.  For the duration of the journeys, Elric appointed his ambitious cousin, Prince Yyrkoon, to act as regent and sit upon the Ruby Throne.

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Tanelorn

Tanelorn is the fabled city of peace and neutrality, siding neither with Law nor Chaos, good or evil.  Existing on all planes of existence in different guises, Tanelorn in many ways represents the Cosmic Balance and serves as a haven for wanderers, travelers and seekers of myriad backgrounds.  As such, Tanelorn also exists in Britannia and is home to those seeking to start new lives in the name of the Cosmic Balance, as well as those seeking peace of mind and heart.  The Gray Corps guild resides in Tanelorn, and are the appointed protectors of the fabled city.

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History of the Gray Corps

Founded by Lord Raven of Nevermore, the Gray Corps was founded as a mercenary band hired by Britannian nobility to protect travel and trade routes in the aftermath of Lord British's departure from Britannia.  With foundation in honour, the Gray Corps welcomed all into its ranks without questions asked about their lives prior to joining, so long as its members served and obeyed the Corps' Rules of Conduct.

With the emergence of the Champions of Evil, as well as many divided factions of Law and Chaos, good and evil, running rampant in Britannia, the Gray Corps found that it could no longer serve as simple merchant guardians, and sought to regain purpose and focus in Tanelorn.

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Rules of Conduct

Members of the Gray Corps are expected to abide by the following Rules of Conduct:

1.  The Gray Corps is a roleplaying guild and, as such, members are expected to act accordingly.  Given the history of the Gray Corps and predisposition of Tanelorn, the guild is considered a "neutral" roleplaying guild, siding as needed with good or evil, Law or Chaos, to preserve the Cosmic Balance.

2. The Gray Corps will also a PvP-oriented guild, even though most members are still very new to PvP.  Members are asked to always be prepared to defend themselves and the honour of the Gray Corps, regardless of the current "colour" of the member.

3.  Members are expected to treat guildmates with respect and abide by the orders of their superiors.  The Gray Corps is a township and military guild and, as such, failure to abide by the chain of command is considered treason and punishable by expulsion and torture by Doctor Jest, Lord Elric's Chief Interrogator.

4. Members will be furnished with standard supplies and provisions in accordance with their rank and contributions to the Corps and Tanelorn.  Members of the Corps and citizens of Tanelorn are expected to contribute supplies and effort as necessary during times of need.

5.  The Gray Corps is not only a guild, but its members are denizens of Tanelorn.  As such, members are asked to help protect the city and maintain the Cosmic Balance. 

6. We all understand that Ultima Online is a game and, as such, should be treated that way.  We all have other responsibilities outside of UO and the Corps, but we do ask that our members be active.  Unless an extended leave of absence is granted by the Council, and at the Council's discretion, members who have been inactive for one month shall be remanded to citizen standing or removed from the guildstone completely.  

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Membership in the Gray Corps

Requirements and other information for joining the Gray Corps are as follows:

1.  Membership within the Gray Corps is attained through a sponsorship system.   A current member in good standing of the Corps must sponsor each and every new member for entry into the Corps.  Any such member may only have two initiates sponsored at any given time.  Those seeking membership but have no sponsor will be assigned one by the Corps/Tanelorn City Council.

2. Members are requested to roleplay their characters when possible, and create background and storylines for their characters.  You are free to use known names from the books by Michael Moorcock, including names of heroes, with the exception of the following:  Elric, any name of a "god" or elemental, and any heroes of committed to "Law" or "Chaos" are considered names that are "off-limits" given the roleplaying context.

3. New initiates will be subject to a probationary period of  two weeks to determine their suitability.  During this time, the Gray Corps will consider the initiate's level of activity, roleplaying ability, PvP ability and ability to work in a team.  All new initiates, regardless of skill level, will receive first tier titles for the duration of the probationary period.  At his or her discretion, the commander of the Regiment to which the initiate seeks entry may test the caliber as a prerequisite to membership.

4.  With the exception of artisans (crafters) and citizens (residents of Tanelorn), members are permitted to enroll no more than two characters within the Gray Corps after successful completion of the probationary period.  Only one character may hold position with the Council or serve as Regiment leader at a given time.

5. New initiates will be assigned a mentor by the Gray Corps Council for the duration of the probationary period.  Unless otherwise deemed appropriate by the Council, the mentor shall be the initiate's sponsor.  The mentor's role will be to tutor the initiate in the ways of the Corps, assist with any training (PvP, skills, roleplaying) and to answer any questions the initiate has about the Gray Corps.  The mentor's assessment of the initiate at the end of the probationary period will have substantial weight upon whether the initiate will gain full enlistment within the Corps.  The Council has final word upon whether to bestow the benefits and privileges of membership.

6. During the probationary period, initiates must create a character profile that outlines the character's background and history.  Initiates must also register an account with the Gray Corps Forums if they do not already have an active ezboard.com account, and post an introduction about themselves on the boards. 

7. For additional information regarding the Gray Corps' regiments, skill requirements and ranking system, please refer to the Corps Roster page.

8. If you are interested in joining the Gray Corps, please contact us on our message boards.

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Copyright (c) 2002 The Gray Corps.  Ultima Online, OSI and associated graphics are registered copyrights of Origin Systems, Inc. and Electronic Arts.  Melniboné, Imrryr, Elric, Yykroon and other related content are the intellectual property of Michael Moorcock.  All artwork, including Elric of Melniboné cover art by Robert Gould, are intellectual property owned by their respective artists.