Thank you, Elle! I absolutely can say the same about House Arachne!

Relics has gained several great new members, but there's still room for more!

Relics has gained some wonderful new members, and welcoming more! Feel free to contact us in game (@adirastc, @leofalcon, @iwantmoresleep) or on the website.

We've figured out a way to create another chat channel for our members to use, which allows us to use our normal OOC channel, as well as an IC channel for roleplay while we're out and about (leveling, crafting, harvesting, etc.).

The setting is a tower we 'occupy' in northern Auridon, and while claiming in game territory is something we're typically averse to, as we don't have guild or player housing, it gives us a place and reference for RP and stories.

The details can be found on our site: http://relics.shivtr.com/pages/chat

As always, we're looking for grown-ups interested in RP'ing with a group of other grown-ups that understand that RL comes first, that there's a whole lot of game to enjoy (we're not going to RP 24/7, though it is the common bond we all share), and petty nonsense is unwelcome.

Bumpity Bump.

After some inactivity during the holidays, Relics is back with a vengeance! We're looking for grown-up RP'ers who have real lives and want to enjoy their limited time in ESO with a group of like-minded gamers.

From our FAQs on our site:

Who are you guys?

We're a dark roleplay guild within the Aldmeri Dominion in The Elder Scrolls Online (on the North American PC megaserver). In real life, we're working adults with a penchant for online roleplay and storytelling, with heavy doses of PvE and PvP thrown in for good measure. In game, we're a secretive organization committed to gathering intelligence for the Aldmeri Dominion, under the cover of (and funded by) a shop of curiosities in the Summerset Isles called Relics.

What is roleplay, and do I have to if I want to join?

Roleplay (RP) is the gameplay method of behaving as if your character in the game is a living, breathing member of the world, motivated by whatever you deem interesting. While, yes, we expect our members to hold roleplaying as a priority, we do not expect all our members to be seasoned or experienced roleplayers, and we welcome the opportunity to assist and guide those new to it. Our goal is to create an immersive atmosphere within the complex and intricate lore of the Elder Scrolls.

I've heard that mixing IC and OOC is bad juju. Can you elaborate?

Certainly. IC stands for "in character", OOC stands for "out of character". Getting the two mixed up can lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings, especially in RP conflict. It is important to always understand the difference between IC interactions and OOC interactions, especially in a guild like ours, where our characters might not always be the best kinds of people.

What we recommend to help ensure that such confusion does not take place is to communicate with other involved players. It doesn't hurt to remind someone that what your character is doing or saying is IC, and only IC. It also helps to continuously remind yourself of that. It might not be possible to completely dissociate ourselves from the fates of the characters we come to love so much, but we can try.

Speaking of drama...

We're good with IC drama and stories with it, but when it comes to us (the players) we have no tolerance at all. We expect our members to treat each other with patience and respect, and differences of opinion should be treated as just that, and not reasons to insult or defame one another. While our characters might be prone to treat each other poorly once in a while, our players should not.

IC drama = fun and interesting roleplay and storytelling. OOC drama = bad.

You mentioned "dark roleplay guild". You're evil, then? (IC, of course - you all seem pretty cool OOC)

In a sense, yes. While our organization believes that the Aldmeri Dominion is the best equipped to rule Tamriel, a "noble" or "honorable" war is one doomed to fail. Characters that will fit in our theme are those who are willing to look the other way, those anxious to get their hands dirty for the greater good, and those who want to get paid.

Our brand of evil lies more in subtlety than in wearing black armor or sociopathic behavior. Announcing we're evil to the world would be counterproductive, and we expect our members would understand that.

How about vampires and werewolves? Can they join?

Yes, but just as our style of evil is grounded in subtlety, we expect that such culturally derided curses like vampirism and lycanthropy would not be flaunted.

So, since you're roleplaying bad guys, are you cool with topics like torture and ***? (IC, naturally)

Some topics tread a fine line between poor taste and freedom of expression. We acknowledge the inconsistencies of cultural and social taboos; in many places in the U.S. physical violence (even murder) seems more acceptable than something as awesome as sex, but those taboos exist nonetheless.

If your particular roleplay is going to take the rest of us down a potentially uncomfortable path (*** tends to be the most common trigger we're aware of), we ask that our members exercise good judgment and consider keeping those things private, especially if discomfort is voiced. It is not our goal to stifle creativity; it is our goal to encourage inclusivity.

We also welcome any specific questions on this topic.

Is there an age requirement to join?

Yup. The game itself has an "M" rating (at least in the U.S.), and as we're a guild designed for grown-ups, we're looking for folks who are at least 18 years old. We know, we know, age is not a true measure of maturity, but it's a pretty good indicator, and we'd rather folks feel comfortable with the occasional curse word or sexual innuendo than not.

Does my character have to be a part of the Aldmeri Dominion to join?

Given that we are unable to adventure or RP face to face with those in other factions, it only makes sense that we limit membership to characters that are in the Aldmeri Dominion. This doesn't mean the character you join us with has to be your main, but we should at least be able to interact through more than guild chat in game.

Does my character have to be Altmer, Bosmer, or Khajiit to join?

No. While we would expect a non-native of the Aldmeri Dominion to have a good reason for being here (and supportive of its cause), if a character can prove useful to the guild's mission, they will be utilized. Plus, the RP potential for that kind of thing is pretty cool.

How do you all feel about spies in your own ranks?

Sounds awesome. Just remember that we're not fans of metagaming or godmoding, and IC actions will lead to IC consequences. Plus, we'd like to talk OOC about it first, as we'd have some requests about not revealing all our IC secrets to the world and whatnot.

Metagaming?

Metagaming is roleplaying with knowledge that you, the player, have, but that your character does not or should not. For instance, players should know that the real mission of Relics is intelligence gathering, but many characters outside the guild likely would not.

Godmoding?

This is roleplaying outcomes for characters other than your own. If I decide my character has a disfiguring scar on his/her face, and another player wants their character to heal it, they are welcome to roleplay the attempt, but the result (as it affects my character) should be up to me.

I think I'd enjoy my time in ESO with you all. How do I join?

Thanks - that means a lot. We think you're pretty awesome, yourself. Check out the "Apply" tab in the upper right of the screen, and fill out an application for the leadership to review. We'll be in touch. Bear in mind, though, that real life comes first for us (even the leadership), and it might be a few days, especially around holidays.

Another excerpt from Leorin's journal reads:

What was to be a retirement celebration has taken us down a dark and treacherous path. Not that we are unaccustomed to such, but it was unexpected.

Our honoree was dramatically (and publicly) attacked by an Argonian would-be-assassin, and as we learned later, a second who employed a much more subtle technique. The first had ties to an organization that operates out of Shadowfen, a "Banescale Fellowship", and the second, something of an opportunist, affiliated with a local organization known as the Aetherial Consortium.

The first was interrogated until useless, and having an Argonian body to experiment on has proved illuminating. While remarkably resistant to poison and disease, they are as susceptible to necromancy as all formerly living things, with some slight differences. The second would-be-assassin, however, was left alive, and we have seen to it that he is watched closely. Should he confirm our suspicions and make another attempt on the Battlereeve's life (as we would with any failed assassination), he will condemn himself, and we will act without concern for harming any political relations.

What we learned from the first, named Rueept-Xin, was that he was a Shadowscale, and he was sent to Auridon for the express purpose of killing the Battlereeve. Given the Shadowscales' reputation, Rueept's amateurish and emotional display belied the training he no doubt received, though that seems to have been intended. A quiet murder would not have caused the stir that such a public spectacle did, nor would it have garnered the sympathy for the Argonians in Shadowfen that it seems to have.

I nearly vomited amid all the gasps and wails about "the children"... but I played the role of shopkeep, and nodded in agreement with the naïve fools that would lose this war for us if the difficult choices were left to them. Pity for the enemy will lead to us staying our hand, and we can not afford that.

Rueept-Xin was also just the first, and we can expect future attempts on the lives of citizens of the Aldmeri Dominion, especially those linked to our military operations in Black Marsh. We need to halt this potential tide of Shadowscales, and we have put several initiatives into action to that end.

We assembled a diplomatic envoy to speak with this "Banescale Fellowship", hoping to placate this group enough so they might use their influence to quell the unrest within Shadowfen. The role of Relics was limited to that of benefactor of the true diplomats, as a collection of concerned citizens. I remained the shopkeep: bumbling, obtuse, and imperceptive. While personally infuriating to present myself in such a way, it serves to mitigate suspicion against us for what we were truly doing there.

I had worked for weeks to enhance a particularly virulent parasite, with the intent of introducing it to the wildlife of Shadowfen. While the denizens of Black Marsh might be resistant to disease, they could fall victim to other creatures, and my hope is that this foreign element wreaks havoc on the trodh, thereby damaging critical food chains, and weakening the Argonians. While the parasite does not naturally kill its host, my enhancements have made it a remarkably effective killer, though I am not certain what effect it will have in its new environment.

We also placed corrupted welkynd stones around the Argonian hatching pools, meant to soften the shells of their eggs, preventing their maturation and healthy development. When our efforts are uncovered, we have taken steps to implicate the Telvanni, mitigating our own culpability, while fanning the flames of strife that must exist between slave and slaver. Regardless of their new "Pact", the fragile alliance that exists between the Argonians and their former masters can, and should, be damaged by whatever means we can.

We returned safely to Auridon, and while we were not confronted, it became increasingly apparent we were being watched and followed. Whether or not our actions were witnessed remains to be seen.