Ametrine

It began with a star... Or so the legend says.In the distant past during the Age of Endless Frost, a star descended from the heavens and crash landed before a traveling party who had just arrived in Eorzea from across the frozen seas. Seen as a blessing from on high, these broken star fragments granted their users unnatural magicks unlike any they had ever seen. Fearful of the power falling into the wrong hands, the weary travelers made a pact to keep these mystical artifacts secret from the world and divided them each amongst themselves before settling in a small village and creating a community for themselves.As Mhach began to prosper in Yafaem, so too did Nym prosper on Vylbrand and Amdapor in the Black Shroud. The secretive and reclusive community, sworn to their solemn oath, began infiltrating these new civilizations and lived amongst them for a time as the Age of Magic reached its crescendo. Consideration by the society's Council was given to share their artifacts with the new societies in this age, though such measures were voted down time and time again.The War of the Magi would prove the Council right in that vote, for the nations would war with one another and abuse their own magicks. In haste did many of the members of the secretive society retreat to their unified village once more for fear of their artifacts being discovered and further tipping the scales of war. The move would prove fortuitous indeed, as the group would be largely spared the full wrath of the 6th Umbral Calamity - the Great Flood.As civilizations rebuilt and flourished once more, the "star-born," as they began to nickname themselves, would remain steadfast as ever in their convictions to keep the star fragments from those who would potentially abuse such power. They expanded their ranks and established their own guilds across the land to better facilitate this goal and even began collecting other dangerous artifacts to keep from abusive use.And so they continued on in their sacred duty, only to be betrayed by their own just prior to Dalamud's fall. Operations ceased. Membership vanished, most believed dead. The mysterious star fragments, gone and scattered across the lands. It wouldn't be until several years after the Calamity when an archeological incident by a particular group of adventurers would uncover the hidden troves of knowledge and the rebuilding would begin with a new generation.-Ovram Mendula II
Research Paragons of Chronology

Ametrine is a cross-world RP community on the Crystal datacenter. The cross-linkshell chat is strictly IC. By design, it does not have a corresponding Free Company or server-specific linkshell. This not only prevents OOC conflicts of interest for members but also promotes IC interactions with various different groups tied to individual members.Ametrine emphasizes personal character storylines over a central dominating storyline. While there is a central theme and story to the group, it is meant to exist in the background to allow individual characters to shine through with their own personal development and background stories.Ametrine is a "secret society" theme. While their name and existence are known, much about them remains shrouded in mystery to governments and to the average person.The primary focus of the society revolves around mysterious bi-colored gems (hence the name, Ametrine) that mysteriously fell from the sky long ago around the Age of Endless Frost. These gems of various shapes and sizes are said to possess magical attributes considered dangerous in the wrong hands. The group strives to collect and safeguard these star fragments. To complicate matters, many of these shards have been incorporated into different artifacts by those who don't know the shard origins. In addition, the group seeks to reclaim its personal historical records. These relics will range from simple historical journal entries or artwork of past members. The reclaiming of these may potentially put the group in conflict and/or allegiance with other groups out there and create some possibly interesting cross-linkshell RP story arcs and individual interactions.Characters from all walks of life are recruited into the group. Scholarly characters are needed to rebuild or translate the order's lost texts, or study artifacts. Merchants are needed to build funds for the group's sustainment and expansion. Mercenaries are needed to protect the order from external threats and/or bring in another source of income. Thieves, pirates, and the more shadowy characters are needed to covertly acquire intel and/or artifacts that belong to the group. Almost any character concept can work with this group.Ametrine has a massive library of lore that is constantly being added to (including by YOU!). We are open to numerous events ranging from trials testing a member's worth, to excavations meant to add more puzzle pieces to the group's history, social events, and guild specific events. The secret society concept is meant to offer a broad net of possibilities.

Leadership:
OOC - The founder has full executive, legislative, and judicial powers at all times. Officers are appointed to assist in recruitment efforts, event coordination, and rule enforcement as necessary. OOC leaders and IC leaders may or may not overlap but one is not a prerequisite for the other.
IC - Led by a Council, one head of each guild. The council meets to vote on decisions of import to the group as a whole. May or may not overlap with OOC leadership.Rules:
OOC -
1. On Respect.
•This is the most important rule of them all. All members are expected to show respect (OOCly) to not only fellow members, but also to non-members. All members represent the shell on some level and they are expected to behave in a way that best reflects us all. We do not tolerate discrimination of any form related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any personal beliefs. Harassment of another player, member or otherwise, is also not tolerated. Also, no OOC politics discussions. We are here to RP and have fun, not get into heated arguments.2. On OOC.
•Ametrine is a heavy RP group. It focuses heavily on immersion. As such, it is expected that OOC (out of character) chat be kept to an absolute minimum over linkshell chat and during any public RP. In theory, the linkshell chat is approximately 90% IC, with OOC communication taking place in other chat venues (Discord, Party chat, etc). That said, we recognize that players can't be IC all the time. Dungeons and other game content (which we strive to do regularly IC) require some degree of OOC communication after all. In these instances, OOC will be reserved to party chat or tells and IC will remain in say and linkshell chat modes, unless noted otherwise.3. On Rating.
•The shell is rated M for mature and only accepts members who are over the age of 18. That said, we do NOT condone scenes that are overly sexual in nature (in linkshell or public chat). NSFW content should always be kept private. However, there is bound to be some sexual innuendo and/or mature themes over the linkshell chat every now and then.4. On Role-Play.
•Once again, Ametrine is a heavy RP shell. We have relatively high standards. While we welcome beginners, we still hold even them to some degree of high expectation. Typos and errors here and there are fine. Slaughtering the English language is not. Pushing the lore envelope is also fine, to an extent. We, however, will not accept players who claim their character to be royalty, an alien from outer space, a deity, and so forth. It should also be known that members get what they are given. We have no activity requirements, but less visibility could potentially lead to less RP opportunity.
•In short, abide by our general RP standards which can be reviewed separately in the RP Etiquette tab.5. On Combat.
•Combat RP is not necessarily considered common in Ametrine. We aim more toward storytelling and social RP. That said, any combat focused events will be up to the event organizer in how combat is handled. Collectively as a group, Ametrine will NOT be implementing any complex combat rules/character sheets and will revolve around freestyle and/or SIMPLE dice rolls as necessary. While we have great respect for D&D style RP, MMORPG RP is considered its own separate thing.
•No God Mode (See RP Etiquette)
•No Metagaming (see RP Etiquette)

Godmode and metagaming: Godmode refers to making your character unnaturally strong or influential to the point that all other characters in their vicinity are immediately relegated to "inferior" status. Don't do it. Metagaming refers to taking OOC knowledge and utilizing it for IC purposes without consent of the other party. Also a no no. Get permission first to validate the information could be obtained realistically by your character.Spoilers and MSQ: Out of respect for other members, please refrain from utilizing spoilers in your RP or OOC commentary. We do not consider any of our members the "Warrior of Light," therefore the MSQ is something that should be happening outside of our direct influence.Interdimensional Travel: While the game itself lends credence to this concept, our RP group does not currently recognize this as feasible. This means characters from the First (or other reflections) will not be accepted into the group. Somewhat connected to this, we also do not accept Voidsent into the group. For other 'beyond Hydaelyn content' (such as utilization of the Moon, etc), please consult with leadership first.Erotic RP: Don't ask, don't tell. Keep it strictly in private chats.The Linkpearl: The cross-world Linkpearl provided to members functions exactly like a normal linkpearl by emitting sound to those connected. The cross-world portion is not recognized by the group (as in, servers don't exist IC - Someone on Mateus and someone on Balmung are not considered on "different worlds" or anything like that).Lore Compliance: As a heavier styled RP group, we adhere very closely to the lore. There is always room for flexibility, but only to a point. Kings, deities, aliens, robots, existing in game NPCs, and similar infractions to game lore are not allowed. Adding a random tiny village in Thanalan, however, is usually fine so long as not contradicting existing lore. When in doubt, ask.

Fragments
Bi-colored gems (purple&gold) of various shapes and sizes, all from a single falling star. Some may exist as jewelry to unsuspecting wearers. Some are integrated into other artifacts. The gems give off a faint glow when in proximity to other gems. They are also extremely difficult to destroy. The hottest flames and sharpest blades are unable to scratch them. Only extreme pressure (such as falling from the atmosphere or crushed from extreme opposing forces) appear to break them apart. They appear to wield other mystical properties as well...Guilds
Ametrine, since its inception, has developed numerous guilds within its ranks to more efficiently handle different aspects of the overall group goals. It is unknown exactly how many there have historically been and the factions are known to change and evolve over time. Currently, there are 4 (technically 5) known guilds. Each guild leader is a member of the ruling Council. In the case of ties, the decisions are held via a democratic vote with the established membership via anonymous vote.Sanctum: Faith, healing, and magic. Devotees of the Twelve, or perhaps other foreign deities as well, these members have intertwined themselves with society's religious and magical world. Priests and mages are the primary core membership. Clergy, medics, members of city-state mage guilds, and freelance mages primarily make up this group.Machina: Technology, innovation, and knowledge. These members are heavily involved in matters of the scientific communities and even help maintain an active armory for the group. Crafters, machinists, and scientists are the primary core members.Civitas: Wealth, politics, and public relations. These members are at the forefront of society to maintain access to resources on behalf of all members, sometimes at the expense of a moral compass. Merchants, politicians, journalists, and performers make up the primary core members.Terra: Nature and balance. These members are devoted to the roots of nature itself and its duality of savagery and elegance both, helping the group keep closer tabs on the wider world beyond civilization. Membership consists of gatherers, beastmasters, hunters, and druids.Stella Gladius: The guard of Ametrine, consisting of the muscle of the group. Unique compared to other guilds in that the guildmaster does not have a seat on the Council. Stella Gladius serves all of the guilds in equal measure. Warriors, knights, mercenaries, and stealth forces are among its many members and they carry out the will of each guild as necessary so long as not in direct conflict with another guild.

Note: If gaining voucher from an existing veteran member in good standing, you can skip steps 1 and 2.Step 1: Have some kind of a character profile ready (Carrd, wiki, tumblr, etc) where we can get a glimpse of what your character is about. You don't need to reveal everything, but we need to see that the basic concept of your character fits the group's overall compatibility in style.Step 2: Either reach out to the following leaders in game OR join our Forums (under construction). If reaching out in game, express interest in joining and share your profile. If reaching out on the Forum, give a quick introduction in the Intro forum section with your profile attached. No formal applications and little fuss! If accepted, move on to step 3.
  Leaders: Malik Zirova, Eva Zelorius
  Forum: https://ffxiv-ametrine.net/Step 3: Have a star fragment (ametrine colored gem) of some form or another on your character, usually (but not always) without knowledge of what it is. Could be a piece of jewelry being worn, something found in the wild, etc. How you got it is up to you. Determine the means of when/where your character will meet with an officer. The rest will play out from there in your acquisition of a link pearl (cross world).