Here is the article text, in case it helps:
[H="1"]Vision[/H]
Grace of the Valar was founded on October 2, 2007. Over the past two years, we have become one of the most well-established, successful, and respected end-game focused kinships in the Landroval server community.
While most of our members take their success in end-game content quite seriously; it should be understood that we, as a kinship, are not "hardcore" about any aspect of the game. Our vision has instead been to recruit mature and active players, and provide them with the best resources available, while respectfully maintaining a peaceful environment.
[H="1"]Leadership[/H]
Founders
Founding members, Maighdeann and Aruen, manage the kinship and its Website, and make all official announcements, to ensure their vision is upheld.
Officers
The Founders may promote members to Officership, to assist them in managing specific tasks or responsibilities.
[H="1"]Membership[/H]
[H="2"]Code of Conduct[/H]
In addition to the terms of agreement required to register on our Website, members must:
* Adhere to Turbine's End User License Agreement (EULA).
* Be respectful to other players, and keep personal disputes private, at all times.
* Keep conversation to a PG-13 rating in kinship chat, Ventrilo, and on this Website.
* Update their away from game status (located in your user profile), whenever applicable.
* Read kinship announcements, and keep their character profile up to date.
* Provide links to sources, when sharing information from other web sites.
* Limit the content of all posts and uploads on our Website to subjects which directly pertain to the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Middle-earth. The only exception to this rule is for RL pictures to be uploaded to the gallery.
* Submit any feedback or suggestions for leadership via the suggestion form.
Remedies to Inappropriate Behavior
A player who violates the Code of Conduct may be warned by an Officer, but some particularly serious violations or repeated violations can result in other sanctions, such as reduced privileges or dismissal from the Kinship, without warning. In addition, leadership reserves the right to delete posts or entire web site accounts as we see fit, without warning, for certain violations.
Chat (text and voice) in the Game, Ventrilo, and Website may be logged and may be reviewed at any time and for any reason, including, without limitation, to assist in making decisions regarding violations of the Code of Conduct. This includes, but is not limited to, private chat and fellowship chat.
[H="2"]Applying for Membership[/H]
Anyone interested in applying for membership should first visit our home page to see which classes we need, and confirm they meet the following requirements:
* Must be over 18 years old, and have a main character over 60th level. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis for real-life friends or family of current members.
* Must have a character name, which is fitting for Middle-earth (this also applies to alts).
* Must not have previously applied for membership, within the past 30 days.
If you indeed meet our requirements, please contact someone in our leadership team in-game with any questions you might have about our Kinship or it's Charter, before you register on our web site (using your character's first name) and post an application. Do not register, unless you intend to post one that day.
Recruitment Period
All new members begin as recruits for a period of no less than 30 days, during which time they're encouraged to make every effort to interact with other recruits and full members.
After their 30th day, they'll be prompted (on the web site's home page) to post a second application for "full" membership. Once posted, a poll will automatically be created for members to vote on their promotion. If a member fails to submit this application, they may be dismissed from the Kinship on the assumption they don't wish to become a full member.
[H="1"]Kinship Events[/H]
[H="2"]Official Raids[/H]
The leadership team reserves the right to organize and schedule all raid events (instances which require 12+ participants). Members must request prior consent to schedule unofficial raids.
Raid Schedules (alternate weekly)
[table=head]Day|Schedule 1 (EST, CST, MST, & PST)|Schedule 2 (EST, CST, MST, & PST)
Thursday|Dar Narbugud: Rung & Blagh{br}9-10pm, 8-9pm, 7-8pm, 6-7pm|N/A
Friday|Dar Narbugud: Zholuga, Flagit, & Istum{br}9pm-12am, 8-11pm, 7-10pm, 6-9pm|Vile Maw: Watcher{br}9pm-12am, 8-11pm, 7-10pm, 6-9pm
Saturday|Dar Narbugud: Zholuga, Flagit, & Istum{br}3-6pm, 2-5pm, 1-4pm, 12-3pm{br}{br}Dar Narbugud: Blind One & Mistress{br}9pm-12am, 8-11pm, 7-10pm, 6-9pm|Dar Narbugud: Rung & Blagh, Zholuga, Flagit, & Istum{br}3-7pm, 2-6pm, 1-5pm, 12-4pm{br}{br}Dar Narbugud: Zholuga, Flagit, & Istum{br}9pm-12am, 8-11pm, 7-10pm, 6-9pm
Sunday|N/A|Dar Narbugud: Blind One & Mistress{br}4-7pm, 3-6pm, 2-5pm, 1-4pm[/table]
Raid Attendance Selection
Unless stated otherwise (in the event details), the following points are taken into consideration, when posting groups:
* Raid Composition & Class Balance
* Individual Player Needs & Preferences
* Attendance History & Member Reliability
* RSVP Time (only if all of the other points are considered to be equal)
Ventrilo
Ventrilo is required for most official events. Members are encouraged to download the client, at their earliest opportunity. Please use your character's first name only.
Loot Distribution
We use EPGP to track raid attendance and loot history, and establish priority between members, during raids.
The following rules apply to all officially scheduled raids:
* The raid leader must link EPGP eligiable (incomparable or better) items to the raid chat channel.
* If no PuG (non-Kiship members) members are present, eligiable items will be distributed via EPGP. If PuG members are present, everyone in the raid must roll 100. If a PuG member wins the roll, and it is an upgrade for that character, they may receive it; otherwise, it is distributed via EPGP, as usual.
* Members must meet any specific class or level requirements of the item to be eligiable to receive it for GP.
* If the participant with the priority passes on an item, it may go to the person with the next highest priority.
* If two or more participants with the same priority wish to receive the item, the one with the highest EP will receive priority. If they're also tied for EP, they must roll 100, and priority will be given to the member with the highest roll.
* If none of the participants wish to aquire GP for an EPGP eligiable item which is Bind on Acquire (BoA), it will be distributed via NBG; however, if the item is Bind on Equip, it must given or mailed to Maighdeann, immediately following the raid, so it may be posted to the Kinship Treasury.
* The raid leader is responsible for making sure that EPGP information is tracked accurately and posted to the event thread no more than one hour after the event. If a member believes there is a discrepancy, they must report it prior to the following Wednesday, when decay is applied to the entire database.
* The raid leader may decide how to distribute any non-EPGP eligiable items.
[H="2"]Member Sponsored Events[/H]
Members are welcome to schedule non-raid events, which conform to the following guidelines:
* Must not be posted less than 18 hours before it's scheduled to begin.
* Must not conflict with an official raid (see schedule above), unless the sponsor has received prior permission.
* Must only include the name of the instance or quest (i.e. 16th Hall, Epic 2.7.4) in the title. Additional information should be in the event details.
* Must include the start and end times, and any requirements which will be taken into consideration.
* The event sponsor must post a list of attendees or a cancellation notice, no less than one hour prior to the scheduled start time.
[H="2"]RSVPing for Events[/H]
Members and recruits are welcome to RSVP for events in accordance with the following rules:
* Only RSVP "yes" if you meet all of the attendance requirements (listed in the event description), and are able to participate for the entire duration. If you're unsure, please RSVP as "maybe", and state why in your comment.
* Only one RSVP per player is allowed per calendar event. Please sign up with the single character you prefer to bring. Please list any other characters (alts) you're willing to bring who also meet the event requirements in your RSVP comment using the following format: Alt1 (Class), Alt2 (Class)
* Update their RSVP and comment when applicable (posting in the event thread is not a substitute). Please note: Changing RSVP comments also changes the RSVP time.
* Be logged in and ready to start, by the scheduled time.