The Beastmaw Clan

Overview:
Name: The Beastmaw Warband, more commonly known as the Beastmaw Clan

Theme: A war band of hunters and trackers loyal to the Horde and its leaders

Requirements: Level 20; Good grasp on the Warcraft lore; No Forsaken and Death Knights (We are strict about allowing Blood Elves in)

Current Recruitment Status: Closed.

Server Lore
With the crumble of The Earthfury Clan, many of its surviving members scattered following the attack on their village in Stonetalon. A part of the clan followed its former chieftain Torakk Bloodrain to Orgrimmar where they formed a new organisation. Now under the direct command of Warchief Thrall, these few hunters named their new pack the Beastmaw, a band open to all who would follow and respect the ways of the hunt. The Stronghoof Tribe, a group of honourable tauren led by Kogar and old allies of the Earthfury, were among the first to sign under the newly-raised banner and contribute to its prosperity with their tauren might and wisdom.

Code of the Beastmaw:
"Duality is futile. There is no right and wrong, good and evil. There is only instinct.

Discipline and obedience bring honour, dishonour means disgrace.

''Cowardice is a sign of weakness. We only know strength.''

We know no pain, for it too can be tamed.

We know no fear, for we are predators.

We do not kill - we hunt.

We do not enslave - we tame.

''Might. Courage. Discipline."''

Beliefs
'''"If it goes against us, bite it. If it bites us, growl at it. If it growls at us, worship it." - Lyndil Firefiend, Beastmaw Champion of the Raven'''

Loyalty:
The Beastmaw clan is a part of Thrall's Horde. We follow his rule unquestioningly, we obey his commands without a doubt. We are his eyes and when needed we are his arrows too. We are part of the Horde like the beasts are part of the wilds therefore we will obey our leaders like our beasts obey us. We were formed under the Horde banner and we will die under it.

Duties:
Scouting. Infiltration. Exploration. These are the orders the Beastmaw carries our during war time. War skirmishes and raids are not unknown to us and our skills lie in well-planned tactical movement and coordination, no matter whether we wage a battle on an open field or we ambush a patrol in a tight canyon. We are swift and fierce in our attacks, for we intend to give the enemy no quarter when we raid their camps. Our ways are cunning and sometimes subtle, but we are no lowly backstabbers - even if we should rely on assassination, we do it with utmost honour and respect to the enemy. We are also the eyes of the Horde: when not needed on the front lines, we scout. As skilled trackers, surveying important areas and key locations for the sake of tactical advantage is our usual task. We also explore unseen locations, hidden passages detected only by the sharpest eye.

When free of military duty to the Warchief, our members are allowed to become freelancers, lending their skills as trackers, bounty hunters, and mercenaries to earn their coin or glory, or just setting out to explore the land and seek worthy places to hunt in. Even then, however, they must answer the call of the Beastmaw should they be needed.

War:
'''"These elves taunt us, goad us, they seek a fight! They will not get past my axe! Lok'narash! Slaughter them all!" - Rocmar Swiftwolf, Champion of the Wolf'''

Our members are required to know the art of war, for we accept no weaklings. Duties to the Horde and its leaders must be fulfilled no matter the cost, therefore we undergo severe trials and preparations to strengthen our abilities. Trials of war include:

-The Trial of Blood - An annual fighting tournament which takes place in different places around the world. Inspired from the Stonemaul ogres' trial of blood, in which the warlord is challenged by another clansman for his leadership, the event was firstly organised by the Earthfury clan as a show of strength among the mightiest warriors. The Beastmaw adopted this event and will continue to hold it open for all races of the Horde.

-The Trial of Strength - Serves as a competition between clansmen. The trial is a gauntlet, often made in tight places with one or no way out against many enemies. The only rule of the gauntlet is to survive and overcome all the challenges. Death is quite possible during the Trial of Strength, and the fallen ones are always remembered as worthy fighters who died in battle, with respect to their skills, and never as weaklings.



- Patrols on both friendly and hostile territory

-Skirmishes under the banner of the Horde - A fine example is the Beastmaw's presence in Northrend during the war against the Scourge. Having settled in the Warsong Offensive's stronghold in Borean, the Beastmaw waged many battles and led many operations to strike at the Lich King's forces, always leaving victorious in the end.

Shamanism:
'''"Through the spirits; courage. Through the elements; power. Trought the beasts; reason." - Tannaka Bloodrain, Farseer of the Beastmaw Clan'''

Warchief Thrall brought back the ancestral shamanistic culture to the orcs, the Tauren shared their knowledge on the ancient ways, and even the Darkspear trolls adopted these teachings. The Beastmaw clan too is bound to accept shamans in its ranks. As hunters we most of all revere the Spirit of the Wilds: unlike the other spirits which stand for the different elemental powers, the Spirit of the Wilds is the spirit of all living things: orcs, humans, beasts... By honouring it we make sure it guides us on our hunts, providing us prey the meat of which would feed us and the skin of which we would make into warm clothes. Events led by our shamans include:

-Rituals in which we invoke the elements for their blessing, guidance, protection, or merely asking the Spirits for their wisdom.

-The Feast of the Spirits - Adopted from the Earthfury Clan's original traditions, the Feast is organised once in the year, at the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring, and takes place on the highest tier of Thunder Bluff's central rise. Its purpose is to celebrate the end of the cold winter time and the beginning of Spring as well as to beseech the Spirits for their blessing over the next year. The celebration begins with a rich feast consisting of various foods and drinks from all over the world while everyone sings songs of honour and tells stories of past glory around the bonfire. It is followed by a blessing conducted by the clan's Farseer, a boon of the spirits upon all guests who have come to honour the feast. Once the blessing is done, the strongest clansmen and guests go to the Hunter Rise and challenge one another in a duel. The celebration ends with a kodo hunt in the plains of Mulgore.



The Hunt:
"At times we hunt for food. At times we hunt for honour. And at times we hunt to earn the Earthmother's teachings. " - Melor Stonehoof, hunter of Thunder Bluff

The Hunt for the Beastmaw clansman means more than killing a beast for its skin and meat. The way one tracks it down, stalks it whilst waiting for an opportunity to strike, closing in on it as it attempts to flee... We are predators and we kill as such. We do not hunt more than we need to, and we do not hunt less than we'd like to. As we hunt we must remember that all things in the wilderness exist in balance, and to preserve the balance we would only take as much as we need. With each slain animal we honour its spirit and thank it for the worthy hunt it had offered, thank the Spirit of the Wilds for the chance we were given, and make sure nothing of our victim is left unused. Its meat would later on provide strength to our warriors, its bones would be crafted into relics and weapons, and its skin would serve as clothes to keep us warm in the cold.

'''"To hunt a beast, one must know that beast. One must learn and respect its ways. To do otherwise is not to hunt. To do otherwise is merely to kill." - Melor Stonehoof'''

As hunters we must be close to the wilderness and get to know it, and later on understand it. The wisest hunters are not those with the strength enough to tackle a bear or those whose arrows pierce vipers from a hundred yards. They are those hunters who have wandered the land enough to read it as though it were an open scroll, see the beasts as equals and understand their ways.

'''"Only beasts are above deceit." - Rexxar'''

After one has learnt to understand a beast and to gain its respect, one would sometimes take it as a companion. Or the beast would choose to become such. Animal companions are not a rere sight among us, they are quite well-respected within the clan. A person wishing to become a Beastmaw would be more likely to swiftly gain our trust if he or she approached us with a beast at their side, we would then know that the new blood understands the Wilds and the spirit of the beasts has found them worthy.

Trials of the Wilds include:

- Hunting events - We would often stalk prey in different places whenever we are in need of food or whenever we would seek a challenge. Once it is done and the slain beasts have been honoured, we would set up a camp in the wilds and share stories under the stars as we regain our strength.

'''"It is said that hunters who defeat their victim honourably become one with it, acquiring some of its abilities and reaching a deeper understanding of the world of nature surrounding them." - Melor Stonehoof'''

-The Trial of the Hunt - A trial held for our clansmen to prove their worth. They are asked to hunt down a mighty beast of their own choosing, make a mask out of its skin, and seek out the clan's shaman for approval. The shaman then, often the wisest among them, would contact the spirit of the slain animal and beseech it for its blessing upon the hunter. If the kill had been clean, done honourably and with respect, and the hunter is blessed, they would pass the trial and be elevated to a higher rank. He or she would then wear the mask they had made as a sign of their status and the animal's spirit would forever lend its strength to the bearer. If the kill turns out to be a dishonourable one, the hunter is banished into exile for weeks, forced to seek solitude and brood over their foolish mistake untill they remember the meaning of respect and humility.

Clan colours and symbols:
Dark yellow. The clan's symbol is a fanged beast maw. Wearing the Beastmaw colours is mandatory and it means that you represent the clan, you are marked as a member and you will gain all other clansmen's support should you need any. Disgracing the clan's name while wearing its symbol upon your chest will lead to a severe punishment.

Locations:
"If you wish to walk the hunter's path, then your journey leads to the Barrens. Its beasts are strong-willed and fierce. You will learn much by hunting there, and your spirit will grow. " - Melor Stonehoof

The Beastmaw clan is where it is ordered to be by the Horde. If free of military duty, we spend our days in Kalimdor. The clan's most used headquarters is the Hunters' Hall in Orgrimmar's Valley of Honor and it is there that the leaders of the clan are most likely to be found. The tauren of Thunder Bluff's Hunter Rise have also agreed to share their tent with us. In the Barrens, being the clan's favourite hunting area of choice, we go to Camp Taurajo to replenish our supplies and rest. It is also there that the Stronghoof Tribe members usually reside.

Ranks:
Upon joining the clan, everyone is marked as a New Blood until they prove worthy of a promotion. During their period as New Bloods, the recruits are to show activity and impress the officers with their ability to find their place in our small society. In order to get elevated to a rank, the New Blood must take the Trial of the Hunt, after which they will be promoted depending on their skills. During their trial period, the words of New Blood members carry no weight and they have no rights to get involved in major matters regarding the ways of the clan.

There are three paths open for a New Blood who has passed the trial: Warrior, Hunter, and Mystic. Warrior-members are marked as Reaver and they are those who can carry the heaviest weapons and armour. Their place is to act as front-line soldiers and defenders of the clan. Shamans, Druids, and other spellcasters who can use their magic for our benefits are marked as Mystics. They are either sought for their wisdom, or hated for the dark powers that they command. In any case, they have found their place in the Beastmaw and are viewed as respected members of the clan. Hunters are those who give the name and the reputation of the Beastmaw: they are our scouts, archers, beastmasters, rangers, etc. Each hunter is marked as Tracker and, together with our warriors and mystics, has the right to speak openly on our gatherings; for the wisdom of a soldier is sometimes greater than that of any leader.

Those who are not fit for any of these ranks would serve to us as Peons - these useless lowlifes are our workers, they construct our camps and obey those standing higher than them. Due to the nature of this honourless rank, no Trial of the Hunt is required in order to gain it. It also serves as a punishment rank - an example to those of our members who would disgrace our reputation.

One step above the hunters and the warriors stand our military officers - Sergeant, Stone Guard, and Champion.

Each Sergeant has authority over the Trackers and the Reavers. Their duty is to maintain the order within the clan, no matter whether we are in our Hall, camping in the wilds, or in the middle of a battlefield. Their command is limited to five hunters and warriors at a time. The duty of our Stone Guards is similar, but being in a position higher than the Sergeants, they are authorized to organize major events of their own. Their command over lower ranks is limited to twenty at a time.

Champion is a prestige rank - only the strongest few are elevated to such status and are given a specific, unique duty. As a tradition of our warband, they are also given the right to carry the totem of a specific beast as well as its blessing. Their command over lower ranks is not limited and they have the permission to speak for the whole Clan with people outside of it.

The highest in the Beastmaw stand the Council and the General.

The Council is a small group of sub-leaders of the clan which oversee its progress and keep all members in check. The decisions regarding the future of the Beastmaw are theirs as well as most of the major events that we organise.

The Chieftain of the Beastmaw, currently carrying the Horde military rank of General, is the head of the clan, his approval is mandatory in the decisions taken by the Council and his word is final. (( Though there are no Orc Chieftains in the Horde any more lore-wise, the term simply refers to a leader of a band ))

Joining:
To join us one must simply contact an officer of the clan, it doesn't matter whether it's done IC or OOC (if you don't know names, ask around, the other members will point you to the right person). An in-character meeting would then be arranged and the recruit will undergo a brief interview in which their roleplaying skills will be tested. The recruit would most likely be asked to introdice him/herself and share his or her background as well as the reason for joining the clan.

Requirements:
The entry level is 20. We are always open for new recruits and all that we request from them is a good grasp on the Warcraft Lore, attendance to our events and storylines, and non-hostile attitude towards the other members of the guild and the server's Roleplaying community. We would also like to recruit people fitting in with the theme of the guild, namely that we are a Horde-loyal organisation based on traditions in hunting and beast-mastery.

Orcs, Tauren and Trolls are the core of the Beastmaw Clan as they share our tribal nature and fit well in a hunter's organisation such as ours. We are also prone to accept Blood Elf hunters if we find them suitable and they provide a good reason for joining us. Forsaken, however, will not be recruited as they share none of our ways and beliefs, our relation with them is purely alliance-based.

People RPing sorcerer classes such as Mage and Warlock are accepted, as long as they too give us a good reason for seeking to join a hunter clan. We can make a good use of them in our more military-oriented events, but Warlocks are strictly forbidden from practicing demonology in RP. We also take Death Knights once in a while for various specific reasons, but they are kept as few as possible, we do not wish to look like a Scourge guild (Note that people playing the Death Knight class but not RPing it are allowed to join). For those that we take goes the same rule as the warlocks - no necromancy. The presence of demons or undead, whatever the form, will not be tolerated.

Activity:
Once a recruit joins, they are instantly promoted to New Blood. The New Blood rank suggests a trial period in which the new recruit proves their worth. We do not ask of everyone to be online 24/7, but we expect at least minimal show of activity and interest in what we do. New Blood members are promoted to Clansman after participating in at least two organised Guild RP events, or participating actively in any kind of guild RP session if there are no events posted. New Blood members offline for over two months with no excuse given in advance will be kicked.

Wikified Members:
General Torakk Bloodrain

Stronghoof Chieftain Kogar Dreadmane

Kichalo Ihynlia

Firecaller Vrakk Bonefist

Clan Champion Rocmar Swiftwolf

Clan Champion Sramara Tharmar

Bharog Ironfist

Linji

Gothos

Beserker Hirgma

Krasanos Spirithorn

Grotho "Cleave" Skullcrusher

Gorvar The Beast-master.

Drackie Shadowhorn