Rank Changes

Salsola's hierarchy is strict and primarily IC -- that is, post counts, activity, etc. do not always factor into promotions and demotions, particularly those of the Faction Tiers and above.

Promotion

Submitted Threads

Several ranks require players to complete challenges.

  • Completion means you have written 1,200 words for your thread. It does not matter how many posts you've made.
  • If the thread drops off because of inactivity, it must be the fault of your partner(s).
  • Use of NPCs is encouraged; however, RO threads are disqualified: you must actively engage another roleplayer.
  • Threads should be relatively recent in respect to any submitted application.

Numerical Activity

As per game procedure, we check counts monthly; however, the primary factors in Salsola's hierarchy are character performance and adherence to cultural norms. Obviously, high post counts typically yield more pack involvement, but we do not promote based solely on quantity of posts. If you've posted 50 times each month but your character hasn't done anything constructive toward Salsola, you might not be promoted.

OOC Actions

  • Check the current Pack Projects out and assist where possible! If you want to take over a project as head, remember you can collect 50 game points for doing so!
  • Let us know what you're up to! Feel free to post to Salsola's Maintenance thread about plots and thread requests. We won't know your level of activity unless you bring it up with us -- it's tough to stalk every thread within a pack forum. c;
  • Generate your own ideas - We love to hear plot propositions from our pack members, and it shows you have great interest in the pack.

IC Actions

  • Thread with established members and learn a bit about Salsola's culture.
  • We strongly encourage Salsola members to take Jobs. Earning one increases your character's reputation and proves their usefulness.
  • Participate in the monthly Thread Prompts.
  • Participate in the Cotona ritual and have your character marked.
  • Adhere to Salsola's culture norms. Slip-ups happen and your character should be apologetic -- more importantly, they should avoid repeating their mistake.
  • Make your character useful to other members. Help them earn a Job, join their AW threads, participate in their pack projects.
  • Claim a residence by accumulating 50 Game points. Your character has increased privacy and reputation within the pack thereafter.
  • Bribe higher-ranking members with gifts, offers of usefulness, and whatever else comes to mind.
  • Mateship! If your character obtains a mate of higher rank, you get promoted. c;
  • Usurp a higher-ranking character -- look for signs of weakness!

Usurping Rank

If you wish to take a rank by force, you may! Usurping is usually a physical display of skill (e.g., a non-lethal duel) but may occur by other means to be decided by the players involved.

  1. You must pre-plot with the other involved player(s). Try to come to an agreement between yourselves. If you cannot, contact the Leadership.
  2. NPCs can be challenged. This requires a RO thread with the NPC, with the permission of the NPC's owner. NOTE! You are NOT permitted to play an NPC without permission of its owner. If permission cannot be obtained, the player must pursue other means of usurping.
  3. Those much higher in rank may be challenged -- however, usurping, regardless of the usurped character's rank, only nets the usurper one rank increase. Example? If an Associate usurped The Crone, the Associate would only be promoted to Family. They would not take the rank of Crone.

Demotion

For the Usurped

Unfortunately, in most cases, defeat necessitates an usurped character is demoted. Demotions due to usurping are generally temporary. Example? An Associate can challenge a Family member; if the Associate is victorious, the Family member may be demoted to Goon for a brief period of time. However, the Family member will regain their former ranking rather than enduring the Trial as an Associate again. Characters who are repeatedly usurped may retain a lower rank for a longer time.

Cultural Violations

Characters who break cultural expectations are demoted; severe offences may result in expulsion rather than demotion. The leadership will always PM players with a warning if their characters are in danger of expulsion or demotion due to cultural offences. Players usually have a chance to rectify their character's behaviour!

Low Activity

Low activity does not necessitate demotion; however, a less active character should strive for pack involvement. With only a few posts a month, you're not contributing and it can result in eventual demotion. However, characters are not severely punished for low activity.

Requirements

    MAFIOSI

    The Boss
  • Must be accepted by SA as a Pack Leader.
  • IC must have STRONG connections to Salsola (through family or history), must have multiple threads establishing leadership role.
    • The Lord Commander
  • Must be accepted by SA as a Pack Leader.
  • IC must have STRONG connections to Salsola (through family or history), must have multiple threads establishing leadership role.

    • SOTTO CAPO

    The Crone
  • Must have multiple (8+) threads in which character practices some form of ritual or spiritual endeavor. 6+ of these must involve other pack members.
  • Must have organised and lead 2+ spiritual or ritualistic pack activities, with more than 4 pack members in attendance.
  • Must have 4+ threads dealing with healing; e.g. Making a potion to help a fellow canine sleep, aiding in childbirth, setting a broken bone, stitching a wound. Threads do not need to be exclusively with pack members, although they must involve another character.
  • Must pass activity and OOC requirements for a leadership position within the pack.
    • The Director
  • Must have multiple (8+) threads in which character practices some form of combat - preferably these will be a mixture of physical training as well as fighting. 5+ of these must involve other pack members.
  • Must have gained information about each other active pack currently on the boards in an active thread involving another character. This may be through threads with current or ex-members of said packs; Intimidation, trickery, or trading for information is preferable.
  • Must pass activity and OOC requirements for a leadership position within the pack.
    • The Gamekeeper
  • Must have multiple (8+) threads in which character practices some form of agriculture - preferably these will be a mixture of livestock as well as equine threads, with plant-threads also being allowed. 6+ should involve other characters (may have threads with non-Salsolans, but 3+ of these must involve other pack members). Examples are: feeding/caring for/monitoring the livestock, teaching other members how to handle/groom/ride their pets.
  • Must have explained IC knowledge of livestock, plus general understanding of horses and birds.
  • Must have 3+ threads in which character learns something about or acquires some new livestock (i.e character purchases ducks and must learn how to keep them in good health).
  • Must pass activity and OOC requirements for a leadership position within the pack.
    • The Ambassador
  • Must have multiple (8+) threads in which character practices some form of merchantry or trading. 3+ of these must involve other pack members. 2+ of these must involve other active packs on the boards. 1+ of these must involve a trip to Freetown (recommended: usage of Salsola's Freetown Trade Point).
  • Must have 3+ threads in which character deals with stock and storage in Salsola. This may entail taking lists of livestock number from the Gamekeeper, discussing new trade options with the Leadership, helping a packmate add stock to Salsola's storage, or simply maintaining storage items for trade (such as ensuring weaponry for trade has not rusted, and written records of goods are up to date).
  • Must pass activity and OOC requirements for a leadership position within the pack.

    • FACTION TIERS

    SANCTUS

    Cleric
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving HEALING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Stitching or treating wounds, making a salve to prevent infection, gathering herbs for medicinal purposes.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Scepter
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving MARK-MAKING or SCARIFICATION, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Giving fellow packmates the Hand of Eris scar, tattooing another character, cleaning or constructing tools for either such task.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Seer
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving SPIRITUALITY, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Aiding the Crone in a pack ritual, teaching a packmate about religion or spirituality, undertaking a personal ritual or sacrifice.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Bard
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving ENTERTAINING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Composing or playing music, riddling another pack member, heckling or taunting an outsider, spreading stories and fables about Salsola.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.

    • SHIELD

    Emissary
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving SPYING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Relaying information about another pack, relaying information about one packmate to another, spying on an outsider, tricking an outsider into giving information about their pack.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Paladin
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving FIGHTING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Teaching a fellow packmate how to fight (weaponry and or combat in any form), defending Salsolan territory from an outsider, engaging in a fight over Salsolan goods or property, defending a Salsolan from an outsider.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Enforcer
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving ASSASSINRY, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Working with the Emissary by keeping them safe whilst spying on other packs, practicing skills in sneak-combat or long range weaponry, killing a target for the leadership, intimidating an outsider with their skills.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Striker
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving DEFENSE, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Removing a poacher from the Bay Horse herds, teaming up with other Shield members to remove a threat from Salsola’s borders, bettering their knowledge of Salsola’s surrounding territory.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.

    • RANGER

    Jagermeister
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving HUNTING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Leading a group hunt, tracking the whereabouts of prey, gathering meat for Salsola's pack storage, checking or setting traps.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Angler
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving FISHING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Undertaking a new method of catching fish in the Pictou, searching for clams or oysters along the coastline, sighting a whale or dolphin pod, constructing a small fishing vessel.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Shepherd
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving HERDING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Caring for the livestock, trading for new livestock, culling the herd as needed.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Equinest
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving HORSES, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Breaking in a new or young horse, acquiring a new communal horse for Salsola's stables, teaching a packmate how to ride or care for their steed, aiding in the breeding of more foals.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.

    • MERCHANT

    Vendor
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving TRADING, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Trading items with a packmate, trading Salsolan items with an Outsider, acquiring items for trade, adding to Salsola's wealth via trip to Freetown or Halifax.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Dealer
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving UNDERHANDED SALES, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Selling or procuring drugs or hallucinogenics to Salsola's gain, undercutting a trade and ripping off the other party involved (i.e sell a lame horse), gaining bartered information from an Outsider.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Quartermaster
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving STOCK MANAGEMENT, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Keeping record of stocks in Salsola's storage area, communing with members of other factions to keep records of their items and wealth, organizing for large trades or swaps of stock or items.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.
    • Overseer
  • Must have multiple (5+) threads involving SLAVES, (3+ must involve pack members). Examples are: Procuring a new slave for Salsolan communal use, procuring a slave for a fellow packmate, disciplining a slave, keeping watch over the Communal Slaves.
  • Must pass activity requirements for extra high-rank promotion.

    • APPRENTICES

    All Factions
  • Must have multiple (2+) threads involving the theme of their chosen faction. It is required that one of these threads be assisting one of the faction members in their duties; if there is no faction member, any member of Salsola will suffice.
  • Must pass activity requirement for extra high-rank promotion.

    • INNER RING

    The Arbiters
  • Must pass activity requirement for high-rank promotion.
    • The Henchmen
  • Must pass activity requirement for high-rank promotion.
    • The Wardens
  • Must pass activity requirement for high-rank promotion.

    • CENTRAL RING

    The Tradesmen
  • Must pass activity requirement for mid-rank promotion.
    • The Confidants
  • Must pass activity requirement for mid-rank promotion.
    • The Family
  • Must pass activity requirement for mid-rank promotion.
    • Bambino
  • Fulfill requirements for being a puppy within Salsola (under 7 months of age).

    • OUTER RING

    The Associates
  • JOINING RANK
    • The Serfs
  • DEMOTED RANK
  • Character has shown poor IC actions or very low IC activity within the pack. Poor IC actions include but are not limited to: Disrespect of leadership or higher ranked pack member, disregard for cultural rules or norms, lack of respect for the pack in general.
  • Character is a freed slave or born into this rank.

    • TRELLS

    Communal Slaves
  • Must be a slave that is NOT CLAIMED by a specific pack member. They are at the beck and call of all Salsolans, and are required to endure many unsavory tasks. Communal slaves are often regarded as lower on the chain of command than personal slaves.
    • Personal Slaves
  • Must be a slave that IS CLAIMED by a specific pack member. This individual is particularly subservient to their IC owner, although they are still expected to behave as a slave to all members of the pack.