Guild:Masons Of Ascalon

 Masons Of Ascalon [GG]

A brief history
Masons Of Ascalon is a guild with a religious foundation and a spiritual content that deduce its traditions upon a diversity of myths written and told under inspiration by the humble monk Servante Logos. Servante Logos had a blind mind and wide open eyes - maby a bit naive for some others. He was a witness of a hidden god, talking to him behind the obvious limitations of life. The thought of God made him working on several attempt´s to document all knowledge of importance in a sense of respect. Servante Logos was holding some old fragments of protected memories from the special moment in time when The Great Northern Wall was erected in the kingdom of Ascalon - once a beautiful province found in eastern Tyria. This monumental work was partly done by a religious brotherhood of monks that took part of this project seen as a defence against threats from the north. The wall was finished in the year of 898 AE. All those mentioned myths was not based on historical facts but do tell people, travellers of life of these days about an idéal model or system working under the laws of their master, king and God. God was regarded as the highest architect and master of all words and names. This brotherhood had no greater impact on historical acts or moments in the old history of Tyria. They were very devoted to God as their only home and hope to ever be trusted for a peaceful afterlife. In 1736 AE the first lodge was founded in Ascalon. A ceremony in The Secret Garden was the starting seed, known by few and lost in preserved history. They were organized in a divined hierarchy of order, an organization with a master lodge divided in smaller guilds. This order was seen as a reflection of God and his way of giving things a certain value - a value not based on divined importance. Their organisation could not do an example of a community in perfect relation to God. Every man had to be a devoted tool kindly mastered by Him. Men was invited and become adepts under observation of their respective master who let them walk through a process of initiation that converted the adepts to skilled workers in the art of architecture. Art and architecture was supposed to reflect the eternal and pure idéa of God to stand the test of time. Their god was striving for unity, order and peace. Everything is in relation to this divided reality of restless motions and pain. All movements was like signs of a suffering universe striving for rest. Guided by trust, tolerance and patience those monks had to accept that they were just like passing clouds in a dynamic everchanging time struggling between different forces of will. They did choose to live in a simple way, all with a mission sent by God to help and restore the balance of nature and bring peace to the world. Simplicity made things more easy to control. They had no gods beside God, where all angels did appear like shining holograms, all sent down from heaven - a parallel dimension of living gold - to act as protectors of God's master plan. All monks had to take part of far gone problems and communicate with the polytheistic influence the wide and common faith of the Five True Gods made upon this world - representing a power of different but vital aspects of life. In times of spiritual corruption within, all monks had to pray for and heal lost spirits that have had fallen into religous confusion. The Five True Gods was seen as five false gods with no powers as mighty as the power of Him, but poweful enough to influence people of this world and affect things in the spiritual world. Those monks did choose to live in a simple way admiring the beauty of this world, all knowing that you shouldn't own anything and desperate greed along tearing jealousy would make them rotten from within and fall into dangerous behaviours. Their daily life did go through diciplined work with civil projects in Ascalon, but some monks went on journeys to foreign lands to get in touch with other cultures, to collect knowledge about architecture and religious beliefs. Stories are said that a few monks made connections with groups in Cantha and one monk - a curious anthropologist and architect went to Kamadan in Elona to study Istan architecture and wrote a book about a strange dervish devoted to mysticism and the holy aspects of life. His nickname was Oopsie Flopsie, young and most kind. But his real name was given by a sheik, he's name was Faqr Raja Wali ( Poor friend, hope of God). He was a dervish and talented, but he was as mentioned very young, still a bit childish but soon to become a mature monk of the Istani independent shool. Members had to avoid profane values - always give food to those in need and participate in charity for homeless people. It did happen that fallen men become engaged and initiated adepts rosen from the dirt. Some people could hardly forgive or care about people without hope. Almost done, ended and mindless, stuck in between paradoxes, those monks tried to enlighten and pure themselves from spiritual poverty and balance their thoughts, avoiding mind traps and to become too emotional in their expressions. Strong emotions had to be rightful and controlled. Ascalon was a coulorful and cultural center those days before The Searing. Visitors from far away lands come to Ascalon to share their knowledge about art, building technique and science - admiring the culture of Ascalon. What's less known is that Ascalonian architecture was completely built upon a ground of impressive structures made by another culture with a very sad history. This mad culture did flourish for a short period of time until it fell in power of unhealthy resons. It ended a book of black memories. Their art was cold and without sympathy. The rulers had no respect for life. Those few emperors that lead this culture had obviously strong mesmeric skills and ways to treat their relations and people beneth. Slaves had no social valeu and was denied an ordinary life. Sometimes they were abused for entertainment without respect for their existential pain. It was a culture with an atmosphere without hope. A common sight was men with pale faces of fear - a mark of shame and weakness. They wrote poetry about the journey to the eternal end. By some thinkers and historians this horrifying chapter do an example of something that wanted to commit suicide. It was a sad episode of the Ascalonian history. Those who knew had to admit that they had a very good and genuine knowledge about monumental and complex architecture.

Masons Of Ascalon was founded ( 05-29-08 ) by Servante Logos in memory of what once was this old brotherhood. Some among the old and some among the young did laugh at Servante Logos when they saw him walking around alone in the souroundings of Ascalon, regarded like some kind of an idiot. He felt like a dirty obstacle. In the minds of others he was an original - an isolated mind far beyond the community in the city. He had romantic and strange dreams - the fields and the forests of Ascalon was his home and is called Eden. Scientifically he did study taxonomic systems to determine all the species of the plants that grow in Regent Valley and the Green Hills County. But with no hint something did happen to him suddenly. He dissapeared without any known reason short after the Charr had invaded the kingdom of Ascalon from the north in a very apocalyptic explosion. In present time a monk named Teodor Eyeless has taken care of the management of the guild and supports now the Ebon Vanguard.

 Guild halls

Uncharted Isle
In times before the guild got their guild hall at Uncharted Isle through a Canthan Ambassador, the ranger and monk Sten Saminoidah went to Kamadan for adventure and research. He become a friend with a dervish that suggested a visit at the consulate of the Council of Elders - the goverment of Istani - a rich and somewhat worthy institution - to ask about a property donation. Masons Of Ascalon was out for a guild hall at the time, but the guild had not yet the economy nor the permission to get a guild hall on the sacred ground of Ascalon. King Adelbern said the guild lore was based upon stories from a pseudo-historic and religio-poetic litterature in conflict with the King and his thoughts about faith. The members of Istani goverment did not show much attention to the cause of the guild, only a few members of the goverment said that they were going to remember the request, as they were holding some places that could be suitable for the guild. In a few months they had been given a guild hall called Uncharted Isle for a symbolic sum of gold.



Isle Of The Dead
An opportunity to get a new guild hall closer to the holy ground of the once so beloved kingdom of Ascalon come when King Adelbern had seen the guild of Masons Of Ascalon rise to an institution to reckon with. He sent a letter to Teodor Eyeless and did apologize for his statement that the guild didn't have a historically real lore or proper organization. He said that with a force of about 40 members and the two good officers: Panda Purr and Belgian Legend, he just wished the guild good luck in their efforts in the future. The new guild hall has an architecture from a period older than the guild itself - from a period when The Catacombs was built. Teodor Eyeless did like this new place, but thought the main hall mosaic window with the god principe of Grenth where a bit annoying. Panda Purr did participate in the dealings with King Adelbern when the move was to be done.`



Yet again back to the Uncharted Isle
Ranger and second leader Sten Saminoidah and the monk officer Lakhesis Purr thought Isle of the Dead, their current guild hall was a place with dark lights, bad chill air and cold walls and when had time there with the big mosaicwindow of Grenth in the background - and offcourse, the Catacombs are for the dead, and not the perfect and good home. They had changed their minds and i agreed - asked the Council of Elders again for any hall's free, so they might get the old one again the Uncharted Isle a place that do members feel more pleasant. There's alot of Fresh air, beutiful trees and paslms, and clear but salty water and Teodor Eyeless the leader said he was pleased with the magnificent architecture that was beatuful and powerful. Some days passed but Sten was waiting in Kamadan and had found an Dervish orden that gave him a place to rest, but one day a Conucil mamber came and said: Sure we are happy to get you the Uncharted Isle again.

 An alliance with the Kurzicks

Teodor Eyeless brought further the idéas from Servante Logos and was positive to support institutions as House zu Heltzer that was devoted to the principe of Dwayna - the protector of the weak. Masons Of Ascalon become in allegiance with the Kurzicks and begun to serv the cause of the Kurzick's Council of Nobles when he reached Cantha later on hes travellings. So Teodor find Dwaynas quality as a reflection of the most prominent force of God.

 Thoughts to remember


 * Love is the greatest power, and you have to grow with it


 * Be responsible for others emotional safety


 * Be humble towards others, but hide and isolate yourself in times of bad emotions


 * Accept the truth, the past, but think about the future


 * Be aware of your ego, and fight it


 * Have conscientious examinations


 * Be sober in mind and heart


 * Be trustworthy


 * Show mercy and try to understand your enemy


 * Know there is hope


 * Have patience


 * Don't be too angry about others bad attitud or arrogance


 * Don't be too greedy


 * Fear the judgement
 * Remember
 * Contemplate


 * Take care

 Selected text pieces and poems

"Beginners have speech on their toungues. The advanced have neither the power to speak nor the means to express. If I am silent they will say I am mad. If I speak they will say I am a stranger to reason. God's favor comes unexpectedly, but only to an alert heart. Put not your hope in people, for you will be wounded. Put your hope in god that you may be delivered."

Ansari - Sufi


 * "Time was driven and moving - it was a sign of force, desire and longing.
 * The essence of energy was actually an obvious desire separated from nothing.
 * Mass would be formless without void.
 * Nothing become something in a single moment next the timeless time - when it suddenly did exist a something and strange.
 * This original state of peace - this calm emptiness did burst like a violent source of light with idéas similar to laws, pure and simple.
 * In a vacum, space and matter took shape along the border of nothing.
 * Nothing was forced to become something like a contrasting room - a space that filled and sourounded everything, involuntarily, where diversity or complexity of forms did look and feel it's discretion without any resistence by anything otherlike than itself.
 * There was one force that did make a difference and one that did unite.
 * Time objects did suffer in an endless movement towards a state of peace or balance."


 * Our Father
 * who art in heaven,
 * hallowed by the name.
 * The kingdom come.
 * Thy will be done on earth
 * as it is in heaven.
 * Give us this day
 * our daily bread
 * Forgive us our trespasses
 * as we forgive those who trespass against
 * us
 * Lead us not into temptation
 * but deliver us from evil.


 * Amen

 Recruitment

A member should have a strong faith and be tolerant, polite and helpful towards others. Blank minded, unexperienced or frightened persons can have a rest here. Memebers are free to leave and have almost no obligations that binds them. If a member show's great ignorance towards another guild member in a rude way, the leader can exclude that person out of the guild. Having the attributes of a monk as a first or a secondary profession is most welcome. The guild dislike, but can in some cases invite even those who have shoosen the path of an assasin, necromancer or a horrible mesmer. The guild does not just allow men. Since this guild is a genuine monk guild, all officers need to be monks.

 Contact information

If there is someone with questions about the guild or have any other interests about it, they should speak with the monk and leader Teodor Eyeless. All officers have been granted the ability to invite people, to become new members.

Leader:
 * Teodor Eyeless

Officers:
 * Lakhesis Purr
 * The Morph
 * Deiu Theo
 * Elder Torture

 Opinion and leadership

The guild is managed by the guild leader who takes the final decision in all matters. The guild leader can recruit and dismiss officers and members. Giving a member the rank of an officer is a decision only made by the leader himself. An officer can recommend to the Guild Leader that a member should become an officer. Officers have the possibility to recruit new members into the guild and dismiss members without asking the leader. All members will be asked about their opinion in matters that will shape the future of the guild. They also have a vote in the process of making a decision. Meetings where all members can participate occur in the guild hall when someone thinks it's needed. There is no certain dates when this happens. A note made by the leader or an officer will usually inform all members about those meetings and when they will occur.

<div style="background: #C6E2FF; border: 1px solid #7bc; padding: 5px; margin: 3 px; text-align: left; font-size: 175%; "><div-style="float: left; "> Guild rules

We are a friendly and helpful Guild but have a few rules to make everyone's experience of Guild Wars a pleasant one:


 * Have fun. This is a game, so enjoy yourselves.
 * No Discrimination. This includes: Racism /Sexism/Other forms of bias discrimination /No slurs allowed
 * NO DRAMA! If you have a problem with a member, please take any issues you may have with someone to a private chat. Disagreements should not be aired on chat. If you can't resolve the problem with that individual on your own, your first step is to go to the guild leader or one of the officers. Take a screenshot though.
 * Show respect and consideration to the other members. Everyone in the guild deserves to be treated with respect. This means personal attacks or name calling are prohibited.
 * If you need help, don't be afraid to ask, but we ask that you at least try it on your own before asking for help. Usually if someone isn't busy, they will offer to help you. We can't help you if you don't ask.
 * 1 warning will be issued for behaviour considered mildly unacceptable, behaviour considered totally unacceptable means automatic removal from the Guild, the decision to kick a member will be made by the Guild Leader and Officers. Our decision is final.
 * Last Rule ! If a player is inactive for more than 2 months they will automatically be kicked unless they have told the Guild Leader or Officers.

<div style="background: #C6E2FF; border: 1px solid #7bc; padding: 5px; margin: 3 px; text-align: left; font-size: 175%; "><div-style="float: left; "> Perma Pre-Characters

Players can choose to stay in Ascalon as it once was before the Searing and try to reach or get the Legendary Defender of Ascalon title, a title only possible in the Prophecies campaign. A player would most likely have one character in "Pre". As a guild we can help each other to get that honourable title or just stay in this beautiful enviroment to enjoy places like the Secret Garden or The Northlands. Oscar Lobotony is a monk from the guild staying for reqruitment, taking care of new players, asking if they would happen to join the guild.