The Grey Bear Clan shall be an Everquest guild with the primary purpose of increasing the Member's enjoyment of the world of Norrath, through companionship, cooperation and role play. The Grey Bear Clan is a guild of good that welcomes all races and classes among their ranks. They Grey Bear Clan sees that even the black magics can be used to accomplish a greater good and therefore accepts Necromancers and Shadow Knights as well.

The Grey Bear Clan is a guild of honor. We honor each and every member. Each Grey Bear is committed to helping his or her fellow Grey Bears. Guild Members will be expected to aid one another, as well as developing relationships with other Norrathian guilds to promote a greater online experience. The Grey Bear Clan stands as a charter member of the Coalition of Honorable Guilds (CHG) and adheres to all rules and agreed decisions of the CHG.

The Guild shall be known as the Grey Bear Clan ("Clan") and shall play on the Mithaniel Marr Server.

The Grey Bear Clan is lead by the Great Bear (Guild Leader) followed by the Guild Warder (Co Guild Leader) who is followed by the First Bear. The Elders shall be appointed by the Guild Leader, from time to time. The council of Elders and the Officers complete the leadership of the Grey Bear Clan. Venerable Bears are the Elders of the guild that are retired or semi-retired, they are the highest honored members of the guild and hold full rank and title equal to that of First Bear, with the exception of leading the Council of Elders.

The Guild Leader shall consult with the existing Elders before appointing a new Elder. The Elders will meet from time to time to vote on any issues needing discussion, and to ratify, or vote on the addition of new Members, proposed changes to any existing rule or policy, or the addition of any rule or policy. An affirmative vote of any five (5) Elders shall be a sufficient vote authorizing any Elder action. However, any Guild war decree must be unanimous. In the event that an emergency action needs to be taken, then the vote of any three (3) Elders is sufficient to make a temporary rule or policy, if the action is subsequently ratified by an additional two (2) Elders within seven days of the emergency action. Each Elder will be assigned to oversee the various Circles, Divisions and Committees of the Clan, as described herein.

The Elders shall be assisted by the various Officers of the Clan. The Officers shall be appointed by the Guild Leader, with the advice of the Elders. The Elders will, from time to time, collect nominations for Officers as needed to fill vacancies, from the Members. The Officers shall be known as the Circle of the Clan. Circle Members should meet periodically, and shall be responsible for assisting the Clan and the Elders. The Clan shall have various divisions to more effectively govern the guild as follows:

Circles:
The basic division of the guild based on level achieved, and the periodic promotion events held by the Clan. Each Circle shall have one Circle Leader. Circle Leaders shall act as the front line officer for issues concerning the Members. This will include, but not be limited to, familiarizing the Members within the Circle with all rules and policies of the Clan, helping with Membership issues and questions, and helping to resolve disputes, as described elsewhere herein. An Elder shall be appointed by the Guild Leader to support and oversee the Circle Leaders. The Circle designations are:

Divisions:
Member groups based on character classes. The purpose of the Divisions, is to facilitate the exchange of information helpful and necessary to those of like purpose, and to thereby enhance the Clan. Each Division shall have one Division Leader, who will facilitate class-related information. Like Circle Leaders, Division Leaders are also part of the dispute resolution process, as described herein. An Elder shall be appointed by the Guild Leader to support and oversee the Division Leaders. The Divisions are:

Councils:
Officer run groups, which have more specific functions, as needed to help the Clan. These are the committees and service groups of the Clan. Other than the Honor Council, each Council shall have an Elder appointed to the Council, by the Guild Leader, to help support the Council and coordinate the efforts of the Councils. Councils will be added as needed. The Councils are:

Membership of the Grey Bear Clan requires that the applicant has reached the 8th level and can obtain five members vouchers for their membership. These five vouchers will be asked for in general guildchat and be confirmed by the Membership Officer before and invitation to membership will be offered. The Membership Officer is responsible for assuring that the policies of membership are strictly followed. Vouching for an applicant means that the vouching member actually knows the applicant and that the standing member takes responsibility for the applicant’s actions, both past and present. The applicant that a Grey Bear Clan member vouches for reflects on said member. Although we are a family, we are looking for quality members who are ready to commit to the guild and not quantity. If a newly invited member is found to have a pre existing issue or dispute of any type or found to have given falsehoods in order to gain membership, they will be removed immediately by the first Officer to enter the same zone as said member. No baggage will be brought to bear upon the Grey Bear Clan with anyone’s membership (ie: continuing flamewars on any message board, history of "kill stealing", repeated warnings from Game Masters, or personal feuds with other Mithaniel Marr players). These types of things constitute a lack of the honor that they Grey Bear Clan stands for.

Issues, if a member has any problems or issues, it is every Grey Bear’s duty to bring that issue to the attention of an Officer. Problems cannot be solved if their existence is not revealed. If the Officer cannot help remedy the problem, they are to hand it up to and Elder. If the Elder cannot solve the matter, then they will call an Officer Meeting and the entire leadership of the guild will find a solution to the problem. If a member fails to bring forth any issue or problem to the leadership, it is that member’s failure to duty and said member accepts full blame and responsibility for the issue in question and the guild is free of blame.

While problems are unpleasant, any collection of people will result in disputes from time to time. The guild is encouraged to always attempt to resolve disputes directly whenever possible. If any Member feels wronged by the words or deeds of another Member, then the person who feels wronged should first go to the offending party, and seek a resolution. This is to be privately between the two individuals first. This is not to be taken to the guild website, guild chat channel, or to any Officer or Elder at this stage. If either party or any individual in a multiple party dispute, does not feel that a satisfactory resolution was reached through personal discussion, then the following procedure will be followed:

Any party to the dispute shall contact an Officer. Only those such parties directly involved in the dispute should contact the Officer. People who were there, or who have heard some portion of the dispute should not contact any Officer concerning the dispute, and should allow the actual parties involved to resolve the problem as they see fit. Should any party contact an Officer without first attempting to resolve the matter personally, the Officer shall not regard the petition, and shall simply refer the complaining party to the above provision.

Officers are charged with being the first level of dispute and problem resolution. Primary level Officers are Circle Leaders and Division Leaders. Any Officer can handle the intake and resolution of any dispute, and not just those of Members within their own Circle or Division. However, if available, Members should first seek their appropriate Circle or Division Leader.

The Officer should listen to any appropriate problem or dispute brought to them. However, should the Officer not be in a position to fully address the issue, due to time constraints, inability to be impartial, involvement in helping another Member, etc. Then the Officer shall help the complaining Member find another suitable Officer to address the matter. In the event that no Officers are on at the time, then an issue demanding immediate attention may be brought to any Elder. The Elder may decide that the matter can wait, and will so inform the complaining Member that the issue is not an emergency, and should be properly directed to an appropriate Officer.

Once all necessary information is obtained, the Officer shall either decide that the parties need to sit down and discuss the issue with the Officer acting as mediator, or the Officer may be able to make a ruling without a further meeting. As these cases will vary upon their facts, this is necessarily on a per case basis. In the event that either party feels that the ruling is unfair, or inappropriate, then the aggrieved party can take the matter before the Elder Council.

In the event that the primary level method of dispute resolution does not result in an amicable solution, in the sole determination of the parties involved in the dispute, or should an Officer feel that the issue is of such complexity and import that the Officer cannot make a determination on their own, then the matter will be referred to the Elder Council. Either an unsatisfied party, or the Officer, who heard the initial dispute, can make a referral to the Elder Council. The Elder Council will meet, at such times and from time to time, as the Elder Council deems necessary. Any such regular meeting of the Elder Council will be announced to the guild at least 48 hours in advance, either on the Website, or by making 3 announcements, on 3 separate occasions, in guildsay. Nothing herein shall be deemed to restrict the Elder Council from calling emergency meetings, as may be necessary. Regular meetings shall be held at least once per month. Any disputes to be taken up at a regular meeting should be sent to the Elder Council via electronic mail. An address will be provided for that purpose, and such complaint will be distributed to all Elder Council members.

The decision of the Elder Council shall be the final ruling on any matter from the perspective of an aggrieved party.

Once the Elder Council has made a ruling, that ruling is considered final. The parties to the dispute, if unsatisfied with the ruling, can remove themselves from the guild. Any public disagreement with the ruling, or continuation of the dispute through guild or other channels, will be grounds for removal. However, the Great Bear, Warder and First Bear, in their sole discretion, can decide to take up a matter and reverse any decision, upon a unanimous vote. It is extremely unlikely that any decision of the Elder Council will ever be so reviewed.

A standing alliance with another guild means that each and every member of the Grey Bear Clan will treat each and every member of the allied guild as an extension of the Grey Bear Clan. All members of any of the member guilds of the CHG will be treated with the same respect that would be shown to GBC Officers, Elders and Leaders. This means that aid shall be rendered to the limit of your abilities if you are free and available to help the members of these guilds.

Leaving the guild is a serious matter that should be fully considered before doing so. Members should not casually unguild from the guild. Each member made a commitment to the guild when they accepted the invitation for membership. The Grey Bear clan does not have a revolving door policy. Leaving the guild should be well thought out before doing so. Leaving in a rash manner is no excuse. If a member is angry and upset they should follow the Problem Solving Policies before making the decision to remove themselves from the guild. To remove one’s self from the guild before attempting to solve or giving the guild the opportunity to solve the problem is an act of shame on said member and their acceptance of total fault and responsibility of the problem in question.

In the event of such a first unguilding, the person who left should seek an Officer, if they wish to be re-admitted. The Officer should find out why the Member left, and when. If the Member left based on some reasonable explanation and the unguilding was for no more than 1 month, then the Officer may re-invite at the Officer's discretion. Should the Officer be unsure as to whether a re-invitation is appropriate, the Officer should refer the matter to the Membership Officer, or an Elder.

Should a Member unguild, for any reason, a second time or more, then the former member seeking readmission must contact the Membership Officer and ask for readmission. The Membership Officer will then review the reasons that resulted in the choice to leave the guild by said member and then offer his/her recommendation for readmission to the Elders. Based upon the facts gathered by the Membership Officer and his/her recommendation, a vote of two Elders in addition to the Membership Officer, approving the readmission, shall call for the invitation of readmission by the Membership Officer. Should the former member fail to gain three votes recommending readmission by the this policy, then readmission will not be allowed.

Should an Officer choose to remove themselves from the guild and then wish to return, the former Officer should contact an Elder and ask for readmission. At least 5 Elders must be in agreement for the readmission of a former Officer.

The guild will provide, when possible, funds to guild members to aid in their advancement in their trade skills and crafts. In return, the guild Trades People provide their craft work to fellow guild members at cost. Failure on attempts to craft items for fellow guild members is not the financial responsibility of the trades person.

Commissioning trade craft from a fellow guild member at cost and turning around and selling it at a profit is considered abuse of a fellow guild member and is grounds for immediate removal from the guild. Exploiting another members’s time, money and efforts Will Not Be Tolerated under any circumstances.

Treasures that are gained in the course of adventuring are sought by all and some items are not only valuable but can be class specific. The guild requests that members check with the guild first to see if any members would like to purchase items at the fair current market value (ie: if an item has a price swing on it of 700 platinum to 1,000 platinum pieces, it is standard policy to offer to guild members at the price of 700 platinum before selling to the general population of Mithaniel Marr). Remember, this is to help the guild members equip themselves for better overall guild success. The member that you sell to today may sell to you tomorrow.

Members shall not intentionally hunt good aligned NPC's or creatures. Neutral and evil aligned creatures and NPC's, and animals are fair hunting targets. Good aligned, as used here, means any NPC or creature who considers amiable or above to any good race Member, upon a first sighting of the NPC or creature. The only exception is animal cons to Rangers and Druids. Animals are always fair targets for any Member. Members are allowed to defend themselves from any NPC or creature, if attacked first. This is a potenti allyproblematic rule, as certain class/deity combinations can cause some creatures or NPC's to act in unanticipated ways. The spirit of the rule is really one of respect.

The hunting of evil guards is permitted. If a Member hunts guards outside of a city, then the Member effectively takes over the guard's job, and should protect those seeking the guards protection. Should the Member fail to so protect any third-party, the Member shall immediately cease hunting the guards, and shall seek to make appropriate reparations (i.e. paying for a res, giving buffs, etc.) and should apologize to the third-party for directly causing the players death and diminishing the enjoyment of the game. The hunting of evil guards inside city walls is permissible. This applies to the corrupt guards of Qeynos and Freeport Militia as well.

Quest NPC's, merchant's, bankers, etc. should not be hunted, unless so hunting is part of a quest or story line. Furthermore, the guild may, from time to time, mount large-scale offenses on evil cities, in which case self defense takes priority.

Members have allowed friends and or family access to their characters. Remember, your character is a member of the Grey Bear Clan and no matter who is playing your character, you still represent the guild and are still bound to honor the laws of the guild. Be sure that if you allow access to your character to a friend or family member that they understand that they are bound to these responsibilities. Think about who you are allowing to represent your fellow guild members. If asked for help from a guild member, your friend and/or family that is playing your character is required to give aid just as you are. You are responsible for the actions of anyone that plays your character.

The guild requires that all members aid fellow members whenever possible. If a fellow member requires help with a "corpse retrieval" it is every member’s duty to aid if they are able to get to or are in the same zone and not committed to a group that is currently hunting. If a member asks for help with a "corpse retrieval" "NO" is not an optional answer, "I cannot help at this time" is acceptable.

Members are responsible for attempting to help themselves once or twice before asking the guild for help. The guild is here to back members up and support each other but not to do things for them.

"Power Leveling" (Pling) is not required of any member, that is solely the choice of the member asked to PL someone. It is a favor and not a duty.

Help in a quest and obtaining and item is acceptable and higher level members are encouraged to help younger members when possible. However, this is not required and members should not expect to receive help in getting items that are far above them or above the member that they are asking for help. Once again, "NO" is an unacceptable answer, "I cannot help at this time" is acceptable. No member is required to risk their life and experience to help another member.

This guild is for the purpose to provide an enjoyable enhancement to each member’s EverQuest experience. Each and every member will act in a respectful manner to each and every other member. Quite bluntly this means that if you have nothing nice to say, shut up. Members are not required to be the best of friends but they are required to respect, aid and look out for each other. Grudges will not be harbored or tolerated and means that any and all disputes will be solved, nothing will be left unfinished. It is the duty of all members of the Grey Bear Clan to stand behind and support all members despite personal opinions. If you cannot treat a fellow member with respect in the manner that you would wish to be treated, you are to refer to the section of this charter that covers the Problem Solving policies.

Members shall generally respect the other Members at all times. This is generally meant to include things such as swearing over guildsay, begging, pestering or otherwise interfering with the game enjoyment of your fellow members. At no time should anyone EVER call another member a name with malicious intent. Likewise, no member should take a jest too seriously. Guildsay is a great tool and a wonderful method of communication and camaraderie. It is not to be a channel for complaining, begging, or other such distracting behavior. This general rule for civility and respect includes any and all interactions between the guild, including communications over in-game or out of game channels such as the website or electronic mail.

No member will abuse another member in any way. General overuse of profanity in guildchat and groupchat or direct tells, unwanted suggestive comments, continual begging, etc. is considered abuse. As soon as one member tells another member to "please stop", any continuation is considered abuse. See also the Trade and Commerce for further examples of abuse.

Any abuse will be immediately reported to an Officer of the guild and dealt with by that Officer. The Officer should and will directly inform the "offending" member to stop immediately and to consider themselves warned. If they persist they shall be removed from the guild and reported to a Game Master, should the abuse warrant such action.

The Grey Bear Clan has worked very hard for a very long time to build a sterling reputation of a guild of highly honorable members and no member will tarnish this hard earned reputation. Every member is required to uphold this reputation. Each member will stand for honor, truth, compassion and respect for others. Refer also to the Honor and Aid section of this guild charter for further conduct guidelines.

Clan Members shall, at all times, observe all known rules promulgated by Verant (tm), as may be amended from time to time. Any knowing violation of any rule will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the Clan. The final decision concerning dismissal shall be in the sole discretion of the Guild Leader or the Elders (see below).

Clan Members shall immediately report any known or suspected bug to the Council, and to Verant (tm) as outlined in the Everquest manual.

There are many different beliefs on the looting policies and the guild will not dictate how loot is divided amongst groups but will stand on a general looting policy. This will be the assumed default looting policy of a guild group and therefore makes it very important to confirm the looting policy that will be followed before any loot is gained. A group is free to adopt an alternative looting policy.

Lottos in camps are to be handled in the discretion of those grouped. The group leader should clearly identify the method of handling looting and the method should stay consistent until such time as the group decides to change the method. Upon inviting a new member into the group, please identify the loot method to the new group member as soon as possible, in order to avoid any confusion.

Need before greed - is the most logical policy for the continued advancement of the guild as a whole. Present usable classes should be first to lotto any items that are of any note followed by a full group open lotto should there be no present usable classes. The guild always hopes that any non-present usable class items will be considered for fellow guild members for purchase or donation. Donations to fellow guild members is apprecitated but is not required. The guild strongly requests and encourages offering sale of items of note to fellow guild members at a fair market price before selling to the general Norrathian population on Mithaniel Marr. See Trade and Commerce section for more details on fair market prices.

If spells are assumed to be instantly won by present usable casters then armor and weapons are automatically considered instantly won by present usable melee members. All items of note are either automatically won or none are. Spells will not be treated any different than any other lootable items of note.

Concerning items and wealth within the game, many issues can arise. Members shall not beg. Members will not beg the guild or non-guild members. It's embarrassing and detracts from the game. If a Member needs a certain item, then they should advertise the need, and what the member is willing to do to gain the item. This could be a request that the guild helps them hunt for the item, or they may be willing to pay to purchase it. That should be the end of it. Some members give items away, and some do not. Members are not expected to give anything away, ever. However, members are expected to provide the first opportunity for an item to the guild. Members who seek an item, should expect to pay fair market value for it, and should then be thankful and surprised if the item is discounted.

Likewise, Members should not ask for loans on guildsay. While the loaning of money is perfectly acceptable, it makes some members very uncomfortable to have loan requests broadcast. Loan requests should be made person to person, and all terms and expectations should be clearly identified up front. Likewise, those helping players gain items should clearly communicate as to what those helping may expect in return. Members should also let people know what items may be for sale in their zone by using guildsay to inform the guild. While not a true requirement, it's nice, and some members have found good deals this way.

Members in the guild are automatically allowed to have secondary players admitted into the guild . No additional action need be taken. Members are not required to have all their characters in the guild, although it is preferred. To have alternate characters in other guilds is frowned upon due to the matter of divided loyalty but the Grey Bear Clan will not infringe upon the rights of it’s members to choose.