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Arkhakts & Structures

One of the reasons Shadowclan is so successful in managing player populations that would destroy most guilds, is our flexible and scalable methods for organizing players into manageable groups. Shadowclan has a multi-tiered control structure allowing us to govern our players by letting them govern themselves to a very large extent.

The largest subunit within the Shadowclan Virakt is the "Arkhakt", or "claw tribe". The arkhakt'al of Shadowclan are 3 great armies of Irekei, each under the head of an Arkhalar, the equivalent of a general or governor. The three Arkhalar are members of the Elder Council of Shadowclan, holding equal rank with the four Khal'ushtal and subordinate to no-one but the guild leader himself. Part of the process of promotion to Irikhan will involve choosing which of the three Arkhakt'al you will seek admission to; more information about the specifics of the three different clawtribes will be posted elsewhere.

Within each arkhakt, players will further organize themselves into tribes, based on shared interests, playstyles, playing times, or any other commonality. Any Irikhan who wishes to establish a tribe must prepare a proposal describing the tribe's defining characteristics and requirements, and gain the approval of his Arkhalar, the religious leader, and the Elder Council; if approved, he will be recognized as a tribe leader and granted the authority to govern his tribe as he sees fit, subject to the overall authority of his Arkhalar.

Separate from the tribe system, a character may also find himself sharing commonalities with other characters in the form of a surname. Players with the same last name are considered to belong to a family; family membership may be used as a roleplay tool or to make connections with friends old and new, but families have no formal status, hierarchy, or admission procedure.

If you want control over the membership of a group, petition your arkhakt head with a proposal for a tribe. Tribes are restricted-membership subunits of the guild, under the complete control of the tribe leader. You may, if you wish, restrict membership in your tribe only to those with a specific last name, who also meet your other requirements for tribe membership, or in any other manner you wish.

Families are not tribes; families have no membership requirements other than surname. Everyone who shares a last name is by definition in the same family. If you're looking for a more restrictive grouping, what you want is a tribe.

The largest subunit within the Shadowclan Virakt is the "Arkhakt", or "claw tribe". The arkhakt'al of Shadowclan are 3 great armies of Irekei, each under the head of an Arkhalar, the equivalent of a general or governor.