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---== THE HOLY GUILD OF THE PALADINS OF AETOLIA ==---
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---== NOVICE INSTRUCTION SCROLL ==---

Greetings, and welcome to the Paladins Guild! This scroll has been created to aid you on your path out of Novicehood within the Guild.
Please read this scroll completely and refer back here when you need to find the answers to guild questions you may have. This scroll contains the following information:

I. The Principles of the Paladins Guild
II. Getting Started in the Guild
III. Directions to the Paladin Guild Hall
IV. Sir Syvelium
V. Learning and the Guild Skills
VI. Reaching Pagehood: Choosing a Mentor


I. The Principles of the Paladins Guild
==========================

The Paladins Guild is structured around the principles of Honour,
Courage, and Loyalty. In your journey through the ranks of the Guild you will come to understand fully the meaning of each principle. The descriptions below give a brief overview of what they stand for.

HONOUR - A Paladin holds Honour above all. Every action taken should be done whilst holding to the highest standard of what is right. If we have no honour, then we are no better then the enemy that faces us on the field of battle or at the table of negotiation. Others should not fear us, yet they should think twice before challenging us because we shall not be overcome. We will gain the respect of even our enemies, for we will fight honourably even when they do not.

LOYALTY - Loyalty to the Guild should only come second to loyalty to a Deity. If a Paladin cannot trust his brethren with whom he stands then he is worse than dead. We must be willing and ready to sacrifice our lives for each other. Disputes between Guild members should not be taken out of the Guild, and should be handled without others knowing of them.

COURAGE - Willingness to stand tall and  in some cases - even die for that in which we believe should come without a moment's hesitation. More importantly, we must be willing to live for our causes and never give in, no matter how hard it becomes to stand firmly behind our principles.

Though we are in kind Knights, a true Paladin never spills blood
unnecessarily. Until you are knighted, you are expected to refrain from fighting outside the arenas. Furthermore, you should not kill the good-hearted denizens of this world, as we are the defenders of all that is Good in Sapience.

II. Getting Started in the Guild
=============================

You're reading this scroll, which is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the guild. Undoubtedly you will have quite a number of questions about the guild and if you are just starting out, you may have questions about the realm in general. This is perfectly normal, and everybody has been at the same stage at some time. So just remain focused, and follow the instructions you see below:

1. Be sure to introduce yourself over GNT. We like to know when you've joined, and knowing such will enable us to give you a title that shows your rank in the Guild, and to induct you into the Lyceum of Faith, our novice clan. (The CLANHELP LYCEUM scroll contains more information on this subject.)

2. Read HELP LAWS PALADINS. This scroll will explain the Paladin Code of Conduct. Become familiar with the rules, as you are expected to follow them from your first day in the guild. Ignorance of the Laws is not an excuse for breaking them. There is a Section which contains Laws pertaining explicitly to Novices and Probates  these are very important, as are the rest of the Laws contained therein. If you have a question about any of the laws, please ask a Novice Aide or Guild Leader (any of the Knights listed on the HELP PALADINS scroll) for clarification.

NOTE: Before all else be aware that you MUST NOT request a falcon while still a Recruit, or without your Knight mentor.

3. Please make sure that you have a name which is appropriate for the Guild. If you were unfortunate enough to have been named something like 'Cuddlybunny' or 'Deathmaster' by your parents, then you have a chance to change your name, since it is inappropriate for our Guild and the Realms in general. If you are unsure about an appropriate name, you might, as always, ask a knight for his or her opinion in a tell. See HELP NAMECHANGE for more information on changing your name should this apply to you. Please note that you may be asked to change your name by a Guild Leader if it is deemed inappropriate, even if you think that it is not.

4. Read HELP GUILDNOVICES PALADINS again. Twice. The information contained herein is VITAL to your guild development, and will give you an excellent start on your path to becoming a Knight. As with the HELP LAWS PALADINS scroll, if you have any questions, please ask for clarification.

5. In order to get started right away, you should make your way to our Guild Hall. Directions to the Tower of the Sword in Enorian can be found a little later in this document. Tour the Tower of the Sword and have a look around. If you wish to, you may ask a guild member (use GNT) to show you around the Tower. You will find many who are willing to help you.

6. Begin your schooling in the Ways of a Paladin. In the Guild Hall, you can find Sir Syvelium, who is able to teach you in the arts of Weaponry and Chivalry. Alternatively, you can learn from your tour guide or any of the Squires or Knights of the Guild. Learning Guidelines can be found in SECTION V of this scroll. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you read this section.

7. If you are new to the realm, then it will be useful to look at the HELP KALEBB, HELP MINIA, and HELP LODI scrolls. These are the three novice lands of Aetolia. Those scrolls will give you an idea of how to gain gold and experience, in areas that are specifically for the youngsters of the realm. Be sure to GREET everyone you encounter in these regions, as many of them may have tasks or errands for you to carry out, which will result in rewards of gold and experience should you complete them.

8. Read the section on becoming a Page later in this scroll and begin working on attaining Pagehood.

III. Directions to the Paladin Guild Hall
==========================

Our Guild Hall, the Tower of the Sword, can be found in the north- western section of the city of Enorian. From the Ring of Portals, go NE, SE, S, S and you will arrive at The Four Corners on Nordau Street. Follow the street W, W, SW,W, W, W, W, until you reach the Northern Boulevard of Honour. From there, walk NW, N, NW, IN, NW, W. If you have followed these instructions correctly, you will find yourself at the base of the Tower of the Sword. In the Tower, you will find our Guild Library, our Aviary, and the esteemed Sir Syvelium - our guild tutor and the eldest Paladin. Sir Syvelium's former protege, Sir Talionu, also lived in our Guild Hall until he was made a full knight and took over the Enorian choir as their choirmaster.

IV. Sir Syvelium
==================

Sir Syvelium is the eldest and wisest of the Paladins, and also the founder of the Paladins Guild as it is today. He has long served our guild selflessly and has touched every Paladin's life in one way or another. Sir Syvelium serves the guild as our Tutor and Wareskeeper.

To learn from Sir Syvelium:
LEARN <number of lessons> <skill name> FROM SYVELIUM
LEARNING ADVICE: Make sure that you have eaten Myrrh Gum before you begin to learn. Myrrh aids you in learning by allowing you to learn more than one lesson at a time, up to a maximum of 10. For more information, see HELP MYRRH and HELP LEARNING. To attain some myrrh, you might look in the shops in Enorian or ask on gnt if someone is willing to provide you with some.

Sir Syvelium can also assess your progress towards reaching a higher rank in any skill:
ASK SYVELIUM <skill name>

Sir Syvelium sells the Paladin uniform and a few other select items which are of use to one following the way of the Paladin. To see a list of what he has for sale:
ASK SYVELIUM WARES

To make a purchase from him:
BUY <item> FROM SYVELIUM

V. Learning and the Guild Skills
=========================

When you join the Paladins guild, you are granted two guild-specific skills: Chivalry and Forging. As Knights, we also rely heavily on the Weaponry skill, but this skill is available to anyone, regardless of guild. As a Paladin, however, you will receive much greater benefit from the use of Weaponry, as additional training in Weaponry will increase your accuracy with your swords when they are used to perform certain attacking skills within the Chivalry set. When you become a Squire you will gain access to the third Guild Skill: the holy Devotion skill. The HELP CHIVALRY, HELP FORGING, HELP DEVOTION and HELP WEAPONRY scrolls have more information on each of these skills.

Some Learning Guidelines:
1. As a Recruit, you should learn 90 lessons in Chivalry, and 90 lessons in Weaponry. This will raise your skill rank in each skill to Adept. It is strongly suggested that you DO NOT learn any other skills before you reach squirehood. It might be best if you saved all the lessons you have left until the rank of a squire, as you will need them then. Please note that you cannot learn any higher than the rank of Adept in our guild skills whilst you are a Novice.

2. You may be tempted to spend some of your lessons on education into the art of Forging. However, it is recommended that you do not do so. Forging is not very beneficial until it is at around the rank of Mythical, and overlooking the key Guild Skills will put you at a great disadvantage later on. Saving lessons that you earn through gaining Circles of Experience will be beneficial when you reach Squirehood, as you will be able to instantly learn our primary attacking skill in Chivalry, known as Duality. Also, you will have lessons to spend on Devotion when it becomes available upon promotion.

3. When learning, always make sure that your mind is enhanced and prepared to learn more than you would usually be able to by eating Myrrh Gum. Myrrh allows you to learn up to 10 lessons at a time, and increases the benefit of each lesson very slightly. HELP MYRRH and HELP LEARNING have more to say on the subject of Myrrh Gum and learning in general.

4. When you spend lessons on a certain skillset (like chivalry, for example) you will gain abilities in most of the skillsets. To see the abilities you have gained, simply use the command AB (skillset), for chivalry, AB CHIVALRY. To learn how to use those abilities and to learn more about how they work, simply do AB (skillset) (ability), for example, AB CHIVALRY FALCONRY (which just happens to be an important ability that you should know when you ask for a mentor.)

VI. Reaching Pagehood: Choosing a Mentor
===============================

When you first join the Paladins, you will be considered a Recruit. The first step forward in your path to Knighthood is becoming a Page. To do this, you will need to ask a knight to act as your mentor and guide in the guild.

This agreement is not to be taken lightly. Understand that your mentor will be taking time to ensure you have the tools, knowledge, and understanding to be an honourable and respectable knight. You should always show your mentor and all those in the guild honour and respect in all things you say and do. Never do anything that would dishonour the guild or your peers in any way.

The following requirements are needed to become a Page:
- Reach the 10th Circle of Experience
- Have a basic Paladin uniform (trousers, shirt, boots, pack and falconry glove). All of these items are sold by Sir Syvelium.
- Read HELP GUILDNOVICES PALADINS and HELP LAWS PALADINS and have some knowledge about the handling of falcons, which can be found in AB CHIVALRY FALCONRY

When you have met these requirements, you may ask a Knight of your choosing to take you on as a page. This special request is best handled by sending the Knight a tell. Do not ask over GNT. It is highly recommended that you get to know some of the Knights before you finally ask one to take you on, as all the Knights have very different personalities and particular favourite areas of focus - their interests and character may not match yours.

Should the Knight agree, he or she will then ask to meet with you to discuss the responsibilities of being a page and will eventually take you to get your falcon. Do NOT get a falcon without your Knights permission. Doing so will result in disciplinary action, maybe even outguilding. Before helping you to get a falcon, your knight will certainly test your knowledge about falconry. It is vital that you do know at least the basic commands described in AB CHIVALRY FALCONRY very well, as incorrect care of your falcon will result in punishments as noted in the Paladin Laws. (HELP LAWS PALADINS scroll)

When you become a Page, it is time to begin the next stage of your development as a Paladin  the path to Squirehood. The requirements for this rank, along with those for the next two ranks (Knight Aspirant and Knight) can be found within several Lyceum Projects (see the HELP PROJECTS scroll for more) which can be viewed with PROJECTS.

Walk well, Novices! You are the lifeblood and future of this Guild. If you have any problems or questions, do not hesitate to ask. And act with Honour, always.