For those who do not already know me, my name is Alex Groom (IC: Elouan), and I am a Rhiassan.Also, because a lot of people who do know me mix me and Ben Hamilton (IC: Kyro) up, let me clear the record once and for all by saying that I am the new(ish) Rhiassan dude with the beard. Anyway, on to the reason I assume you are here: to read about my experience with Rhiassa.
For me, joining Rhiassa was a natural evolution of my Realms career. My Realms career started with UCONN fight practices; a buddy (Ben Hamilton, aka Kyro) had told me about the practices, and they seemed like something I’d enjoy, so I went. After a couple weeks of fight practice, I went to my first event, Black and White, and joined the Oaken Guard, like most of the other SMAC newbies. It was through these fight practices and induction to the Oaken Guard that I was first introduced to Jason Rosa, or as I would come to know him in character, Lord Aeston.
During my time in the Oaken Guard, I learned that there is an expectation to “graduate” into another nation. As such, I spent much of my time trying to get to know groups (emphasis on trying; I am not exactly a social butterfly now, and was far more shy during my first year in Realms). What I found out was that for me personally, the best way to get to know a group was to NPC with them. I NPC’ed with a couple different groups, but in the end, one stood out to me: Rhiassa.
To elaborate, if one event left an impression on me, it was What Lurks Beneath. I will never forget the event. I was first struck with a feeling of awe as I looked upon the dungeon L’s, wondering how someone could have turned the quite plain Hick’s Arena into a full-blown dungeon like that. I was also impressed with the clever way the arena was divided into two, so that when the players were in one section, the other section was being rearranged to form a new room. What I learned at this event was I really liked not just NPC’ing, but taking initiative and going beyond what others expected of me. At the time, I was in the game for about two months; most of the other newbies with my level of experience had left by the end of the event. Among the few of us who remained were Katie Skeggs (aka Charlotte) and Ben Hamilton. All three of us would go on to be Rhiassans, and I do not think that this was mere coincidence. Instead, we all shared that passion of hard work, of seeing the job through, even if others quit or did not think it was worth it. This was my first experience NPC’ing Rhiassa, and it would definitely not be my last. Further NPC’ing with Rhiassa confirmed to me that this was definitely a group that I enjoyed working with.
After about a year or so in the game, I began very heavily thinking of moving on from the Oaken Guard to something else. Coincidentally (or maybe not; I have my suspicions, but do not want to be presumptuous), I began to get invited to out of character parties attended mostly by Rhiassans (and Nighthawk). Long story short, it did not take much consideration for me to settle on Rhiassa. For one, both of my closest friends in the game, Katie Skeggs and Ben Hamilton were strongly considering going there; this certainly did help my decision. What ultimately made me settle on Rhiassa, though, was the approach to the game of the nation. Having spent a year or so in the game, I knew that I wanted to contribute to this community; I knew I liked being on the event throwing/NPC’ing side of events; and I knew that I liked doing work. At the same time, I had seen that Rhiassa was a nation that greatly contributed to the community, and very much valued a strong work ethic. As such, at one of the parties all three of us asked to join Rhiassa. We were told that first we would have to join the Lion’s Militia, and enter a trial period of sort. This was to make sure that Rhiassa was a good fit for us and us a good fit for Rhiassa. At North-South War that year, I was inducted into the Lion’s militia.
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| Photo by Jesse Gifford |
After some months NPC’ing at some more events, helping with event prep, and PC’ing with the group, it was decided that I would be made a full member of the nation at Feast of Leviathan that year. That was approximately a year ago now. I am still in Rhiassa, though now I am squired to the Knights of Rhiassa under the tutelage of Sir Kyntela (Alysha Metcalf).
If there is one constant in Rhiassa, and in case I haven’t hinted at it strongly enough in previous paragraphs, it is the willingness to do work to help the community. I don’t think I can emphasize enough the phrase “willingness to do work.” Rhiassans are not just about planning events, coming up with new tournament ideas for Queen of Hearts, or designing new costumes for monsters; Rhiassans also go forth and make their plans reality with their own two hands. To me, being a Rhiassans is about not just dreaming big, but having the work ethic to make those big dreams come to life. Even the squiring process focuses on personal growth through doing meaningful work.
That is not to say that Rhiassa is perfect. When I was a newer member, I felt that I most of the important discussions took place between the knights and squires, and I felt ignored or left out during some of the discussions. I think the logic behind this is that the knights and squires have the required experience to have informed discussions, and newer/less experienced members might just spew every idea that came to mind. At the same time, I do not think it was done with any malice, and may not have even been intentional; these discussions often took place during time crunches. This would also bother me more, save that Rhiassa is definitely a meritocracy; if you have the work ethic the knighthood will notice you.
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| Photo by Jesse Gifford |
Ultimately, Rhiassans are always striving to outdo ourselves. We go out there, throw the best event we can throw, and before the event is even over, we ask ourselves “How could I make this better?” And maybe one day, the answer will be that we can’t, that the event was totally perfect. But until that day comes, we will always put in the hard work and dedication, even if it makes things just a little bit better.