After reaching level 65 and being rank 6 or higher in any country, zone into Xarcabard for a cutscene (Teleport-Vahzl works). Return to any of the core cities and examine a Trail Markings for another cutscene. You will obtain the key item �Vial of Shrouded Sand� needed to enter any Dynamis zones (including the CoP areas).

Congratulations, you can now access Dynamis - San d'Oria, Bastok, Windurst and Jeuno.

In order to enter Dynamis - Beaucedine you must complete the 4 core cities.

In order to enter Dynamis - Xarcabard you must complete Dynamis - Beaucedine.

To enter Dynamis - Valkurm, Buburimu or Qufim, you need to have beaten CoP mission 3-5, Darkness Named (Diabolos).

Completing all three areas will give you access to Dynamis - Tavnazia.

Trail Markings (or Hieroglyphics for the CoP areas) can usually be found near the entrance of a zone (Northlands), near the Mog House (cities), or in the center of the zone (CoP).

To ensure you do not accidentally sign up for areas you cannot access yet, you can select which zones you have completed in your profile, and the site will warn you if you try to sign up for a run you cannot participate in yet.

What is Obsidian?

Obsidian is a linkshell devoted entirely to doing Dynamis. We do not farm sky, we do not hunt HNMs. Our members contain a mix of many of Odin server's top high level linkshells' elite members, as well as dozens of up-and-coming stars for the next generation of God Hunters. Obsidian is not directly affiliated with any of these Linkshells and being in any of these shells does not preclude you from joining Obsidian. There are other Dynamis linkshells and we do require that you cannot be a member of any other Dynamis linkshell on the server in the interest of fair play and to avoid drama. Drama between Odin Server Dynamis Linkshells has been, thankfully, kept to an absolute minimum and we would like to keep it that way.

What are the Requirements for Obsidian?

- Minimum level 68 to join. It is better for you, however, to be in your 70s as many end game experiences will help you in Obsidian. Mage jobs have a better chance of landing spells at the higher levels, and melee jobs tend to miss a lot if they are below 70.

- You need to have read these rules completely. And understand them. If you have questions, ASK! Not having read these rules is no excuse for any transgressions you may commit, and will not save you from any punitive measures.

- You have no other Dynamis LS at the time you fill out your application.

- Have a good attitude, and understand that you will likely not see an immediate benefit from Dynamis (ie relic armor, Dynamis currency). Patience is critical. Also, character death is something that will occur frequently in Dynamis, and deleveling may occur. If you cannot handle that in an adult manner, please do not sign up.

- Understand that Obsidian is filled with members from several different high level linkshells, and that those linkshells aren't always on the best of terms. That said, all "drama" is left at the door. Obsidian is neutral ground, and anyone not respecting that is not welcome. If you have issues with a specific member, either ignore them or resolve them. We will not do things like put you in separate alliances just because you cannot stand to be around one another.

- Obsidian�s linkpearls are used solely for Dynamis and Einherjar.� From time to time, non-sanctioned Obsidian events will be organized by it�s members (KS99s, various missions) and the linkpearl can be used to coordinate that event.� We�re not considered a social shell, but members are welcome to keep the pearl equipped and talk to others in the event others have the pearl on as well.

How long do I have to wait to join Obisidian?

After you submit an application there may be a considerable wait for entry. We are currently only accepting about 2 members per week. All potential members are required to take part in a brief (5-10 minute) interview with an Obsidian sackholder. This is largely to confirm that you have read and understand the rules, and are given an opportunity to ask any questions about Dynamis you might have. To see which leader will handle your application (based on the job you applied with), see the Contact page. If you have any questions, contact that leader ingame.

Joining Other Dynamis Linkshells

The rules of Obsidian state that you are not permitted to be in another Dynamis LS while you are a member of Obsidian. There is only one exception to this.� That exception is helping a non-Obsidian member obtain an attestation or a fragment.

Be sure to ask a sackholder for permission before taking another Dynamis pearl to make sure there is no miscommunication. Anyone caught in another Dynamis linkshell without a pearlsack's consent will face severe restrictions, if not outright banishment from Obsidian.

If you happen to obtain a piece of AF2 in the run that you attend, an amount equal to the average Obsidian cost (at that time) for that item will be subtracted from your points. If you have less points than required, your points will be reset to 0. Anyone found to be abusing this rule will be kicked from Obsidian.

*Note that it does not say "I am only going with this linkshell once", it refers to temporary linkshells which will cease to exist after the run is completed.

Non-Obsidian members and city wins

We will not allow any person who is not a member of Obsidian to leech a city win off of our shell for another Dynamis shell. If you have a friend in another shell, don't even bother asking us. If we find a member has allowed a non-member into a run to get the win, that member will be kicked from Obsidian.
If we let one person do this, then we have to let everyone do it or it becomes a personal reason why we won't let X person do it and Y can. On top of that, in most city zones, it is not possible to re-enter without dying immediately at the entrance. We will never ask another shell to allow our members to get the win from a city. We expect our members to understand that there are a large number of people in this shell and patience is always rewarded.

Obsidian Website Rules & Procedures

How do I join Obsidian?

Access the Join page from the navigation bar at the top of this page, read through the rules and confirm you've read and understand them. Then fill in the necessary information and submit your application. A sackholder will contact you ingame at some point to conduct a brief interview. This interview will verify that you have read and understand the rules, and will provide you with a chance to ask any questions you may have about Dynamis or Obsidian. At this time we are only conducting about 2 interviews a week so it may take some time to get to you, please have patience. Be sure to use your actual ingame charactername to sign up, as failure to do so will prevent you from coming along on our runs.

See How long do I have to wait to join Obisidian?

How do I sign up for an Obsidian Dynamis run?

Once you have been accepted into Obsidian you can begin to sign up for runs by going to the Obsidian website (http://www.obsidianls.com) and selecting the "RAIDS" option from our menu bar. Select the raid/run you wish to join by clicking on its location name and at the bottom of the page will be the option to sign up for the run. If you are logged in, you can just click the Signup/Signout button. If you are not, either login, or use the second option to sign up using name and password. Please note: If the run is full, you will be added to the run�s waiting list. If someone unsigns from the run, people on the waiting list will be moved to the regular signups. It is your own responsibility to see if you are allowed in or not.

If you have more than one job of a high enough level, you can pick the job you wish to go as. Please note that a sackholder may ask you to come as another of your jobs if there is a major shortage of a certain job.

What job should I come as if I have multiple jobs that meet the requirements?

When signing up for a run you have the option to choose the job you would like to go to said run as. However, when the job balance for a run requires some people to change their job to better suit the requirements for a run, you may be asked by a leader to change to another one of your jobs.

If you have a job/sub leveled and listed on your profile, we expect you to switch to one of those jobs if asked to by a sackholder.� All jobs� you have will be expected to be made available to the linkshell for it�s use.� We will always try to spread the job-changing love around the linkshell, but please understand that we do not always have that option and our ONLY reason for asking someone to change jobs is to put us in the best possible position to win.

If you have major issues against coming as a certain job (retired, hate it, gimp), then please ask a sackholder politely if someone else can change.� A sackholder will search, but if no replacements are found, your door will be knocked on again and �no� will not be an accepted answer.� (Ailee Rule.)

How does the Settings page work and what are the job levels and wins for?

The settings page contains various bits of information about your character that will allow sackholders to keep runs organized.� Members can adjust the following on their page:

� Character Clears

� Feathers (Einherjar section)

� Account settings (Time zone, Date format, etc)

� Craft Levels.

Currently, we do not allow members to update their own job levels.� This is due to abuse by a couple former members trying to lie in order to gain AF2 faster.� Please contact a sackholder to update your jobs manually or register for the Linkshell Community.� (Cynthya Rule)� Our website, if you choose to let it from your profile, will automatically update your Job and Craft levels as long as you�re registered for the Linkshell Community

How do I remove myself from an Obsidian Run?

Follow the instructions for the "Signup" section above except use the Signout button. If you are already signed up, it will take your name off the list. Remember to confirm that your name is not on the list any longer, or points will be deducted for not showing up.

How are Drops in Dynamis distributed?

Drops in Dynamis fall into several different categories: Relic Weapons, Relic Armor (also known as AF2), Relic Armor -1 (also known as AF2-1), money, 100 Bills, and craft items. There are a few specialized drops in Beaucedine Glacier and Xarcabard which we will handle seperately.

� Relic Weapons refers to all the relic weapons and the relic shield which drop in Dynamis. These items drop in Jeuno, Windurst, San d'Oria, and Bastok and may be lotted for free by anyone with the required job at a sufficient level. If you wish to obtain a certain relic weaopn with more certainty, you are allowed to place reservation bids that take precedent to any free lotting. See the bidding sections for more detail.

� Relic Armor / AF2 refers to any number of armor pieces (not counting Relic Shield) that drop in all of the Dynamises. There are 5 pieces of armor per job ranging from level 71-75 and fill each of the core armor slots (Head, Body, Hands, Legs, Feet). In some of the recent updates, Relic Accessories were also added, which usually consists of a job-specific belt or cape. The Hydra armor pieces that drop in Dynamis - Tavnazia are also part of this group. A complete list of what AF2 drops where is available on our website under the "ITEMS" link. Relic Armor / AF2 is distributed by a bidding system which will be covered in a second.

� Money is made up by the single bill currencies of the three dynamis currencies. These are Ordelles Bronzepiece, 1 Byne Bill and Tukuku Whiteshell. Depending on where the run is taking place the money will either be collected by a designated player (San d'Oria, Bastok, Windurst, Jeuno, Beaucedine Glacier, Xarcabard) and put into the Obsidian pool or allowed to auto-distribute at random (Valkurm, Buburimu, Qufim, Tavnazia). Exceptions to the collection-rules can be made by the leaders at the run at any time.

� 100 Bills are the 100 count versions of the three dynamis currencies. These are Montiont Silverpiece, 100 Byne Bill and Lungo-Nango Jadeshell. These are collected by the Treasurers (see contact page) and put up for bidding on the website every second and fourth Sunday of the month. You require a minimum of 40 runs and 40% attendance in the last 3 months to be eligible for bidding on them.

� Crafting drops cover just about everything else that drops in Dynamis. These include (but aren't limited to) mythril & gold beastcoins, Lancewood Log, Slime Juice, Infinity Core, Giant Frozen Head, Goblin Grease, Sparkling Stone and several more. These are allowed to auto-distribute at random. Keep an eye on the Item Trade & Relic Upgrades forum if you have trouble selling them. Some other LS members may need them for crafting purposes.

� Shadow items. These are the two items dropped by the Dynamis Lord: Shadow Mantle and Shadow Ring. These two items will be distributed on a priority basis based on longterm membership and participation. A current ordered priority list can be found on the forums. To qualify for the Shadow Mantle list, you need to have attended 100 runs and be willing to spend 30 points on it. For the Shadow Ring, we require 100 runs attended and 50 points. You also need to have either PLD or NIN at 75.

� Relic Upgrade items refer to items such as Attestations (Beaucedine) and Fragments (Xarcabard). Since these items are only useful to a very small number of members, they will be distributed on a priority basis. Whoever is furthest along with his/her upgrade gets it. Note that you may be asked to show your existing relic to prove your status, so be sure not to hand it in for upgrades until you actually have gathered the coins to do so, or you may be unable to show it to us for a long time.

��

How do I accumulate points?

At the beginning of 2009, Obsidian leadership changed the way points were distributed for attending runs.� Previously, we offered a flat 2 points per run attended provided you weren�t flagged as late or left early.

Now we award points based on 1 point per hour.� This means you can earn anywhere from 1 point to 4 points depending on the zone and length of time.� A points breakdown by zone as long as all extensions are obtained looks like this:

� Dynamis Bastok, Windurst, San d�Oria, and Jeuno (cities):� Max 4 points.

� Dynamis Beaucedine and Xarcabard:� Max 4 points.

� Dynamis Valkurm, Buburimu and Qufim:� Max 2 points.

� Dynamis Tavnazia:� Max 2 points.

Please be conscious of these award values when strategizing which zone to go for if you�re trying to accumulate points.

What are the rules for bidding?

In order to be eligible to bid on a piece of Relic Armor, you must have that job leveled to 70 or higher.� If you have no jobs leveled to 70 or higher, then you are eligible to bid on the Relic Armor of your highest leveled job (your 'main' job).� Occasionally people wish to secure a specific Relic Weapon that drops in a given area. If you wish to bid on a relic weapon you do so after all other bidding has finished, and you must inform the bidmaster that you wish to bid on Relic via linkshell (/l) or tell (/t) chat.� The minimum bid for a Relic Weapon is 1 point.

How does the Bidding System Work?

All bidding occurs on the website starting 64 hours before, until 90 minutes before the current run begins. No more new bids are allowed once the last 3 hours begin before the run starts (90 minutes before bidding closes). This is to prevent people jumping the line without warning at the very last moment. All bidding occurs on the webpage; if you don't have access to the web you may either get a friend to bid for you or you may contact a pearlsack holder and place a bid through them. It is important that you understand, however, that the website is very important for Obsidian since you will be signing up for runs and bidding through it. Access to the website is important for all Obsidian members.

-�� Placing a bid is very simple. You go to the main Obsidian webpage and select the header 'BIDDING'. Select the run you wish to place a bid on (you need to be signed up!). In the box at the bottom you will have a dropdown list of all the items you are allowed to bid on (according to job requirements and items you have already obtained). Choose the amount of points you wish to bid (minimum of 4). You cannot bid more than the total of your points during one run. Confirm your bid with the button, and a window will pop up with the bid information. Press 'OK' to finalize the bid, or cancel it if you made an error. Note that you cannot bid the same amount of points as another member, unless he/she allows it, or you are bidding your maximum amount of points. Multiple bids of 4 at the same time are always allowed however.

-�� At the end of the bidding a leader will have access to a page with all the bids listed. Whoever has the highest bid will be allowed to lot that item if it drops and the second highest will get the next one if it drops, and so on. In the event of ties both/all parties will lot when it drops in Dynamis, and whoever gets the highest lot wins the item. In the event that the bid winner is not present (anymore), the item will go to the next person on the list.

-�� Any item which receives no bids during the bidding phase will become open bidding before the run begins. Anyone with enough points, regardless of job, will be allowed to bid on the item and the bidding will be conducted by the run's bid leader. Note that the minimum bid of 4 points still applies.

-�� Since the March 2007 update it has become possible to store complete (5/5) relic sets on an NPC. Even if you already had a full set but upgraded one of the pieces to +1, we will not allow you to bid on that piece again to complete your set. This is due to the rarity of relic drops in Dynamis. The only exception is if if said piece is going to be autodistributed (regular bidders and open bidders will always have priority).

-�� Any piece you have obtained in Obsidian, regardless of whether it was intentional or not (autodistribute) will be added to your profile. This means that you will not be allowed to bid on that piece again, even if you tossed it because you had no use for it (*slap*). If you know you are not going to be using a piece (yet) and are just going to toss it, pass on it.

-�� After the run is done anyone who received items will have points deducted equal to their bids. Only people who receive items will have points deducted. The amount you bid is the amount you pay, there is no rounding down or evening off of points so only bid what you feel an item is worth to you. Points are as valuable as you feel they are, bid wisely.

-�� In the event that a member bids on 2 or more seperate drops (either multiple AF2 or AF2 and currency) they must be able to cover every bid they place, even if one of those bids only puts them 7th in line for a particular item. Any person who bids more points then they have will have all their bids on a run voided, so be careful that you don't overbid. With the current system this shouldn't happen, unless anyone goes over his limit by bidding on open items.

-�� Normally the bidding will automatically end 90 minutes before the run starts, but if anyone places a bid on an item within the last 5 minutes before the bidding closing, bidding time for that item will be extended for another 5 minutes. Placing last minute bids is known as 'Sniping' as it makes it hard for people to react to your bid on time. Doing this consistently every run may get you reprimanded, so please refrain from doing this. It is considered extremely rude.

Unsigning after Bidding (a.k.a. "the Gorokai Rule")

Sometimes after already having placed a bid, you find that you need to unsign from the run. However, if someone has raised his bid because of your (now invalid) bid, and it is clear that his bid was only raised to counter your bid, he can invoke this rule and ask for his bid to be lowered to a reasonable amount, or to do the bidding for that item over completely on-location before the run commences. The bid leader for that run will decide how the matter is handled.

What if I need to retract a Bid? (a.k.a. �the Ceal rule�)

If you need to retract a bid for whatever reason, you need to contact a sackholder, ingame, through PMs or the Problems & Questions forum, and ask him/her to remove it for you.� We do not allow members to remove their own bids as this could lead to members driving up the bids, then removing theirs and leaving others to spend more points than necessary.

As an aside, if you have to withdraw from a run after driving up bids by bidding high amounts of points, you can suffer penalties.� We understand that real life is a bitch and doesn't always give you a chance to do what needs to be done.� However, any player found to be consistently bidding on items and then not showing up for runs can be penalized by loss of points or temporary suspension depending on the situation.� This paragraph is your only warning on this subject.� See the section on punitive measures below to see what steps we will take to remedy these situations.

From now on, if you have placed bids on multiple items, one sackholder does not have the authority to remove your bids.� Factors such as how long a bid has been placed, the amount of the bid, the number of items bid on, and bid ranking for a particular item will be used in determining if a bid will be altered or removed.� This is the Ceal rule.� Think about your points, which items you want most and how much you're going to spend before placing your bids.� Don't come to us and ask us to remove bids after spreading your points too thin and discovering you're going to be outbid on something.

What if I did not get my points for a run, or a mistake was made with AF prices? (attendance & bidding issues)

If for some reason you did not get the points you were supposed to get, or had too few/many points deducted for a piece of AF, please contact the respective run�s bidding leader (see the run�s raid page for the bid-leader�s name). If you cannot contact that leader within 24 hours, you can contact another leader to get the issue resolved. We prefer to have any points/attendance/bidding issues resolved by the leader who handled the run�s points, because only that leader has attendance/bidding sheets for that run.

Can I sponsor a Dynamis Run or purchase coins through the LS bank?

Yes, Obsidian allows both.� There are requirements for each.� Before reading the requirements, understand that �gil� refers to a cost determined by 2 factors.� The first is the number of runs in a month the sponsor or linkshell paid for (X * 500k).� The second is the number of 100s we collected through pooling coins and 100 drops (Y).

(X*500k)/(Y) = gil.

Gil is cost per 100.

Coin Purchase through the LS Bank (AF2+1 upgraders)

� 1 point + gil/4 (since there�s only about � of a 100 required)

� NQ AF2 and AF2-1 piece.

Coin Purchase through the LS Bank (Relic Upgraders)

� Stage 2 relic

� On Stage 2, 4 points + gil

� On Stage 3, 3 points + gil

� On Stage 4, 2 points + gil (in the event of non-sponsoring)

Sponsorships

� Minimum of 75 runs with Obsidian.

� Recent attendance of 50% or higher.

� Stage 4 relic weapon.

� Gil for an entire month�s run except for Tavnazia.

In the event a month is sponsored, all coins belong to the sponsor.� Coins are collected by sackholders and distributed accordingly at the end of the sponsored month.� In distributing these coins, the sponsor must follow the same guidelines laid out in the coin purchases section.� If members are not present that want to purchase a sponsor�s un-needed coins, the sponsor is free to do whatever they please with the excess coins.� In other words, at the conclusion of a month, the following steps will be followed:

� Tally up coin totals.

� Give sponsor coins needed (i.e. needs jades)

� Give sponsor a chance to find a trade partner for remaining coins.

� Sell to LS members following the previously listed guidelines. (gil goes back to sponsor)

� Release remaining coins to sponsor for whatever means they wish to recoup money.

Rules inside Dynamis

Run fees

All Obsidian runs except Dynamis-Tavnazia are paid for through a combination of sponsorships, relic upgraders and bazaared coins.

Item Distribution

See How are Drops in Dynamis distributed?

What are the Obsidian Rules in Dynamis?

We have a few simple and straightforward rules that you need to follow when you go on a Dynamis run with Obsidian.

1) Be courteous to your fellow players

Please do not trashtalk or put down your fellow Obsidian members; Dynamis is a team-effort that requires every player to perform his or her job to the fullest, attempting to downplay any particular member (or member class) is strictly off limits and will be punished harshly. If you have any personal issues with another Obsidian member, either ignore them or stay away from the run. We will not go out of our way to put you in different alliances just because of childish behaviour.

2) Please pay attention to what is going on around you

A lot of problems in Dynamis can be avoided simply by listening to what the people in charge say and understanding situations. Also, automatic movement such as autorun and /follow are very, very, VERY bad in Dynamis. Do not use them whatsoever, as unexpectedly running into a mob can ruin the entire run.

3) Listen to the run leaders, pullers and alliance/party leaders

Obsidian is run by a solid group of dedicated individuals who make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. The sackholders are all members who have dedicated large amounts of time and energy into studying Dynamis and are generally in the best position to handle ever-changing situations. Listen to what they say and things will turn out alright.

The pullers and (party)leaders are usually picked from the most experienced Dynamis-attendees each run and will know what to do, so be sure to listen attentatively and do as they say. If other members tell you to do something but they do not belong to one of the aforementioned people, do NOT just blindly do as they say if it contradicts what the leaders said. Ask if in doubt.

4) Show up early and ready to go

As of 2009, �late� is defined as �nowhere to be found 20 minutes before the run starts�.� If you are flagged as late, you will lose 3 points.� You can obviously make up the points by actually being at the run.� If you did not take the time to let a sackholder know you were going to potentially be late, you will be marked late.

5) No bitching during the run.

There will be things that happen that annoy you in Dynamis, however complaining in Dynamis solves nothing. Discussing things on the forums is the best way to vent grievances and to get problems fixed. Complaints about specific people will be handled in private with a sackholder. We will NOT allow bashing of members during or after a run.

6)� Do not AFK w/o notification of some sort. (Akimarie rule)

If you have to go AFK please temp log in a safe spot (ask a leader if unsure). In Dynamis certain monsters will trigger repops throughout the maps, and an otherwise 'safe' spot can turn into a deadly gauntlet of monsters. Causing these monsters to become active is a threat to the entire Dynamis run. Because of the major impact on a run, expect severe punishments.

7)� Do NOT go AFK during the last 10 minutes of a run (or if the leaders tell you not to).

�If an item drops during the last few minutes of a run, you may be required to pass on it so it can enter the winner's inventory before everyone is kicked out of Dynamis and the item is lost. Being AFK during this period is unacceptable and subject to harsh penalties.

8)� No skilling up in dynamis.

All melee must use weapons that their job has an A- or higher rating in (or the highest that their job offers). Dynamis is not a skill up area. The only except to lower rated weapons is if they significantly increase damage output through a large attack bonus or multiple hit weapons (i.e. joyeuse, kraken club, mercurial kris etc).

9)� Respect the leaders and pullers during the run.

Mistakes will happen, that's just the way it is. The leaders (especially the pullers) have a very rough time of it already, adding stress does not help. Constructive criticism after the run is recommended, though.

Member conduct and attitude

Basic guidelines/principles

Leadership can/will make judgement calls on membership status based on history and conferring with other leaders.

Things that will get you kicked/suspended:

- Blatantly breaking a written rule.

- Being overnly negative/discourteous about any situation.

- Complaining about receiving a Raise I. This does not mean RDMs, PLDs, BLMs, SMNs etc. just start dishing out Raises without fear of any repercussions. This only applies to when the leadership calls for any raises to be given (due to time constraints or a full wipe). If someone is the only one dead out of the entire group, Raise I is unnecessary. Give them a Raise II or III.

- Sense of entitlement if losing the bid, or paying more than you feel you should pay.

- Stirring up drama during a run. Save it for after the run on the forums.

- Saying things such as �Run�s over.� Even if we have yet to beat the boss and the 10 minute warning has shown up, this just downs the morale of the group. We have won many times in these situations, so remain positive.

- Lack of effort as judged by the leadership.

- Consistent AFKing / Long-term AFKing.

- Consistent disregard for anyone else in the shell.

- Dragging in drama from outside Obsidian. Grudges from HNM camping, online relationships, etc. have absolutely no place here. Leave it at the door. If this is an issue, then goodbye.

Removal

The removal process will include the following:

- Scolding/discussion: if you do something leadership deems as detrimental to teamwork and the overall flow of a run, one of us will send you a tell asking you to shape up. Consider this your warning.

- Suspension: this decision can and will be made by leadership present during the run itself.

- Kicking: removal from the linkshell will happen only after all the leaders have been allowed to put their opinions in. The slimmest of margins can/will still get you kicked.

Important note: leadership will not always follow these steps to perfection. There will be instances where a snap decision will be made for something serious enough, but there will never be one leader acting alone in a decision. If you do something stupid enough to merit kicking before we discuss it with you, then you likely earned the kick.

Forum behavior

Aside from providing information to our members and for discussion, the forums are there so members can vent about things after the runs, instead of causing drama during them. However, this does not mean that you can just blatantly launch personal attacks on people. You will still be judged by the standards set above. Make your points maturely. If you have any personal attacks against someone, keep it to PMs or tells ingame.

Contrary to popular belief, Obsidian is not a democracy. It never has been and never will be. We do value opinions expressed, and we take all opinions into consideration as long, as they are expressed maturely and coherently, prior to making major decisions within this shell. The forums are the place to do this. If you express your opinion and discover that it is in the minority however, you have two choices:

- accept it and live with it

- leave the shell if you cannot live with it

Pay close attention to the fact that �Continue to bitch until you get your way� is absent from the list. Leadership will always do what makes the majority happy, but we cannot do this for every single person. If you are not in that majority, see the two options above. Minor rules/decisions will be made without consent from the rest of the shell. The leadership will never make decisions to favor itself. We will always make decisions based on what we feel is best for the shell. Major changes will be discussed by members to get a feel for the opinion of our memberbase. Minor changes will not.

Inactivity/Leaving/Rejoining Obsidian

After a certain period of inactivity, you account will be set to inactive. This means you can no longer log in to the site or sign up for runs. You will need to speak to a leader to have your account reactivated and explain why you have not participated for such a long time. Longer inactivity will result in more severe actions:

Inactivity for 30+ days will result in account deactivation. (Inactive Member)

Inactivity for 60+ days will result in points being reset to 0. (Former Member)

Inactivity for 90+ days will result in removal from the LS and you will need to have a new application interview with a leader. (Former Member)

You also have the option of being put �On Hiatus�.� This status is a way to ensure your points will be safe for a maximum period of one year.� Real life reasons are generally the only accepted answer for why someone can go on hiatus.

Points will not be deducted if and only if you take the time to communicate with one of the sackholders about your whereabouts. If you know you are going to be unable to attend any runs for a while due to real life issues or schedule problems, inform a sackholder.

When deciding whether or not to let you back into the shell, we will take into consideration the following reasons for leaving in the first place:

- Joining another Dynamis LS: in general we will not allow you back in. If we do decide to let you come back, your points will be reset to 0.

- Focusing on other endgame events in your main linkshell: this is cool, but be sure to inform a sackholder. Be sure not to do Dynamis with that LS, or it will count as joining another Dynamis LS.

- Real life issues and having been unable to play at all: this is cool also, just send a sackholder a PM from time to time to let us know what�s up.

Dynamis Leadership

Issues with rules/leaders/etc.

If you have an issue with someone or a rule, feel free to contact any sackholder or post on the forums; your opinion won't mean you will be kicked from Obsidian. We encourage an open door policy as long as it is done in a constructive way and without shittalk. Anything can be discussed with any leader. If a leader kicks you without a reason because of it contact another leader to make sure that it was not done on a personal basis. Any member who gets kicked from Obsidian will have to be voted out by the leaders. If someone gets kicked during a run it was because of extreme circumstances. Afterwards the issue will be discussed but no member will be kicked without it being supported by the sackholders and the others who voiced their opinion.

Rules of conduct for leaders

Leaders are a set group of people in Obsidian consisting of about 13 people total, which means for every 20 members we have we have 1 leader. We also picked an uneven number to prevent any draws in voting. But each leader is expected to follow a set of guide lines.

First of all, leaders need to be able to trust each other, and be able to work together. If someone wants to become a leader the old leaders all have to vote yes. Any 'no' will mean that the person will not be accepted. This is to protect the inner workings of the shell. Again this means that a lot of trust has to be created between leaders, meaning that the leaders are able to trust each other, and build on eachother's trust.

Leaders have to:

- be open and honest to each other

- be able to stand criticism and respond to it constructively.

- listen to players with problems and address them

- lead runs to ensure that things remain organized.

- maintain points

- pull mobs

- make party lists

- ensure that the entire alliance moves flexibly.

- make strategies and maps for new Dynamis areas etc...

This looks like a lot, but it is not, we have 13 leaders to undo most of this burden, but any leader who never does anything will be removed if the votes allow it. There is a thin line between working and not doing a thing. Again this is why being open to each other is necessary.

Of course, any help from our members with things like strategies and such is much appreciated.

Punishments and other Penalties

Measures of Discipline

It is our intention as leaders to make the punishment fit the infraction, so all disciplinary measures are subject to the digression of the sackholders and may be adjusted based on the severity of the infraction. Typical punishments are as follows:

- Restriction of bidding. All or some bidding privileges are revoked for a certain amount of time.

- Restriction of attendance. You may not be allowed to attend Obsidian runs for a certain amount of time, normally a week or two.

- Loss of points. If the infraction is severe enough you may lose points from your point total.

- Blacklist/kick from Obsidian. Only used in the most extreme instances, removal from Obsidian can occur if the infraction is severe enough.

Sackholders reserve the right to enforce different penalties as necessary. No punishment will ever be enforced without the approval of the majority of the sackholders.

Penalty System

At the beginning of 2009, Obsidian instituted the following changes in regards to point penalties.

� Lose 3 points if flagged as late.� �Late� is defined as �Nowhere to be found 20 minutes before a run starts.�� If you show up 1 minute before the run starts w/o notifying a sackholder ahead of time (through forum PMs, posts, emails or a friend), you can still be flagged as late.� This results in a net loss of 1 point for CoP based areas and a net gain of 1 point for a city area should you be present for the duration of the run.

� Lose 5 points if flagged as no-show.� This means you were signed up and failed to show up. Sacks will reverse this if a legit excuse is presented.� �I overslept� is an example of a non-legit excuse.