What is a Full Clown?

- Orignally posted by Ulv Vidfare The Howling CLOWN

Aye that is a very hard question to answer. Ill try to start with the easy part first.

A full CLOWN is a member in our guild that has acquired the right to carry a CLOWN name ie The Howling CLOWN which I bear with pride. A full CLOWN has no more privilidges or rights than to carry his CLOWN name which he should do as I do,with pride!

That was the easy part,how does a full CLOWN differ from a student? Well... he carries a CLOWN name, are there any other differences??

Aye there is, a full CLOWN is a battle hardened veteran, known for his(or hers) ferocity in battle, his(or hers)total commitment to fellow CLOWNs and students. A full CLOWN is expected to go through hell, crush the balls of the devil and smear his face with a Pie. In other words a full CLOWN is expected to go into a no-win situation and do the best, either win or go down swinging!!!

When a fellow CLOWN or student is in any kind of trouble, a full CLOWN is expected to do the uttermost to solve the situation AND they are hard, compassionate enough to do it!!

In Sosoria (Ultima Online), many murderers fled just by the sight of a full CLOWN because they knew it would be a hard battle. On the contrary full CLOWNs also got targeted by vile murderbands because of their known battlereadiness. This we do not excpect of our students, we expect them to fight and learn, but we do not put any obligations on them except for the normal rules.

In the history of CLOWN there have been complaints from the students that the tests to become a full CLOWN are too hard, so also in AC.

I tell you this: The tests are the easy parts, its when u become a full CLOWN it turns nasty. Then u be excpected to be selfsufficiant, always battle ready, always viligant, always putting CLOWN before your own needs. Always go into battle to save your brothers and sisters and die if nessesary.

I have heard that in AC only so called powergamers can reach this goal. There might be some truth in that but I would rather call it Hardcoregamers, and aye, many of the full CLOWNs are or were that. We had to be that or we would have been easy prey by the hardcoreplayers on the evil side. Still we died in battle but we always came back singing!!!

Many battles we lost, many we won!!! Tons were the gear we lost in battle, small were our warloot but we survived and instilled fear!! There is no obligation to become a full CLOWN, to tell the truth I know friends that been students for over 3 years who enjoy the CLOWN community but dont consider themself hard or worthy enough to be full CLOWNs and dont want the responsibility of being a full CLOWN.

There was even a time when students got banished if they failed the CLOWN rituals, never again a part of the community. This is no more, BUT the tests ARE and WILL always be hard!!! Because your life as a full CLOWN is going to be hard!!!

I see it like this, if the tests are too hard for u, then CLOWN fighter life is too hard for u. Because that is what u become as a full CLOWN, a CLOWN fighter. Wear your CLOWN name but know that u have payed with your blood and the bill is not settled!!

In the beginnig CLOWN was a fighting guild and that has not changed!! Life in Dereth is quite easy since no other player can kill u unless you are red your self, life is not like that in other worlds, and if u become a full CLOWN here in Shadowbane, u are a full CLOWN in other worlds too, therefore your quests will be hell here!!

Anything else would affront the full CLOWNs in other dimensions and lessen CLOWN everywhere!!! That will not happen!!!

I also know that all CLOWNs I meet during my travels HAVE the potential to become full CLOWNs, so do your best swing at it but do not expect a walk in the park!!

- Ulv Vidfare The Howling CLOWN
*Founder of CLOWN School*
*Stonekeeper of CLOWN (rt)*
*Battlemaster of CLOWN (rt)*
*GM CLOWN AC (rt)*
*GM Eyes of the Beholder*