What's the story behind how your guild was founded?
When I first started playing Neverwinter, I remember progressing my character and finally reaching Protectors Enclave, there was so much activity. Players were conversing with each other, the chat channels were buzzing and people playing their characters were either running or zooming by on their mounts. It was a bustling city, the graphics were great and my first thoughts were "this is a game that I'm going to be playing for a while." I immediately set out to find a group of people to play with. I met a few players by grouping and doing dungeon runs; Rolen Darksbane, Demonica and a few others. We decided to create a guild of our own because all of us had the same "in-game" time schedules and it was a perfect environment.

How did your guild choose its name?
I always had a fascination with "The Harpers" and what they stood for and represented in Dungeon & Dragons. The Harpers were a secretive group who worked to create stability, enforce the balance of 'good' and prided themselves on their integrity and incorruptibility. I knew that 'eloquence' meant 'being good with words and expressing things in a pleasing manner." I had actually used the name in the past but its origins had always been rooted from D&D. We liked that Neverwinter had incorporated The Harpers into things like the Foundry and Campaigns. In a way both of these avenues requires you to communicate with others and enjoy player created environments. Couple that with the fact that all MMOs incorporate one thing and that is, chatting. The two names being combined was not even a second thought and it has been an instant hit ever since.

What's the message you want conveyed about your guild?
After creating our guild, our goal has always been to attract people of a like-mind; meaning those that enjoy the game of Neverwinter, love Dungeon & Dragons and want to take the time to immerse themselves in this environment. We have quite a few members who actually play the tabletop version. We really want people to be in-game but we do have a small manageable website and a private Facebook page for people to use and get tips/tricks on game play. The guild is really focused around being social and we want people to talk in guild chat and be a part of it as they see fit. We understand there are different styles of game play, commitments to real life activities and we will cater to almost all of them. However, we stress the importance of the 'group' and having players work together. It can be a learning process for some but our Officers have the patience and will work with people on game-play etiquette.

We also wanted people to know what 'we' as a guild stood for and that is, it's not a guild of 'one' but a guild of 'many.' The majority of us had always frowned on being in guilds where one person was in charge of everything; in Harpers Eloquence everyone's opinion matters, people have realistic things to do, there's basic expectations and we've set a foundation for players to grow at their own pace and mold their own game play. If people want to be a part of the guild and help run it, we give them the venue to explore that option and contribute as they see fit.

If your guild was stranded on Pirates' Skyhold, and you could only have three items with you, what would those items be?
1) Lizardfolk Shaman - You can't be on an island with a group of guild mates if you don't have a tour guide and local interpreter. Plus, who is going to show you all the hot spots and get you into all those inclusive island VIP areas?
2) Hat of the Pirate Host - Assuming your character survived Cragmire Crypts and you were lucky in your encounters with Traven Blackdagger, then this is an ISLAND attire must! Don't they always say, wear what the locals are wearing?
3) Waters of Elah'zad - Drinking salt water and waiting for it to rain with a guild of over 140 people that are all stranded on an island is going to make a lot of people dehydrated. Let's face it, what's better than a refreshing drink of "Rock Elah'zad Star?" And it replenishes all by itself!
 

Any favorite hang-out spots?
Right now, the guild's favorite "hang-out" is the Marketplace inside our Stronghold, just ask Vanille and Kalt, they are there all the time. But in reality, there's always people in line to buy things, hang out, talk to the Mimic, etc. Remember when your guild first opened its Marketplace and everyone got that nifty FREE Companion Ring and Mark? Yeah, everyone and their "ALT" has logged in to grab those... The Stronghold has been very popular and makes it really easy for guild members to meet in one area. 

What's one of the best guild events you've done?
There are SO many things that we do. But I have to point out that the holiday events are the most popular. It's ongoing but we do it every year and that is the 'Masquerade of Liars Festival.' Every year we get into groups and Demonica, one of our Guild Founders runs everyone around Protectors Enclave trying to catch the wandering Illusionists and to loot pumpkins. We're hoping to pass the event torches off (per holiday) to our newly promoted Officers, Hades, Keira Loyalar, Tyr Mortis, Wolff and a few others. I will say this is the "best" event because it’s something that every player can do (at any level) and it’s fun to get into groups, put on costumes and act silly. Sometimes NOT banishing Tiamat (over and over) to give her a break can be fun and everyone needs an event holiday to celebrate, right?
 

If your guild mages could invent any one spell without impunity to the laws of the Weave, what would that spell be called and what would it do?
Group Teleport - This is by far, the most popular "wish list" spell... The game mechanics make it very easy to move your character around but it does get tiresome waiting for one of our our Officers, Orig on his Armored Boar mount to show up... So let's get Serg our Control Wizard Officer a teleport spell because there's nothing better than teleporting slow dwarfs to your party caster's location.

How's your Stronghold doing?
I have to credit Moon Runestone, Medrash, Arcueid and company for working on this. I know I've left out some names but everyone has been so awesome and devoted to helping our guild grow. We are currently at Rank 3 and have been taking the time to work on structures and growing it organically. We're a "PVE" focused guild so there's always players calling out to do Stronghold Heriocs and group activities. We might even work on a PvP tower or two? Who knows? I think the pace is going fine as far as advancement goes and we love watching the environment change as our hard work pays off.

If your guild was an animal, what would it be?
I've asked the guild and I heard back from a few members; Gabriel Sligle said that we're "loyal" like a War Dog companion, Kalt said we're "graceful" like the Mystic Phoera and Willow Ravenoak thought we were "good" like the Unicorn. I think those are pretty close... In response, I went ahead and exercised my executive 'Guild Leader' authority to say that if we put that all those animals together I believe we would be a Griffin... Which could be our next companion possibly?

Who can players contact if they want either more information or want to join the guild?
We've made it so that anyone in the guild who has put in the time can invite a fellow new player into the guild. Senior Members, Officers, Senior Officers and Founders are the ones to go to. There's almost always someone online. Please reach out and be prepared to have a chat beforehand though! For the record, we normally invite people into our guild who we have grouped with but we've also reached out to players that we know are active and love Dungeons & Dragons.

Players are more than welcome to send me or any Guild Founder a personal message in-game:

@irismoon7 (Main: MoonRunestone)
@wyllowshadow (Main: Willow Ravenoak)
@daedreem (Main: Demonica)
@brave878 (Main: Rolen Darksbane)

I control various characters but my main is Trizdae Fae'Rynn (@veerwing). Interested players are free to reach out to anyone online as well.

Guild Website: http://harperseloquence.guildportal.com

Any final comments?
Yes, we would like people to know that creating a guild can be hard work. Balancing game play, members, progression for your own character, etc., can become a chore if you let it. My advice is, you need to have people around you that want to contribute, be active, and will help you run it. It's also important to find people who are genuinely interested in playing game. Not every guild is for every player and not every player is for every guild. I strongly suggest that players take the time to talk to different guilds before making a selection. Don't be shy to ask questions because there are SO many good guilds out there. We at 'Harpers Eloquence' have a guideline for new players looking that are looking for a guild. Here are the basics:

1) Stay away from guilds that spam or do random player invites.
2) Know what's expected of you as a guild member.
3) Be prepared to contribute in some fashion.
4) Like Mr. Chow says, "Quid Pro Quo." It's a two way street!

Last but not least, there are SO many guilds in Neverwinter that have good members, group goals and are fun to be in. We are very thankful and appreciative to get the Spotlight and we want people to know that there are lot of guilds just like our own. I hope that many more guilds will continue to post their achievements, promote their members and share with the Neverwinter community what they are doing. Thanks again for everything, if you ever see me running by say "hi" and good luck everyone in your adventures!

Trizdae Fae'Rynn
Guild Leader, Harpers Eloquence

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