We can't really claim this is a tradition, since the definition of tradition is to perform something at least twice. But thanks to the wonders of transmogging, Templars of the Rose added a little twist to a fond farewell raid night to one of our long-standing members, Jamus:

Pantless Raid Night

The rules were simple - no pants. Well, at least as close as you could get. Templars intended to down Ragnaros for achievements, and give Deathwing another run for his money. To do so pantless would be foolish... but that did not remove the possibility of thongs or hot pants. Such things are especially appropriate in the Firelands and Maelstrom, given the hot temperatures.

Let the screenshots begin.

The gentlemen:

Winners in the Gentlemen category: Lunarfire (fourth from left) and Pembroke (fifth from left).

The ladies:

Winners in the Ladies category: Nyres (third from left) and Arialynn (fourth from left).

A total of 2k was shelled out to the Pantless Night winners, 500 to each. The night also contained a successful Ragnaros kill, and another spanking of Deathwing. Deathwing was kind enough to gift us with our third [Kiril, Fury of Beasts], to which we have run out of hunters and off-spec druids to take the gift. The polearm is quickly becoming a running joke.

Ragnaros, on the other hand, decided the night was most humorous by dropping only trinkets.

Perhaps in the future, we will find another way to use transmog in a new and fun fashion - if indeed you can call any of the above outfits fashion.

I certainly wouldn't.

Templars of the Rose accepted 10 new Templars into its ranks in the last month. Along with veteran Templars returning from long absences, it's come time to get-to-know those currently in our ranks.

Templars is traditionally a tight-knit, personable guild, and we intend to continue that tradition by spending time to foster and develop our current community. However, we don't want to close our doors for long.

Recruitment is closed starting today, April 15 till the last week of May. Those currently in the queue will continue along without interruption.

However, if you are interested in joining Templars, please don't hesitate to send us a whisper. We're not closed permanently, and will still welcome new members in the future. You're welcome to join us ingame and have fun.

The doors will reopen May 27 and applications will again become available.

From left-to-right: (Back Row) - Jamus, Mosur, Pembroke, Jarrick, Lunarfire,
(Front Row) - Nyres, Arialynn, Koryander, Thraeda
(Feign Death) - Kanta

"Inconceivable!"

Madness of Deathwing fell to Templars of the Rose. [Gurthalak, Voice of the Deeps] and [Kiril, Fury of Beasts] dropped, won by Koryander and Kanta respectively.

Congratulations, everyone. Job well done.

Jaina Proudmoore, from the Warcraft TCG.

What's up with Templars of the Rose and Theramore come Mists of Pandaria?

Theramore may be the the focal point for an Alliance v. Horde scenario two weeks before MoP's release.

It will be razed or destroyed in some manner or form. How permanent the destruction will be, it is unknown. The full reprecussions of the destruction are also unknown. But Theramore Isle is a likely target for the Horde as led by Garrosh.

Templars of the Rose has called Theramore Isle its home since 2007. What will happen to the Templars come MoP and where they will call home next is a mystery. It's been on our minds since October 2011 when Theramore's fate was first revealed, but what exactly will become of the Templars won't be decided upon today or tomorrow. There is much roleplay to be had, and there's much ado between now and Mists of Pandaria.

So in the meantime? Well, roleplay as always. In the future? Only a soothsayer knows.

See you all ingame.

April Fools. As posted on the Earthen Ring Network.

It's come that time again... gauging interest for a new RP effort!

Earthen Ring is known for integrating game mechanics with roleplay. One system that was introduced in the last two years is the wargame system, wherein two groups can wage battle with one another regardless of faction.

The Dragonblight Campaign was a great example of Earthen Ring's capability to meld game mechanics and roleplay together. Using the new Looking For Raid system, we organized 3 separate in-character raids that acted as the climactic end to a three month long RP campaign. Let's see if we can recreate the magic again.

 Introducing an idea... The ER Guild Battle System - or World of Battlecraft.

The rules are simple, and use two separate game mechanics: wargames, and guild name change.

Rules

1. Two guilds do battle, picking their best champions.
2. A wargame ensues in a battleground of mutual choosing.
3. The winner absorbs the losing guild, including the guild's name.

For example:

The Templars of the Rose and Tears of Draenor do battle. One team wins. The end result is Tearplars of the Draenor Rose.

(Due to these guilds being Alliance and Horde respectively, the losing guild must faction-change to the appropriate faction and join the winning guild. No exceptions!)

Then the newly-combined guild Tearplayers of the Draenor Rose wages battle with The Conjurers Court. One team wins. The end result is Tearplars Court of Conjuring Draenor Roses.

Then the newly-combined guild Tearplars Court of Conjuring Draenor Roses wages battle with The Phantom Legion. On team wins. The end result is The Phantom Tearplars Court of Conjuring Legionnaire Draenor Roses.

Etcetera, etcetera.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does this connect to roleplay?
It's very likely that the end result will be some sort of mega-conglomerate guild of utter nonsense and confusion - but that's okay. We can attach it to roleplay and play it all through Mists of Pandaria. It will be a great respresentation of the total war atmosphere if Mists, plus a little silliness on the side. Really - this expansion has pandas in it, frequent guild name changes with ridiculous amounts of adjectives is relatively small in comparison.

Q: What if there's not enough money to afford all the guild name changes?
Easy. There are posts about buying level 15+ guilds all the time on the Blizzard forums. Blizzard tends to delete them, but you can catch these posts if you are fast enough. People pay real money for a high level guild - so sell yours, join the winning guild, and use the cash to pay for the name change! Problem solved. (This is also totally legal.)

Q: Isn't there some sort of character limit for guild names?
No. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. Lying people are bad. You should probably not be their friend.

Q: Should we test this on some sort of smaller scale first?
Yes! To ensure this will work, this concept will first be introduced on a character-only level. Participating characters will /duel one another in Goldshire and outside the gates of Orgrimmar. The winning player will absorb the losing player's name, gold and any non-bound items. The losing character will be deleted, and a screenshot will be posted on the Wall of Shame, hosted here on the ERN.

Q: What about guild tabards?
Out-of-character, the winning guild keeps their tabard. In-character, members of the newly-combined mega-guild must wear all the guild tabards within the mega-guild at all times. Consider it an armor bonus.

There are drawbacks to wearing mutiple layers of tabards - such as gnomes and blood elves disappearing under what looks to be a pile of multi-colored tabard laundry. Tauren and male Draenei benefit by looking even bigger and more intimidating. Forsaken benefit because dirty laundry smells nicer than they normally do.

Thoughts? Ideas? Yes/No? Feel free to post here. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

It's been a long while since the Templars of the Rose website was updated, and the nigh-arrival of Spring is a good time to wipe away the dust. All sections have been updated with current Cataclysm information, with pictures added as well. Take a looksee at what's new this year for the Templars.

As a small preview of what's-to-come, the Templars will be bidding adieu to Wowstead in the coming months - the foundation for a new guild website has been laid. Progress is slow, but there's no need to rush. In the meantime, our home is here, and it's warm and cozy.

See you all ingame.

Hey all, Kanta here!

We are now actively recruiting, in which case you can find the Recruitment thread here!

Don't be afraid now! It may take some more time for recruitment pending on everything, so long as you continue to look over the rules you should be fine!

Feel free to message me on the PM system here on in game through whispers or mail if you may have any questions!

Much /love for all! 

Another year has come, it's hard to imagine that Templars was founded back in 2007, and World of Warcraft was launched in 2004. Suddenly, the gap between those years is just a bit wider.

The website is undergoing updates to reflect on changes from the past year. The About, Mission Statement, Recruitment, and our event pages have all been updated to reflect on changes. Most notably, the recruitment process has been updated. Head to our Recruitment sections to find out more.

In the meantime, Happy New Year, and see you all ingame.

On October 3rd, 2007, the Templars of the Rose obtained its tenth charter signature and was founded on the Earthen Ring server. It's been a long four years since then.

Templars was founded by the GM Draecus, who retired from the game about one month after the guild was founded. Leadership was passed to Althwyn, who led the guild for two more years before retiring September 2009. Leadership was then passed to myself. Many of the core members continue to be part of Templars today, either an active part of the guild or popping in to say hello when RL affords a moment or two.

No bombastic RP event was planned for the fourth anniversary. Last year, a formal gala was hosted by the Templars to celebrate their third year, but the Lich King was dead and Azeroth seemed saved. To host such an event while Deathwing still flies seemed silly - perhaps such a formal event can be saved for when Azeroth isn't on fire. In the meantime, this is a celebratory note as well as a thank you.

Thank you for being a fun home for the Templars of the Rose, Earthen Ring. It's been one hell of a four years.

The Templars will receive a large anniversary gift this month once it is finished. But till that gift is unveiled - thank you, Templars, for your plentiful ideas, enthusiasm, creativity and humor. Your plot twists, your character shticks, the inside jokes and moments of hilarity on Mumble. The traditions, weekly events, the random dance parties, dragon conga lines, drowned rats, Heroic Nights, raid wipes, Harbor Markets, Mugs and Theramore Bounds. Your drunken moments (both in-character and out-of-character), Star Wars and Princess Bride references. Blind dragon jokes, Children's Week gaffes and sneaking booze into Theramore, the supposed "dry" town. There are too many memorable moments to name or sum up in a post, so I will conclude this portion with a simple: you're all nuts, love you, thank you, Happy 4th.

Happy Fourth Anniversary, Templars of the Rose. See you all ingame.

In the light of all the recruitment cycles, the large amount of applications, the work involved on both sides, Templar recruitment is still closed, and will no longer reopen in the same manner it has for the last two years.

While it is ideal to keep recruitment open to usher in new members, Templars has hit a size where its close-knit family structure is bursting from so many new recruits. We will be updating our recruitment process to better accommodate these changes, please look to those sections soon.