(IC) Nero Code of Conduct

Family Code

The Code is sacred. It binds every member, from the lowest initiate to the il Padrino at the very top. To live by the Code is to live under Diamante Nero’s protection; to betray it is to forfeit your blood, your name, and your future. The Code preserves the Family, and the Family preserves you, your ambitions, your prosperity, and your livelihood.

Loyalty

Your loyalty is to Diamante Nero above all else. Before ambition. Before coin. Before blood. Diamante Nero raises you higher, provides countless resources for your ambitions, and grants you the opportunity to want for nothing material. In return, you give Diamante Nero your oath, your silence, and—if called for—your life.

Priorities

Diamante Nero will always take care of you. Handsome salary, a wealth of knowledge and networking, connections beyond compare, and access to materials that you never would have gotten before. Diamante Nero sets you up for success, prioritizes you and your prosperity, and gives you the tools you need to be ambitious. Because of this, Diamante Nero expects your priorities to lay with it. Prioritize the Family over all else. Give your everything and your all to Diamante Nero, because it already does that for you.

Omertà

Silence is our greatest weapon. The Family’s name, dealings, intel, and bloodlines are never spoken beyond our circle. Those who break silence break faith. Never jeopardize the Family. Never disclose Family secrets or locations. Protect the Family with your life, and never let yourself be discovered as a Family member. Behave modestly. Do not draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

Respect

Respect is not earned. Respect is automatically given. the il Padrino is the sun. The Capo and Braccio Destro are the moon and stars. Each rank carries honor. Respect flows upward without question, and downward in excess. Among your brothers and sisters, speak with dignity, for they are already doing that to you. You dishonor one, you dishonor all.

Family Over Self

The Family’s needs come before your own. Greed, vendetta, or lust must never imperil the whole. Your quarrels stay in the Family; your joys are shared with the Family. Your successes are celebrated and lauded, and your losses are comforted with support and love abound. If you rise, rise together. If you fall, fall together. Diamante Nero comes first, always.

Disputes

No feud is ever carried beyond the Family. Quarrels are settled quietly; whether by talking with words for academics, or talking with blades for warriors, but always behind closed doors. To shame the Family in public is to invite ruin. To show weakness is to invite death. Do not jeopardize the Family. Ever.

Authority & Approval

No soldier acts without sanction. Hits, turf disputes, clan disputes, large deals, and other reputation-affecting decisions require the blessing of a Capo, Braccio Destro, or the il Padrino. To act unbidden is to act alone—and alone, you are nothing. Alone you will fall.

Do No Harm

Blood is not spilled without cause. Nero enforces order, not chaos. Those who prey on women, children, or the defenseless dishonor themselves and invite retribution. Violence is a tool, not a sport; wield it with precision, not hunger. Protect those who cannot protect themselves; prevent those mad with power from bringing unjust harm to others. Protect the peace.

Romance

Romantic entanglements with law enforcement agents, rivals, or those connected to competing families are strictly prohibited. You are not to touch another Family member's spouse. You may attempt to find romance within the Family, but please move with all caution and logic. Do not place the Family in the path of danger by acting with stupidity.

An Oath Evermore

Death does not free you from your vows. Even in the dirt, the Code binds you. Betrayal is not forgotten, and never forgiven. Even in death.

Powerful / Strong / Overpowered Characters

Diamante Nero is an expansive, long-standing, powerful, high-profile organization with ties across two nations. As such, some PCs are extremely strong—this is by design. To protect both powerful characters and non-combatants, the following rules apply to every character, especially and including overpowered PCs:

Dice is Law

All combat will subscribe to utilizing dice rolls for any interactions where there is tension that could potentially lead to combat of any kind. The results of the dice are law and cannot be changed or negotiated. Do not guilt trip the other party for a reroll.Diamante Nero subscribes to standard Grindstone Rules.Standard rules: attack vs. dodge, first to 3 (spar), or 5–6 (extended combat). Three would be a healthy spar, 5 or 6 (or more) would be a true limit-testing combat match.Obviously, if both parties completely consent to a narrative fight or a narrative ending, please do what you desire. There must be complete consent from both sides to decide an outcome that is against Grindstone rules.

Take The RNG As It Comes

OP characters may somehow be overpowered or outsmarted through Grindstone ruleset. If they are do happen to lose their match, take the loss as it comes and do not guilt trip nor complain. I am NOT stating to let your OP PC to be walked over. I AM stating to let other people have their wins if they manage to get them. The Dice RNG does not discriminate. Everyone is on the chopping block.

Don't Flaunt Or Overshare Power

It is perfectly acceptable to say "I have an overpowered character! Are you comfortable with me sharing more? I really want to talk about my character." And then proceeding to do so if you have been given consent; it is NOT acceptable to say "My character is xxx and yyy and they're super strong because of zzz and here's all the reasons why in this essay I will now write!"Anyone caught bragging about PC power level without express consent to share information will receive a strike.Some people just don't want to hear it. That's perfectly acceptable and fine. If they don't want to hear it, then you shouldn't be sharing it with them. There are other people that would be absolutely overjoyed to listen to and discuss an OP character, and these are the people you will want to approach. (These are the people you're also more likely to get interactions with too!)

The Guildmaster (il Padrino) is A Failsafe

For those of you with OP characters (not just strong characters), you will have met the current Guildmaster in some capacity. The guildmaster is set up in such a way to assure that the overpowered PCs have a check. That they have someone that can make them fall in line.While this guild promotes and encourages muns that are mature and reasonable about OP characters, there will not always be a time where the filtering is 100% accurate. There may be some people that slip through the cracks, and these people may be the type to go on rampages 'just because.'The Guildmaster will eradicate the rampaging individual and bring back the dead / heal the damaged to normal functioning capacity.Of course, these are all hypothetical situations, but there must be hypothetical solutions in place for hypothetical situations. Just in case.

Final Note on OP Characters

Overpowered PCs are welcome. You may write them freely, provided you follow these regulations.It is absolutely and utterly asinine to assume that a long-standing mafia that has existed from Belah'dia times would not have an OP combat force. Diamante Nero would have been trampled by now if it did not have very powerful defenders.Because of that, and the lore that encompasses this mafia, we encourage overpowered PCs to participate here. This guild is structured in such a way that it is not out of the norm for an overpowered PC to be present. However, the rules must always be followed for all overpowered PCs, including the Guildmaster.These rules exist to protect both the strong and the vulnerable, ensuring every member—combatant or not—can enjoy RP safely. Both ICly and OOCly.

(OOC) FC Rules

Age Restricted

We are a 21+ FC. Due to the mature, dark themes explored in our plotlines (including violence, crime, and moral extremities), all members must be adults. No exceptions.

Respect is Offered, Not Earned

Respect in Diamante Nero is automatic. We are a community of adults, many balance work, study, and life outside the game. Drama, harassment, or instigating conflict will not be tolerated—take it elsewhere.

Communication is Mandatory

If you are uncomfortable with a plotline, thread, or another member’s behavior, speak up. Bring concerns to leadership--which is me, Moa, so that I can address it. You will be heard here. Everything will be considered fairly.

Mun =/= Muse

Characters may embody cruelty, violence, or madness, but players do not. If you cannot separate IC conflict from OOC interactions, this is not the place for you and you should find somewhere else to call home. We value healthy boundaries between fiction and reality.

RP is a HOBBY. Not a job.

RP should be fun, not an obligation. If you need time away, feel overwhelmed, or require adjustments, communicate with me, Moa, directly. Real life always comes first—this is not a job. You can have time away for any reason whatsoever. I take time away when I need it, too.

RP Etiquette

Honestly, it's self-explanatory. If you don't know by now, you'll learn fast enough. This is a no-tolerance rule. On the flip side, however, if you are new to RP and genuinely do not know the rules of etiquette, I will list a few of the extensive, always-changing list below:- no godmodding, metagaming, or forcing outcomes without consent. (Communication is key.)- do not inject yourself into an rp without asking. Always obtain consent from all parties before you join an on-going thread.- always ask if people are available to write before you throw a starter at them. If they do not have the RP tag on, they are most likely ooc. If they do have the rp tag on, send them an ooc tell and ask them if you're able to approach icly.- if they are in a venue/public space with the rp tag on, you can just walk up to them most of the time. Read their adventurer's plate description to confirm. The only time you should ask first is if people are questing/grinding or afking at a house (or other similar situations), or if they have no profile description in-game.

On the Nature of Work, Employment, And Duties

As you reach for the booklet your recruiter had given you on the nature of work and employment, the first page that greets you is a message from the highest rank. From the very top. From the il Padrino:"You stand now within the shadow of the Black Diamond of Ul'dah. What you see here is no simple organization nor passing company of mercenaries. Diamante Nero is a Family. Our roots stretch back to ancient Belah’dia, through fire and famine, through betrayal and war. We have endured what kingdoms could not, and we endure still.Understand this if nothing else: the Family gives what few in this world can—purpose, coin, and protection. But none of it comes freely. Each hand here must labor, each soul must bleed, each voice must swear loyalty. In return, you will be fed when others starve, clothed when others freeze, shielded when others are cut down. You will prosper, so long as you remember your place within our covenant and our convictions that we embody.Protect the weak. Give prosperity to the commonfolk. Usher in and maintain peace. Do not let the history of thousands of lives lost repeat itself. No matter the cost.— il Padrino"

The Family's Expectations

Time is yours to command. The Family does not chain you to the hourglass, so long as your tasks are completed by the dates promised; work the hours that suit you most well. You are paid on salary. At the end of every moon, your payment will be delivered by the members of Affari. Some Crews command higher wages than others, for not all work is equal. Yet no hand in Diamante Nero is ever treated unjustly: each is rewarded handsomely and fairly for their burden, for their craft, for their loyalty.((Characters are free to form their own working hours. They work whenever they like to, be it how long or how little. As long as they deliver their work or finish their mission on time, they are paid luxuriously for it even if they only worked 15 total hours for the month.))

Guerra ; Warfare & Elimination

You are the strong arm of the Family.Your duties may see you escorting a caravan through bandit-haunted sands, guarding a merchant-lord at a masquerade, or reclaiming what thieves dared take from us. At times, you are the fist at a debtor’s door, the shadow watching a dignitary’s steps, or the wall that shields the innocent when the streets turn bloody.You are paid handsomely for your muscle, but make no mistake—your purpose is not mere brutality. You are the proof that our Family’s coin carries safety with it, and that even in crime, there can be honor.

Medicinia ; Medicine & Alchemy

You are the lifeblood of the Family.In the light, you mend wounds and cure fevers, offering succor at prices that commonfolk can bear—though the rich will find their purses bled dry. In the shadows, your craft takes darker form: tinctures to sharpen the body, draughts to still it, poisons to silence it. Whether you stir a pot in a quiet Ul’dahn shop or distill toxins in a hidden cellar, your hands decide whether one lives or dies.You will meet deadlines without fail. To delay a cure is to invite a funeral. To delay a poison is to let an enemy draw breath longer than they should.((Many of you will be crafting enhancing draughts: potions, ethers, tinctures, gemdraughts, echo drops, or otherwise cleansing liquids. Some of you will be crafting enfeebling draughts: poisons, paralytics, things that will be used to harm rather than to heal. You will be given a deadline for your crafts, or assigned an area for succor. You will be expected to deliver consumables on time, and will be expected to stay deployed in the area where you will provide healthcare. You are able to request reassignment at your leisure.))

Ricerca ; Research & Development

You are the mind of the Family.Your research may be arcane, alchemical, or mechanical—so long as it serves a purpose. You are afforded freedom in your studies, but freedom comes with duty: reports, drafted monthly, submitted in full. The Family funds your curiosities, and in return, your discoveries belong first to us. You may also be tasked to invent products for the Family's gain, with a deadline placed upon delivery.Sometimes you are dispatched outward—to advise on aetherial anomalies, to untangle mysteries in foreign tomes, to devise solutions where none exist. Other times, you work in solitude, weaving invention from quiet hours. Whatever your path, remember: knowledge ungiven to the Family is knowledge wasted.((As long as prototypes are submitted and progress between monthly reports is adequately documented, researchers are free to make their own hours as long as product requests are submitted on time. For researchers deployed to certain areas, you will have scheduled working shifts and can adjust your hours as necessary. You can request area reassignment for any reason, and you will be assigned elsewhere if there is availability.))

Infiltrazione ; Infiltration & Espionage

You are the silence between heartbeats.Espionage, infiltration, removal: these are your arts. You decide the contracts you take, but with them comes responsibility. Every “hit” is more than a blade—research the mark, know their habits, anticipate their steps. Strike cleanly, vanish utterly.Sometimes you steal back what was taken, sometimes you disappear what should not exist. Always, you move unseen. The Guerra fight loudly, the Affari speak openly—but you? Your triumph is measured by what no one remembers.((You may request case reassignment after research has been conducted and you deem yourself unfit to pursue it due to any reason.))

Affari ; Business & Accounting

You are the lifeline of the Family’s wealth.Merchants, courtesans, appraisers, deal-brokers—your tongues and ledgers carry as much power as a soldier’s steel. You will barter for reagents, track debts, secure supplies, and ensure every other Crew has what they need to ply their trade. You are the beating heart of this organization, pumping blood through the body of the Family.Think of yourselves as the veins that connects every ilm of the Family. Without your contracts, the Medicina cannot brew, the Guerra cannot march, and the Ricerca cannot build. Your smile is your weapon, your wit your armor, your ledger your battlefield. Be ambitious. Be greedy. Never yield. Never settle.

Intelligenza ; Intelligence & Surveillance

You are the ears and eyes of the Family.A barmaid with a sweet laugh, a knight drilling recruits, a mercantile chef with disarming food—all masks for the same truth: your task is to listen. To draw out secrets with charm, subtlety, and patience.
Every scrap of gossip, every idle confession, every drunken whisper can serve the Family.
You will report it, rank it, and sell it when needed. Know the worth of a secret: sometimes the telling is worth a fortune, sometimes the silence even more. In this Crew, your greatest skill is not simply gathering truth, but knowing how much of it to spend.((You may be assigned to gather intel on individuals, happenstances, events, places, organizations, materials, research, movements, heirlooms, or forgotten history. You may request case reassignment at your leisure if you feel the case is out of your realm of expertise.))

Ingegneria ; Engineering & Mechanics

You are the Family's producers and providers.Where Ricerca dreams, you build. Where Guerra fights, you arm them. Where Affari supplies, you transform goods into weapons, traps, or machines.Your tasks may see you reforging blades and armor, devising magitek engines in hidden workshops, constructing vaults and carriages that cannot be broken, or designing tools whose use is best left unspoken. Some days, you mend airships or prosthetics; others, you craft firearms, clockworks, or the subtle devices of sabotage.Deadlines are sacred. A machine unfinished when called upon is no better than scrap. Your forges and workshops are unseen, but your creations echo loudly through the Family’s victories. Each rivet struck, each gear turned, each secret weapon forged is another promise kept: that Diamante Nero will always be prepared.

The Final Page

"The Family asks not for endless toil, but for diligence, conviction, and loyalty. Whatever Crew you serve, your labor is more than mere work. It is the oath that binds you to Diamante Nero, the covenant that ensures the Family’s name will endure through blood, shadow, and time.It is how we realize our convictions. To feed the hungry. To grant succor to the ill. To comfort the pained. To clothe the barren. To educate the unlearned. To assist the needy. To protect the weak. To save the lives that need saving. To honor those we have lost. To protect the paltry happiness that innocent people find in the little moments of their everyday lives.To have a positive impact on even just one life.To save even just one life.For even just one singular life saved, we will walk to the ends of the earth. For just one life saved, we will sacrifice anything. To save just one life, we will do anything. No matter what it is. No matter the cost. No matter what must be sacrificed. We will always do our utmost to save even just one life.For the greater good.— il Padrino"

Activity System

Premise: Biweekly Ul'dahn Charity Drive

Every 2 weeks, Nero holds a "charity drive" in Ul'dah at The Gold Court around the fountain; for four hours.They're a typical charity group that goes above and beyond; materialistic goods (apparel, shoes, blankets, pillows, etc), hygiene products(soaps and lotions, hairbrushes and products, hairties, dental care, etc), medical examinations/medication (herbal medicines, draughts, free medical examinations, test results, etc), food bank (prepared foods that have been temperature-controlled with ice crystals that need to be warmed up in a cookpot, or shelf-stable items, pickled items, etc), food drive (ready to eat large pots of food like soups, stews, spaghetti, etc), job assistance (finding permanent/steady employment), and odd jobs (like locating lost items, filling in for a construction worker, managing a stand, etc) for those that can survive/make a living but sometimes need an extra few gil coins to get by.Because of this, a lot of the members of Nero are artisans and developers of some kind; most of the drive is run by nameless Soldato and Sotto la Mano, with usually some type of combat-capable upper echelon nearby (like an available Capo or Braccio Destro) for protection, and to have upper management nearby.This will be our biweekly activity check, and how to gauge if you have interest in the FC. Here are some avenues below on how to handle the activity check.

In-game crafting system as deliverables

Members in Allievi, Soldato, Sotto la Mano, and Braccio Destro can craft in-game items for this in the spirit of immersion.The items will be low-leveled to be accessibly craftable by all individuals (unless you want to do higher), as they will be traded in-game for actual in-game gil in return; please make descriptions to go along with your items. (preferably high quality items; Nero has a standard, but this is not required)||[ As a preface: the items will be tossed onto the marketboard if not usable by me, as I will be giving you in-game gil for these items to recoup the material costs that you had to splurge for the crafted items. Please tell me how much gil you spent to craft the item, I will give you double of it. ] ||Here is an example of what a biweekly turn-in would look likeIn-game Item: Ash Picatrix :HQ: (Lvl 13 ALC synth)
IC Name: Journal - Empty
Description: A leatherbound grimoire with empty, dotted pages primarily for writing and tablegrafting; the leather binding is ashen white, with pearly-black metal embellishments along the cover to both protect and fashionize the journal. The spine is sturdy, pages attached to the inner spine with horn glue, and each individual page has been carefully dotted, same as the last, for around three hundred pages.
Intended use: Education, Research
Delivering In-Character: 30 journals for donation
Delivering Out-Of-Character: 3 journals to save my inventory from demise; however much gil it took you to craft the item, I will pay double. (I.e, you got all materials from vendors so it cost you 2k, I will pay you 4k in real gil.)

Oneshot Writing Of Charity Participation

This avenue is open for all members, especially those who do not appreciate crafting in-game.You will be allowed to submit a document under a specific channel [to-be-updated with channel link] and that will be your activity check. I will provide details and prompts below in bullet-point format.DETAILS & PROMPTS
- word count should be 450 or above, even 449 is too little. There should be substance to it; a good balance of character thoughts, actions, and speech. If there is something happening in your character's life that has them thinking quite a bit about it, you can write it out in your post.
- Additional writing points: has your character offered any deliverables to the charity drive? If they did, detail what they offered. Why did they donate these deliverables? Is there something they hoped to accomplish with it? What are they currently doing, are they watching over the stall where their deliverables are located? Are they thinking about anything? Go wild!
- A google document is fine, no fancy spacing or coloring or lettering; something easily readable with 12pt font (or bigger), please.EXAMPLES
[ DELIVERY FOR ]: REN AIHARA
[ DATE ]: 1ST CHARITY DRIVE OF DECEMBER; DUE 12/14
[ LINK ]: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hHt9AfjXbHIwBlBuonpngxrlCoHLKEUdyY0KKq6Wo/edit?usp=sharingThat is an example of a written deliverable. The document takes you to an actual, 500 word sample of what I'm looking for. It is an incredibly old document (from before the FC revamp), but it still holds it's weight.

Writing Amongst FC Memebers

You may write with another FC member to count for activity. If you were planning to write with someone regardless and the activity check announcement went up, then this is an excellent way to tackle two birds with one stone.There will be restrictions and rules, however. All threads must be of substance. They cannot be one-and-done type of deals.- You must log the entire RP in a google doc and send it to me. It MUST adhere to a strict naming format. The format is as follows:
- JANUARY 15TH, 1ST JAN ACTIVITY PERIOD: REN AIHARA & GUINIVERE BERN
- "Due Date of Activity Check, 1st or 2nd of the month: Character 1 & Character 2 (& Character 3 & Character 4 & . . . . . & Character n)"
- There must be a total of 12 rounds of rp.
- This is an example:ROUND ONE
Post by Character 1
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam vel pretium tellus. Sed tortor enim, laoreet in lectus quis, egestas scelerisque nibh. Curabitur maximus aliquam posuere. Mauris vestibulum porta mauris. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Cras magna enim, hendrerit vel sem in, imperdiet sagittis mauris. Donec gravida elit a felis efficitur, vel congue massa venenatis. Nam condimentum eget lacus et imperdiet. Quisque ac erat at libero dignissim facilisis at commodo risus.Post by Character 2Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam vel pretium tellus. Sed tortor enim, laoreet in lectus quis, egestas scelerisque nibh. Curabitur maximus aliquam posuere. Mauris vestibulum porta mauris. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae.- That is one round, where each character posts once. You both(or all) will need to post 12 total times to for the rp to be successful.
- One sentence responses will not be counted. Please do a minimum of 2 chunky sentences.You must submit it to me as a google doc link. I will review the document and the amount of rounds completed, then count the activity for both (or all) involved characters if the thread passes requirements.

Rules & Miscellaneous Info

- Activity will happen twice a month, biweekly.
- Holiday season may not typically have an activity period. Due to my own work and school schedule making it difficult to exist during holiday seasons, there will most likely be a pause on activity for that month if it is jam-packed with holidays (looking at you, December.).
- You cannot take a hiatus when the activity announcement publishes. You may not take a hiatus up to 3 days before the activity announcement publishes. There will be 1-week prior warnings for every Activity Check.
- If you miss two activity checks (otherwise, you miss a month of activity), you will be removed from the FC to make space for someone who is more active.
- If you give ample warning (just a "hey I'mma be gone from xx-yy dates! I'll be back on zz, though! I can make the 2nd check but I'll miss the first!" as an example) then you will be exempt from it. I'm not here to boss you around, I just want to make sure the FC has an active playerbase and is able to thrive.
- Please communicate with me if you need time away from activity. I'm not very harsh or strict about it.
- I'm not here to boss you around for a shift. Please, please give me a heads-up warning that "hey, life sucks rn, imma be absent for a little bit, soz" and I'll be like "bet" and put you on a small hiatus until you're ready to return.

Allievi Probationary System

The Allievi System is a system put in place to protect both you as an individual and us as a community. To assure that everyone is comfortable with each other before a full integration into the company. Here are some further details.

Probationary Period

This system was put in place both to protect you as an individual and to protect Nero as an FC.When you first join, you will be on a "probation period" as an Allievi, this gives you time to see if you like our FC to call it your home, or if we feel you are a good fit for our family.After the probation period ends, if you like us and we like you, you will be graduated up to Soldato as a permanent member of the FC.If you do not like the FC for any reason, please tell me you're stepping out. No hard feelings. IC-Wise, please retcon your character ever having heard of or interacted with Diamante Nero. It has never been part of their story.

Mentor System

The Allievi rank is a "Trainee" rank, in which you will be assigned an upper-echelon individual to "mentor" your character on the ways of Nero; most of the time this will be someone from your own division, but special cases may be made. This will allow you to grow close with one connection, and to see if you're a good fit for the FC, and for your character to see first-hand the type of work that they will be doing and what are good guidelines on how to complete that work.Your character will have lodging provided to them via the FC rooms. Your character will be using the "break room" to sleep, and then after graduating to Soldato, you will be given 300k by Moa to purchase your FC room in the house. Your characters lodgings are ICly covered, so I will OOCly cover the cost as well.In regards to ICly being mentored: You will be given missions and jobs to complete with the guidance of your mentor. This could be off-scripted conversations of how it went, with dice rolls to influence certain actions, or it can be (PENDING ALLIEVI MENTOR AVALABILITY) a DM'd event with rules mimicking DND 5e and using simplified systems. It will be work applicable to your rank, like Guerra members doing an escort the goods/escort the high-profile individual mission; an Intelligence member having to gather specific information by tavern-crawling/charming/coercing with or without bloodshed, etc.

Time Duration

There is no hard limit on the duration of being an Allievi. I would like to say two weeks is how long, but obviously, life gets in the way and isn't a hard time limit. You can take longer if you need to, or we will assign someone else to mentor you if it is a time availability issue with your mentor.

3 IC Meetings To Graduate

While time duration has no hard limit, there are a minimum of three IC interactions between you and your mentor that are required before you can graduate to a Soldato. So three interactions in two weeks, in which you should be meeting people between those interactions to see if you like the other characters and writers in this FC. This is a trial period for you, and this is also a trial period for us. If you don't like someone or some of the characters, then it's better you know before you hard commit to the group.

If you have questions, please ask

This is the general system put in place to protect both you and Nero. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask Moa, the FC leader, directly. My door is always open, no matter what it is.

If, during the Allievi process, we are not a fit for you: retcon your involvement with Diamante Nero

For the sake of fc immersion and keeping in line with the themes and secrecy level of the FC: we ask that you retcon your character's knowledge and involvement of Diamante Nero. It is very rare, in story, that individuals do not not wish to remain in such a lxurious position. It pays handsomely, has amazing benefits, but is VERY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO.For the secrecy and difficulty of joining the organization, please retcon your character's involvement instead of having it be a permanent part of their history. Please.

Expectations

Balmung Residence

This is a Balmung FC. We do have a CWLS for associates, but we are primarily recruiting individuals for the FC.

Rule Adherence

Please, follow the rules.21+ only, don't be an ass, so on and so forth.

Activity

While there aren't any super outrageously hard activity checks, we do wish our members to have a decent streak of activity. A few times a week, say hi and maybe try to interact ICly once a week. We understand that time gets harsh for everyone, though, so it isn't a hard rule.

Voidsent & Yokai

Voidsent and Yokai are allowed, however, there are a certain set of rules they'll have to abide by. If you have a voidsent or yokai of considerable power, please see the "powerful/overpowered PCs" rules. Those will apply to you, even if you are at a general, run-of-the-mill Soldato rank. Most of the time, we do ask voidsent and yokai to find a different home to settle into. But we are willing to take in voidsent and yokai that fit well with our company both ICly and OOCly.

Open Communication

As not only a community leader, but also as a person, I would prefer open communication with me. If there's something or someone you don't like, or something you'd like to suggest, I'd really prefer you have the courage to reach out to me about it rather than let it fester. Likewise, I will openly communicate, as a leader, with you, when the need arises. For the most part, that won't be commonplace (I hope, no news is good news, generally).

Lore-Abiding [Bend, Never Break]

Diamante Nero subscribes to "rule of cool" rather than rules as written. While we abide by lore, we do bend for flavor in harmless matters to make things a little more fun. However, we do not tolerate lore-breaking whatsoever. If you're looking for a community that allows broken lore, you may look for another home. Shard-hopping is not allowed in this FC. For characters from other shards, please find a home elsewhere.

Long-term Availability

While we absolutely will not ask you to commit to us if you aren't happy, after your trial period as an Allievi, if we decide you're a good fit for us and that we are a good fit for you, we would like you to stay with us rather than leaving in the first month. Otherwise, it would be better for you to have parted ways during your trial period as an Allievi. This means sticking around for the extended future, because you'd like to make a home here with us. We do not want a large family, just a small, close-knit community of writers working towards character development rather than large-scale group plotlines.

Mature & Reasonable

We would like you to be a mature and reasonable individual, that is able to take criticism when necessary (if conflict or character-wise), and likewise we will be mature and reasonable. Please bring your criticisms directly to me, Moa/Ren, the FC Owner, and not anyone else. I will do my utmost to work with you on any criticisms you have with me or another member.

How To Climb The Ladder (IC)

Continual Activity

If you show your loyalty to Nero and continually be active in the group, making bonds, interacting ICly and OOCly, it will be a matter of /when/ and /not if/ you rise through the ranks ICly. If your character wants power in the FC, then your respective division will see what open positions are available, and work on moving your character up the ladder ICly IF your character's personality is a good fit.

Characters Who Fit

Not every character will be suited for a position of power in a grimdark, brutal, ambigiously immoral Mafia organization. Please remember that this is ORGANIZED CRIME that very often subscribes to the motto "The ends justify EVERY mean, no mater how immoral, unethical, or gruesome the means are."Not every character is suited for a position of power in this type of setting.

Responsibility, IC & OOC

There is a level of responsibility that will be assigned to you both IC and OOC when you move up the ranks in the FC. Because your character has a position of power the higher you go, the more responsibility your character will have--more gruesome, nitty-gritty work that the base level Soldato and Allievi will never see.You will essentially be given a "mananger" position at a standard workplace to put some better framing on it. While modwork decisions and general management will still fall to me, Moa, you will be a little more responsible for your respective division the higher you climb the ladder.This responsibility is something you should consider, as I may ask you for help running and managing events, activity for your division, etc.

Comfort Level

The higher the ranks, the more gruesome their tasks, and the more corruption you will find. Soldato and Allievi will hardly ever hear/see the corruption that exists in the upper ranks. When you rise higher in rank, you will encounter this corruption. Here's an example.- "Culling Weeds" (Murdering potential threats to peace, even if they are red herrings. Age is no factor whether they get culled, and most bloodlines are culled to extinction if they may potentially cause a problem. Think the "would you kill Hitler as a child?" philosophy.)
- Torture for fun, geneva suggestions (R&D Capo)
- Drug trafficking
- Murder for fun
- And other grimdark / non-sexual dead dove severity of themes.If you as a person are not comfortable with these themes and are not able to consume them, then moving up the ladder is not a good idea.

Upper Echelon Availability

While at the moment we have plenty of unfilled upper echelon ranks, they may not be available in the future when we have enough members that are able to climb the ladders, providing their characters are a good fit for power, and that they are comfortable consuming grimdark/non-sexual dead dove do not eat types of themes.If you wish to join expressly for a position of power, you can always ask Moa in advance if there are any positions available! It will be a very slow burn and you will not achieve that position of power in less than two months of activity, so please keep that in mind.