Out of Character Rules

1. You must be 16 years or older before you join Ardent.

2. Multiple aliases are not allowed on Ardent. Please stick to one alias -- we will find out if you are using multiple aliases and have no tolerance for it. Doing so can result in temporary or permanent banning.

3. We have zero tolerance for rudeness. Please be courteous to fellow members and treat others as you would want to be treated. Please keep out-of-character disputes outside of in-character events and please refrain from having in-character events affect the way you treat other members. Members will be warned twice before being banned if they misbehave.

4. Concerning polls: whether it's voting for Character of the Month or voting on a site issue, multiple votes per person are not allowed. Every player is allowed one vote per poll, not every account.

5. We have zero tolerance for art theft, so make sure you have permission to use the images you choose to use. If we find that you are using someones art, you will be asked to take it down and not use it. If the art is not taken down we will delete it and warn you. If you see an art piece that you think is being used without permission, please tell a staff member and do not bring it up to the person in the c-box.

6. We allow you to have music on your profile, but it is not allowed to be an autoplay. Feel free to add a small youtube video to your characters profile but if the music plays on profile click we will have to get rid of music all together.

Posting Rules

1. All in-character posts must be at least 100 words.

2. Posting tables and signatures must not exceed 650 pixels in width. The avatars used on site are limited to 200 pixels in width and 300 pixels in height.

3. Do not, under any circumstance, make an out-of-character post in an in-character board. You can use the our on-site personal-messaging system or the chat box to get in contact with other members. This rule is in place to keep accurate post counts and our gem currency true to our players’ activity. However, small out-of-character notes are allowed to be included in an in-character post.

4. Do not double post. When making a post, please only post once. If you do, please post in maintenance so that a staff member can correct your post count and gems.

5. Please do not delete your IC posts. If you made a mistake and didn’t mean to post, please alert a staff member so that your post count and gems can be corrected. Please do not simply remove your post, saying “please delete.” There is a lot that goes on, staff will not always catch that unless they are alerted.

6. Please use the appropriate tags to mark your threads. Unmarked threads can be a bit ambiguous in terms of who is and who isn't supposed to be in the thread. We highly recommend you use thread descriptions to tag characters you expect to post, to avoid confusion.

marks an "all welcome" thread, signifying that anyone on the site can post there.
marks a thread as "private," and the thread owner can ask for your posts to be removed if the thread is not intended for you.
marks a thread as "pack only," meaning it is strictly for pack members.
is a "joining" thread and helps signify to an Alpha that a character is attempting to join, or discuss joining, their pack.
marks a thread as "mature" and viewer discretion is advised. This tag can be for violence, sexual content, language, or anything else you feel is mature.
signifies a fight or spar thread.

Notes in signatures stating that Character B may be in any of Character A's private threads are allowed, however this is to be reserved for characters with an immediate, compelling reason to be in all of Character A's threads, such as a mate, parent of a young character, a character's young children, slave/slaver, or bodyguard - this is not to be used to allow a character's friends and acquaintances into all of their private threads. There must be a genuine, provable reason for that character to be in Character A's private threads. If this privilege is being abused the signature may be removed by staff and the player given a warning. If you have concerns about who is allowed in someone's private threads please speak privately with a staff member.

Additional notes on Private threads: Alphas may enter any threads marked as Private that take place on packlands. Also, threads started by non pack members who make "Private" threads on packlands can be entered by anyone in the pack.

In Character Rules

1. Please keep in mind that Ardent is a PG-13 site. If you believe your thread will exceed this rating, please make sure to mark the thread title with an M for mature. While this mark may be used for excessive adult language and sexual encounters, it does not permit for exceedingly detailed sexual posts to be written. If you feel like your post contains ‘triggers’ such as rape, beatings, ect., please edit in a trigger warning as well.

2. We allow liquid time on Ardent. This means you may be in multiple threads at once, some which may be in the past or future of one another, and in various places at once. We encourage members to understand the timeline in which events take place for their characters to avoid confusion, as well as sticking in the current season.

3. Every 8 out-of-character weeks is one season in-character. The current season will be listed in the welcome table on our front page for reference, as well as listed on the Map & Seasons page of the guidebook.

4. Each player has 11 free character slots. All members are allowed up to 11 characters without a gemstone cost. If you would like to exceed this limit, additional character slots can be bought in our gem-store with our on-site currency.

5. The homelands of packs on our home page are colored, and match up with the pack colors on the sidebar. Be warned that trespassing on a pack's lands can be met with punishment! It is your responsibility to check if a land belongs to a pack before posting there.

6. Be aware of who you are threading with. Some characters come with warnings in their signature. If it says they are prone to violence, it is up to you to decide if you would like to thread with them or not. If you have a character who is prone to violence, please do warn others with placing it in your signature. However, if you are feeling bullied or treated unfairly, don’t be afraid to bring it up with staff.

7. Be aware of where you are threading. In addition to pack lands where trespassing may earn IC punishment there are three lands with very specific OOC rules:

Somnium is intended as a place for dead characters to interact with each other, or with a living character they either knew in life or are directly blood related to. It is not for two living characters to thread together. A longer explanation of the rules is pinned in the forum.

The Battlefield and The Boneyard are intended as a claiming ground as well as for official fights such as pack challenges. Spars, maims, and death matches are also allowed to be posted here if desired. Unless participating in or spectating a battle a pack wolf under Tier 2 should not be posted to threads in the Battlefield as they have no ability to claim and therefore no authority in the Battlefield. Please see the Guidebook page 05. Fighting and Judging for more information regarding claims in the Battlefield and The Boneyard.

Cbox rules

1. The Cbox is a privilege, not a right. The Cbox is there for your convenience only; by no means do we have to have it. If you abuse the chat box you will lose the privilege of using it. It is a social center and you are expected to treat everyone with respect and kindness at all times.

2. Please keep inappropriate or mature conversations out of the Cbox. If you feel the need to discuss anything that may seem mature in any way please take it off-site or to private messages. Staff will not tolerate inappropriate conversation in the Cbox. This includes adult language, references to drug use, etc. Please realize our Cbox is public and that we have players who are as young as 13 years old. It is the first thing many visitors see when browsing our site and they should not be subjected to foul language and mature topics. You will be warned, but if you do not listen you will be temporarily banned from the Cbox.

3. No spamming or impersonating others. Spamming is irritating and flushes out chat logs we sometimes need to reference. You also risk being banned from the Cbox by doing it. Impersonating people is also not allowed, especially if you are impersonating another on-site member in bad spirit.

4. Keep interpersonal issues out of the Cbox. Similar to our public forums, the Cbox is not a place to discuss personal matters, whether you are having a difficult time at home or have an out-of-character dispute with another member. It is understandable when members feel the need to reach out during a difficult time but it’s best to do so through Skype or through on-site private messaging.

5. There is zero tolerance for arguing or mean behavior in the chat box. Rude messages will be deleted without warning and members will be warned twice before receiving a temporary ban. Please use an off-site messaging system or private messages to resolve conflicts in a mannerly order. If an admin is alerted that you are treating members disrespectfully off-site you can expect not only to be banned from the Cbox, but to be banned from the site as well.

6. Please refrain from commenting on other peoples' posts and/or their characters actions in the cbox. This goes along with keeping IC separate from OOC. If you do not like or agree with a character's actions, or you believe they are acting in a manner that is based on out of character feelings, first remember that no one knows a character better than their player, and it is their choice what the character does. Commenting on it in the Cbox strongly borders on breaking rule #5 above. Comments like "Jivi is being pretty evil, I don't know why his profile says he's neutral if he'd do something like that" or "Mana is acting pretty weak" only serve to upset or anger the character's player. Comments denigrating someone's pack rules also border on bullying. Even if you are joking keep in mind that text does not convey humor easily and jokes at another person's character/post/pack's expense can still cause hurt feelings. If you truly believe there is a problem or you want to share an opinion on someone else's character's actions, please take it to a private chat or discuss it with a staff member.

7. No advertising other sites in the Cbox. If you feel the need to share off-site forums with other members please do so privately.

8. Staff are to be obeyed at all times. If a staff members asks you to stop talking about a certain subject or to take the subject elsewhere, their word is final. Not only should you obey a staff order, but you should refrain from speaking in any spiteful or passive-aggressive notion. As with arguing or mean behavior we have zero tolerance for drama or clique-like behavior. If you feel you need a mediator to help you sort out a dispute with another member please contact an administrator. Note that any back-talking will not be tolerated. If this rule is not followed, you will be banned from the Cbox temporarily with no questions asked

9. Staff are also not to be asked to perform staff functions in the Cbox. This includes but is not limited to requests for characters to be accepted, maintenance requests to be completed, or purchases and refunds to be completed. All staff functions are performed regularly by staff on their own time, reminders and nudges are not necessary. 

10. Feel as if you are being treated unfairly? Take a screenshot and report it to staff. Do not be afraid to take screenshots and report misbehavior, even if it involves another staff member. We desire for all of members to have a respectful and friendly environment in which to have positive experiences.

Selling Art for Gems

1. If someone pays for a graphic, you cannot include that in a 5 graphic batch to get the normal 50 gems. The normal 50 gem claim is still available to anyone who does NOT charge for their graphics, however.

2. The gems will not be going into your account, but will be stored in the Gemstone Credit instead.

3. In order for payment to be made, the buyer must post in maintenance with a link to the purchase. Also, please do not delete these requests from your store. This is for the protection of both the buyer and the artist, as well as to minimize any confusion with double claimed gems. They will be stored in archives for this reason. 

4. The artists are allowed to make their own rules when it comes to the amount of gems and if you are to pay before or after the graphic is done.

For the buyer:

1. Post in maintenance with a link to your request to pay for the art. Each purchase made to different people must be made in separate posts so that they may be archived.

2. Remember to include what account(s) the gems will be coming from.

3. Please don't complain about an artists prices being too high, or that you don't like the artist's style. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

4. Don't go off and spend the gems that you promised to the artist instead of paying them. After posting in the shop, you WILL be held liable for that payment. If you must cancel an order, please make immediate arrangements with the artist, who may release you from your obligation.