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Community Code of Conduct

 

0. The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

Communication is key. Neither the staff nor other players can fix issues they don't know about. Respectfully talk to people breaking rules in your scene, and if you can't agree on the rules or if they refuse to address the issue, then and only then can you contact staff via the Discord ticket system. We are invested in keeping this a happy and healthy place to roleplay, but we can't do that if people stew in silence rather than raising their issues promptly and respectfully through the proper channels (again, which first is the other player, and after the Discord ticket system).

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1. Be an Adult

In addition to literally being 18 or older, approach situations with maturity and politeness. Assume other players are acting in good faith, and treat everyone with respect. Remember to use good judgment and that the key to most disputes is open communication. A character can be an awful scumbag, but the player behind them shouldn't be. In addition, remember that you have control over who you OOCly interact with. If you have repeated complaints about the same person's OOC behaviour to you, the staff is here to support you but you should also consider blocking them or otherwise refusing to engage with them.

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2. Intent Matters

Accidentally doing something against the rules will not be treated the same as intentionally doing so. Likewise, those who apologize and correct behaviour will not be treated the same as those who defend or hide their actions. Be kind to each other OOCly, and try to forgive when apologies are made for small mistakes and misreads. This rule is intentionally broad: if you're doing something that isn't technically against the rules, but is something you should know not to do, this is the rule telling you not to do it.

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3. Keep a Paper Trail

Staff (unfortunately) are not mind readers. If you have a dispute with someone, remember to save screenshots and/or logs of the dispute, otherwise we won't be able to act on it. If you provide a ticket without logs or a screenshot, the first response is going to be asking for them in almost all cases. In addition, the only things staff can act on are player issue tickets on the Discord. If you have an issue, it is critical it goes in the system so that it can't get lost. In this ticket, please ensure you clearly state which rule or rules you feel are being broken.

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4. Don't Cheat

Cheating can be, but is not limited to:

  • Using an alt to give your character an advantage, or to increase your chances at a Limited Role.

  • Using an alt, or a separate slot, to act as an item mule or bank. There are in-system ways to store extra items.

  • God-Modding, ignoring the actions of other characters or dice without the permission of all players with interest in it.

  • Accessing things in the system you can't ICly get to. (ex. Teleporting out of prison to get a node, or into a dungeon you couldn't otherwise enter.)

  • OOCly lying to other players about how something works to gain an advantage.

  • Using chat spies or other similar tools.

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5. Don't be a Bad Actor

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Coming to Orcrest to disrupt roleplay or be malicious to others. 

  • OOCly harassing others (sexually, verbally, or otherwise). Messaging others asking for extreme kinks or to send them random intimate emotes is unacceptable behaviour.

  • Spamming in local chat, group chat, or Discord, including advertising outside of the designated area for it.

  • Engaging in hate speech, or any other chat, banter, names, profiles, or memes targeting a real marginalized people.

  • OOCly promoting real life political ideologies, including naming yourself after political figures, present or past.

  • Spreading rumours about fellow players with the intent to cause them harm.

  • Doxing (exposing real life information) fellow players.

  • Griefing of any type.

  • Ignoring staff rulings, or "staff shopping" to get a desirable ruling. If you don't like a ruling, you can appeal to the Admin team, but you must abide by it in the interim, and the appeal ruling is final.

  • Lying to staff to avoid, circumvent, or weaponize enforcement or rumor against any player without proof as per Rule 3.

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6. Don't Metagame

​Sometimes simple metagaming is acceptable (ex. "Let's go do a scene at the tavern."), however, metagaming to the detriment of or in competition with another player (ex. Camming an enemy at a tavern and going to fight them), or otherwise feeding your character information they have not found out ICly is unacceptable. As part of that, your character does not have access to any information posted into a scene before you posted in. Until you post into a scene, your character is not there and can not hear or see anything to do with that scene.

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7. â€‹Don't Blend IC and OOC

IC actions can only be met with IC consequences, and vice versa. Taking OOC action against someone for their IC conduct, or taking IC action against someone because you don't like them OOC are both unacceptable behaviours.

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8. Characters Have a Reasonable Right to Life

Killing a player character without strong IC justification is prohibited. This justification must come from that character's actions, and can not simply be because of your character's proclivities. The exception to this is that Limited Characters are always fair game - though killing one may allow someone else to kill your character. This rule is expanded upon below.

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  • Khurnaz Avatar Guidelines
    As this race is somewhat more difficult to create while still adhering to the Appearance Guidelines, we have included a list of pre-approved pieces to act as guidelines for these characters. Things not on this list are not banned, but this list does offer a starting point for style for those who want to travel off it. Descriptive text in each section covers hard and fast requirements, while the links below it are pre-approved examples. Required Features: Khurnaz Head: Head inspired by the genus Felis (no lions, leopards, etc) No eyebrows or eyelashes [• AUGUST •] - Katy cat (bento head) - Pointed ears ///ANIMA\\\ Oasis Cat - Pointed ears Khurnaz Ears: Pointed, proportional feline ears Happy paw - Lynx ears .STOIC. Lynx Parts .STOIC. Kitty Parts Humanoid body Full body fur Natural browns, in plain, striped, or spotted fur patterns (No rosettes like leopards) Optional brown, white, and/or black accents Optional brown or white undercoat (chest, belly, neck, palms, feet) KELOVI [ Puma ~ Neutral FP ] .::F::. Lion v2 - Brown M! Bobby :{Serval}: { aa } Caracals (OG) Khurnaz Feet: High ankle digitigrade pawed feet Feety Peets - Furry Paws [Male] - High or Digi [• AUGUST •] - Haru Legs&Feet [Male] - High or Digi ///Anima\\ Travelers Kicks [Male] - High or Digi Apricot Paws - Boldy Bops [Male] Cat-like eyes [• AUGUST •] - Eyes pack 2 Slit pupil Khurnaz Tail: Short to medium furred cat tail, short to medium length Catseye -Animesh Tail- *feline* [Bento] .STOIC. Lynx Parts .STOIC. Kitty Parts Happy Paw - Tiger Tail Happy Paw - Short Tail Optional Additions: Handy Paws - Furry Hand Paws [Male] Handy Pawpads - Furry Hand Paw Pads [Male] GG x :heck: LIL'TUFTS BARK - Simple Scruff [Male] evil. BOM Fluff Kit ~ Ghostly Ombra - Fuzz [Male] [M.O.R] Jake Body Fuzz

 

9. Keep your Avatar within the Appearance Guidelines

Every character on Orcrest must be 18+, an adult of their race, and otherwise conform to the Appearance Guidelines. If in doubt, submit a ticket on Discord with screenshots.

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10. Allow Fade to Black

Every player reserves the right to fade to black a scene that makes them uncomfortable. It does not nullify the fact that the scene happened, but they do not need to roleplay it out. This rule can also be used for monotonous tasks like training or hard labour, or because you OOCly have to log off for whatever reason. This rule is expanded upon below.

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  • Khurnaz Avatar Guidelines
    As this race is somewhat more difficult to create while still adhering to the Appearance Guidelines, we have included a list of pre-approved pieces to act as guidelines for these characters. Things not on this list are not banned, but this list does offer a starting point for style for those who want to travel off it. Descriptive text in each section covers hard and fast requirements, while the links below it are pre-approved examples. Required Features: Khurnaz Head: Head inspired by the genus Felis (no lions, leopards, etc) No eyebrows or eyelashes [• AUGUST •] - Katy cat (bento head) - Pointed ears ///ANIMA\\\ Oasis Cat - Pointed ears Khurnaz Ears: Pointed, proportional feline ears Happy paw - Lynx ears .STOIC. Lynx Parts .STOIC. Kitty Parts Humanoid body Full body fur Natural browns, in plain, striped, or spotted fur patterns (No rosettes like leopards) Optional brown, white, and/or black accents Optional brown or white undercoat (chest, belly, neck, palms, feet) KELOVI [ Puma ~ Neutral FP ] .::F::. Lion v2 - Brown M! Bobby :{Serval}: { aa } Caracals (OG) Khurnaz Feet: High ankle digitigrade pawed feet Feety Peets - Furry Paws [Male] - High or Digi [• AUGUST •] - Haru Legs&Feet [Male] - High or Digi ///Anima\\ Travelers Kicks [Male] - High or Digi Apricot Paws - Boldy Bops [Male] Cat-like eyes [• AUGUST •] - Eyes pack 2 Slit pupil Khurnaz Tail: Short to medium furred cat tail, short to medium length Catseye -Animesh Tail- *feline* [Bento] .STOIC. Lynx Parts .STOIC. Kitty Parts Happy Paw - Tiger Tail Happy Paw - Short Tail Optional Additions: Handy Paws - Furry Hand Paws [Male] Handy Pawpads - Furry Hand Paw Pads [Male] GG x :heck: LIL'TUFTS BARK - Simple Scruff [Male] evil. BOM Fluff Kit ~ Ghostly Ombra - Fuzz [Male] [M.O.R] Jake Body Fuzz

 

11. Use Guards Properly

If a place is guarded, you must defeat or bypass (either by stealth or by being allowed past) all guards along your path to access the guarded area.

  • Faction Guards protect and attack only their members and anyone designated under their jurisdiction; if placed outside a property, their presence indicates protection or obstruction that must be respected.

  • Redford Guards protect and attack with the Governed first, then Outsiders, then Darklings.

  • Underdark Tradepost Guards protect and attack with Darklings first, then Outsiders, then the Governed.

  • Individuals protected by guards may extend protection to others they wish, including outside the guards’ usual priority categories, unless those individuals have clearly broken the law. (As long as you are vouching for them).

  • Guards allow consensual spars, duels or trials by combat and enforce agreed conditions unless a higher authority intervenes.

  • Treat NPCs like real, motivated characters who respond to cries for help and regularly patrol. Moving a few meters outside their chat range to do nefarious stuff is generally inappropriate without the consent of someone affected.

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12. Spectate Wisely

You are allowed to OOCly observe or spectate within reason. You must have an OOC tag on and be dressed in a non-disruptive fashion (or be completely invisible), as well as not wander into private residences, bump into people, interact with people in local chat in IC areas, or otherwise be disruptive. If people who are IC ask you to move on, you must do so immediately. 

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13. Don't be Salty​

Winning is not a crime. Going into a competitive circumstance and complaining because it didn't turn out how you wanted is not the fault of the people on the other side. The dice will not always favour you, and if you are unwilling to deal with the IC consequences of your character's actions, don't take those actions in the first place. This sim is not protecting characters from 'Non-consensual Greetings' and 'Low Consequence Combat' or from other characters pointing and laughing at their IC behavior.

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14. Consent is required before Adult RP

Orcrest allows adult themes, but OOC consent from all participating players is required before any sexual RP, though frank or explicit conversation is fine as long as players who started the scene are not against it. Enthusiastic, ongoing player consent is required; without it, the players pushing the scene are in violation of the sim rules.

Any kind of sexual assault RP must be explicitly agreed on OOC, though casual discussion or reaction to public aspects of someone else's relationships, political marriages or interactions are always fair story-fodder, and basic flirtation and innuendo are fine, but pushing sexual themes on players who aren’t receptive—especially after being told no, remember Rule 0—will result in sanctions.

Public areas offer no guarantee of privacy. If you engage in adult RP in accessible spaces, others may witness it. Players may fade to black at any time. Even with OOC consent, IC actions have IC consequences. If you enter an ongoing adult scene and feel uncomfortable, don’t interrupt—either acknowledge it or quietly leave, especially in spaces like brothels, homes, or in earshot of people's bedrooms.

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Enforcement and Appeals

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Enforcement

The goal of enforcement is not to bring the book down on people who make small mistakes or have momentary errors of judgment, but rather to root out people who consistently break the rules to the detriment of other players. With that in mind, the best thing a player can do when facing an enforcement action is be upfront, be honest, and try to learn from the experience - sim staff are not out to get you, but rather are simply trying to keep the community safe and healthy.

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Enforcement actions are separated into three categories, explained below. What category a given infraction falls into is broadly determined by the specifics of that infraction, and sim staff will use their best judgement to select the correct category.

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Category 1 Enforcement
These are warnings for behaviour that should not continue, but do not warrant an immediate response. Category 1 Enforcement is typically for infractions that are: Minimally disruptive, mistakes, isolated incidents and/or misunderstandings.

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Category 2 Enforcement
These are one to two week bans for behaviour that warrants a larger punishment, or persisted behaviour after being warned. Category 2 Enforcement is typically for infractions that are: Disruptive, a pattern of behaviour, negligent disregard for rules, and/or actions that undermine the roleplay social contract.

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Category 3 Enforcement
These are permanent bans for extreme behaviour, persisted Category 2 behaviour, or flaunting of staff warnings. Category 3 Enforcement is typically for infractions that are: Majorly disruptive, break core values, involve unrepentant recidivism, involve lying to staff (Rule 5), or otherwise preclude staff from being able to trust that further issues will not arise.

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Emergency Enforcement
Staff may, on occasion, have to do emergency enforcement. This will consist of a ban in the moment, before the situation is discussed with the admin team and a final verdict reached. This typically will be for things that are currently actively disruptive, like griefing, spamming, and similar behaviours.

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Appeals

There are two different sorts of appeals, but both use the same process. The first type of appeal is a ruling appeal, asking for the admin team to look over a ruling made by another member of staff. The second type is a clemency appeal, asking for an enforcement action to be reduced or removed after a period of time.

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To do an appeal, construct a notecard and/or Discord message with the following information clearly identified:

  • SL Legacy Name

  • Discord name

  • Type of Appeal (Ruling or Clemency)

  • Infraction you are appealing (Including the date when the infraction was ruled on)

  • Why you feel this appeal should be granted (ex. Auxiliary evidence that previous staff haven’t seen, evidence of change, long term good behaviour, arguments for a different enforcement category, etc)

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Once your appeal is constructed, send it to any number of admin staff to ensure you feel comfortable it will be seen. So long as the messages are the exact same this does not count as a violation of Rule 5 (“Staff shopping”), and you can, if you wish, send the appeal to each admin in the team. The first admin to get to it will send you a message saying your appeal has been seen and will be discussed, and will copy/paste the appeal request into the correct section of the Discord for admin discussion. Once discussed, a member of the admin team will message you with the ruling on your appeal and any further information that may be warranted. Appeal rulings are final, and you can not appeal an appeal.

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Note: While all appeals will be looked over and ruled upon, any player who commits additional infractions of any sort during the appeals process will have their appeal automatically denied.

Orcrest Website by Phiona Mercy. Last Edit: May 12th, 2025

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