1.  Before You Begin

1.1  Suggested Reading

• Culture: The many flavors of Salsola, and other basic information.
• Laws: About the serious offenses that can get your character in trouble.
• Associate Rank: Information regarding Salsola's starting rank and promotions.
• Policies: Our policies regarding NPCs, visitation, residency, and more!

1.2  Restrictions and Tips

OOC joining is not permitted. The natural exception to this rule is for those picking up or adopting NPCs. You can read more information below about NPC policies in Salsola.

Due to its matriarchal structure and bias, Salsola encourages the recruitment of female Luperci more than their male counterparts. Male join-ees will have to bring more impressive gifts or skills to gain acceptance.

Wandering up to the borders at random and requesting admission is not advisable. We strongly encourage one or more neutral territory encounters with a Salsolan before attempting to join. Getting a Salsolan acquaintance or friend to vouch for you is the easiest way to be accepted into the Thistle Kingdom.

Trespassing is a sure way to get your character in deep trouble. Trespassers are almost always chased off or captured as servants. If you are looking to join as a servant, please see the specified information below.

For the easiest joining procedure, check out our Salsolan Adoptables today! As already-ranked members of Salsola, picking up a pack adoptable will let you bypass the hassle of joining and dive right in.

2.  Process in Brief

2.1  Joining Salsola as a Loner

The most common joiners are characters who start out as a Loner on the boards prior to seeking acceptance within a pack. If your character is a Loner and you would like them to join Salsola, it is imperative that they meet with one or more Salsolan characters prior to attempting to join. Salsola is an extremely secretive pack with a large bias against Outsiders. Meeting a Salsolan in neutral territory is the simplest and best way for your character to find out more about the pack and eventually be invited to join. Particular Salsolans may even be out in the world looking for suitable recruits!

Having a Salsolan friend or acquaintance prior to attempting to join means that your character will have an advocate that can vouch for them. This Salsolan will also likely take your character under their wing and become their Sponsor once they have joined. There is more information on Sponsors and Wards further down on this page.

If you are not sure where to start in finding a Salsolan to meet with your character, try posting a thread-request Thread Requests & Plotting sub-forum on the boards. That way, the players of Salsolan characters will be able to get in touch with you.

Once you have had a couple of threads with your new Salsolan buddy and are ready to take the leap, be sure to bring a gift to appease the leadership. Failure to provide a gift in your joining thread is seen as a personal insult to the Salsolan leader who is deciding whether or not to let your character join, as well as a reveal of ignorance to Salsola's culture - clear evidence that your character has little Salsolan cultural knowledge.

If your joining thread is successful, you will be welcomed into your new home among the thistle and thorn. You will be assigned a Sponsor to oversee your education within the Kingdom and your journey as a Salsolan can begin!

1. Meet and befriend a Salsolan character in neutral territory
2. Receive an invitation or recommendation from your new Salsolan buddy
3. Create a joining thread with your new Salsolan buddy at the pack’s border, where one of the Mafiosi will meet to consider your prospective intent to join
4. Present a gift to impress/bribe the Salsolan leader!
5. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

2.2  Joining Salsola as a Portland Associate

Many pups are born each year to Salsolans who dwell in the off-board Salsolan Outpost at Fort Preble, Portland. Some lucky Outsiders are even casually accepted by Salsolan peers and become unofficial Salsolans. No matter the case, if your character has never before made the pilgrimage from Portland to Nova Scotia and been welcomed into Salsola Proper, they will need to undertake a joining thread.

The joining process of a Portland Salsolan is less strenuous than that of a Loner, as they will likely already be in possession of knowledge about Salsolan culture, history and law, and will come with the positive references of their Salsolan peers. Still, it is recommended to bring a gift to show fealty to the Familia.

1. Have a connection off-board to the Salsolan Outpost in Fort Preble, Portland (ex. puppies born to off-board Salsolans, NPCs coming back on-board with proven Salsolans)
2. Make the pilgrimage to the Thistle Kingdom in Nova Scotia
3. Present a gift to the Salsolan leaders who will intercept you at the border
4. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

2.3  Joining Salsola as Servitori

Sometimes, hapless Loners, mischievous trespassers, or mal-intended Outsiders are captured and brought back to Salsola to pay off their ‘debt’ in the form of servitude. Taking this route to join Salsola as either an Indentured Servant or a Mendicant requires extensive understanding of both Salsolan culture and board rules. It is not a recommended path for newcomers to ‘Souls.

If you are looking to join Salsola as one of the Servitori, please get in contact with Salsola Leadership prior to making your joining attempt.

2.4  Rejection

If your character is rejected gently – perhaps they forgot a gift or their gift was of too poor a quality to be considered worthy – you are welcome to try again, although it is recommended you do so at a later date.

If your character is chased away – be that for trespassing or any other reason – it is not recommended you attempt again. It is likely your character will only be chased away again, or, treated with further violence.

3.  Post-Joining

Congratulations! You have been accepted into Salsola! But what on earth are you supposed to do now?

After acceptance in Salsola, it is best to talk to your character’s recruiter or look into finding an IC Sponsor to help guide your character through the minefield of Salsolan etiquette. If your character joined by association with another Salsolan, get in touch with that character’s player and ask if they would like to take on your character as a Ward. Though you can choose to OOCly assume your character is learning about Salsola’s culture and laws on their own, we encourage members to work this steep learning curve out in-game. Plus, your roleplay experience will be much more enjoyable with another player to take yours under their wing!

3.1  Associates’ Trial

All new members that are accepted into Salsola will begin their journey as a member of the Associate rank. Associates are initiated into the Kingdom (and eventually promoted to the Family rank) via a trial of membership where they are bonded to and sponsored by to a higher-ranked Salsolan.

Process

The member is accepted into Salsola as an Associate and the trial begins. The accepting Mafiosi or Sotto Capo attends the newcomer and provides them with the necessary beginning information. The Central Ring ranks, a member of which is likely to become the newcomer’s Sponsor, are the most succinct and brutal with their education in Salsola's culture. They will explain the Associates' low position, and glorify the Family, dangling the possibility for the Associate to become one of the much-loved, much-trusted Family rank.

The most intense period learning and adjustment is early-on, where the Sponsor instructs the Associate (often called their “Ward”) in Salsola's cultural codes, beliefs, and other basic knowledge. Secrets and sensitive information are rarely handed to Associates, though all a good Sponsor speaks is true. The Associate is lowly in status and must obey the commands given by their sponsor. However, while the Ward is bonded to one Salsola member, they must adhere to Salsolan social codes and display proper submission toward all ranked members of the pack.

Generally, Ward and Sponsor meet on a daily basis for the first few weeks of membership (It's generally okay to OOCly assume your character meets with his or her sponsored member rather than thread it out. PM the person in question and make sure!). When the sponsor feels the initiate is prepared, they retreat and allow the initiate to interact without interference, correcting only where necessary. This period serves as a time of observation, and allows the new Associate to prove their loyalty to Salsola.

3.2  Sponsors and Wards

Sponsors can play an integral part in a freshly accepted Salsolan’s education. Though not mandatory, having a Sponsor for your character gives them someone to ask questions of IC, someone to guide them through the maelstrom that is Salsolan culture, politics and laws. The ties between Sponsors and Wards are often life-long, much as the close relationship between a teacher and a student can be.

The Sponsor must be a Salsolan ranked Family or higher. Sponsors are typically well-established in the Thistle Kingdom and relatively knowledgeable about cultural codes, beliefs, etiquette and so forth. Failures and shortcomings of a “Ward”, as the joiner is now known, reflects poorly on the Sponsor; the Sponsor's social standing and IC rank may drop. However, sponsoring a newcomer to fruition (by which they become a respectable member of the pack and are promoted to the Family rank) reflects extremely well on the Sponsor, proving their ability as a teacher and their exceptional knowledge of the Kingdom.

Generally, IC Sponsorship is only loosely restricted; we don't keep a "running list" of would-be Sponsors nor is there a particular training process.

3.3  Discord

» See Salsola's Policies page for further information on our Discord and server rules!

Like many packs, Salsola has its own Discord chat server to allow for Salsolan players to mingle, share Salsola-related content, and plan for plots and threads. This chat service is the best way to get involved in the pack, and is used regularly by Salsola Leadership to update members with news, plots and events, and other pack-related things. We highly encourage Salsolan players to join our Discord server! :)

Once you’re an active member of Salsola, you can request to be invited into the Salsola chat server by PMing Salsola Leadership. Otherwise, if you’re a member of the ’Soulschat, we should be able to find and reach you that way upon your joining of our pack!

3.4  Residence

Residences are a key facet to daily life in the Thistle Kingdom. Associates may live with their Sponsor, or, take up a communal residence in Millstone Village. If they prefer to live away from greater civilization, they may take up settlement anywhere else within the borders for free.

However, the heart of Salsola is The Ruins, a residential zone where all the most important figures of the pack dwell. Residences in the Ruins must be purchased using Game Points. A residence in the Ruins cannot be purchased until a character is ranked Family or higher.

Please check out our Residency page to see what areas are available or taken.