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Alright guys, gals, and Non-binary/genderfluid pals, say hello to the Hearthkeepers!  This is one of the more crucial areas of the region since we're the first to welcome new members here and make them feel like a part of the Wintreath family.  In other words, we're basically a form of Wintreath Integration since we do our part to help get our new members to stay around instead of passing us up for a different region.

So here's how the Hearthkeepers are going to work:

There are Three areas that the Hearthkeepers cover in Wintreath.

You have the Nationstates region page, the Discord, and the forums.  This means welcoming the new members on here when they join, welcoming them in the RMB when their nations pop in, and welcoming them on the Discord when they appear in the server. You are not required to be on all 3 platforms if you're not able.  You have the option of being either: RMB only, Forums only, Discord only, or a mix of those.  Just please let me know what areas you can cover so that I can keep it noted.

A special Discord channel will be dedicated to the Hearthkeepers.

For those on the Discord, this is where announcements of new nations popping in will be, or news of new members joining the forums.  This is also where talks of bonfire events and icebreakers will be.  So if you are able to join our Discord, please do so that you can keep in the loop of things.  However, if you can't join that's perfectly alright, as you're always welcome to take part in the daily icebreakers and weekly bonfire events.  But if you can join the server and thus the channel, just let me or another op know who your are if your Discord name is different than your forum/NS name so that you can be given the appropriate role.

Every Saturday will be a different Bonfire event.  Every other day will be a different icebreaker.

You might be asking yourself what each of these are. Well, here's the easiest way to explain:

*The weekly bonfire event will be a game or event to get people on the RMB to have a good time.  This could be a game of Corrupt a Wish or Skyscraper, a special RP event, or something of the like.  This event will start on the beginning of each Saturday, and last for that entire day.  The daily icebreaker will be skipped during the bonfire event. These will be initiated by a decided upon (via Discord) volunteer initiating the Weekly bonfire event in their post, an example being:

Hey everyone, it's time for our Weekly Bonfire Event! This week, we'll be playing a game of Corrupt a Wish.  The goal of this is to manipulate someone's wish into something not desirable, and then make a wish of your own (rinse and repeat), for example:

"I wish for a pony!"
"Granted, but it's a stuffed pony"

Have fun!

*The Daily Icebreaker is exactly as it sounds: Icebreakers to get people in the RMB and possibly Discord to get conversation flowing.  These can be daily questions, casual debate topics, anything that will ensure friendly conversation. These will be initiated by a decided upon (via Discord) volunteer initiating the daily icebreaker in bold text, an example being:

Today's Icebreaker: What's your favorite memory?

People are encouraged to answer as well as continue whatever RP they're doing, and people are welcome to not answer if they choose...this is just a fun way to break up any tension and keep things casual.

Daily Icebreakers and Bonfire Events are on a first-come basis. On Discord (in the Hearthkeepers Channel), it'll be asked who wants to take the daily Icebreaker each day, and the first person who claims it will get it.  People can also claim the next Daily Icebreaker before it's asked.  Likewise, on the designated day of Saturday, it will be asked be asked the day before who wants to take the Weekly Bonfire Event, and it will go to the first person who wants it.  It should go without saying that all daily icebreaker questions/topics and Weekly Bonfire events should be kept appropriate and SFW.  While there is no time limit for either of these to be posted on the day of, it's highly, highly recommended to be done in the morning hours of EST (since a majority of our members are in the US) so that people have the full day to participate.

Hearthkeepers are expected to be their B.E.S.T

Hearthkeepers represent the region, and therefore should exhibit the following behaviors:

Be Champions of Wintreath's Rules/Guidelines
This includes the RMB Etiquette Dispatch on our regional page, as well as the Respectful Debate Guide.  While this doesn't mean to start mini-modding others' behaviors, it's expected that you follow the rules yourself and be that role model for other members to follow, embodying that "Think before posting" mentality.

Embody the "Hearth" of Hearthkeepers
A Hearth is generally attributed to a fireplace or similar place where people gather around for warmth.  So when I say embody the Hearth, I mean that a Hearthkeeper should embody the warmth in how they come across.  While this doesn't mean to transform yourselves into an always-smiling-while-hating-your-lives Disney Employee, this does mean that I expect Hearthkeepers to be pleasant types that people enjoy being around.  This means:

>Being eager to welcome new members to our server/RMB and wanting to help show them the ropes, answering questions, and overall being that positive aspect and warm aspect.
>Disengaging yourself from events that may hit your negative triggers such as heated debates, or taking the appropriate measure to keep such events from hitting a high tension of anger/frustration (such as letting an Operator know so that they can quell it).
>Exhibiting an overall friendly demeanor that makes members feel welcome. Show them why Wintreath is a place worth staying by helping making them feel they belong.

Show a basic knowledge of Regional Events/Workings
While it's not expected the Hearthkeepers to be walking Wintreath Enyclopedias, it's at least expected that you know the basics:

>Who the Monarch is, as well as the Regional Officers (posted on the Regional page), Discord Operators, and Jarls

>What regional Events are going on (Spyfall, Summersend, Elections, Werewolf, etc..)

>What Regional opportunities exist (Ambassadors, Alder/Thane positions, Hearthkeepers, etc...)

>A basic knowledge of our government, and who to field questions to if you don't know the answer (such as RP questions to our Jarl of Culture/Thane of Roleplay)

While you don't have to be a vast source of Wintreath knowledge, It is expected that you can answer member questions (or be able to refer to someone who can for sure) and avoiding "I don't know."

Test the limits of your imaginations (within appropriate limits)
Along with being a positive and welcoming force, one thing that will keep the Hearthkeepers as a force to be reckoned with is being creative and imaginative with the Daily Icebreaker and Weekly Bonfire events.  Engaging conversation prompts can be tricky, and they should always be varied (and past DIs and WBE will be documented for reference) to keep from becoming stale and boring.  Likewise, Bonfire Events/Games should always be engaging and varied as well rather than sticking to the same game multiple times (which can also become stale and boring if done too much).  So as a Hearthkeeper, you're encouraged to be imaginative with your ideas.

Anyone can join the Hearthkeepers

There are no requirements prior to joining, and no experience is needed.  If you're wanting to be part of this squad, you're encouraged to join so long as you feel that you're able to at least fulfill the obligations of welcoming new members and acting as a role model for the region.  So if you're looking for ways to get involved with the region, I highly encourage looking into joining the Hearthkeeper family!

The Time Commitment is up to you

You can dedicate as much or as little time into this role as you'd like.  Whether it be welcoming every new nation/member you see and jumping into hosting the Daily Icebreaker or Weekly Bonfire Event, doing them on occasion, or just welcoming people when you can and overall just being a pleasant personality, it's entirely up to you how much you want to dedicate towards the Hearthkeepers.  The system itself is set up to be able to allow for any kind of schedule for the volunteers, meaning people with a lot of free time can do more if they choose, while those with busy lives can still be a part of the team when they're able, even if it's just being a welcoming face.  So if you're worried about how much you have to dedicate, it's entirely up to how much you want to jump into the role!

If you would like to join the Hearthkeeper family or if you have any questions, please send me a DM/PM on Discord/Forums (Michi), or a TG on Nationstates (Penguin Dicators)