History of the Crystal Dragons

Past Clan Leaders

Start	End	Leader
-	-	High Lord Tai'Shar*
-	-	High Council
-	28 January 1999	Queen Lakarra
28 January 1999	16 January 2000	Queen Alithia
16 January 2000	13 January 2001	King Wyrmclaw
13 January 2001	15 July 2001	King Chukles
15 July 2001	14 Jan 2002	King Wyrmclaw
14 Jan 2002	-	King Gangrell
-	January 2006	King Wyrmclaw
January 2006	Present	Julisana (Interim)

* Founder

The Dragons Today
This new age began with the creation of a new website (2005) and new forums (2006). Unfortunately, the old forums provided by Little3lue had to be taken down due to financial constraints on his part, but new forums have been created, and they're better than ever! King Wyrmclaw has also stepped down from his post as Monarch, and a new guild heirarchy is in the works. This new generation of Dragon leadership is member driven, so that those who participate actively in adopted games and events have the most say in the direction that the guild will take. The Ruby Dragon Wing, which was made up of Diablo 2 players, has been retired, since there were no active members who played D2 anymore. The guild is now World of Warcraft centered, and will remain that way until another game comes along that we enjoy enough to adopt.

The Eighth Age
The eighth age began in January 2002 with King Gangrell leading the Crystal Dragons. During this period, many important structural changes took place within the clan. The development of a new rank system based on three ranks rather than nine was implemented, as well as the combination of separate branches into a single membership roster, sorted into wings. The position of Branch Lord and Knight Marshal was combined into one single position, the Game Lord. New honorable awards were introduced, the Order of the Knights Huskarl, the Order of the Knights Chevalier, and the Order of the Knights Templar. During this age, the popularity of Diablo II decreased in the online gaming community, as it became infected with cheating and hacking. In the clan, a new Blizzard game, Warcraft III, came to rise in the RTS branch. King Gangrell was elected for another term as monarch, which will end January 2003.

The Seventh Age
The seventh age began in July 2001 when King Wyrmclaw ascended to the throne again for a second reign. This reign marked a new period of expansion, particularly in the Age of Empires Branch, later renamed the Real Time Strategy Branch. In October, Starcraft again became a supported game and was combined temporarily into the AOE branch to create the Real Time Strategy Branch. In November, Empire Earth also became a supported game and was moved temporarily into the RTS branch. Following this development, the amount of new recruits in the RTS branch increased dramatically, while the number of Diablo branch members remained about the same.

The Sixth Age
The sixth age began in January 2001 under the reign of King Chukles. The major event in the tenure of King Chukles was the approval of games outside of the Diablo series to be supported by the Crystal Dragons. It was decided that the membership would be broken up into branches, each member would decide what their primary game would be, and would join that corresponding branch. In April, the Age of Empires Branch was created, led by Lord Naamor. King Chukles' reign will long be remembered as a time of expansion for the Crystal Dragons.

The Fifth Age
The millenium began with King Wyrmclaw's election to the Crystal Dragon throne. Many changes were to follow this event, including the breakdown of duchies into Dragon Wings. Wings of eight members, each elected their a head (Lord/Lady) who served the monarch. Much of the clan's constructive input was turned over from a small number of lords, to the entirety of the clan membership. New positions were created, including the Seneschal, which served as an appointed second in command. This seat was held by Duchess Alithia. The rank of Duke/Duchess was transformed into a rank to be worn by former monarchs. Barons and Baronesses became ranks for Lords and Ladies who were repeatedly elected by their Wing to lead them. The old Dukes and Duchesses were replaced by the Lords and Ladies. The smaller Wings, allowed more able leaders to find their way to the front and serve the clan. Many of the changes that took place in the beginning of the fifth age were made in preparation for the release of the long-awaited Diablo 2. During the reign of King Wyrmclaw, the Crystal Dragons prospered and experienced a revival with the release of D2. For a year, King Wyrmclaw served the clan, making sure to maintain the high standards of excellence the clan has portrayed over the years. This time in Crystal Dragons history will long be remembered by its members. Finally, in January of 2001, King Wyrmclaw stepped aside, choosing not to run again for the throne, and instead handed the crown over to begin the next age.

The Fourth Age
With the election of Queen Alithia, the fourth age of the clan began. There were few structural changes during this time, but many additions to ranks and awards, including the redefining of the Knight Marshall's duties with the election of Knight Marshall Wyrmclaw. Also, a Clan Ambassador was established to improve relations with other clans. Though Ambassador Raine was the first ambassador, the second, Ambassador Vialls, established a comprehensive description of the duties associated with the position. The clan remained relatively unchanged for a period of time, but with the decline in interest in Diablo, active membership dwindled and the four duchies were combined into two. While active membership had declined, the clan survived by a strong leadership and active core of members. The fourth age ended with Queen Alithia stepping down as monarch.

The Third Age
The next structure was made up of a Council of Dukes being answerable to the Knights of the Clan, all in service to an elected monarch, Queen Lakarra. During this age, the clan's membership grew rapidly after a new website was established. Our rapid increase in size caused some delays in training new recruits and many lost interest but our membership remained significantly strong. Many of our allied guilds from the early days folded and/or disappeared without trace (though we are told the Arcane Magistrates will be reforming soon) but this Clan struggled through and survived.

The Second Age
The members decided against replacing Tai'Shar with another 'High Lord' but that it was time to move on from the established Clan structure. A High Council of the four Barons and an ex-Baron was established on decision of all the members that remained. The High Council did not last very long with no new website for flow of information (as Tai'Shar had maintained it before). It was felt that a strong central leadership, implementing ideas decided by a small Council (whose ideas came from the normal members), was needed.

The First Age
The Clan was founded by High Lord Tai'Shar on December 20th 1997. Under Tai'Shar were a number of Barons, each with Knights and Infantry. The Clan at that time allowed the killing of enemies (as decided by Tai'shar). Tai'Shar was asked to step down from his position for the good of the Clan, so the leadership of the Clan should be decided by the members. Take a look at the oldest known Crystal Dragons website.

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