Hidden deep in the earth, where the only light available is that of torch and candle and lamp, The Covenant thrives. A truly warbound and vicious group, they take what they want and kill whoever they please. By day their territory is silent, by night it comes alive with the sounds and sights of patrols and hunting. They fear no one and bow to no one.

Here, only the strong survive.

THE TERRITORY

The lands that The Covenant calls home is a wide land of grasses. Sparse trees dot the landscape. An ancient stone city sits atop the grasses, seemingly empty. It's abandoned houses surround a wide circular dip in the earth, paved with red-stained stone, with seating surrounding it and a circular stairway up.

Underneath this city is where the group truly resides. It consists of a sprawling cave system stretching several hundred miles in every direction. Some caves are unused, some have collapsed, but the majority of them are used by the Covenant for housing, travel, and sparse hunting. Directly under the city is the main cavern, known as The Hold.

Presumed to be carved by ancient humans thousands of years ago, The Hold is lit by torches and lamps. Columns of stone support the 100-foot-high cavern, with intricate carvings scrawled into them. Inlets in the stone act as storefronts or temporary housing. A stairway leads up to a separate housing for the Sentinel. It is 50 feet above the floor. The housing for the Templar is housed 10 feet from the floor, with a wider balcony in order to assist patients and prevent falls.

Even further below The Hold is the third and final layer of The Covenant's home - simply called "The Lower Level", it acts as a holding place for Slaves, Captives of War, and those awaiting punishment. Lit only by candle and lamp, it is cold and damp.

THE RITUALS

The group has two rituals: Blood Rock Trial and Initiation.

Mentorship- Mentors and Apprentices are decided when the Apprentice turns 5 months, they will train for some time (varies between Mentors and Apprentices) and the end goal is for the Mentor and Apprentice to have a parent/child or sibling-like bond by the time the apprentice begins the Blood Rock Trials.

Blood Rock Trials- Blood Rock Trials take place in the center of the city above the main camp. The whole of the group is to watch the apprentices as they spar against their mentor and then the sentinel. After this, a feast is held in the main cave for the Apprentice(s).

Initiation Ritual- Initiation Ritual - Held every now and then, this ritual is insinuated by a Slave or Captive becoming a Commoner through voluntary want or being proven worthy. The Sentinel gifts the former slave a necklace that holds a single ember stone. It signifies the start of their new lives. Former slaves are given respect and are treated as Commoners. Should they break any rules, they are given three warnings before being demoted to Slave yet again.

Raids are commonplace here, often led by The Council, Centurion, or Sentinel.

THE RULES

Despite their warbound nature, this group has a set of laws in place to ensure The Covenant runs smoothly and does not drive itself into the ground.

- Sentinel's word is LAW, failure to respect it and follow it will result in punishment. Severity depends on how severe the crime against the word is.
- Cannibalism and other such crimes are not permitted on group members and allies. Breaking this law will result in severe punishment.
- When raiding, whatever you find is now yours.
- Deliberately disobeying the Sentinel, Centurion, Council, or Templar will result in punishment.
- Aiding enemy groups will result in exile or death.

THE RELATIONS

The Covenant is strictly Warbound. They may have one or two alliances, but these are with like-minded groups. However, with their tenacity and willingness to kill any and all who trespass on their home, those who do know of this group will steer clear until they are sure an agreement can be made.

Allies: Tribe of The Fallen
Neutrals: No one
Enemies: All currently listed groups.

THE RANKS

Sentinel - The Leader and Law of The Covenant. Their power is supreme, and they are capable of calling meetings and raids on other groups. They are renowned for their violence and viciousness, as well as their strategy and battle planning.
Josiah Fauls, played by Dio.

Centurion - The Deputy and Right Hand Man of the Sentinel. Acting as an Enforcer, they are the one who executes Punishments. They can also lead raids on other groups.
Character, played by Player.

Council - Made up of 5 trusted individuals, the Council aids in the decision-making of The Sentinel. Their propositions can be Vetoed.
Character, played by Player.
Character, played by Player.
Character, played by Player.
Character, played by Player.
Character, played by Player.

Templar - The Healer of The Covenant. They have a say in the Council. They are allowed to have up to two apprentices to help ease the work load.
Character, played by Player.

Commoners - The general populace of The Covenant. They can set up jobs and stores within The Hold. Commoners can confide with the Council to help come up with decisions at times.
Infinite!

Bone Meal - The Slaves and Captives of War. They have no rights as long as they are considered Bone Meal, but can prove their worth and become Commoners. From there, it's up or down.
Currently there are no Bone Meal.

THE HISTORY

Josiah Fauls
[spoiler] Our first documented rule is that of Josiah. Following a brutal revolt and the slaughter of all former HP's, the distant relative of the late Sentinel steps up. He starts a new age of violence while also opening the borders to newcomers. More is to be added as events happen.[/spoiler]

BoBCats,

It has almost been six years since we started on this adventure. We've encountered our fair share of highs and lows together. Truly, I am grateful for everything we have done together as a community. I hold these memories close to my heart and want to carry on making more pleasant times for everyone. Watching us grow over time has been a pleasure and I want to continue on that pathway. That said, I would like to announce Beast of Beyond's official revamp.

As many of you know, Beasts of Beyond was created back in 2018 with haste. While we have grown and adapted to make up for that rush, there were a few issues we encountered in our time that could not be remedied. After discussing these things deeply with staff and poking you guys over time on your opinions on how things are going, we feel that we have solidified a way to create a firm foundation for a new world. Along with that, a few changes to our platform, Discord, and how we run things overall. I will explain each aspect in depth below.

As always, we do value community input and want to encourage discussion. Please comment your thoughts on each topic if you have anything you'd like to contribute or ask.

---

I'd like to start with the most pressing issue... Beasts of Beyond has ran on Simple Machines Forums (SMF) 2.0 for almost six years now. Our users have gotten used to the platform and found it is comfortable. Even so, SMF has upgraded to 2.1 and is in the process of creating 3.0. The last update to 2.0 was in 2021, leaving us behind by two years, and potentially more if we do not upgrade. While I would love to stick with SMF, I have been running into issues with upgrading to 2.1.

Three of our key modifications are out of date and cannot run on 2.1 without changes. Those being post templates, BBCode template coding, and subaccounts. I have managed to get BBCode template coding working, but the ability to save post templates and switch between accounts is something I will have to commission. After consulting some coders, the estimate for work is around $850 and it would take several months to finish. This does not include the other fees I have to take to keep the site hosted.

We can try to fundraise to stick to a familiar platform and upgrade our modifications accordingly. It may take some time, but I do believe we could do it. That said, there are other options.

Another option would be switching platforms. There are multiple options, but I have greatly considered MyBB and Xenforo as possible additions. MyBB is free, while Xenforo is paid forum software and is significantly pricier than what we are dealing with now (especially if not self-hosted). To make things simpler and easier to read, I will include a table pointing out the difference between each platform below.

Our final option is to stick with 2.0 and pray that things will get updated eventually... Truthfully, I do not see this happening though. The modifications mentioned have been abandoned and not updated within years. It is highly unlikely that something will come to replace it, especially so quickly. I worry that sticking with 2.0 will cause us to lose out on modern technology and, in the end, be more trouble than it's worth. While I love SMF, I cannot help but prioritize what is best for us.

To see our options, please check out the table below.
[spoiler=Platform Options][/spoiler]

Please discuss our options and vote for your preference within this topic.

Awhile back, the community voted on whether we should raise the age limit to Beasts of Beyond. Raising the limit from 13+ to 16+ was highly favored. When we officially decide on the site's platform, we will be switching over to sixteen years or older. 

Since we are raising the age limit, we would also like to introduce a list of topics that require a trigger warning, along with banned topics. Previously, we ran under 13+ regulations, but since our new age limit is in a weird in-between spot, we'd like to flesh out specifics to make things easier for everyone. If you'd like to suggest topics to require a trigger warning or be banned completely, please contribute to this thread.

With everything below also, we will be updating our 'Guides' tab. This will happen after the platform change. We would like to hear what guides need to be updated and need to be added here.

Beasts of Beyond would like to introduce a new world for animal roleplay. Before you worry, old characters and concepts are more than welcome to be included. A few changes include:

Group / Map Creation:
While there is a general idea in mind, the new groups will shape the map. Similarly to how groups were established previously, users will have a chance to introduce their own groups and ideas to be developed into official groups. While there are no set rules for creating a group, all other site rules do apply and users must acknowledge that any groups made official become property of Beasts of Beyond, subjecting them to alterations over time (especially with leadership changes).

We will also be welcoming former groups, including official groups, to be included in this. Current leaders of these groups have priority, but if they do not wish to proceed or have fallen inactive, then their revamp is up to the community.

If you want to submit a group for consideration, please post your ideas in the board and then submit them for the future vote within [url=https://beastsofbeyond.com/index.php?topic=29924.new#new]this thread. There is also a thread for general brainstorming and idea dumping here.

I look forward to seeing your ideas!

Base Lore:
Our current lore is based on a post-apocalyptical situation that spans into fantasy. We have decided to switch our focus to fantasy completely.

To accommodate for many religions and backgrounds, we have decided to avoid the idea of introducing a God or multiple of them. Instead, the idea of a local deity has been proposed. Simply, this nature-based deity is the driving force behind shepherding humans away from the land. This allows human items/accessories to still get onto the land, along with animals from human-based backgrounds (such as former pets).

The nature deity has no name yet, but their design idea is currently a large owl that surveys the land and watches for any potential threats. They can be seen in quick glimpses, but do not make any sound due to their silent flight. Very rarely, they may speak, but not through their own vessel. Instead, they take control of other animals and speak through them.

This deity has a few assistants to help them. Each assistant will have a very subtle marking or mutation to dictate they are a servant to the deity. To start, there will be a representative for the land (badger), sea (otter), and sky (undecided). As Beasts of Beyond expands to use more NPCs, then there may be more added.

Within the base lore, we would also like to include the transfer of old/current characters and groups. There are multiple options to do this, such as the deity moving them to the new setting, or an unknown force teleporting them elsewhere. We are open to more suggestions from the player-base as this concerns your own characters and groups.

We would like to discuss this more in depth, including fleshing out character designs. Please contribute your thoughts here.

Questing / Classes / NPCs
With the addition of the new lore and the NPCs that come from it, Beasts of Beyond would like to reintroduce questing, along with 'classes.' These are completely optional roleplay options, as they do not influence main plots whatsoever. Instead, they are a way to gain extra currency or powers for your characters. More information will come out about this later on.

Powers / Bodies / Mutations and Currency:
Powers, bodies, and mutations have been needing to be redone for awhile now. The same goes for the currency system, as these go hand in hand. Until we know which platform we are choosing, nothing is set in stone in the long run with this. Nonetheless, changes need to happen with both systems.

At the moment, currency is hyper inflated. This may be due to post templates providing extra gems. In some cases, this hyperinflation may even provide an unfair advantage, such as one character having all the powers. We want to rework the site currency and correct the scale of pricing so that the shop is fair to everyone (gems that have been acquired through donations will not be removed), along with potentially setting a limit on how many powers are allowed per character. Not only this, but changing, adding, and editing powers so they cannot be overpowering. This is something we want to discuss as a community before proceeding, so please put your general thoughts here.

The Discord server(s) need a lil tune up! Mainly, channels and how the server looks in general. We also need to purge some older/inactive members to keep things fresh, but this will be very very very limited.

Ideas for this will be discussed more on Discord to centralize the discussion a bit more around those who use that platform, as not everyone does. Please check our Discord for a channel discussing this topic.

---

Overall, I hope everyone is open to these changes and is willing to discuss them with the community to make sure everyone is satisfied. I cannot thank everyone enough for sticking with us over the years. Hopefully, these changes are welcomed and will improve our community and our experiences.

If you have any additional comments, questions, or concerns, you are more than welcome to contact a staff member, post in the Helpful Hub, or within #questions-and-suggestions on Discord.

Thank you for reading,
Orion

Powers, bodies, and mutations have been needing to be redone for awhile now. The same goes for the currency system, as these go hand in hand. Until we know which platform we are choosing, nothing is set in stone in the long run with this. Nonetheless, changes need to happen with both systems.

At the moment, currency is hyper inflated. This may be due to post templates providing extra gems. In some cases, this hyperinflation may even provide an unfair advantage, such as one character having all the powers. We want to rework the site currency and correct the scale of pricing so that the shop is fair to everyone (gems that have been acquired through donations will not be removed), along with potentially setting a limit on how many powers are allowed per character. Not only this, but changing, adding, and editing powers so they cannot be overpowering. This is something we want to discuss as a community before proceeding, so please put your general thoughts here.

For example, questions that could be answered are:
a) Any power changes/limitations to be added?
b) Any new powers?
c) Any powers to be removed?
d) Mutation limitations?
e) New body types?
f) How to handle currency hyperinflation?
etc...

Have an idea that you don't feel like executing and want to leave up for grabs or need to brainstorm ideas? Post here! All are welcome.

While there is a general idea in mind, the new groups will shape the map. Similarly to how groups were established previously, users will have a chance to introduce their own groups and ideas to be developed into official groups. While there are no set rules for creating a group, all other site rules do apply and users must acknowledge that any groups made official become property of Beasts of Beyond, subjecting them to alterations over time (especially with leadership changes).

We will also be welcoming former groups, including official groups, to be included in this. Current leaders of these groups have priority, but if they do not wish to proceed or have fallen inactive, then their revamp is up to the community.

Currently, there is no deadline.

To apply, fill out this form:

- The Covenant
- Descendants of the Departed

We will be updating our 'Guides' tab with the platform change. We would like to hear what guides need to be updated and need to be added. If you have specific ideas, please comment below.

Since we are raising the age limit, we would also like to introduce a list of topics that require a trigger warning, along with banned topics. Previously, we ran under 13+ regulations, but since our new age limit is in a weird in-between spot, we'd like to flesh out specifics to make things easier for everyone. If you'd like to suggest topics to require a trigger warning or be banned completely, please contribute to this thread.

So far, the list is compromised of:

Beasts of Beyond has ran on Simple Machines Forums (SMF) 2.0 for almost six years now. Our users have gotten used to the platform and found it is comfortable. Even so, SMF has upgraded to 2.1 and is in the process of creating 3.0. The last update to 2.0 was in 2021, leaving us behind by two years, and potentially more if we do not upgrade. While I would love to stick with SMF, I have been running into issues with upgrading to 2.1.

Three of our key modifications are out of date and cannot run on 2.1 without changes. Those being post templates, BBCode template coding, and subaccounts. I have managed to get BBCode template coding working, but the ability to save post templates and switch between accounts is something I will have to commission. After consulting some coders, the estimate for work is around $850 and it would take several months to finish. This does not include the other fees I have to take to keep the site hosted.

We can try to fundraise to stick to a familiar platform and upgrade our modifications accordingly. It may take some time, but I do believe we could do it. That said, there are other options.

Another option would be switching platforms. There are multiple options, but I have greatly considered MyBB and Xenforo as possible additions. MyBB is free, while Xenforo is paid forum software and is significantly pricier than what we are dealing with now (especially if not self-hosted). To make things simpler and easier to read, I will include a table pointing out the difference between each platform below.

Our final option is to stick with 2.0 and pray that things will get updated eventually... Truthfully, I do not see this happening though. The modifications mentioned have been abandoned and not updated within years. It is highly unlikely that something will come to replace it, especially so quickly. I worry that sticking with 2.0 will cause us to lose out on modern technology and, in the end, be more trouble than it's worth. While I love SMF, I cannot help but prioritize what is best for us.

To see our options, please check out the table below.
[spoiler=Platform Options][/spoiler]

I would like to hear your in-depth thoughts about each option, not just a vote. This is a big decision that will effect our site's future.

Personally, I am conflicted. SMF's community has always been welcoming and has gladly assisted us with our many issues, but we are being held back from upgrading (due to cost and time). If we upgrade to 2.1 without fundraising, we can always just login between accounts or use post templates to signify what character we are roleplaying... That is not my favorite idea though.

On the other hand, MyBB is a free platform that includes a lot of the features that we already have. It does lack an up-to-date shop feature and that is a big part of our site too. This platform also has slightly working modifications to have post templates work, but it's not exactly ideal. That is why it's listed as 'somewhat.'

Xenforo is a paid platform. This can be fundraised, but I can also shoulder the costs myself. We would be losing posting templates with this platform.

Overall, I want to stick with what we know, but at what cost? This is WHY I want your input.