"Oh, death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed, knowing better men would come,
And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death, for lives: not men, for flags."
Ladies and Gentlemen of HTRP,
For years this guild has lived on with the sacrifices of many. What has gone on here can only be called Legendary. The very journey that we, as a guild, embarked upon is unrivaled by any other on Gaia. The standard for role playing has been set, and a message has been sent to all those that look to us: We are never-ending, an always prospering community. No matter how many blows we take as a guild we keep going back for more. In eight months we managed to post over five thousand times, and without you members none of it could have been accomplished. I have never, truly, known a greater league of individuals other than yourselves. What you've done here today will go down in history forever.
As many of you might know one of my first projects as the Captain of Halo: The RP was to create an archive for all of our finished role play threads. After countless hours of work the Museum of Humanity was achieved in it's beauty. But the Museum of Humanity not only contains every role play thread ever concocted in Halo: The RP, but also the full CSV of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. The Master Chief was a beacon of hope, the light in the darkness for the Marines during their fight for survival. It is said that even his mere presence stirred the Marines into an unstoppable force.
I can't say for sure whether or not I have the same effect on all of you, but time and time again I've been approached by members seeking guidance. I can't tell you how much that actually heightens my spirit; even being called "sir" occasionally has helped raise my morale. But I don't want that from all of you. I don't know if I've deserved to be your Captain, really. Hell, many of you don't really know how I even got to be Captain. I'll tell you my story.
For nearly a year Halo: the RP had been dieing a slow and relatively painful death. It was my first guild and I was striving to really show that I could role play with enormous vigor. I've been in Halo: The RP for nearly all three years of my time on Gaia and without it I can't say I would have ever found my longing to be a writer. Well I was given the guild by Norijitsu who whole-heartedly believed in me, trusting me with his most precious of possessions. What was I to do with HTRP? I had been role play well for a year, and I had no idea what to expect come January. On the eighth of January I shut down the guild, deleted everything and built from the ground up, and then sent messages to many users urging them to return. Since then it's been more active than I've ever seen it.
Once again, you guys truly impress me with your independence; the independence all of you exemplify in this guild has made everything worth the sacrifices along the way. I can't believe what an amazing job you've all done. Sitting here, typing this, it all really hits me. The growth of HTRP is phenomenal, by all means. I'll bet most of you didn't even know we had a group on Bungie.net! The armory was rebuilt from scratch, as well as the Mars Shipyards and Recruitment Center, all done with the help of the members here. Without you guys we --- I --- wouldn't have anything.
It's really emotional for me to be typing, not knowing what's to become of the guild, only knowing that you are all here for it. I've never been so proud in my life. So before I make the announcement I was going to make earlier I want to take this time to thank a few people. The first person I'd like to thank is my best friend, Ben Resnick, who's vision translated into this most fruitful and joyous of guilds. Without him none of us would be here, and so a sub-forum has been dedicated to him. He is a man of spectacular imagination and love for not just his family or spouse, but love for his friends and for this guild; he's always been an inspiration.
Second, I'd like to thank Legatoblue for having so much faith in me. Legato was always a large part of our role play until his most unfortunate of decisions when he chose to leave the guild. That mans' very presence not only scared the hell out of me, but encouraged me to strive to be the best I could possibly be. It was him, in fact, who had said, "Good job kid, I'm really impressed; try harder and you'll make Captain some day." It's ironic, really, because that day never did come; I skipped Captain entirely and went straight to Major and then to Colonel. His influence still lives on with me today, and will always live on in my heart just as it should with you.
The third and final person has, quite possibly, been one of the most influential individuals I have ever met and an amazing friend. Ian Lepkowsky, The Hegemon, Lipton. He went by many names, all of which I used, but none of which I felt so connected as "Bro". In truth we never really disagreed on anything, always picking out the details and working on them. I had more fun exchanging role play ideas, role playing, and chatting with Ian than I've had doing much anything else in a long time. Tonight, however, we had a falling out, one that ended much worse than it should have; it was catastrophic. Accusations were made and connections were severed between us, regrettably so. What will happen between us in the future is unknown as of the moment, but I can say that I have learned a lesson much more valuable than quite possibly any other: Friendships can end quicker than they begin.
Those three people are only a very small group of people I admire, and the lessons that I have learned the influences they have made on me will be taken with me wherever I may venture. And so I do believe that my time here is done; Ian said to me, in response to my suggestion several months ago about my resignation, that if I resigned from HTRP than he would leave. Ian is gone, possibly moving on to other things out there, or he may be coming back. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that I will always be here. I was once the light of this guild, but now I have become the shadow, it's silent protector. It's pretty funny actually; I'm crying. Good-bye my Comrades, and fight valiantly for the sacrifices of your predecessors. Whether or not this is my final resignation is beyond me; I will let happen what happens.
Once upon a time I loved you like my child, but now as I see how you have grown I can only love you as my brother in arms. Before I go I want to tell you all one last thing, one last request for you; remember our motto.
"A hero is no braver than a man, but he is brave five minutes longer."
Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________Michael R. Hammer [Destitution] Sincerely,
