In the beginning, there was light. The creator saw it was good... and colorful. The creator had a partner, and the creator and his partner wanted to make the light better. The creator aimed to make a guild that could travel to distant places, offer services and gold and more light to the other beings that inhabited the light. It was good. The creator smiled.

   The creator's name was Joahan, and his partner's name was Jasuuth. Together they hunted in the Grove of Domnann, and day in, day out, they gathered others to join groups and try to rid Hibernia of it's Fomorian plague. Joahan and Jasuuth were about level 9 at the time when Joahan wanted to form a guild where it's members could gain skill in trades, and become wealthy enough to offer gold, armor, and weapons to new starting players of DAoC. He imagined a help guild. We both often saw crafting fairs held by a large guild known as Emerald Dragons. We watched and envied that they offered armor at cost, 10g to new players, and weapons to those who were low level characters.

   One day, Joahan decided it was time. He gathered Jasuuth and 6 other people from Domnann at the Guild Registrar and held a vote in /broadcast. Should the guild be called "Free Cookies" or "Runs with Scissors"? Many suggestions were made, and eventually everyone settled on "Runs with Scissors". And the guild was born into existance.

   In the beginning, much recruiting was done by Joahan. The guild was new, many members were new, and those with experience climbed the rank ladder quickly. The creator, Joahan, was the only Guildmaster, with the new members all of "equal importance".

   It was during this time, that the guild was more of a monarchy in fashion with members being the aristocracy, and no "serfs". Members of RWS at this point usually grouped together and leveled with each other. Joahan and Jasuuth continued to level together, gaining to level 18. At level 18, Joahan and Jasuuth did not level together as often. The three main characters of RWS at this time were Joahan, Jasuuth and Contliu.

   After awhile, Joahan left DAoC to play other online games. Jasuuth, now a GM newly promoted by Joahan, and fellow member Contliu, set out to recruit more members. They grouped together, laughed, drank ale, and dished out armor and weapons for new players and recruited more. Every day was a new adventure as the guild spread it's wings into new realms. Soon, RWS was spreading into TNN and Connla, taking roots wherever new members could be recruited.

   Runs with Scissors was growing quickly. At this point there were about 15 active players with about 40+ characters in the guild, and growing more and more each day. Jasuuth, still without Joahan, decided it was time for change. Jasuuth could not manage the guild alone in Joahan's absence. Partly due to the fact that Jasuuth can never make up his mind, he decided to make RWS a democracy, giving major decisions over to the members of the guild by holding votes. One of the newer members, who frequently held PL sessions, and was quickly becoming a friend of everyone in the guild, was voted to officer, then on to Guildmaster. This new person's name was Sskar.

   Runs with Scissor entered a new era. Jasuuth, now running the guild alongside a new GM, Sskar, was quickly expanding the guild. Up to 80+ members with over 200+ characters in the guild, Sskar and Jasuuth entered negotiations to start a guild alliance by joining forces with a guild by the name of "Bladesingers". Marizan Bladesinger was the GM of the guild, which was also formed around the same time as RWS. Marizan quickly became friends with Jasuuth and Sskar, and a partnership that benefitted both guilds ensued.

   RWS helped the Bladesingers obtain their guild emblem, and the Bladesingers repayed their donation by helping RWS obtain theirs. The Bladesingers had obtained a guild house in partnership with yet another guild, and RWS had become a part owner of the house as well, sharing their first guild house.

   During this time, Jasuuth started rearranging the guild ranks to incorporate a heirarchal level system which showed people which have been a part of the guild the longest. From Initiate to Officers and GM's. The first ranks were named for Shears, and were also named with Hibernian metal, starting with copper. The Initiate rank was then named Copper Shears. This was later abandoned in order to provide better clarity as to which ranks were which, as many members didn't know which metals were higher level than the other.

   Contliu was the first full fledged Guild Officer, and was a major force behind the effort to offer weapons and trades to new players of DAoC. He was often found hunting in DF to gather emerald seals, running tradeskill quests, or standing for long periods next to the Forge in the Grove of Domnann. Sskar and his wife provided power leveling services for guild members and helped out anyone they could with their epic quests and any other quests in progress.

   Soon came more recruits, and one afternoon, Jasuuth came across a new character, and recruited them into the guild. The character soon become an icon in the guild, and her name was Gwaeloth. Gwaeloth had been swallowed up and dubbed Mother Hen“of RWS, and quickly she became an officer of the guild. Following right behind her, was her husband, "Lastdemoncaster", who joined RWS shortly afterward. "Demon" has he came to be known, was forever changing characters, forever unable to find that perfect toon. Like Gwaeloth, his wife, he quickly became a favorite in the guild, and earned much respect and trust, while climbing the RWS ranks.

   RWS had entered it's Golden Age and prospered greatly. Raids were run daily by Sskar and his wife, and behind them, you could usually find Gwaeloth and Lastdemoncaster followed by four others, guild members and non members alike. RWS was all over, and it was even heard in /b during a recruiting session in Gothwaite Harbor: “They're everywhere! They're everywhere! Everywhere I turn, there they are!“RWS had groups going almost all the time, along with solo'ers who chatted in /gu and others who were getting dirty and doing trade skills. The guild had developed into a family. With all the success, Gwaeloth and Lastdemoncaster had also become Guildmasters and helped run the guild and lead the way into the future.

   During this time, Joahan had come out of retirement and came back to DAoC. He was surprised to see the success of the guild, which had only been around for about nine to ten months at this time. Joahan, used to his previous management style of the guild, had needed time to adjust to the new way the guild ran. He soon joined in with the daily raids, and the romps through various dungeons. RWS had 5 guildmasters and roughly 3-4 officers and a whopping 100+ members with just over 400+ characters in the guild.

   Rules were made to bring organization to the chaos. Guild houses were purchased and decorated, and most members took part in the guild meetings that determined it's shortcomings and successes.

   There is a saying that states all good things must come to an end. However, those who made up RWS were not prepared. RWS started encountering conflicts ranging from it's regular members up to the top Guildmasters. Though this part of RWS' past exists, and many members would rather not bring it up. It is, the sad fact, that this is RWS' past, and both a turning point, and a time of greater learning.

   Issues raged, tempers flared, and attitudes changed throughout the guild. Joahan still wanted the guild to be 'his'. Sskar felt as a GM, he could do as he wished. Gwaeloth and Lastdemoncaster, by this time, were very close and personal friends with Sskar and his wife. Jasuuth, Gwaeloth and Demon wanted the guild to be democratic with even GM's having their power in check. Jasuuth became quiet, wanting to follow his goals for the guild, and not wanting to upset and contradict Joahan's feeling that he still owned”the guild.

   Sskar, at the time, had become increasing crass to outside players, and complaints flowed in about his new attitude. All GM's saw the change, even his wife. The GM's tried to settle the issues amongst themselves, and Sskar left the guild, and resigned as GM of RWS. However, in an effort to keep frienships alive, the GM's talked things over, and invited Sskar back into the guild, even reinstating his rank as GM. Things did not change.

   Jasuuth became quiet, and sat in the back watching. Joahan shared many sentiments with Sskar, some of which conflicted with guild policies set in place previously by the votes of its members. Gwaeloth and Demon felt it may be time to leave the guild due to all the conflicts occuring. Then it happened.

   One day, about a few hours prior to a quiet, scheduled officers meeting, a confrontation occurred in /gu between all the GM's and the guild's members, focusing on attitudes that conflicted with agreed upon standards. Arguments were attempted to be suppressed, and a guild war broke out. Members sided with other members, Sskar and Joahan blew up at each other, and soon, the other GM's were vying with each other to quiet the other or cause riot. Things soon blew up on alliance chat with the Bladesingers, and the GM's turned off alliance chat for the first time, for all ranks. RWS was suffering from a civil war.

   Later that night, the dust settled. On one side, was Sskar, his wife and roughly one third of the guild. The differences between the officers could not be mended. Friendships were torn and ripped apart, and many friends were lost to hatred and distrust. Those we once called family, now hated and distrusted us. Over the course of the next few weeks, RWS was on the brink of being dismantled. GM's, officers, and members alike all left for other guilds, some leaving a character or two in the guild, just in case. It took weeks, in real life time, to overcome the disbelief of what happened. During that time, mending of friendships were tried, and some were lost forever. Sskar formed another guild, named Forgotten Exiles, and roughly a dozen of those that left RWS joined his guild.

   Joahan, once again, left the game for other games, leaving Jasuuth, Gwaeloth, and Demon to sort the pieces out. The three remaining GM's sat down, sorted out events as best as they could, and put together a new set of policies in an attempt to keep RWS from experiencing another civil war. Later on, guild meetings were scheduled to occur more often to ensure that sentiments were shared or agreed upon before any unrest in the guild could occur. Jasuuth put formed a website for the guild and put up forums in an effort to further promote communication among officers and members alike. RWS focused on communication and support for the following weeks.

   Gwaeloth, Lastdemoncaster, Jasuuth and the remaining members of RWS started recruiting again against all odds, including being put down in /b because of the guilds civil war. The members of the guild stood up for each other, and formed a tight network of in-game family, supporting each other and trying to start anew.

   Soon RWS was back on track, gaining members and pursuing it's goals. The following months saw RWS move it's guild housing, and continue becoming more member-centric. Runs with Scissors also ended it's alliance with the Bladesingers after the guild had change of GM's and it's goals also changed. Jasuuth applied for alliance membership with the Emerald Dragons being that he remembered long ago, admiring ED's tradeskill fairs held all around the realms of Gaheris. RWS was allowed into the new alliance and joined a family of near 15 other guilds. From then on, RWS members, and it's officers strive for communication and personal attention, friendship and loyalty, a desire to support our members and allies, and fun times where people can feel safe and like family.

   The end of this story, is only the beginning of the future. Our members are continuing to write our history. We will survive. We will run with our scissors proudly.