The way I see it, there are two conflicting pieces to this puzzle.
- The desire among the playerbase (and this is certainly not the first time this has been expressed) for standardization and even automation of cabal promotions, q-things, etc. As described in the post, the position here seems to be that the ideal situation looks something like this --
The SAVANT Helpfile would state that:
In order to be admitted to the cabal, characters must...
- Meet the race/class requirements for the cabal
- Complete 10 clan quests
- Demonstrate strongly roleplayed knowledge of magic, the time stream, the planes, etc.
In order to be promoted to the rank of Trusted...
- Some sort of standardized requirement
- The contrary argument rests in the role of the staff - that is, arguably, to bring the world to life. This occurs through a variety of processes, but when it comes to cabal management (and forgive me if this seems out of place, as I am still "the new guy") that means ensuring that cabal members are living up to the standards of the cabal, upholding a high level of play, and exemplifying the best of their cabal in all things.
To that end, as a cabal immortal, I have two extreme ends of a spectrum (and anywhere between) to choose from:
A. I can micromanage the cabal from top to bottom, all the time. I can decide what trades we do/don't have, I can plan the cabal's activities for my members, I can assign additional duties (such as mentorship, projects, etc.) to any member at any time. The extent to which I micromanage may fluctuate over time, but overall the cabal is mine and the members serve at my pleasure and to achieve my goals.
B. I can limit my management to player inductions when there is no elder/leader, but will typically seek to establish a mortal elder/leader that can do the bulk of the management for me. I may step in to address certain issues or circumstances, but in general the cabal is player led. I might send votes if needed (at the request of my members, in the absence of an elder/leader).
Keeping in mind that this is a spectrum, and I do not believe that any immortal operates on the polar extreme of one way or the other, there become two further issues:
A. The standardized requirements for each cabal would vary wildly, meaning the standardization is rather non-standard. For example, Warmaster may require a certain win ratio, or defeat of a strong foe (PK). Savant may require an in-depth exploration of some new form of magic or knowledge (RP). Herald may require an exquisite tea party to be held in honor of their avian overlord. The point is that with each cabal having different goals and values, a "standard" is very difficult to achieve.
B. Standardization in ANY fashion limits the capacity of the Immortal to make things special. For example, I promoted one of my members from Inductee to Member the other night after a particularly enjoyable RP session, which I felt demonstrated their commitment to the organization and Gifnab, the Immortal. This was a non-standard approach, but I felt it was the right decision to make the interaction special - and since it was in my purview as the cabal Immortal, I did it.
So where does that leave us?
Let's first take the unanswered question: Why don't we just automate cabal promotions up to T? And the answer is simple - for the same reason you want to be Trusted in the first place, because it is where the cabal powers start getting good. That is where we leave people for an indeterminate period of time, to prove their worth and capability. Trusted is exactly that: a symbol of trust from your cabal immortal. An assertion that I believe you have the capability to use the powers I afford you responsibly. An acknowledgement of your contributions to the cabal so far. And a new beginning - a proving ground, if you will - to test your capacity to ultimately serve as Elder (which in turn is a proving ground for Leader).
To me, that acknowledgement holds a lot more value than having idled for long enough to meet a baseline hours requirement.
Finally, I would like to address one more topic: there seems to be a sentiment in this thread that players fall through the cracks regularly. From what I have seen and read, this is not an issue that occurs with regularity (at least not as it was described). And when it does, the Immortals are often profusely apologetic and strive to make things right. So let's differentiate three different scenarios:
"Falling Through The Cracks" - You submit an application, write notes about XYZ, actively engage your other cabal members and your cabal immortal every chance that you get, have strong roleplay and playerkilling victories under your belt, and routinely seek out new tasks/assignments/responsibilities. And subsequently, you hear radio silence - perhaps because your immortal is away, or busy with work, or overwhelmed with other duties. And in those cases, you may genuinely get forgotten. It happens. We are human after all.
I would posit that these cases are fairly rare, however. Oftentimes, not only is your own cabal immortal watching but so is every other member of the staff. If you feel that you may be in a situation like this, the solution is very simple. Post on prayer or DM your Immortal on Discord to inquire about the situation. If you do not hear back from them, DM another immortal (me, for example), and we will poke at your cabal immortal to remind them. Note: Do not DM another immortal thirty minutes after DMing your cabal immortal. Use your common sense and best judgment.
"Living On The Baseline" - You may attempt to take your enemy's standard. You may actively defend/return when your enemy takes yours. You may respond to other players' roleplay, but do not actively engage your cabal in roleplay of your own. You may write journals and notes, but they are not necessarily reflective of advancing your cabal's goals.
These cases are much more common; and furthermore, they are compounded by the issues cited here of asynchronous play times, other staff responsibilities, etc. In these cases, please note - you may well still get promoted. Eventually. But if you are not going above and beyond, taking the next step, adhering to your cabal's roleplay, and exemplifying the best of your organization... it is going to take longer. Sometimes much longer.
"Judged And Found Wanting" - You rarely or never engage your enemies (offensively or defensively) in cabal warfare. Your PK record is mostly filled with kills against fresh level 50s. You silent PK often and your RP is lacking or non-existent. You don't engage with your cabal members or cabal immortal. You tarnish your cabal's reputation by being labelled as a frequent ganger or tagger.
These cases are also less common than the middle ground. But if you are either a lackluster or, god forbid, a negative addition to your cabal, you may well have an immortal that was close to promoting you decide that you need to wait a while longer. Or a lot longer, depending on the severity of your actions. In general though, expect the immortals to communicate with one another - and if you break a rule or act questionably, expect us to notice. And in some cases, yes, hold it against you.
TL;DR - Cabal immortals tend to reward four categories: Cooperation, Resilience, Aptitude, and Performance. So get out there, be CRAP-py, and get that promotion.