Hello, adoring throngs. Since Septimus is quarantined in his Mog House suffering a bout of Wanttokilleveryoneinthelsfornottakingpicturesitis, I, Alleya, will be your host this month. Rather than try to fill Septimus' shoes being witty and darkly sarcastic, I will instead endavour to educate everyone out there who comes to our corner of the intertube webs. BG has been around for a long time, we've seen many a linkshell come and go, and we've learned a thing or two. I shall now pass this knowledge on to you.

So you want to make an HNM linkshell?

Congratulations! You have successfully made a new linkshell/taken over an old one/staged a coup/stolen the leader's account/jumped servers with the bank mule, now you have your very own HNM LS! Oh what fun you'll have!

1. The first thing every linkshell leader must do is draft a set of rules. Ideally this is to be done before appointing any sub-officers, as pesky opinions and contradicting arguments can often get in the way of clear-headed leadership. Remember to include the most important rule of all- no matter what system you have, you and your inner circle reserve the right to change lot assignments at any time!
   
   
2. Now that you have some ground rules set up, it's time to set up a leadership structure. It's best to choose people you have known for a while. If you don't have anyone like that, just pretend your second character is an actual person. More loot for you! Once your fellow leaders are selected, make absolutely sure they have absolutely no social life within the LS! From now on, you do everything together. What goes on in your passworded vent channel is for you to know and for the LS to find out when you show up to Sky one day wearing a stage 4 relic bow on your Samurai.
   
   
3. New linkshells often have a very hard time keeping new members loyal, so it's important that you pick a scapegoat early on. Piss all over whatever linkshell(s) is bigger than you. Make sure to attack their credibility, brute force their forum passwords, and make constant personal attacks on their members on as many forums as possible. If you have a web page, mock them on the front page. No one reads it, but it helps boost morale! A famous European leader whose name escapes me used this tactic back in the 1940s, but I do remember no one ever doubted his leadership!
   
   
4. By now you should be nice and settled in. Maybe you're making some nice kills, getting good turn outs to events, claiming some HNMs with suspicious consistency, all that good LS stuff. It's time for some drama. Get your LS bank stolen, your forums hacked and all your secret RMTing and third party program use dumped on FFXI's largest forums, or have your nefarious LS bank spending habits exposed. This is all part of the natural LS maturation process. It's like puberty, but with more hair in strange places.
   
   
5. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Attendance is down, your credibility is ruined, and you're the laughing stock of the server (again?)! Members are dropping like flies, running off with valuable LS gear. Your sub-leaders resent you, eying the new LS that's poped up with an even more suspicious claim rate on Fafnir like a bored husband, or sending their applications off to the scapegoat LS they have badmouthed all this time. It's time to call it quits. Log on to all the accounts people have trusted you with over the months/years, strip the gear, check FFXIAH.com, and hop yourself to the next most expensive server, bank and all. You earned it, all things considered! (Goto: Step 1)

I hope this guide has been helpful! Now, on to things we've done this month:

Bomb Queen

Dynamis - San d'Oria

Dynamis - Xarcabard

Dynamis - Buburimu

Chlevnik

Jailer of Love

Einherjar

And loot:

Congratulations to Alleya for Usukane Gote.

Congratulations to Atumre for Bomb Queen Ring and Goliard Clogs.

Congratulations to Cadence for Summoner's Pigaches.

Congratulations to Ceiyne for Wyrm Brais and Warrior's Calligae.

Congratulations to Curtis for Valor Coronet.

Congratulations to Daahan for Cleric's cap.

Congratulations to Gizmosan for Valor Gauntlets, Love Torque, Altruistic Cape, and Merciful Cape.

Congratulations to Kazen for Warrior Mufflers +1 and Valor Gauntlets for storage.

Congratulations to Kiara for Love Torque, Melee Hose, and Sorcerer's Petasos.

Congratulations to Kuno for Summoner's Horn, Bomb Queen Ring, and Abyss Sollerets completing full Dark Knight Relic Armor.

Congratulations to Laelani Duelist's Boots, Bard's Roundlet, and Cleric's Cap.

Congratulations to Nikkei for Black belt and Melee Hose.

Congratulations to Popeh for Summoner's Bracers, Altrustic Cape, and Merciful Cape.

Congratulations to to Ragnhild for Novia Earring and Scout's Braccae.

Congratulations to Rocl for Ninja Hakama.

Congratulations to Sendoh for Summoner's Bracers.

Congratulations to Slone for Valor Coronet, Wyrm Brais, and Melee Crown completing full Monk Relic Attire.

Congratulations to Tengaar for Valor Coronet and Duelist's Gloves.

Congratulations to Tonko for Morrigan Cuffs and Pigaches, completing the first full NA Morrigan set on Bahamut.

Congratulations to Tsukasaz for Assassin's Vest, Melee Gaiters, Duelist's Gloves, Duelist's Gloves +1, Nashira Seraweels

Congratulations to Yassin for Saotome Kote, Koga Tekko +1.

And who got the largest sack of whore for Christmas to be the December Loot Whore of the Month?

IT'S A TIE!

Congratulations to Ryphen for Summoner's Bracers, Duelist's Belt, Duelist's Tabard, Nashira Gages, Scout's Braccae, and Wyrm Armet completing full Dragoon Relic Armor.

Congratulations to Sonomaa for Love Halberd, Koga Hakama, Kuno's Bomb Queen Ring, Saotome Sune-ate, Shura Haidate, Melee Gaiters, Homam Zucchetto, and Homam Mnamnas (doop doobie doobie)