The Hierarchy
The following should explain our in game titles and what they mean.

Guild Master
There can only ever be one Guild Master. The GM is served by their seconds, the Commanders, should they not be present. Within the Guild, the GM assumes the Tag of Commander also.
Whilst the Guild Master has overall say in all the matters concerning the running of the Guild on a day to day basis, the decisions are normally discussed between Officers. The Officers consist of all ranks down to, including Conqueror, as listed below.

Commander
The Guild Master and those that the Guild Master has asked to look after the social aspect of the the Guild. They will look at all the information provided by all the sources available and suggest what is needed to aid the Guild further.

Conqueror
The "Raid Commander", they are tasked with overseeing the Guild's Raids. While they still report to the Guild Master, they have almost free reign over any and all Raid related tasks, decisions & choices. They are also responsible for the Champions.

-----N----O-----N----- -----O-----F-----F----I-----C-----E-----R-----S-----

Champions
Some Guilds have Class Leaders, we have our Champions. These people know their roles inside out and can normally answer any other questions on anything in the game. They are valued for their knowledge and dedication to helping the Guild progress. They are also responsible for leading the Guild's Raids and reporting on how that are within the Guilds progression ventures.

Defender
The Guild's Raiding members. These are the dedicated players within the Guild that put the Guild before themselves and assist in our progress. It's a form recognition of those that come through for us time and again. It's possible that a player will swap between a Defender and a Familiar during their time in the Guild.

Familiar
Our Non-Raiding (Social) members. These players are people that either don't have time to Raid or aren't at the level needed to be a Raider. Once an Initiate passes the trial, they will normally enter in at this rank, gear depending. Once they are geared and prepared for Raiding, they may be offered the chance to become a Defender. Defenders that request a time out or a break from Raiding will also be changed to this rank.

Alts (Officer)
Alts
Self explanatory really.

Initiate
Our newest members, those looking for the chance to see the end game or just a place to relax and have a good time. During the trial, normally one month continuous playing, they may be brought into Raids or asked along to 5man instances. Depending on how they get on, they may enter in at Defender, although more likely as a Familiar.

Clarification of the Ranks

A few people have asked where they stand within the Ranks of the Guild, so here is some insight.

Everyone from Conqueror up is considered an Officer of the Guild. All Officers opinions are considered and taken into consideration when deciding on matters relating to the Guild. Very rarely will we implement something without an agreement by all the Officers. Suggestions can end up going through several different changes before they are finalised and this does take up a lot of time. The Officers also do this for free, without getting anything out of it except for that cheer when a Boss is killed.

Everyone from Champion down is considered a Guild Member, also a part of our Guild Family. Whilst we are happy for our Family to grow, we are also cautious of those "Black Sheep" that threaten the balance within. We're not afraid to issue some divorce papers to Members where they appear to want nothing more than to upset the balance.
That all being said, EVERYONE'S opinions are requested and needed. Without them we wouldn't know where we are going right or where we are going wrong. We wouldn't be able to do what we do, without the full backing of our Members.

In order to allow us to keep the Social Aspect of this Guild alive, we have always allowed people to join the Guild that don't want to Raid. We have had occasions where we've had at least one Guild Member, representing the Guild, on-line 24hours a day for a few days straight.

To keep this going we have re-classified the ranks and now offer the Rank of Defender to those members who want to stand out as Raiders. They have no further privileges over the normal Familiars except they (and their Alts) will always be first choice for a High End Raid over the Familiar (and their Alts).