Guidebook

➤ Characters can be human or equine - the choice is yours.
➤ Equine characters have to have realistic colors and appearances unless you've purchased an item from the Trading Post that bypasses this rule.
➤ Human characters will either be settlers or Native Americans.
➤ Settlers are the folks traveling west in their search for land and wealth. These will predominantly be cowboys and cowgirls, but if you'd rather have a character who doesn't making a living capturing wild horses, you are welcome to do so. Settlers live in towns and outposts.
➤ Native Americans are, of course, the indigenous groups that have called Cimarron home for generations. Their connection to the land is undeniable - even their ability to capture wild horses shows their intonation with the earth. The Natives live in villages but can move from place to place as needed.
➤ There is no character limit set here at Cimarron, but that isn't to say you should go crazy with characters. Make only so much as you can handle or else we will impose a limit, or your inactive characters may get deleted.
➤ Human characters cannot be under 12. Any humans younger than that will be NPCs until they turn 12.
➤ Foals must stay with their mothers or have some other guardian until they are one year old. If you create a foal character, make sure you have someone chosen to take care of them IC.

➤ As you already know, each character you make here at Cimarron will require their own account. So this is your first step; go ahead and create a new account. This time, simply use your character's name as the username for the account. Doing so will help the characters at Cimarron to all have different names.
➤ Once you've set up your character's account, go ahead and navigate to the CREATE board. Here is where you will fill out a character biography, your character's application to the game.
➤ Click on the form thread and find the form you'll need for your character - horse or human. Each type gives you the option to use a cool, fancy-looking template for your biography, or one with just plain text.
➤ Copy the code you need. Paste it into a new thread in the CREATE board, and get to work filling out those fields.
➤ You should be able to fill out most, if not all the fields. A field is required unless otherwise specified.
➤ If your character requires the use of an item, the character should already have the needed item in their inventory. For example: if you want your horse to be blue with green markings, you'll need the Artist's Palette item from the Trading Post, and you'll have to have already purchased it and put it in your character's account's inventory.
➤ Until your character's biography is complete, you should put "WIP" in the title of the thread.
➤ Once it's ready to go, go ahead and be sure to remove WIP from the thread title and save your changes. If you'd like to, you can post a reply to the thread saying it's all finished; that way it shows up in the recent threads and won't be missed by staff members. Don't do this any more than once, however, since we don't want you to spam the recent threads with your bumps! If it's been over 48 hours and staff haven't approved your biography, simply PM any staff member and they'll attend to it.
➤ If any corrections need to be made, staff will reply to your thread telling you what needs modifying. Sometimes it can be as little as a field not being filled out or something not hitting the length requirement, so don't take it personally! We're here to help you fill out your character to the best of your ability.
➤ If and when your biography is good to go, however, staff will post a congratulatory statement on your thread and move it to the ACCEPTED board. It is at this point that you can fill out the rest of your character's profile and begin gameplay!

➤ Time in the game progresses just as it does in real life - one year equals one year.
➤ This means that characters also age once a year. Horses under the age of three and humans under the age of 18, however, can also age once a month, if the player prefers; that way they won't be underage for quite so long (since some aspects of the game require them to be of age).
➤ The seasons of Cimarron correspond to the ones in real life - spring, summer, autumn and winter - though Cimarron's weather is notably more mild. Extreme climates and harsher weather conditions are reserved for plot purposes.
➤ Cimarron uses liquid time. This means that characters can be in multiple places at once, enabling them to be actively involved in more than one thread at a time.

➤ Cimarron uses a currency of arrowheads in order to encourage trade around the site. Whether in or out of character, you can use the arrowheads you've earned for a variety of things that can help to personalize your experience.
➤ The Trading Post is the primary spot for members to spend their arrowheads. It is a shop that offers a wide variety of items your characters can use in the game, some of which guarantee pregnancies, customize appearances, and even offer immortality. On occasion, limited editions items will be offered, but in short supply; so if you keep an eye on the Trading Post, you might find something incredible there.
➤ You can also use your arrowheads to barter with other members, or even between your characters. If ever anyone has something you or your characters want, you can use your arrowheads to make an offer on whatever it is.
➤ Arrowheads are gained in a variety of ways, allowing you to choose what ways you prefer to spend your time earning them.
➤ The primary way to earn arrowheads is merely by posting. The more you post, the more you earn. You earn more points for posting in character than you do out of character, but it all adds up in the end.
➤ Members of Cimarron also earn wages. It's like a paycheck; every two weeks, you get a certain amount of arrowheads as a thank you for participating throughout the forum. The amount of arrowheads you earn is determined by your post count, so the more you've posted, the more you'll earn every two weeks. Not only that, but every account with a minimum post count of one will receive wages; so that means that each of your characters will also earn you money, as long as they have each posted one time!
➤ There are countless other ways to earn arrowheads across the site. By checking out our INCENTIVES board, you can redeem arrowheads for various accomplishments around the site. On occasion, the staff may hold contests or other events that will offer rewards to participants and winners alike. You can create and sell characters at the CORRAL, or you can offer to create graphics or code for other members in our CRAFTSMANSHIP board - and you can determine your own prices. There's a myriad of ways to get involved, and we encourage you to earn and spend your arrowheads however you please!

➤ Here at Cimarron, you can buy all sorts of goodies from our site shop, called the Trading Post, which you can access by clicking the link beneath our site banner.
➤ The Trading Post offers a slew of items that can personalize and enhance your gaming experience.
➤ Items will not usually go out of stock, but on occasion, the Post will offer limited edition items. These will be rare and few, so they will go quickly once they're made available.
➤ Items you've purchased will be stashed in your profile's inventory, what we call here at Cimarron your saddlebag.
➤ Any items you've accrued in your saddlebag can be exchanged with other members, transferred to other accounts, gifted, and even returned to the Trading Post.
➤ Sometimes, if you return an item to the Trading Post you'll only get a percentage of its original worth. Be careful with your purchases so as not to lose too much money.
➤ Some items are "one time use" only, whereas others have lasting effects. Read the descriptions of items carefully so you'll know which is which. This also means that, when you or one of your characters wish to use an item, staff may remove it from your inventory and make a note on your profile so it can be "officially" applied or used. This way we can prevent any item fraud from taking place.

➤ Where do the wild horses of Cimarron live? The answer is simple - anywhere they want to. Every land within the WILD LANDS of Cimarron is free to be populated by wild horses.
➤ Although your horse can choose to live wherever they want, there are stipulations that will eventually come with certain places. For example, a few places in Cimarron are known as free lands - terras that cannot be claimed.
➤ The Cimarron mountains are a huge mountain range - so big, that traveling through or monitoring their borders is difficult to do, and as such cannot be claimed by anyone. The mountains are divided into three regions - north, east and west - and offer free roaming to any wild horse.
➤ Additionally, if a terra has already been claimed by another horse, the leader of the land may forbid you from entering or staying there for long. Not only that, but a herd leader can claim any horse who travels onto his or her land; so although you may go where you wish, consequences may be given.
➤ For those who want to secure a land for themselves to rule and run as they see fit, a horse may claim a land as they wish. Wild horses establish dominance through the use of claims.
➤ Here at Cimarron, any horse above the age of three can make claims.
➤ Horses who successfully claim a land are thereafter known as its herd leader. They are the supreme ruler of the terra and all those within it. They can allow other herds to live on their land with their own herd leaders, or they can make anyone who wants to share the land join with their herd - the choice is up to them.
➤ The requirements for the herd leader are simple: you must keep track of all those who live in your terra/join your herd, and you must stay active. Those who fail to adhere to these rules may find their land taken from them.
➤ All terras in the WILD LANDS (except for the Cimarron mountains) are able to be claimed at any time, including those that have already been claimed! If a terra already has an alpha, you will simply need to challenge them in order to claim their land. If a land does not have an alpha then this is not necessary. As a result, no one will rule their land forever, preventing a monopoly on terras and ensuring fairness to everyone.
➤ Claims are made simply by posting a thread with the word "claim" somewhere in its title. In this post, the character making the claim has to actively show they are claiming the land by entering the terra, proclaiming their intentions, etc. You cannot just make a post saying "my horse is claiming this land so huzzah."
➤ For a claim to be considered valid, it has to go unchecked and unchallenged by any other horse for 72 hours. Basically, if any other horse replies to your claiming thread saying "I want this land too" or saying "this is my land and I'm not letting you take it" within that time period, you will have to fight them for it.
➤ If no one challenges you for the terra, it now belongs to your character. You will then need to PM a staff member to alert them of your character's victory.
➤ When another horse challenges your claim, however, both of you will have to fight, compromise, or one of you will have to surrender.
➤ Read more about fights under the Fighting section.
➤ Your horses can also compromise if they wish. For example, maybe one of the horses will allow the other to claim the land, if he agrees to give him a certain amount of money, his herd (or some of it), etc. You are able and encouraged to barter with other characters in order to get what you both want.
➤ As always, keep staff in the loop about the results of claims and challenges so that staff can oversee the interactions and update things accordingly.

➤ Just like for land claims, any horse that is at least three years old can claim other horses and lead a herd.
➤ To claim a horse to your character's herd, you will have to act out the claim, just as you would if they were claiming a land. This could be as simple as a nip on the horse's shoulder, or any other gesture you would like; so long as you act it out and have your horse tell whoever it is they're claiming their intentions, it's valid.
➤ However, claims are not force claims unless they are made in a land your character is a herd leader of. This means that if a horse were to wander onto a land owned by your character, and your character claims that horse, the horse cannot argue against or get out of the claim. They are automatically a part of your herd, even if they were already in another herd.
➤ In addition, any horse is able to be claimed, whether or not they have already been claimed. Again, the only way to claim a horse in such a way that they can't escape it, is if your character claims a horse on their own herd land.
➤ If a claim is made on land that doesn't belong to your character, however, the horse(s) you're attempting to claim has/have the option to refuse. At this point, you can either let them go or challenge them to a fight, which you can read more about in the Fighting section.
➤ Horses that have been claimed must go with their new leader and will live in his or her terra. They can attempt to escape, or they can simply stay there. The herd leader also has the option to give freedom to any member of their herd at any time.
➤ To learn more about escaping, read the information under Escaping.

➤ Any human, whether settler or native, has the ability to attempt to capture a wild horse. The only limit is that the character must be 18 years old to do so alone; any human younger than that will require an adult to accompany them.
➤ All attempts to capture wild horses are simply that - attempts. The only way to guarantee a capture is to purchase an item from the Trading Post.
➤ Although anyone can capture (or attempt to capture) a wild horse, it's impossible to do so without adequate resources and others to support you. For this reason all humans are required to wait for a round up to occur in order to try their chances.
➤ Settlers and natives will organize their round ups separately, but these may sometimes occur at the same time. Future plots may even see settlers and natives combining their forces in order to increase their chances of success on a round up.
➤ Each round up will have a sign up for anyone interested in participating, for which there will be a deadline. Obviously, settlers cannot sign up for native round ups, and vice versa.
➤ A round up must have at least five participants in order to proceed. If the deadline arrives and there's not enough people going, it will be disbanded and/or postponed.
➤ All round ups will also have a set timeline for when they will occur. This will usually be a week. During this time period, anyone who signed up may attempt to capture wild horses as they wish.
➤ The sign ups can occasionally include information about the spoils of the round up as well. For example, perhaps a certain person needs more horses and enlists the help of others to help him capture some; so instead of taking home whatever horses your character captures at the end of the round up, you'll get a handsome pile of arrowheads as compensation. Or, maybe a certain round up costs 100 arrowheads to enter, but you get to keep whatever horses you capture at its end. Each round up can have its own specifications, so it's good to read the stipulations of each carefully.
➤ How exactly does one go about capturing a horse, you may ask? Simply put, just post your character's attempt somewhere in the Wild Lands. You can start your own thread if you want, enabling anyone who wants their horse to be captured (for plot reasons, for example) to respond and interact with your human. Or, as is usually the case, you will have to attempt to capture unsuspecting (and thus, unwilling) characters by simply replying to any active and open thread.
➤ More than one human can be present in a capture attempt. This means that if you are trying to capture a wild horse that is really strong and difficult to catch, for example, other human characters can post in the thread and provide their support. There is strength in numbers, and the more hands you have helping you, the more likely you are to capture the horse successfully.
➤ The only threads you can't attempt to capture a wild horse in, are the ones protected by the Capture Immunity item. Any member can protect their horse from capture by purchasing and implementing this item; to use it, they simply need to mention they have it and wish to use it. The Capture Immunity item is only good for one thread at a time, however, so in order to protect a character entirely a person would have to purchase the item for each IC thread their character is active in. Look at the title of the thread and at all the OOC notes of its posts to see if it has been applied to the thread; if no mention of it is made, you are allowed to try to capture any horses in it.
➤ Obviously, you can only attempt to capture the horse(s) that are actively present in the thread.
➤ Determining the outcome of a capture attempt depends entirely on how you roleplay it. As long as no powerplaying or godmodding is involved, the players of both the human(s) and the horse(s) involved should be able to determine whether the capture was successful or not. Usually, if the horse is able to think of ways to defend itself or slip out of the human's hands, they'll be successful; but that's not to say there's no limit to how 'slippery' a horse can be, or that your chances of capturing are over. A horse can't just run away without you being able to try and catch up, just like you can't guarantee that the noose you throw will magically land on an actively struggling horse.
➤ If you're having trouble, however - whether you've come to a standoff or you simply think someone isn't being sportsmanlike in their attempts - ask a staff member to help and they'll step in and provide a result of the capture.
➤ You can capture - or attempt to capture - as many horses as you are able to within the round up period. Just because you fail once doesn't mean it's over, and if nothing else, there's always a next time!
➤ At the end of the round up, the results will be declared in the sign up thread. Statistics will be given, showing how many total horses were captured by how many participants, and include names of those involved and who owns what.
➤ Round ups cannot occur any more frequently than every 60 days.
➤ Worried that your character will be snatched up when they're just minding their own business and interacting with another character? The only other way to prevent anyone from barging in and trying to capture them besides with the Capture Immunity item, is by closing the thread. Usually if a specific plot is being carried out, or when roleplayers don't want anyone to enter their thread, they will put the word [closed] in the thread title to indicate it's a private interaction. In this case, anyone who wasn't previously invited to the thread will be unable to post, thereby ensuring your characters' safety.

➤ Was your horse captured during a round up? Not to fear! There are plenty of options for you and your character should this unfortunate event occur.
➤ When in captivity, your horse cannot go anywhere without their human captor(s). They may keep you in a barn, or may take you into town - whatever they say, goes. This also means that you cannot start any new threads with that character in the WILD (obviously, since they are in captivity). They can, however, continue threads they've already been involved in.
➤ During your horse's time in captivity, humans can attempt to train them or befriend them as they wish. Whether these attempts are successful or not are completely up to you as the player.
➤ If you want, your horse can convert to a completely domestic life; you can allow humans to ride them, to work them, and even become friendly with them. There is less freedom for a horse in the human world, but there are still adventures to be had. Use the captivity of your horse to create interesting plot devices and intricate stories.
➤ For those horses that long to return to the wild, however, there are a couple options. You may purchase an item from the Trading Post that grants immediate freedom, you can try to escape, or you can hope that they eventually set you free.
➤ For humans who have managed to capture a wild horse, you may choose to ride (or attempt to ride) them or put them to work as you see fit. If you and/or another character have captured a mare and a stallion, you can breed them. You can also release them at any time.
➤ Any foals born to horses in captivity will remain in captivity until they either purchase an item that gives them freedom or are freed by the humans themselves. This means that a mother may be separated from her foal if the humans don't want to give freedom to them both.

➤ All characters are capable of having babies at whatever time of the year they wish. However, the minimum age for characters to become parents at is three years for horses and 18 for humans.
➤ In order to become pregnant, however, a male/female couple is required, unless you purchase an item in the Trading Post.
➤ Breeding attempts can only be made once every two weeks, regardless of their outcome. Staff will be keeping track in order to prevent attempts from occurring too frequently.
➤ Most attempts will result in successful pregnancies, but if you want you can guarantee one with an item from the Trading Post. Unsuccessful pregnancies occur due to a variety of criteria, such as the health of the parents (especially the mother), the number of pregnancies Cimarron currently has, a history of unsuccessful attempts and/or fertility, etc.
➤ Miscarriages will never occur unless asked for specifically (for plot purposes).
➤ The form in the NURSERY board will need to be filled out for each parent, posting them in the same thread, in order to be eligible for pregnancy. It doesn't matter whether you post the form with your IC or OOC accounts, however.
➤ The potential parents must have had at least one IC thread together in order to conceive but purchasing an item from the Trading Post can bypass this requirement.
➤ Once both parents have filled out the forms, staff will attend to the request and begin to compile results. You should know whether it was successful or unsuccessful within 72 hours, but if that time has passed and no result has been posted, contact a staff member.
➤ Once a staff member has declared the pregnancy to be either successful or unsuccessful, you will have two weeks to wait until the baby (or babies) are born. You can use this time to roleplay your character(s) being pregnant, if you wish (only heterosexual couples can roleplay out the pregnancy experience, however, as male/male or female/female parents receive their baby by "other means"). For equine pregnancies, the foal's character can be created at the end of this two week period. For humans, the baby will obviously be an NPC until the age of 12.
➤ Unless you have purchased items, staff will determine the appearance, gender, and number of children your pregnancy will result in.

➤ Should your horse find themselves captured, whether they are a victim of a round up by humans or a claim made by another horse, they have the option to escape. However, horses under the age of three will usually not succeed in an escape attempt, simply because they are young and will thus be less able to think of a way out.
➤ Escape attempts are never guaranteed for any horse (without purchase of a freedom-granting item, of course), so try at your own risk! If found out by your captors they may choose to make life harder for your horse or punish them.
➤ Whether a horse is trying to flee from humans or a herd, the process is the same; they simply have to outwit and outmaneuver their captors.
➤ An escape attempt must be made in its own thread. This means that you'll have to start a thread and put the word "escape" somewhere in the title, so other players know of your attempt.
➤ You will also have to act out your character's attempt; you're not allowed to simply state "Misty tries to escape, and succeeds! SUCK IT!" Show them trying to find a loophole or escape route, conspiring, thinking of ways to get out. Analyze your captor(s) and any weaknesses they have. The more thorough and thought-out your post is, the more likely you will succeed in escaping.
➤ Once you have made the post, whoever has captured you will have 36 hours to respond. Not a huge time window, we know, but it only takes a moment of inattention for mischief to happen, and those who have captured you should already be on red alert to protect their spoils.
➤ If your post lasts 36 hours without being responded to, your horse is free! They can return to their former home or go wherever else they'd like to.

➤ Settlers founded the basis of modern American life. The settlers of Cimarron can be thought of as no less; exploring and building further and further west, settlers were on the hunt for a better life.
➤ As a settler, your character will most likely live in the town of Clearwater, a small establishment surrounded by only a few other human-controlled territories. Though the land available to humans isn't much, it's just the beginning of a prosperous future settlement that will only grow bigger with time.
➤ The town of Clearwater is run by a mayor, a sheriff, and a deputy. Each of these positions are determined through tryouts held by staff. They cannot be "challenged" for, but a character can choose to give their title to another character if they so choose. Staff will always have the final say as to these positions, however, and will take it away from characters they deem unsuitable for the role, at which point new tryouts will be opened.
➤ Other roles and positions around the settlement will open up from time to time, so keep your eyes peeled for new opportunities!
➤ By default, all settlers will live in an unspecified plot of land in the town of Clearwater - in the RESIDENCES sub-board. If you accrue enough arrowheads and wish to upgrade to your own plot of land, you can buy property for yourself with the Land Owner item at the Trading Post or by haggling with other players. Only then do you get your own board in which your characters may live and conduct their own business.
➤ When you buy property with the Land Owner item, you get your own sub-board, but you don't have to use it just for your character(s)' home or dwelling place! You can build any sort of establishment using this item. Wish your town had a barber shop, or a shop selling fine imported cigars? Now you can build and own it yourself, simply by purchasing this versatile item.
➤ There are plenty of other places around town to explore and meet others in, but for the more equestrian-minded characters, round ups are occasionally held to try and capture more wild horses.

➤ Next to Clearwater is Fort Sumter, an army garrison that's almost as big as the town itself.
➤ Only men that have enlisted in the army can live in Fort Sumter (as women during this time were not allowed to enlist). Those who do are issued a bunk in the barracks, and are of course bound by contract to follow orders of all officers and higher ranking enlisted soldiers.
➤ If you want your character to enlist or have already been enlisted in the army, you will need to indicate it when filling out your character's biography. If they have an extended history during their service, tell us about it - we want to see how their work affected them!
➤ The fort is overseen by the colonel, the very same man who appeared in the Spirit film. As a canon character, he is currently up for grabs; so if you're interested in roleplaying him, check out our canons thread!
➤ Most of the characters stationed at Fort Sumter are in the cavalry - the army's mounted force. As a result, each soldier will be issued a horse of his own, along with the uniforms, weapons, and equipment needed. The cavalry horses are NPCs due to their domesticated lifestyle. Soldiers are not permitted to ride wild horses unless granted permission by the colonel.

➤ Native Americans have and always will be the original peoples of America. Their far-reaching history and culture has impacted Cimarron in more ways than anyone can count, and as a result, it will always be the natives that know its lands best.
➤ Natives live in the secluded NATIVE VILLAGE. It has been around for generations upon generations, so the number of people that call it home are many.
➤ There is no "hierarchy" in the tribe living in the NATIVE VILLAGE, but there is one position that is imperative to the continuation of its well-being. The shaman, or medicine man, provides answers to ailments of both a physical and spiritual nature. This position is also given on first-come-first-served basis, the title of which can be handed off at any time at the shaman's discretion.
➤ Other opportunities for roles in the village will arise on occasion, so be aware!
➤ Each native family by default has an unspecified dwelling somewhere in the village. No one owns property, as the tribe shares the land with each other without care as to ownership, and so no separate boards are needed.

➤ Human characters may marry each other in the game. Although it doesn't have a big effect on the game experience itself, it at least allows characters to show their love for one another.
➤ At this time, marriage can only occur for human characters. In time and with enough feedback, perhaps we'll have a similar tradition for horses as well.
➤ A human character must be 16 years old to marry. (This is the old west, after all.)
➤ To ensure the exclusivity of marriage and prevent it from being overused, characters are required to have at least three full-length interactions with each other before they decide to marry. This means that they'll need to finish three IC threads with one another before they will be considered eligible for marriage.
➤ We highly encourage the subject of marriage to actually come up in conversation between your characters; however, this is not absolutely required.
➤ Once a couple is engaged and/or marriage has been decided upon, you will need to actually play out the marriage ceremony in character. It doesn't have to be the traditional church wedding, and there aren't any legal requirements for either the ceremony or officiant; but it needs to be acted out IC at the very least. You could even have an arranged marriage or elopement if you wanted to. As long as there are at least three parties present (the couple and the person officiating), it counts as a real marriage.
➤ Officiants can be anyone you choose. For settlers, if there is a judge or a priest available, you may choose them; otherwise, feel free to go to the mayor, sheriff, or deputy. For natives, the shaman will be the first choice, but any religious or prominent tribe figure will do. Any one of them will be more than likely be happy to marry you.
➤ The actual ceremony can also proceed however you please. It does not have to be a predetermined script or straight out of traditional marriage procedures; you get to choose exactly what your wedding is like.
➤ Although Cimarron will allow divorce should the need arise, we don't want it to be too common; so if the marriage system is abused, we will remove it and your characters will no longer be able to get married.

➤ From time to time, characters will have a run-in that leads inevitably to physical blows. Cimarron's fighting system is the last-resort system characters can utilize to come to a solution, whether it's over land, herds, or something else entirely.
➤ Whenever a fight is to take place, one of the participants is required to tell a staff member. Staff are the ones who decide the outcome of a fight and act as referees to make sure guidelines are followed. The staff member will also coordinate with the participants on what day the fight should occur, how much time is allotted for each response, etc.
➤ Once the fight has been arranged, a staff member will create a thread and label it as a Fight, including the names of the characters involved (for example: Name & Name Fight). In this starting post, the staff member will include the basic requirements of the fight and other pertinent information, such as posting order.
➤ Adhering to the information posted by the staff member, each participant in the fight will then post IC their character's actions during the fight, both offensive and defensive.
➤ Fights are judged on a variety of criteria, including but not limited to each character's physical attributes, combat experience, and writing skill.
➤ Depending on what the participants agreed to be the necessary post count, at the end of the fight a winner will be decided by staff and will be posted in the fighting thread. This result cannot be argued or fought over further.
➤ The rewards agreed upon by both parties will be handed over and staff will make a note of each participants victory and loss. This information is kept for reference in case of future combat situations.

➤ One of the purposes of the birthday redemption thread in the INCENTIVES board is simply to keep track of characters' ages - that way, we ensure only the immortal characters live forever. Staff will keep tabs on all characters and keep an eye on when old age begins to creep up on them.
➤ Characters will naturally succumb to old age at 30 for equines and at 50 for humans (this is the dangerous frontier, after all, so humans won't have the same life expectancy as normal).
➤ When a character's age of death nears, staff will inform the player by PM that it's time for their life to be wrapped up. They will give you a time period in which to declare your character deceased - or to make a last minute item purchase at the Trading Post to grant them immortality. Either way, you can roleplay them out for a little while longer, using their death (or newfound immortality) as a plot enhancing event, or you may simply go immediately to declare their death.
➤ To declare death, simply post with your character IC as they live their final moments. You can keep it short and sweet, but deaths need to be acted out in character - not simply "Bob is now dead. Bye Bob."
➤ Death can, however, come to characters at any time, and by means other than old age - diseases, old ailments, even wounds incurred in battle. Whether it's for plot purposes or simply because you don't want to roleplay them anymore, you are welcome to kill off your character at any time you wish, and for whatever reason.

➤ Legend says that Cimarron is protected by the power of the Guardians; though only some of its inhabitants believe them, stories say that the guardians are ancient spirits whose origin is unknown
➤ On rare occasion will a guardian take the form of a living being and visit the lands of Cimarron
➤ Guardians will be roleplayed by staff, and can take the form of any animate being, though usually they will become animals and not humans
➤ When a guardian comes to Cimarron, strange and magical things take place beyond imagination; some will attribute it to luck or coincidence, while others will know the power of the guardians is afoot
➤ Usually the guardian (or guardians) will visit the land of wild horses, occasionally going to the land of the natives as well; but the settlers do not typically believe in the so called "hocum" of the guardian legend, and thus they do not often benefit from the gifts they bring
➤ Keep an eye out for beings that seem strange or mystical in order to benefit from the power of the guardians!