?What does TRES stand for?

    TRES stands for Templi Resurgentes Equites Synarchici, a Latin phrase that loosely translated reads "Synarchic Knights Templar Resurgent." It implies a familiarity with and a respect for the Knights Templar, sword- wielding priests who roamed southeastern Europe and the Middle East from 1118-1312 A.D, protecting Jerusalem-bound pilgrims during the Crusades. Like TRES, they knew the power of peaceful resolution to conflict, but when all else failed, the sword could still be relied upon.

?What is TRES Corps?

    TRES Corps (known as either TRES or The Corps, or any combination thereof,) is a Jihad Autonomous Organization (JAO,) whose members serve and are part of the sanctified Jihad to Destroy B'Harnii the Dinosaur. Its aims are specifically defined by the third clause of the Threefold Truth, most revered of all Jihad testaments:

    TRES Corps's uniqueness lies in its approach to this end. Corps officers believe that both military might combined with philosophical resolve is necessary to combat our sworn enemy. As an organization, TRES Corps has set this standard for the Jihad, and has hereby owned up to its legacy through the actions of its best known members, who as individuals promote the standard of TRES by using the best combination of both military and philosophy. Each have come to realize that neither by itself will win consistently when confrontation arises.

?Who are you guys?

    Depending on how you would like to regard us, the answer has multiple facets. For one, TRES Corps is the largest and most active JAO in the Jihad to Destroy Barney the Purple Dinosaur[tm]. It is also a group of people who are dedicated to role-play in a fictional universe. We're also a group of men and women joined together by a certain level of intellectual dedication in our behavior with reasons for our actions.
  To give you a pure role-play answer: we are a reincarnation of the Knights Templar, risen to combat the unholy forces of the Hell Wyrm through force of reason and military might. Our sagisanct purpose was foreseen by our founder, Lord Tilden Owsen, who understood the mutually opposed tactics of talking an enemy to death or simply blowing them up were equally futile.
    Taken from another standpoint, a feeble arm attempting to wield a sharp sword is as ineffective as a well-toned arm attempting to harm you with a wiffle ball bat. When the might of the intellect and the body are united you have a TRES Corps member, fully prepared to drive back the Hell Wyrm's insidious forces.
    To step outside role-play and identify ourselves: we're a concerned group of women and men who find the childrens' television show "Barney & Friends" distasteful to varying degrees. Some of us completely loath Barney while others find it mildly irritating, but we remain concerned of the show's impact on children.
    A question, which probably springs to mind, is: Why does everyone find Barney so worthy of hatred? This is a question best answered by each individual. Generalist answers aren't that purposeful as few will agree completely.
    The best tactic for answering this question is to visit either the Ethos section of the JihadWeb[tm] at http://www.jihad.net or the Ethos Statements contained on individual sqauds pages which are linked from the TRES Corps homepage presently located at http://tres.jihad.net.

?Why are you guys here?

    People sometimes demand: "Why are you here?" The answer, vaguely, is: because it is important and it is fun. To give a more explicit answer would not to be truthful to every member of the Corps and inevitably eclipse someone's reason.
    Suffice it to say: Corps members act from a sense of purpose and importance at all times.

?Where (on earth) did you come from?

    TRES Corps has its origins in alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die (henceforth ab4d). We were the original brainchild of David Greenbaum in October of 1993, the dawning days of the Jihad. He proposed TRES (not TRES Corps, just TRES) as an antidote to what he perceived as a great disorganization in the Jihad.
    Unfortunately, his great creative gift, matching ego, and copious usage of Latin and French phraseology to make his point did not endear him to the newsgroup's readers. In fact, he deeply annoyed many and made enemies when he stated that all others' efforts were pointless and only with TRES (and himself as the leader) did anyone stand a chance.
    Historical evidence suggests he managed to gain some measure of acceptance, if for no other reason through his posting volume alone. After he obtained a few followers, Greenbaum became much more open to the idea of working with the Jihad. He retained control of the organization for nearly a year.
    On September 21, 1994, Greenbaum ceded control of TRES to The Ancient Guild of Jihad Philosophers, after previously offering control to any Jihad group. The Guild, led by Grand Elder Sage Wayne Matthew Syvinski, was the first to request control of TRES, and consequently it was granted. TRES Corps, under the leadership of Lord Tilden Owsen, became the military and police arm of the Ancient Guild of Jihad Philosophers[1].
    As mentioned in the standard Jihad FAQ, Lord Tilden Owsen returned to ab4d after adverse conditions had driven him away to witness an on-going battle between Wayne Syvinski and Fleet Commander Serbeus. He perceived this at detrimental to the Jihad and immediately established a rapport with Wayne Syvinski. Owsen's first suggestion to Syvinski is best summed up in the phrase: "We need an army."
    Owsen's repeated requests for this army coincided with Greenbaum's departure nicely. Syvinski allowed Owsen to create TRES Corps as Grand Admiral under the Guild's terms[2].
    Shortly after the debacle with Wayne, Owsen, fearing corrupted supervision from the Guild, declared TRES Corps a sovereign entity. The Corps now articulated a dual ideology of philosophic and militaristic action that is evident throughout this document.

?When did your organization form?

    Our historical roots date back to 1993, but our "modern" incarnation did not begin until early 1995 with the admission of J. FoxGlov into our ranks. J quickly rose to 2nd in Command of the Corps where he lead in Owsen's place[3].
    Membership grew rapidly as J went evangelical about the need for Reason and Philosophy in Jihaddi's action. His persona drew many people to the Corps in an era of bickering and in-fighting between s*rp and his adversaries, both real and imagined[4].