Aw ... I'd like to offer a different alternative to finding a different fellowship. Case in point, my fellowship, Thornwood. We're a great group, and the archmage really loves us. She's ill, and she asked me to be her second in command, to choose the course in her absence. Yes, she could have made me archmage, but she built this from scratch in 2018 and she can't bear to let go. She keeps thinking she'll beat this disease. I don't blame her; before she got ill she would fall on a sword for the group. I would rather keep her as AM and just run the place in her absence, and I've got a terrific team of mages to help toward that end. We can do anything any other group can do, and in many ways we do it better. We always get our 10 plus chests; we always make silver in spire and sometimes gold, and we finished 4th in the FA. Plus, our spire gold parties, during steel tourneys, are the most fun bash you can have, with kp prizes for songs, stories, and of course, making gold! Each mage has their own task and they do it well, from News Mage to Tourney Mage to AW Thread Mage to Spire Mage and more. Everyone does their job and everything runs smoothly.
We're recruiting for one more member now, and yes, I do worry about that black triangle next to the AM's name being a deterrent for many people. But I defy anyone to find a better, more welcoming, more well-run group than ours. We have 24 ACTIVE members. That's hard to find. So while I can understand the advice saying to find another group, I would also say that there are exceptions to every rule.
Some day, I may decide that enough is enough, and that we've waited all we can. But we are a LONG way from that now. For now, I hope my dear friend gets better and shows up one day to say, "I'm baaack. Let's get this show on the road!" I'll gladly give up the reins when that happens. Until then, I'll keep trying to fill that last slot with the right person, and hope that people give us a chance despite the black triangle. I make a good substitute for AM ... I live here, lol. I'll work my little heart out to make sure the group runs like clockwork. So anyway, like I said, there are always exceptions to the rule.