Are you currently accepting new members? Yes.

Who can join (any restrictions to race, location, population level, etc.)? Any. Prefer new characters that have not yet used their Tenaril Spell of Relocation.  Alliance intends to gather in The Wastes, no protection guarantee to towns outside that Region.

What are some benefits of joining your alliance (protection, training, etc)? Obtain long-term capabilities beyond the average player in game due to our unique Strategy.   New players in Illyriad can get their permanent town sites set and growing to full capacity without worries of graduating from a Training Alliance and potentially Exodusing their towns.  Training comes as a member, but we're not advertised as a Training Alliance.  We take a more traditional approach to teaching self-reliance for raising towns themselves, much as was done before Training Alliances were formed. As the alliance leader, I offer nearly 4 years of experience in the game, to include much world war experience, so this alliance offers a learning environment while retaining goals and scope as a normal alliance.  

What does the alliance stand for? What are it's goals and governing principles?  Our historic alliance goal is to take advantage of water-based game play as it exists now (shoreline food), and when/if it matures in the future.  We specialize in Terra-Forming, and specifically Terra-Forming The Wastes.  Our goal is to play the game to its fullest possible extent, to include offensive and defensive wars (preferably arranged in tournament-like setting, while being capable of all-out war). 

What type of player are you looking for as members?  Any and all, with frequent additions of new players.  Key word is "player" - which is different than someone who starts an account primarily to spam in Global Chat (GC) or harass others.  For those who play the game, you are welcome. A 99-member alliance should be diverse and I think any game player has potential to contribute to an alliance.  Most large/established alliances have outsourced the development of new players to their detriment, and they cherish too highly their large perma-sat accounts instead of seeing the value of purging the dead weight and reviving through new growth.  Every alliance should continue to obtain and help new players, as this helps to keep game veterans' perspective in check, and refreshed.  I think Training Alliances have led to a stale atmosphere in many established alliances.

Can players freely leave the alliance if they wish? If not, what are the consequences of leaving? What would cause the leaders to remove a player from the alliance? Anyone can click a button a couple times in this game and create an action that game veterans dislike or find abhorrent.  However, once a member is established in The Wastes with a Terra-Formed tile, it is disadvantageous to leave.  Former members' Terra-Formed tile(s) will be sieged for the benefit of the alliance.  Members who become so disruptive in chat that 3rd party complain to me and prove their problem with IGM that the individual is spamming or harassing unreasonably in GC --- if I deem it poor character, there will be warnings followed by being kicked (I won't say how many strikes till out, depends on severity of incident).  There is also some leeway for newb mistakes in attacking other players, but same as prior - if problems persist that could lead to a war not intended by alliance leadership, the player would most likely be removed.  Don't take this to mean that I don't believe in retribution - players always retain the right to self-defense in this game. (the "anyone can click a button" principle, in contrast to real world diplomacy)

What rules govern the alliance? For example, diplomats and troops: who can they be used against in a hostile manner (no one, only NPCs or certain factions, only those at war with, only inactives, only with permission, anyone not in the alliance or in NAP with your alliance, etc)?  If a non-member's town position relative to the collective defense of the alliance is seen as a threat, or advantageous to the alliance to seize, then you'll just have to await my decision.  Telling you my specific actions within an answer to this question would provide far too many advantages to potential competitors/enemies.

If the alliance has a tax on its members, what is the money used for? It is stored for the good of the alliance, especially if army sizes should exceed player capabilities to support in the short term.  I can say honestly (and other members have access to financial logs), that I have never withdrawn one single gold nor withdrawn one single point of Prestige to this date in the alliance's 2-year history.  While I do believe in creating ways to preserve the alliance, a member's contribution of gold or Prestige is to the Alliance, not the Alliance's leadership.

Yes

AMD is a diverse and fair alliance. We accept all shapes, sizes, personalities, and colors in our alliance

What are some benefits of joining your alliance (protection, training, etc)?

Our alliance, AMD, uses pure democracy. This means out members (You) get to vote on important decisions in our alliance, such as NAP and war. This makes each and every member in our alliance important

What does the alliance stand for? What are it's goals and governing principles?

Our alliance stands for having fun in Illy, and making the most out of it. Also, as said before, we use democracy to govern our alliance. This is to ensure absolute fairness and equality in our alliance

What type of player are you looking for as members?

We're looking for players who just want to have fun, and enjoy their time on Illy. But we also need users who want to be involved in politics, war, etc. These people typically are our future leadership members

We believe in fairness. If you want to leave AMD, we wont hold it against you. That is your decision to make. The rare case where we would have to kick someone is if they break our rules and policies on multiple occasions. 

What rules govern the alliance? For example, diplomats and troops: who can they be used against in a hostile manner (no one, only NPCs or certain factions, only those at war with, only inactives, only with permission, anyone not in the alliance or in NAP with your alliance, etc)?

We are a peaceful alliance. We will not fight unless provoked. Our members are allowed to use military/diplomatic units in a hostile manner against NPC's, and Inactive Players within our alliance.

If the alliance has a tax on its members, what is the money used for?

We do not have a tax. If we ever needed one, it would be to help raise an army.