EM

EM stands for Event Moderator. They write scenario, lead event, and often plan reward.
(In Japanese shards we have Seers instead)
Before EM, Seers and Elders worked on game events. From Celebrity Chat, UOHoC, 1999, kieron said there were 30 Elders.
a few hundred staff helped giving interests, from 1 to 3 events took place every night.
Regarding EMs, they are basically one per shard, doing part time job, not volunteer.
This seems like balancing of providing interest and of managing staffs.

Staffs

There is a Lead EM among EMs. LEM works for UO Event Program Lead.
EPL does GM level job that EMs cant. He is also a supervisor.
Actual staffs are the followings.
LEM - EPL Around 2003: kieron - GM Zilo
Till Jun. 2004: Nikademus(Atlantic) - GM Zilo
Since 2005: Glamdring(Lake Superior) - GM Zilo
The 1st LEM kieron and the second Nikademus are veterans of Interest Program since around 1999.
I think Nika is familiar to North American players, because he is a Seer around 1998, then Interest Volunteer Lead, bacame Atlantic EM 2003, took over LEM from kieron, quited later June 2004.

As above, Nika is promoted to EM from volunteer staff, and his boss LEM kieron as well.
It seems that both experienced staff of Interest Program should be the bridge to EM Program.

Here is two EM lists reported on UOSS by Nikademus 26th Apr. 2004 and CrazyJoe 14th Oct. 2004.
ShardApr. 04Oct. 04
AtlanticNikademusTulkas
BajaVincentsame
CatskillsStonesame
ChesapeakeCelestriasame
DrachenfelsXenasame
EuropaArilemElendrik
Great LakesAzairesame
Lake AustinNyssasame
Lake SuperiorGlamdringsame
LegendsTiberiasHazel
Napa ValleyTheowulfsame
OceaniaSiennasame
PacificJyrrasame
Siege PerilousAriadnesame
SonomaMasarasame
Other EMs confirmed by Gramdring: Cerulean, Daeron, Gustus, Leto, Telnarn
Edit: From an EM event on Oceania 23th July, there are two EM, Sienna and Cerulean.[27th Jul. 2006]

As for GM Zilo finally, he is Event Program Lead ever since the program started.
As Nikademus said he cant do anything without Zilo(from the interview posted on Markee Dragon), he is god of EM event.
He give permission for event execution, supervise it with attendance. So i think he is responsible for EMs atcs.

EM Rares

In TUO, I call such item EM Rare. Thats my sites main content.
Theres some reason i chose the name EM Rare.
Firstly, EM Rare is already a major name for those items obviously. Secondly, if Event Rare was the name for it, old Seer event item and such should be included literally.
If Quest Item was the name, PvP event and many other style of events should not be included.
So i chose the name EM Rare, though you maybe feel something strange; rare should be used only for birth, monthly, daily, prepatch.
EM Rare is something artificial, but its literally rare.
FYI: actually, there is no EM in Korean/Formosan shards, it seems GM or Seer giving out special items.
I basically call such items EM Rare as well, unless we need to have distinction between Korean Rare and EM Rare.

Who made it?

This is an extra thing.
Some people have negative feeling about EM Rares, because they are sometimes overpowered or eye hurting.
But who actually made such item? Of course it should be EM or GM. Wilki, Community Rep, once speaked about RBG sash in UOSS; "The sashes are actually created one by one by the EM's."
Accoding to it, EM is indeed the maker of EM Rares. Do EMs themselves have GM power which can create item? What GM Zilo does?
I dont doubt Wilki, the reasonable answer is, like Nikademus meant, EMs can make item only when GM Zilo allowed. Heres some instances to know more.
  • In multi-shard EM rares, there are name differences by shard. e.g. Member of the Royal Britannian Guard sash and Member of the Britannian Royal Guard sash. So, maybe EMs on each shard made them by their own hand.
  • Even some of the same type of EM Rares on the same shard as well.
  • Especially, some are misspelled obviously. e.g. Cermonial Lantern (should be Ceremonial).
  • Same misspelling occered on some.