Hidden Forest has their own forums, so you might want to ask there for more specific help.
http://www.thehiddenforest.org/index.php
For hail, you need to be very close to the NPC. Try again standing right on top of them.
Many servers require you to play for a certain period of time or get to a particular level before they let you use ooc. I don't know what the policy on Hidden Forest is, so asking on their forums would be your best bet.