|
Lady Paladin (Chairman) |
Lord Seneschal (Secretary) |
Lord Chamberlain (Treasurer) |
|
Lady Cosannie |
Lord Goldstr |
Lord Balantine |
|
Lady Warlord (Co-Chairman) |
Lord Scribe (Co-Secretary) |
Lord Tyler (Co-Treasurer) |
|
Lady Raindove |
Lord Bonespirit |
Lord Kriztoffen |
Statement of Governing:
House Daingneach Onoir shall be a limited autocracy. The Lord/Lady Paladin
shall have final say in all matters, except as stated below. Only the bylaws,
not any addendums. The government of the house will be a constitutional
monarchy. The officers as a whole are an elected leadership, responsible for
the guidance of the house in events in Elanthia. Terms of office are for
life.
Bylaws
Section One, Membership
Method One: Squires
Any person of 5 trainings or more may become squire to a full member of this
house. Any full member may take anyone as squire that meets the minimum
training requirement. The manner in which squires are found is entirely up to the
member, but the squire must join one, and only one, of the members guilds at
their time of being voted in as a full member. It is the master's duty to
provide a copy of the new squire's history to the Lord/Lady Scribe so that it
may be posted in a manner that all full members and squires may access
it.
The prospective member must spend at least 3 months as a squire, and be at
least titled in age to be considered for full membership. Once all the above
requirements have been met, the squires master may present the squire to the
Lord/Lady Paladin, and request a formal vote be taken, using voting method one,
so that the squire may become a full member. The master of any squire may stop
the apprenticeship of any squire at any time. In this event the squire may seek
a new master, and if one is found, their time as squire under their old master
will be counted towards the required 3 months. Additionally, a squire may
request of the Master of the guild to be transferred to a new master, in the
event they feel they are not able to learn what they need from their present
master.
Method Two: Master Squires
In the event that a legend over 50 training person wishes to join the house,
they may opt for this method instead. They will be treated much the same as a squire,
in that they will have the same rights of a squire, but are considered master
squires, and are relieved of most of the menial duties of a squire. The
prospective member must obtain the sponsorship of one guild/order master of the
house. The guild master or someone he designates, shall assign a task that must
be completed with, or without the help of the sponsor. Upon completion of the
task, but not less than 1 month after it being assigned, the sponsor may
present the applicant to the Lord/Lady Paladin, and request a vote on them
becoming a full member, again using voting method one.
Section Two, Officers
House Daingneach Onoir shall have the following formal officer positions.
Lord/Lady Paladin..........Chairman
Lord/Lady Warlord..........Co-chairman
Lord/Lady Seneschal........Secretary
Lord/Lady Scribe...........Co-secretary
Lord/Lady Chamberlain......Treasurer
Lord/Lady Tyler............Co-treasurer
Terms of office are for life. Any officer may resign from their office at any
time. Doing so excludes them from holding any other office for a period of one
year. In this instance the Lord/Lady Paladin using voting method two shall call
for a vote. Any officer may be removed from their position in the following
manners. In the event that an officer is unable to fulfill their duties for a
period of at least 3 months, the Lord/Lady Paladin may declare the position
vacant, and call for a vote to fill the position using voting method two. Any
full member may call for a vote of impeachment against any officer in the
house. The impeachment votes are handled under voting method three.
Section Three, Duties/Rights
Squires
All squires shall have the right to attend our regularly scheduled
meetings.
They have the right to request a transfer to another master.
Their history and names will be included in the house roster.
They are to serve only their master, and may not be asked to perform any task
in service of the house without the permission of their master.
They have the duty to learn all that can be learned of the house history, and
goals.
They must meet any entrance requirements of their guild.
It is the squires responsibility to make certain they have time to spend in
formal training with their master.
Master Squires
They have the right to attend our regularly scheduled meetings.
Their names and histories shall be included in the house roster.
They do not serve their sponsor in the same manner as a squire, and shall not
be expected to perform "menial" tasks.
They shall be required to perform one task in the service of the house. To be
mutually agreed upon by the Master of the order/guild, and the squire.
In addition to this task, they shall be expected to learn the house history,
and learn the duties of a full member, including duties of their chosen
guild.
Full Members
Full members have the right to attend all meetings of the House.
They have the privilege to take on squires.
If they take on a squire, they have a duty to spend time with this squire. And
to teach the squire of the house, its customs, and his/her future role in
it.
They have the right to vote in all manners described below under section
6
They have the right to call for an impeachment of any sitting officer.
In the event the house becomes official in Elanthia, they shall have all rights
members of other houses in the lands would have. <lockers etc.>
The right to request the granting of a charter.
Officers
Lord/Lady Paladin
The Lord/Lady Paladin is the chosen leader of the house. As such he/she has
virtual dictatorial powers within it. The only things untouchable to the
Lord/Lady Paladin are the bylaws. The Lord/Lady Paladin oversees all functions
of the house, is our military leader in times of conflict, and provides the
direction that the house takes. It is his duty to respond to all threads
appearing on any "official boards". He may designate others to do
this duty, but it is his duty to make certain it is done.
Lord/Lady Warlord
Second in command, the Lord/Lady Warlord is the strong right arm of the
Lord/Lady Paladin. He/she generally handles all day to day activities of the
house, and serves in place of the Lord/Lady Paladin in his absence.
Lord/Lady Seneschal
Reporting directly to the Lord/Lady Paladin, the Lord/Lady Seneschal is
responsible for all contacts of an official nature. He/she shall have the
Lord/Lady Scribe at his/her disposal as needed.
Lord/Lady Chamberlain
Keeper of the coins for the house, it is the Lord/Lady Chamberlain's duty to
maintain the accounts of the house. He/she shall have the Lord/Lady Tyler at
his/her disposal as needed.
Lord/Lady Scribe
The Lord/Lady Scribes duty is to maintain a history of all information
pertinent to the day to day business of the house. He/she serves under the
Lord/Lady Seneschal, and also may at times aid him/her in their tasks.
Lord/Lady Tyler
It falls on the Lord/Lady Tyler to maintain discipline in the ranks of the
house. He is responsible for enforcing the will of the Lord/Lady Paladin.
Section Four, Charters
To further enhance role-playing, there shall be "orders" within the
house. All full members must be a member of at least one order. They may join
as many orders as they wish, as long as they meet whatever entrance
requirements each order has. An order will be a formation of like thinking
members of the house. The formation of an order is done by charter of the
Lord/Lady Paladin. Any full member may approach the Lord/Lady Paladin and
request a charter to start an order within the house. Before a charter will be
granted, the person making it will provide a detailed out line of what the
orders function will be, the order's organization, and any duties it will
assume. There must be at least 3 full members who agree to join each new order.
Each order will have its own unique set of "rules". These will
include how the order raises silvers, whether squires are charged silver, or if
the entrance fees are paid by the order. They will also include what is
required to be a member of the order. Any special skill requirements. I.E. a priestly
order might require all members to be able to cast raise dead, even if only
from a scroll. Or a knightly order may have some type of ritual combat that may
have to occur. And also what is required of all squires of this order. All of
this will be spelled out before the charter is granted, and is included as part
of the charter. Once this has been presented to the Lord/Lady Paladin, a vote
will be called for as outlined in method four. It may only be changed with the
approval of the officers, and if required, the charter could be revoked under
voting method four. An officer may also be master of an order, but only in the
beginnings. Once the order reaches a size of 5 members, the officer must resign
either his status as an officer, or his status as head of the order. Assuming
the officer resigns the order's leader the officers hold a vote under method
four and choose a replacement from the ranks of the order. Resigning the
officers position is explained in section two.
Section Five, Funds
The house raises silvers by taxing each order. At time of acceptance, each
order will be required to hand over 50,000 silvers to the Lord/Lady
Chamberlain, for each person in the order. Each time a squire becomes a full
member of an order, the order shall pay 50,000 silver to the Lord/Lady
Chamberlain. Every instance where a house member joins a new order, the order
will pay 25,000 silvers to the Lord/Lady Chamberlain. The Lord/Lady Paladin
may, at his discretion, call for emergency funds to be generated by the house.
In this instance the Lord/Lady Paladin may impose "taxes" in whatever
manner he deems necessary.
Section Six, Bylaw Changes
The bylaws may only be changed by a vote of 75% in favor of the change. All
full house members may vote on this change. This is handled under voting method
five.
Section Seven, Disciplinary Action, and Removal of Members, and/or
Officers
All house members are expected to follow the house codes in section nine. Any
full member or squire of this house may have charges brought against them by
any other member, or squire. The charges are made directly to the Lord/Lady
Paladin, who then brings the matter before all the officers. The officers are
expected to interview anyone required that may provide witness, and
the person who is being charged must be allowed to make a statement. The
officers then vote on whether to seek a trial on this matter using voting
method four. If they decide that a trial is required, they inform the member.
At this time the member may either decide to bring the matter before the full
house in open trial, or resign. This is the only officer meeting that may be
held
without other house members present, or that the Lord/Lady Scribe does not make
a complete set of minutes available of. In the event of a trial before the full
house, a date will be scheduled, within 2 weeks of the choice to have one. The
trial will be open to all full members and squires, recorded in full, and
scrolls made available to all house members and squires. The jury will be made
up of all officers, and present leaders of orders. If one person is both an
officer, and the head of an order, they do not get more then one vote. They
will then meet, and decide what, if any punishment is called for. This may be
anything from full exoneration, to removal from the house in extreme cases.
With The Lord/Lady Paladin breaking all tie votes.
Section Eight, Voting Methods
All votes must have 10 full members casting a vote. In the event that there are
less then 10 full members in the house, all members must vote. All votes must
allow at least 2 weeks for members to respond.
Method One, Squires
This method is used to confirm a squire, or master squire as a full member.
After the master/sponsor has presented the person in question to the Lord/Lady
Paladin, the Lord/Lady Paladin shall call for a vote to take place starting no
later than 2 weeks from the time the petition is received. All full members of
the house shall have one vote. Voting will be open for a period of 2 weeks, at
which time the Lord/Lady Paladin will declare the voting finished, and announce
the results. It takes a 50% plus one majority in favor, of all votes cast, for
this person to be accepted as a full member. In the event that the required
votes minimum of 10 are not received, the Lord/Lady Paladin may, at his
discretion, either allow a one week extension, or call for a new vote no later
than 2 weeks after the first. If enough votes are cast, but the person does not
gain the required 50% plus one, the sponsor may petition the Lord Paladin at
any time for a new vote.
Sample votes for method one;
12 votes cast.
six in favor, six against.
result......Failed. Must be re-presented to the Lord/Lady Paladin for another
vote.
9 votes cast.
nine in favor, none against.
result......Failed. Lord/Lady Paladin may either call for extension, or a
re-vote.
12 votes cast.
five in favor, four against, three abstentions.
result......Failed. Must be re-presented to Lord/Lady Paladin for another
vote.
12 votes cast.
seven in favor, four against, one abstention.
result......Success! See the Lord/Lady Paladin so you can be initiated.
Method Two, Officers
This method is used to fill vacant officer positions.
If an officer position is vacant, the Lord/Lady Paladin shall call for
nominations for the post. The nomination period shall be 2 weeks from the time
of the call. All nominations must be seconded. Once all nominations for the
post are received, there will be a vote called for at the earliest opportunity.
This method follows a similar 50% majority as used for squires. The differences
are as follows. In the event of more than one person running for the position,
one person must obtain the 50% majority. If none of the persons get this total,
the two highest vote receivers shall face each other in a runoff election to be
started immediately at the close of the first election. In the event of any
ties, the Lord/Lady Paladin casts the deciding vote.
Sample votes for method two;
12 votes cast
six for "a", three for "b", three for "c"
result..... The Lord/Lady Paladin, or Lord/Lady Warlord in case of a vote on
the Lord/Lady Paladin, declares a runoff between "a" and either
"b" or "c" whether its "b" or "c"
9 votes cast
six for "a" , one for "b", one for "c", one
abstention
result...... Incomplete. Lord/Lady Paladin may either call for extension, or a
re-vote
12 votes cast
seven for "a", four for "b", one abstention
result..... Success! Candidate "a" wins the election
Method Three, Impeachment
This method is used for impeaching a current officer.
Any full member requests an impeachment vote from the Lord/Lady Paladin. Any
other full member must second the request. The Lord/Lady Paladin will schedule
a vote at the earliest available time for the vote. The vote will remain open
for two weeks. In the event that it is the Lord Paladin being impeached, the
Lord/Lady Warlord shall tally the votes. A total of 66% is required to impeach
a current officer. In the event the officer is voted out, a new officer will be
chosen using voting method two.
Method Four, Officer Votes
This method is used in all instances where an officer vote is called for.
After a full and complete application for charter has been filled out, the
Lord/Lady Paladin will call for a vote of all officers. In the case of a tie
vote, the Lord/Lady Paladin vote is the deciding vote. This same majority is
needed in any instance where an officer vote is called for.
Always 6 votes cast
three for, three against, Lord Paladin votes against.
result..... Fails. The measure fails to gain the support of the officers.
Method Five, Bylaw Changes
Open this can of worms at your own peril. The Lord/Lady Paladin must present
all bylaw changes. If he decides to not call for a vote on any proposed
changes, the only remedy is to attempt to impeach him. You have been warned. Do
this only in the direst of circumstances. A vote on bylaw changes requires a
75% majority of the entire house in favor of the change.
Section Nine, General Codes of Conduct
The Code of Honor
To be an honorable person is not just to be honest, truthful, and fair; it is
also to place a premium on these qualities and the behavior they require.
To be an honorable person is not just to do the right thing, nor simply to give
moral considerations a central place in our lives. It is also to want to be
known and trusted by others - especially by other honorable people- as this
sort of person. And honorable people will go to great lengths to maintain these
bonds of trust or to re-establish them when they are broken.
To be honorable is to affirm the importance of moral considerations both in
one's own life and conduct and in the life of the community to which we belong.
Without the latter we may have many saints and much good behavior, but we do
not have honor.
The Code of Chivalry
Prowess:
To seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and
otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than
in personal aggrandizement.
Justice:
Seek always the path of 'right', unencumbered by bias or personal interest.
Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be
tempered by humanity and mercy. If the 'right' you see rings true with others,
and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you
will earn renown beyond measure.
Loyalty:
Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live
by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst
them.
Defense:
Seek always to defend your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe
worthy of loyalty.
Courage:
Being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally
expensive one. Be prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the
precepts and people you value. At the same time, a knight should seek wisdom to
see that stupidity and courage are cousins. Courage also means taking the side
of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth
whenever possible, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth
can bring grief.
Faith:
A knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope
against the despair that human failings create.
Humility:
Value first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own
accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before
your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds.
In this way the office of knighthood is well done and glorified, helping not
only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves knights.
Largesse:
Be generous in so far as your resources allow; largesse used in this way
counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a
difficult decision of justice is required.
Nobility:
Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a
knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of
striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust
towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others,
offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of
rightness.
Franchise:
Seek to emulate everything spoken of here as sincerely as possible, not for the
reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your
exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with
these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be
well remembered for your quality and virtue.
1. Thou shalt follow the dictates of moral conscience.
2. Thou shalt be willing to defend thy principles - no matter the
outcome.
3. Thou shalt have respect and compassion for the weak, and steadfastness in
defending them.
4. Thou shalt love Elanthia, and observe its laws.
5. Thou shalt refuse to retreat before the enemy, waging unceasing and
merciless war against all that is evil.
6. Thou shalt show loyalty to truth and to thy pledged word.
7. Thou shalt be generous and giving of thyself.
8. Thou shalt be champion of the right and good at all times, and at all times
oppose the forces of evil.
9. Thou shalt train the youth in the honorable ways whenever the opportunity
arises.
10. Thou shalt make the following terms thy life's work: Honor, Valor, Faith,
Honesty, Duty, Strength, and Loyalty.