Charter

Charter & Bylaws of the Order of the Shadow

INITIATION & PROMOTION:

    • New Members of the Order must undertake a Blood Oath, to ensure that they both comprehend and will abide by the precepts established by the Order.

    • Upon initiation, Members will - by default - be ordained with the rank Neophyte. With the approval of the Council of Exarchs, new members with verified esteemed reputation may be promoted to a higher rank immediately, provided that their qualifications are sufficient to do so; however, this is entirely at the discretion of the Council or Grand Exarch, regardless of qualifications. A Neophyte may also be independently registered with a rank or ranks regarding their areas of expertise, also at the discretion of the Council of Exarchs.

    • After a period of six months, a Neophyte may be nominated for promotion to the rank of Acolyte, including promotion to more specialized rank(s) that reflect their individual knowledge, skill, or connections.

    • After continually demonstrating their capabilities, aptitude, and dedication to the Order, a full member may be eligible for Exarch [Officer] status. A member may be retroactively appointed for Exarchy, based upon past deeds or accolades, by the Grand Exarch and/or unanimous Council decision. For the protection of the Order itself, the Grand Exarch or the Council of Exarchs reserves to right to decline any candidate for Exarchy without justification, regardless of merit or time served, but may appoint alternate designations, rewards, or positions instead.

    • Newly appointed Exarchs must undergo a second private Blood Oath, to reaffirm their dedication to the Order, and will then serve as a part of the Council of Exarchs.

Members of Acolyte status or above (or in rare cases, even Neophyte status) may also be eligible for the following (or more) positions:

    • Specialist: Demonstrates remarkable talent or knowledge in a particular field.

    • Liaison: Has respected and influential ties to another organization or institution, and is willing to act independently as an Intermediary between the aforementioned group and the Order.

    • Diaconate: Has demonstrated remarkable devotion and knowledge of religious rites regarding a particular Deity (Arkati, Spirit, or other Entities), and is willing to perform rites, ceremonies, or communion in conjunction with the Order regarding said Deity.

    • Researcher: Has extensive training and knowledge regarding a particular subject or body of information, and is willing to put those talents to use for the Order.

    • Watcher: Represents, suggests, and maintains checks and balances to preserve the neutrality of the Order.

COUNCIL OF EXARCHS:

    • When a decision must be made that cannot be resolved by inclusive discussion with all members of the Order, for whatever reason, that decision is typically put forth to the Council of Exarchs.

    • The Council Proper also includes the Grand Exarch, who will typically be acting in a capacity equivalent to the other Exarchs for the intents and purposes of voting, etc.

    • Matters of a particularly sensitive or confidential nature may be resolved by a smaller contingency of Exarchs selected from the Council Proper, at the discretion of the Grand Exarch.

    • Any individual wishing to initiate a selective meeting (one ore more members) of the Council may do so by confidential request via the Grand Exarch. In the interest of equality, the Grand Magister may choose to deny such selection upon the grounds of any biases, perceived or otherwise; however, for their protection, the initiating member may invoke the same right and deny up to (but not more than) one of the appointed Exarchs.

CODE OF CONDUCT:

    • It is highly recommended that Members of the Order who are acting on behalf of the Order, in any capacity, abide by all laws and regulations relative to the district in which they are current active.

    • In extraordinary circumstances, emergency exceptions to the above may be made, but must be declared and approved in advance by the Council of Exarchs.

    • If a Member of the Order faces accusations - lawful or otherwise - for their actions while not acting on or operating in any capacity relative to the Order, they must face all such repercussions individually and with no connection to the Order; upon doing so, they may retain their rights and ranks within the Order, provided that the charges they face are not prohibitively great. Members faced with punitive repercussions of great severity, however, may be subject to Excommunication; in all such situations, a verdict will be put forth by the Council of Exarchs on how best to proceed.

    • If a Member of the Order faces accusations for their actions while acting on or operating in any capacity relative to the Order, it is recommend that the accused remove themselves from any such connection, implied or otherwise.

    • Note that this Code of Conduct is subject to review at any time. It is the responsibility of each Member of the Order to maintain current and up-to-date knowledge of such, or be liable.

Through thine sacrifice, made flesh.

"Through thine sacrifice, made flesh."

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