The Empyrean Order Charter (Updated Jan 18th, 2015)

[Cheatle]

Charter of The Empyrean Order

 

The Empyrean Order believes that just because you can do something in a game, that doesn't necessarily mean you should. To that end, we want Pathfinder Online to have a community where -- even though Open World PVP is enabled -- random Player Killers are a fringe element rather than mainstream, and griefers are nearly non-existent. We also believe in helping new players, reaching out to the rest of the community, and generally making Pathfinder Online a better world for people to enjoy together.

 

Statement of Beliefs

1. Regardless of their settlement or nation, members of The Empyrean Order are our brothers and sisters in arms, and will have voice and support from The Empyrean Order.

2. If any portion of The Empyrean Order is threatened, all are threatened, and we will respond appropriately.

3. No killing without just cause. For the most part this consists of enemies of The Empyrean Order and those who are a threat to the general public.

4. Do not make agreements you do not intend to keep. Nobody in The Empyrean Order will demand you make promises or enter into contracts, but if you do, then you should honor your word.

5. Respect other members of our order, and try to respect those outside of it as well. Any rivalry between members should be friendly. Disagreements are expected to remain civil even if you have to agree to disagree.

 

Covenant of the Phoenix

The Empyrean Order is the official Pathfinder Online chapter of Covenant of the Phoenix (CotP). As such, members of The Empyrean Order have achieved their first step in obtaining membership into the CotP community, and all members are expected to read and follow the CotP Guild Charter. Rising to leadership within The Empyrean Order will require candidates to qualify for promotion within Covenant of the Phoenix.

 

 

Chapter Governance

The Pathfinder Online Chapter of CotP will be governed by two co-leaders, responsible for out-of-game functions including management of the website and forums, control of mumble, and maintaining ties with the larger CotP community. They are responsible for ensuring that the Chapter is integrating with CotP and ensuring the membership is in compliance with the CotP ideals. They serve, in part, as the moral compass of the organization.

The Co-Leaders will be selected by the Council of Companies, discussed below.

 

The Structure of The Empyrean Order

Governance of The Empyrean Order will reside with three levels of council -

 

 

The Council of Companies will consist of the leaders (or their posted designee) of all approved Empyrean Order companies within the game. The Council of Companies will have the following powers and responsibilities -

1. The Council shall, via a majority vote, have authority to declare war upon a group or entity on behalf of TEO as a whole, or to declare an end to war with a group or entity.

   1. It is the duty of the High Commander of the Militaries to inform and advise the Council of Companies on such decisions.

2. The council shall, via a two-thirds majority, have the authority to recall from office the High Commander of the Militaries.

   1. The High Council shall, in extenuating circumstances, have the option to delay removal for up to one month of the High Commander of the Militaries by a unanimous vote of all other High Council members.

   2. A simple majority vote shall be required to appoint a new High Commander of the Militaries.

      1. Candidates must hold at least a Knight rank within CotP, or be immediately eligible for such promotion.

      2. Candidates must be longstanding members of a PvP company, and qualifications for the position are subject to review by the Council of Companies.

      3. If no candidate can be agreed upon or is eligible, the High Council shall appoint a High Commander of the Militaries to act in interim until such time as an election is successful.

3. The council shall, via a two-thirds majority, have the authority to recall from office the Grand Master of The Empyrean Order.

   1. The High Council shall, in extenuating circumstances, have the option to delay removal for up to one month of the Grand Master of the Empyrean Order by a unanimous vote of all other High Council members.

   2. A two thirds majority vote shall be required to approve elevation of a member to Grand Master of The Empyrean Order.

      1. Candidates must hold at least a Knight rank within CotP, or be immediately eligible for such promotion.

      2. If no candidate can be agreed upon or is eligible, the High Council shall appoint a Grandmaster of The Empyrean Order to act in interim until such time as an election is successful.

4. The council shall, via a two-thirds majority, have the authority to recall from office either or both Co-Leaders of the Chapter..

   1. The High Council shall, in extenuating circumstances, have the option to delay removal for up to one month of a Co-Leader of the Chapter by a unanimous vote of all High Council members.

   2. A two thirds majority vote shall be required to approve elevation of a member to Co-Leader of The Empyrean Order.

      1. Candidates must hold at least a Knight rank within CotP, or be immediately eligible for such promotion.

      2. All appointments of Co-Leader are subject to veto by CotP leadership.

 

 

The Division Councils are each a subset of the Council of Companies, responsible for advising the Council of Companies and High Council on matters involving its area of focus.

1. Three divisions shall be established, with each company belonging to a single division, representing the play-styles and focuses within Pathfinder Online.

2. The divisions shall be PvE, PvP, and Economics, and consist of the companies focused on each corresponding playstyle.

3. The leaders of all companies within a division shall sit upon its Division Council.

4. Each Division Council shall, via a two-thirds majority, have the authority to recall from office the Division Leader of its Division.

   1. A simple majority vote shall be required to approve elevation of a member of the division council to the office of Division Leader.

      1. Candidates must hold at least a Knight rank within CotP, or be immediately eligible for such promotion.

      2. If no candidate can be agreed upon or is eligible, the High Council shall appoint a division leader from among the leaders of the division in the interim until such time as an election is successful.

 

 

The High Council shall consist of the Division Leaders, the High Commander of the Militaries, and the Grandmaster of The Empyrean Order. Its duties and responsibilities shall include:

1. Settling the overall direction and goals of The Empyrean Order.

   1. Each Division Leader shall set priorities and goals for his or her own division.

   2. The High Commander of the Militaries shall set overall military strategy and planning for The Empyrean Order.

   3. The Grandmaster of The Empyrean Order shall be responsible for statecraft and justice within The Empyrean Order.

2. The High Council shall recommend and approve company splits to form new companies.

   1. A majority vote is required to approve a company split.

   2. A company that is recommended to split is not mandated to do so, and may choose to remain as a single company.

   3. The current company leader shall make recommendations for new company leadership, to be approved by the High Council.

   4. When companies split with the recommendation or approval of the High Council, the newly formed company's Leader will gain a seat in the council of companies, a vote in one of the three divisions and be eligible for all elected positions.

3. A company wishing to join the Empyrean Order as an intact group will be allowed to do so with the approval of a majority of the High Council.

   1. Such a company will be expected to serve for a probationary period of not less than one month, demonstrating merit and fidelity to the Order and CotP.

   2. The Company Leader will attain Sentry rank before the High Council considers whether said Company Leader will gain a seat in the council of companies, a vote in one of the three divisions and be eligible for all elected positions.

 

Amendments to the Charter

This charter may be amended following a proposal by any member of the Council of Companies or a member of the High Council. Any amendment must then be approved by a 2/3s majority vote in both the Council of Companies and the High Council.


Amendment #1

Officers of The Empyrean Order

In order to assist in management and structure of the companies of The Empyrean Order, the leader of a company may nominate to the Company Council persons who have shown themselves to be candidates for leadership positions. Such persons shall be considered officers of the company they belong to, and shall have responsibilities as set forth by their company leader.

1. All candidates for officer must have previously passed the Covenant of the Phoenix Sentry Examination before consideration by the Company Council.

2. All officers shall be expected to be be able to communicate verbally via Mumble in order to facilitate execution of their duties.

3. All officers shall be expected to maintain at least a Militia level military status.

4. All officers shall be expected to provide contact information (a minimum of an email address checked often) so that they may be reached in case of emergencies.

5. Any candidate for Officer must be approved by their Division Leader as well as three other members of the High Council.

6. The leader of a company may, at their discretion, designate an officer of their company as proxy to attend a meeting of the Council of Companies and vote on their behalf. No proxy may be sent to meetings of the High Council.

 

 

 

Amendment #2

Settlement Representation

Any settlement that is a part of TEO shall be allowed to appoint one representative to the Council of Companies, to be determined according to that settlements charter and leadership.

Edited January 19, 2015 by Cheatle