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.Â