Swordfell/Laws of Swordfell

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Laws of Swordfell

As found on the Judge Bulletin


1. Respect your Peers Law

Nobles are to be respected regardless of status.

Conversations are to be conducted in a respectful manner.

Violence against Fellish peers is prohibited unless formalised in a duel (see 5. Duelling Law).

Upon first offence, a warning is issued. Additional violations are fined. Grave violations can result in a ban.


2. Religion Law

Creation, spread and practice of religions is allowed, as long as its tenets are not harmful to the interests of the Republic.

Senators decide what religion is followed in their region.

Priests found preaching without permission can be fined. Repeated violation can result in a ban.

Heritage clause: Temples and shrines within the Republic dedicated to Sanguis Astroism are not to be sacked or closed. Damage or destruction of temples constitute violations to the Heritage. Violators must undo the effects of their crime and will be fined.


3. Investigation Law

Fellish Nobles are obliged to aid the Chancellor in his/hers investigations and answer truthfully to questions related to that investigation.

A violation of the present article will be followed by a first warning. In case of repeated offenses the sanction will consist in a fine. In case of a serious offence the offender can be banned.


4. Agrarian Law

Each Duke is responsible for setting the internal trading price for their Province (Duchy). Internal trading price meaning the price bought and sold within the Empire.

The Overseer is responsible for negotiating the external trading price for Swordfell. These prices are determined by market and contract. External trading price meaning the price bought and sold outside of the Empire.

In times of crisis or abuse, the Overseer has the authority to override the Duke's Provincial price by issuing an order.

Traders are under the supervision of the Overseer and will act as the agent of the Swordfell for export as well as on behalf of the Lords and Ladies of the Empire within the Empire.

Unauthorized trade internal and external is an offense against the Swordfell and punishable by fine. Unauthorized trading would mean selling food over the price set by the Duke within the Empire, and/or selling food outside of the Empire without being assigned a contract by the Overseer.


5. Duelling Law

Fellish Nobles are allowed to duel for sport till surrender.

Fellish Nobles can be allowed to duel for honor till surrender or death.

For the honor duels to be lawful the Chancellor must approve them.

In case of a minor violation the offender can be fined. In case of a serious offence the offender can be banned.


6. Maintenance law / Military law

All Swordfell Nobles have a duty to maintain the Realm’s regions.

Region Lords have a duty to keep their region in the best shape possible and coordinate the maintenance effort of their region in times of crisis.

In times of peace, the military law is consisting of the clauses of the Maintenance law.


In times of war:

All Swordfell Nobles are to obey the military chain of command to their best intent. That include formations, tactical movements, general orders e.t.c.

Neglecting those duties can result to warnings. Constantly neglecting those duties can result to fines.

Deliberately neglecting those duties can result to a ban.


7. Diplomatic Delegation

A diplomatic delegation is established having authority and competence over the diplomacy of Swordfell.

Leadership as well as political responsabilities of the body lie in the person of the Ambassador(s) of Swordfell. If the seat is vacant, the leadership and its resposabilities lie in the person of the Lord/Lady Imperator/Imperatrice.

Every diplomatic information must be disclosed by the diplomatic delegation to the fellish Senate.

The fellish Senate has the duty and the obligation to disclose to the fellish nobility every diplomatic information received by the diplomatic body or other sources which is not to be regarded as sensitive. The fellish Senate, after having received an information by the diplomatic body or another source must vote whether the information is to be regarded as sensitive. Simple majority is required. No formal procedure is required.

While voting the fellish Senate has to consider whether the information, if disclosed, might harm the security, the indipendence or in any case cause demage to Swordfell. If the information is regarded as sensitive by the fellish Senate, everyone is compelled to keep the secret on it. Otherwise, the information must be disclosed to the fellish nobility. Violation of the present article can be punished with a fine or in case of a serious violation with the banishment of the offender.


8. Enemy of the Republic

Everyone who constitutes a threat to the very existence and security of Swordfell is to be regarded as being Enemy of the Republic. As such, it is duty of the fellish nobility in its entirety to capture them. Dead or alive.

The following subjects are to be regarded as being Enemies of Swordfell: - Jonsu of the Himoura family; - Enoch of the Dishman family; - Ayn of the Starfall family; - Fyra of the Truump family; - Crixus of the Domitius family;

The subjects can be removed from and/or included in the above list only by the Chancellor of Swordfell after (informal) discussion with the fellish nobility. In case of abuse of this power from the part of the Chancellor the Lord Imperator/Lady Imperatrice has the authority to override the Chancellor's power on this matter.


9. Banishment

Every noble, before to be banned, has the right to a public trial. The Chancellor of Swordfell has the duty to enlist the charges against the accused and hold a public referendum. Every fellish must express the vote on this regard. In case of danger to the very safety of the Republic, the Chancellor is entitled to directly ban the accused without waiting for the results of the referendum. In this latter case, a ex post referendum must be held after the banishment in order to confirm or not the banishment itself.


10. Balance of Power, Edicts and Referendum

  • 1. -- Balance and Separation of Power.
    1.1. a) The Regent shall not hold any other Council office(1) or permanent Realm appointment(2). If a Duke, Duchess, or sitting Council Member is elected ruler they must relinquish their dukedom or seat within one week of taking office.
           b) If a noble relinquishes a permanent land appointment to become Regent they may be preferentially appointed, without election, to a similar position on leaving Office.
             Such a preferential appointment  may be vetoed  by the Ruler in the case of a Dukedom or by a Duke or Duchess in the case of a Lordship.
              This will be a one time event for each term of office and should be made as soon as a vacancy is available. If declined or no appointment is available due to a veto(s) the right is lost.
 
    1.2  Dukes/Duchesses, as already permanent members of the Council, may hold one elected Council position except that of Regent.
 
    1.3  Any noble other than Regent or Duke/Duchess may hold multiple Council positions.
 
  • 2. -- Elections and Voting
    2.1  All nobles may vote in referendums and elections for Council office but only Senators may vote in elections for permanent positions.(2)
 
    2.2  All votes count as equal and not representative.
 
    2.3  a) Council elections and referendums require a simple majority.
           b) Senator elections require a qualified majority.
           c) Ducal elections require a two-thirds majority.
 
  • 3. -- Referendums and Edicts
     3.1 a) A Referendum may be proposed by any two Nobles on any topic and then submitted to the Judge who will then initiate it. It runs for five days and the result is legally binding.
           b) A referendum may be repealed after two weeks by another Referendum named for that specific purpose.
     
 
     3.2 a) An Edict is a special referendum proposed and initiated by a Council Official and deals specifically with matters in respect to their jurisdiction. It runs for three days and the result is legally binding.
                If the Edict is passed, the issuing Officer activates it by declaring it in their Bulletin and notifying the Judge to have it entered in the Referendum list.
           b) The issuing Officer may revoke and deactivate the Edict at any time by declaring it revoked in their Bulletin and notifying the Judge.
           c)  An Edict may also be repealed in the same way as an ordinary Referendum ( see 3.1 b).
 
     3.3 a)The Judge will maintain a list of current active Referendums.
      
 
    Notes.
      (1) Ruler, Judge, General and Banker.
      (2) Region Lord, Duke or Duchess.

Other Documents

Code of Nobility
Constitution of Swordfell