Sanguis Astroism/Charter before Adam

Charter notes.

Preamble

We believe that the Maddening Star influences our raw emotions and impulses.

We believe that the Auspicious Star influences our reason and capacity for logical thought.

We believe that the Austere Star influences our soul and capacity for serenity.

We believe that above all else, men should seek to reach a state of Harmony with the influence of all three Stars, so that we may act with Wisdom according to our knowledge.

We believe that to succeed at this is to attain Enlightenment, as the First Prophet Mathurin did.

We hold the spiritual writings of the First Prophet Mathurin to come from the greatest understanding of the Stars we have yet achieved. All should study them so we can better understand and study the Stars themselves.

We believe that everyone should know and believe this creed to be true. We do not shun those who seek honest enlightenment, and we seek always to spread our knowledge of the Truth to the unenlightened.

All this we believe.

Article 1: Structure of the Church

Elders:

  Arbiter of the Stars
     Council of Three:
        Light
        Archon
        Consul
          Guardian of the Faith
          Luminary
             Membership:
                    Knight Stalwart
                    Knight of the Temple
                    Knight of the Faith
                    Knight Penitent
                    Sheriff
                   Aspirant (would be promoted at the earliest opportunity)

Article 1 a. Arbiter of the Stars: The Arbiter of the Stars is entrusted with the main duty of protecting the Church from anyone who would try to harm or destroy the Church from all enemies within or without. The Arbiter also has the ability to censure any member who is found guilty of wrongful actions against the Church or faithful of the Church. They only have a vote in Elder affairs in the case of a tie, or as a veto if the actions of the Elders are deemed detrimental to the faith. The Arbiter of the Stars is a permanent position.

Article 1 b. Council of Three:

Light: The Light is entrusted with the duty of Church growth and overseeing the priesthood. The Light will organize missionary missions and recruit members to become priests. The Light has one vote in all Elder affairs, including any revision of the Charter, censuring members, and any other matters that come before the Elder Council of Three.

Archon: The Archon is entrusted with the duty of protection of the Church from any armed force threatening the Faith and mediation between realms with a Sanguis Astroism presence. If the need for a Crusade should arise, the Archon will lead the Holy Army into war. The Archon will also supervise any Militant Orders within the Church. The Archon has one vote in all Elder affairs, including any revision of the Charter, censuring members, and any other matters that come before the Elder Council of Three.                      

Consul: The Consul is entrusted with the care of temples and the lay members of the Church. The Consul is tasked with making reports to the full members of the decisions of the Elders and bringing concerns and requests from the members to the Council of Three. The Consul has one vote in all Elder affairs, including any revision of the Charter, censuring members, and any other matters that come before the Elder Council of Three.

Article 1 c. Guardian of the Faith:

The Guardian of the Faith is an advisory position only. The Guardian of the Faith is entrusted with advising the Council of Three and the Arbiter on matters concerning the Charter and its interpretation. The Guardian will also advise the Arbiter in matters that are vetoed and punishments for those who are censured. The Guardian of the Faith is not a voting member of the Elders.

Article 1 d. Luminaries:

The Luminary is a non voting rank, their purpose is to help the Light with any tasks needed, They shall be priests appointed to the Elders for any reason by a vote of the voting Elders, requiring a simple majority to pass.

==Article 2 Code of Conduct==

Article 2 a. Elders: Church and Realm must remain separate. The Elders must be held to a higher standard than the faithful members of the Church. Honor, integrity, dedication to our beliefs and commitment to stand up for those beliefs, as well as diligence in our duties both to the Church and our realms should be paramount. Political and personal arguments are not to be discussed within the Council of Three. In public, only the greatest of respect for the other Elders must be shown. To the faithful, the Elders must show a unified front to maintain the trust of the members of the Church. Within the Council of Three, discussion must be able to take place that might not necessarily want to be discussed outside of the Council of Three. Matters decided by the Elders will be announced to all Full members.

Article 2 b. All members: All ranks represent Sanguis Astrum and are expected to respect the church to the fullest. This means, all Faithful followers must not speak against Sanguis Astroism or tarnish the image of the church in any way and follow all procedures and policies in place. Any issues an individual has within the church may be discussed with all full members and brought to the attention of the Elders to find suitable solutions. Writing to all members of the Church should be done sparingly. Before writing to all members, ask yourself if it is something everyone needs and/or would want to know. The purpose of the rank Knight of the Faith is to still serve the church as if they were a Knight of the Temple without all the general messages and all of us must respect that. Any Knight of the Faith bothered by discussion to all members should speak up so that everyone can restrict their discussion to full members only.

Article 2 c. Full members: If a full member has a dispute with an individual, faction, or state of the church and both can’t resolve the issues themselves then the issue may be brought to the attention of the Elders only if it is related to the church. Any issue brought to the elder council that does not concern the church does not have to be mediated by the Elders. If a Knight of the Faith feels they are limited by their rank, then they may at any time request the Elder Council to promote them to the full member rank of Knight of the Temple. Any Knight of the Temple that wants their opinion heard must make the effort to speak to all full members or elders and shouldn't expect other members to actively seek them out.

Article 2 d. Aspirants: Aspirants only have a responsibility to themselves and are not obligated to promote the church any more than what they feel they should do individually. Any aspirant can help and are encouraged to act in the best interest of the church.

==Article 3: Voting in the Council of Three:== The general principle we will follow is The Council of Three makes all important decisions and those decisions must be collective. Each member gets 1 vote, and all decisions require a 2/3 majority to pass.

Article 3 a. Veto by Arbiter of the Stars: The Arbiter of the Stars has the authority to veto any motion passed by the Council of Three if it is deemed to be a detriment to the church.

==Article 4: Voting for Council of Three members:==

Article 4a. Archon: The Archon(s) shall be the elected ruler of an established Theocracy. Their placement is automatic by winning the election within their realm. As soon as the results of the election are known, the Arbiter of the Stars shall make any necessary demotions and promotions for the Council of Three.

Article 4b. Light: The Light must be a priest and is elected by the priests of the faith. Elections for Light are held every 2 years (OOC: 6 real life months) beginning on the first day of spring. Should the Light office become vacant, a special mid-term election will be held to fill the vacancy. The vote will be held for 3 days. Each priest gets 1 vote and the priest with the most votes is elected Light. The Arbiter will tally the votes and make the necessary demotions and promotions for the Council of Three.

Article 4c. Consul: The Consul is a full lay member in good standing in the Church. Elections for Consul are held every 2 years (OOC: 6 real life months) beginning on the first day of spring. Should the Consul office become vacant, a special mid-term election will be held to fill the vacancy. The vote will be held for 3 days. Each full member gets 1 vote and the candidate with the most votes is elected Consul. The Arbiter will tally the votes and make the necessary demotions and promotions for the Council of Three.

Previous Charter Documents and Proposals

The Turin Charter

The Sanguis Astroism Charter as developed during the time of Lights Turin, Rosdan, Katrina, and Obelix, after the removal of the Justiciars.

First Post Justiciar Charter

The Charter after the Justiciar rank was removed.

Luminary Merger Proposal

The proposal to merge the Luminary and Luminary Assistant ranks in the Elder Council.

The Helm Charter

The Charter during Helm's time as Justiciar.

Second Major Revision

The second Major revision which was superseded by Helm's & Alaster's emergency powers reforms.

First Major Revision

The first Major revision which was superseded by Helm's reforms.

Helm's Proposal

Helms's proposed changes to the current charter.

Brance's Proposal

Brance's proposed revised version of the Old Charter.

Eoghan 's Proposal

Compiled by Eoghan Ofaolain, proposed revision of the Old Charter.

Old Charter

The Old Charter under which Sanguis Astroism was governed for many years.

Sevastian's Proposal

First proposal considered after the position of Justiciar has been discontinued.