Introduction
Moonshine Manor’s purpose is to create a community of like-minded individuals with similar ideals in life and to bring them together in a safe and ambivalent role-playing environment where they will be able to coexist in harmony with one another. Moonshine Manor will serve as a haven for all members to escape the hypocrisy, ignorance, and arrogance that floods modern Elanthia.
Moonshine Manor is being established as an Autocratic House, with the Chair having final judgment on an issue only after consultation with all other officers. Everyone’s opinion is valued and appreciated.
All Moonshine Manor Officers’ term of leadership is for life. In some situations, even after death, certain officers will be obligated to fulfill their duties.
Each officer is established for life and the Chair will appoint any empty officer positions. However, if five or more current officers do not approve of an officer’s actions, or find that they are against house ideals then they may choose to expel the officer or demote them to member status.
Final Thought:
"In a nutshell, choose wisely! It ain' dat flippin' hard!" quoted by Plur.
Article I
Name: The name of this officially recognized MHO is Moonshine Manor, hereinafter referred to as the "House."
Officer Duties and Obligations
(That's "duties" not "doodies.")
The Chairman, The presiding officer of Moonshine Manor, and all assemblies, meetings, committees, or boards. The duties of the chair are as follows but not limited to:
- To oversee the general running of Moonshine Manor.
- Delegation of Authority.
- Liaison to the “powers that be."
- Chair has final say and veto power. (See duties of Parliamentarians.)
- Moderating of all officer and member meetings.
- To provide all officers and members with the means and the knowledge to fulfill their duties and assignments.
- Chairman only votes in the event of a tie.
- Overseeing the election of officers.
- Presiding over the induction and expulsion of house members.
The Co-Chairman, The officer who assumes the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. The duties of the chair are as follows are not limited to:
- To oversee the general running of Moonshine Manor in cooperation with the Chair.
- Delegation of Authority in absence of the Chair.
- Moderating of all officer and member meetings in absence of the Chair.
- To provide all officers and members with the means and the knowledge to fulfill their duties and assignments.
- Co-Chairman votes in all instances unless fulfilling the duties of the Chair. (See duties of Chair.)
- Co-Chairman is responsible for the scheduling of meetings and the ratification of said meeting for availability and attendance.
- Overseeing the election of officers in absence of the Chair.
- Presiding over the induction and expulsion of house members in absence of the Chair.
The Scribe, An officer who keeps records, takes minutes of the meetings, and answers correspondence for the organization. The Chair and Co-Chair will make sure the Scribe is kept up to date on any changes to the house immediately. The duties of Scribe are as follows but not limited to:
- To keep accurate minutes of all meetings and distribute said minutes to all officers.
- Maintaining the website, GSwiki page, Discord, and any other applications used by the organization.
- Organizing and distribution of the house newsletter.
- Compiling of all house records of business including emails, copies of all pertinent information, and proposals.
- Deals with all correspondence concerning Moonshine Manor.
The Treasurer, Officer in charge of funds or revenues, especially the chief financial officer of the organization. The duties of Treasurer are as follows but not limited to:
- Maintaining and balancing a budget.
- The monitoring of all incoming and outgoing money.
- Prepares a quarterly financial report which shall be available to all officers and members.
- The Treasurer has the sole responsibility of deposits and withdrawals from the endowment. (Withdrawals must be approved by the board before the transaction can take place.)
- Oversees the loan request process and collection of said loans.
The Parliamentarian, An officer of a legislative body acting as advisor to the presiding officer on matters of procedure. The duties of Parliamentarian are as follows but not limited to:
- The settling of disputes among officers and or members.
- Oversees the general state of the house.
- Ensures that all bodies follow procedure.
- The Parliamentarian acts as judicial body to all house business. (In the event of any decision that contradicts the house charter or bylaws, including the Chair’s veto power, the Parliamentarian can override and call for a board vote.)
- Ensures that all meetings follow the set agenda.
- The Parliamentarian will act as judicial body on review boards as pertains to fines and infractions towards Moonshine Manor, voting only in the event of a tie.
The Events Master, An officer who oversees all events and projects pertaining to the public in general. The Chair and Co-chair are responsible for providing the Events Master with any news items or general announcements concerning Moonshine Manor to be published in game, on Newsby, Discord, or any applicable calendars. This also includes the game mechanical tools to achieve said goals. The duties of Events Master are as follows but not limited to:
- Events Master is responsible for the meeting of deadlines by those heading said events as pertains to non member events. (This applies only to events not for members only.)
- To ensure those heading events have the means and manpower to successfully complete said projects.
- Is responsible for the overseeing of public relations.
- To ensure events and or projects are advertised properly to the general public.
The Master-at-Arms, An officer whose duties pertain to the membership population in general. The duties of Master-at-Arms are as follows but not limited to:
- The management of the membership list including updating, keeping current emails or Discord usernames on file, and providing all officers with an updated copy of the membership list and their emails or Discord usernames, as well as keeping a list of any blacklisted adventurers
- To oversee all members-only events, including membership drives.
- Scheduling of interviews with potential members or selecting another officer to do said interview.
- To, with board approval, distribute awards and commendations as pertains to members and officers.
- To keep a record of conduct as applies to infractions and commendations of members and or officers, including investigation of any charges levied by a member or officer by another member or officer.
All Officers will be required to remain outstanding citizens and uphold the city laws as well as the House Code of Conduct. Because of the official and public status, all Officers acting against the Code of Conduct shall and will be punished quickly and severely, having a far better reputation to maintain than any general member. Any officer brought under questioning will come before the council and their fate be decided, whether it be suspension or expulsion.
All Officers shall be treated equally, despite their title, duties, race, profession and/or inability to form words properly. No Officer shall be condemned by fellow officers or members by his or her jaded past, such as petty theft, unintended murder, adultery, or treacherous acts of raiding nearby towns.
Article II
Membership and Dues
- Membership in this House is contingent on compliance with requirements specified in these Bylaws.
- Membership is restricted by minimum membership standards as set forth by the local government. All members are welcomed regardless of past affiliations or trained experience. Translation: While Moonshine Manor is an MHO, there is NO level requirement!)
- Membership is unrestricted by consideration of race, creed, lifestyle, size, color, or sex. However, Officers have the right to reject membership for any reason.
- Categories of membership in this House are Lifetime Member and Charter Member.
- Lifetime Member: A general member who has met all the requirements, passed the application process, and has paid a one time membership fee as outlined in Section 7: Dues.
- Charter Member: An original member who joined together with the Officers to form the House.
- Induction
- Before induction, a player must have read and agreed to the House Bylaws set forth here. We are on an honor system. We will not "force" you to read them, but should you ever claim "I didn't know." and it is clearly stated in the Bylaws, you will still be penalized.
- Before induction of a player, the officers performing the induction will ensure that the candidate has had an opportunity to read the House Bylaws, has had an opportunity to have questions answered regarding said Bylaws and is in agreement with the rules set forth in those articles.
- Termination
- The Chair may terminate a member for failure to meet membership requirements, provided the member was offered an opportunity to have a hearing if requested at which the member was permitted to defend against the termination.
- Any member may be terminated for reasons including, but not limited to: Excessive harassment, delinquent behavior, inappropriate conduct, failure to recognize House standards, breach of House regulations, and conspiring against the House or its Officers.
- Members are allowed one warning for minor delinquencies, after which should they demonstrate any actions not in ordinance with House Bylaws, their membership may be terminated. The Chair is not obligated to issue warnings for violations that it deems severe enough to bypass the warning process, and may proceed immediately to termination.
- The Council of Officers can terminate or suspend any member they deem fit.
- If terminated, a member may be allowed to rejoin the Council of Officers after demonstrating eligibility for membership.
- Dues
- An initial lifetime membership fee as stipulated by the House, is currently 25,000 silvers. This applies to all members with the exception of the first five Charter Members.
- Quarterly dues? We've never heard of them.
- Delinquency
- Should a lifetime member be terminated as a member and expelled from the House, his or her payment will not be refunded under any condition unless otherwise decided by the officers. If an expelled member applies for re-entry into the House (See Article II, Section 6, Clause E), dues must be repaid in order to regain membership. Exceptions to this case will be determined by the Council of Officers.
- The Chair may deny membership to any whom it deems unfavorable to the House and its standards. Should any applicant be denied membership, they may question the officers as to the reason, but the Chair is under no obligation to reply to the applicant as to the cause of denial. Constant and repeated inquisition as to reason for denial will be seen as harassment towards the officer, and will be dealt with accordingly. (i.e. with an axe, a sword, a magical wand, or a cane.) Any offenders must wear Plur’s diaper for 24 hours.
Article III
Contributions
Membership contributions to GENERAL FUNDS and ENDOWMENT will be considered donations to the House.
Purpose of the GENERAL FUNDS and ENDOWMENT
- The Treasurer may draw upon the General Funds for expenses, House entertainment (parties), loans, prizes, etc. The Endowment can never be drawn on, but continues to grow in size. Its purpose is to create interest, which is deposited into the General Funds.
- Members are not required to contribute to the GENERAL FUNDS and/or ENDOWMENT.
- Contributions do not entitle a member to special privileges. (However, being a female of Elven descent, with red hair and green eyes, does.)
- Contributions will not be accepted in place of membership dues or loan payment.
- While donations and other contributions are welcomed and appreciated, we ask that all donations be reported to the Treasury so that possible discrepancies in the account (System) may be found and clarified.
Article IV
Rules and Regulations
The Officers of the House will be the final judges on what constitutes non-compliance with these Bylaws.
Code of Conduct
- All members are to behave according to this code of conduct at any time while within the vicinity and jurisdiction of the House. This includes but is not limited to: inside the House, on House grounds and/or property, at any event associated with the House. Should any member demonstrate unacceptable behavior publicly, where an Officer is in audience to such actions, this shall be viewed as grounds for suspension, or given the situation, termination. This also applies to areas outside of House walls, seeing as how an officer is present, including the amunet.
- Anyone who has become a member of the House is most likely deserving of your respect and is to be treated politely as an equal.
- No harassment of fellow members, future members, non-members, or Officers.
- If offered a drink, and you decline, always carry a good reason or explanation; or face public flogging. Sorry.
- The Golden Kobold Rule. "Do unto anudder, as yewd do unto youse mudd'r!"
- Disclaimer: Kobolds were never known for their vast insight.
- There is a well defined difference between acting silly and being immature. All members as well as their guests are expected to act cordially and with respect toward their fellow members. Silly behavior is condoned as well as encouraged if the intent is for entertainment or to befriend others. Behavior which mocks fellow members publicly will not be tolerated. Should a member not be able to differentiate between these two, their membership shall be revoked until they are able to do so.
Article V
Application
Prospective members may apply via webform at https://forms.gle/AyFNP8KcKdZhJVFt6. This is meant to express interest to join Moonshine Manor so that an officer can review before reaching out to complete the induction process.
Nomination
Existing members may nominate prospective members to join Moonshine Manor by alerting an officer to review the nomination before completing the induction process.
Induction Process
- Collect membership fee of 25,000 silvers
- Discuss code of conduct
- House tour
- Wiki page / Bylaws review
- Discord invite
- Update wiki page membership list
Questions can be submitted via email to officers@moonshinemanor.org.
Article VI
Member Event Team: (aka The MET's)
A team of members dedicated to coordinating House events by planning, running, and overseeing said events.
Members are welcome to coordinate with officers to schedule informal events at any time. Officers can assist with publishing events to calendars and prizes.
Article VII
MHO Status, Rules, and Regulations:
Status: Moonshine Manor is recognized as an Unofficial House of Elanthia. (MHO, or Meeting Hall Organization)
Moonshine Manor is located just inside the Coastal Cliffs from the Merchant Road, through a gilt mithril gate. (Lich Room #526)
Outside the Hall, a plaque lists all current Landing Organizations and their noted Officers by name. A blackboard near the plaque serves as a bulletin board for members and non-members and officers alike. For members, the guard will mostly tell you about the Hall, how to join a group, your status with a Group or Groups and how to resign from either. For officers, the guard can tell them how to file an organization application, creating a mission statement, inducting members, expelling members, and other officer duties.
For Officers only, the guard can also sell guest passes, in which non-members can enter the Hall as a guest of a certain organization.
Once inside the Landing Hall, the clerk is there to readily greet anyone and answer their questions. The clerk can answer questions such as: a group's roster, their status, such as their position and/or starting date, other things such as the group's endowment fund. For Officers, the clerk can tell how to invest and divest new or old officers as well as how to add to the endowment.
Note: Only officers can add to the endowment. All member contributions are to go through them.
Elsewhere in the Landing Hall, are the following things:
- A lounge
- An auditorium
- A pantry (where once established, Officers can rent food/drink carts)
- A ballroom upstairs
- A bar upstairs
- A supply shop (Where once established, Officers can rent meeting tents to set up at any location)
- A balcony
- A garden (branched off from the main courtyard, outside the Landing Hall)
Article VIII
House Colors
Gold and Black
Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms will be a golden keg on a field of black. Such as this design:
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