Argent Aspis

Argent Aspis is a great house in the outpost town of Wehnimer's Landing, and a member of the Co-operative Houses of Elanthia, or CHE.

Argent Aspis is one of the oldest established houses in Wehnimer's, located on the east side of the town beyond the river. It is adjacent to the town gardens. Aspis is most well known for its annual Bardfest, in which it invites the best in the musical arts to come and perform.

Founders: Erebor, Taarna, Jamel, Caroam, Ilstar and Delvian.

Bylaws of the House of the Argent Aspis

ARTICLE I: PURPOSE OF THE HOUSE

The purposes of the House of the Argent Aspis (hereinafter, "The House") are to promote aid and guidance to the good citizens of Elanthia. The House will perform its legal goals in a manner mutually beneficial to both Elanthia and itself as determined by its members.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. HOUSE MANAGEMENT

The activities of the House shall be managed by its members.

Section 2. ELIGIBILITY

A citizen is eligible to be a member if he or she has attained at least the fifth level of training and has submitted an application to the secretaries. All applications will be forwarded to the House Council.

Section 3. ACCEPTANCE

The names of those proposed for membership shall be posted on the Gemstone IV Message Board, House of the Argent Aspis folder and sent to the House mailing list. Members are encouraged to comment on the nominees. Upon review, a vote is taken on nominees by the House Council, as defined in Article IV, Section 2. Five "aye" votes are required for acceptance; two "nay" votes serve to veto a candidate.

Section 4. INITIATION

Requirements for initiation: A citizen may only be initiated if he or she meets the requirements of Section 2 of this Article and is voted in by the House Council in accordance with Section 3 of this Article. Initiation Fee: An initiation fee of 25,000 silvers is required from each initiate at the time of induction; 10,000 to be placed in the endowment fund and the remainder in the House's general account. Procedure: The procedure of initiation is described in, and shall conform to, the rules set forth by the Cooperative Houses of Elanthia (hereinafter, "CHE").

Section 5. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

Active Members: An "active member" shall subscribe to the House Mailing List and/or have participated in the most recent House Election and/or the most recent House Census. Newly inducted members will be considered active until the next election or census, whichever occurs first. Members will also be considered active by participation in a House sponsored function. However, it remains the responsibility of each member to keep current with the business of the House. Privileges: Active members shall be authorized to vote in any and all meetings of the House, upon elections of officers, and upon changes to the House Bylaws. They are eligible to stand for office should they be eligible as provided for in Article IV. Inactive Members: An "inactive member" is a member of the House failing to qualify as "active" under Subsection A of this Section. Nothing in this Section shall serve to deny inactive members the freedom of the House, access to lockers, or any other privilege of House membership set forth in Section 7 of Article II, save for those enumerated in Subsection B of Section 5. Inactive members may freely become active members upon fulfillment of the provisions of the aforementioned Subsection A. Roster: The secretary shall maintain and provide upon request a roster of all known active members to be posted on the Aspis Message Board, the official website, and mailed to the House mailing list in the first month of the calendar year.

Section 6. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

Members may be expelled from the House by a vote of three-quarters or more of all active members voting. The selling of a character may result in expulsion. Engaging in non-consensual PvP may result in expulsion.

Procedure for expulsion:

Any member may call for the expulsion of another member by appealing to a House officer verbally or in writing. This appeal will be sent to all officers. Four of the six officers must agree to proceed. Notice will be sent to the complaining member and the member in question. Each will have two weeks to state their case. Both sides will be presented to the officers verbally or in writing. Four of the six officers must again agree to proceed. Either party, the complainant or the defendant, may call for an oral or public presentation of issues and subsequent vote (to include a special meeting), or proceed through the House mailing list, at the time such vote is announced. The vote will be recorded at the meeting and/or registered through the House mailing list - the statements of both parties will be included. There will be a three week voting period. Votes will be sent to House officers only. Results will be posted as the total "aye" or "nay" votes only and the member will be expelled only if three-quarters of those responding concur.

Section 7. SERVICES PROVIDED TO MEMBERS

Access to the House: Members shall have free access to the House building and grounds, located on East Ring Road in the town of Wehnimer's Landing, excepting such areas as determined by the chairman to be limited access, including, but not limited to, private member rooms and the enchantment workshop. Lockers: Members shall each receive a locker for storage purposes. Only legal goods may be stored in such lockers. Engraving Service: Members my have items engraved with the House Coat of Arms at the Engraver's Shop, at their own expense. Member Pins: A pure silver Aspis pin, providing a private "House Net" may be purchased at the House and worn by members only. These pins will crumble if worn and rubbed by a non-member. Loans: Members complying with CHE regulations governing loans from the House General Fund may obtain loans by applying to the House treasurer. In all instances CHE regulations concerning house loans to members will prevail. The treasurer will be responsible for complying with those regulations and for approval or denial of all loans. A written agreement will be filed with the treasurer and forwarded to the chair and co-chair. Approved and denied loan decisions may be overridden by a three-quarters majority vote at a regularly convoked House meeting.

Section 8. DISPUTES

Disputes between members or with members of other Houses shall be resolved in accordance with the rules of the CHE, if applicable.

ARTICLE III: MEETINGS

Section 1. FREQUENCY

The House shall hold regular meetings no less frequently than four times annually, within fifteen days before or after each quarter of the year. The chairman shall set the date of each meeting at his or her own discretion. Meetings may be held more frequently, upon dates set by the chairman, and posted on the House Message Board.

Section 2. SPECIAL MEETINGS

Special meetings may be convoked by the chairman upon one week's notice to the House Message Board, or by petition of a majority of the active membership of the House, as forwarded to the members of the House Council and/or the House Controller of the CHE.

Section 3. PRESIDENCY OF MEETINGS

The chairman shall preside over meetings. In the absence of the chairman, the co-chairman shall preside. In the absence of both chairman and co-chairman, the members present at the meeting shall determine, by a majority vote, who shall preside from among the officers present, or failing the presence of any House officers, from the active members present.

Section 4. NOTICE OF MEETINGS

Notice: Notice of any meeting shall be in the form of a letter posted to the House Message Board not less than five days ahead of the meeting. Agenda to Accompany Notices: A meeting agenda shall accompany notices which shall list topics to be discussed or acted upon, provided however, that topics not listed on the agenda may be raised, discussed, and acted upon.

Section 5. QUORUM

Three-quarters of the active membership shall constitute a quorum. NO official action may be taken without a quorum present with the exception for expulsion as described in Article II, Section 6. For purposes of determining whether a quorum is present, members who may have filed votes or remarks with the secretary pursuant to Section 7 of Article III shall be counted as present.

Section 6. MANNER OF ACTING

One vote per member - Number needed to act: Each active member shall be entitled to one vote. Except as separately provided in Section 3 of Article II, Section 6 of Article II, and Article V, when a majority of the active members present act at a meeting at which a legal quorum is established, their duly voted actions shall be recognized as the official action of the House, provided that such action does not conflict with any provision of these bylaws.

Votes of absent members: For the purposes of determining whether a majority of present active members have acted, the votes of members who have filed a vote with the secretary pursuant to Section 7 of Article III shall be deemed to be votes of active members present at that given meeting.

Member silence: Silence by a member during a meeting or a vote shall neither be construed as consent or dissent to any issue under debate but shall be considered an abstention during any vote.

Section 7. ACTION OF ABSENT MEMBERS

Submission of Resolution to be voted upon:

An active member who cannot attend a scheduled meeting may submit a written resolution to the secretary and request that such resolution be voted upon at the meeting. The member may request in writing that the secretary mail a copy of any such resolutions to the House mailing list before the meeting.

The secretary shall comply with such requests as soon as possible but only if any such resolutions and accompanying requests are received by the secretary at least seven days before the meeting.

The secretary shall introduce any such resolution at the meeting at such time during the meeting as the secretary deems appropriate and time must be provided at the meeting for the presentation of any such resolutions.

The text of resolutions so presented shall not be edited, corrected, or changed in any way prior to being voted upon, although such text may be amended by the voting members at such meeting.

In determining whether the resolution passes, the petitioning member shall be counted as having voted in favor of the resolution.

Submission of a vote on a Resolution:

A member who cannot attend a meeting may vote on any resolution mailed to the members before the meeting by delivering an "aye" or "nay" vote in writing to the secretary before the meeting.

Section 8. REPRESENTATION BY PROXY

An active member may be represented by another active member at a meeting, provided the member has sent a letter to the secretary authorizing the second member as his or her proxy, along with a copy of his or her letter to the proxy. The proxy must acknowledge the appointment in writing to the secretary prior to the meeting, stating his or her acceptance as proxy. All such notifications must be received by the secretary at least two days in advance of the date of the meeting. Proxies are valid for the scheduled meeting only and the procedure must be repeated for any future appointment.

Section 9. CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

Section 1. ELIGIBILITY

Definition: Officers must be active members of the House as provided for in Article II, as well as fulfilling all the criteria set forth by the regulations of the CHE.

Multiple Offices: No person may hold more than one office. Any two or more persons manipulated by the same "soul" may not hold more than one office.

Section 2. DESIGNATION OF OFFICERS

The House shall have the following officers, in accordance with the regulations of the CHE: a chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, a co-chairman, a co-secretary, and a co-treasurer.

In addition to the aforementioned officers, three members will be appointed by the chairman as council members.

The aforementioned officers and appointees shall collectively comprise the House Council.

The chairman may create and appoint active members to such other positions as deemed necessary. Such additional appointments serve at the chairman's pleasure and may be removed from duty at the chairman's discretion, and are not members of the House Council.

Section 3. TERMS OF OFFICE

Term: Officers and representatives shall server for one full year beginning from the date of their election or appointment.

Elections: Elective offices shall be filled at an annual election through the mailing list as outlined by the chairman with notice sent as provided above, held no later than thirteen months after the most recent annual election.

Appointments: Council members are appointed by the chairman no later than thirty days after the annual election or when a vacancy occurs.

Section 4. REMOVAL OF OFFICERS

Elected officers may be forcibly removed from office only by a vote of three-quarters of all active members. Appointed council members and additional officers, appointed under the provisions of Subsection C of Section 2 of Article IV, may be removed at will by the chairman. No reason need be given for any such removal.

Section 5. VACANCIES

Definition: An office becomes vacant upon notification by the departing officer to the chairman or on the House Message Board or upon failure of the officer to maintain eligibility under Section 1 of Article IV.

Replacement: Vacated offices shall be filled at the net scheduled meeting in a manner consistent with normal election practice.

Eligibility: Replacement officers must be eligible as provided for in Section 1 of Article IV.

Term of Appointed Officer: An officer appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the un-expired term of his or her predecessor.

Emergencies: The chairman may make an immediate temporary appointment to a vacant office if, in his or her discretion, such appointment is crucial to the continued activities of the House. Such replacements are temporary only and last until the next scheduled meeting of the House, at which time the office shall be permanently filled in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

Section 6. NO RIGHT TO COMPENSATION

Officers shall serve without compensation for their services, provided however, that this restriction shall not prevent the House from reimbursing officers for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their duties as officers.

Section 7. DUTIES OF OFFICERS

House Titles Chair Argent Master Co-Chair Argent Provost

Secretary Argent Scribe Co-Secretary Argent Herald

Treasurer Argent Bursar Co-Secretary Argent Steward

Chairman:

The chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the House, but shall be subject to the lawful control of the members.

The chairman shall have the following duties: Supervising and controlling all activities of the House; Presiding over all meetings of the members; Appointing council members and any additional officers, including assistant secretaries or treasurers as he or she deems appropriate; Induction and expulsion of House members; Investiture of House officers, and Such other duties as are necessary for the continuance of the purposes of the House. Secretary:

The secretary shall have the following duties: Sending out notices of meetings within the time limits set by these bylaws; Taking and keeping of the minutes of meetings; Maintaining the records of the House; Ruling on the meaning of the bylaws in instances of dispute or if the bylaws appear not to cover a situation, and Such other duties as may be assigned by the chairman or the members. The secretary may delegate any of his or her duties to one or more appointed assistants. Treasurer:

The treasurer shall have the following duties:

Receiving all monies due and payable to the House and depositing such monies in the name of the House in the banks not disapproved by the members; Monitoring and maintaining all funds and loans of the House, and Such other duties as may be assigned by the chairman or the members. The treasurer may delegate any of his or her duties to one or more appointed assistants. Co-Chairman, Co-Secretary, Co-Treasurer: These officers have duties commensurate with those listed for the individual offices with the proviso that the chairman is the senior executive officer of the House and that the co-chairman works under the chairman's guidance.

ARTICLE V: AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

The above bylaws may be amended by a three-quarters majority vote of active members at a duly scheduled meeting or through the House mailing list as directed by the chairman, such amendment becoming active immediately thereafter. The revised bylaws shall be posted at the earliest possible opportunity on the relevant House Message Board.

ARTICLE VI: CONFLICT AND SEVERABILITY

These bylaws are in accordance with, and subject to, the laws of Elanthia and the regulations of the CHE. In the event of a conflict between any provision of these bylaws and said laws and regulations, said laws and regulations shall prevail. Such invalidation of such provision of these bylaws do not affect the legality or applicability of any other bylaws hereinafter set forth.

Bardfest Rules

Rulings

1. The rulings of the judges will be final and without dispute. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the contest, we cannot consider an appeal process. While all judges shall attempt to remain objective in their deliberations, artistic works must, in the end, be judged upon subjective criteria. We have attempted to give as much objectivity to the judging criteria as possible, yet the judges are "human" and it is sincerely doubted that any artistic piece could be judged by automation. That's as it should be. Please keep this in mind if you are disappointed in the outcome of the contest.

Time Limits

2. No piece is to be longer than 10 minutes in duration. If Elanthian weather is lagging, judges will determine any additional time allowed. If you are experiencing lag within your portal, it’s up to you to let the Head Judge know. Should your performance go over time (barring weather allowances) an automatic deduction will be made to your Total Score. The timekeeper will inform you once you’ve reached your time limit.

Overtime & Score Deductions

a. For the first minute a performance runs over, one quarter point will be deducted from your Total Score at 30 second intervals. After the first minute, you will lose an additional point at 1 minute intervals. For example, if your performance lasts 11 minutes exactly, you will lose half a point from your Total Score. At 11 minutes and 5 seconds, you will lose 1 ½ points.

b. At 15 minutes total time, you will be asked to stop your performance and 4 ½ points will be deducted from your Total Score.

c. So there is no confusion as to when a performance begins or ends, these will be the criteria for beginning and ending the official time for a performance:

i. Your time will start immediately following your first action (speech or movement) once you stand up. If you choose to remain sitting and perform from the audience, the time will begin once it is clear your performance has started, and your showmanship will be judged accordingly. ii. Your time will stop when you either bow/curtsy or leave the stage. It is essential you make one of these actions clear so the timekeeper can stop your time accordingly. If you plan to employ a unique method of ending your performance (like dropping dead on stage), it would be in your best interest to inform the Head Judge in advance.

Order of Performances

3. Order of performance will be random. The contestant must be ready at the start of performances on their scheduled night. Should there be a scheduling difficulty (such as work conflicts which do not allow you to attend until a half hour after performances begin - or days you can not be in attendance) such difficulty needs to be brought to the attention of the head judge PRIOR to the day of the performance. A contestant called on to perform who asks for more time will be put to the end and assigned an automatic 2 point deduction to his/her Total Score. Should there be two or more such requests in one evening the order in which they shall perform will be random.

Walk-On Performances

4. Walk-on performances will be allowed on a first come basis and only if there are openings for that particular night. Those wishing to perform as a walk-on will make their request to the MC the night of the performance and will be called on as time permits after all of the scheduled performances have concluded.

Disruptive Audience Behavior

5. Although the Bardfest staff will do everything in their power to insure the civil behavior of the audience, unforeseen incidents can occur where an audience member performs actions disruptive to the performance. The performer has the option to request that the MC silence the room for his or her performance. This request can be made at any time before their performance begins. If the performer sees any potential issues that may cause a disruption of their performance, it should be brought to the attention of the head judge in private (i.e. whisper) before the performance begins. If an interruption still occurs and is in the Head Judge’s opinion severe enough, the performer will be given the option to begin their piece over. It is the performer’s option whether or not they elect to continue with their piece or start over. If the performer is not given the option to start over by the Head Judge, he/she should continue the performance and express his/her concerns to the Head Judge only after the performance is completed.

Performance Types

6. Poems, songs and stories, dances, and all other art forms are all acceptable but all are limited to the same time and rule constraints.

Plagiarism and Original Works

7. Each presentation must be original. Plagiarism is grounds for immediate disqualification and dismissal from the contest.

Previous Performances

8. The presentation must never have been performed in a previous Bardfest or any other competition or performance troupe. Any such performance will be disqualified.

In-Character and Genre Requirement

9. All compositions will adhere to the genre of Gemstone IV, and will be presented IN CHARACTER. Any out-of-genre references will cause a down scoring in the appropriate category, depending upon the infractions and according to the individual judge's discretion.

Finalist Announcements

10. Finalists will be announced in random order. All scores are confidential, though performers may ask for their own scores.

Finals Performance Requirement

11. Contestants accepted for the Aspis Bardfest must accept that, should they be chosen as finalists, they will prepare and perform a piece meeting all the original requirements and guidelines at the final competition. All finalists will be given the same subjects and they will be assigned on the last night of the preliminaries.

Judging Criteria

These also are not negotiable and have been set down and accepted by the judges of this contest. Technical

Is the composition on topic? Is the composition in genre? Does the composition scan well? Is there meter and rhyme? If an accent is used in the piece, does it continue throughout the piece? Does the composition adhere to accepted grammatically correct norms? How difficult is the piece? Difficulty does not necessarily mean better, but a difficult piece, well done, will score higher than an easy piece well done. Is there a beginning, middle and end to the piece?

Showmanship

How well is the composition presented? Do your actions follow the words, or are they merely placed there for something to do? Are there actions at all, or is the piece presented with only verse? Do you use props? If so, do you manipulate them properly and are they always present, or do they disappear without reason? Do you sing, or do, or relate an impossible feat that your character could not possibly accomplish? (ie. performer does something impossible given the profession of the character or common powers and magics within the lands. This is considered out of genre. Example: smiles as he flies around the room tickling everyone's ears.)

Artistic

How well does the piece flow? Is there imagery and if so, is it appropriate for the time and place. Is it appropriate for the piece? Do you set the mood? Is it the mood that you intended? Do you elicit an emotional response in the audience? Does the piece tell the audience how they should feel or what they are doing? (Considered poor RP.) Your songs, stories, or actions should entice feelings and actions from the audience not determine them).

Judge's Preference

This area gives the judge the opportunity to decide whether they liked the piece or not, without regard to the other criteria. This is a subjective scoring and is the judge's prerogative. It will not be a score reflective of friendship or family ties, but solely based upon the work.

Theme

This category applies only to finals night. It is weighted equally with the remaining four categories and assesses how well the subject(s) is(are) used in the performance. Although there is no penalty for using only one of the two subjects, the added difficulty of using both will be taken into account when scoring this category.

Scoring

A maximum of 10 points will be assigned to each category. Once the judges have assigned their points, they will be passed to the Head Judge. The Head Judge will not score the performances, and the scores will not be shared. The Head Judge will then total the scores from each judge and compute the average. This average will be the contestant’s Total Score. Any automatic deductions will be subtracted from the Total Score at this time. In the event of a tie, the judges will resolve the tie with a vote. If there is still a tie, the Head Judge will cast the deciding vote.

A side note. Any judge may disqualify themselves for any given performance if they feel they can not remain objective in their scoring of that person's performance. In this eventuality, the absent judge’s scores will be tallied as the average of the remaining judges’ scores. This is done so that any point deductions from the total score have the same weight for all contestants. The judges shall attempt to present themselves with honor and score without regard to personal feelings.

Remember! Please remember that winning the competition is not the most important thing here but that participation and enjoyment of the event are. It is our opinion that every performer is a winner. We wish you all the best of luck and look forward to your creations!

Resources

• Website for Argent Aspis
• Officials folder