House Sovyn

House Sovyn is located in Wehnimer's Landing, south of the Temple and down the crystal walkway. It provides a home for empaths, clerics, and paladins interested in working together to help and heal others. Amenities for members include mud baths, hot springs, darts, lockers, and shrines to the various Arkati, as well as chrism-quality gems for clerics who need them. An enchanting workshop, open to the public, is located down the path from the House courtyard.

Those interested in joining should contact an officer, either in game or via sovyn-officers@yahoogroups.com, to set up an interview. Assuming the interview is successful and the applicant remains interested in joining, officers will then schedule an induction at the applicant's earliest convenience.

House member's meetings are held at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on the first Monday of every month in the House library.

Charter

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

The House of Sovyn is being established for the purpose of promoting the lawful goals of its membership as it may, from time to time, determine to be of mutual benefit. In addition, as when a sovyn clove is administered and restores lost limbs, so does House Sovyn tend to and restore health and life to those in need.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNING:

House Sovyn shall be a democratic House with all members voting on key issues; the Chairman breaking all ties and controlling the agenda for issues to be brought before a vote.

Officer terms shall be for a period of one year at which point new elections shall be held. Elections shall be held on the summer solstice. If a current officer has been in office for less than 6 months, his position shall be retained until the following election. Should an office be vacated under circumstances other than an election, the office shall be filled by a vote within 2 weeks of the office being vacated. If only one person volunteers for the office by the end of the first week, the current officers reserve the right to invest the person into the vacant office without the need for a vote. The offices of IC Coordinator and Librarian are an exception to the one year term and will be filled as vacated instead of on a yearly basis.

If a House Sovyn officer has not participated in a House activity and/or has been absent from the lands for a period of one month, it is the other officers' obligation to contact that person and give them two weeks to respond. If the officer in question does not respond within the two week period and has no basis for their disappearance, then they shall be expelled from office. If the officer in question does respond within the two week period, an explanation for their inactivity will be mandatory and their status as an officer may be placed into question, situation depending.

In the event a main office is vacated between summer solstice elections, the co-officer will step up to the vacant main position (if they so desire) and a vote will be held to fill the co-position. In the event a co-position is vacated between election times, a vote will be held to fill this position. The offices of IC Coordinator and Librarian shall not have a term and in the event either of these offices are vacated, the office vacated will be posted to the general membership for application. Applications will be accepted for one week after the office is vacated and the current officers will vote and approve a candidate within the week following.

In the event of a summer solstice election, the offices up for voting shall be divided into three categories: Chairman, Treasury and Secretarial. Any and all interested parties shall run for a category, not an individual position. Voters shall designate who they believe, out of the options presented for each category, should fill the main position and who should fill the co-position. When tallying votes, 2 points shall be assigned to each person receiving a vote for the main position, and 1 point shall be assigned to each person receiving a vote for co-position. The points will be added up, and the person running for office with the most tallied points wins the main position, and the person with the second most tallied points wins the co-position. One week will be designated for accepting applications and speeches for positions, and a second week will be designated for accepting and tallying votes.

REQUIREMENTS FOR JOINING:

Proposed members for House Sovyn must meet the following requirements:

1) They shall be an Empath of age 10 or greater able and willing to life keep and transfer all wounds, a Cleric of age 10 or greater able and willing to life keep and resurrect when training allows, or they shall be a Paladin of age 10 or greater able and willing to life keep and resurrect when training allows.

2) Non Empaths, Clerics, or Paladins will not be admitted for membership unless they marry or are married to a current or future member. Spouses of future members may be admitted as soon as the Empath, Cleric, or Paladin is admitted into the House. They shall have a status of associate member, having all rights that members have excepting the ability to hold office. If an associate member's marriage is dissolved, or their spouse leaves the House, they shall have the option to remain as an associate member if they so desire.

MEMBERSHIP FEES:

There shall be an initiation fee in the sum of 25,000 silver pieces with no monthly dues; half these amounts if an associate member.

MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES:

All members shall have access to all areas of the House excepting the quarters reserved for officers and the lounges specific to either Empaths, Clerics, or Paladins. Members may elect to have the coat of arms of House Sovyn engraved upon their shield and they shall also be eligible for loans assuming they meet the requirements and are in good standing. In addition, the House shall provide storage facilities for all its members.

BYLAWS:

All members shall adhere to the following guidelines: A reasonable effort will be made to assist any seriously injured or deceased person to prevent a deterioration in their current condition and prepare them for a return to a healthful living condition. Seriously injured means bleeding wounds that will lead to death if not addressed. Deterioration in their current condition means death for the seriously injured and decomposition for the deceased. Obviously, if the person is under the care of another empath/cleric/paladin, no assistance is required. Members are not required to stay at gathering places such as the main gate or our healing area even if there are seriously wounded or deceased persons present if there are other empaths/clerics/paladins there to provide assistance. It is not expected that a member shall run throughout the lands looking for those in need of help (though they may choose to).

For the seriously injured, assistance is not required to those who are not cooperating with the provider of that assistance. Non-cooperation would include the injured running away, physically assaulting or abusing the House member while they attempt to provide assistance. Abuse shall consist of, but is not limited to, acts such as punching, kicking, slapping, etc. Assistance is also not required if the injured or deceased asks not to be assisted by the House member.

It would be unreasonable for an empath/cleric/paladin to take actions that are likely to result in the empath/cleric/paladin's death to provide such assistance. An empath is not expected to heal when their current health is so poor that it's life threatening, a cleric is not expected to restore life when their current life spirit is insufficient, and a paladin is not expected to assist if their health is poor, or their current life spirit is insufficient. It would also be considered unreasonable to tend a wounded person in the field in an area where the creatures present would kill the empath/cleric/paladin if they put their weapon and shield away to bandage the person.

A reasonable effort is defined as the actions needed to prevent immediate deterioration and, if not fully healed of serious injuries or restored to life, create a situation that the empath/cleric/paladin believes will result in them getting the required level of care before their condition deteriorates. Reasonable efforts would include tending a seriously injured person in the field so that they have sufficient time to return to town for full treatment or life keeping a deceased person in the field and leaving the deceased in the care of a friend who will drag the deceased to town for full treatment.

Enforcement is the responsibility of the House officers, who would only act in the face of overwhelming evidence indicating a gross violation of the spirit of the charter.