Dweomerfell Alliance

Empire of Medieval Pursuits Branch Structure

 Rights and Responsibilities of Branches

● All branches of the Empire shall be governed by a Lord or Lady selected from within its populace by the mandate of its charter.

● All branches within the Empire are granted arms and must have a name.

● Every branch has the primary responsibility to see to the preservation of the interests of the Empire, their Kingdom, and Populace.

● All branches must host at least one event a year.

● All branches of the Empire must maintain a web presence with pertinent contact and scheduling information that is connected to the primary EMP site by means of a link.

● All branches must have a charter defining the customs, laws, and tradition of the Branch. Which must include a method for selection/replacement of the Lord and/or Lady of the Branch.

● All branches have the right to choose a ruler in a manner consistent with their ethos and charter.

● All branches shall be entitled to a seat or seats in their kingdom's House of Lords.

     ○ For every five members within a branch; one vote may be cast. These votes are to be held in trust by the Lord responsible for the branch

● All branches must continue to meet the requirements of its charter, the laws of their Kingdom, and Laws of the Empire or it may have its charter revoked by their Crown.

     ○ As no Crown exists to administer EMP rules over Level 6 Branches, the duty of revocation of Charters for non compliance of EMP Rules and or Kingdom Charters, shall be exercised by the Board. Landed Estates - The Landed Estates are the building blocks of the Empire. These entities house the beating heart of our citizens and are varied in culture and presentation based on the desires of their members.

● Level 1: Shires, Hamlets, Villages, Outposts, Abbey, Timar, Fief, etc. a.

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level One Branch

          ■ A Level One branch is considered the entry-level subdivision to the Empire.

          ■ Shall consist of and maintain at least five members.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 25 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ Examples of Lordly titles include; Mayor, Lord/Lady, Commander, Laird, Abbot/Abbess, Timariot, Hersir.

● Level 2: Barony, Keep, City State, Burg, Wilayaha, Diocese, etc.

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level Two Branch

          ■ A Level Two branch is considered the foundation of the realm.

          ■ In order to be recognized as a Level Two Branch, a level one branch must be in continuous existence for at least 6 months and be judged as acceptable by their Crown

          ■ Shall consist of and maintain at least 20 members.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 50 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ The ruling noble of a level two branch may recognize outstanding achievement and merit through the creation of specific awards within their demesne. These awards must be incorporated into the branch charter.

          ■ Examples of Lordly titles include; Baron/Baroness, Margrave/Margravine, Signore/Signora, Eldorman, Wali, Bishop Feudal Estates - Feudal Estates are forged thru Feudal obligation between Landed Estates of the Empire. The Feudal Estates allow the varied and unique nature of the Landed Estates to come together and work together towards common goals. Feudal Estates consist of many Landed estates and may be formed thru agreement or conquest.

● Level 3: County, Sheikdom, Ostan, Flotilla, etc

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level Three Branch

          ■ A Level Three Branch is beginning of feudal ties between Landed Estates

          ■ In order to create a Level 3 Branch(County), a Level 2 Branch(Barony) in good standing and 2 other Landed Estates must come together thru agreement or conquest to create the County and have its charter approved by the Crown.

          ■ The County Charter must define the Feudal authority granted to the Ruling Noble by its member Lords

● The Ruling Noble must have voting power within the House of Lords of their Royal Estate(Be a seated lord of a landed estate or have landed votes tithed to the Feudal Estate).

     ○ The Charter must define if and how member Branch votes in the House of Lords are impacted by membership in the Feudal Estate.

● The Ruling Noble may not alter charters, or regular operations of member Branches.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 100 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ May Create Chivalric Orders unique to the Feudal Estate

          ■ Examples of Lordly titles include; Count/Countess, Sheik, Earl, Sadar, Thakur, Commodore ● Level 4: Duchy, Emirate, Jarldom, Shogunate, etc

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level Four Branch

● A Level Four Branch is a powerful entity within the Kingdom

          ■ Must be successfully chartered as a level three branch for at least 6 months and be judged as acceptable by their Crown

          ■ Shall consist of and maintain at least 75 members among its Landed Estates.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 150 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ The ruling noble of a level four branch may recognize outstanding achievement and merit through the creation of specific awards within the Feudal Estate. These awards must be incorporated into the branch charter.

          ■ Examples of Lordly titles include; Duke/Duchess, Emir/Emira, Jarl, Shogun, Raj Royal Estates - Royal estates are built from their Feudal and Landed Vassals

● Level 5: Principality, Petty Kingdom, etc

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level Five Branch

          ■ A level 5 Branch is a group of Feudal Estates striving for independence to become their own kingdom and must consist of at least 2 Feudal Estates one being Level 4 and any number of Landed Estates, or a Level 6 Branch that has fallen below its membership requirements and may be absorbed by a rival kingdom.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 200 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ Must have well-developed ministries capable of handling all aspects of it's activities.

          ■ A level 5 branch may enact codicils that do not conflict with the Bylaws of the EMP. If it is part of a Kingdom these codicils may not conflict with Kingdom law and must be submitted within fourteen (14) days of enactment to the Crown for ratification.

          ■ May form an Assembly of Lords to act as a House of Lords for the Principality. Should a Level 5 Branch exist independent of a Kingdom, this Assembly must be formed to act as a House of Lords in the absence of one.

          ■ A Level 5 Branch, in good standing for 6 months and reaching the requirements for Level 6, may issue a formal declaration of sovereignty, alternatively if the foundational Duchy has been in existence for 6 months before forming a principality, this time frame may be counted as time served. The Crown may contest their right to be a Level 6 Branch in accordance with the challenge system.

          ■ Example of Royal Titles include; Prince/Princess, Petty King/Queen

● Level 6: Kingdom, Sultanate, Khanate, Raajy, etc

     ○ Definition and Requirements of a Level Six Branch

          ■ A Kingdom is styled as a sovereign entity, having the right to create laws and codicils unique to itself that do not conflict with the by-laws of the EMP.

          ■ Shall consist of and maintain at least 200 members among its Royal, Feudal and Landed Estates.

          ■ Must have an identified geographical center(address, GPS coordinates etc) with a 250 mile radius, for the purpose of challenges to be settled within.

          ■ Must establish a House of Lords for the realm and may grant Peerage which grants voting rights within this body.

● The House of Lords must include a voting member for any “At Large” Citizens of the realm in compliance with the EMP articles of incorporation in British Columbia. Suggested titles include First Citizen, Tribune of Plebs, Thegn of Commons

     ○ This voting member shall have 1 vote in the House of Lords per every 5 At Large Citizens.

     ○ This member does not have the authority to propose or second a veto within the House of Lords

     ○ If they use their ability to vote in the House of Lords, they step down immediately from the office and a new individual is appointed by the Crown.

     ○ The appointee must be a current member of the Royal Estate who has never cast a vote in the capacity before.

     ○ The voting member may not concurrently hold the office of Crown or of Lord/Lady.

          ■ The Crown may recognize outstanding achievement and merit through the creation of specific awards within All Estates of the realm. These awards must be incorporated into the Kingdom charter.

          ■ The Crown may create Royal Orders to support its interests.

          ■ A Kingdom must provide an annual date and event for the selection of its Crown, and approximately 6 months later an annual opportunity for insurrection. If none choose to rise against the Crown then the event scheduled for this date may be used for an alternative Crown event.

● The Method of insurrection can only be war.

          ■ The Sovereign or Crown shall have the right to enact Royal Writs, Codicils and Laws that do not conflict with the Bylaws, and which must be submitted within 15 days of enactment to the House of Lords. All Laws of the Crown are subject to veto by a 2/3 majority vote of their House of Lords.

         ■ Examples of Royal titles include, King/Queen, Sultan/Sultana, Khan/Khatun, Maharaja