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Constitution of ()

In this writing, we establish principles we wish to follow on the RogueHouse server by those within our community.

Preamble:

This constitution is more of a set of principles and, in a sense, a contract that facilitates the growth and prosperity of the nation. All citizens can suggest additions to this constitution to their settlement's elected official, who can then vote on the elected officials in the country's council to add or decline. In effect, this constitution works as a contract, wherein upon joining (), they are acknowledging they agree to and will try their best to follow the principles outlined within this document. Additionally, a paper form is signed by each member and kept in the town hall archives, and copies are then sent to the capital. However, keep in mind that server rules are entirely superior to this document and are intended to complement them.

Unlike previous times when we all collaborated on building one city, going forward, we will be collaborating to build a country comprised of multiple cities, a capital city, and a national council. A settlement starts with at least 3 individuals whereby forming a group and electing a member of that group based on popular vote to be their representative in the national council. From there, the group then chooses a settlement style (see Principal 3) and a location to start their settlement on the continent.

Article 1

Principal 1 - Governance

() is run by elected representative governors from each settlement and holds office for 2 in-game years, which is 48 IRL days, whereafter the settlement picks at least 2 individuals and holds another election; currently, there is no term limit. As a governor, they are obligated to put their settlement's interests first above their own and act in their place in the national council that is held in the capital city of (). If a governor is found to be acting in personal interest at the direct expense of their settlement or the nation, the national council may initiate a vote to remove them from office. The populace can then address their concerns, suggestions, or questions to their local representative, and then their representative can suggest those to the rest of the council. If an inquiry relates to the entire nation, then the governor must confer with their fellow council members and then come to a decision that way; for example, if a player wants to initiate a vote to invite a friend of theirs (see principal 4) In the event of a tie, the governor with the longest continuous service, including reelection, on the national council will cast the deciding vote. If no clear candidate exists, a random council member will be selected to break the tie. If a settlement fails to hold an election within 7 days after term expiration the national council is obligated to intervene and appoint a temporary governor from the city council until an election is conducted.

Principal 2 - City Council

After a governor is elected, they then choose their city council, which consists of 6 citizens. As a member of the city council, you may be tasked with a role, or you may suggest your own. The city council helps manage the town itself and may convene to decide upon community decisions. The jobs of each council member should ideally not conflict with one another and allow them to specialize in a specific aspect of the settlement. As an example from the ancient city of Beregost, a member of the town had suggested the town role of "Public Servant", which was dedicated to improving, managing, and creating public-use and public works related builds, like roads and sewers, with it also extending to providing public utilities like a hospital and other communal things. Another duty of the city council is to make and create new laws within their settlement. As a general rule, all council members can suggest a law or suggest the removal of law at each annual law review; however, only at most three laws can be accepted per year to prevent too many laws from being added at a time; law changes are allotted a separate three per year. In cases of urgent necessity, the city council may propose a vote to pass emergency laws or law revisions outside the annual review. If in the event that a member of a settlement disagrees with a law, they may bring it up with the city council or their representative governor and it can be voted to be removed in the next city council annual law review.

Principal 3 - Cohesive Style

A settlement, upon its creation, has the freedom to decide upon a singular cohesive style, for example, though not exclusively, Medieval, Early Modern, Venetian, or Iberian, and then voted upon by the group; once decided, the settlement's style can be changed by the settlement's respective representative initiating a vote once more. A settlement may change its cohesive style no more than once per in-game year. Any buildings already built in a previous style are grandfathered in and can, if so decided by their owner, keep their original structure unless otherwise deemed by the settlement's governor. Bearing in mind that all members will be expected to respect the prevailing system in the given settlement, the standards are set by the city and national council.

Principal 4 - Immigration

If you are not already a citizen of (), there is a specific process to immigrate. First, as an outsider, you must convene with a citizen and have them vouch for you to be voted on by the city council. Before the council you must explain in a few short sentences why you would like to join, what plans you have in mind, affirm you have read this document and, optionally, if you have any unique talents you may offer to the settlement that you wish to join; from there the city council votes on whether or not to accept this new citizen in. If the city council approves your application, you are now officially a proud citizen of ()!

Principal 5 - No Advertisement

It should also be kept in mind that based on the personal experiences of many citizens, including the writer of this document, A Tree, concluded that actively advertising and asking for people or generally recruiting random players only results in a very temporary flux of new players, mass resource loss, and abandoned structures. Advertising in chat can be defined as saying "Come to () today!" or something to that extent in the general chat on Discord or in-game. Also do not post the cords publicly in general chats or give them out without consulting your local representative. Advertising can be more properly defined as any public message encouraging non-citizens to join the settlement, excepting private invites extended to known individuals by citizens. You can, of course, vouch for in-game or IRL friends or those you believe would be a good fit for the country, but generally, we are only trying to accept people who actively want to join a community and participate and aren't just hopping on the next wagon. To give a better idea, I believe this can be illustrated by the quote, "If you build it, they will come."

Principal 6 - Deportation

If a citizen believes it is in the best interest of the settlement to deport another current citizen, removing them from the group and country, then they must report it with logical and valid reasoning to their local governor. Once submitted to the governer it will be discussed and voted on by the national council. If the national council rules in favor of deportation, all their buildings, but not their inventory contents, which are still owned by the deported citizen, are transferred over to the settlement, or state if outside of a settlement, where they can decide what to do with them in a city council meeting. The prospective deportee is removed from claims and may submit an appeal to the national council if they believe they were wrongfully deported.

Principal 7 - Plot Repurposement

Given 1-2 real life months of inactivity, a player's plot within their respective settlement can be turned over to the city council, wherein it can be moved, repaired, repurposed, or otherwise used. If a player's plot is outside of a city, the national council decides to be held accountable for what happens to the plot. This principle allows for growth and attempts to stop abandoned buildings from flooding the nation. The span of 1-2 months can be increased on a case-by-case basis if the town is given a proper warning, so more time will be allotted to that individual in those cases. The city council is required to provide a 7-day notice to the player before repurposing their plot.

Principal 8 - Emmigration

There are some times when citizens may wish to leave () and move elsewhere. In such an event, they should inform the local government. After review from the city council, an emigrated player's claims are then expected to be turned over to the city council, or national council if outside the jurisdiction of a settlement, for repurposement, as is the case for inactive players. (see principal 7) A citizen who has left the country, but was not deported, is still eligible to return and retains their citizenship under () law, this prospective situation requires the emmigrate to simply contact their previous settlement's city council and request to join back.