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CHARTER
Govannas Uin Draug
Fellowship of the Wolf
Writer, Editor and Publisher: Paul Emerson(aka Tithenon)
Govannas Uin Draug - Fellowship of the Wolf is not trademarked or copywritten in any way. This Fellowship is not designed to usurp anyone's work, but is rather designed to be a collection of personal works for the enjoyment of fans of the fantasy genre, without any specified setting and open to most fantasy settings, subject to approval from the Founding Member(Tithenon) and Extended Members. This Fellowship is also designed to be a loose collection of friends who fill and fit within a framework, which is the purpose for this charter.
Finally, neither this Fellowship, nor any of its constituents, are here to infringe on the copyright or rightful ownership, whether through intellectual property or registered copyright, of any individual or group in any community. If work placed on this web site is not approved of by the owner of the work, they may petition the Founder to have it removed.
WELCOME, FROM THE CARETAKER
On behalf of myself, any staff we may have, and all members, I wish to welcome you to the Fellowship of the Wolf, our own little fantasy corner on the web. If you are just browsing around, wondering whether or not this is the right place for you to hang your hat, please feel free to go through this at a leisurely pace and, if you decide this is where you want to be, read the whole thing, ask questions, and join up by sending an email to me. Once you're a member, you're always a member unless you decide to opt out; in which case, you send me an email explaining you would like to be removed from the current roster. Give me 72 hours for removals, please?
Thank you for your interest in Fellowship of the Wolf. I hope we can write, play and have fun together, and I look forward to seeing you on our forums.
Paul Emerson
aka Tithenon - FotW Caretaker
Initiated: 06.24.04; Updated: 01.08.07
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS GOVANNAS UIN DRAUG?
Govannas Uin Draug is Sindarin Elvish(one of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien's many languages from his Middle Earth series of books, papers, etc.) for Fellowship(Govannas) of the(Uin) Wolf(Draug). We are here to celebrate the works of fantasy, from Professor Tolkien's Middle Earth to the various Role-Playing Games(RPGs) which have been set, whether loosely or tightly, around the Middle Earth series, or around other Fantasy RPGs, and everything in between. We are here to share our writing, images and art, and to role-play in various games related to the fantasy genre. If you don't see a Fantasy RPG listed which you would like to run a game for, petition the council(made up of the Founder and the Extended Members) to see if we'll put it on. As long as the game is not vulgar or represents evil which the characters play in the game, more than likely it will be accepted.
As well as writing and role-playing, I would also like to take a moment to explain we intend to support Fantasy MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. Some we will not represent, which are those we do not see a future in, or which do not hold true to the game(s) which they are based from. However, if there is a way for us to track statistics for individual characters here, then we will. Again, if you don't see an MMORPG listed which you play and would like to see listed for recruitment purposes within the Fellowship of the Wolf, then petition the council and we'll see if the game is acceptable.
AM I REQUIRED TO BE A MEMBER TO PLAY GAMES? ...TO RUN GAMES? ...POST ON THE FORUMS?
In order to play under the banners of Fellowship of the Wolf in any MMORPG you will be required to be a member. To play any of the PbEMs or to write or post on Fellowship's forums, you do NOT have to be a member, although you are strongly encouraged to seek membership. In order to run an RPG on FotW as the GameMaster or an aide to the GameMaster, you are required to be a Basic Member. In order to be able to post maps and art related to the game(s) you are running, you will be required to be an Extended Member. Finally, you do NOT have to be a member of the Fellowship to post on the Fellowship's forums, although you may not say you are a member of the Fellowship on ANY forum unless you are, truly, a member.
IS THERE AN ESTABLISHED CHAIN OF COMMAND? WHO'S IN CHARGE?
There is no true chain of command and no one is really in charge, except in the individual RPGs committed to here. For all intents and purposes there ARE three levels of membership which confer certain privileges at various levels:
Basic Member - Someone who petitions to become an actual member of Govannas Uin Draug - Fellowship of the Wolf, and is accepted. Basic Members are welcome to join in all the reindeer games of our Fellowship, may run RPGs through FotW, and may have MMORPG character stat pages put in place IF automatic linking and tracking is available. Basic Members are required to sign up to the forums.
Extended Member - A Basic Member who volunteers to help maintain and program pages for FotW is upgraded to Extended Member status, meaning they have access to the pages, images, FTP, etc. necessary to help maintain this site. Typically, Extended Members are also placed in moderator positions on the forums. Basic Members that have been with FotW for six months may also qualify for Extended Member - Moderator status with 3,500 non-junk posts.
Founding Member - Tithenon is the original founding member of FotW. However, Extended Members - Maintainers that have been with FotW for more than six months and are an extraordinary benefit to this community may also be placed in Founder status. With Founding Member status comes an Administrator position on the forums as well as certain other special privileges yet to be discovered.
IS THERE ANY KIND OF FEE FOR MEMBERSHIP?
Not at this time. However, if the community grows in presently unforseeable ways, a small fee for maintenance and rental of space may be negotiated down the road. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
GREAT, I'VE READ IT ALL... WHERE DO I SIGN UP?
Simply click here and send us an email, telling us you want to join the Fellowship! Then go join the forums by clicking here!
MEMBERSHIP RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As a member you have certain rights of membership. Much of this is common sense for members of any organization; however, this section lists your basic rights as a member, which include but are not limited to:
You have the... • Right to pursue the type of membership you desire, and the right to change from one type of membership to another for any reason, without retribution.
• Right to participate in writing, role-playing, and Fellowship play in MMORPG, functions to the fullest extent wished and possible, within the confines of common decency.
• Right to apply for any position opened and available which you feel you may be qualified to fill.
• Right to due process of the laws of your nation and the rules established and accepted within this community as they concern infractions against you and those which you make against the community.
• Right for all sides in a dispute to be heard and understood before judgment is passed.
• Right to appeal any and all decision(s) made against you.
• Right to be adequately informed of, normally handled through the forums, the availability of, and application process for, any available position(s) at any level of the Fellowship.
• Right to participate in any poll or vote called for by or for the Fellowship.
• Right to voice your opinion to any member of the Fellowship you wish, as long as
you are respectful and act in a civilized manner.
• Right to have fun!
In addition to your rights, you will also have certain responsibilities you must consider, and which are equally important to your membership, which include but MAY NOT be limited to:
You should... • Always behave in a manner which brings fame, not infamy, to the Fellowship, your comrades, and yourself. This means keep your vulgarity and anything tasteless to yourself if, indeed, you have a tendency to be vulgar and/or tasteless, rude or indecent in any way. You have the freedom to speak as you wish, so choose to speak with common decency and respect to your peers, and it will be reciprocated to you.
• Always praise in public and criticize in private. No flame wars in the open forums. A flame forum is set up specifically for the public and members alike. It is considered a private place where you can bash each other to your heart's content. Do not flame over open email, either; do it in private email to one another. There WILL be times arguments break out in improper threads on the forums, and it should be the purview of each member to put a stop to these, and/or redirect them, as quickly as possible.
• Show courtesy to your fellows, your betters, and those who are not quite your level or length of time in the Fellowship.
• Do not assume, verify. If you feel someone may have slighted you, insulted you, or mistreated you in the forums or in email, do not treat them the same way, period. However, if you truly must treat someone badly, ensure you verify they meant to insult you. First strike is a private written warning. Second strike is a public warning in the flame forum. Third strike and you get banned from the Fellowship.
• Be resolute and zealous in the performance of any duties you assume or which are assigned you due to your Membership type, no matter how petty the duty may be. Help keep your comrades and new people in-line with the rules by gentle reminders or private conversations; all Members are required to perform this one duty.
• Work to diffuse confrontations, not cause or exacerbate them.
• Listen to all sides of any dispute or confrontation and act on verified fact, not innuendo or heresay.
• Strive for impartiality and fairness in judgment and disqualify yourself from decisions where your judgment may be compromised.
• Be the first to praise and the last to criticize.
• Always strive to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, even if it means you have to leave the Fellowship.
• Beyond these rules, and any listed below, NEVER EVER compromise your beliefs unless you know it is safe to do so.
• Have fun!!!
OPERATIONS, PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS
GRIEVANCES AND DUE PROCESS
If you have a problem with anyone in the Fellowship for any reason, we as a Fellowship will attempt to work through the problem first. The Founder and Extended Members are NOT immune to this process. First, the Fellowship will attempt to use an Alternate Dispute Resolution(ADR) process, by which the problem will be handled by peers and Extended Members first. What this means is you talk to the person/people who offended you and try to get them to understand and make amends for their offense(s). Failing resolution at this level, attempt to contact any on-line Extended Member and attempt to resolve it again. If that fails, then the Council will get involved:
1) Each side of the dispute will be taken aside and addressed/interviewed to ascertain the totality of the dispute.
2) The Council will confer privately to talk over the subject(s) in dispute and come to a basic summary judgment.
3) The Council will confer with the disputees to ask questions for clarification and verification.
4) The Council will make a judgment based on the totality of the evidence and affidavits presented. The Council's judgment is final, but may be appealed based on issues of Due Process and/or new evidence ready for presentation.
Failing a good and proper judgment from the Council and any appeals filed and approved or denied, the appealing disputee may decide to:
1) Remove themselves from the Fellowship, and/or
2) Seek real-world law and due process.
As Govannas Uin Draug is a club, a Fellowship, and not a real-world entity, we as a Fellowship will seek to keep our charter, regulations, and any disputes arrising from either as even-handed, light-hearted, and productive as possible. We strongly discourage martial proceedings and "hate-mongering" and would hope that, as a community, we can resolve our differences and live peacably in order to play the games and enjoy the fantasy genre together, which is why this community exists.
HARASSMENT AND MISCONDUCT
ANY AND ALL MANNER OF SEXUAL, RACIAL, RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL HARASSMENT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. All other forms of harassment will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Offenders will be removed from the Fellowship, although they may reapply after the first offense within three months of being removed. Second-strike offenders will not be allowed to reapply for a year, and third-strike offenders will never be allowed back into the Fellowship. Offending members and non-members that are removed will not be allowed to post on the forums or in mass mail during their probation or once they are completely removed.
CANCELLATION/CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP
You are welcome to change your membership level to a lower one at any time, and you are also allowed to return to a former, lower, membership position. This is in place to facilitate how real-life changes Member availability from time-to-time. If you have not yet earned a particular membership level, you will be required to earn it before you can return to it. Your membership level may also be changed by a Council decision, but not by an individual Founding or Extended Member. This is subject to your conduct within your position and in general where it concerns activity within the Fellowship. If you lose a membership level due to a judgment by the Council, you will be made aware of the reason(s) for the change, and may appeal them if you feel you have evidence or argument which contradicts the judgment.
If your evidence or argument is refuted, the judgment stands and remains. There may also be probationary periods for Members, where you are taken off your current Member status pending a review of your conduct and actions during your probationary period.
You may cancel your membership at any time and are completely free to go. As long as you are not vulgar or display anger unfit for the forums and mass mail you will be allowed to continue using the forums and mass mail as they apply to you, your character(s), etc. Your membership may also be canceled at any time by a Council decision due to your conduct and actions within the Fellowship. Memberships canceled by the Council MAY be reinstated later based upon completion of due process in your favor, which you are still entitled to immediately following your dismissal, due to completion of any probationary period as outlined above, or due to your admittance of guilt for what you did to lose your membership in the first place made out to the community at large in a positive post on the forums as well as a private communication to your opponent(s) apologizing to them privately.
CONSTITUTION OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE WOLF
PREAMBLE: We, the members of Govannas Uin Draug - Fellowship of the Wolf(known herein(entire charter) as the Fellowship), a not-for-profit organization belonging to fantasy genre enthusiasts of the World Wide Web and adminstered by Paul Emerson (aka Tithenon - FotW Caretaker), in order to provide a social organization in which people of diverse backgrounds but similar interests can interact to enjoy the genre of fantasy, whether it be through novels, personal writings, movies, music, comic books, or other related media, do hereby establish this constitution for the Fellowship.
ARTICLE 1 - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 - Application and Classification: Anyone may apply to the Fellowship and be accepted as a Peer, or Basic, Member so long as membership requirements are maintained and regulations adhered to. Membership is not dependent upon, nor will it be bound by, race, color, creed, religion, disability, or any other discriminator common to a properly sized Member base.
All active Members are considered to be eligible to vote and/or post opinions regarding the routine operation of the Fellowship, and are welcome to make suggestions at their leisure concerning possible improvements. In order to wear the standard or colors of the Fellowship or to partake in Fellowship-specific functions, one must be a Member; non-Fellowship-specific functions in which Members of the Fellowship participate do not require membership.
Any Fellowship Member may down-grade or cancel their active membership at any time, at their leisure, simply by sending an email to the Council(composed of the Founding and Extended Members) requesting removal. Verification by personal email MAY be required to ascertain a reason for cancellation, unless specifically requested that no contact is made. The purpose behind this verification, as well, is to ascertain if the Fellowship can do anything to help you remain in the Fellowship. Should Member fees/dues ever become a necessity, those dues will be non-refundable three months or more after the effective date of your membership, and are completely non-refundable after three months, even for a renewal/dues issue. The Council will decide whether re-instatement of a canceled membership, whether by the Council or the Member, will be allowed.
Involuntary revocation of membership in the Fellowship may be made only upon a majority vote of the Council, and only after the Member is given advance notice of the intended action, and given the opportunity to be heard. If a revocation is required, it is a result of the poor conduct and/or actions of the Member, and dues will not be refunded; each Member has a conscience and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and outside of Role-Play the Member has the choice whether to be nice or nasty. To that end, the Member who acts improperly has chosen to give up their dues freely.
Section 2 - Member Types and Offices Three Member types exist within the Fellowship, as defined below:
Basic/Peer Member: This grants all the rights and responsibilities covered in this document, above, and allows participation in Fellowship events, MMORPGs, and the ability to run Role-Play Games from the Fellowship web site, using Fellowship resources to do so. As well, Basic Members are allowed to use and claim to the colors and standard of the Fellowship on alternate game and fantasy-related web sites.
Extended Member: All rights of the Basic/Peer Member are granted, although Extended Members also share positions as administrators on our forums, "officers" in MMORPGs, and Fellowship web site and forum update and content masters. Extended Members are also granted FTP and Upload/Download access for their area(s) of responsibility. This Member type is earned.
Founding Member: Tithenon is the primary Founder of the Fellowship, although other Members may earn the ability to be listed as Founding Members(Founders) as well. This Member type is earned, although requirements and responsibilities for earning this Member type are not defined as yet.
Section 3 - Status of the Fellowship Govannas Uin Draug - The Fellowship of the Wolf is not a registered organization and holds no status as such. Should it be necessary to instate a donation system, the Fellowship will remain unincorporated. However, should it be necessary to instate a dues system, the Fellowship will be required to incorporate. Should that time ever come, this section will change, containing new information about Not-For-Profit status.
ARTICLE 2 - DEFINITION OF TERMS
This section is likely to be under development for some time to come.
ARTICLE 3 - ORGANIZATION
There is no set organization within the Fellowship. Although there are three Member types, at the end of the day they all remain on the same playing field and no one SHOULD be in charge. However, should decisions need to be made, such as in the case of disputes, Extended and Founding Members will be responsible for making those decisions. If the decision at hand is too big, it will be brought before the Council and decided with the Council.
ARTICLE 4 - MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES
This section is likely to be under development for some time to come. Primary duties are defined in Section 2 - Member Types and Offices, above.
ARTICLE 5 - FINANCIAL AFFAIRS/STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS
This section is likely to be under development for some time to come. Unless and until the Fellowship needs to begin a program of dues, this section will remain, thankfully, empty.
ARTICLE 6 - ELECTIONS
This section is likely to be under development for some time to come. Extended Members will be placed where they are needed by the Founder, Tithenon, until a full Council is established(full Council to be defined in this Article when it becomes necessary). New Founding Members will be placed by the Council when/if they meet the criteria for such an honor. The Council will invite candidates to take the positions offered, and the candidate for the position may refuse the position, but they also sacrifice the Member type. The Council may offer another position to the same person later, and may continue to do so at their leisure.
There may be a maximum number of five(5) Founding Members and up to fifteen(15) Extended Members. These numbers are subject to change.
ARTICLE 7 - AMENDMENTS
This constitution may be amended or suspended, either in whole or in part, by an affirmative majority vote of the general membership, in a manner consistent with the current guidelines and regulations of this charter and the governing authority of the Fellowship.
ARTICLE 8 - UPDATING THIS CHARTER
This charter, including parts of the constitution of this Fellowship, may be updated at any time. It behooves all Members to check this page periodically to see if any updates have been made. Updates will be contained in LIME GREEN TEXT and will be new only until the next update of this page, although at least three weeks. Updates to this page will have a posting on the forums. Most changes will not take effect without a majority vote of the Council. Changes may be proposed by any Member to the Council, and will have as fair a hearing as real life and time on-line allows; remember, folks, we're(Council Members) here to play, too, not just be administrators.
ARTICLE 9 - GOVERNING AUTHORITY
The Council is the governing authority of Govannas Uin Draug - Fellowship of the Wolf, and as such it is the responsibility of said Council to work for the Fellowship to instill a feeling of Fellowship, comaradarie, and fun. As well, it is the Council's responsibility to attempt to avert various disasters without trying to look like we have more authority than we really do. After all, you the player are a mature-minded individual and do not want to be treated like a child; the Council will not treat anyone below their proper station, which means if you act like a child, be prepared to be treated like one. The Council is NOT here to ENSURE you have fun, nor that the Council does things the way you want them done, nor that we smite your enemies with a mighty hammer. Rather, the Council is here to attempt to maintain the peace and nurture a community of fantasy genre lovers, as well as to keep the web site and forums running smoothly and well-updated.
Whatever the Council is not able to perform will have to be performed by real-life entities, such as law enforcement, lawyers, medical personnel, etc., and neither the Council, nor other Members of the Fellowship, are responsible for these affairs either in liability or legality.
IN CLOSING...
If you have decided this is to be your new fantasy home, or at least one of several, then govannen! I look forward to seeing you around on the web, especially in our forums and posting in our role-playing games and being a Member of our Fellowship in various MMORPGs. Should you have any problems, questions, queries, quibbles, quips, gripes, complaints, moaning and groaning, or a personal issue to take up with any member of the Council, even Tithenon, then please feel free to email us!
Paul Emerson
aka Tithenon - FotW Caretaker
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