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Constitution of the Dagorhir Chapter of Taurendor
 

A call to arms has been issued across the forestlands of the east.  We, the rangers and elves of the woods, the soldiers and knights of mythical kingdoms, the common folk and forest-creatures alike, hear this cry of battle in our hearts.  We have banded together to fight as one against those who would invade our homes and desecrate the sanctity of the forests.  We are the defenders of these sacred lands.  We are Taurendor.

This is the constitution of Taurendor, a chapter in the Dagorhir Battle Games Association.  Taurendor is located in the city of Philadelphia and its surroundings.  As part of Dagorhir, a legally trademarked non-profit organization, our purpose is to provide participants with a safe and fun-filled environment for medieval and renaissance reenactment, as well as the opportunity for education in elements of both history and fantasy.  The following text will ensure that the Dagorhir Chapter of Taurendor continues to properly fulfill its purpose.


History of Taurendor

The Taurendor Chapter was legally established in February of 2002, via a signed contract with the Dagorhir Battle Games Association.  Before that time, dating back to the fall of 2000, Taurendor existed as an unofficial group with a handful of members.  The original founder was a man from the chapter of Angaron, named Kevin "Takezou" Fitzpatrick.  He formed the initial group that would later become known as Taurendor, and taught them the basics of combat and foam-smithing.  Due to personal reasons, Takezou left the game of Dagorhir during the summer of 2001, and stepped down as leader of Taurendor.  Two of the original members, Jarrad "Devaryn" Lutton and Christopher "Nedryck" Jones, stepped in as co-leaders and jointly signed the contract with the Dagorhir Battle Games Association to make Taurendor an official chapter.

At present, this constitution will detail the rules and organizational structure of the government that will permanently serve as the leadership of the Dagorhir Chapter of Taurendor.


Joining Dagorhir

Waivers & Age Requirements

In order to participate in the game of Dagorhir, each player must submit a waiver to the secretary of the chapter, and also to the persons in charge of check-in at any event, if the event takes place in a different chapter than their own.  Once the player has submitted a waiver, that person is considered on file and does not need to turn in another waiver for any events within that chapter.

A legal adult can sign for him or herself on the waiver.  Any minor must have the waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian and then have it notarized.  Age restrictions vary between chapters, and the minimum age to participate in Taurendor is fourteen (14) years old.  Concerning official events, all players must meet the minimum age requirements of the chapter that is sponsoring the event in order to participate in any combat.

 
Personas and Costuming

Although Taurendor has a theme and a flag, the chapter does not impose any restrictions or limitations on the types of characters that can be portrayed, or their costumes.  The only restriction is the standard Dagorhir rule that personas must fit within the boundaries of medieval times and fantasy.  Taurendor does not require proper costuming at practices, but participants can wear their garb anyway if they so choose.  For many players, wearing garb helps them get into the feel of the game and increases their enthusiasm about fighting, even at practices.  At all events, be they battles, wars, tournaments, or multi-day campouts, wearing proper costume is required in order for any player to be allowed to participate.


Rules of the Game

For the sake of simplicity and uniformity, Taurendor adheres primarily to the National Rules of Dagorhir, found on the main website (http://www.dagorhir.com) under the rules section.

Heralding is the act of refereeing on the battlefield, and is a position that anyone in the chapter can attain.  The Magistrate, a position elected by the Council of Taurendor, administers a Herald Test for anyone who wishes to become a Herald.  Once a chapter member has passed the test and become a Herald, they can referee at any practice and event, and assist in equipment-checking sessions.

There will be an equipment-checking session at every event, administered by the Magistrate and volunteers.  The Magistrate is the highest authority on all matters of equipment safety, and in his/her absence this authority goes to the Chapter Representatives.  The Magistrate will be in charge of all refereeing matters .  During any given event, Heralds and the Magistrate can switch off with each other from one scenario to another, allowing for each of them to participate in their fair share of fighting.  Normally, there must be at least one (1) Herald on the field for every fifteen (15) fighters present during any given scenario.  Some scenarios may require more Heralds, which will be decided on a case by case basis.

The Council of Taurendor is responsible for ensuring that all members of the chapter follow the rules of Dagorhir concerning personas, garb authenticity, proper conduct, and equipment.

Events and Practices

At present, Taurendor holds one battle per month per a schedule that is created at the beginning of the year by the previous years Secretary. This schedule is posted to the Taurendor email group as well as the Taurendor website.  Established units can also hold their own practices, and can enforce any of their own special rules or restrictions during them.  Members of the council take turns organizing and running events, but the Chapter Representatives are the ones responsible for handling all permits and legal documents.

Events sponsored and run by Taurendor will always be open-invite to all members of Dagorhir, regardless of chapter, unit, or other affiliation. Any attendees from other foam-fighting games will have to play by the rules of Dagorhir in order to participate.  During such events, Taurendor has the freedom to apply chapter-specific or scenario-specific rules, as long as all new and/or different rules are made clear to all participants.  Ideas for events or specific scenarios can be presented by any member of Taurendor, and must be agreed upon by a vote during a meeting of the Taurendor Council.

It is Taurendor's responsibility to handle all record-keeping and treasury matters of any event it sponsors.  All participants must be logged by name/chapter/unit, with a waiver on file, and a record showing that they paid the fee to attend the event.  The Chapter Representative/Treasurer of Taurendor must ensure that the logbook is kept up-to-date at all times.

Taurendor will never charge its participants to attend practices, although there will be fees to attend events.  Normally, the fee for a regular one-day battle will be $3  per person, depending on the location and
difficulty of setting up the event.  Feasts and weekend campouts will be $10 per person, but may be subject to an increase based on the cost of holding such events.  The proceeds from all events will go to the Taurendor treasury, and can only be used to cover the costs of future events, and any other miscellaneous costs required to help Taurendor better serve its members and all of Dagorhir.  All battles are run by the Council of Taurendor. Although any council member may submit ideas for events via the council email list, the events are all handled by the Council and Realm as a whole.


Units of Taurendor

A unit is a group of individuals who have joined together under one theme or concept to fight as one on the battlefield.  Every unit must have a name,  point of contact, and a small write-up for the Taurendor website detailing the unit.  All unit members must waivers on file with the chapter.  A unit can exist with any number of members. If a unit is active they can have one leader or two co-leaders sit on the council as unit representatives.  To be considered active, a unit must field 5 members at any one of the 3 battles in the previous quarter. In the quarter following becoming active a rep(s) from the unit joins the council.  In the event that a unit fails to field 5 members at any Taurendor Battle during a quarter they are removed from the council until reviewed as active at the beginning of another quarter..

Council of Taurendor

The Council of Taurendor will be officially created upon completion of this constitution.  It will serve as the government of the Chapter of Taurendor, and will be fully responsible for handling all inner-realm matters.

Members of the council take turns organizing and running events, but the Chapter Representatives are the ones responsible for handling all permits and legal documents.


Council Seats

·         The seats on the Council of Taurendor are composed of unit leaders and position holders.

·         Each seat counts for one vote when dealing with any electoral matters.

·         The leader(s) of an active Taurendor unit is granted a seat(s) on the Council.

·         Each unit is entitled to only one vote in this way, and there is no limit on how many units can be represented on the Council.

·         A Unit Leader may also run for other positions during elections, if he/she wishes.

·         Each member of the council is only granted one vote, regardless of how many positions on the council s/he holds.

Positions on the Council

Chapter Representative

·         Taurendor needs to always have two cosigners on the contract with the Dagorhir Battle Games Association in order to maintain status as an official chapter.  The two signers must be on the Council of Taurendor, since they are the ones who are legally responsible for the chapter.  Because of this legal responsibility, the two signers also act as Taurendor's representatives when dealing in any outer-chapter and public matters.

·         Responsibilities include acting as the point of contact for Taurendor, sitting in or speaking/voting at any foreign council meetings, speaking on an official level with other chapter representatives on foreign relations and any and all other duties that serve a similar purpose as those mentioned herein.

·         Concerning speaking/voting on foreign council meetings, the representatives of Taurendor are entrusted with the authority to act in the chapter's best interests, even if only one of them is present to vote at any time.

·         In any instance where both representatives are present and do not agree on the matters to be voted upon, they can choose to either contact other members of the Council for advice or can abstain from voting altogether.

·         The Chapter Representatives are also responsible for advertising and recruitment, and for handling any legal matters concerning the organization of events.

·         Because of the legal importance and responsibility that comes with this position, all Chapter Representatives must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

·         The Chapter representatives are responsible for the realm treasury and the records responsible for tracking the funds of the realm

·         The Treasurer/Rep is the holder of the logbook, records of treasury transactions, etc., and is also the caretaker of the treasury.

·         The treasury and all paperwork must be open for review by the other Council Members any time, so it is the treasurer/Reps job to ensure that everything is maintained properly and is up-to-date.  Any discrepancies must be brought to the attention of the Council, where further action can be taken as necessary to correct the problem.

·         The Treasurer/Rep is responsible for administering check-in at every event, and for delegating this responsibility to others in the case of his/her absence. In most instances the Secretary will take over these duties if the Treasurer/Rep is not present.

·         In the event a Chapter Rep is not going to be present at Ragnarok, the council may decide on who from the council that will be attending will be allowed to represent the realm. If only one Rep would be present for the Ragnarok War Council, s/he may choose to bring another member of the council with him/her.

Secretary

 

·         The Secretary is the holder of all official documents, including waivers, the logbook, records of treasury transactions, etc., and is also the caretaker of the treasury.

·         The paperwork must be open for review by anyone in on the Council of Taurendor at any time, so it is the Secretary's job to ensure that everything is maintained properly and is up-to-date.  Any discrepancies must be brought to the attention of the Council, where further action can be taken as necessary to correct the problem.

·         It is also the Secretary's duty to take notes at every Council meeting and have them fully organized and entered into the logbook.

·         Every time a Chapter Representative leaves office and a new one is elected, paperwork detailing the change in power must be sent to the Dagorhir Battle Games Association in order to maintain Taurendor's status as an official chapter. In this instance, an email can suffice.

·         The Secretary is responsible for keeping the council chat active on the council email group. The secretary must keep all threads on the right path and moving along at a decent pace so that discussions can reach resolutions. It helps to at times post updates containing concise and detailed information as to the topic of discussion thus far.

Magistrate

 

·         The Magistrate must be familiar with the rules of Dagorhir and any chapter-specific rules of Taurendor, and will be in charge of checking all equipment for safety and legality at any event or practice that he/she attends.

·         In the instance of the Magistrate's absence, checking all the equipment for safety and legality goes to the Chapter Representatives.

·          If both Magistrate and the Chapter Representatives are absent, these responsibilities fall to the other Council Members present at the event.

·         The Magistrate is the ruling authority on interpretation of both the language and spirit of the rules.

·         The Magistrate must create a Herald Test, which he/she will administer to anyone in Taurendor who wishes to become a Herald.

·         At any Taurendor event, the Magistrate is in charge of delegating responsibilities among the existing Heralds.

Voting

 

·         The Council of Taurendor will vote on elections, legislative decisions, interpretation of rules, revision and amendment of documents, and any other inner-chapter issue that requires an official decision.

·         Each person on the Council of Taurendor only gets one vote. Even though the potential exists for someone to hold more than one position/seat on the Council (for instance, being a Unit Leader who is also the Secretary/Treasurer).

·         At least 2/3 of the Council must be present at a council meeting for any official vote to take place.

·         A 2/3 vote is required to pass all normal legislative decisions unless specified otherwise in this document.  Any abstentions are counted in the final vote calculation against all “yes” votes, because saying nothing shows no desire for change.

·         A 3/4 vote is required to approve any revisions and/or amendments to the constitution.

·         For all elections, a candidate needs a simple majority in order to win.

·         In any instance where a candidate is already on the Council of Taurendor in some way, that person does not get a vote in the election for the position in which he/she is running.

Council Meetings

 

·         The Chapter Representatives must ensure that there is at least one council meeting per quarter, organized around as many council members' schedules as possible.

·         All council meetings must be scheduled after the first battle of each quarter.

·         Any council member can call an additional meeting, if the need arises.

·         The Secretary must keep attendance sheets and the minutes of each meeting, and is also in charge of maintaining proper speaking and voting procedures.

·         Before each meeting, the Secretary must be notified of all the issues to be discussed.  All members of the council can raise any topic that is valid within the contexts of Dagorhir.

·         Unless someone is personally invited to sit in and observe, only council members can attend a meeting.

·         Any issues that require a legislative decision, such as the implementation of new or revised rules or deciding on the location of an event, must be addressed at council meetings and voted upon.

·         Voting and meetings can occur over the council email list, but all votes taking place on the list are reviewed and addressed for constitution changes at the following council meeting.

Elections

 

·         All positions on the Council of Taurendor are open to any member of the chapter.  Unit leaders may also run for positions, and someone can have more than one position.  Therefore, it is possible for one person to be a Unit Leader, a Chapter Representative, and also the Magistrate, for example.

·         The announcement for elections is made on November 1st of each year.

·         Anyone in Taurendor can be nominated, and self-nominations are allowed.

·         The deadline for submitting nominations to the Council of Taurendor is on November 15th.

·         The elections are held during a Council meeting in December of that year.

·         There is no limit to the amount of times someone can be reelected for one position.

·         A former position-holder can always run again for any position.

·         All officials have one month from the time of the elections to complete the transition into their new terms.

Resignations and Impeachment

 

·         In the event of the resignation of an elected official, an emergency meeting must be organized where at least 3/4 of the council can be present. There, the council will see to the temporary delegation of the resigned party's responsibilities to the Chapter Representative(s).  In an instance where both Chapter Representatives have resigned, the duties will fall to the Secretary/Treasurer.  If both Chapter Representatives and the Secretary leave office, the duties go to the Magistrate if necessary.  If all elected officials leave office, their authorities will be delegated among the Unit Leaders on the council.

·         A 3/4 vote is required to remove any elected official from his/her position if dereliction is discovered.  As with a resignation, an emergency meeting must be organized where at least 3/4 of the council can be present to see to the delegation of authority.

·         In any case where an elected official leaves office, an announcement of the open position(s) will be made to the chapter.  Elections will be held no later than one month after the emergency meeting to fill the missing position(s).

·         The Council of Taurendor has the ability to administer proper disciplinary action upon any member of the chapter for improper conduct and/or blatant disregard of the rules.  Proper punishments include official warnings, suspension from chapter-related activities, and expulsion from the chapter.