The Unabridged Third Royal Constitution of the
Kingdom of Britannia
(view the unabridged Charter)

Article I : Purpose

1. Grant of Power: The High Council of Britannia derives its power from the Ruling Council of Britannia, and serves as advisors to the Ruling Council, and is answerable to the Ruling Council and their laws. The High Council is authorized to act in the interest of the peoples of Britannia.

2. Authority: The High Council assists and supports the Ruling Council in the daily management of Britannia, and is authorized to pass laws that do not contradict the laws and tenets set forth by Lord British.

3. Responsibilities: The High Council serves as advocate for the needs of Britannia's citizens, to uphold and support the Ruling Council, and to promote the Virtues. The Council is also expected to preserve, promote, and enhance the culutural heritage and identity of Britannia.

4. Borders: Britannia is defined as the Britannian mainland of which Britain is a part, the isles of Jhelom, the isle of Serpent's Hold, Verity Isle and the City of Moonglow, the isle of Magincia, the isle of Skara Brae and Iver's Rounding, Valor Isle, and within fifty paces of any Shrine of Virtue not contained within any other boundary so defined.

Article II : Composition

1. The High Council shall be comprised of Officers and Seats required to effectively manage the Kingdom. To this end, Officers and Seats may be added or removed by the High Council with the following profisions:

   1. The Council must always have available (though is not required to fill unless an active city government has stepped forth) one Seat for each of the eight Cities of Virtue.

      1. The eight Cities of Virtue are defined as Minoc for Sacrifice, Trinsic for Honor, Yew for Justice, Magincia for Humility, Jhelom for Valor, Britain for Compassion, Moonglow for Honesty, and Skara Brae for Spirituality.

   2. The Council may not remove the Offices of the Chancellor of Virtue, the Grand Marshall of Virtue, or the High Justicars of Virtue.

   3. The act of adding or removing an Officer shall require a two-thirds majority vote of all Seated Councilors.

   4. The act of adding or removing a Seat shall be subject to the following conditions and regulations:

      1. Said Community desiring a Seat of Representation must either exist within the defined borders of Britannia, or shall swear an Oath of Fealty to Britannia as a Province of Britannia.

      2. Said community must have a publicly available charter, constitution, or other form of mission statement.

      3. Said community must demonstrate the existance of an ongoing and viable government which meets at a locale present within said community.

      4. Said community must demonstrate a respect and acceptance of the laws and tenets of Britannia.

      5. Said community must be able to present a minimum of ten attending citizens at a Ceremony of Induction.

      6. Any Seat may be vacated by its represented community and left empty for any period of time; any Seat so empty shall not be entitled to its vote until such time as a representative is approriately Seated.

      7. No community represented by a Seat upon the Council, save those Provinces which are outside Britannian borders, may secede from Britannia or its rule; any Province that so cedes from Britannia's rule shall no longer be entitled to its vote, and its Seat shall be immediately vacated and removed.

      8. Any Seat may have their representation removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the High Council through the process of censure should the government so represented be proven to be treasonous and/or demonstrating a threat to the well-being and safety to the Citizens of Britannia.

      9. Any Seat may be vacated by a two-thirds majority vote of the Seated Councilors of the High Council should it be possible to demonstrate that, for a period of at least six years, there has been no viable, active government in the community so represented.

2. Seats of the High Council: The High Council shall consist of Seats, which are entitled to a single vote on all matters brought before the High Council. There shall be available one Seat for each of the eight Cities fo Virtue; as well, any City within Britannia, or any Province outside of, that wishes representation upon the High Council may claim a seat. The duties of these Seates are outlined in Article IV.

3. Officers of the High Council: The High Council shall also consist of Officers whose responsibilities are as follows:

   1. The Chancellor of Virtue shall be responsible for the daily affairs and operation of the High Council, and shall have duties as described in Article V.

   2. The High Justicars of Virtue shall be responsible for the management and operation of the High Court of Britannia, and shall have duties as described in Article VI.

   3. The Grand Marshall shall be directly responsible for the Britannian Armed Forces, and shall have duties as described in Article VII.

Article III : Foreign Ambassadors

1. The High Council shall actively cultivate relations with all provinces not directly represented on the High Council.  This includes all countries, cities, or other organizations without a Seat on the High Council.

2. Ambassadors to Foreign Entities (nations, cities, or other organizations) may be appointed by the Grand Marshall of Virtue or by a majority vote of the High Council; those appointed by the Grand Marshall must be ratified by a majority vote of the High Council.

   1. Ambassadors to Foreign Entities shall file regular reports with the High Council regarding the charge of their duty.

3. A Foreign Ambassador who has been approved by the leadership of his country, city, or other organization shall be recognized by the High Council.

   1. A Foreign Ambassador may be removed from duty by leadership of the country, city, or organization that he represents.

   2. A Foreign Ambassador who has been party to criminal activities or other unethical acts may be exiled from Britannia and barred from the High Council through censure and removal as detailed in Article XI.  Such a removal is without recourse, and a new Ambassador would be necessary to resume duty.

   3. The High Council may refuse to recognize known criminals as an Ambassador.

4. Ambassadors are granted immunity privileges described in Article IX.

Article IV : Seated Councilors of the High Council

1. The Seated Councilors of the High Council are expected to maintain a visible presence in the city that they represent, and make themselves publicly available to address the needs and concerns of the citizens to which they have been charged.

2. Each Seated Councilor of the High Council shall be required to report to the High Council the needs, events, and affairs of the city that they represent.  Such report shall be no less than quarter-annually.

3. Seated Councilors of the High Council shall be required to adhere to the requirements of duty outlined in Article X, and repeated failure to do so shall be grounds for censure and removal from duty.

Article V : The Chancellor of Virtue

1. The Chancellor of Virtue is responsible for assisting in the daily operations of the High Council.

2. The Chancellor shall lead all public meetings of the High Council.

3. The Chancellor may appoint a Vice Chancellor who will be the head of the Chancellor’s cabinet, and may appoint other cabinet members to handle duties of spreading word of the High Council’s activities to the public.

4. Should the Chancellor or Vice Chancellor be unavailable to chair a meeting, the Council may ask another member of the High Council or citizen of Britannia to chair the meeting as Acting Chancellor.

5. If a situation arises where the Council becomes deadlocked on a vote, and cannot resolve the issue, the Chancellor, or one acting in his stead, shall — and must — cast the deciding vote.

6. The Chancellor is empowered to keep order during meetings of the High Council, and may, after sufficient warning, eject from a meeting any person who is disruptive to the course of the meeting, or overtly insulting of other guests of the High Council.

7. The Chancellor shall be required to adhere to the requirements of duty outlined in Article X, and repeated failure to do so shall be grounds for censure and removal from duty.

Article VI : The High Justicars of Virtue and the High Court

1. There shall be a High Court, charged with interpreting the law of the land, and rendering judgment of cases brought before it.

2. The High Justicars of Virtue, commonly known as High Justicars, shall be a triumvirate responsible for operation of the High Court, and shall maintain the Codex of High Crimes and the Charter of the High Court.

3. The High Court is empowered and entrusted with the responsibility of ruling on the validity of laws and their enforceability, and hearing cases involving High Crimes.

4. The High Justicars shall be empowered to issue Warrant of Arrest against any person who stands accused of a High Crime.

5. The High Council shall pass no law, nor take any action, which diminishes or supersedes the authority of the High Justicars or the High Court.

6. The High Justicars are empowered to overturn votes or decrees of the High Council if they are found to be unconstitutional or against the higher laws of Lord British or Virtue; to overturn such votes, a majority of the triumvirate must vote in favor of such.

7. Any High Justicar who has direct involvement in any case involving a High Crime must appoint an impartial Justicar to act in his stead to preserve the balance of Justice.

8. The High Justicars shall be required to adhere to the requirements of duty outlined in Article X, and repeated failure to do so shall be grounds for censure and removal from duty.

Article VII : The Grand Marshall of Virtue and the Britannian Armed Forces

1. The Britannian Armed Forces shall serve as the national defense force of Britannia, and shall consist of virtuous guilds so charged to do so.

2. The composition of the Britannian Armed Forces shall be determined by a two-thirds vote of all seated Councilors of the High Council.

3. The Britannian Armed Forces are answerable to the Grand Marshall of Virtue, who shall be responsible for the operation and conduct of the military as defined in the Military Code of Conduct and Charter of the Britannian Armed Forces.

4. The Military is empowered and entrusted with protecting Britannia from her enemies, arresting any individuals accused of High Crimes, and guarding the members of the High Council and Ruling Council.

5. The Grand Marshall shall be entitled to appoint Field Rank Officers who shall assist him in the duties of operating the Britannian Armed Forces.

6. The Grand Marshall or any Field Rank Officer may arrest, without warrant, any individual directly observed committing a High Crime, or who is determined to be a threat to national security.  Such arrests are subject to review by the High Court.

7. The High Council shall pass no law nor take any action, which supersedes or diminishes the authority of the Grand Marshall of Virtue.

8. The Grand Marshall, and Field Rank Officers so entitled by the Grand Marshall, shall be empowered to negotiate treaties with foreign powers; such treaties may be vetoed by a majority vote of the High Council.

Article VIII : Adjutants and Assistants

1. Each member of the High Council is authorized to appoint an Adjutant or Assistant to act on their behalf in duties related to the High Council, as well as during times of extended absence.

2. A Seated Councilor shall appoint an Adjutant to their Seat who shall act as the Councilor in his absence, and who shall be empowered, only in the Councilor’s absence, to cast that Councilor’s vote.

3. An Adjutant’s presence shall only count toward quorum in the absence of the Adjutant’s sponsor Councilor.

4. Other members of the High Council may appoint an Assistant who may act on their behalf for any absences.

5. Upon the resignation of their sponsor Council Member, an Adjutant or Assistant shall be required to tender resignation as well.

6. Adjutants and Assistants are afforded none of the immunities of Article IX.

Article IX : Immunities

1. The Immunities so granted by this article are to ensure that those covered are not subject to undue process of justice due to the nature of their office; however, in no way are these Immunities intended to provide immunity to prosecution for criminal conduct.

2. A member of the High Council, High Court, or Britannian Armed Forces may only be legally detained, arrested, or charged with criminal activity by a member of the Britannian Armed Forces.

3. Members of the High Council are granted immunity from legal prosecution until and unless they are censured for that explicit purpose by the High Council.

4. Members of the High Council and High Court may only be tried by the High Court of Britannia; that is, no local government may place them on trial.

5. Members of the Britannian Armed Forces may only be tried by special Military Tribunal of the Britannian Armed Forces; that is, no local government may place them on trial.

6. If intentional abuse of immunity can be proven, it shall be considered High Treason.

7. Ambassadors and Foreign Ambassadors are also protected by these Immunities.

Article X : Requirements of Responsibility and Duty

1. All Seated Councilors and Officers of the High Council are required to be present at meetings of the High Council either in person or in the form of their Adjutant or Assistant, except under unforeseen emergencies.  Repeated failure to carry out the duties of their office may result in Censure and removal from service.

2. Should any Seat or Office sit absent for four consecutive meetings of the High Council, or for a total of six out of eight meetings, the Seated Councilor or Officer shall be considered in violation of these duties, and Censured for the express vote of removal from service.

   1. Any Seat or Office shall be granted a Leave of Absence in extreme situations; such a Leave must be requested in writing, and is granted automatically so long as the Seated Councilor or Officer makes a good-faith effort to remain in contact with the Council, or has made arrangements for their Seat or Office to be managed in their absence.  Such a Leave of Absence may be revoked by a two-thirds majority vote of all Seated Councilors.

3. Any Seat or Office vacated due to failure to meet their duty shall be immediately opened for election proceedings.

Article XI : Censure and Removal

1. Censure may be used as a condemnation of activity, a demand for action, a precursor to the removal of a member of the High Council, or to remove immunity to trial from anyone protected by the Immunities of Article IX.

2. A Vote of Censure may be called for at any meeting by any Citizen of Britannia, and the person so requesting Censure shall be allowed to speak before the High Council and present the basis for the call of Censure.

3. The subject of the Censure shall be granted the opportunity to speak against the call of Censure; should the subject not be present at the meeting the Vote of Censure is called for, the Vote shall be delayed until the very next meeting of the High Council to afford the subject the opportunity to speak against the call.

4. Any Seated Councilor may speak on the Vote of Censure, or may grant permission to a pertinent speaker to do so.

5. Censure is granted by a two-thirds vote of all Seated Councilors of the High Council.

6. Should Censure pass, a simple majority vote shall be required to approve the consequence of the Censure.  Consequences may be, but are not limited to, removal from service of the High Council, demand for action, public notice of condemnation, removal of immunity to trial, or public apology.

7. Any member of the High Council who is Censured for trial shall retain their Seat or Office until conviction of a High Crime; any member so convicted shall be ineligible to serve upon the High Council, and shall be barred from future service.

8. A Vote of Censure may be called only once per year unless sufficient cause may be presented to call the vote again.  Such a call must be made by any Citizen of Britannia, and seconded by a Seated Councilor of the High Council (who may not second his own motion).

Article XII : Resignations

1. A member of the High Council may tender his resignation to the Chancellor of Virtue, or, if unavailable, to any Seated Councilor of the High Council.  Such resignation is effective immediately upon acceptance.

Article XIII : Voting Procedures

1. Unless specifically mandated within this Constitution, any vote may be conducted by a quorum of the High Council; a vote that may not be conducted by a quorum requires that the vote be of all Seated Councilors, and that sufficient time be granted for all Seated Councilors to vote either at a private or public meeting, or in private chambers.

2. A quorum shall be defined as two-thirds, rounded down, of all Seated Councilors; the presence of an Adjutant is considered toward quorum only in the absence of their sponsor Councilor.

3. Votes requiring a two-thirds majority vote require that a quorum be present, and that the two-thirds be of all present members.  An abstaining vote in this case is the equivalent of a "nay."

4. Votes requiring a simple majority vote require that a quorum be present, and that the majority of votes cast as either "aye" or "nay" be cast for "aye."  An abstaining vote in this case shall not be counted in the total of "ayes" and "nays," but remain counted for purpose of determining quorum.

5. If it is desired by any Seated Councilor, a vote may be called privately, in which case, the vote shall be conducted silently, and the Chancellor shall tally the votes and announce the result.

6. Vote ratification shall be handled by the Chancellor of Virtue, except when unavailable, and no Vice Chancellor or other appointed person is available.  In such case, the ratification shall fall to the next Officer or Seated Councilor in the following order:  High Justicar of Virtue (based on seniority); Grand Marshall of Virtue; senior-most Seated Councilor.

Article XIV : Electoral Procedures

1. Each Seat of the High Council shall have its Councilor elected by the City which it represents.  The provisions for such an election are as follows:

   1. Each city must define a registration process, define the requirements of eligibility to serve as a Councilor, and specify the manner in which elections shall be held.

   2. A City may, but is not required to, specify a term limit in the form of an election after a specified period of time, or an opportunity for interested parties to run after a specified period of time (though no election is held if no parties step forth).  The details of such a term limit are left to the City to be represented.

   3. An open Seat must be open for no less than one quarter of a year to allow potential candidates to step forth, and must be publicly announced.

   4. A public debate between candidates must be held; such debate must allow Citizens of Britannia to ask questions pertinent to their potential service.

   5. A High Justicar or person so charged shall be required to ratify a vote tally.

2. Each Office of the High Council shall have its Officer elected by vote of all registered Citizens of Britannia.

   1. A public registry shall be available for all Citizens of Britannia.

   2. An open Office must be open for no less than one half of a year to allow potential candidates to step forth, and must be publicly announced.

   3. Potential candidates for an Office of the High Council must:

      1. Be a citizen of Britannia.

      2. Have reached the age of majority, fourteen years.

      3. Have no outstanding warrants for arrest, nor be currently serving sentence for a crime.

      4. Not also be a leadership figure in a local government, judiciary, or militia.

   4. A public debate between candidates must be held; such debate must allow Citizens of Britannia to ask questions pertinent to their potential service.

   5. Each Seated Councilor shall be required to review the election results, and to ratify the tally of the votes.  A majority of Seated Councilors must affirm that the tally of votes is correct.

   6. Offices of the High Council shall have a soft term limit of six years.

      1. Five years after an Officer takes Office, an announcement that applications are being accepted for candidacy for that Office shall be made.  Potential candidates have six months to apply to run for office.

      2. If potential candidates step forth, a debate shall be scheduled prior to the end of the Officer’s term.  The incumbent Officer is automatically considered a potential candidate unless he otherwise removes himself from consideration.

      3. An election is held as normal for the Office should potential candidates exist.

      4. Should no potential candidates step forth, the incumbent remains in office for another six-year term.

      5. There is no limit to consecutive terms that may be served by an Officer of the High Council.

3. In all elections, the person with the most votes wins, regardless of the number of votes ahead they are; winning by a single vote is still considered a win.

4. An elected Councilor or Officer must swear an Oath of Office to assume duty; failure to swear an Oath of Office within six months of election shall void the vote, and re-open the Seat or Office for election.

5. Citizens who are found to be purposely changing their citizenship from one city in Britannia to another for the sake of influencing a vote may be found guilty of High Treason.

Article XV : Modification of Constitution, Law, and Decrees of the Council

1. The High Council shall ratify no law, which is formulated or enacted retroactively.

2. This Constitution may be modified or amended by a two-thirds majority vote of all Seated Councilors.

3. The High Council may pass laws by majority vote.

4. The High Council may issue decrees with a majority vote, the purpose of such decrees being to "order" an individual or organization to comply with the wishes of the Council.  Failure to obey a decree can be construed as High Treason.

5. All amendments, laws, and decrees are subject to review by the High Court, which may vacate the item (in full, not in part) if it is determined to violate the higher laws of Lord British or the Ruling Council.

6. Any failed proposal may not be brought forth before the Council again for a period of four years, except if an item has undergone revision.  A Seated Councilor may request to resubmit an item for vote, and such request must be seconded by another Seated Councilor.

7. Amendments to the Constitution shall be in the form of additional articles, the striking of text, or the replacement of text within the original document to maintain an orderly document.

Article XVI : Meeting Procedures and Agenda

1. The date, time, and location of all meetings shall be decided upon by the Chancellor.  The Chancellor shall do his best to choose a date, time, and location which best suits the majority of the High Council.

2. The High Council shall hold public meetings regularly, and private meetings by necessity.

3. Emergency private meetings may be called by any Member of the High Council, but only when clear and present emergency exists.

4. Private meetings shall occur in a location undisclosed to the public, and the minutes of such meeting shall be released to the public after the meeting occurs; the minutes may be sealed for six years by request of a Seated Councilor or Officer of the High Council, and by a second of such motion by another Seated Councilor or Officer.

5. Members of the High Council may invite guest speakers to a private meeting, however, their focus should remain on the topic to which they were called to speak, and may not distract to other topics.

6. The Chancellor of Virtue shall make public a meeting procedure which should include the following:  Calling of the meeting to order; Members of the High Council with items on the agenda; Members of the High Council with urgent items not on the agenda; Ambassadors and local government figures with items on the agenda; Citizens with items on the agenda; Announcement of open Seats or Offices; Opening of the floor should time permit; Adjournment of the meeting.

Article XVII : Britannian Rights

1. All persons brought to trial shall be afforded the right to representation; if representation can be found through no other means, a representative shall be appointed by the High Court.

2. All persons brought to trial shall be afforded fair, unbiased trial.

3. Any person incarcerated shall be charged with a High Crime before incarceration; shall not be tortured, beaten, or otherwise unduly pained; shall be provided food, water, and healing needed to remain in good health; shall not be questioned without representation if requested; and shall not be incarcerated for undue length of time prior to trial (for each day served before trial, so shall the severity of any sentence be considered against).

4. At no time shall any person be subjected to slavery of any sort within Britannia.

5. The tenets of Order and Chaos as espoused by Lords British and Blackthorn shall not be hindered in their study or activity, so long as such does not cause undue civil danger; nor shall any Shard of the Gem of Immortality be subject to any legal process.

6. No citizen shall face persecution or challenge for spiritual or religious beliefs that vary from the Virtues, which are fundamental to Britannia, in so far as the practice of these spiritual beliefs does not exceed the laws of the land, nor cause any person to participate unwillingly in them; that no practice of spiritual belief may be used as defense for breaking a law, nor condemn a person for not openly espousing the Virtues.

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Article I : Purpose

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Article II : Composition

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Article III : Foreign Ambassadors

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Article IV : Seated Councilors of the High Council

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Article V : The Chancellor of Virtue

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Article VI : The High Justicars of Virtue and the High Court

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Article VII : The Grand Marshall of Virtue and the Britannian Armed Forces

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Article VIII : Adjutants and Assistants

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Article IX : Immunities

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Article X : Requirements and Responsibility of Duty

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Article XI : Censure and Removal

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Article XII : Resignations

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Article XIII : Voting Procedures

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Article XIV : Electoral Procedures

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Article XV : Modification of Constitution, Laws, and Decrees of the Council

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Article XVI : Meeting Procedures and Agenda

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Article XVII : Britannian Rights