Fate's Harvest/Laws
Bylaws of Fate's Harvest
All Changelings sworn to the Freehold are expected to be conversant with the laws on this page. Waykeepers, on the other hand, are expected to have them all but memorized.
These laws are given to prospective members BEFORE they pledge, to ensure that all members know exactly what they are getting into.
As a living document, the laws are not closed to revision.
Consectatio Scientiae. Consectatio Prudentiae.
We gather together for the mutual benefit of our members and in defense of our allies, wielding the power of pooled talent and the safety of the cycle of the year against the threat of those who would cause us harm, and against those who keep human and fae captives.
Definitions of Terms Used in this Document:
- "Freehold" is defined as the collective pledged membership, changeling and variations on human.
- "Freehold territory" is defined as the mortal-world land bordered by Mount Salvation East, Mount Salvation West, Mount Mischance, and the cliff of Tamarack Falls.
- "Local Hedge" is defined as the areas of the Hedge regularly patrolled and guarded by members of the Freehold. The Freehold claims no power over the Hedge, and no dominion.
- "Cycle" is defined as the combined turning of the year and the celestial bodies, represented in the eight Courts of the Freehold.
- "Period" is defined as one of the four divisions of the cycle. Two Courts represent each of the cycle's four periods: waxing, fullness, waning, absence. Dawn/Spring for waxing, Sun/Summer for fullness, Dusk/Autumn for waning, Moon/Winter for absence. A Crown is chosen for each period of the cycle.
- "Crown" is defined both as the visual and metaphysical symbol of the Wyrd's recognition of power, and as the individual possessing the Wyrd-given crown of the year cycle.
- "Monarch" is synonymous with 'Crown' as regards the individual possessing it. Former Crown-bearers are referred to as Monarchs until a new Monarch of their cycle is chosen.
- "Council" is defined as the group of former transitional/seasonal Monarchs or their Courts' recognized representatives. These are currently numbered at: Dawn, Spring, Sun, Summer, Dusk, Autumn, Moon, Winter. When votes call for 'Crown and Council' it is this body which is called for.
- "Extended Council" is defined as the 'Council' core plus the leaders of each recognized Freehold subgroup. These are currently numbered at: Custodians, Greenies, Harvestmen, Watchers, Waykeepers.
- "Year-laws" are defined as the permanent laws of the Freehold. These do not change with the seasons or transitional periods of the year. They may be ratified only by a majority vote of Crown and Council. The Crown holds veto powers.
- "Seasonal laws" are defined as smaller laws of the Freehold created by and at the sole discretion of individual Crowns, and not extending beyond the period of that particular Monarch's rule. They may neither supersede nor conflict existing year-laws.
- "Fae" are defined as those beings of immense power who took us, changed us, enslaved us, and whom we escaped. They are always referred to with a capital F, as there are fae beings who are not Fae, ourselves included. In most cases Fae is synonymous with Gentry, Kindly One(s), or Keeper(s), though there are records of Fae with neither Title nor Domain who are no longer, or have never been a Keeper of our kind.
- "Loyalists" are defined as servants, Human, Hobgoblin or Changeling, still following the commands of the Gentry, most often to the detriment of free Changelings and Humans. They may be willing, unwilling, or entirely unknowing.
- "Privateers" are defined as singularly mercenary beings working for their own benefit. They will sell anyone and anything to the highest bidder, regardless of whom that bidder is.
- "Archive" is defined as the central archive and library of information in Fate's Harvest. It is protected and curated by the Custodian subgroup, and it is open to all members.
- "Freehold Timeline" is defined as the single document, constantly updated by each Crown, which holds a date-marked record of: each Crown's name and Court; their Crowning; important events (may refer to additional documentation, which must be kept with the Timeline i.e. links to other pages); Year-laws proposed, including the name(s) of those who proposed them, and details of the proposition; Year-laws passed, with details; Seasonal Laws passed, with details; Seasonal Laws upheld from previous Monarchs.
Year Laws
Crown & Absence Thereof
If at any time the Monarch of the Freehold is unavailable or inaccessible for two weeks or more, the Crown's plenary power will be temporarily transferred to the Council. Council votes to affect Year-laws during this period must be unanimous. They may neither create nor modify Seasonal laws.
Should a Crown deliberately retreat for a period of time, the Monarch may grant the Council the ability to act with limited Crown authority during this period. Voluntary transmission of authority does not enable the Council to enact or change Year-laws or Seasonal laws.
Freehold Offices & their Acquisition/Loss
Crown: The Crown is chosen by a blend of leadership, aptitude and the whims of Fate. The manifestation of a crown upon the head of either Court within a given Period of the Year Cycle (and its consequent departure from the previous Monarch) constitutes the crowning of a new Monarch. The Crown will fade at its intended time of its own volition.
Council: By default, upon concluding their term as Crown-holder, the former Monarch becomes the new Councillor for his or her Court. Should any Court be absent a former Crown at the end of their Period in the Year Cycle, or should the former Monarch choose to refuse the position, a general Court-wide election is held, requiring a simple majority to attain their position. Nominees may volunteer or be nominated by members of the Court. Goodwill-holders and friends are excluded from this vote. To remove a member of the Council requires a vote of simple majority by Crown and Council, or a 3/4 majority among members of the Councillor's Court. This vote may be called by any Court member at any time, but must be formally filed in the Archives and Timeline with all who called it, and why.
Subgroups: Freehold subgroups will determine their own qualifications, documented in the Archives, for how their leaders are chosen and removed.
Freehold Subgroups
Details are noted in separate documents (i.e. on their own wiki pages!). Brief summaries of responsibility are included below:
Custodians: Keepers of the Archive, Freehold-specific libraries, chroniclers and custodians of esoteric information and history.
Greenies: Healers, herbalists, green witches and doctors. Keepers of the Freehold gardens.
Harvestmen: Freehold militia and Hedge explorers. Physical protection of Freehold members and others on request. Combat training required.
Watchers: Oneiromancers, seers, dream guardians to ward away/detect the presence of the Fae. Working knowledge of oneiromancy or some variant of prophetic gift required.
Waykeepers: The public screen between the Freehold and the world. Diplomats, administrators, organizers, keepers of Hospitality and the Wayhouse neutral ground.
Meetings
The Crown and Extended Council of the Freehold will hold an open gathering each month, wherein members may discuss current events and seek resolutions. Final decisions must be discussed in closed Council for any discussion of the Year laws. Attendance is not mandatory.
Crown and Council will, separately, hold a monthly meeting open only to Crown, Extended Council and any invited guests.
Individual subgroups will manage their own schedules, but are also expected to meet on a regular basis, and remain accountable to Council and Monarch.
Member Responsibilities
Intelligence: Members are required to give freely of any intelligence they may possess relating to potential enemies of the Freehold. This can include Loyalist groups, Privateers, Hobgoblins, True Fae, mundane anti-fae Hunters, rival Freeholds and more. This information will be the responsibility of the Custodians to study and archive.
Talents and Skills: Members must use their skills and any particular talents, be they from simple experience or the fruit of membership in noble orders, for the benefit of the Freehold and the continued well-being of its collective membership.
Secrecy: Summary: give out as little information about the Freehold and its members as possible. If at any point un-pledged revelation is required to impress or cow others, members may reveal themselves, but never other members, always bearing in mind that doing so may result in being hunted more directly by the True Fae or mortal Hunters.
Ensorcelled: All members are free to ensorcell others. Pledges must include a secrecy clause to protect Changelings from discovery. The newly ensorcelled must be presented to the Freehold at the next monthly gathering held by the Crown, and will be expected to pledge separately to the Freehold. Members are expected to protect and guard all ensorcelled against the Fae and fae threats.
Crown-granted Positions: The Crown has power to grant members of the Freehold special authority on a temporary basis. This authority does not continue past that Monarch's rule. Members are expected to respect and oblige the authority granted to these temporary positions.
Court Positions: Members of the Freehold must respect the authority of Court positions recognized by Crown and Council. Any new positions must be announced and explained at the next monthly gathering held by the Crown.
Treatment of Outsiders
Humans: Members are never to aid the True Fae in the capture or acquisition of human kind. Do nothing to inspire witch hunts. We rely upon the humans here for cover, aid, and mutual protection.
Changelings: All Changelings are accepted under the laws of Hospitality (i.e. they are guests until they act against the locals, at which point they have broken hospitality and you can do with them whatever you please). Members are expected to direct newcomers to the Wayhouse and/or nearest Waykeeper, as Waykeepers are trained for diplomacy and in handling potential external threats.
Loyalists & Privateers: Known Loyalists/Privateers are treated under the laws of Hospitality, given as little useful information as possible, and escorted off of Fate's Harvest territory as soon as possible. Should someone be proven an unknowing Loyalist, they must be contained until a method of separating them from their Fae patron is discerned.
Oathbreakers
Freehold Oath: Those who break the Freehold pledge must be banished by the Crown, publically, before at minimum 1/4 of the Freehold's existing membership, that quarter being composed of 3/4 of existing Courts. From that moment on, all hands are against them. Members may give neither aid nor succor, unless the avoidance thereof would break separate oaths. In this event, the member is required to inform the Crown of the conflict, and will be put under surveillance.
Other oaths: Those who are known to be forsworn may not hold any public position or role for a year and a day after the breaking of their oath. After that time, they may petition the Crown for forgiveness.
Crimes & Punishment
All punishments must be written, with parties and resolutions, in the Freehold Timeline.
Amnesty: Crown and Council reserve the right to grant temporary or permanent amnesty and/or protection to any party for any reason.
Hedge Duels/Fines: Those with personal grievances against another Freehold member may seek redress at the monthly Freehold meeting. Depending upon the severity of the grievance, the Crown may request that the parties involved settle their differences via payment or barter of some variety, or demand that they accept victory in a public Hedge Duel to unconsciousness as resolution. Champions may be designated to fight the duel in either party's stead. Duel results are final. Any resolutions/revisions made after the duel are the purview of the offender/offended.
Banishment/Exile/Outlawry: If a Freehold member or other party commits crimes deemed too severe and unresolvable, Crown and Council may hold an internal 3/4 majority vote to declare them Outlaw, and banish them from Freehold territory for any period of time. If seen on Freehold property, members are entitled to use any means necessary to remove them.
Murder of a Freehold Member: Killing another member of the Freehold is forbidden. Minimum penance will be a Hedge Duel to unconsciousness with a champion designated by the kin or Court of the deceased. Should the murderer be maimed or crippled in a lasting fashion through the course of the duel, no further reparations are required. Should the murderer win or lose without lasting physical harm to his/her/etc. person, the murderer will be responsible, for a year and a day from the death of the deceased, for any and all dependents and responsibilities of the deceased, financial and otherwise.
Seasonal Laws
Validity
The declaration of Seasonal Laws must be added to the Freehold Timeline. They do not take effect until they have thereby been placed in the Freehold Archive where all may see them.
If a current Monarch prefers to hold over a law from a previous Crown, the continuance of the previous Period's law must be clearly written in the Timeline.
Creation & Duration
Only the Wyrd-acknowledged Monarch of the Freehold may create Seasonal Laws.
Once added to the archive, Seasonal Laws are in effect only during their creator's reign, unless subsequent Monarchs choose to reuse them.
Current Seasonal Laws
See the Timeline document for all Seasonal Laws currently in effect.
