The Rivendell Realm Bylaws
​
The following articles and agreements were and still are elected to be upheld by voting members of the Rivendell community. To propose an amendment, dissolvement, or new bylaw it must be publicly proposed at a public meeting organized by the Realm Board (01.0). Anyone in attendance may speak upon the bylaws, however it is the earned right of voting members (05.0) to come to an elected decision regarding them.
​
The following Realm bylaws are up to date as of 05.15.2017
​
00 Index
01 Leadership
02 Realm Code of Conduct
03 Recognized Units of the Realm
04 Sanctioned Events
05 Voting
06 Realm Fund
​
01 Leadership
01.0 -The realm shall be led by the Realm Board. They will be responsible for the realm as a whole and may sign off on matters regarding money of the realm. These members must be able to update information online at least once a week and keep consistent contact and attendance in the realm. They must have a Google account in order to keep track of and edit online documents. Anyone elected to these positions by voting members (05.0) must also have voting rights in the Realm. The Realm board will be comprised of the following positions.
​
01.01 -Admin - Delegating authority and the forming of activity committees as needed. Public liaison with outside officials. Final interpretation of all rules. Preparation of Board meeting agendas in conjunction with the Secretary (01.04). May appoint a Head Herald (01.05 03) in their stead if they are unable to oversee battles at an event. Handles all situations which require reprimand within the Realm. Approval of sanctioned events. Fill the position of Ragnarok War Council representative unless unable to attend, in which case they will appoint a second representative and the Co-Admin will serve as the first. Anyone elected to this position must have had voting rights in Rivendell for the last two consecutive years.
​
01.02 -Co-Admin - Represent the Admin in his/her absence, holds same responsibilities and powers if the Admin is not available. Fill the position of Second Ragnarok War Council representative unless unable to attend, in which case they will appoint a representative. Anyone elected to this position must have had voting rights in Rivendell for the last two consecutive years.
​
01.03 -Treasurer - Primary accountant and bookkeeper for the realm's treasury. Collects event fees, dues, and donations to the realm. Responsible for the Cash Box at all times, and depositing any moneys collected into the Realm Fund (06.0). This board member must have a PayPal account which they are willing to use for donations and pre registrations for events.
​
01.04 -Secretary – Responsible for the maintenance of the Realm’s membership and attendance records. Collection of waiver forms. Recording the minutes at Realm meetings. Publication and distribution of advertisements, and recruitment flyers. Secondary bookkeeper of the treasury.
​
01.05 -The running of Sanctioned Events (04.0) and battles will fall to the Realm Officials and will be overseen and assisted as necessary by the Realm Board Members. The Realm Officials will be:
​
01.05 01 -Head Weapons Checker – Must be up to date on the current Dagorhir M.O.A. Has final say on all weapons allowed onto the field. Appoints a representative if they are unable to attend a realm event. Appoints and trains other checkers to work under him/her and must keep a log of approved checkers.
​
01.05 02 -Head Trainer – Must be up to date on the current Dagorhir M.O.A. Responsible for training all new fighters in basic rules & safety. Appoints a representative if they are unable to attend a realm event. Appoints and trains other trainers to work under him/her and must keep a log of approved trainers.
​
01.05 03 -Head Herald - Must be up to date on the current Dagorhir M.O.A. Responsible for keeping a log of battles that work well. Appoints extra heralds if the situation calls for them. Appoints and trains other heralds to work under him/her and must keep a log of approved heralds (for realm events.)
​
01.05 04 -Event Coordinators – Appointed for each event by the Realm Board. Responsible for planning and running the event, including acting as primary contact between realm and event sites. May delegate responsibilities for event as needed.
​
01.05 05 -Unit Ambassadors - Each unit that is recognized by the realm must elect one representative to serve as their main point of contact. This will be the person that is contacted if there is an issue or topic that can be dealt with internally by the unit without involving the entire realm. Units may elect this person internally however they wish. The board will then accept or ask for another representative.
​
01.05 06 -School Club Presidents- The current elected president of each Rivendell recognized School Club will serve as the main point of contact for that club.
​
01.06 -No members may serve more than one position on the Realm Board. No members may serve more than one position as a Realm Official. Members may however hold a position on both the Board and be a Realm Official.
​
01.07 -All Board members and Officials have the same voting rights as everyone else in the Realm. Serving one or more elected positions does not grant you extra votes.
​
01.08 -Elections for all positions will be held at the 1st Realm meeting of every year, and each position is held for one year. New officers will take full responsibilities of their post after January 1st, allowing for a switch of power over the winter break.
​
01.09 -Any Elected Officer may resign at any point and a replacement will be appointed by the remaining board members to serve the remainder of the term.
​
01.10 -If it is found, at any point, that an Elected Officer or Board Member is neglecting their duties or doing an unsatisfactory job, the Realm Board may vote to replace said individual for the remainder of the term. If this happens to be the Admin, the Co-Admin will replace them and name their stand in until the next Realm Meeting, at which point the Realm will re-elect the positions.
​
02 Realm Code of Conduct
02.0 -Rivendell is committed to fostering an environment of comfort and safety for every one of our visitors and current members. To achieve this, attendees of Rivendell sanctioned events, must refrain from actions that would put them or others into an unsafe or threatening situation. We understand that every situation and interaction is different but if someone expresses to you that your conduct is unsavory, please respect their wishes. Alternatively, if you do not feel comfortable addressing this with the perpetrator, you may speak with a realm/event leader (in private if necessary). We ask that you address any and all issues with a realm/event leader. In addition to self-reporting, if you are a witness to any rule breaking please find a realm/event leader immediately so they may assess the situation.
02.01 -All participants will be expected to follow the Dagorhir battle game rules as illustrated in the Dagorhir Manual of Arms (M.O.A.).
​
02.02 -If a fighter suspects another fighter of rule-breaking during a battle, then they should notify the herald(s). The herald or heralds should then take action to address the rule-breaking, as appropriate. If there is no herald for the current battle, such as at practices, then the fighter should notify the Head Herald of the Realm. If the Head Herald is not available, then any Realm Official will do.
​
02.03 -If it is determined by the Realm Officials that a particular fighter is causing a persistent problem either through repeatedly breaking the same rule or breaking multiple rules, the fighter will be sent for retraining with the Head Trainer to ensure proper understanding of the rules. Those who willfully disobey the rules will be removed from the battlefield, the event, or possibly the realm by the Head Herald, Event Coordinator, or Realm Admin respectively.
​
02.04 -There will be no fighting at any Sanctioned Event (04.0). Fighting is defined as: brawling, fisticuffs, or any actions intended to do real physical harm on or off the battlefield. The party or parties at fault for causing the fighting, as determined by the Head Herald, Event Coordinator, or Realm Admin, will be immediately removed from the battlefield, the event, and/or possibly the realm by the Official or Board member who made the determination of fault.
​
02.05 -Verbal, physical, or online harassment in any form or capacity will not be tolerated. Members of the Realm, Board, and Event Leaders will make the final determination in any specific situation regarding whether this policy was violated as well as how to proceed. If a member is found to be in violation of this rule, they will be reprimanded by the Realm Admin, asked to apologize, and both members will be instructed to avoid one another for a set period of time. If the violation is severe enough or if the offenders are found in violation again, they will be immediately removed from the event/forums and or possibly suspended or removed from the Realm by or with the supervision of the Admin.
03 Recognized Units of the Realm
03.0 -The realm defines a unit as any group of three or more active members who share a name and who choose to participate under the same banner. One is not required to be a member of a unit to be a member of Rivendell. Once a unit is recognized, their heraldry will be added to the realm banner, they will be able to run a monthly battle for the realm, and they will be worked into "Realm Lore" as it is created.
​
03.0 -Rabble – The Realm defines anyone who is a member of Rivendell but is not a member of a unit as belonging to the Rabble.
​
​
04 Sanctioned Events
04.0 -The Realm shall host a minimum of 12 Events a year (not including weekly practices). These may be battles, camp-outs, meetings, classes, build days, demos, etc. Only Sanctioned Events will count toward attendance points.
04.01 -Meetings - The Realm shall host quarterly meetings, in addition to the meeting held mid-week at Ragnarok for R.W.C. topics, to discuss events, realm business, and any issues that may arise.
​
04.02 -Monthly Battles - Every month (of the season), the realm will host a battle that counts towards attendance (possibly excluding June for Ragnarok and July for the Siege of Imladris, both of which offer attendance points (I.E. meeting at Rag)). The Realm Board and Officials will run sign-in, weapons check, and newbie training at each Monthly Battle. The battle scenarios will be planned, run, and heralded by a pre-determined unit or group of Rabble within the realm. Monthly Battles will cost $3.00 per person (or an agreed upon season pass), this money will go into the Realm Fund.
04.03 -Weekly Practices - At least once a week (of the season), and dependent on weather, the Realm will host a practice which counts for attendance. This event is free.
04.03 -National Events and Commitments - All national events that are to be run by the Realm must be approved by a Realm vote.
​
04.04 -Commitments to help with or participate in any activity on a national level or with any other groups on the behalf of the Realm, must also be approved by a Realm vote. In a situation where a decision must be made quickly and the entire Realm is not required for the task, the Realm Elected Officers may hold the vote with the Realm Admin present.
05 Voting
05.0 -Voting for Realm Issues will be held at Sanctioned Realm Meetings. All members of the Realm are encouraged to attend, bring up and speak on issues at Realm Meetings; however only Voting Members may vote.
​
05.01 -A majority vote must be attained for an issue to pass (tie=fail).
​
05.02 -If a topic becomes heated or more information is needed to make a sound decision, it may be brought up to table the issue and a vote will be held to table it until the next meeting.
05.03 -Voting rights are earned by attending 6 Sanctioned Events in a season and signing in as Rivendell. After you have attended 6 events, your vote counts immediately. We reset the attendance points for the new season in January. You will either gain, retain, or lose voting rights based on whether you met the 6 attendance point requirement for the previous year.
05.03 Ex A. -(Example: If you gain voting rights in 2016, when we reset (1/2017) you retain voting rights. You will lose these rights in the following January (1/2018) if you have not attended 6 events in the past year (2017)).
06 Realm Fund
06.0 -All money that is collected for the Realm will be kept in a main lock box with a ledger to record all expenses and deposits. Receipts must be kept for all purchases and all purchases must be approved by the Admin. This lock box will not be taken to public events.
​
06.01 -A maximum of $100 in appropriate denominations may be kept in the smaller event lock box for the purpose of making change. Following the event at which it was needed, anything over the $100 will be moved to the main lock box.
Funds may also be kept in the Paypal account for the purpose of making quick online purchases. These receipts will also be kept in the main lock box.
​
06.02 -The online Google document will be kept up to date in order for the entire Realm to view at any time and will reflect the balances of all three holdings and total there of.