LotD / LOTD

Lords of the Dead is a private military company operating throughout the United Earth Empire. LotD is comprised of multiple combat squadrons focused on interplanetary conquest including search and destroy, system blockading, and the capture of military assets. While our focus is militaristic we also will be involved in armed transport, mining and any and all economic endeavors that serve the company.

The vision of each member of the Lords of the Dead is the same. The vision is-in simple terms-a statement of the ultimate goal that darkness demands from each of it’s order. The vision is embodied in the phrase “Order through Chaos”. The goal is no less than the total and unquestionable domination of the enemies of LotD.

Guild Motto: “Killing With Style”

Alignment:

The Lords of the Dead are of a Lawful Evil alignment. Lawful Evil is defined as

“Individuals who abide by the laws and rules of the land, but use the laws and rules towards their own ends or attempt to exert their influence to have laws or rules enacted that serve their intrests.”

Also..

“The lawful evil individual follows the code of honor of the land, but can also twist the code of honor to the extreme” An example “If I hear cries for help, I must aid a fellow in distress therefore I don’t hear cries for help unless it serves my purposes to hear them”

The definition of lawful evil goes much deeper than that, but those are good examples.

LotD Ideology

The LotD guild rules worlds by force, manipulation, or any other means neccessary to achieve the guilds goal. The guild goal is usually to exert a large amount, if not total, influence in the PvP Community and other appropriate sectors of the player population. To this end, we have spies, mules, and informants everywhere.

LotD has been known to form coalitions of other players, guilds, or allegiances in order to further the guilds intrests. When these types of coalitions are formed, LotD ensures that it places itself in a position to influence the coalition in accordance to guild desires. In these organizations, LotD members or leaders end up taking a prominent role in these coalitions so that the guild intrests can be furthered. This type of coalition is for the sole purpose of advancing the cause of evil in the game or holding other evil organizations in check to keep them from disturbing the game balance.

Coalitions will also be formed in the event the guild encounters a force that disturbs the normal PvP community evolution, growth, or advancement. It is within LotD’s intrests to maintain a balance and a growing PvP community. Any force that disturbs that balance must be eliminated through whatever means neccessary. During those times, LotD will attempt to form a coalition to totally destroy, subjegate, or overwhelm the opposing organization in such a manner that the balance is restored to the PVP community. LotD will do whatever is neccessary to ensure that this type of coalition succeeds in its mission, even if that means relinquishing control to ensure that the coalition will serve its purpose of restoring the game balance.

So in every game world, LotD has ruled and will continue to rule. Whether its by brute force, intrique, manipulation, or sabatoge is irrelevent. The simple fact is, the guild has and always rule any world it inhabits in one form or another.

Its all about control.

LORDS OF THE DEAD BY-LAWS

SECTION I – Guild Management

Guild Master (GM):
Hades

Assistant Guild Master (AGM):
Gaunsaku, Jeer

The Ruling Council of the Lords of the Dead (RCoD) :
Elders – Enya, GC, Niir, Palebrew, Scarab, Thorizdin, Valus, Xenon
Warlords – Chaotix, Furyos, Obitrice, Perseus, Sanjo, Soth, Valor

Non-Voting:
Serenity (Elder), Welly (Elder), Zaubere (Warlord)

Guild Master (GM) Role and Responsibilities
The Guild Master (GM) of LotD is the highest-ranking officer and administrator in the guild. He is in charge of the total management of the organization itself and is appointed by the Ruling Council of the Lords of the Dead (RCoD). The GM has authority over all of the organization efforts and operations of LotD as a whole. His expressed purpose is to serve to plan future gaming efforts, organize those efforts through the appointing of members to leadership positions and to drive change within chapters which require attention. The GM also serves to provide direction for the guild as a whole through his definition of a gaming chapter and what is acceptable for the Lords of the Dead to be represented in.

The GM, as the higest-ranking officer, also has the authority to dicipline members who have preformed poorly or have created friction between themselves and other members.

Should the GM position become vacant, a situation only possible through their voluntarily resigning or by a majority vote of the Ruling Council of the Lords of the Dead (RCoD), the position must be filled within thirty days of its official vacancy and the member who held the position will once again become a member of the RCoD with the ability to vote so long as they are not deemed inactive. The GM position may only be held by an Elder (See SECTION II – The Lords of the Dead Rank Structure).

Assistant Guild Master (AGM) Role and Responsibilities
The Assistant Guild Master (AGM) is, as its name suggests, to assist the GM in the execution of the duties listed above. The AGM is to perform duties delegated by the GM and has the exclusive duty of implementing changes brought about by the RCoD to the by-laws. The AGM is also responsibile for making the changes to the by-laws public for members, an action that must be completed within 5 days. In the event of a vacancy in the position of GM, the AGM will assume the role and duties of GM until the Ruling Council of LotD appoints, by majority vote, a new GM.

Should the AGM position become vacant, a situation possible through their voluntarily resigning, being removed by the GM or a majority vote by the Ruling Council of the Lords of the Dead, the position must be filled within thirty days of its official vacancy and the member who held the position will once again become a member of the RCoD with the ability to vote so long as they are not deemed inactive. The AGM position may only be held by an Elder or Warlord (See SECTION II).

The Ruling Council of the Lords of the Dead (RCoD)
The Ruling Council of LotD (RCoD) is the ruling arm of LotD, and it is comprised of active members that hold the rank of Elder and Warlord. It is comprised of veteran core members who have proven to be worthy of guiding the guild. The Ruling Council will also elect from among them the LotD GM and AGM who retain voting rights as RCoD members. The Ruling Council shall be responsible for executing the plans and future gaming efforts put forth by the GM and to fill roles assigned to them by the GM. They are to create and, with the help of the GM and AGM, enforce guild law, dealing with member discipline beyond the chapter level. The RCoD can implement guild law through a majority vote and all by-laws created or changes made must be made public within 5 days of their ratification.

In the case of any tie votes within the Ruling Council, the GM will cast the deciding vote. The GM (or AGM) presides over the council and oversees their activities though interferance or influence can be overturned by vote. The LotD GM, AGM, or Ruling Council will make all guild decisions. A majority vote is all that is necessary to pass any normal judgment, and a 75% majority is needed to overturn directives from the LotD GM or AGM. These judgements include member rank appointment, member discipline and guild law interpretation.

SECTION II – The Lords of the Dead Power Rank Structure

Elder
The rank of Elder is the senior component of the ruling arm of LotD. It aids the GM and AGM in the creation and execution of guild law. It is comprised of veteran core members who have proven to be worthy of guiding the guild. Elders should be given the utmost respect. These Elders have proven their ability as leaders and will serve as the heart of LotD. They will be responsible for declaring and or rescinding hostilities with other guilds, forging and maintaining alliances, member advancement, strategic planning, resource management, chapter management, public relations, recruitment and training, and maintaining an intelligence network. Elders are granted full voting rights pertaining to petitions for the rank of Elder, petitions pertaining to the rank of Warlord, petitions pertaining to the rank of Lord, the appointment of a GM or AGM, guild law, discipline, and policy changes.

There are two methods available to advance to the rank of Elder:

Method 1 – Recommendation
The LotD GM or AGM may recommend a qualified Warlord to the ruling council for promotion to Elder. A majority vote of the Elder component of the ruling council is required in order to approve the promotion recommendation.

Method 2 – Petition for Advancement via Application
Qualified Warlords may petition the LotD GM and Elder component of RCoD for promotion to the rank of Elder. The Elder application will be approved or denied by a majority vote of the Elder component of the RCoD and GM respectively.

The following criteria must be met in order to petition for advancement via application for the rank of Elder:

1: At least 1 year at the rank of Warlord in the guild.
2: At least two chapters under their belt as Chapter Officers (See SECTION III) or higher.
3: Repeated demonstration of excellence in leadership.
4: Repeated demonstration of loyalty.
5: Repeated demonstration of skill.

Non-Voting Elder
An Elder shall be designated as non-voting if that Elder has not served as a Chapter Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, has not served in a chapter leadership position of any rank within the last twenty-four months in an official chapter or has been had a bad return of investment for two consecutive official chapters (See SECTION III and SECTION VIII). Elders deemed bad concerning their return of investment (See SECTION VIII) shall be considered for demotion to the rank of Warlord or lower, required a majority vote by the RCoD.

Non-voting Elders will retain their rank and be given due respect for previous achievement as well as being given the opportunity to provide feedback on all guild issues. In regards to inactivity, reinstatement to full Elder status requires a majority of the Elder portion of the RCoD is required for inactivity. If an Elder has been deemed as having a bad return of investment (See SECTION XII) that non-voting Elder must meet the return of investment criteria in the next official chapter (See SECTION III) after their vote for reinstatement to regain voting privileges.

An Elder may voluntarily petition for non-voting status if conditions deemed significant by the GM create a situation where they are unable to perform their guild duties for three or more months.

All Elders designated as non-voting will be removed from the RCoD.

Warlord
Warlords are Lords who have shown specific dedication to the guild and posses strong leadership skills. They act on, though they don’t have the same voting privileges as, the RCoD. Considered to be LotD officers, they have the responsibility to setup new chapters by acting as chapter leadership (See SECTION III). Warlords appointed to the RCoD will be granted a single vote pertaining to the advancement of members to the rank of Lord, one-half vote pertaining to guild law, discipline and policy changes, and one-half vote pertaining to the appointment of a GM or AGM.

There are two methods available to advance to the rank of Warlord:

Method 1 – Recommendation
The LotD GM may directly appoint qualified Lords, to be defined at his discretion, to the rank of Warlord.

Method 2 – Petition for Advancement via Application
Qualified Lords may petition the LotD GM and the Elder portion of the RCoD for promotion to the rank of Warlord. The Warlord application will be approved or denied by a majority vote of the Elder component of the RCoD and GM respectively.

The following criteria must be met in order to petition for advancement via application for the rank of Warlord:

1: At least the rank of Lord.
2: At least 1 year in good standing in a chapter in the guild.
3: At least 4 months of a positively documented leadership position in one or more chapters.
4: Demonstrate an understanding of building and maintaining a successful guild.
5: Demonstrate an understanding of how to setup and organize the guild into new chapters in new games.

Non-Voting Warlord
A Warlord shall be designated as non-voting if that Warlord has not served as a Chapter Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, has not served in a chapter leadership position of any rank within the last twenty-four months in an official chapter or has been had a bad return of investment for two consecutive official chapters (See SECTION III and SECTION XII). Warlords deemed bad concerning their return of investment (See SECTION XII) shall be considered for demotion to the rank of Lord or be stripped of rank entirely, both require a majority vote by the RCoD.

Non-voting Warlords will retain their rank and be given due respect for previous achievement as well as being given the opportunity to provide feedback on all guild issues. In regards to inactivity, reinstatement to full Warlord status requires a majority of the Elder portion of the RCoD. If a Warlord has been deemed as having a bad return of investment (See SECTION XII) that non-voting Warlord must meet the return of investment criteria in the next official chapter (See SECTION III) after their vote for reinstatement to regain voting privileges.

A Warlord may voluntarily petition for non-voting status if conditions deemed significant by the GM create a situation where they are unable to perform their guild duties for three or more months.

All Warlords designated as non-voting will be removed from the RCoD.

Lord
The Lord rank is determined on a promotion or application and recommendation basis. Candidates who have excelled and have been seen to excel by senior leadership may be promoted to this rank automatically by that senior leader. Applications require the support of one RCoD member in order to be considered and will be judged on an objective basis based on the recommendation of that RCoD member and the following criteria:

1: At least 6 months in good standing in at least one chapter in the guild
2: Documented contributions in some form of positive way to the guild.
3: Demonstrate an understanding of the guild and chapter structures as well as an effort to learn more about all of the chapters past and present.

All Lord promotions done on an application/recommendation basis will be by majority of active RCoD members.*

SECTION III – The Lords of the Dead Gaming Chapters

Chapter Leadership
LotD has created an official structure for sanctioned guild gaming chapters. A sanctioned chapter must have an active Elder or Warlord serving as Chapter Sponsor (CS). Each sub-chapter operates under LotD by-laws, but may create chapter-specific rules and policies beyond these laws. Chapters are also granted internal leadership positions to be defined by and filled by the CS.

Required Official Guild Structure:

Chapter Sponsor – Member with the rank of Elder or Warlord within LotD who is not marked inactive
Chapter Leader – To be appointed by or filled by the CS, referred to as the Chapter GM or CGM
Chapter Assistant Guild Leaders – To be defined and filled by the CGM or CS
Chapter Members – Anyone not defined by the above positions

CS, CGM and Chapter Assistant Guild Leaders are collectively referred to as Chapter Leadership.

Chapter Leadership is responsible for their own chapter’s recruiting (but must apply to the regulations set forth in SECTION VII), public relations, discipline (with exceptions defined in SECTION V). The RCoD, GM and AGM will ensure that each chapter is operating within the parameters established by the LotD by-laws and LotD policy, but will not intervene in the affairs of chapters unless that chapter leadership needs to be removed , to support and reinforce the chapter leadership, or in cases where the chapter leadership is failing to enforce guild standards.

The Chapter Leadership is also responsible for maintaining a roster listing name, date joined, position, status and date left for each member of the chapter.

Chapter Leadership is designated by the CS, and that CS can only be overridden by the LotD RCoD or by direct intervention by the LotD GM. All Chapter members who hold the guild rank of Chapter Member or higher are eligible to serve in chapter leadership.

Chapter Member (CM)
Chapter Members are individuals who joined the guild for a particular gaming chapter and have shown enough aptitude to remain under our tag and help us achieve our goals. CMs, should they meet the requirements set for the application of Lord, are eligible to apply for that rank. Normal CMs hold the same status within the LotD ranking structure as a senior provisional member until accepted to the rank of Lord. CMs, concerning their governing and discipline, are the sole responsibility to the designated Chapter Leadership member.

Provisional
Provisional members are aspirants to the guild. They undergo a series of trials and rigorous training in order to prove their worth and loyalty to the guild and the Council within a sub-chapter. The provisional process is designed to separate the strong from the weak and ensure that we retain only the very best in our ranks, and those that are willing to work cooperatively with other guild members to a common goal.

Provisional status is generally a minimum of 45 days of evaluation, but Chapter Leadership may define this time as they see fit.

SECTION IV – Guild Chapter Membership (CM) and Eligibility

Provisional status, CM status, or an LotD rank of Lord or higher is required for to join in a Lords of the Dead gaming chapter. Applications or tests of skill are to be defined and required by Chapter Leadership upon the start of a chapter.

Age restrictions apply to LotD as a whole due to the mature nature of modern gaming and our guild as a whole and, as such, has a set age requirement of eighteen years.

No exceptions will be made for members under the age of sixteen but exceptions can be made if:
1: The Chapter Leadership decides it would be of benefit to the chapter to allow slightly younger members. A majority vote by the RCoD is required.
2: The Chapter Leadership decides that they wish to accept a single member under the age of eighteen. A waiver must be issued by the GM or AGM.
3: Children of members in good standing within a chapter. In the case of their being accepted, it is the responsibility of the parent to monitor the actions of, and take responsibility for the actions of, their child.

SECTION V – Conduct and Discipline

Discipline
Leadership can take action to discipline, demote or remove any member who conducts himself in an improper way. Examples of Improper conduct may be, but are not limited to, slandering the guild publicly, inciting internal strife within the guild, insubordination, being a member of another guild in a game where LotD has an active presence, or tarnishing the guild’s image/name.

Chapters
Chapter Leadership has the sole discretion of removing CMs or provisional’s as defined by their own member rules and regulations.

Discipline for members holding the rank of Lord or Warlord
If a core member is gaming in a chapter and needs to be removed from the chapter for discipline reasons, then the rules for removing chapter member apply. If the member is removed from the chapter, they will face additional penalties if they continue to involve themselves in chapter activities.

If core member is brought up on charges that warrant full guild removal or demotion, then the following procedure will be used:

1: Any Lord may call for the removal or demotion of a member from the guild. Lords must be prepared to provide substantial evidence of the member’s transgressions. Falsely suing for the removal of another member is grounds for removal.
2: An official complaint charge will be filed by an Elder in the formal complaints forum. The accused member will be allowed to post 1 rebuttal argument unless granted permission by the GM or AGM to make additional posts.
3:Additional discussions may be held with the member in order to reach a solution to the issues. If a solution is reached, the complaint will be closed out with a note about how the issue was resolved. If no solution can be reached, the Elder may then call for a private vote to demote, dismiss, or drop the charges against the core member. A simple majority vote that lasts no longer than 72 hours will be the deciding factor.
4: No complaint will be left open for more than 5 days. If a complaint needs more time to be resolved, then the Elder who brings the charges must request more time for a resolution to be reached. If that time is not granted, the charges will be dismissed. The GM or AGM will close out each complaint post as the resolutions are reached, and provide a summary of the course of action that was decided on a particular case.
NB: In cases of gross betrayal or serious harm to the guild, the Council of Elders may opt to call a closed meeting to discuss the issue. If it is found that there is sufficient evidence to warrant removal, the Elders may, for the good of the guild, remove the member(s) immediately, bypassing the normal complaint process. This is an extreme measure and is only to be used in the most dire of circumstances.

Removal – Involuntary
Any CM that is removed from the guild via a disciplinary action may be forever barred from returning to LotD. Such persons will not have site, forum, or voice communication access, and will not be allowed to participate in official guild activities.

SECTION VI – GUILD INACTIVITY

A CM or ranking LotD member, upon wishing to stop playing a game for any reason or will be absent for longer than thirty days, but still desires to game with the guild in the future must petition his Chapter GM in the appropriate forum for permission to go inactive. The chapter GM will review the member’s performance, and will make a decision. If the CGM rejects the petition for inactivity, the member may appeal the RCoD who will review the situation and provide a final ruling.

CMs who have official inactive status will lose access to all chapter forums, and their membership category will be switched to “Inactive”. The only private forum they will retain access to will be the private “Chapter Member News & Beta” forum until they actively join another chapter. Ranking LotD members will be able to view core LotD forums, but not individual chapter forums.

While inactive, a member may NOT join another guild on any server in the game he went inactive from. The member is also prohibited from joining another guild in a game where LotD has an official chapter presence. Violation of this clause shall result in immediate dismissal from the chapter and guild.

If a member does not petition for inactive status, but simply disappears for longer than thirty days, he shall be removed from the guild. Those in prior good standing wishing to rejoin the guild in the same game may do so at the discretion of the CGM. Those wishing to join the guild in another game must reapply and repeat any provisional term.

SECTION VII – Recruitment and Recruitment Standards for Lords of the Dead Gaming Chapters

1: Chapter Leadership will require the reading of all LotD by-laws by provisional and CMs.
2: The reading of any chapter-specific literature and laws as defined by the Chapter Leadership.
3: A written application or test of skill as defined by the Chapter Leadership, to be made available in that chapter’s general forum.
4: Downloading of the current voice communication system and all requirements set by the Chapter Leadership or RCoD therein.

Once accepted, it is the responsibility of the member to integrate themselves to the guild. LotD is a team-oriented organization and quickly assimilate members who are working toward chapter goals. There is little tolerance for individuals and their attempting to annex themselves from the guild by; starting drama, causing problems with other members and individuals who think themselves and their goals more important than the whole. All provisional members and CMs will be trained to standards required by the Chapter Leadership as defined or as made policy by the GM.

SECTION VIII – Guild Tags and Dual Guilding

Lords of the Dead provisionals, CMs or ranking LotD members who actively participate in a gaming environment where an LotD Chapter is active are prohibited to belong to any other guild. Dual-guilding is not permitted, under any circumstance, where LotD has an official chapter presence, regardless of server or game world. It is, however, acceptable to tag with another guild in a game where LotD has no official chapter or presence.

These by-laws are subject to change and revision. Copyright Lords of the Dead 1995-2013.