Dark Vows

Abstract
The Dark Vows is a treaty between Black sphere alliances that, among other things, guarantees voting freedom in the Black Senate.

Signatories

 * Armed Coalition of Disturbed Countries
 * Boards Alliance of Protectorate States
 * HeroesOfGaming
 * The Mafia
 * MrFixitOnline
 * Order of the Black Rose
 * Order of the Dark Knights

Preamble
It is understood by all signatories that their status as participants in the Black Sphere is cause for great pride, and that it carries with it the grave obligation of furthering the common interests of the Black Sphere through concerted and honourable efforts toward the peaceful coexistence, coordination, stability, prosperity, and security of all individual member nations therein.

It is also understood that coordination and interaction between Black Sphere alliances is best pursued in an all-inclusive manner, that fully accounts for the diverse alignments, political philosophies, and individual alliance interests, and that all signatories to these Vows are therefore bound to respect such differences wherever they may they occur in order to ensure mutual benefit and harmony among all who dwell in the Black Sphere. For Black is the colour of all things deep and dark: the essence of ebony, the hue of the hidden, the mask of the mysterious, the narrative of night. In Black all things are concealed. In Black all secrets are kept. And in this spirit, the noble alliances undersigned do hereby and for the duration of their preponderance in the Black Sphere pledge to the following Vows, and do publish this intent for the knowledge and enforcement of all.

The First Vow: On Sovereignty, Trade, and Civility
It is agreed that the prosperity of the Black Sphere as a whole is fundamentally linked to the abundance of trading partners and friendly counterparties within it. It is furthermore agreed that the intended mutual prosperity embodied in these Vows can only be attained in an environment where disagreements are candidly addressed through diplomatic channels, and by upholding a civilised and mature attitude to such counterparties, both actual and potential. It is therefore decided that:

1. Signatories to these Vows shall not engage in military action against any nation of the Black Sphere, aligned or otherwise, for the sole purpose of material benefits.

2. Signatories to these Vows shall not commit unjustified acts of hostility towards any other alliance within the Black Sphere, signatory to these Vows or otherwise.

3. Signatories to these Vows shall not engage in military action, or take any other steps to dissuade other alliances from founding within the Black Sphere, altering their preferred location from another Sphere to the Black Sphere, allowing their nations to freely relocate to the Black Sphere, posing a candidacy for a Black Senate seat, or encouraging any nation in any manner to switch their location to the Black Sphere.

4. Signatories to these Vows shall fully recognise and respect the sovereign right of all alliances within the Black Sphere, signatories to these Vows or otherwise, to choose their own political alignment, preferred partners, individual goals, and paths thereto, and shall not take any actions to hinder the pursuit of such goals so long as the methods employed in that pursuit do not conflict with the principles proclaimed herein.

5. Signatories to these Vows shall respect and treasure their privileged relations with all other signatories, and in particular shall treat all other signatory alliances and their individual member nations with the same cordiality and courtesy they would accord to their own alliance members and leadership.

6. Signatories to these Vows shall recognise the mutually beneficial nature of all business transactions arranged in a legal, consensual, and uncoerced manner between nations of the Black Sphere, and shall not restrict their respective members from willingly engaging in such transactions with members of other signatories to these Vows. If during any such transaction one or more members of signatories to these Vows are shown to be in breach of contract, their respective alliances shall recognise and enforce the legal value of such contract, and shall promptly deliver either adequate damage reparations to the counterparty or harsh punishment to the offender.

The Second Vow: On the Black Senate
It is agreed that the interests of individual alliances within the Black Sphere are best served by undisrupted access to the wondrous privileges and powers of the Black Senate. It is also agreed that such interest and the limited number of Senatorial positions available may generate conflict within the Black Sphere, that such conflicts are best defused by extensive use of dialogue and political concessions rather than by untamed ambition, and that the mandate of titular nations demands an unwaveringly unbiased and fair stance towards all honourable members of the Black Sphere. It is therefore decided that:

1. Signatories to these Vows shall be free to submit as many candidates to Senatorial positions as they deem best, and such candidacies shall not be subject to any retaliatory behaviour by the countersigned.

2. Signatories to these Vows shall be free to coordinate to elect common Senators, subject only to bilateral or multilateral agreement between them.

3. Senators successfully elected by the undersigned shall not engage in unjustified economic sanctions against any signatory to these Vows.

4. Senators successfully elected by the undersigned shall withhold no efforts to support the common interests of the Black Sphere, and shall therefore grant all reasonable requests for sanctions and public announcements placed by signatories to these Vows.

The Third Vow: On Scope and Limitations
It is agreed that friendships and political connections within the Digiterran political landscape are extremely complex and unpredictable, and that it would be undesirable to risk the failure of this worthy endeavour by committing signatories to unduly stringent requirements. It is therefore decided that the responsibilities described in the previous Vows shall be subject to the following qualifications of scope:

1. No signatory alliance shall be considered in breach of these Vows should they act in defence of an alliance to which they are linked by an internationally recognised and binding treaty, provided such actions are in response to a legally justified request, obligatory by the terms of the relevant treaty, and strictly defensive in nature.

2. No signatory alliance shall be considered in breach of these Vows should they retaliate against hostile actions perpetrated by any organisation. Such hostile actions shall be understood to include, but not be limited to, overt military action, economic sanctions, espionage, disruption of the flow of information within alliance headquarters, defamation, harassment, hijacking, and/or conspiracy.

3. Signatories to these Vows shall take all reasonable diplomatic steps to maintain the peace and stability of the Black Sphere before seeking exemption from these Vows through these qualifications of scope.

The Fourth Vow: On Organisation

It is agreed that, through the fluid nature of international alliances and inter-alliance politics, the shape of the Black Sphere shall incessantly mutate, and that any initiative taken to stabilise the Black Sphere may only achieve its goals if it is fully equipped to adapt to such change. It is therefore decided that:

1. Any alliance may be invited to sign these Vows by unanimous agreement of all signatories. Furthermore, any alliance satisfying the following criteria shall be officially and automatically eligible for participation in these Vows, and such eligibility shall not depend on circumstances of their diplomatic relations toward the signatories to these Vows. Alliances may freely choose to become signatories to these Vows if: (i) They are predominantly located within the Black Sphere; (ii) They actively require or encourage their respective member nations to hold membership of the Black Sphere; (iii) At time of signing, their total alliance strength is in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), and/or their total member count is in excess of twenty-five (25) nations; and (iv) They are not involved in military conflict with any other alliance.

2. Signatories to these Vows shall be free to revoke their signature at any time, by providing all other signatories with formal written notice forty-eight (48) hours in advance. Any member nations of the revoking signatory elected as Senators through the votes of other signatories to these Vows shall be bound by their honour to uphold the Vows until the moment when election votes are reset.

3. Signatories to these Vows that are formally declared to be in breach of these Vows by all other signatories shall be immediately vacated as signatories hereto. Their signature shall be stricken from these Vows, the protections afforded to them by these Vows shall be released, and their eligibility to sign these Vows shall be revoked until and unless all signatories unanimously agree to permit such reinstatement and re-execution.

4. Signatories to these Vows who are disbanded, become inactive, fall persistently and significantly below the eligibility criteria, or fail to nominate representatives to official acts requiring a vote, may be suspended from these Vows by unanimous agreement of all remaining signatories. Suspended signatories shall be formally afforded all protections and responsibilities described in these Vows, but shall lose their right to representation and vote until such time when their eligibility and diplomatic activity as sovereign entities is restored.

5. These Vows may be amended by unanimous agreement of all signatories.

By this seal and on this date we do agree to bind ourselves to these Vows, and by our signature below we do swear to uphold the letter, the spirit, and the promise of all that they set forth and represent.