The Order of Light

Founding and early history
The Order Of Light (TOOL) was founded by grahamkeatley back in January 2007. With a number of other signatures, the first charter was drafted and ratified. Founding signatures were from Skary Guy, alexthegreat, sul-master-sul and foxyiam. That alliance grew to 25 members and proceeded to build up their NS Strength before getting anymore new nations. Time was spent primarily on creating a core membership and strength which would serve for the future. A number of members from this time still appear on the current TOOL Roster. Without this old guard what TOOL is now may never have been.

TOOL-UPF Merger
As with many young/small alliances, merging seems to be a hotly debated issue. Seen as a great way to grow quickly and set a base, most if not all alliances starting from scratch in terms of members will normally turn to merging. TOOL was no different. With an almost successful merger with CSR (who would end up merging with the Stoners Reeking Havoc and International Democratic Assembly to become FEAR), TOOL found themselves talking with the Unified Protection Federation.

After some consultation between TOOL and UPF, they decided to merge. The name was to remain The Order of Light but they would use the UPF forums. Splitting the government 50-50, grahamkeatley and Italyfan were the Lord Captains, Skary Guy and Jeff16185 were Hands of the Light, and the Council was split so 3 were from each alliance. Not long after the merger, TOOL breached the 50-55 member mark but ironically, activity went out the door. ItalyFan ended up leaving with Jeff16185 alongside other members.

Middle Ages
In TOOL's history this brought about the period noted as the Middle Ages. Numbers remained static while time was focused on NS growing. It was firmly believed that if any substantial growth was to occur then a substantial core needed to be set in place. Through this small yet tight knit group that is what they set out upon. It was an active decision to remain below the radar at this point. In no position to either successfully defend itself from a larger foe or attack likewise; TOOL would lay low and work on internal growth.

This is the stage where most Alliances make their first mistake. They continue to force growth on cracked foundations and then stumble forward. Activity, or lack there of, will kill an Alliance without a core. With this core in place though TOOL had a platform for significant growth.

Recruiting
TOOL had proved its capabilities of surviving the toughest of times as an Alliance. This now set in stone saw the returning of a few significant names to TOOL. Italyfan rejoined along with Jeff16185, both of whom came out of a War fought in the NPO. With all the pieces seemingly in place now. TOOL stepped out of the darkness. Recruitment was firing on all cylinders for the first time. TOOL saw its membership grow 10 fold. Starting with around 50 members, TOOL had increased its member size to 550 within a short period, with some days showing up to 30 new applicants.

TOOL acquired almost as many, if not more, members then sanctioned alliances. On August 5th, TOOL ceased recruiting operations so that its existing nations could be built up and its inactives could be deleted. TOOL intended to begin recruiting in late August or early September, but the closing of registration for CyberNations, and the onset of the Fourth Great War, would put recruiting on hold.

Fourth Great War/The Unjust War
For a while, TOOL built up its member nations and solidified its position in global politics. Many new treaties were signed, including TOOL's first MDP. The "GOONS with SPOONS" treaty would ultimately bring TOOL into the Unjust War. UJW began 4 days after the treaty was signed. At midnight on September 11th, TOOL declared war on IRON and joined in the Patriot Day Blitz. Despite only getting 4 hours notice before declaring, Kill Joy prepared the military so well that IRON members congratulated TOOL on being so well prepared, and applauded their blitzing techniques. TOOL enjoyed much success early on, and did much damage to the lower half of IRON. But as IRON's other adversaries, GOONS and \m/, concentrated more on other fronts, IRON was able to devote more nations to attacking TOOL. On September 18th, 7 days after declaring war, TOOL surrendered to IRON. The terms were relatively light. TOOL then focused on rebuilding from the war, and getting everything back together in general.

Continuum v. NoV
On May 12, 2008 at around 11:30 p.m.; The Order of Light had declared war on Legio X in response to their DoW against DefCon, a protectorate of MDoAP partner TPF. Fighting alongside TOOL were FEAR, CPCN, Auric Armada, The Grämlins, Old Guard, and Andromeda against Legio X, who was later joined by Brotherhood member Freaksafari.com.

TOOL and her allies were easily beating the 2 alliances, even though Legio X and FS are putting up a good fight and remain honorable in the field of battle, like their enemies. The war came to an end when FS surrendered on May 22nd, 2008 to the Continuum and Legio X on May 23rd, 2008

Karma War
On the 23 April 2009, The Order of Light declared on The Dark Templar in defence of The Phoenix Federation, who holds a MDoAP with TOOL. This was followed by several DoWs on TOOL by the alliances: Sparta, The Brigade, and Alpha Omega. Fear none Kill all declared on The Brigade later that day in defence of TOOL.

The Order of Light surrendered to the combined forces of DT, Sparta, AO and the Brigade after 1 week of fighting, on the 30th of April, 2009. The terms of surrender were considered the best out of all Hegemony alliances, as it kept the signatories of the peace treaty from attacking TOOL and FnKA allies for the remainder of the war. This was also questioned by leading Karma alliances, as the victorious alliances took concessions regardless of the fact that they had won the war.

The TOP-C&G War
On 2 February 2010, TOOL was once again called onto the battlefield, to defend IRON against Sparta. This time, however, TOOL's involvement in the war went far longer, and this resulted in over seventy people leaving the alliance's affiliation, including many long-time members. The main reason for this was inactivity, however there were a few surrenders and two or three desertions as well.

TOOL would end up at war with five more alliances - RIA, MA, Nemesis, LoSS, and LOUD - during the course of the war, and the performance of nations varied. Those who were active were given respect by their opponents for their combat.

Terms were steeper in this war, with TOOL being asked for over $1 billion in reparations, however they were given a fair amount of time in which to pay it off, and were allowed to stall in paying the reparations to alliances still at war with IRON until that front had ended.

A New Age of Light: TOOL Charter
A new Charter for The Order Of Light. Signed and enacted into force on this glorious day the 18th of January 2008

Preamble
We, the nations of The Order Of Light, join together to form an alliance. We stand together in times of war and leave no one behind. The Council of the Light, led by the Lord Captain Commander, makes all of our policy, and we follow their commands. We establish justice and form a brotherhood of nations so that we may enjoy, grow, and protect our friends in The Order Of Light.

Article 1 - Membership
1.1: Admissions: In order to join TOOL, a nation must post an application in the appropriate thread on the TOOL forums. Before posting an application, a nation wishing to join must set its AA to "TOOL Applicant". All applications must be approved by the Lord Captain, any Hand of the Light, or an individual designated by the aforementioned parties. Once approved, the nation will be masked as either TOOL Academy or TOOL Member, depending on whether the person processing the application thinks the nation should go through the Academy. New nations will almost always be sent to the Academy. The nation must then set its AA to “The Order Of Light” or keep the AA of "TOOL Applicant" depending on whether it has been granted Academy status or full membership status. Everyone in our Academy is to use the AA "TOOL Applicant".

1.1.1: The Council may veto any admission to TOOL by a 67% vote.

1.1.2: All reapplications to TOOL must be approved by a 50% + 1 vote from the Council.

1.2: Membership Rights: Every member of TOOL has right to free speech and a right to protection as outlined below:

1.2.1: Free Speech: Every nation in The Order Of Light has the right to free speech. All nations can speak freely about what they think is right and what they think is wrong. The only people that can stop this are the Council of TOOL. They have the right to edit any posts or tell people not to post in certain areas or regarding certain topics. Other than that, every nation has the ability to speak their mind on both the CN forum and the The Order Of Light forum.

1.2.2: Protection: If a nation of The Order Of Light is attacked by another nation outside of widespread conflict, they are free to defend themselves against that attacker. If the nation attacking the TOOL member is in an alliance, we will talk to that other alliance immediately and work out the situation. If the nation attacking is not aligned, they will be punished for attacking us.

1.3: Resignation: Any nation can leave at any time they wish. To leave, a nation must post in the appropriate section of the forums, settle any financial debts they have with TOOL and change their alliance affiliation to not have "The Order Of Light" within.

1.4: Member Expulsion: The Lord Captain may expel any member at any time, but this may be vetoed by a 75% + 1 Council vote. Alternatively, the Council may expel any non-government member with a 75% + 1 vote.

Article 2 – Government
2.1:'' Lord Captain Commander: The Lord Captain is TOOL's Head of State. He represents the alliance, and oversees it to ensure that it is running correctly.

-2.1.1: The Lord Captain is classed as a non-elected government official and receives one vote on the Council of the Light.

-2.1.2: The Lord Captain is responsible for appointing the officials for non-elected positions. However, any appointment may be vetoed by a 75% + 1 vote from the Council. The Council will then vote on a new appointee.

-2.1.3: The Lord Captain may dismiss any government official. However, such dismissals must be approved by a 67% vote of the Council.

-2.1.4: The Lord Captain will serve for life, unless he resigns, goes inactive for 14 days or more without notice, or is impeached.

-2.1.4.1: The Lord Captain may be impeached at any time by a 90% + 1 vote of the Council. The Lord Captain may not participate in this vote.

-2.1.4.2: If the Lord Captain is inactive on the TOOL forums for 14 days or more without notice, a replacement will be voted on by the Council. Upon his return, the previous Lord Captain will be reinstated, provided that he wishes to continue as Lord Captain.

-2.1.4.3: If the Lord Captain wishes to resign his post, he may appoint a new Lord Captain to replace him. However, this appointment may be vetoed by a 75% vote from the Council. In the event of a veto, the Council will vote on a new Lord Captain.

2.2: Hands of the Light: The Hands of the Light, or just Hands for short, are second-in-command only to the Lord Captain. They assist him in running TOOL. One Hand leads each of the 4 main departments of TOOL as well as a "floater" who is not assigned to one specific Department but will coordinate with the the other Hands and fill in the gaps where needed.

-2.2.1: Hand of the Light is classed as a non-elected government official who is appointed by the Lord Captain and receives one vote on the Council of the Light.

'2.3:' Departments: Departments are responsible for a certain aspect of TOOL’s government. Each is led by a Hand of Light.

-2.3.1: Department of Foreign Affairs: The TOOL Department of Foreign Affairs, or TDFA, is responsible for assisting the Lord Captain in conducting foreign diplomacy on behalf of TOOL.

--2.3.1.1: Hand of Foreign Affairs: The Hand of Foreign Affairs, or HoFA, is in charge of the TDFA. The HoFA is the main diplomat of TOOL and is responsible for managing TOOL’s diplomatic affairs. He will appoint the following officials to assist him in managing the TDFA. These officials may be removed from their position by the HoFA at any time, they are not government positions and are not entitled to a vote in Council forums.

--2.3.1.2: Deputy Hands of Foreign Affairs: The HoFA will appoint Deputy Hands of Foreign Affairs, or DHoFAs, to assist in the running of the TDFA.

--2.3.1.3: Diplomats: The HoFA will appoint Diplomats to represent TOOL abroad and liase with other alliances.

-2.3.2: Department of War: The TOOL Department of War, or TDW, is responsible for conducting TOOL’s military affairs.

--2.3.2.1: Hand of War: The Hand of War, or HoW, is in charge of the TDW. The HoW is responsible for managing TOOL’s military affairs. He will have the following officials to assist him in managing the DoW.

--2.3.2.2: Inquisitors: There shall be Inquisitors whose role shall be to act a second in command to the HoW. Inquisitors will act in matters of war with the authority, under supervision and guidance, of the Hand of War to ensure swift resolution in urgent matters. The number of Inquisitors may vary as needed.

--2.3.2.2.1: Inquisitor is classed as a non-elected government official who is appointed by the Lord Captain and receives one vote on the Council of the Light.

--2.3.2.3: Regimental Lieutenants: The HoW will appoint Regimental Lieutenants, or RL, who shall act as liasons between TOOL nations of specific strength ranges.

--2.3.2.2.2: RL is not a government official and may be dismissed by the HoW at any time.

-2.3.3: Department of Internal Affairs: The TOOL Department of Internal Affairs, or TDIA, is responsible for assisting the Lord Captain in conducting internal management of TOOL.

--2.3.3.1: Hand of Internal Affairs: The Hand of Internal Affairs, or HoIA, is in charge of the TDIA. The HoIA is responsible for managing TOOL’s internal affairs, excluding finances. He will appoint the following officials to assist him in managing the TDIA. These officials are not government officials and as such do not have voting rights in council and may be dismissed by the HoIA at any time.

--2.3.3.2: Deputy Hands of Internal Affairs: The HoIA will appoint Deputy Hands of Internal Affairs, or DHoIAs, to assist in the running of the TDIA.

-2.3.4: Department of Commerce: The TOOL Department of Commerce, or TDC, is responsible for assisting the Lord Captain in conducting the commerce affairs of TOOL. This includes the Trade Corps, Tech Corps and coordinating with all external resources that impact TOOL’s commerce.

--2.3.4.1: Hand of Commerce: The Hand of Commerce, or HoC, is in charge of the TDC. The HoC is responsible for managing TOOL’s commerce. He will appoint the following officials to assist him in managing the TDC. These officials are not government officials and as such do not have voting rights in council and may be dismissed by the HoC at any time.

--2.3.4.2: Deputy Hands of Commerce: The HoC will appoint Deputy Hands of Commerce, or DHoCs, to assist in the running of the TDC.

--2.3.4.3: SNOW Director: The HoC will appoint SNOW Director to lead in the running of the commerce resource SNOW.

-2.3.5: Department of Education: The TOOL Department of Education, or TDE, is responsible for assisting the Lord Captain in conducting the academia affairs of TOOL.

--2.3.5.1: Hand of Education: The Hand of Education, or HoE, is in charge of the TDE. The HoE is responsible for managing TOOL’s academia affairs. He will appoint the following officials to assist him in managing the TDE. These officials are not government officials and as such do not have voting rights in council and may be dismissed by the HoE at any time.

--2.3.5.2: Academy Director: The HoE will appoint Academy Director to lead in the running of TOOL’s Academy.

--2.3.5.3: IAS Director: The HoE will appoint IAS Director to lead in the running of TOOL’s Institute for Advanced Study program.

-2.3.6: Department of Finance: The TOOL Department of Finance, or TDF, is responsible for assisting the Lord Captain in conducting the financial and economic affairs of TOOL.

--2.3.6.1: Hand of Finance: The Hand of Finance, or HoF, is in charge of the TDF. The HoF is responsible for managing TOOL’s economic affairs. He will appoint the following officials to assist him in managing the TDF. These officials are not government officials and as such do not have voting rights in council and may be dismissed by the HoF at any time.

--2.3.6.2: Deputy Hands of Finance: The HoF will appoint Deputy Hands of Finance, or DHoFs, to assist in the running of the TDF.

--2.3.7: Hand of Executive Affairs: The Hand of Executive Affairs, or HoEA, is appointed by the LCC. The HoEA is not in charge of a specific area in TOOL, but is there to assist and help out where needed.

2.4: Council of the Light: All government officials receive one vote on the Council of the Light (Council for short). These officials include: Lord Captain, Hands of Light, Inquisitors, and General Councilors. The Council will vote on all wars, treaties and any other matters of policy.

-2.4.1: General Councilors: Six General Councilors are elected on a monthly basis as outlined below:

--2.4.1.1: Election of General Councilors: 7 days before the beginning of a new month, nominations are opened. Members may nominate 1 candidate. Each candidate must be a member of TOOL and nominated twice in order to be eligible. The candidate must then accept the nomination in order to run. Once they have accepted their nomination, candidates may canvas by using alloted sections of the forum to post a mandate. 48 hours after nominations begin, they are closed. After 48-hours, voting opens and will remain open for 72 hours. Mandates will remain open during his time. Members may vote for 1 candidate. After 72 hours of voting, the top 6 candidates receive General Councilor status, and the previous occupants of those seats are no longer Council (unless they are re-elected).

--2.4.1.2: Should a seat be vacated for any reason before the full length of it's term the Council may co-opt a member onto the Council. This co-opted member shall typically be the the highest runner up from the last election.

Article 3 – War
3.1: Alliance Wars: A Declaration of War (DoW) against an alliance must be approved by either a 51% vote of the Council, an agreement by 3 Hands, or an agreement by the Lord Captain and two Hands. If the government decides to declare war, every member should be prepared and will be compelled to help come to TOOLs aid.

-3.1.1: Definition of Alliance for purposes of War: Any 1 man alliance with a protectorate, or alliance with at least 2 active members. This differs from the definition for diplomatic purposes, which is 25 members.

-3.1.2: Council elections may not be held during Wartime unless a Council seat is vacated.

-3.1.3: Espionage: Espionage is not condoned by TOOL during peacetime. During wartime, nation-to-nation espionage is condoned against enemy nations but alliance espionage is not condoned by TOOL. Espionage of any type against TOOL will be considered an act of war.

3.2: Single-Nation Wars: If a TOOL nation is attacked outside of widespread conflict, The HoW and Inquisitors have the decision over what to do with the attacking nation. This can be anywhere from Zero Infrastructure (ZI), demanding reparations, attacking until the nation surrenders, or doing nothing. No nation in TOOL may attack another nation without approval from an Inquisitor, a Hand of Light or from the Lord Captain personally.

Article 4 – Amendments
4.1: Amendments to this Charter may be made with a 75% + 1 Council vote.

4.2: In order to amend Article 5, a unanimous Council vote is required as well as a 72-hour public vote in which 50% + 1 of voting TOOL members votes yes. The entire alliance will be notified of this vote.

4.3: Sections 4.2 and 4.3 may not be amended, edited, changed, devalued, overridden, removed, canceled out, or otherwise compromised in any way.

Article 5 - Disbandment
5.1: In order for TOOL to disband, the Lord Captain must cast a motion which must then be unanimously approved by the Council. A 72-hour public vote will then take place in which 75% + 1 of voting TOOL members must vote yes to disbandment. The entire alliance will be notified of this vote.