Constitutional Charter of the Sovereign Military Order of the Sword (OTS)

Article 1 – Preamble & Purpose

• We, the nations of The Sovereign Military Order of the Sword (OTS), in order to further the interests of brotherhood, cooperation, and strength, do join and establish this Charter for The Order of the Sword. With full acknowledgment of the separation of internal and international responsibilities, this body shall promote peaceful relations, common defense, and chivalry amongst its members and allies.

• The purpose of the Order is to promote chivalric virtues and the Christian faith through its members, teaching them to serve the Order and their Brudern(Brothers), to come to the assistance of one’s allies, in accordance with the ancient traditions of Chivalry.

True to the honorable precepts of Chivalry, and guided by the teachings of the Holy Book, the Order affirms and propagates the virtues of charity and brotherhood. The Order carries out its duty to support its members, and never refuse those in need of help, members & applicants without distinction of religion, race, origin and age.

Article 2 – Official name of the order

• In this Constitution the Sovereign Military Order of the Sword is also referred to as “the Order”.

• The complete and official name of the alliance: Sovereign Military Order of the Sword.

• The name used in Cybernations: Order of the Sword

• The official acronym: OTS

Article 3 – Sovereignty & International Relations

• The Order, though subject to international treaties and blocs, exercises sovereign functions solely to the purpose of benefit to the order, and will never agree on treaties and offers that result in limiting or removing this sovereignty.

• Legislative, executive and judicial functions are reserved to the competent bodies of the Order according to the provisions of this Constitution.

• Members of the Order are only subject to their appropriate Superiors in the Order, and not to Officials from outside.

• In the conduct of relations with the allies and blocs, the acquired rights, customs and privileges granted to the Order by the Leadership of its allies, are in force unless expressly abrogated.

• The Order will have diplomatic representation to allied and friendly alliances, according to the norms and customs of Cybernations common practice.

• The religious military nature of the Order does not prejudice the exercise of sovereign prerogatives pertaining to the Order in so far as it is recognized by States as a subject of international law.

Article 4

Section 1 – Rules of Admission

• All those who officially request membership, must swear loyalty to the Order, and promise to follow the rules and regulations as stated in this Charter, and any additional decrees, by taking the following oath.

I, [name], do solemnly swear true faith and allegiance to the Sovereign Military Order of the Sword, and that I will be Loyal and Obedient to The Hochmeister, his successors by law, and his Appointed Officials, in virtue of the honourable Membership fighting at all times to protect the integrity of the Order, the Code of Chivalry, and to enforce our membership of the group of alliances forming the Knights of Christ.

• All applicants must set their Alliance Affiliation to “Order of the Sword” before being admitted.

• Applicants at war with aligned nations will not be allowed to join until these wars have ended.

• The Hochmeister with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council, having heard the Applicant may appoint him Second or First Class on receiving his application, without the applicant needing to pass the exam.

• All new members, not yet on the Black Sphere, are required to change to this team color within a period of 2 weeks upon being accepted into the Order.

Section 2 – Rules of Resignation

• A Nation in debt to the Order must repay all debts, and pay back a percentage of the aid he received before being allowed to leave. The hight of this percentage varies and will be decided by the Hochmeister.

• No Nation can leave OTS during official wars. Doing so will result in ZI.

• No Nation can leave OTS during investigations against this member. Doing so will result in ZI.

• If the resigning member holds a government or military position, the alliance requires 7 day notice before leaving your posted job.

• If the resigning member does not give notice when notice was required, the alliance reserves the right to demand an amount equal to $\$ 100 \times \text{Nation Strength}$ from the offending member.

Article 5 – Duties and Obligations

• All members are required to visit our forums at least once every 3 days.

• All Members are required to use IRC, and to be on our channel at least once a week. Government members are required to be on the forums and IRC channel daily.

• No member of the alliance will be forced to send aid. Sending aid voluntarily is considered a statement of devotion and loyalty to the alliance and fellow members, and true to the Code of Chivalry.

• Every Member is responsible for the defense of the Order and its members. They are ready and willing to defend fellow OTS members whenever it is required.

Article 6

Section 1 - The Hochmeister (Grand Master)

• Sovereign prerogatives and honours and the title “Most Eminent Highness” are reserved to the Hochmeister, Head of the Order.

• The Hochmeister is elected by the Konsil (Sovereign Council) from among the First Class Members (Ritter) and high officials for a term of 6 months.

• The Hochmeister must have the requisites prescribed for being a Ritter of proven value to the order, according to the Chivalric Code.

• Before the assumption of the office, the elected Hochmeister has to Communicate to the Order by letter, his goals and aims he wish to fulfill during his term in office.

• The person elected to the dignity of Hochmeister, will take, upon sending the above Letter, the Oath to be posted together with the letter in the General Assembly:

By this most sacred Oath, and my vows of Chivalry, I, (N.N.), by God’s Grace, do solemnly promise and swear to observe the Constitution, the Code, the Rule and the laudable customs of our Order and to administer the affairs of the Order conscientiously. So help me God.

Section 2 - Powers of the Hochmeister

• The Hochmeister, assisted by the Sovereign Council, sees to the exercise of his supreme authority, to the conferral of duties and offices, and to the general government of the Order.

• It pertains to the Hochmeister:
  • to issue legislative measures, with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council, concerning matters regulated neither by the Constitution nor by the Code;
  • to promulgate by decree the acts of government;
  • to admit, with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council given in secret, members to the First Class and Knighthood, and to the Second Class and Brotherhood.
  • to administer, with the assistance of the Sovereign Council, the assets of the Common Treasure and to supervise the forums ;
  • to execute the orders of its protectors, insofar as these relate to the Order, and to inform the protectors of the state and the needs of the Order ;
  • to ratify international agreements, with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council.

• The Hochmeister is assisted by and presides over the Government Council.

• After the election, the Hochmeister may appoint three

Kanzlers to take seat in the Sovereign Council.

• The Hochmeister appoints a Lieutenant ad interim, the Prälat, who will assume temporary control of the Order in the Hochmeister’s absence.

Section 3 - Extraordinary Government

• In the case of absence due to incapacity, resignation or death of the Hochmeister, the Order is governed by a Lieutenant ad interim in the person of the Prälat who can carry out acts of ordinary administration until the Hochmeister returns.

• The permanent incapacity of the Hochmeister is declared by the Sovereign Council with a two thirds majority vote. The petition is presented by a member of the Sovereign Council delegated for this purpose to the Order. Within 24 hours, the Prälat assumes the office of Lieutenant ad interim.

• In the prospect and case of the absence of the Hochmeister for a period of more than one week, the Prälat assumes the ordinary administration of the Order and immediately convenes the Sovereign Council for confirmation.

• Before taking up his office, the Lieutenant ad Interim takes the oath in accordance with Art. 11 par.4.

Article 7

Section 1 – High Offices of the Order

• The High Offices of the Order are:
  • the Prälat
  • the Ordenmarschall
  • the Groß Kammerherr
  • the Groß Tressler

• All High Offices are appointed by the Hochmeister, with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council.

Section2 – The Prälat

• The Prälat is appointed by the Hochmeister, who chooses from among three candidates presented by the General Assembly with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council. In the event that none of the three candidates presented meets with the approval of the Hochmeister, other candidates will be presented.

• The Prälat assists the Hochmeister in his responsibility for maintaining the integrity and development of the members of the Order and in all matters concerning the wellbeing of the Order.

• At each session of the Government Council the Prälat presents a report on the state of the Order.

Section 3 – The OrdenMarschall

• Appointed by the Hochmeister to lead the army in his name and authorized to appoint or dismiss officers within the army, with the sacred responsibility to lead them.

• He is in charge of the military organization, and must therefore update these regularly whenever the alliance size requires this. This Officer is therefore responsible for;
  • all Military Operations
  • updating and improving the military structure according to existing guidelines approved by the Hochmeister.
  • increasing the military effectiveness & flawlessness
  • Stimulate and Enhance Activity, and if necessary, remove inactive members by force

Section 4 – the Groβkammerherr

• Appointed by the Hochmeister to lead the Interior Departments in his name.

• In charge of carrying out Order policy in all Interior Departments, responsible for the internal Administration & Coordination of the Order and also the coordination of the activities of the Departments of State of the Order. He is also responsible for drawing up new methods and structures to stimulate the effectiveness of the Departments of State. These methods and structures must be approved by the Sovereign Council.

• He appoints and directs all officers working under him, and is authorized to remove them. All new appointments to offices must be ratified by the Hochmeister through decrees.

• The Groβkanzler presents a report to the Sovereign Council, every second week, about the progress, and general state of all the departments & officials under his control.

Section 5 – The GroβTressler

• Appointed by the Hochmeister to lead the Financial Department & Grand Bank in his name.

• He appoints & directs all officers working under him, and directs the administration of finances and aid structures. He is responsible for drawing up new methods and structures for the enhancement of the Department's effectiveness, and to increase the growth of the alliance. All new methods and structures must be approved by the Sovereign Council.

• In charge of all peace time aid structures and trade agreements, and responsible to coordinate their practical use.

Article 8

Section 1 - The Sovereign Council

• The Sovereign Council is a consultative body for discussing the political, legislative and international policies of the Order or other general aspects of the functioning of the Order. Together with the Hochmeister, this Council must provide practical ideas and structures for the alliance, create new legislature to ensure effectiveness, and vote on these.

• The following are members of Sovereign Council:
  • the Hochmeister or the Lieutenant, who presides;
  • the Prälat,
  • Kanzlers
  • GroβKanzler

• All members of the Sovereign Council must be Ritters(first class).

• The Council shall have twelve Kanzlers, of which four are appointed by the Hochmeister.

• The Remaining eight seats will be filled through general elections in which all full members can take part.

• Elections for the Sovereign Council will be held every three months, the seat of GroβKanzler will go to the candidate with the largest number of votes.

• In case not enough members present themselves as candidates, the elections will fail, and the existing Council will hold its term for another 2 weeks before New Elections can be held.

Section 2 – Powers of the Sovereign Council

• The Hochmeister does not vote on matters for which the Sovereign Council has a deliberative vote or must give its advice. In the case of a tie vote among the Kanzlers, the decision of the Hochmeister prevails. If the Hochmeister does not express an opinion, the matter is suspended.

• The Sovereign Council has the power to dismiss a Hochmeister in case his actions are contradictory to the Constitution and Code Chivalry. An absolute majority is required.

• Nine out of twelve Councilors must vote against a proposal of the Hochmeister, in order to block it, if the GroβKanzler does not vote against.

• Only six out of twelve Councilors are needed to block a proposal of the Hochmeister, if the GroβKanzler does vote against.

Article 9 – General Assembly

• The General Assembly consists of all members of the First and Second Class.

• In the following situations the General Assembly is entitled to vote;
  • The election of 8 representative Kanzlers to the Sovereign Council.
  • In the event of Hostile merge, a 75%+1 vote in favor of this merge is required.

• All members of the second class have an automatic seat in the General Assembly.

• The members of the General Assembly, entitled to vote in the election of a representative, must act personally and may not appoint any representatives, or delegates or proxies or vote by letter.

Article 10 – Departments of the Order

• The Government of the Ordercurrently consists of the following Departments and sub-divisions;
  • Interior /Innenministerium– Groβkammerherr
    • Academy - Informationminister
    • Immigration/recruitment - Werbungsminister
    • Interior - Innenminister
  • Finance/Finanzministerium - GroβTressler
    • Trade Department/Handelsministerium - Handelsminister
  • Diplomacy/Auβenministerium - Auβenminister
• Duties, Rules and Regulations for each of the departments will be agreed upon and created by Sovereign Council. These must explain how the department must function. These Rules and regulations are subject to major changes, and will not be considered a part of this Constitution

Article 11 – Ministers of the Order

• Ministers can be appointed by the Hochmeister to assist him or a High Official, in leading a department or sub-division. He will be responsible for all tasks given to him by his superior.

• The following ministerial offices are in existence. Permanent:
  • Werbungsminister
  • innenminister
  • Informationsminister
  • Finanzminister
  • handelsminister
  • Auβenminister

• Besides the official ministers, it is left to the discretion of the Hochmeister to create new ministries, and to what purpose, duties & Tasks he wishes to create them.

Article 12 – Officers of the Order

Officers may be appointed by the Hochmeister or head of department at all times. They will be assigned to specific duties within the department, formulated in official orders posted by the Head of the Department in the appropriate Forums.

Article 13 – War

• All Members are unrestricted in their freedom to wage war by any means available against unaligned nations.
• No Member of the Order shall attack other Member of the Order without direct and specific orders from the Hochmeister, be it delivered by himself or his by his officers.
• No Member of the Order shall attack a Member of another Alliance without direct orders from the Hochmeister, be it delivered by himself or by his officers.
• Every Member of the Order must be defended by the alliance in case of war or raid.
• Only Senior Officers, the OrdenMarschall and Hochmeister are allowed to contact aggressors in times of war.
• It is forbidden to use Nuclear Weapons in official wars against aligned nations, without direct orders from the Hochmeister.
• If the Order goes to war with another alliance, ALL MEMBERS are required to answer to the call of war. EXCEPT the banks who will be building money reserves.
• In case the Order is going to war. A period of 3 days at the least will be given to allow all nations to prepare & organize & be notified of war. This does not include an attack from an outside power.

Article 14 – Amendments

The Hochmeister and Groβkanzler are the only members of the Order who may propose amendments to this constitutional charter. The proposal will fail if less than 9 members support the amendment.

Article END – Signatures

• H.M.E.H. Count von Lewenhaupt, Hochmeister I of OTS
• H.E. Grasshopper, GroβKammerherr
• H.E. Hormones74, Auβenminister of OTS
• H.E. Redpirate, Kanzler and Ordenmarschall of OTS
• H.E. King Conan, Kanzler of OTS

Decrees promulgated by the Hochmeister

These are Decrees approved by the Konsil (Sovereign Council)

Schwarze Herrschaft

As of 12:00 pm November 8th 2007, the Order of the Sword is a Black Team Alliance.

Die Verstorbenen Clause

If the OTS, for any reason, finds itself no longer a member of the Hanseatic League, article 4, and all other references to the Hansa, will be considered void.

Resignation Clause

All members who received aid above 1 million Dongs, MUST pay back 50% of this before being allowed to leave the alliance.

Bank Nation Edict

All Nations above 2999 infrastructure, automatically become bank nations of the Order. They will be assigned to aiding specific nations.