Standard Operating Procedure

Standard operating procedure is a loose set of rules whose sole purpose is to be a guideline to the three factions. These are hard rules that must be followed. They are kept short, simple, and few for that reason.

The Council

The council is made up of each direct faction head of staff, secondary positions such as the penumbra, master of the forge, and speaker do not get a vote nor are they considered council members except where explicitly noted. A decision from the council has absolute authority and precedence over all other decisions, regulations, and rules except during a code ruby scenario. Members of the council are given only a small set of rules that apply during any council vote or decision.

• All residents must respect a decision made by the council and follow said decision. This includes even dissenting options from heads of staff. Issues with a vote can be taken to the High Council via faxes for an appeal. All low council votes are to be followed, even if contested, unless overruled by High Council or another Low Council vote.

• All heads of staff are required to vote yes or no during a decision. Any head of staff that refuses to make a decision or abstains is to be demoted on the spot. This is not negotiable, you are a leader and expected to make choices, especially hard choices. Any head of staff attempting to abstain or not vote is to be demoted on the spot.
• Second in commands are not considered apart of the low council. They do not get to vote, however they may weigh in or be present during council decisions at the discretion of the council member they answer to. Ergo a merchant can allow the penumbra in the council chambers during a vote, only he has the discretion to allow or deny the penumbra.
• If an incident happens and heads of staff are not present due to being on an expedition or otherwise indisposed the decision is to be postponed until they return.
• While any head of staff may leave at their discretion, they are required to return or remain if a vote is pending.
• A head of staff that plans accordingly may choose to have their second in command vote in their place during a decision. This must be explicitly stated in the event they know they will be gone for longer than usual.
• If no head of staff for a faction is present, their second in command can act as them for the purpose of voting and decisions.
• A decision is only valid if one acting HoS vote from each faction is made.

Demoting Staff

In the event that a head of staff desires the demotion of a staff member in their faction they must meet one of the following criteria.

• Dereliction of Duty, the subject in question failed to perform their job duty at the bare minimum satisfaction.
• Negligence, the subject in question performed a grossly incompetent action while on duty that resulted in injury, loss of life, damages, or loss of property.
• Criminal activity, the subject in question performed an orange or red paragraph crime in which they were successfully convicted of.
• Failure to execute an order, the subject willfully and knowingly defied a valid order from their respective head of staff. Note that this only covers valid orders pertaining to their department, a head of staff could enforce a no smoking policy on his staff inside medical but not outside of medical.

Faction members who have been demoted three times from their respective faction may be permanently demoted and unable to take work in any positions within that faction, unless an exemption is given (This will typically lead to a job strike at staff's discretion). Not all demotions are considered valid and they are required to record with the proper paperwork using a dismissal form before being telegraphed to their respective faction owner for review.

Evidence or testimony regarding the demotion is to be attached to the demotion form when sent. The fired employee is, similarly, to be given a full copy as well after dismissal.

How to order an execution

In the rare and unfortunate event that a resident has committed a crime in which execution is considered a certain criteria must be met in order for the execution to be valid.

• Assuming the person in question is successfully convicted and placed within the brig a penumbra must be present to arbitrate the crime to first ensure that the conviction is entirely valid with appropriate evidence and witnesses.
• A vote is to be made. Unlike normal votes being majority, this vote must have all three council members voting for execution to be valid.
• For an execution to be considered valid upon finishing discussion of the case all heads of staff must vote unanimously for execution and then sign and stamp a document that will be faxed to whichever faction owner presides over the prisoner. A reply will then be made back approving said execution.
• The prisoner is then executed by the Hammerlord's discretion once approved by the relevant faction owner.

Telegraphs

As a head of staff and council member, you are the most responsible person within your faction and as such are expected to handle most situations without having to fax the High Council. Only when it is absolutely necessary or outside of your hands, experience, or capabilities, should you fax the High Council. The High Council may not always respond to a fax sent to them, especially when the fax sent does not warrant a response from the High Council. Only when it's absolutely needed, the High Council will send a response.

Faction-Specific SoP

The situation all residents find themselves in is making the best of a bad situation, thus the guide lines are kept short and general because people are expected to use reasonable and common sense judgements. Nobody wants to be handed a fifty page bible on law, anyone who forces new additions to SoP will swiftly have the 'he had it coming' applied to them liberally.

Breakers

In general, breakers are considered given the free choice between patrolling the safe zone or joining expeditions down below, their armor and physical training make them the best suited for more dangerous missions. The only expectation that is given is that at least one breaker should remain in the safe zone to process any prisoners or aid with any investigations. This duty normally falls to the master of the forge but can be taken by anyone, even the hammer-lord.

General SoP

• Read the Laws page.
• Your the only line between law and anarchy, proper escalation is considered important but the moment someone draws or uses a lethal weapon you may choose to respond with lethal weapons. Be sure to consider the actual lethality. A fork or rubber ducky is not reasonably lethal. A kitchen knife or crowbar is.
• Agents and Penumbras investigate the crimes, you fine, process, and brig the people based on their findings. If you dispute their findings the penumbra has the final say on a valid charge. The Hammerlord has the final say on the brig time.
• Undead are a known threat, handcuff corpses just to be safe.
• Residents and Freeblades that are faction-less are still protected by the law. Treat them no different than those in factions.
• It is up to your discretion to invoke the 'He had it coming' clause but only an agent or penumbra can declare it justified. Do not abuse this to break the legs of people you don't like or who only mildly annoy you.

Processing Prisoners

• If the crime can be paid via a fine, offer them first and foremost the chance to pay. This does not require taking them to the brig, it can be paid on the spot.
• Processing should not take a long time, explain or have the agent pushing the charge explain the evidence before the accused and why they are being brigged.
• If they wish to argue their case instead of being in a cell, that is their choice. If their argument takes awhile, that is on them.
• If the evidence is clear cut enough to be indisputable you are not required to listen to their argument and can toss them in a cell.
• If a cell time is less than ten minutes, you may choose to forgo stripping them and putting them in prisoner clothes at your discretion.
• If a person attempts suicide, you may choose to not to intervene. A corpse is easier to toss in the morgue than a dangerous prisoner and suicides are automatic 'Do-Not-Revive'. This is considered a self solving problem at that point. ((Suicidal players should still be a-helped, as that is a PK and likely banning as well))

Ashwood Syndicate

The syndicate has very few rules and very few concerns when it comes to much of the various potential situations they might find themselves in. As a result, most concerns are with their agents. One agent should always be on hand to investigate any crimes going on in the safe zone, the remainder may do as they wish, including joining expeditions.

General SoP

• This is a syndicate, not a charity. Charge for your services.
• You set the prices, including if its free, but 'free' does not always mean free. You might make the drinks free at the tavern to bring people in but price the food to make up for it. You should have a goal of money somewhere.
• The kitchen can be used by both beast masters and fixers. The bar is for fixers and the ranch for beast masters, communicate so you do not over step your bounds.
• The supply depot can be run by the fixers or the merchant, do not be afraid to help the merchant out.
• Fixers have a wide variety of tasks they perform, while the merchant can order you to focus on one, you are generally left to choose whatever you wish be it working the tavern, selling product, crafting scrap ammo, or pitching in at the supply depot.

Agent SoP

• Read the Laws page.
• You are detectives first, rogues second. Being a good back stabber and handy with lockpicks does not mean your main purpose is anything but investigating potential crimes in the safe zone.
• Your the only line between law and anarchy, proper escalation is considered important but the moment someone draws or uses a lethal weapon you may choose to respond with lethal weapons. Be sure to consider the actual lethality. A fork or rubber ducky is not reasonably lethal. A kitchen knife or crowbar is.
• You investigate, gather evidence, catalogue and write paperwork of a potential crime and then hand off the recommendation of fines or brigging for a criminal to the breakers.
• You can make arrests, just as the breakers can, but detainment and fines should be done by breakers.
• You cannot evoke the 'he had it coming' clause. You can, however, ask a breaker to do it for you if someone deserves it.

Ascendant

The ascendant are a scholarly organization and thus have few hard rules, the only true considerations they have are for when experiments get out of hand or detailing medical procedures. A single rosaria should always be on duty in the medical wing to heal any injured that come in.

General SoP

• The slime pens should be carefully monitored and potential break outs dealt with swiftly before they get out of hand.
• The rune forge is not a free for all, only the rune master should be accessing any devices in their, including the auto-forge unless permission is given.
• The same goes for the alchemy station and rosaria garden, they are for medical purposes and should be respected.
• The alchemical fridge is not a personal stocking free-for-all, take only what you justifiably need and announce if you take the last bottle of any chemical as a courtesy.
• The ascendant jealously guard their methods of creation, do not allow anyone to have rune plates that can create core magi-tech like the auto forge.

Rosaria SoP

• One rosaria is required to be on duty at all times within medical, coordinate with your fellows. You are the only experts in the healing arts, without you, everyone else is screwed in the event of a crisis.
• The alchemy fridge should always be stocked with two of every basic healing potion.
• Medkits should be restocked when they run out via the garden and attached processor.
• Inform others when you join expeditions, you are extremely valuable and your where abouts should be accounted for, even if you are taking a break.
• Be ready to be on call at all times, even if it means leaving whatever it is your doing to return to the medical wing.