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Introduction

Established in 1996, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood is a fan-driven organization that brings the Star Wars experience to the world that so enjoys it. Having grown from a handful of members to a membership base numbering in the thousands, the Dark Brotherhood has become the premier Star Wars fan club on the internet.

Up until April of 2003, the Dark Brotherhood was a sister organization to another club known as the Emperor’s Hammer. Due to the unacceptable actions of the Emperor’s Hammer’s leaders, the Dark Brotherhood broke off in search of a structure that both ensures the rights of its members and protects those members from harm.

The Dark Covenant is the culmination of the dream and the fruit of that labor that began the 12th day of April, 2003. The members adopted this Covenant to detail the structure of this organization, to protect members’ rights, and to ensure that this Club remains the respectable, enjoyable organization that it has been for so many years. Members are expected to be familiar with and abide by the rights and regulations of this Covenant. The Dark Brotherhood maintains a high standard of integrity, intellect and achievement for itself and its allied Clubs, providing the highest forms of entertainment value, social interaction and fun for the online friends and fans of Star Wars.

1. Article I.The Covenant

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   1. Section 1.01Purpose

      1. This Covenant details the systems and proceedings within the Brotherhood of Dark Jedi. It serves to guide the Brethren in knowledge of our basic structure and show them the way to our policies and procedures. The Covenant is the written authority that establishes the basic organization, the powers and limits of the leaders, and the rights of the membership.

   2. Section 1.02Amending the Covenant

      1. The Grand Master can freely amend the Covenant, except for Article I - Section 1.05, Article II, Article III, Article IV, Article VIII - Section 8.02, and this section with prior and appropriate notification made to the Dark Council.
      2. The Justicar can amend Article VIII, except for section 8.02 on the Rights of the Accused, with approval by either the Grand Master or three-fourths of the Dark Council.
      3. The Dark Council can amend the Covenant without the Grand Master’s approval by a three-fourths vote, except for Articles II, III, IV and this section.
      4. Article I - Section 1.05, Article II, Article III, Article IV, Article VIII - Section 8.02, and this section may only be amended by a three-fourths vote of the Dark Council.
      5. All amendments made to the Covenant must be documented and announced to the membership.

   3. Section 1.03Interpretation of the Covenant

      1. The Chamber of Justice is the interpreter of the Covenant. In matters of review, they will convene as a tribunal consisting of the Justicar, Right Hand of Justice and Left Hand of Justice to offer the final interpretation and set precedents.

   4. Section 1.04Decrees

      1. This Covenant provides a basic outline for all structures within the Brotherhood. The details of the daily process for running the Brotherhood within those structures are contained within the Brotherhood Decree System.

   5. Section 1.05Voting

      1. Any vote required by this Covenant must be preceded by a 48-hour discussion period. During the discussion period, the voting members are free to ask any questions they may have, state any concerns or opinions, or ask to see the other applications for comparison.
      2. Unfilled positions are not tallied in the voting totals in any fashion. If a position is empty, the total number of votes needed to pass a measure is reduced by one.
      3. Members are free to abstain from voting. Should a member abstain from voting, the required number of votes to pass the measure is not reduced.
      4. The provisions of this section do not apply to any of the voting procedures used within the Chamber of Justice, its juries or the appeals panel.

2. Article II.The Brethren

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   1. Section 2.01Rights of the Brethren

      1. The Brotherhood recognizes and acknowledges that, first and foremost, the organization is an amalgamation of its members. The most important aspect, as well as the most valuable resource is the membership. The first goal of the Brotherhood’s leadership should always be to protect and serve the members, followed closely by a drive to meet their needs and wants as much as possible.
      2. Every member is valuable, and has a right to be treated as such, free of undue bias and disregard. So long as they desire to remain a valuable addition to the organization and do not abuse the right, then every member has the right to be here.
      3. All members regardless of rank or position shall be held accountable under the same standards of conduct. All indictments, trials and subsequent punishments will make no distinction between members based on rank, position or tenure within the Brotherhood, except in such cases that the Covenant has special provisions outlined for certain ranks, positions or tenures.
      4. Members of the Brotherhood have a right to free speech and expression, but must also have respect for and protect the rights of other members and members who are minors.
      5. Every member shall be free to choose which Clan they wish to belong to, except in cases where members have been banned from a Clan for disreputable conduct or behavior.
      6. Any member may approach his superiors with issues and complaints he is currently facing without harm. Complaints can always be sent to the direct superior of the member. If the complaint involves that superior, the complaint should follow the chain of command.
      7. Every member has the right to a fair and impartial system of justice.
      8. Every member has the right to be adequately acknowledged and rewarded for time, activity and efforts, and shall not be denied adequate and timely recognition based on personal bias and prejudice of their superiors. All rewards and recognitions are given according to merit.
      9. Any member regardless of position, rank, class, or tenure within the Brotherhood has the power to recommend another for elevation, orders, awards or other honors. All recommendations must be made to the proper authority, but will not be considered as would a request by one appointed the power to make a request for the specific honor.

3. Article III.The Grand Master

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   1. Section 3.01Authority of the Iron Throne

      1. The Grand Master holds the highest authority in the Brotherhood, as granted to him by the membership through this Covenant.
      2. Authority not clearly delineated or reserved by this Covenant is reserved for the Grand Master.
      3. Actions taken by the Grand Master are executive in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Chamber of Justice

   2. Section 3.02Appointment of the Grand Master

      1. The Dark Council is charged with verifying the adequacy of candidates for the position of Grand Master. No member who has been previously expelled by the Chamber of Justice is eligible.
      2. Upon leaving his position, the Grand Master can nominate a member to succeed him as the Grand Master. The Dark Council will then vote to ratify the nominee by simple majority. Upon ratification, the Successor shall undergo the Rite of Ascendancy.
      3. The Dark Council consists of the retiring Grand Master, the full-time Dark Council members and the Consuls.
      4. If the Dark Council does not ratify the initial nominee, the Justicar will hold an election. If the Justicar is candidate for the position, the most senior member of the Dark Council by rank and then time served on the Council will hold the election.
      5. The Justicar will accept nominations from any member of the Brotherhood. All nominations must be accepted by the nominee and confirmed by a member of the Dark Council.
      6. The Dark Council will vote to name the next Grand Master. A majority of votes must be obtained to become Grand Master. If no member gains a majority, the candidate with the lowest vote count will be removed and a vote will be held on the remaining candidates. This will be repeated until a majority is gained by a candidate.
      7. A member abstaining from a vote is dropped from the electorate for the remainder of the task at hand.
      8. The Star Chamber must approve of the new Grand Master. This approval will be assumed unless the Star Chamber vetoes within 48 hours of the election. After a veto, another election will be held without the formerly approved candidate.
      9. The Dark Council may, with a unanimous vote, overturn a Star Chamber veto.

   3. Section 3.03Indictment of the Grand Master

      1. There is a four-step process for removing a Grand Master. These steps in order are The Charge, the Vote of Remand, the Trial of Peers, and the Vote of Condemnation. Removal of the Grand Master through the Dark Council or the Star Chamber must follow all four steps in order.
      2. The Grand Master has no voting rights in the Dark Council with regards to his own indictment.
      3. A charge may be brought by any member of the Brotherhood to the Justicar. The Justicar will determine if the claim is actionable under Brotherhood laws. An actionable claim is one that may be brought as a valid claim against any other member of the Brotherhood. A member may appeal to the Dark Council on the Justicar’s ruling on whether the charge is actionable. The Dark Council may overturn the Justicar’s ruling on the charge’s actionability by a majority vote. Members that bring charges which are unactionable may be prosecuted in the Chamber of Justice per the Justicar’s discretion.
      4. The Justicar will investigate all actionable claims that are brought before him. The Justicar must give the Grand Master notice of the investigation. Failure to do so will result in a mistrial. The Justicar must send all actionable charges to the Dark Council and Star Chamber for the Vote of Remand.
      5. In a Vote of Remand, the Dark Council or Star Chamber must decide on whether the charge warrants a trial. If a majority of the Dark Council votes yes, or the Star Chamber so declares, the Grand Master will be sent to the Chamber of Justice for a Trial of Peers. If the claim is determined to be unworthy of a trial due to the charge being frivolous or with uncertain motives, the Dark Council may, by a majority vote, send the submitting member to the Chamber of Justice.
      6. In a Trial of Peers, the Justicar will sit as judge over a jury of twelve randomly selected Equite or Elder members from the Brotherhood to determine the guilt or innocence of the Grand Master. Chosen members must be currently in a clan or holding another active position. The burden on the Jury will be a three-fourths conviction, supported by a preponderance of the evidence, of the accused on each charge presented.
      7. Members of the Dark Council may not be chosen as jury members for the Trial of Peers.
      8. One week will be provided for discovery within the trial. Any evidence to be used by either party in their argument must be exchanged. Following discovery, the parties will have one week for the development of their case, at the end of which, arguments will be sent to the Justicar, jury and opposing party. The parties will each then have five days to develop a response to the opposing party’s arguments and send that to the Justicar, Jury and opposing party.
      9. The Grand Master is afforded the same right to appeal his case as given to all members as described below, however, his access will be removed and the Deputy Grand Master will be acting Grand Master during this time.
      10. If the Grand Master is found guilty after all appeals have been exhausted an immediate Vote of Condemnation must be initiated by the Dark Council and the Star Chamber. The Vote of Condemnation is used to distinguish between charges that should result in the removal of the Grand Master and those that simply deserve standard punishments. The Justicar will present the results of the Trial of Elders to the Dark Summit. A three-fourths majority vote of Dark Council members is needed to condemn and remove the Grand Master from his throne. Alternatively, the Star Chamber may declare condemnation of the Grand Master and remove him.
      11. Upon removal, the Justicar will initiate the process of succession as described in this article.
      12. A Grand Master who has been so removed shall not have the ability to nominate a successor for ratification.

4. Article IV.The Justicar

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   1. Section 4.01Authority of the Justicar

      1. The Justicar is the Chief Judge of the Chamber of Justice, and convenes the court as necessary. The Justicar is second to no one with authority in the execution of Justice.
      2. Actions taken by the Justicar or the Chamber of Justice are judicial in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Grand Master. Limitations and rules placed on the judiciary in this Covenant do not apply to the Grand Master unless the application is clearly stated.

   2. Section 4.02Appointment of the Justicar

      1. The Grand Master shall nominate a member to the vacant position of Justicar.
      2. The Dark Council must confirm the nomination with a three-fourths vote.

   3. Section 4.03Indictment of the Justicar

      1. The Grand Master may move for the Justicar's removal. The Justicar will then be removed if the motion is approved by two-thirds of the Dark Council.
      2. The Justicar may otherwise be removed by a three-fourths vote of the Dark Council.
      3. If, for any reason, charges are being brought against the Justicar, the Grand Master will appoint an acting Justicar from the Dark Council for handling that one case only.

5. Article V.Pillars of the Brotherhood

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   1. Section 5.01The Dark Council

      1. The Grand Master has created a Dark Council to assist in the administration and ruling of the Brotherhood. The full-time Council derives its powers from the Grand Master. The Consuls of the Brotherhood sit on the Dark Council as representatives of their Clans.
      2. The Grand Master and the Dark Council have the authority to make policy and procedure decrees within the limits of their positions.
      3. The Grand Master and the Dark Council have administrative authority over clans of the Brotherhood. Upon advice from and coordination with the Clan’s leaders, the Council can administer changes.
      4. The Grand Master and the Dark Council have solemn charge to maintain justice and equality within the Brotherhood.
      5. With powers derived from the Grand Master, Dark Council actions are executive in nature and do not affect or usurp the performance or jurisdiction of the Chamber of Justice.

   2. Section 5.02The Star Chamber

      1. The Star Chamber is the Overclan of the Brotherhood, charged with safeguarding its long-term security.

   3. Section 5.03The Shadow Academy

      1. The Dark Council maintains the Shadow Academy of the Brotherhood under the administration of the Headmaster.
      2. The Shadow Academy serves as the training grounds for all Brotherhood initiates, preparing them for clan membership. It further serves as a source of continued learning for all regular members.

   4. Section 5.04The Orders

      1. The Brotherhood is split into different Orders based on the powers, views, and interests of the members.
      2. There are three orders. They are the Order of the Sith, Order of the Krath, and Order of the Obelisk.

   5. Section 5.05The Clans

      1. Members of the Brotherhood are either Rogue Jedi or a member of a Clan. Clans are often divided into Houses, themselves often divided into Battleteams
      2. The leadership of the Clans, Houses and Battleteams are charged with the administration and activity of the structure under the advisement of the Dark Council. They create and maintain the identity and culture of the structure.
      3. Clan leadership is appointed by the Grand Master under advisement from the members.
      4. The Clan leadership has the power to determine the Order affiliation of Houses aligned to his Clan, under the advice of the Dark Council. The affiliation of the House may be changed to any order or may be multi-order.

   6. Section 5.06Societies

      1. The Grand Master can establish societies for furthering specific activities in the Brotherhood.
      2. Society leaders may be afforded Dark Council status at the behest of the Grand Master.

   7. Section 5.07The Guilds

      1. The Guilds are the groups that represent the Brotherhood in the areas of activity that are not traditionally used.

   8. Section 5.08The Tribunes

      1. The Tribune positions are held by regular members and cover important non-Dark Council aspects of the Brotherhood.

6. Article VI.The Art of the Vendetta

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   1. Section 6.01General Principle

      1. The Art of Vendetta governs the warfare among the members of the Brotherhood. It applies to all brotherhood members and structures.
      2. The three types of Vendetta are the Rite of Supremacy, Great Jedi War, and Clan Feud.
      3. Unless otherwise specified by a specific Vendetta's rules, rogue members may not participate in the Arts of Vendetta.
      4. Wars between clans that involve major rewards and possessions must have the consent of the Grand Master.

   2. Section 6.02Use of Possessions and Honoraries

      1. Possessions or honoraries that have not been officially granted to a member may not be used during a Vendetta.

7. Article VII.Honors of the Brotherhood

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   1. Section 7.01Ranks

      1. The Brotherhood is formed on a system of ranks. These signify the relative experience of the members.
      2. Grand Master is the highest rank and is reserved only for those who have served as Grand Master.
      3. The remaining ranks are split into three classes: the Elder Class, the Equite Class, and the Journeyman Class.

   2. Section 7.02Awards

      1. The Brotherhood distributes awards to Jedi deserving of recognition for various services.
      2. The awards are split into five categories. These include Sacramental Awards, Merit Awards, Vendetta Awards, Competitive Awards and Tertiary Awards.

   3. Section 7.03Other Honoraries

      1. Members are entitled to a Warbanner upon reaching the appropriate rank
      2. Members are entitled to owning a lightsaber, and customizing the saber at the appropriate ranks.
      3. Members are given robes to display their rank.

8. Article VIII.Justice

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   1. Section 8.01The Chamber of Justice

      1. The Justicar appoints to the Chamber members as he sees fit to assist in the work of the court. The Right Hand of Justice, serving as prosecutor, and The Left Hand of Justice, serving as defense counsel, will be appointed by the Justicar for non-consecutive, six-month terms.
      2. The Chamber of Justice convenes to determine the guilt or innocence and appropriate punishment of a member accused of misconduct by his superiors.
      3. Any member may issue a complaint to the Justicar requesting an investigation. All investigations will be conducted by the Chamber of Justice unless otherwise decreed by the Grand Master or Justicar.
      4. The Chamber of Justice is dependent on the timely administration of all aspects of every case. The Justicar must be available on a regular basis. Provisions for his absence must provide for alternative methods of contact and the use of the Hands of Justice to administrate the Chamber. The Justicar must be aware of his important role in the Brotherhood and should resign if time constraints keep the court on a constant delay.
      5. The Justicar may create Chamber of Justice Policies and Procedures that are separate from and not in conflict with this Covenant. Such Policies and Procedure operate with the authority of this Covenant only in regards to judicial issues.
      6. The rules within the Covenant and the official Chamber of Justice Policies and Procedures exclusively govern all Chamber of Justice proceedings. No reference made to any outside rule of law will be honored.

   2. Section 8.02Rights of the Accused

      1. Members accused of a violation of these articles shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and no right granted by this Covenant may be revoked without due process.
      2. All members shall have the right to remain silent, and not offer incriminating evidence against themselves.
      3. All members shall be offered the right to assistance from members of the Brotherhood in assisting to defend them. The choice by default is the Left Hand of Justice, though the defendant possesses the right to seek aid from any parties willing to assist in their defense.
      4. All members are guaranteed freedom from punishments ex post facto.
      5. All members are afforded the right to choose between a Trial by Justicar or a Trial by Jury in their case as detailed in the following sections. The court shall not choose for them, unless the defendant refuses to select for themselves.
      6. All members are afforded the right to use the appropriate appeals process as described in the following sections.
      7. Members may not be convicted on evidence presented through hearsay testimony. Prosecution may only be based on emails, logs and other documents detailing the infringement as it occurred.
      8. All members shall have the right to know what charges are being laid against them, in addition to what penalties the prosecution is seeking to have placed against the defendant in the case of a conviction.

   3. Section 8.03Process of Adjudication

      1. To begin the process of adjudication, a member must submit a formal complaint to the Chamber of Justice. The complaint must indicate the parties to the action, must give a brief statement of the facts, and must clearly delineate that the member requires formal action from the Chamber of Justice rather than other action such as mediation. Sufficient for the last requirement are phrases such as "I present a formal complaint," "I officially request action be taken," or an email subject of "Formal Complaint against XXXXX."
      2. Once a complaint is submitted, the member's rights in that complaint shall not expire until a full conclusion of the case through trial, settlement or dismissal. The Justicar must give the complaining member notice of the finality of the case.
      3. The Chamber has its own investigatory and complaint powers. The Chamber may proceed with its own investigation and complaint at its own discretion without the need for a member submission.
      4. After receiving a complaint, the Chamber of Justice investigates the merit of the accusation and informs the Grand Master of the commencement of an investigation.
      5. The Justicar, the Grand Master or a Hand of Justice, upon receiving a formal complaint, may attempt to mediate the dispute to arrive at a settlement. Attempted mediation does not bar the member from continuing the adjudication under their complaint if mediation fails. At the end of a successful mediation, the Justicar may ask for a withdrawal of the complaint or, if three months have passed since the end of mediation without any further inquiries by the complaining member, the Justicar may dismiss the complaint himself.
      6. If the Chamber finds merit to the claim, the case will be pursued. The Justicar or the Right Hand of Justice will prepare the slate of charges against the accused. Prior to giving his final approval, the Justicar will present the charges to the complaining party, if applicable, and the Grand Master for comments. Once a final slate of charges is approved by the Justicar, it will be sent to the appropriate parties to the case.
      7. The Chamber of Justice must issue a summary of charges to the accused, and offers the accused the opportunity to enter a plea of innocence or guilt. If they plead innocent, the Chamber of Justice initiates either Trial by Justicar or Trial by Jury, as outlined in the following sections. If they plead guilty, the Justicar imposes a sentence. If the member fails or refuses to enter a plea within the stipulated timeframe, the case will automatically move to a trial by Justicar. A member failing or refusing to enter a plea waives his right to submit evidence on his behalf.
      8. For all trials in which the proposed penalty is a one-grade Equite or Elder demotion, a two-grade Journeyman demotion, a Letter of Reprimand, one year probation, or a combination of the above, the Justicar, with the advice of his Hands, will determine the guilt or innocence of the accused.
      9. For all other charges, the accused shall choose between Trial by Justicar or Trial by Jury to weigh evidence and determine guilt or innocence.
      10. The Justicar shall impose sentences for the Chamber with the advice of the Hands of Justice.
      11. No offense in the past will have any bearing on the guilt or innocence of a member in any subsequent case. However, the Justicar, in determining the punishment for a guilty member, may consider the prior record of the accused to include convictions. No acquittal shall be used in the consideration of punishment for current offenses.
      12. Upon conclusion of the trial, the Justicar shall post the results in a Chamber of Justice Communique. This Communique shall contain a summary of the trial, the result, and the Justicar's opinion. For cases decided by Justicar, this opinion shall contain official explanation for the Chamber's decision. For cases decided by jury, it will contain the reasons for the specific sentence and any other comments the Chamber wishes to include.
      13. If the member is acquitted of all charges, the accused member may not be retried for the offense that was acquitted, even upon the revelation of new evidence, unless the verdict was delivered through a miscarriage or defamation of the judicial process as determined by the Appeals Panel. This does not apply to admissions of guilt. Any member that admits guilt post-trial may be re-tried and sentenced per that admission.
      14. The Chamber of Justice shall keep records on the members for use in cases of repeat offenses. In addition, the Justicar is responsible for archiving and protecting all Chamber information for future reference.
      15. Statute of Limitations: All complaints must be received within three months of the discovery of the underlying event or else they will be dismissed as time-barred. If the complaint is derived from a series of events, the three month time period will begin tolling from the last known event
      16. The Justicar, with approval from the Grand Master, may summarily dismiss charges regardless of the stage in the proceedings. Charged that have been so dismissed are not barred from retrial through double-jeopardy.

   4. Section 8.04Juries

      1. The Jury consists of one member of the Dark Council and five other random Equite or Elder members. In addition, two alternates will be selected in case a juror recuses himself or is absent without leave. The Grand Master shall independently verify that the jury was selected at random.
      2. No Member may sit on a Jury deciding his own case.
      3. Jury members should recuse themselves from the trial if they feel they cannot judge the action impartially
      4. The burden of the Jury will be to reach an unanimous decision on the innocence or guilt, supported by a preponderance of the evidence, of the accused on each charge presented.
      5. The accused may waive his right to review by the Jury, choosing deliberation by the Justicar instead.
      6. The Jury will vote on the guilt or innocence of the member only. The punishment is determined by the Justicar as based on the laws of the Brotherhood and previous precedent. However, in cases where expulsion is a possibility, the Justicar will convene a new Jury (consisting of the same make-up of six members) to vote on whether the charges warrant expulsion. A 4/6 vote will result in expulsion.
      7. All Juries must give logs and emails of all deliberations on the decision to the Justicar for archiving

   5. Section 8.05Appeals Panel

      1. An Appeals Panel will exist to examine all issues brought by appellants. The Panel consists of three active members selected from amongst the Clans. The Justicar will have a brief application and investigation period to obtain members who wish to participate and will be positive additions to the Panel. After the selections are made, the three Panel members will serve for six months, after which time another trio will be selected
      2. If the defendant or prosecution feels that an error has been made, he can write an appeal and present it to the Justicar, who will in turn bring it before the Appeals Panel. Appeals cannot be trivial in nature, and must specifically point to the error(s) made. The appellant must find either a Covenant issue or judicial process error.
      3. If a defendant or the Left Hand of Justice (acting as defense counsel) finds fault with a procedural or Covenant issue while the trial is on-going, they may either bring that issue to the immediate attention of the Appeals Panel, who will expedite a ruling on that single issue, or (if that is not possible) they may make note of the issue during the case so it will automatically be brought before the Appeals Panel post-decision.
      4. Once an appeal is accepted, the Panel will examine the case and debate the points brought by the appellant. The Panel will only examine the written appeal to make its decision taking into account the deliberation logs and emails, the original case statements and any other document relating to the case. The Panel must reach a unanimous decision to overturn the original court’s decision, any stalemate or lack of unanimous vote will cause the decision to stand.
      5. If the panel finds in favor of the appellant, a new jury is assembled and the case is re-tried, being sure to instruct the new jury of the appealed issues to ensure they are not repeated. If the defendant is found guilty in the second trial, he/she does not have a right to an appeal; they are immediately put before the Justicar for sentencing.

   6. Section 8.06Specific Articles of Conduct and Reprimand

      1. These articles of conduct and reprimand do not limit the authority of the Justicar. Covenant Amendments, Judicial Decrees and Sovereign Amendments may be used to create new articles. The term “Brotherhood proceeding,” as used in this section refers to actions taken under this Covenant, including, but not limited to, any executive action by the Grand Master, any action by the Dark Council, or any judicial action by the Chamber of Justice.
      2. Discrimination: No member shall discriminate against another member in regards to promotions, medal awards, praise and acknowledgement, or positions on the basis of real-life political affiliation, gender, race, color, age, disability, creed, heritage, nationality or sexual orientation.
      3. Sexual Favors: No member shall accept, promote or solicit sexual favors in exchange for elevation, award, citation, or other honor.
      4. Crude Behavior: No member shall engage in crude behavior in any mode of communication. Crude behavior includes, but is not limited to: the excessive use of swear words; provocative speech; excessive sexual discussions; and unabated insults toward another’s real-life political affiliation, nationality, gender, race, color, age, disability, creed, heritage, or sexual orientation.
      5. Abuse of Power: No member shall use their position, rank, tenure or any other membership status to unfairly benefit themselves or others with rewards or promotions; or to unfairly influence any Brotherhood proceeding.
      6. Verbal Abuse: No member shall engage in the excessive verbal abuse of another, including, but not limited to: insults regarding a member’s real-life political affiliation, gender, race, creed, heritage, nationality or sexual orientation; character assassination; or unjust use of Brotherhood resources to attack another through defamatory statements.
      7. Disreputable Behavior: No member shall partake in any action that brings disrepute onto themselves, the Brotherhood as a whole, or any Clan, House, Battle Team, or individual member. Actions include those done by a member, either within or outside traditional Brotherhood activities and communication channels, that reflect on the above parties, such as: treason, acts to sabotage, stealing of property, or any conduct forbidden by these articles.
      8. Cheating: No member shall willfully or knowingly exploit, abuse, or otherwise tamper with official game play or official activity in the form of competitions, tests, or other activities.
      9. Cloning: No member, without prior approval of the Justicar, shall have more than one persona in a single household. Any offense committed by such an unauthorized clone shall be attributed to the original member. Matching IP addresses create a presumption of cloning that can only be rebutted by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that two people exist.
      10. Plagiarism: No member shall submit any plagiarized work as his own or fail to give appropriate credit to the author of any work.
      11. Rites of Combat: The Rites of Combat govern the conduct for all Gaming Competitions. Every article of conduct listed herein still applies.
      12. Tampering with Evidence: No member shall forge, alter or otherwise tamper with evidence to be used in any Brotherhood proceeding.
      13. False Statements: No member shall make false statements with the intent to change the outcome of a Brotherhood proceeding.
      14. Harassment: No member shall engage in persistent harassment or torment, or outrageous attacks on any other member. This includes statements and actions taken to attack a member’s real-life political affiliation, family or significant other, gender, race, color, age, disability, creed, heritage, nationality or sexual orientation. This article extends to cover harassment through the distribution of personal information, the creation of groups or modes of communication for the purpose of attacking the member, and unwanted contact with the member through non-internet means of communication. Harassment punished under this article must be to the extent and of the form that would injure a reasonable person of normal sensibilities; mere mocking does not suffice.
      15. Hacking: No member shall access, without the proper permission and authority, any unauthorized section of the Brotherhood website. No member shall misappropriate the dossier of another member.

   7. Section 8.07Penalties

      1. Penalties may only be administered within the processes outlined in this Covenant.
      2. The Justicar has the authority to issue public and private Official Letters of Reprimand.
      3. The Justicar has the authority to impose upon the members a specific period of probation. During a probationary period, the member can not receive promotion, appointment to position, or any citation or honor of merit without the explicit permission of the Justicar.
      4. The Justicar has the authority to rescind access to all official communications media within the Brotherhood.
      5. The Justicar has the authority to revoke medals and citations awarded to the member in whole or in part.
      6. The Justicar has the authority to impose any demotion of rank.
      7. The Justicar has the authority to impose expulsion from the Brotherhood.

   8. Section 8.08Order of Advanced Incarceration

      1. The Grand Master or Justicar is entitled to special executive powers in times of crisis, when the security of the Brotherhood is at risk, or when a member has become an immediate threat to themselves or other members. The Grand Master or Justicar may enact an Order of Advanced Incarceration pending the trial of the accused which allows him to suspend the accused from all positions within the Brotherhood, deactivate the accused member’s dossier and remove access to the database, ban the accused from all DB IRC Channels or other related communications media (such as gaming servers), or enact other forms of control not listed here to ensure the security of the Brotherhood.
      2. Because an Order of Advanced Incarceration can immediately assign assumed guilt to the member, it should be used with caution and as a last resort.
      3. Upon such an order, the Appeals Panel must immediately convene and determine the order’s necessity. Should the panel deem such an order inappropriate by a unanimous vote, they may override the Grand Master or Justicar and nullify the order. Otherwise, the order will stand until the end of the trial or until the threat has passed as determined by the Grand Master or Justicar.
      4. In cases of otherwise unavoidable, immediate grave danger; any Dark Council member may impose such measures for a non-extendable period of a maximum of 24 hours. He must immediately inform the GM and JST of this action and will be held accountable by the CoJ for any abuse of this power.

   9. Section 8.09The Shadow Academy

      1. The Headmaster retains the right to administer justice independently from the Justicar strictly in Shadow Academy related matters. Appeals can be made under the Appeals Panel as stated in this article.