Benevolent autocracy governed by the tenets of mutual respect, trust, communication, loyalty and honesty. Executive power is vested solely in the monarch, who rules with the assistance of the advisory council. Duties performed by council members cover all facets of flag politics, finances, military operations and goal setting.
Monarch
The individual responsible for final decisions regarding flag goals and activities, delegation of flag
responsibilities, and oversight of flag structure. The monarch has the trust of all members of the flag
to be acting according to the benefit of the majority and taking consideration of the minority. The monarch
trusts those who perform functions of governing to perform their duties/roles according to clearly defined
expectations. The monarch and all members of the flag are loyal to and honest with each other for the common
good of the crews and pirates within the flag. All persons in decision-making positions must understand that
they are responsible for the effects that those decisions will make on the game play of others.
Council of Advisors
Anyone who has been recommended by their captain who has been in game for at least a month, who wishes to be involved
in flag governing/decision-making and/or ocean politics. A council member may be involved in as many departments as
they wish; however, they must be active participants in flag development.
Departments
Generalized groupings made up of members of the Council given a specific focus, i.e. Events, Future Planning,
Mercantile, Military, Diplomacy, Internal Structure, Finance.
Department Heads
One to two individuals who are responsible for the smooth operation and oversight of a specific department.
Responsible for providing close support to the monarch and reporting significant needs/concerns/trends within
their area of expertise and for discussion with other department heads as needed.
Trusted Hands
Individuals who have proven themselves to be indispensable to a department head and are privy to the super secret plans.
Royal
Honorific given to an individual who has shown outstanding support of the flag and monarch, and who has proven
him/herself to be a pirate of honor and worthy of trust. Most Royals will also be department heads, although the
designation will be given or removed at the discretion of the monarch.
Titled Member
Honorific given to an individual who has shown tenacious support of the flag and monarch, and who has proven
him/herself to be a pirate of honor and worthy of trust. Most Titled Members will be trusted hands, although the
designation will be given or removed at the discretion of the monarch.
Captain's Privilege
Captains will be automatic members of the Council of Advisors. Should they wish to decline their place in the Council,
they MUST provide a replacement who is given the authority to make decisions regarding their crew involvement within the
flag. Their desire for involvement in flag activities will define their roles/titles within the flag structure.
Joining the Flag
Crews looking to join the flag, or crews that we are recruiting will be evaluated and given the chance to evaluate the
flag based on conversations, jobbing, and statistical analysis. We are looking to have strong, active crews with
motivation to squeeze all the fun we can out of this game and make a strong reputation for ourselves within the ocean.
After consultation with the diplomatic department and the council at large, the monarch will invite appropriate crews
to join the flag.
Compatibility Grace Period
New crews will be given a 15 day trial period to get involved in the flag, and see what it really looks like from the
inside. After that time, if either party wishes to dissolve the relationship, they may do so without repercussions.
If after that time, both parties (crew and flag) are pleased with the association, the crew will be welcomed in as a full
participant in flag activities.
Leaving the Flag
Should the relationship between a crew and the flag become incompatible for any reason, the crew may leave the flag or
the monarch may expel the crew. All donations to the flag remain property of the flag, unless otherwise indicated by
the monarch.
Crew Autonomy
The monarch and council will not dictate how a crew should be run. The flag will make every attempt to utilize the
members of the crews that wish to participate in flag governance and politics. The monarch may make requests regarding
particular points of contact needed by departments in order to coordinate flag efforts. As the flag is a group of crews
working toward common goals, it is in the best interests of the crews to provide the flag with the resources needed to
achieve those goals, as requested by the monarch.
The monarch will be given the power to have the final word on all decisions, acting according to the benefit of the majority and taking consideration of the minority. However, in the event of amendments to this constitution, selecting a new monarch, or deposition of the monarch, voting will take place in the flag forum by use of a roll call vote. Each person allowed to vote will post their vote in the appropriate thread. An outline on specific voting procedure for each of those three instances is in that section of the constitution.
If, as of seven (7) days after a proposal has been posted to the forum in the appropriate place and voting has started, a captain or council member has not cast his/her vote, that vote shall not be counted towards calculating how many votes are necessary to pass the proposal.
If the monarch and a crew's captain agree, a crew may relinquish their captain's voting rights, thus not requiring the rest of the flag to wait the required 7 days. In general this option shall only be used in the case of an inactive crew which still wishes to remain part of the flag as a whole, but does not wish to be saddled with flag wide responsibilities.
Monarch
At all times, in case of temporary leaves of absence and possible emergencies, the monarch shall have named a regent who
has full access to the monarch's account should any situation arise needing immediate attention while the monarch is
unavailable. The regent will be given full authority to act for the monarch, utilizing the council of advisors.
Department Heads
At all times, in case of temporary leaves of absence and possible emergencies, the department heads and anyone else with
specific duties and responsibilities to the flag shall have named a back-up person with authority and knowledge necessary
to fulfill the functions of the department head.
In the event that the council finds fault with the monarch's performance, and feels it has exhausted all normal means of redress, the council may initiate proceedings to depose the monarch. If the council votes the question and an absolute majority of the council votes to initiate, then the captains' council will be called to vote. Captains will cast a vote on behalf of their crew. They may vote to depose or retain the monarch, or they may abstain. If 3 or more captains vote to retain the monarch, the proposal is defeated. Otherwise, if a super majority of the captains (the number nearest 2/3, or greater) votes to depose the monarch, the monarch shall be instructed to step down.
The council shall meet in session as soon after as half their number can be assembled, and shall remain in session until they can select a regent by whatever means they deem fit. The Regent shall be invested by the deposed monarch at the earliest opportunity, and shall serve in all capacities as monarch until the captains elect a monarch.
Upon removal or retirement of a monarch, the captains shall attempt to elect a monarch by whatever means they deem appropriate, provided at least a simple majority consensus can be achieved. If the captains cannot elect a monarch on their own, they shall consult the council, who shall provide them a list of no more than 3 nominees. The captains shall then meet and choose amongst the nominees, and the one receiving the most votes from the captains shall be invested by the Regent as the new Monarch, regardless of whether a majority consensus of captains is achieved. To be eligible for the Monarchy or Regency, one must be an active member of the Flag Council for no less than 4 weeks, and must be nominated by an active member of the Flag Council. Self-nominations shall be permitted. In the event of a Captain being nominated for the Monarchy, that Captain shall select a proxy to participate in the Captains' discussion about the Monarch, and shall cast that Captain's vote.
A bi-weekly (every two weeks) meeting of the council will be held during a time when the majority of council members can attend, determined and announced by the monarch. Specific agenda items for each meeting will be listed, brought forward by either the monarch or members of council prior to the meeting.
Basic meeting structure will be as follows:Monarch meetings with Department Heads and Trusted Hands will take place as necessary and requested by the Monarch or Department Heads.
Should the monarch or department head feel that an amendment is necessary to this constitution, the changes will be proposed in a forum setting, and must be ratified by the monarch and a super majority of the captains. If ratified, the amendment will then be added to the constitution and become part of the continued governance of the flag.