Tan-El's Charter and Bill of Rights

The Charter and Citizens Bill of Rights of the Regency of Tan-El

1.  The Regency Council of Tan-El will rule the State on behalf of its Citizens, women and men of all nations who have come together to form a Wise and True haven for learned people, for the research and propagation of knowledge in all its forms, and for the guarantee of liberties wherever they are repressed by the unjust.

2.  The Council of Tan-El will be comprised of Three members, none of which may occupy more than one seat in said body.  (a) The Magister, or Voice of Magic and Scholarship, will form one seat, and it shall be filled on the recommendation of the previous occupant solely, whether in legal documents, on the event of death of the previous Councilor, or by word of mouth as rendered to the Standing Council.  The Magister must be a good or neutrally-aligned Mage.  (b) The Sapienter, or Voice of Wisdom and Principle, will form the next seat, to be filled likewise.  The Sapienter must be a good or neutrally-aligned Cleric. (c) The High Praetor is the Voice of the People and will be filled by election of the Populace to a five year term.  (d)  The Three Councilors will have an equal voice on any issue brought before the Body, which will have the roles of Executing Laws, Creating Laws, and Rendering Decisions on Laws from the lower courts.

3.  The Hand of the Council will be the special police force organized to fulfill the dictates of the Council.  All other temporal power must accept the will of the Hand as if it were the will of the Council, unless instructed otherwise by the Council.  The Commander of Forces, Stewards, and other functionaries of Tan-El will report to the Council as well, at a level below the Hand.

4.  The Judiciary will be appointed by the Council.  The Council will form the High Court for all decisions which must be raised to the discerning power of that Body, though the Council discourages this as underutilizing the Wisdom of the lower courts.

5.  Citizenship in the City-State of Tan-El shall be extended to all persons of any race who wish the benefits and responsibilities of being a Citizen.  The Council of Tan-El will guarantee the rights of all citizens and pursue those rights even beyond the borders of its jurisdiction wherever possible.  However, with the Citizenship Rights extended herein, some responsibilities will be required: all due reasonable service in defense of the State, one days work of every year to be performed for the benefit of the larger community, and for the prompt and eager following of law wherever the Council may find cause to enact it.

6.  It is a Citizens right to appeal to the Regency for redress of grievances committed by the Government or by Citizens or non-Citizens alike.

7.  The Council shall not infringe on any person's rights to religious principle or worship, provided the worship of evil, diabolical, demonic, or anarchic powers is not involved.  Invoking the name or power of evil forces is grounds for immediate suspension of Citizenship Rights.  Beyond this, the Council will make no claims as to the establishment of a state religion.

8.  The right to free speech, academic property, and journalism, shall be guaranteed when it does not suppress the rights of others.  The Council reserves the right to License any research conducted within its jurisdiction for the benefit of its Citizens or Government with guarantee of academic rights of its inventor, maker, or holder, to the greatest extent of its power.

9.  Peaceful assembly may not be disrupted by the Council, nor shall organization of guilds, compacts, or unions, or the like, be likewise restricted.

10.  Provided no illegal use of weapons is suspected, it is a Citizens right to own and carry non-assassins' weapons for their own use and defense.  For establishment of law and order, the Police Forces may require registry or storage of weapons.

11.  The right to personal material property shall be guaranteed.

12.  No Citizen may be forced to make a statement to police, nor incriminate themselves, nor be tried twice for the same crime, nor lose their right to due process under the law, nor be convicted of crime without being able to see and confront their accusers, except in certain military cases.  A Judge will determine all indictments in a just and fair manner and a different Judge or Judges will hear all cases.  Assistance of counsel is guaranteed, and all may be represented by another of their choosing should they have the ability to secure their representation; otherwise another will be appointed for them if they desire.  The Citizen must be kept abreast of his rights at all stages of criminal or civil or military proceedings.  Citizens are considered innocent until proven guilty.  The punishment shall always fit the crime to the best ability of the Judge, or by edict of the Council.

13.  Elections and votes for certain Offices and Referenda may occasionally be required of Citizens.  This includes the election of the High Praetor and other questions as arranged by the Council.  The Council is required to listen to the Voice of the People in Referenda, but may overrule them as necessary according to their Wisdom.  No Citizen's vote is more important than any other's.  The right to vote may only be suspended by incarceration or state of War and will be reinstated at the earliest possible time.

14.  Advisors to the Council may be selected from amongst the People according to necessity or law.  The Druid of Tan-El is a permanent advisor to the Body; the highest representative of all Good and Neutral religions of Tan-El may be called upon by the Council to act in an advisory capacity at their earliest convenience.

15.  An adequate education, defense from harm, and reasonable medical care is guaranteed to all Citizens, as upheld by the Council.  Churches, educational, and magical institutions may be called upon to provide these services in exchange for boons to be determined by the Council to be a fitting exchange for rendered assistance.

16. (a) The exercise of freedom to experiment magically or supernaturally may be suspended by the Council to any Citizen whose exercise of this liberty represents a clear danger to the Populace.  Likewise, experimentation where it does not pose a danger to the People shall be allowed and upheld by the Regency; unusual acts of that nature will be required to register with the Magister before the acts are undertaken or face temporary suspension under this clause.  (b) The mind ability known as "psi" or "psionics" is protected by Edict of the Council in a manner like that of Magic.

17.  A non-Citizens rights will be no greater than the rights of a Citizen, and may be reduced according to edict of the Regency Council.  The Council on enacting this charter, however, supports these rights for non-Citizens as well as Citizens, though for safety or other concerns may not be able to extend them to non-Citizens.

18.  No Citizen will be considered less than any other Citizen in all these rights, on the basis of any criterion used to differentiate people.  Limiting another Citizen's or non-Citizen's right beyond that controlled by law, whether through Slavery or other evils, will be considered grounds for immediate revocation of Citizenship rights.

19.  The Council shall have the responsibility and the power to enact treaties with foreign powers.  Supernatural powers of an evil nature may never be contacted through the efforts of or on behalf of the Regency Council, the servants of the Council, or the People, for any reason.

20.  This Charter and Bill of Rights may be amended as needed by a Referendum of the People.

21.  Inasmuch as the People wish the benefits of all research to make their lives easier, and inasmuch as the Council wishes to bring back the magical machines and constructs which made its Ancient Counterpart powerful, the Regency Council decrees that the return of this technology be made to the greatest, and most safe, extent possible.  The Council requires all such inventions to be rigorously tested and demonstrated before use may be made on a City-wide scale.

22.  The People of Tan-El extend an invitation to world Sages, Scholars, Bards, and other Learned Women and Men, to make this place of Tan-El their Home and the greatest bastion of Education and Liberty in all of Telvar.

Founding Signers:
Alegra Falconer, Sapienter
Eliandor Lothander, Magister
Theo, High Praetor and Commander