Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jacob W. Michaels 01-24-04, 10:48 AM	I'm playing in a Forgotten Realms campaign based in Cormyr and the DM says our characters need an official charter. Because I'm a big Gaming Geek, I actually wrote up a draft, which I thought I'd put out here to see if I forgot anything important. Any advice (other than the fact I have way too much time on my hands) is great. Thanks, Jacob. The undersigned do hereby agree to abide by the rules and standards set forth in this charter for the mercenary company The Silver Blades, established this second tenday of the month of Ches of the year 1372. EMPLOYMENT The company shall accept what for-hire and freelance work as members deem fit. In all situations, any member who does not wish to accept an assignment shall be exempt with no penalties, though they shall forfeit their share of any monetary or magical rewards from said endeavor. LEADERSHIP A company captain, treasurer and chronicler shall be selected by majority vote of the company. SERVICES All services – fighting, information gathering, barter to obtain room and board – shall be considered equal. No member shall get a greater share of treasure in reward for extra services on a particular mission. TREASURE The value of all moneys/gems/non-enchanted objects of value shall be split evenly between members of the company on an assignment, with an equal share also going into the company’s reserve fund, which shall be maintained by the treasurer. The company’s reserve shall be used for general items of party need (including basic goods, potions and scrolls needed for company assignments or to determine the value of magic items, and room and board). Should the value of the company’s reserve become sufficient, the company may choose to invest it as it sees fit (such as a company chapterhouse or part/full ownership of a business). Magical items shall be divided based on need. In the case of more than one member wishing an item, the item will be awarded to the member who has received fewer magical items. In the case that all members have received an equal number of items, it will go to the member who last received an item. Should all members have an equal number of items and none having received an item after another, the company’s captain shall decide who is to have the item. Enchanted items that no members of the company wish to keep will be sold, with the proceeds being split evenly between members, with one share going to the company’s reserve. Should any member be found to be knowingly secreting salvaged items or moneys from the party, he or she shall forfeit all rewards from that mission. His or her portion shall be divided evenly among remaining members and the party’s reserve. Should a member be found to have secreted funds or items three times, he shall face dismissal from the company, as decided by the company captain. Miscellaneous funds acquired during a mission via whatever means (such as gambling during a meeting at an inn) shall be considered the property of the person acquiring said funds and do not need to be reported to the company treasurer. In the case a member does not survive a mission but is successfully resurrected, he or she is still eligible to receive all of the monies earned (for qualifications, see Death). DEATH In the case a member of The Silver Blades is slain, the remaining members shall make all possible efforts to recover his or her body. Surviving members shall attempt to have resurrected any slain members. Those funds will come from the party’s reserve fund. In the case that the reserve fund is not large enough to pay for the resurrection(s), the funds will be split between any slain members. The remaining funds will come from each member’s personal allocation. In the case a member is unable to be resurrected or chooses not to return to life, his personal funds shall be given to his surviving family. The company reserves the right to sell or trade enchanted items that the deceased may own to fund the resurrection attempt if necessary. The company also reserves the right to keep enchanted items for remaining members, compensating family with gold or gems of an equivalent amount. Should a deceased member have no family, his or her items will be divided among the company. MEMBERSHIP New members must be accepted by a vote of at least two-thirds of the company until the company exceeds 25 members. In that case, the leadership of the company shall confer or deny membership to any individuals as it feels just. Auxiliary members may be accepted under the terms of this charter for a particular assignment based on a vote of those members participating in the assignment.
Arthur_Pendragon 01-24-04, 12:46 PM	If this is being kept by some royal archives, you might want to put something in there about, keeping the laws of the land, etc.
celloshane 01-25-04, 11:48 AM	Just one nitpick, the name. Silver Blades is a fairly standard name for adventuring companys, so you may want to switch it for something a little more original. (Ex) You might have trouble if someone confuses your group for the other Silver Blades that passed through a year ago. Also, since you're playing in FR you'll want to take care that your name doesn't get confused with a group like Miklos' Silver Ravens from nearby Sembia (If you stick with Silver Blades.)
Jacob W. Michaels 01-25-04, 05:04 PM	Hmmm, thanks. I actually don't know that much about FR (I read all the books back in high school, but that's more than a decade ago now). Our back story was that all the characters were part of an outfit called Silverblade's Swords a few years before the campaign began, so we named it after him in a way. I presume the DM -- who knows much more about FR than I -- would have told us if the name was a problem, but I can bring it up. Jacob
krichaiushii 01-25-04, 05:18 PM	Nice. Methinks I'll be borrowing this... ;) Aside from voting, is there to be any specific requirements to be a member - alignment, race, class, religion, political beliefs, etc? If so, you might want to specify them on the charter. Unless they will get you in trouble with the law... :smirk:
Malben 01-25-04, 06:33 PM	You might also want to keep in mind that an "adventuring company charter" is not, primarily, for the benefit of the people in the company. Essentially, it's a document you file with the government (in this case, that of Cormyr, which is rather strict about this sort of thing), identifying yourself as "adventurers." Usually this constitutes a governmental bid to keep tabs on a group of people who run around making trouble. It's a bit like trying to steer lightning, but it's at least a token effort to make sure that you don't get bandits, Cyricists, Zhentarim, Cult of the Dragon agents, and so forth running around calling themselves "adventurers." Thus, while a charter is certainly useful as a means of keeping clear for the company membership just exactly who does what, and how the spoils of battle are divided, and all that, it also forms a means for the government to keep track of adventuring/mercenary concerns in terms of who's in them, where they're based, and what they're doing. This is especially relevant in Cormyr because until recently you had to have your weapons secured with magical peace-bindings on crossing the border. The only people in Cormyr with functional weaponry, prior to their massive wars with goblinoids out of the Stonelands and the Stormhorn mountain range, were supposed to be people who were members of the military, municipal law enforcement, or chartered (read, "government-licensed") mercenaries/adventurers.
Nimrud 01-26-04, 03:35 AM	You might be looking at something more along the lines of a "letter of marque" issued by governments to privateers. Here's an example: This is a letter of marque from the Duke of Kent, a large privateer ship from Liverpool, Nova Scotia which captured eight French and Spanish vessels and several enemy held islands in the Caribbean during the late 1700s. The original document is now at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia RG 1 Vol 172 p. 96. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HIS EXCELLENCY Sir JOHN WENTWORTH, Baronet, L.L.D. Lieutenant-Governor and Commander in Chief, in and over His Majesty's Province of Nova-Scotia, and it's Dependencies, &c. &c. &c. These are to certify that Joseph Freeman of Liverpool in the Province of Nova Scotia Master of the Ship called the Duke of Kent a British Ship Navigated by one hundred men including officers Mounting Twenty Carriage Guns having Applied to me for an Authority to cruise against all His Majesty's Enemies & having received his Majesty's Commands to encourage all His Majesty's Subjects by every means in their power to distress and annoy the Trade of all His Majestys Enemies. And the said Ship having been duly Registered in His Majesty's Custom House in this province as a British Ship & being regularly described in such Register to ehivh there present refer. I do by virtue of the Power & Authority to me given conformable to His Majestys pleasure expressed to me by the Right Honourable and Most Noble His Grace the Duke of Portland & by the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, Authorize and Empower the said Joseph Freeman in and with the said Ship called the Duke of Kent to cruise against all His Majesty's Enemies, and am fully authorized to assure him all all others involved in said private Ship of War, That His Majesty will consider him & them as fully Entitled to an having a just claim to all vessels & property of every kind which he or they shall make prize of from all or any of His Majesty's Enemies, provided the same shall have been first condemned as Lawful prize to His Majesty In His Majestys High Court of Admiralty or in some of His Majesty's Courts of Vice Admiralty having lawful authority to take Cognizance of the same. Given under my Hand & Seal of Arms at Halifax this 6th day of Nov. 1799 in the 39th Year of His Majesty's Reign By His Excellency's Command