Basilisk By-Laws

Recently discovered documents show the rules and regulations of the formidable group known as Basilisk.
Any amendments to these by-laws will be decided by a council consisting of the Hireling and other high-ranking members. 
Membership 
*Hierarchy
**The ranking of Basilisk members consists of the following:
***Hireling (the leader)
***Majordomos (the Hireling’s personal attendants)
***Chiefs (managers and other Hireling attendants)
***Captains (other high-level members and some Chief attendants)
***Valiant Ones (low-level members, some Captain attendants, and some Valiant One attendants)
**The ranking of Basilisk-related non-members consists of the following:
***Attendants
****Non-member Chief attendants
****Non-member Captain attendants
****Non-member Valiant One attendants
***Gangs
****Gang leaders working for Basilisk members 
****High-level gang members
****Low-level gang members
***Independents
*Joining 
**Membership in Basilisk can occur by recruitment or by having a request for membership approved. 
***No one shall be forced to become a member of Basilisk against his or her will. Likewise, no member shall use deceit, threats, or exploitation to try to recruit others.
***Regardless of the circumstances surrounding their membership, members or potential members may have to undergo a testing period. 
***Members are initiated by having their ring finger pricked three times in two rows. The top row consists of a prick on both the left side & the right side and the bottom row consists of one prick on the left side. These pricks represent the letter F in the Braille alphabet and represent fidelis, the Latin word for faithful. In addition, Majordomos are initiated by having both wrists and trigger fingers pricked with a needle moistened with the Hireling’s saliva.
***Hazing (cruel or humiliating treatment toward new members) is strictly prohibited. 
***Choosing a codename/alias is customary, but not required.
**Membership in Basilisk can be refused for any reason. 
**Membership and/or honorary membership in multiple subdivisions are allowed (though the Hireling cannot actively belong to a subdivision).
**Members of Basilisk are allowed membership in other gangs or organizations provided they do not betray their allies or break Basilisk rules.
*Advancement 
**Though the Hireling can advance or demote any member at any time, advancement in Basilisk must be earned. Advancement cannot be achieved through bribery, intimidation, deception, or other unethical means. 
***No sane member shall purposely kill, injure, fabricate false evidence against, or sabotage the work of an innocent person and distort it as being an action against Basilisk enemies, or attempt to do the same, in an attempt to advance in the ranks. 
***No sane member shall purposely kill, injure, fabricate false evidence against, or sabotage the work of a fellow member, or attempt to do the same, in an attempt to advance in the ranks or cause a fellow member’s unfair demotion. 
***Any member discovered to have committed these violations, and found to have been in his/her right mind at the time of the incident(s), will face expulsion, be stripped of all rights and benefits, and be turned over to the proper authorities.
**A qualified member may be promoted more than one level at a time. For instance, one may be promoted from Valiant One directly to Chief, or start as a Captain rather than as a Valiant One. This is also true in cases of demotion. For instance, one may be demoted from a Chief to a Valiant One.
**Majordomos are to be appointed by the Hireling. 
**A member has the right to decline advancement. 
Rules
*Prohibited Activities
**Basilisk is to have no involvement with the following activities:
***Any trade involving sexual activity or content, slavery, or human trafficking
***Terrorism or torture
***The murder and/or intimidation of authority figures (such as police officers or judges) or their relatives (except in justified instances of self-defense or self-defense of a third party)
***Drug dealing or smuggling (except for life-saving medicine)
***War profiteering or disaster profiteering
***Any trade involving the mining, sale, exchange, and smuggling of blood diamonds
***Any trade involving the killing, smuggling, or sale of exotic and/or endangered animals, the smuggling or sale of the body parts and/or remains of exotic and/or endangered animals, or the smuggling or sale of endangered or prohibited plants
***Waste dumping 
***Pyramid schemes/multi-level marketing schemes
***Quackery
**Any member of sound mind and body discovered to be engaged in these activities will face expulsion, be stripped of all rights and benefits, and be turned over to the proper authorities. 
*Code of Conduct
**No member of sound mind and body shall ignore the concerns of fellow members or fail to report disturbances. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall willfully be guilty of dereliction of duty. 
**No member shall commit adultery or other sexual crimes, or neglect duties to pursue sexual pursuits. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall neglect duties to engage in feasting, drinking, gambling, or any other vice, or neglect to seek treatment for an addiction. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall exploit, hoard, abuse, or waste Basilisk resources. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall engage in vendettas against a fellow member or fail to help someone in time of need. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall falsely claim amendments to these by-laws. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall commit violence against innocent people, commit violence against fellow members without just cause, or instigate fights without just cause. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly attack innocent people and/or their property, or attack fellow members and/or their property without just cause. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall purposely injure him/herself or his/her valuables and/or property, or the valuables of a fellow member, without just cause. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall in engage in the desecration or destruction of religious institutions or materials (unless said institutions and materials promote perverse and cruel acts), commit perverse acts, or engage in usury. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly commit fraud against a fellow member. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall engage in illicit pandering, in seduction, or in sexual acts committed for deceptive and/or exploitative purposes. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall distort or falsify a description of a person or event in an attempt to gain favor or reward. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall attempt to sell or otherwise obtain compensation for a position in Basilisk. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall attempt to deceive a fellow member by presenting false or distorted information. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall move the authorities against someone without just cause, or file a lawsuit without just cause. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall willingly make false declarations, present false claims about his/her past and/or present, or fail to keep a vow. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly steal from a fellow member. If a member discovers that he/she has inadvertently robbed a fellow member, he/she shall return what was stolen or pay the value of what was stolen in addition to paying a fine equal to one-fifth of the value of what was stolen to the wronged member. In addition, no member of sound mind and body shall knowingly kidnap a minor except as part of a rescue mission, or knowingly kidnap a fellow member without just cause. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly give a fellow member fraudulent advice or bad counsel, or entice a fellow member to commit fraud. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall form a subdivision without the permission of the Hireling and other high-ranking members, and no member of sound mind and body shall willfully attempt to incite rebellion or sow discord among members. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly swindle a fellow member, sell, trade, or give forged, counterfeit, or otherwise fake items to a fellow member, tell, spread, or encourage falsehoods against a fellow member, or attempt to deceive a fellow member by using a false identity. 
**No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly commit acts of treason against his/her allies or Basilisk. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall attack or betray the trust of a relative, romantic interest, or fellow member without just cause, nor shall any member of sound mind and body exploit a relative, romantic interest, or fellow member. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall exploit, betray, or attack his/her allies or the organization’s allies, exploit, betray, or attack his/her community or country, or commit any terroristic act against a government or law enforcement body, agent, or facility. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall exploit, betray, attack, or neglect those depending on him/her or those to whom he/she has extended hospitality. 
***No member of sound mind and body shall knowingly attack and/or betray the Hireling or otherwise attack and/or betray his/her superiors. 
**Unless a standard punishment has already been established, punishment for violating these rules will be decided by the guilty member’s immediate superiors, by a council consisting of members of a higher rank, or by a council consisting of the Hireling and other high-ranking members. Refusal to pay the penalties for these infractions will result in increasingly severe penalties.
Membership Fees and Benefits
*All able members of Basilisk shall pay the Hireling a yearly membership fee of three hundred dollars ($300) as well as three percent (3%) of their yearly earnings. In return, the Hireling will provide protection, power, and honor. 
**Any able member who refuses to pay his/her dues will face severe consequences and may face expulsion and loss of privileges. 
**In certain cases the membership fee can be waived or negotiated. 
**In the case of fees collected from subdivisions with more than five members, half the amount of the collected fees will go to the Hireling and the other half will go to the leader(s) of the subdivision. 
***If a member belongs to multiple subdivisions with more than five members, the member may choose which one collects his/her fee.
***No member shall be made to pay fees to multiple subdivisions, or coerced to pay fees to a subdivision against his/her will.
***Voluntary donations to subdivisions are permitted. 
**This clause is voided if the Hireling refuses to keep his/her end of the agreement without just cause. 
*If a member retires, dies, or is left unable to perform his/her regular duties due to injury or illness, he/she or his/her next-of-kin will receive compensation, with all able members of Basilisk contributing no less than one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) to be given to him/her or his/her next-of-kin. 
**Any able member who refuses to contribute will face severe consequences and may face expulsion and loss of privileges. 
**In addition, the retired, deceased, or incapacitated member or his/her next-of-kin will receive whatever additional compensation the Hireling and other members choose to give, and a stipend may be paid monthly to the member or his/her next-of-kin. 
**This clause is voided in cases of injuries or illnesses caused as a result of violating the rules contained in Sections I and II. 
*A severely injured member will receive compensation, with all able members of Basilisk contributing between fifteen to fifty dollars ($15-50) depending on the severity of the injury. 
**Any able member who refuses to contribute will face severe consequences and may face expulsion and loss of privileges. 
**In addition, the injured member will receive whatever additional compensation the Hireling and other members choose to give. 
**This clause is voided in cases of injuries or illnesses caused as a result of violating the rules contained in Sections I and II. 
By Raidra
Category:Raidra
Category:Characters