Scholars Without Borders

Scholars Without Borders, also known as the SWB and by its official name in several other languages, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by scholars from the Dominion of Sentara and Xeroist Republic of Zilatra, officially headquartered in the Zilatran capital of Gaszalasi while working with a structure that disregards the need for a headquarters.
The goal of Scholars Without Borders is to bring the emphasis on worldbuilding back to Stoneworks and to introduce a more set-in-stone template for all Stoneworks-related wikis. The organization hopes to achieve this by allowing anyone, no matter who they are or from where, to commission its members, known officially as "Scribes" and "Squires", to write wikis for them whether they're scientific, historical, biographical, or anything else that might belong. The SWB also hopes to make knowledge on Stoneworks lore much more accessible to everyone, so anyone could find something they could expand upon or use for their own lore in a much easier way.
Since its founding, the organization has been led by Chairman Diogo Ronango'O alongside an executive body known as the "Council of Scholars." The CoS is made up of the leaders of the branches of the SWB, and of members appointed by the Chairman.
== History ==
=== Legacy of the ComCul ===
Between 288 and 310 TE, the United Socialist States of Eldham had David Venkesel-Sarot as its Commissioner of Culture. Although not entirely successful, David sought to revive the worldbuilding aspect of Stoneworks and make it again the most important part of the nation. He succeeded somewhat by expanding the historical archives of the USSE and of its General Secretaries, also expanding the ComCul by granting wages to artists and writers, and beginning a reform that attempted to officialize and reform the nation's currency. But with the collapse of activity before the end of Eldham, David could not achieve most of his goals, and he forced himself to resign before disappearing.
Throughout his tenure David was active with the community and thus had several students, one of them being Diogo Ronango'O, the son of David's colleague Arika Ronango'O. Being Diogo's main educator throughout his childhood, David greatly influenced him and placed his "Max Gadide" ideology deep in his heart.
And ever since David resigned and the exodus to Abexilas, with his time in Zilatra, Diogo had worked on continuing the legacy of the ComCul by establishing an organization that will not only put worldbuilding back as the primary thing in Stoneworks, but also see to it that this worldbuilding will be high quality.
=== Early Years (20 VE-Present) ===
Shortly after announcing his return to politics in Zilatra Diogo Ronango'O alongside several hundred of Zilatra's most prominent academics founded the Scholars Without Borders and Scholars Without Borders-Zilatra. While the SWB-Z was in the process of electing its first Chief Scholar, Diogo reached out to his peers in Sentara with hopes immediately getting another Chapter for the organization in another nation. There, he met Kara Avaratz the leader of the Sentaran Association of Past & Present, an organization founded 10 years prior to the Eldhamite migration into Abexilas. Avaratz very quickly agreed to join the SWB, and thus the SAPP became the 2nd founding member of the organization.
== Organization ==
=== Chairman (also known as "The Curator") ===
The Scholars Without Borders are led by a Chairman, also known as "The Curator" to differentiate him from the Chairmans of the organization's branches. Serving mainly as a figurehead for the organization, the Chairman has some executive power greather than that of the Council of Scholars. He has the right to veto or delay decisions and votes (respectively) made by the Council. He also has the special right to appoint people to the Council without its approval, although Chairman Diogo Ronango'O stated his intentions to change this into a more democratic system once the organization grows.
The Chairman is also a member of the Council of Scholars, making him a "first among equals" in some sense. This gives him the right to propose and vote in decisions discussed in the council.
=== Council of Scholars ===
The Council of Scholars is the main executive/ruling body of the Scholars Without Borders. The Council is made up of several different kinds of members, with there being two types of members: 
# Chief Scholar: This relates to the leaders of the organizations which fall under the control of the Scholars Without Borders, be they chapters or subsidiaries. This makes them the highest ranking members of their respective organizations, and of the national to local levels of the SWB's bureaucracy. In most cases, Chief Scholars are directly elected by the membership.
# Council Scholar: This relates to the Councillors who were appointed directly to the Council without having any other job/task in the organization. They are mainly appointed by the Chairman, although the Council can also propose members to it who are voted in through the approval of the Chairman.
The Council of Scholars is also the main decision-making body of the SWB, with it having a system known simply as "Council Votes." The Council votes, which each one is identified by the abbreviation "SWBCV-(Number)" (Scholars Without Borders Council Vote). These votes are conducted exactly like ones in legislatures, with them being written like pieces of legislation and being voted in, and signed by the Chairman, just like in national parliaments. In this sense, the Council has basically unlimited control over the SWB with the only thing keeping it from turning the organization into a dictatorship being its decision-making being based on the principle of consensus and democracy.
Members of the Council of Scholars
Title 	Tenure 	Name 	Notes
Chairman/Council Scholar	20 VE-Present	Diogo Ronango'O 	Head of the organization as a whole, a member of the SWB-Z. Serving since 20 VE.
Chief Scholar 	20 VE-Present	Ovonia Ronango'O 	Chief Scholar of the SWB-Z. Elected by Zilatran Scholars to be the nation's first Chief Scholar in 20 VE.
Chief Scholar 	20 VE-Present	Kara Avaratz 	Chief Scholar of the SAPP. Elected by Sentaran scholars to lead the organization in 20 VE, although it was founded much earlier.
Council Scholar 	20 VE-Present	Devon of Vukhmir 	Member of the SAPP. Appointed by Chairman Diogo Ronango'O in 20 VE. Concurrently serves as Minister of Culture of Sentara.
Council Scholar 	20 VE-Present	Maximus of Sentara	Member of the SAPP. Appointed by Chairman Diogo Ronango'O in 20 VE.
=== Chapters/Branches ===
Due to the decentralized nature of an international NGO such as the SWB, its leadership has struggled to give a specific name to the organizations working under it. So they are generally called "Chapters" or "Branches" by its founding members. This level of the organization is the most important one, as it forms the basis of how the SWB can work on an international scale while ensuring local cultures, customs, and languages are represented and protected under its guidance.
Although the SWB's Chapters may just be named "SWB-[Country/Region Name]", there is no official rule on how the Chapters should name themselves. A good example is the difference between the two founding Chapters of the SWB: while the main Chapter, the one in Zilatra, is simply named "Scholars Without Borders-Zilatra", its Chapter in Sentara is the "Sentaran Association of Past & Present". With this system, the SWB can also integrate other organizations with the same goals more smoothly. While the naming of the leader role of each Chapter varies, the official term used for Chapter leaders in the SWB is "Chief Scholar."
List of Chapters/Branches of the SWB
Name 	Chief Scholar 	Founded	Notes
Sentaran Association of Past & Present (SAPP) 	Kara Avaratz 	310 TE 	One of the two founding Chapters of the SWB, was originally founded as a separate organization in Sentara before joining the SWB upon the announcement of its creation.
Scholars Without Borders-Zilatra (SWB-Z) 	Ovonia Ronango'O	20 VE 	One of the two founding Chapters of the SWB, works in a system of democracy among its members. In a way, also functions like a Union.
Organizacion para el Resurgimiento de la Cultura Amarilliana. (ORCA)	Vacant 	21 VE 	Established to represent Amarillians in the SWB, currently has vacant leadership due to a lack of members. The goal of ORCA is to revive Amarillian culture and expand on it.
Scholars Without Borders-Ischanor (SWB-I) 	Vacant 	23 VE 	Established thanks to an effort by Ovonia Ronango'O to recruit Ischanorians into the SWB, lacking a leader due to none of the members being able to take on the leadership position.
=== Scribes ===
The most basic and common rank of the Scholars Without Borders: Scribes are members who have proved to fit the standard of quality set by the organization, and who are trusted to take on "Missions" (the commissions requested from the SWB) in the name of the SWB. Scribes have the right to accept missions independently, although the Council of Scholars can veto such an action if they deem a Scribe is unfit to do so. Scribes also have the authority to train the lower ranking members of the organization, and depending on the quality of their work can become candidates for Council or Chief Scholars. When it comes to the general decision-making of the organization, Scribes have no de jure authority, although with enough effort and people they can push for change in the organization. Petitions can also be started by Scribes to demand changes be made.
Due to the SWB's nature as a non-profit organization, Scribes have no wages, although they are allowed to take donations.
=== Squires ===
The lowest rank of the Scholars Without Borders: Squires are what you would call "apprentices" or "trainees." Most people when joining the SWB are Squires, and can only be part of Missions led by either Scribes or Chief/Council Scholars, meaning they cannot take missions by themselves. As part of these missions, Squires are trained to meet the standard set by the SWB and may not have their rank increased until a Chief/Council Scholar judges that they're worthy of becoming a Scribe.
Although the lowest rank, Squires still have as much influence as Scribes do when it comes to decision-making, and can serve as a more humble way for the organization to understand how tough it should be with its training. Scribes usually serve as number 2's to Scribes or Scholars, though, and thus most of their work is chosen by a higher-up who assigns them to a specific mission.
The matter of wages for Squires is the exact same as it is for Scribes. And they too are allowed to take donations.