[Origin Cave]

MAJI WALEZI



" PROTECT THE LIFE BLOOD OF ORIGIN CAVE
- OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE. "

THE NEWS

{ 12.25.2015 } — Leon and the rest of Maji Walezi hold a funeral for Bevy.


{ 12.25.2015 } — Bevy calls a meeting to hold an election for their new leader. Leon is elected and the group celebrates, but the meeting takes a dark turn after Bevy is murdered by the Bonebound's Kerberos.


{ 12.08.2015 } — Leon and Makyna's children are born: Cadence, Sonata and Baroque!


{ 10.14.2015 } — Leon and Makyna get married. Everyone's invited, so come join the fun!


{ 9.2.2015 } — Maji Walezi and many other gembounds go to war against Raheerah, the Dragon in Polaris. Bevy and Makyna set up a station in Tunnel O to heal the injured. After the battle, many gembound recover in Pisces.



{ 9.1.2015 } — Deer Dad comes to Pisces seeking aid, and a Pheonix is birthed from the waterfall's lake, swearing allegiance to the Gembounds seeking to stop the Dragon in Polaris.


{ 8.23.2015 } — Bevy holds a meeting to announce the upcoming wedding as well as other important events. New missions to seek out problems in the cave and report back to Bevy with information. The Dragon in Polaris is brought to attention.


{ 8.4.2015 } — Bevy begins the election. Leon is removed from Runt status and given his Scout rank back. Eeya and Bevy are picked as canidates, Makyna counts the vote and calls Bevy as the new leader of Maji Walezi.


{ 7.6.2015 } — Maykna accuses Cancer of attempting to murder Leon, and a trial is held. Cancer's leadership ends. An election will be held soon. Cancer is exiled, Leon is demoted to Runt rank.


{ 7.3.2015 } — New Missions! Scouts are tasked with finding out more about the other groups in Origin. Any information brought back in character will be noted on your records. Would-be scouts are encouraged to investigate but are not permitted to speak on behalf of the group just yet. Report your findings to Cancer Bevy directly, or to one of the founding members if he's not around.


{ 6.13.2015 } — Cancer returns home from his mission and makes a map of the caves on Pisces' wall.


{ 5.1.2015 } — Cancer is elected to be the first Leader of Maji Walezi.

THE CULTURE

{ LAWFUL NEUTRAL }
► Keep the cave clean, in every way. This doesn't just mean pick up your trash- members are expected to show respect and civility as long as they're in Pisces Cave. Visitors are held to similiar but less-strict expectations.

► Protect those who can not protect themselves. Put others in the group first, and don't turn your back on someone in desperate need, just because it doesn't suit your interests to help them.

► Respect others as you would like to be respected. This goes double for our alliances. Do not cause trouble on behalf of the group while on an expedition or traveling through other territories.

► Pull your own weight. Don't shirk work- remember, you have been given a task for a reason. Don't be caught slacking off, or you'll risk losing your place with us. Lazy members are shameful, and cause strife. Do your share of the work, and you'll find living in Pisces Cave much easier in the long run.

► Meetings of Election and Council are mandatory. That means missing one will result in severe penalty. To be exempt from this, please let us know if you'll be away or scarce at any time- and we'll forgive you until your return date from posting to the meeting in question.

► Elections must be held every four months, regardless of the current leader's wishes. The new leader will be chosen by the group on a majority vote. Should the proposed new leader refuse his or her position, the next best voted for nominee will take their place. Should no one step up, the group will disband completely, and that will be the end of Maji.

→ When joining, it's recommended you meet with the Leader or get an escort from a ranked member. Trespassing will result in penalty when considering your request to join.

CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
Meetings of Council and Election are group threads that will be posted to in 24 hour rounds. Not every round is mandatory, but members are REQUIRED to post at least ONCE in every Meeting. If your character is away on a mission at this time, and the meeting isn’t an Election, they’ll be reprieved of this requirement- however, they are instead required to link to the leader at least one post made in the week-long period the meeting threads will be up.

No meeting should run more than a week irl. Keep posts short and to the point during these threads- it’s mostly our way of performing an activity check. Members who fail to report in during an Election will be removed from the group. They can appeal within the next four month span, and with good reason, be allowed back into the ranks without having to roleplay their way back in. HOWEVER, anyone gone longer than that without notice will be removed and their character assumed dead by the group- their return will be met with scorn, as it’s seen as a betrayal.

Leaving the group is as simple as posting a departure thread. Please note that if you leave without informing anyone, you’ll likely be met with scorn the next time you appear before the group. It’s encouraged that if you want to leave, you at least meet with a ranked member or better yet, the leader, and let them know when and why you want to leave. Typically, we’re pretty understanding, and you’ll be met on even terms next time you stop by, and given passage just like any other stranger.

THE POLITICS

THE BONEBOUND — Allies
Members of The Bone Bound are welcome in our territory anytime, and are to be considered friends to our cause. If ever in need, they will have our help- however, they are not to sit in on Meetings of Council.

THE MERRYMEN — Neutral
Not much is known about the group living in Monoceros. More information is required.

THE PACK — Neutral
Not much is known about the group living in Tunnel I. More information is required.

THE RANKS

LEADER ► A Temporary position lasting four cycles at a time. The Leader is voted in by the group on a majority election hosted at the first of every four month cycle.

The leader is in charge of finalizing group decisions, keeping records of group events and speaking on behalf of the group. The leader is also in charge of coordinating members’ duties and apprenticing new or young members without chosen tasks

COORDINATOR ► A permanent position held by members who have proven themselves skilled in debate and cooperation. A clever mind and swift tongue are needed to perform most of the tasks required of this rank.

Coordinators are the decision makers of the group. They use their sharp minds to figure out solutions to problems the group may face as a whole, or to a member’s personal problems. They are the brains behind the group’s success.

To earn the Coordinator rank, an Initiate is required to perform a Trial of Wit.

GUARDIAN ► A permanent position held by members who have proven themselves skilled in tactics and bravery. A Guardian should practice strict discipline and confidence, and are expected to be courageous in the face of danger.

A guardian is tasked with a very important role; their job is to keep the Pisces cave safe from intruders. Strangers are escorted by Guardians whenever they come. They are sworn to protect the group and Pisces cave at any costs.

To earn the Guardian rank, an Initiate is required to perform a Trial of Bravery.

SCOUT ► The nomadic members of the group, which wander the caves in search of answers, discoveries and new recruits. They must be swift footed and friendly, and have a strong and accurate memory. They’re sent out with a return date and task each month.
A Scout is tasked with finding new recruits for the group (and escorting them back as they find them), investigating and mapping out the rivers and streams stemming from and flowing into Pisces, and tracking down various treasures if they come across rumors of such. They’re the adventurers.

To earn the Scout rank, an Initiate is required to perform a Trial of Strength. This is because they’re required to be strong enough to endure the challenges of the caves beyond Pisces, and beyond even that. They’re a unique rank, in that, they’re rarely actually around Pisces cave- and are generally more likely to be exploring the caves, acting on their own instincts while performing their given tasks.

INITIATE ► A temporary position held by new members and members too young to be put to work yet. Initiates are put through their paces working the odd tasks that most members wouldn't want to do.

RUNT ► This rank is different, in that, if there’s ever a need to put a member through punishment or to keep a prisoner of war or otherwise, they’re ranked as Runt publicly- a demeaning term meant to remind them of their wrongdoings. They’re stripped of their names during this time, however, they are granted the chance to prove themselves a month after receiving this rank.

A Runt wishing to rank up into the group as an Initiate must perform an extensive task- one that benefits the entire group. A Runt wishing to leave the group may do so if they make a public announcement and apology. If the group decides on a majority vote to let them leave, they may- but they will likely be banished from ever being allowed in or around Pisces cave again.

ALLEGIANCES

◄ Membership Totals ►
8 | 7 | 1
11 total

---

TO JOIN
Your character must meet with the Leader in order to be ranked. This can not be assumed out of character. Members are restricted to have FOUR characters in the group, maximum. Only one character can run for leadership during elections. This is to keep activity up, and interactions fun and inclusive for others!

---

LEADER

Leon

COORDINATORS

Makyna
Bartos

GUARDIANS

none

SCOUTS

Eeya

INITIATES

Cadence
Sonata
Baroque

Quintus
Lillith
Zen

Jack
Ori
Maya

Lei
Hawthorne
Wisteria

RUNTS

none

EX-MEMBERS

Midas
Fisher
Cancer
Bevy
Dark

MAJI WALEZI'S MAP OF ORIGIN CAVE



Located conveniently by the Waterfall, right in plain sight.

MAJI WALEZI



CRIME AND PUNISHMENTS

BEFORE THE TRIAL

A Judge must be decided upon first and foremost. This can be anyone with a rank in Maji Walezi who is not involved in the case. The Prosecution (the one pressing charges) and the Defense (the one accused of the crime) both have right to demand a jury trial, but only if the crime is serious enough to demote the Defense to Runt rank or be Banished. Smaller crimes will be seen to by a Judge only, to save time.

If a Jury is called, it must be decided upon and sorted out before hand. Usually, a Jury will consist of only Maji Walezi members, however serious crimes such as attempted murder may require a larger jury and thus require outsiders to judge. Jury members must not be involved with the case in any way.

PROSECUTION

Anyone may accuse anyone of a crime, however accusing someone without evidence may result in that member being punished accordingly. In order to prevent gembounds from simply accusing one another willy-nilly, the Prosecution is usually asked to present some sort of evidence to the judge before hand. This can be as simple as a witness statement, but so long as some for of evidence is produced, the Trial will go through. The Prosecution may ask for a gembound to speak for them instead of themselves. The Prosecution is asked to stay in Pisces until the trial.

DEFENSE

The accused may ask for someone to defend for them. Upon being accused of a serious crime, the defendant will be taken in and watched by a Guardian until the Trial can commence. Anything they say as of being accused of a crime can and likely will be used against them, so it's usually in the best interest for the defendant to say nothing. The defendant will be allowed to speak privately with the gembound they would like to defend them, however they may speak to no one else. If the accused cannot be found, Scouts will be put on alert to locate the potential criminal and brought back to Pisces immediately.

THE JUDGE

A judge runs the trial. Often, a judge will be either the current Leader, or the highest ranking member not involved in the trial. During a trial, the judge must keep the parties in order and make sure no one steps out of line. They decide the outcomes of smaller trials, though when serious crimes are involved, they are only there to make sure that the Jury gets as much information as they need to make a fair decision. A fair judge is unbiased and allows all relevant evidence to be discussed.

THE JURY

The jury decides the if the defendant is guilty. During the trial, they are to remain silent and take in the evidence as it is presented. The jury can at most include 12 gembounds, and they must not have any part in the crime, including witnessing it. They must answer a small series of questions, usually if they were involved in the crime, or have any biases. Members of the jury are asked not to speak to anyone about the trial at any point.

THE PROCEEDINGS

The Proceedings of the Trial go through a very specific set of events in order to assure that both sides have a fair chance to prove their cases.

A regular trial goes through these motions:
_{►Opening Statements
►Questioning of Witnesses
► Rebuttal
►Closing Statements
►Judgement}

Opening Statement

► A trial will always begin with an Opening Statement from both sides. These statements provide an outline of the case that each side expects to prove.
► The Defense may choose to not give an opening statement if they so choose.

Prosecution

►Next, the Prosecution presents their case with direct examination of the Defendant and the Defendant's witnesses. During this time, they ask questions to prove their case.

►Once the questioning is finished, the Prosecution finishes presenting their case.

Motion to dismiss (optional)
The defense may move to dismiss the charges if it thinks that the prosecution has failed to produce enough evidence—even if the jury believes the evidence—to support a guilty verdict. Almost always, the judge denies the defense motion to dismiss.

Defense:

►Next, Defense presents their case with direct examination of the Prosecution and the Prosecution's witnesses. During this time, they ask questions to prove their case.

►Once the questioning is finished, the Defense finishes presenting their case.

Rebuttal

►Afterwards, the Prosecution offers evidence to refute the Defense's case.

Closing statements

►The Prosecution makes their closing argument, summarizing the evidence as the Prosecution sees it and explaining why the jury should render a guilty verdict.

►The Defense's counterpart to the prosecutor's closing argument. The Defense explains why the jury should render a "not guilty" verdict—or at least a guilty verdict on only a lesser charge.

►Optionally, the prosecution has the last word, and again argues that the jury has credible evidence that supports a finding of guilty.

Judgement

►At this point, the Jury deliberates and tries to reach a verdict. Guilty or Not Guilty. They must come to a decision together, and it must be at least 2/3rd agreed.

►If the Jury produces a guilty verdict, the Defense can make a post-trial motion to override the Jury and grant a new trial or acquit the Defendant. A motion for judgment of Acquittal rests on the claim that the evidence at trial was insufficient for a conviction. This can be for all of the charges or just some of them. For example, consider a Defendant charged with arson and burglary. At trial, the Prosecution presents almost no evidence of arson. This is usually denied by the Judge, however.

►At the point, the sentence is given. Assuming a conviction (a verdict of "guilty"), the Judge either sentences the Defendant on the spot or sets sentencing for another day.

PUNISHMENTS

The usual punishments are either public service, fines, demotion to Runt rank, or banishment. Under no circumstances will Maji Walezi members kill sentient gembounds, as per the purpose of Maji Walezi:
"PROTECT THE LIFE BLOOD OF ORIGIN CAVE."

[[ message me if i should change anything :: this will be added to the main post someday maybe ]]