Foundations of Stone

[kuscotopia]

A kaleidescope of colors filled Dryn's eyes as he gently pressed his leftmost thumb and forefinger against his closed eye-lids. The wooden chair below him creaked and groaned as the aged dwarf sat back in his chair and let loose a mighty sigh. What once started as a neatly ordered corner table in the back of the Four Lanterns Tavern, now boasted a collision of quill-shavings, ink, and crumpled drafts with oddly shaped pools of colored candle wax providing moments of unexpected color.

Enjoying the reprieve from his strained eyes a moment longer, Dryn opened his eyes to give final inspection to the two neatly penned, and hopefully identical, documents sitting in front of him. “One more look-over...then ya can get yer sleep”, Dryn urged himself as he fetched the stein of Fire Ale sitting to his right. After taking down his final mouthful of ale, Dryn began to read...

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My Brothers,

I have spent a good portion of this day scouring what remains of the Skullcleaver archives and have put together what I feel will make for an excellent statement of purpose for our newly restored cleavers. I hope that the included documents will serve us well in informing current clansmen of the changes that have taken place as well help educate our future brothers.

What follows is a statement of purpose, along with description of governance, as set forth by the first gathering of the Warden Council.

Purpose:

To responsibly and reliably provide kin within the Sundered Valley with banner, shelter, arms, and armor. In doing so, provide our fellows within the Sundered Valley with aid and protection, and Sundren's artisans of magick, cloth, gem, wood, and stone a network on which to rely.

Governance:

Skullcleavers shall be governed by a selected body of seven wardens presided over by a single thane. Wardens shall be elected from, and by, the body of the Skullcleavers and given dominion over seven areas: arcanum, spirit, nature, order, battle, munitions and acquisitions, and craft-works. By the will of this council, and its thane, the Skullcleavers shall be guided in their inner and outer workings.

During times of particular urgency the Warden Council may elect to temporarily surrender their governing power to the currently appointed thane. In doing so, all governance and direction will be set forth by the thane. It shall be the Warden of Order's duty to enforce that after such a period of urgency has passed that dominion be restored to Warden Council.

Thane:

Appointed by the Warden Council, the thane occupies the highest post within the Skullcleavers. It is the explicit role of the thane to preside over the Warden Council and ensure that the council not only performs its duties, but that it does so to the safekeeping and best interest of the Skullcleavers. Votes cast by the thane during gatherings of the Warden Council shall carry double the weight of any single council member.

The role of thane shall be carried out by the appointed until they can no longer perform their role or the council deems the current thane has, or is, failing to perform their elected duty.

Warden Council:

Wardens within the council are granted dominion, by the body of the cleavers, over areas of clan interest. All votes cast by wardens of the council council shall carry the same weight. These posts and their individual duties are outlined below:

Arcanum - The creation, maintenance, and successful execution of enchantment services offered to clansmen as well as fellows within the Sundered Valley. Advise the council in all matters arcane and act as a voice for the Skullcleavers within the arcane communities of Sundren.

Spirit – Act as moral compass for the council and proceed over the rites and rituals carried out within the clan. Assist in execution of enchantment services as requested by the Warden of Arcanum and advise the 'cleavers in all matters divine.

Nature – The maintenance of the relationship between Skullcleavers and the natural world. Oversee the mining and harvesting of wood, ore, gems, and alchemical components, ensuring that the resource acquisition activities of the Skullcleavers remain balance with their surroundings. Act as a voice for the cleavers within the druidic community of Sundren and advise the council in matters of the natural world.

Munitions and Acquisitions – Responsible and sustainable acquisition of metal, cloth, wood, and gems that drive the Skullcleaver economy. Act as chief accountant of clan material wealth.

Craftworks – The creation, maintenance, and successful execution of weapon-smithing, armor-smithing, gem-cutting, woodworking, and tailoring services offered to both kinsmen and outsiders.

Order – The enforcement of Skullcleaver law and tradition. Furthermore, Warden of Order shall ensure the protection and safe-keeping of the thane as well as any Skullcleavers housed within clan holds.

Battle – Act as General of Skullcleaver standing forces. Defending kin and allies from foes through the training, recruitment, equipping, and organization of clansmen.

If at any point a Warden of the Council fails in the execution of their duties or fails to act in the best interest of the clan, it falls upon the thane and the remaining council members to remove the failing warden and hold a general election within the clan to fill the emptied post.

Review these my brothers and please help me fill any gaps. If we are all in accordance then I submit that Madragonahan ratify these into Cleaver law.

For Kin!

Dryn Stonewhisperer

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A smile crossed Dryn's face as he found satisfaction with his day's work. Without hesitation Dryn rolled up the two identical letters and, using what remained of his candle, sealed the parchments with paraffin wax. Approaching the bar, Dryn handed the two works to Mordin, who was working late into the morning as usual,

“Mordin, these are fer me mates. One's for Madragonahan and the other for Gloirin Ironforge. Can ya see they get these?” Dryn smiled to Mordin as he slid the a handful of stags to cover Mordin's inconvenience. “Thanks mate, have a good one.”

Wasting no time, Dryn quickly cleaned up his mess and headed for bed.

[kuscotopia]

Dryn smirked at Mordin's question. His hands now clasped around the aged Skullcleaver Mission Board, Dryn gave a uniform upward tug releasing the board from the wall mounts which long held it to the rear wall of The Four Lanterns. Many thoughts weighed heavily on Dryn's mind, but none other than his closest of kin would be able to tell past his stoic exterior.

"It is just toime mate, we can't be usin' yer place as a headquarters ferever", Dryn replied as he set the cork-board down and leaned it against the wall. "Soides, ya can be puttin' up dat dart board ya ben goin' on about!" The two shared a chuckle, yielding Dryn a moment of respite from the day's events.

"Come on, let me be buyin' ya a drink fer once..." Dryn grabbed the board from against the wall and moved his way towards an outer bar stool, in front of which, Mordin had already poured a couple short glasses of scotch. After dropping a generous sum of coin into Mordin's hands, Dryn reached down and held up his glass in toast.

"Ya ben gud ta us Skullcleavers Mordin, yer hospitiality ta me an moine won't soon be fergotten. Here's to yer health an yer continued success!" Smiling, Dryn took down the glass in one gulp. "Now den. We wull still be aroun'...so dun go tinkin yer evenin's are goin' ta be gettin' any quieter!" Dryn offered a half-smile and farewell nod before heading to the exit, mission board in tow.

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