Town of Troll's Bane

[Uhuru]

. I am not even sure that I have the strength to or will to be a councilor anymore....

~Juliette Benoit

Then it is well past your time to go Juliette.

~Uhuru~

[Juliette Benoit]

I did not make up my mind yet and the only reason for me even writing my doubts is to assure you all I did not return to fight for my position as I did not even know about what was happening, even though it may seem so when all three of the mentioned government officials returned at once. More than that I wrote it to make a part clear which you conveniently left out when you copied my writings, that just because someone is elected as a governor official they are just as mortal as any of you and make a big sacrifice by spending their time on what they do for the town when all the citizen appear to be able to accomplish is complain and make fusses about any petty little thing.

On a more personal note to you Uhuru I hope you never get elected governor (or any other government position) as you tried to previously. Before I saw you as fit for the position, but that was clearly misjudged after what I have observed of you and your friend magician which I will not mention by name, attempting to insult, provoke and upset anyone to make a fight on several occasions, and then reporting it on the guard board as if it were their own fault. As if the guardsmen of Troll's Bane does not have enough to do.

~Juliette Benoit

P.S.
It might seem to some of you as if I haven't done much about town due to my less fortunate absence, but had I stayed instead of leaving during that time I would have been unfit for the position, I did all what was asked of me during the time I did serve and more than that, and as my position was not questioned until my return I will continue to serve my time as councilor if there is not a citizen vote or another change that says otherwise. What I was questioning earlier was whet ever or not I would put up my name for re election or not.

((On a more ooc note I've been ill the past few months, which has had me playing very little and I decided that it was step by step best to quit the game for the time being))

[Fooser]

Regarding Slug's claim to Eastmark/Kallahorn:

There was a misunderstanding but we have cleared it up entirely now. We have made a deal where Slug is placed on the official citizen list and he is now the contract holder of the land as per the Land Owners Rights in the town charter:

A land owner has the right to pass ownership on to a successor that is a citizen or resident and they must be in good standing with Troll's Bane. One loses good standing if they have an unresolved crime in the categories of robbery, assault, murder, or kidnap or have been convicted of such in their recent past. Crimes in the distant past may be overlooked if good behavior followed.

Written permission from previous owner, he cites the building but I am assuming for the moment this will encompass the entire holdings:

Meh do not mind brudha Slug taking ovah old building, guud to gib stuff meaning. Brudha ib yoo ebur need crafta jus send mes dove.
Also...where beh our gobernor? How yoo expect people to follows yoos "laws" when meh nubba see town officials anywhere?

~Skull'Fed

And the new contract:

Eastmark
Owner: Slug'Gnar
Regarding the lands of "Eastmark":

The town of Troll's Bane accepts Slug's ownership of Eastmark and all buildings on the land. Permission was granted from the previous owner, Skull'Fed.

No taxation is needed for the upkeep of this territory.

Eastmark is not permitted to leave the jurisdiction of Troll's Bane, and if so, this contract is void and will return to town ownership. All applicable regulations apply to Eastmark.

Fooser, Governor of Troll's Bane
Slug'Gnar, Owner of Eastmark

If Skull needs to clarify anything, he may contact one of us.

F

[Fooser]

The town charter has been altered with the support of the current governor (Fooser) and a majority of the council (Juliette, Oxiana). The new changes will remove the position of governor entirely (with the possibility of reinstatement).

The highlights are:
-There will be one single election for three council positions.
-Two will be regular council votes and one for the head of council who will wield slightly more authority, akin to the governor but not quite as extensive.
-When voting citizens will select 3 names from the choices and they will note which one they would prefer for head of council.

I know there may still be mentions of the "governor" or there may be other issues still in the charter or elsewhere, but the new council can clear those up with input from the citizenry. Hopefully the previous year or two will be a learning opportunity for the new councilors to fix anything problematic or ineffective.

Model of Government

The Commonwealth of Trolls Bane

The Commonwealth of Trolls Bane includes the town proper and its accompanying boroughs. These burroughs include Midlands, Eastmark, Southfields, Riverside, Northbridge, Oakwood Shire, and Athen (West Strand). These boroughs are not permitted to remove themselves from the town's jurisdiction. All Citizens and Residents of the Commonwealth have the right to own land. All boroughs are subject to the laws of the land as well as taxes.

The Commonwealth of Trolls Bane is to be made up of a government of citizens, one equal in worth to another.

All elected officials are required to be active, being absent and nonresponsive for more than two Dwarven weeks without any prior warning may lead to being ousted and replaced by another democratically elected official.

Citizens

All Citizens have the right and power to vote in every town wide election as well as lobby their elected officials at regularly scheduled town meetings. Town meetings held by at least one government official must be held at least once every two Dwarven weeks.

The Citizens have the power to recall any elected official at any time during the term. To recall an elected official due to displeasure with their job quality then an official grievance must be made publicly including the specific grievances. Once this document has been written and known publicly, the council needs to vote at least 2-1 in support of the recall petition. If this too is passed then a public vote is taken where support for the recall must also reach a 2:1 ratio at the end of the voting. During this vote citizens will also name their preferred successor (1 name only) and if the recall passes the highest preferred successor will take their place. A complaint may also be filed for inactivity. An inactive representative will be on notice for 2 dwarven weeks -- if they do not respond then a replacement will be chosen by citizens.


*This clause is suspended until a 3-0 vote by a future council*
Governor

The power and purpose of the Governor is to nominate Captains of the Town Guard and the Judge of Trolls Bane, enforce town laws, head the town during wars or states of Emergencies, write treaties with other settlements, finalize land contracts with citizens and residents, propose tax increase or tax decreases and request town money for various projects.

The Governor is to be elected for a term of six dwarven months as decided by the first town vote under the new system.

Council

The Trolls Bane council will be made up of 3 members. Voting will be held via a single election where all citizens choose three of the nominees for these positions. Two for regular council and one as the head of council -- this distinction must be noted on the ballot.

The power and purpose of the Council is to collect taxes, write and pass laws, confirm nominated Captains of the Town Guard and the Judge, sign treaties with other settlements and allocate town money to the Governor for various projects.

Council members are elected to a term of six dwarven months each.

Judge of Trolls Bane

The power and purpose of the Judge of Trolls Bane is to understand the Contract between the Government of Trolls Bane and its citizens to ensure that all laws, treaties and projects made by either the Council or Governor are legal under that Contract. The Judge is also the judge in all criminal trials and is to keep an eye on any possible corruption of the Governor, Council or Guard Captain.

The Judge may be recalled if a town meeting of at least a third of the town people show up and demand the Council vote on a recall, then it is up to the Council to unanimously vote to recall the Judge. Doing so will result in the banishment of the Judge.

Town Guard Captain

The power and purpose of the Town Guard Captain is to protect the people from all enemies, enforce the laws of Trolls Bane, maintain the town guard and request funds from the Council. The conduct of lesser ranking guards will reflect upon the Captain himself.

Any misconduct or ethical complaints involving the guard captain or lesser ranking guards may be written and sent to either the Judge or the Governor, or both. If the individual making the complaint feels the Governor and/or Judge are biased and unable to judge the situation fairly they may request an independent citizen be added to the group that looks over the complaint, and this request HAS to be accepted by the governor and judge.

Amendment #1: Election Reforms

Terms for both the Governor and the Council are both 6 dwarven months, and the date of the next set of elections must be posted soon after the last election has finished.

The citizen list will remain open during regular time and must be closed immediately after all nominees have been announced to avoid any possible abuses. Citizens thought to be inactive will have a mark placed next to their name one dwarven week prior to the citizen list closing .. during that time they may appeal their inactive designation.

Once the nominees are known the election must begin no longer than five dwarven days later. The election must last at least two dwarven days and the time the election ends must be firmly set by whoever is presiding over the election (usually the governor, unless they are absent due to inactivity recall).

Due to suspicions during the previous election, all future elections will be done via a secret non-changeable ballot.

Amendment #2: Land Rights and Rules

Both citizens and residents can own property with the bounds of the town and its districts. If multiple parties desire the same area of land then the citizen(s) will be preferred over residents.

Whenever there is a change in government all current land owners have the right to retain their land and be safe from confiscation. New governors may renew the old contracts -- renewals do not require a council vote. An owner is eligible for renewal if they are the long-standing owner or have been viewed as the owner or manager at some time. No purchase fee should be paid for renewals.

The governor may renew contracts of previous owners to continue their ownership. This does not require a council vote. New land claims and single building sales must pass a council majority.

Buildings important as town resources can not be sold to private owners. These include the library, the jail, and the shop near the east gate.

A land owner has the right to pass ownership on to a successor that is a citizen or resident and they must be in good standing with Troll's Bane. One loses good standing if they have an unresolved crime in the categories of robbery, assault, murder, or kidnap or have been convicted of such in their recent past. Crimes in the distant past may be overlooked if good behavior followed.

A district may be confiscated under the following conditions:
1) The owner attempted to remove the district from Troll's Bane's jurisdiction.
2) The owner committed a heinous crime or declared war on Troll's Bane.
3) The owner has gone inactive for more than a dwarven month.
4) The owner voluntarily gives up their right to ownership.

Districts may be sold for an initial purchase fee decided by the governor. Taxation rates may also be negotiated. Unlike renewals, new land claims (new owner for a confiscated district) must be voted on by the town council by a majority of 2-1 or better.

The governor or council cannot edit a contract without first consulting the owner(s).

Land owners have the right to manage as they wish as long as their actions do not break town laws and do not break the terms of their contracts.

Amendment 3: Temporary Bans by Officials

Any town official that isn't a guard (judge, governor, councilors) may invoke a short and temporary ban on any individual after personally witnessing some crime or disturbance. Allowing for such bans will help cut short tense conflicts and will help keep the town safe before the criminal complaint is officially filed. If no charges come from the complaint the ban must end immediately. The ban cannot last longer than 2 dwarven days.

[Evie]

Dear Juliette,

you said
On a more personal note to you Uhuru I hope you never get elected governor (or any other government position) as you tried to previously. Before I saw you as fit for the position, but that was clearly misjudged after what I have observed of you and your friend magician which I will not mention by name, attempting to insult, provoke and upset anyone to make a fight on several occasions, and then reporting it on the guard board as if it were their own fault. As if the guardsmen of Troll's Bane does not have enough to do.

~Juliette Benoit

as i am the friend Mage and it is mage my dear not magician i ask how you seen all this when you only arrived in town yesterday um how did you witness this?. the only person we spoke to in town yesterday was a man threatening to kill your fellow councelor Oxiana so i ask you instead.. why did you do nothing?

Evie

[Uhuru]

Fooser,
Was any consideration given to Kyre's suggestion?

~Uhuru~

[Fooser]

Yes but it will not be enacted in a strict way. I took Oxiana and Leon's renewed citizen list and added those on the old list who currently own land, or served a government role semi-recently. All others were removed to hopefully alleviate the problem.

F

[Juliette Benoit]

I did not speak of yesterday and was not present at that occasion, but I spoke of other earlier occasions before I left the town.
I have nothing more to say about this as I have made my case.
I will not waste any more time dealing with children who can not behave.
There are more important things to do.

As if to strengthen her statement, the note is only signed by a simple
~J

[Garath]

I am writing this in the name of Joram Senecha, newly arrived to the beautifull town of Troll's Bane

He merely wishes to express disappointment for people looking always to the past, and never to the future. Insults and recriminations or incriminations will get noone nowhere. For the good of the town, try to leave some of the strong feelings behind. And try to review your words for the possibility of more insults?



- signed J.S.

[Fooser]

Altrix entered into a contract some months ago for specialized ownership where payment was based on longevity of living within the structure. He left eventually and his wife gave permission for the town to repossess and it was then sold to other citizens. Based on the 6 month term Altrix was refunded 4.5 gold coins this day.

Regarding the South House:

The Town of Troll's Bane accepts the purchase of a share of ownership by Altrix Wulfgar.

An original fee of 5 gold coins was paid for this privilege.

Whenever the occupant is done using the house as a residence they will be paid back a certain amount based on how long they stayed in the house. Their return will diminish 0.5 silver every 6 dwarven months.
6 Dwarven months: 4.5 silver returned *REFUND GIVEN*
1 Dwarven year: 4 silver returned
1.5 Dwarven years: 3.5 silver returned
2 Dwarven years: 3 silver returned
and so forth ...

Fooser, Governor of Troll's Bane
Altrix Wulfgar, Partial Owner of the South House

F

[Leon Demelii]

Troll's Bane Festival planning

Citizens and guests of Troll's Bane, the time has come for a town festival! As of the moment this is only an idea I hope to plan for the next upcoming dwarven month. At this time I ask any volunteers that would be kind enough to help plan said event. Please write to me stating anything you would like to do or help with. New activities or ideas for the festival are welcomed and encouraged.

At the moment I have a few ideas in mind. Example being food and drinks, sparring matches with prizes, crafters and merchants available on site, music, and a raffle.

I will post more about the event as more plans are set in place and a date is set.

Thank you, I hope to hear from many of you,
-Leon Demelii, Captain of the Guard

[Achae Eanstray]

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