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The spirit of these Bylaws remains current. However, some of the information about our operations is out of date. Please view our Member Manuals for current operational information

Questions or remarks regarding the Bylaws can be mailed to the Keeper of the Chronicles.

CONTENT

A WORD ABOUT OUR SITE
MISSION STATEMENT
ARTICLE 1 - THE BYLAWS AND ITS SCOPE
ARTICLE 2 - MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE 3 - DISCIPLINE
ARTICLE 4 - REAL LIFE FUNCTIONS
ARTICLE 5 - ADMINISTRATION
ARTICLE 6 - OPERATIONS
ARTICLE 7 - COPYRIGHT

A WORD ABOUT OUR SITE

TarValon.Net was created with the express purpose of giving a handful of real-life friends and fans of the Wheel of Time series a place to meet and interact with each other regardless of their physical location.

TarValon.Net is an unofficial Wheel of Time Fan Club, run for and by its members. We are not an RPG site (although we do use fictional names while dealing with Tower business). There may also be some light role playing, but it is secondary to our function as a fan-based real-life organization (if you are looking for an RPG site, we feature some of the best around on our links page and encourage you to visit them). Please bear in mind avatars and pseudonyms exist for the privacy and protection of members online and do not constitute characters. People will take your actions seriously and will not differentiate between your actions and those of your fictional name.

MISSION STATEMENT

TarValon.Net exists to provide its members with the opportunity to adopt the ideals and philosophies of the White Tower as described in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, while supporting a real-life community through gatherings and events, online communication, fraternity and service. We strive to maintain a website that appeals to and educates visitors about the Wheel of Time in an original and innovative fashion. TarValon.Net seeks to not only create real-life friendships and bonds between fans all over the world, but also to be seen as the trusted source for news, research, art, and theories while maintaining a high level of quality in all works produced and achieving a high entertainment value for the public in general.

ARTICLE 1 - THE CONSTITUTION AND ITS SCOPE

Section 1 - Code of Conduct: TarValon.Net is meant to be an all-person environment, and as such, the following guidelines have been put into place. Harassment and deliberate attempts to create a hostile environment will not be tolerated. We ask all of our members to maintain not only a tolerant attitude, but also a celebratory one. Members and Visitors using our site must abide by rules governing size and use of avatars and signatures, submit themselves willingly to those who police the site for any infractions of the Tower Bylaws, and obey all requests to correct the behavior. All members shall be expected to behave with civility and tolerance at all times when dealing with other members, non-members, and the world at large. A certain level of honesty is expected from all members, and any attempts to misrepresent a member’s age, gender, gender expression and identity, or general location may result in the immediate termination of membership. Refusal to follow the Code of Conduct and Bylaws may result in termination of membership and banning from all boards, chat rooms, and functions as well as the site itself.

Section 2 - Scope of Conduct: The Bylaws shall apply at all times on any message boards related to TarValon.Net, any chat protocols, any communications between members onsite or off (baring personal real-life relationships between members), and at any event officially recognized by TarValon.Net. By posting on our boards, speaking in our chat rooms, attending a function, or filling out a membership application, you agree to be bound to these Bylaws.

Section 3 - Changes to the Bylaws: The Amyrlin Seat reserves the right to amend these Bylaws at any time and will review it anually. She will provide notice to membership when any changes have been made. New rules shall not be retro-active.

Section 4 - Language in the Bylaws: In order to create a more authentic atmosphere for our members, TarValon.Net uses certain langage with regards to various ideas. Such words include, but are not limited to: penance, Aes Sedai, Gaidin, Amyrlin, Keeper. Such words are meant to reflect the ideas and language used by Robert Jordan in his works in the Wheel of Time.

ARTICLE 2 - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Pseudonyms, Avatars and Signature Blocks: While we are not an RPG, all members are invited to have one identity that they use for their Tower dealings (made up of a first and last name that sounds as if it came from the Wheel of Time). These identities must be of the same gender (although exceptions may be made after special petition to the Amyrlin Seat), not be a name of a character in the book, and be someone who could believably be in the walls of the Tower (i.e., no Forsaken, Darkfriends, Black Ajah, Sharans, etc.). Members may not give themselves a title they have not earned (such as Aes Sedai, Gaidin, Lord or Lady, Master or Mistress), and names must be different from the names of current members (no exact duplicates).

Avatars, or the images we use on our message boards and the Who’s Who, must not be currently in use by an active Tower member. Avatars must be chosen carefully as changes will not be allowed after the initial selection. Only *.gif and *.jpg files will be accepted as avatars and may not exceed 110x170 pixels. Animated avatars are not allowed. TarValon.Net maintains a page suggesting avatars not currently in use here. Members must have the artist's permission to use an avatar if the image is not in public domain. It is solely the user’s responsibility, and TarValon.Net does not take responsibility for any avatars used by its members. If it is brought to the attention of the administration that a user is using an image illegally, the user will be asked to comply with the wishes of the artist.

Signature blocks must not be excessively wide, nor should they be excessively long or possess flashing logos or scrolling text. Banners must be *.gif or *.jpg files and may not exceed 350x100 pixels. There may be up to two lines of text in a signature with a banner. Text-based sigs shall be no more than 10 lines. The use of a few small, personalized emoticons is allowed. Lines including emoticons count for 2 lines.

All changes to avatars or pseudonyms must be approved by the Director of Membership.

Section 2 – Visitors: Visitors are welcome and are asked to follow our Code of Conduct and to follow any instructions given to them by Administration and Moderators. Visitors do not need to fill out a membership application and may partake in chat rooms and the public aspect of our message boards. They may not attend member-only functions. TarValon.Net does not recognize titles awarded by other websites (such as Amyrlin, Aes Sedai, or Lady) and requests that visitors not ask to be addressed by them while at TarValon.Net. There is no set minimum age for visitors, but they should be aware that it is a site meant for adults and that we recommend our community for those age 13 and over. Any visitor unable to follow rules or directions and respect moderators, admins, and fellow members will be asked to leave. Young age will not been seen as a mitigating factor.

Section 3 – Minors: TarValon.Net does not take responsibility for any minors, nor does it monitor its content to be appropriate for them. We support parents who take an active role in their child’s participation on the Internet. Should a parent or guardian request in writing that we disable or delete their minor child’s account, we will comply in a timely manner. Members of the site and community must be at least 13 years of age. Only those children of active adult members may petition for membership while under 13 years of age. Members will be allowed to attend real-life functions based on that country’s age of maturity. In the United States, the minimum age to attend a function (without a parent being an active member) is 18. Functions in other nations will follow local laws regarding age of maturity.

Section 4 – Attaining Membership: Visitors who wish only to use chat rooms and have access to our most basic forums may do so by simply creating a user account on the message boards.

Those wishing to join TarValon.Net do so through a simple process, and they will have basic access to the site and may be eligible to attend functions. Those wishing to join the Tower will go through a more selective process once they have spent a month as a basic member, and they will be afforded more rights and responsibilities. Senior membership is earned over a greater amount of time and has the most responsibilities and benefits.

All visitors 13 years or older may apply for membership to TarValon.Net as a Citizen. Membership will be granted provided that the application is truthful, filled out completely, and if the applicant appears to understand the nature of the community they are about to join.

Admission into our membership shall never be determined by gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or any other status federally protected by the United States of America and commonly held as human rights globally.

Membership may be denied or delayed for the following reasons:

The application is incomplete. Fields are not filled out or are answered with one or very few words.
The applicant is under 13 years of age and is not the dependant or ward of an older member of the site.
The applicant has lied on their application.
The applicant has not agreed to follow these Bylaws or has clearly not read them.
The applicant has failed to include a link/reference to the avatar page for their avatar.

Applicants will receive an email when they have been accepted as a member. If an application is denied, the applicant will receive a brief explanation as to why.

Section 5 – Levels of Membership:The following is an overview of the levels of membership within TarValon.Net. For a more detailed explanation of responsibilities, rights, and privileges, please see the membership handbook.

VISITOR - A visitor is not a member. They are invited to read, chat with us, and post in the public forums. They may not add content to the site, access any private forums, have a vote in Tower matters, serve in office, nor attend TarValon.Net real-life events.
CITIZEN - This person has filled out an application for membership at TarValon.Net and has agreed to obey all rules and Bylaws governing the community of TarValon.Net. They may participate in the city forums and join a guild. They are allowed to apply for limited administrative positions, most staff positions, and are allowed to attend TarValon.Net real-life functions. Citizens must be at least 13 years of age. Children of adult members may make a special petition to become citizen members regardless of age (such petitions should be sent to the Keeper). The level of citizen is designed serve those members who wish to enjoy a TarValon.Net membership without a great deal of responsibility and those members who are still making the decision whether or not to move up in rank.
NOVICE/RECRUIT – These levels are the first in Tower membership. A citizen may apply to become a Novice/Recruit after spending a minimum of four weeks as citizen and receiving two senior member recommendations. They must be at least 14 years of age. Upon entering Tower membership, the member must remain at this level for the period of at least twelve weeks before taking the Test for Accepted/Soldier. People reading the Wheel of Time series for the first time will stay at this level until the reading is completed. They are not required to add any content to TarValon.Net, as their primary goal is to become familiar with the organization of the site and to finish the series up to date. Being a Novice/Recruit gives both the member and the site a chance to see if continued association will be beneficial to both parties. Novices/Recruits shall not be raised to the next level until both parties are fairly certain that continued membership is desired. Novices/Recruits lose access to some city forums (though they may still keep a guild membership), but they gain access to more private forums. They will also be assigned a mentor and be allowed to participate in classes. Members at this level are given a log-in to the site itself and may take advantage of free email and other Tower membership services.
ACCEPTED/SOLDIER - This is the second rank for those hoping to become full senior members. They have read all of the books in the main story arc that have been published in English, have passed the test for Accepted/Soldier with a minimum score of 18 correct answers out of 25, and are at least 15 years of age. At this stage they are allowed to explore two Ajahs/Companies at a time, and are encouraged to explore each option that interests them for membership. They must stay at this level for a minimum of twelve weeks. In order to attain the next level, Accepted/Soldiers are expected to make significant contributions to the improvement of the community or site. These contributions can take a form of a research project, aiding a senior member on a specific task, serving as staff, joining committees, teaching classes, running games or radio shows, or any other number of activities. Please consult either the Director of Research or a membership administrator if ideas about contribution are needed. Accepted and Soldiers are allowed to be guests of two Ajahs or Companies at one time and may switch which two they are a guest of at any time prior to becoming a senior member. At anytime after ten weeks they are allowed to aspire to the Ajah/Company they would like to be raised into, thereby signifying their future commitment to that group.
SENIOR MEMBER (AES SEDAI OR GAIDIN) – This is the highest level of membership. They have passed their test for Aes Sedai/Gaidin, have read all of the books in the Wheel of Time series, have made a significant contribution to the community, are at least 17 years old, have been shown to be personally responsible, and are an Aspirant of a particular Ajah/Company. Senior members may petition for a bond, run for office in the Hall and Council, or hold other administrative positions. Upon reaching the level of Senior member, members may choose to become less active if need be. However, active members are reminded that their title reflects the service they have provided (and should continue to provide) to all members and society at large. They are highly encouraged to continue their time at the Tower in mentorship positions, to serve as moderators and administrators, to teach classes, or to continue research in areas of interest to them. "Aes Sedai" refers to all female senior members. "Gaidin" refers to all male senior members, though those who are bonded may be called "Warders" and those who are not bonded may be called "Younglings."

Section 6 – Raisings:

CITIZEN – To become a Citizen, a member must both have a board account and fill in an application for membership to TarValon.Net. It can take several days for the application to go through as all applications are processed by hand. Members must be at least 13 years of age, have filled out the application correctly, have chosen an avatar, and made several posts on the message boards. Applications may be denied if the applicant has not followed directions, has not filled out the entire form, has not created and used a message board account, does not appear to understand the nature of the site, or clearly has not read the Bylaws.
NOVICE/RECRUIT – To join the Tower itself, a member needs to have been a citizen for at least four weeks and be at least 14 years of age. S/he may then fill out an application for membership to the Tower and submit the names of two senior members (of any gender) who are willing to recommend her/him for membership. The application will go before the Hall and Council (this process may take several weeks). If an application is denied, the member will be informed as to why and given suggestions for how s/he can improve their application.
ACCEPTED/SOLDIER – Once a member has been a Novice or Recruit for at least twelve weeks, has completed the main story arc for the Wheel of Time that has been published in English, and is at least 15 years of age, s/he may apply to be raised to the next level of membership by contacting either the Mistress of Novices (for women) or the Captain of the Guard (for men). If the Mistress/Captain feels that the member is ready to progress, s/he will send her/his recommendation to the Hall and Council for consideration. This process may take several weeks. If an application is denied, the member will be informed as to why and given suggestions for how s/he can improve their application. If the application is accepted, then the member will take an online test to progress (unless being raised at a real-life event). S/he will attain the next level of membership once s/he passes. If s/he does not pass, an Aes Sedai or Gaidin will be assigned to her/him to assist in studying. Members are not put out of the Tower for failing a raising test.
AES SEDAI/GAIDIN – Once a member has been an Accepted or Soldier for at least twelve weeks, has contributed significantly to the improvement and upkeep of the TarValon.Net community and/or site, has aspired to an Ajah or Company, and is at least 17 years of age, s/he may petition to be considered for senior membership. Once the Accepted or Soldier has decided which Ajah or Company they would like to become a member of and has fulfilled all the requirements to be raised, s/he should alert the appropriate Head or Company Commander. This membership administrator will then confer with the Director of Membership and the Mistress of Novices/Captain of the Guard about the request. If all parties agree that the candidate meets the basic criteria for raising, then the application will be submitted to the Hall and Council for consideration. This process may take several weeks. If an application is denied, the member will be informed as to why and given suggestions for how s/he can improve their application. If it is approved, s/he will be given the test for raising (unless being raised at a real-life event). S/he will attain the next level of membership once s/he passes. Senior members are required to be "real," which means that the member must have submitted a current real life photograph to his/her membership administrator as well as have had a telephone conversation with that administrator before his/her application to the Hall and Council can be submitted.

Our members are known throughout the Wheel of Time online community as being upholders of dignity, respect, and service. We will not raise anyone to this level who is not currently able to exhibit such qualities, uphold our laws, evince personal responsibility, and show respect for others. No guarantees are made regarding the raising process. TarValon.Net reserves the right to delay or deny this process for any reason, or to deny raising to any persons who have not shown significant maturity to advance. Raising is a privilege, not a membership right. The above times are minimums only. If the Amyrlin Seat feels it is in the best interest of the site to raise someone sooner than outlined here, she reserves the right to do so. She also has the right to a final veto on any membership raisings.

Section 7 - Real-Life Ceremonies:Members of TarValon.Net may, at some point, be eligible to participate in real-life ceremonies at official events. All ceremonies are performed during the opening ceremonies of each Official Function. TarValon.Net has four different types of ceremonies it performs:

RAISING CEREMONY – Members may, if attending a real-life event close to their raising date, be invited to be raised in person rather than take the online test. They must meet all requirements for raising to the next level and be already approved by the Hall and Council. A member may not apply to be raised in person; this ceremony happens by invitation only.
BONDING CEREMONY – Two persons who have decided to become bonded partners may apply to have a real-life ceremony to celebrate their new friendship. Interested parties need to contact the Keeper and the Director of Membership within one month of the event where they wish to have this ceremony performed. Only limited spaces are available.
MARRIAGE CEREMONY – If two members are already married or will be married within three months of the event they will be attending, they may choose to have an additional marriage ceremony performed at a real-life event. These are not legally binding ceremonies and are meant to be symbolic only. Interested parties need to contact the Keeper within one month of the event where they wish to have this ceremony performed. Only limited spaces are available. There are some members who have the ability to perform a legal ceremony within the United States. If someone is interested in this option, they will need to contact the Director of Membership Services for a list of qualified persons and arrange to pay any special licensing fees associated.
FIRST-SIBLING CEREMONY – TarValon.Net is not an organization based on the Aiel from Wheel of Time and does not officially recognize the status of first-sibling. However, if two members wish to participate in this ceremony, up to three such ceremonies can be performed at each official real-life event. These are available on a first come, first serve basis. Members are encouraged to know each other in real life, to have been friends for several years at least, and to expect the friendship to be life-long. This is a ceremony to celebrate a once in a lifetime friendship with someone you consider a brother or sister. This ceremony is not available to friends of mixed gender. Interested parties need to contact the Keeper within one month of the event where they wish to have this ceremony performed.

In most cases, the highest-ranking member present will perform the ceremonies. Scripts for most ceremonies can be reviewed in our library.

Section 8 – Special Rules: Certain levels of membership have documents outlining rules for that rank maintained by the current community administrators. These are put in place to ease administration for that part of the community, as well as to protect new members from "spoilers" (information about parts of the series they have not yet read) and to ease their transition into higher membership. In any case where specific rules and the Bylaws differ, the Bylaws supercedes any rules.

Section 9 – Leaves of Absence: If a member expects to be away or posting infrequently for a period of more than 2 or 3 weeks, we ask that s/he requests a leave of absence (or LoA). This should be submitted in writing to her/his membership administrator. All requests will be approved for as long as they need to be and will ensure that the member requesting the leave will not be stricken from the membership records at TarValon.Net. Members planning on being away for only a few days or a week should not submit a leave of absence.

Section 10 – Term of Membership: Members under the level of senior membership (Aes Sedai and Gaidin) will retain membership as long as they are active unless they have requested removal from our records in writing. Members at other levels who are gone for over a month without showing activity and without requesting a leave may be removed from membership and may need to start over should they return. Petitions to be reinstated at a former rank may be submitted to the Keeper of the Chronicles in special cases. Senior members need not post a leave of absence in order to maintain membership and will only be stricken from our records should they request in writing to be removed from membership. Such requests will be honored, and should the member wish to join again, s/he will not retain her/his former rank or associations. A senior member who has been away long enough to be removed from our Who’s Who but returns later (without having written a request to remove membership) will be reinstated at her/his former rank. TarValon.Net reserves the right to remove membership privileges at any time.

Section 11 – The Bond: TarValon.Net allows Aes Sedai and Younglings to bond each other for the purpose of creating a closer friendship between genders with one or more members of the site, to provide a partner with whom to work, and a special friend to stand by his/her side. The bond is not the equivalent of a romantic relationship. Anyone who has attained the rank of Aes Sedai or Youngling may ask to be bonded to a specific partner, with the exception of the Red Ajah. A member of the Green Ajah may bond up to two partners.

Parties wishing to be bonded must write a letter of intent to the Director of Membership. The petition will then be waited on for a period from one (1) week up to two (2) months or longer. During this time, the pair may be observed by the administration to determine if the bond would be functional. When both parties are sent emails asking them to go to a certain URL, the members shall be considered officially bonded.

Dissolving the bond is highly discouraged at TarValon.Net, but the following reasons have been decided as being acceptable when requesting that a bond be broken:

Abandonment by one party in the bond.
Real-life long-term relationships requiring absolution or passing of the bond.
Real-life conflicts that make one party in the bond unable to fulfill his or her obligations to the other.

Requests to dissolve a bond must be submitted to the Keeper by both parties and will be considered twice a year, at the same time as the Hall/Council elections. These requests must be received by December 1 or June 1. The Amyrlin Seat reserves the right to dissolve any bond that she or the Hall/Council feels is detrimental to either one or both of the involved parties or the community at large. If a couple is asked to dissolve their bond, they are subject to a waiting period of three (3) months or longer before they may petition for a new bond. Any member who has had two bonds dissolved forcibly by the Amyrlin Seat will not be allowed to bond again.

Section 12 – Near and First Siblings: TarValon.Net is a community with its rules and associations largely based on those found in the White Tower in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. The tradition of near and first siblings belongs to the Aiel culture and as such are not officially recognized at TarValon.Net. If a person feels they have such a bond with another person and wishes to have a ceremony marking that, they may petition the Keeper to participate in a real-life ceremony; however, this relationship should not be placed into signatures or be used in any way that might infer that it is an official rank or association within the community.

Section 13 - Privacy, Records and Disclosure: By filling out an application to join TarValon.Net, all members recognize that TarValon.Net reserves its right to conduct a basic background check on any member using the IP address or any other information obtained during the application process. Information obtained in the application process, through our message boards, or through our email list shall not be sold or given to any other party.

All members are expected to disclose fully any information that may be a possible problem or threat to TarValon.Net or its members. If any member is asked directly by an Officer, Director, or administrator, s/he is expected to answer truthfully, as members may not understand the full implications of information they know. Any member of the administration found abusing the right to full disclosure shall be subject to discipline.

TarValon.Net reserves the right to copy, distribute to appropriate parties, and use the content of all emails, conversations, chats, and anything else that has to do with transgressions of these Bylaws or relates to any member of this site. Members should be aware that any discussion, email, or chat between themselves and another member is not a private and that the other party may, at any time, choose to disclose that information. This information will be gathered and kept for potential use in our disciplinary process. Every effort will be made to guarantee the privacy of the member subject to discipline as well as any individual involved in these situations. In the event that a member has his/her membership revoked and proceeds to spread untrue or incomplete information despite requests to discontinue this action, we reserve the right to make the records public to ensure the general public knows the truth behind the actions/procedure that led to the discontinuation of membership.

ARTICLE 3 - DISCIPLINE

Section 1 – Behavior and Accountability: All members and visitors shall be expected to follow these Bylaws and the spirit thereof. Anyone breaking the Bylaws and membership Code of Conduct shall be subject to discipline within the community up to and including removal of membership. It is expected that members of the site shall be held accountable for their actions. If a member is approached by any other member and shown a transgression on his/her part, s/he is to take this seriously and try to make amends. If a moderator or administrator feels it necessary to get involved, all actions causing the transgressions must immediately cease and desist.

Section 2 – Levels of Intervention: In an attempt to stop problems while they are still manageable, the following system has been set up to deal with discipline issues. All attempts shall be made to follow this system, but TarValon.Net makes no guarantees to follow it if the transgressions require more serious action. All members are expected to follow directions and corrections as needed. The term ‘member’ shall also be used here to refer to guests or anyone using any aspect of the TarValon.Net site. There are several levels of discipline, and they are as follows:

First Offense - A fellow member, senior member, Sitter/Councilor, moderator, administrator, Director, or Officer may ask the member to cease and desist and to make any necessary changes to right the behavior.

Second Offense - The member will be asked to stop/correct the behavior by an administrator or moderator and may be given a task to fulfill in addition to correcting the item/issue at hand.

Third Offense - At this point, the administration will involve itself. The Keeper or the Amyrlin Seat may also be involved, and an ultimatum may be issued. Cooperation will be a necessary part of maintaining membership.

In cases of repeat offenses, the member may come up for review before the Hall of Sitters and Warder Council and may face termination of his/her membership. TarValon.Net reserves the right to terminate memberships immediately should the member’s actions warrant such action.

Section 3 – Consequences: Consequences for actions against the rules, Bylaws, or Code of Conduct may take among the following forms:

Corrective Action – The member will be asked to correct the error, which may include the stopping of certain behaviors, editing posts, or offering apologies.
Punishment – A membership administrator may give a member a "punishment" to complete in order to make up for smaller infractions. These are generally light-hearted or humorous and are meant to both encourage best behavior and diffuse the situation.
Penance – "Penances" are given only by the Amyrlin Seat and are reserved for situations where the infraction was serious and possibly disruptive to the well-being of the community. Penances may take the form of apologies, busy work on projects, or actions that are meant to help correct the situation. Penances may be either public or private to be determined based on the circumstances. Once a member has worked to make amends and has served a penance, especially if it is public, then the issue will be considered closed unless the offence is repeated. Members may request a penance if they feel they require help in atoning for specific actions within the community.
Probation – Members who are serving some penances may be also placed on probation. During this time, they cannot be raised in membership level, nor may they attend real-life events. If the member violates the Bylaws, rules, or Code of Conduct again while on probation, their membership may be revoked.
Banning – Members who are either in gross or repeated violation of the Bylaws or Code of Conduct may be banned. This ban may be specific to a forum or part of the site (such as the message boards or chat) and may be temporary. It may also be a complete removal of membership and all privileges of attending real-life events and participating in forums or chat rooms will be revoked. The decision to ban a Tower member (as opposed to a citizen or visitor) will be put before the Hall and Council, with a majority vote. A membership ban is not meant to be temporary. However, if a banned person wishes to rejoin the site, s/he may send a petition to the Amyrlin Seat. On rare occasions, generally only if the circumstances that caused the ban have been specifically corrected and a significant amount of time has passed, she may pass the request on to the Hall and Council for consideration.

Members who refuse to participate in or respond to this process may also have their membership revoked.

Section 4 – Appeals: We will make all efforts to treat all members fairly and equitably. If you feel you are being treated unfairly, you may contact the Keeper for an appeal. She will review the situation and records and consult with the Hall or other administrators. Only in extreme circumstances should you approach the Amyrlin Seat directly. The Amyrlin's decision will be final.

Section 5 – Play Transgressions: Specifically within our ranks of Novice/Recruit and Accepted/Soldier, there are several playful rules set up regarding behavior for those at this level (these are the rules that are not found within these Bylaws). Members, upon seeing someone “break” such rules, may request that a member see the Mistress of Novices or the Captain of the Guard for correction. These "punishments" are humorous in nature and are a fun and interesting part of being a member. They are not part of our regular disciplinary system. If a member feels that another member is asking her/him to report to the Mistress of Novices/Captain of the Guard and is using it as a form of harassment, s/he should inform her/his membership administrator and provide logs so that the administrator may intervene.

ARTICLE 4 - REAL-LIFE FUNCTIONS

Section 1 – Events: TarValon.Net specifically encourages real-life events and gatherings between members. Our events are broken down into two categories: Official and Unofficial. These are described below; the seasons mentioned are in accordance with the Northern Hemisphere.

Official Tower Events – These are large scale events for our members, arranged by TarValon.Net. Members will be asked to help pay for the costs. These events generally feature traditions including our toasting round, special recognition awards, fund raisings, and competitions for prizes, and they are most easily compared to small fan conventions. These events include:
- Anniversary Party – Spring; generally involves camping somewhere and lasts several days. Can be held anywhere in the world, but it is usually on the same continent where the Amyrlin Seat lives.
- Tower Party Europe – Summer and winter; held in Europe.
- The Tower at Dragon*Con – Late August/early September; while this event is one of the largest sci-fi fantasy conferences in the world, TarValon.Net generally has a large congregation in attendance as well as additional functions planned. This is the only event where minors may attend; however, they must stay with a parent or guardian in their own hotel room.
- Fall Ball – Autumn, held in North America. Generally involves going to a touristy location and staying in a hotel. This event moves around the continent.
- Tower Party Australia – Winter (Australian summer); held in Australia.
Unofficial Events – These are informal gatherings held by a group of friends that might happen to have some members present. These are not administered by TarValon.Net; therefore, the host determines specifically who is invited, as well as any rules and liability deemed necessary. Age restrictions are up to the host. Any function posted in our Local Events forums will be assumed as open invitation. As such, the host is not allowed to discriminate based on any status that is federally protected in the United States of America or any status that is mentioned in TarValon.Net's Bylaws. If someone wishes to host a party and be selective as to whom may attend, the person should use alternative means of planning the event.

Section 2 – Eligibility: Anyone who has been a member in good standing of TarValon.Net for at least 2 months, is 18 years of age (although, if the event is being held in a country with a lower legal age of maturity, local laws will prevail), has shown significant maturity, has posted a real life photo, and has spoken on the telephone to a membership administrator or Officer may attend a Tower Function. Members on probation may or may not be granted the ability to attend functions. TarValon.Net reserves the right to extend or withhold an invitation for any reason. The Amyrlin reserves the right to extend special invitations as needed.

Section 3 – Liability: TarValon.Net does not take responsibility for anyone, including his/her actions, safety, and possessions, who attends a function. All who attend take full responsibility for themselves and agree to hold TarValon.Net and its administration and Officers harmless in the event of an unforeseen occurrence.

Section 4 – Behavior: All attending a TarValon.Net function must behave in full accordance with these Bylaws and the Code of Conduct. Members who fail to comply may be asked to leave the event and will not be granted a refund. If disciplinary action is needed at a real life event, it may result in termination of membership. Members must act as responsible guests. This includes respecting personal property and space, as well as helping with set-up, clean-up, and costs.

Section 5 – Planning an Event: The Master/Mistress of Revels is the primary supervisor for the planning of an Official Tower Event. The general region will be picked no later than 6 months before an event is slated to happen. Members may submit a proposal to the Master/Mistress of Revels before the location is selected to recommend their region and offer their help as a Local Liaison. A Local Liaison is a member who has volunteered either to offer their home or to help secure a location for the event in their region, and s/he will work closely with the Master/Mistress of Revels and his/her immediate assistants in the execution of the event. Three to four months before the event is slated to happen, the Master/Mistress of Revels will form committees made of TarValon.Net members, including (but not limited to) the Welcome Committee, the Food Committee, the Safety Committee, the Awards Committee, the Transportation Committee, and the Decoration Committee. Committees for Dragon*Con may differ significantly due to the nature of the conference. The planning of the event will take place in a specially created forum in our Functions area of the message board so that all members may see the progress being made and have a chance to become involved.

ARTICLE 5 – ADMINISTRATION

Section 1 – Purpose and Definitions: TarValon.Net will strive to have a functional and accessible group of Officers, Directors, administrators, staff, Sitters/Councilors, and moderators. All Officers and Directors are appointed by the Amyrlin Seat. Administrators, staff, Sitters/Councilors, and moderators are appointed by the Keeper with final approval from the Amyrlin Seat.

Section 2 – Terms of Office: Any member who takes a position within the administrative structure is required to give varying periods of notice before vacating their position and agrees to help train their replacement during this time. At the end of this time, they promise to give TarValon.Net all websites, pages, information, images, URLs, passwords, email addresses, and any other item, file, or medium that was used for the position. All who work for TarValon.Net must agree to respect the privacy of the forums in which they participate and the records to which they have access. They may not discuss issues or disclose information to persons who do not also have this access or to any other community. They may not use their position and access to information through TarValon.Net for the benefit of another site or community. By accepting a position with TarValon.Net, the member agrees to be held to these requirements. Those who wish to retire and do so within these guidelines will be welcome to apply for future positions within the administrative structure. If an Officer, Director, administrator, or staff foresees that they will not be able to perform their essential duties for a significant period of time, they should request retirement. Smaller leaves of absence may be covered by an assistant or other person selected by both the position-holder and the Amyrlin Seat.

Section 3 – Officers: The Officers are positions which oversee the running of various parts of the site. Officers are require to give at least 3 months' notice before retiring from their position.

Chief Executive Officer (Amyrlin Seat) – Provides the overall direction for the website and community. Is the chief ambassador for TarValon.Net amongst its own members and other Wheel of Time communities. Takes an interest in everything related to the site, but her main focus is the development and future of the community. Serves as the final authority in major conflict resolutions.
Chief Operational Officer (Keeper of the Chronicles) – Oversees the daily administration and running of the site and community. Works with the Directors to choose, train, and replace administrators and staff. Oversees all of TarValon.Net's Directors. Oversees the Hall, including the selection of Sitters and Councilors. Oversees moderators. Reports to the Amyrlin Seat directly.

Section 4 – Directors: Directors supervise all administrators and staff within their respective Departments. They report to the Keeper of Chronicles and work with her to ensure that the daily administration of the site and community runs smoothly. They are asked to give at least three months' notice before vacating their positions.

Director of Administration – Assists the Amyrlin Seat and Keeper of Chronicles in administrating the business, legal, and financial aspects of TarValon.Net. Is responsible for the annual report.
Director of Communications – Manages content for TarValon.Net’s news and community news pages. Edits the monthly newsletter “The Tar Valon Times.”
Director of Information Technology – Manages the technical aspect of TarValon.Net and project manages all technical projects for site functionality. Also serves as the site’s web master.
Director of Membership – Maintains the membership records, reviews bondings, handles avatar and name changes, and handles raisings to senior membership. Provides conflict resolution for TarValon.Net's membership should a membership administrator/staff request it or such resolution is needed.
Director of Membership Services – Oversees production of all TarValon.Net events both in real life and on the website, maintains community calendar, and heads all function committees. Manages other online and community events including holiday celebrations, radio programs, games in chat rooms, membership birthdays, basic marketing, etc.
Director of Research – Manages content in TarValon.Net’s Library. Oversees the creation and teaching of classes, manages research projects, and moderates Library forums.

Section 5 – Administrators: Those who oversee the community functionality at TarValon.Net shall be known as administrators. They are asked to give at least two to three months' notice before vacating their position.

Captain of the Guard (membership administrator) - Manages all junior male members at the levels of Recruit and Soldier; moderates all forums, boards, and chat rooms associated with these members; oversees the male mentorship program; and encourages guidance, discipline, and community. Moderates the Gaidin forum.
Community Creative Developer (membership services administrator) – Manages the content of the Museum. Manages the website for the Museum. Fosters the creative community at TarValon.Net in all its aspects. Reports to the Manager of General Services.
Company Commander (membership administrator) - Manages one of TarValon.Net’s four Companies; maintains the group’s website; moderates all forums, boards, and chat rooms associated with the group; and encourages guidance, discipline, and community. Works in tandem with the Captain of the Guard to administrate the Soldiers aspiring to the Company.
Guild Leader (membership services administrator) - Manages and fosters the community within one of the guilds at TarValon.Net. Reports to the Manager of General Services.
Head of Ajah (membership administrator) - Manages one of TarValon.Net’s seven Ajahs; maintains the group's website; moderates all forums, boards, and chat rooms associated with the group; and encourages guidance, discipline, and community. Works in tandem with the Mistress of Novices to administrate the Accepted aspiring to the Ajah.
Manager of General Services (membership services manager) - Manages the administrators and staff within the Department of Membership Services who deal with our general services.
Manager of Online Services (membership services manager) - Manages the administrators and staff within the Department of Membership Services who deal with our online services.
Manager of Real Life Services (membership services manager) - Manages the administrators and staff within the Department of Membership Services who deal with our real life services.
Master of the Watch (information technology administrator) – Manages one of TarValon.Net's two servers. Provides technical support for that server. Assigns projects on that server to the appropriate staff member. Oversees all staff members who have access to that server. Oversees all projects and webpages hosted on that server. Works to recruit people into the department with the appropriate website construction skills.
Mayor (membership administrator) – Manages all members at the level of citizen as well as visitors; moderates all forums and chat rooms associated with this level of membership; encourages community; provides discipline and guidance. Handles the entrance of citizens into the Tower.
Master/Mistress of Chat (information technology administrator) – Oversees the operation of, updates the moderator BOT of, and directs moderators for TarValon.Net’s three chat rooms.
Master/Mistress of Games (membership services administrator) - Oversees TarValon.Net's IRC services. Helps coordinate chat games with various membership groups, maintains IRC activity scheduling, and manages radio hosts. Oversees our non-holiday-related games that occur in our Games forum. Reports to the Manager of Online Services.
Master/Mistress of Revels (membership services administrator) – Organizes real-life events that occur on her/his continent. Reports to the Manager of Real Life Services.
Mistress of Novices (membership administrator) – Manages all junior female members at the level of Novice and Accepted; moderates all forums, boards, and chat rooms associated with these members; oversees the female mentorship program; and provides guidance, discipline, and community. Moderates the Aes Sedai forum.
Online Events Coordinator (membership services administrator) - Organizes events that occur on a community-wide level on our message boards. Organizes birthday lists and celebrations. Reports to the Manager of Online Services.
Systems administrator (information technology administrator) – Manages one of TarValon.Net's two servers. Provides technical support for that server. Assigns projects on that server to the appropriate staff member. Oversees all staff members who have access to that server. Oversees all projects and webpages hosted on that server. Works to recruit people into the department with the appropriate website construction skills.

Section 6 – Staff: Our staff is made up those who oversee the day-to-day business of the site and its essential services. They are asked to give at least one month’s notice before vacating a position. The list below is partial and is meant to give a sampling of positions only.

Artistic Developer (information technology staff) – Creates artistic elements of the site's design. This position requires at least three months' notice.
Chief Legal Advisor (administration staff) - Serves as legal advisor to TarValon.Net’s administration. This position requires at least three months' notice.
Constable (membership staff) – Assists the Mayor in maintaining order among citizens and visitors of the site, acts as the first level disciplinarian, and assists the Mayor in processing applications both for citizenship and for admittance to the Tower.
Executive Assistant to the Amyrlin (administration staff) – Assists the Amyrlin and Keeper as needed on various special projects, maintains the secret histories, and serves to take minutes at important real-life meetings.
General staff (all departments) - Each Director has the option of having members serve as general staff members in his/her Department to assist as needed.
Hearts of Ajahs (membership staff) - Assistants to the Heads of Ajahs (specifically in matters related to morale); generally elected by her Ajah or appointed by the Head of Ajah.
Honor Guard (membership staff) – Assistant to the Company Commander (specifically in matters related to morale); generally elected by his Company or appointed by the Company Commander.
New Member Services Coordinator (membership services staff) - Moderates the Introductions forum. Answers questions from new members and helps them find their way around the community initially. Organizes and maintains the avatar website. Reports to the Manager of General Services.
Personal Assistants (all departments) – Adminstrators may take on additional personal assistants as needed to complete their duties. These are picked by the administrator and are not necessarily in line to take over the position should the person they are assisting retire.
Radio Show Hosts (membership services staff) - Produce online radio programs in TarValon.Net chatrooms. Report to the Master/Mistress of Games.
Radio Techical Manager (membership services staff) - Provides assistance to the Mistress/Master of Games with the technical side of organizing IRC services. Reports to the Manager of Online Services.
Site Content Coordinator (information technology staff) - Oversees the creation of new site applications and updates said applications to accommodate new content for users.
Tower Historian (research staff) - Maintains a detailed history of TarValon.Net and updates a public archive of this information.
Tower Voice (membership services staff) - Serves to announce important community events including raisings and bondings, and adds articles to our website's news section.
Treasurer (administration staff) – Manages community funds, processes ticket payments to official events, pays bills, and disperses money as needed. This position requires at least three months' notice.
Writers for the Tar Valon Times (communications staff) – Create content for monthly membership newsletter.

Section 7 – Sitters and Councilors: These positions are represented in either the Hall of Sitters or the Warder Council. On January 1 and July 1 of every year, two members of every Ajah and Company are selected to serve in the Hall of Sitters and Warder Council. They primarily serve to review applications into the Tower and applications to be raised to Accepted/Soldier and senior member, but they are also used to help determine whether a member should be banned, determine dispersal of emergency funds for members in need, and may occasionally be called upon by the Amyrlin to provide counsel. They also choose scholarship recipients. Membership administrators, Directors, and Officers are not eligible to serve in the Hall.

Section 8 – Moderators: Most staff and administrators double as moderators for forums under their jurisdiction. Chat room moderators and specific forum moderators fall under this category as well and consist of members who have shown great maturity and are active in the chat room/forum they moderate. Members must comply with moderator requests and decisions. If a member feels a moderator has erred, they are encouraged to log the situation and send it to either their membership administrator or the Keeper for review.

Section 9 – Administrative and Membership Structure: The following diagram illustrates our administrative organizational structure:

The following diagram illustrates our membership organizational structure:

Section 10 – Election of the Amyrlin Seat: Should the Amyrlin choose to retire, she will appoint her successor, balancing the suggestions of her administration with her opinion as to what would be best for TarValon.Net. In the event that the Amyrlin is unable to chose her successor or oversee the process of selection, the following procedures shall be followed. The Keeper of the Chronicles will temporarily serve as Amyrlin until the selection process is completed, and she shall oversee it. For two weeks, nominations for a new Amyrlin may be submitted to the Keeper either by those wishing the position or by those wishing to nominate someone else. The Keeper shall determine who on the list is willing to serve in this function. If the list contains more than 10 candidates, a general election will be held in which all members of two months or longer will be invited to vote. The top ten candidates of this election will be sent to a committee made up of the Officers, Directors, and administrators. They will then examine each candidate and must come to agree upon one with a 75% vote in that candidate's favor. The whole process should not take longer than one month.

ARTICLE 6 - OPERATIONS

Section 1 – Administration: TarValon.Net shall strive to keep an active, fair, and approachable administration. It shall also seek to provide its Officers, Directors, administrators and staff with all tools needed to do their job to the best of their ability.

Section 2 – Essential Services: TarValon.Net shall seek to fulfill its mission statement by not only creating a welcoming and functional community but also by providing its members with the following services: reliable and up-to-date Wheel of Time and community news; a monthly newsletter featuring articles, interviews, poetry, comics, and other content; a searchable Library with innovative research and access to information about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time; Wheel of Time-themed entertainment including games and humor; an online Art Gallery to feature original pieces not found elsewhere on the internet; access to Wheel of Time and TarValon.Net products; real-life events and functions; an extensive message board and chat room system moderated by fair and attentive people; emergency aid to community members in need; and additional perks including email and other applications.

All members are welcomed to contribute to any aspect of the community mentioned. However, in order to ensure the quality and accessibility of the material provided by this site and to ensure the vision TarValon.Net is based on is present in every aspect of the community, all related projects such as articles, chatrooms, message boards, and webpages must be approved by the administration.

Section 3 – Record Keeping: TarValon.Net shall do its best to maintain accurate records of its membership, budget, and history. An annual report of statistics and general information shall be available once a year. Past copies can be found in the Library. The annual report will be due on July 1st of every year to correspond with the fiscal year.

Section 4 – Financial: TarValon.Net shall keep a bank account with the Treasurer, the Keeper, and the Amyrlin as signers, and it shall be used to pay all bills, purchase supplies, and fulfill other needs of the community. Should the Amyrlin, the Keeper, or the Treasurer retire, the money will remain with the community, and the Officer or Treasurer leaving must make arrangements to make sure it will be accessible to succeeding Officers. There will be two annual fundraisers held in April and October, but other fundraisers may be brought forth if needed.

Section 5 - Scholarship: TarValon.net will award at least one scholarship yearly. Applicants should be in their first year of college or university and must provide proof (usually an acceptance letter will suffice). They must also write an essay as to how their chosen field will help them become a "Servant of All." Once the deadline for applications has passed, the Hall will review the applications and choose one person to award a scholarship in the amount of $100 US. Should a member of the Hall be an applicant, that person's permissions for the Hall will be taken away while the decision-making process is ongoing, to be replaced by the Heart or Honor Guard of that person's Ajah or Company for the duration of the process. That person's permissions will be reinstated once the scholarship winner has been chosen and announced.

Section 6 – Guilds: All members will be allowed to join one professional association at TarValon.Net, hereafter referred to as "guilds." Guilds are meant to serve as special networking groups, helping members with like interests, hobbies, and professions that benefit the community of TarValon.Net to meet and socialize with one another. These guilds must be organizations that could be found in the world of the Wheel of Time.

Guild leaders will be appointed by the Keeper and Director of Membership Services, are considered forum moderators, and may be of any membership level. In addition to moderating their guild forum, they are encouraged to think of interesting content to keep their guild members engaged. While all members may post in any guild forum, only guild members are allowed to create topics. Members of a guild may put their guild association in their signature if they like.

Members of TarValon.Net may only be members of one guild at a time. However, if they chose to change guild memberships, they need to write to their current guild leader and future guild leader requesting a transfer. Members are encouraged to make their guild choice carefully and not to transfer guilds very often.

Section 7 – Public Relations: TarValon.Net shall always strive to keep the best relationship and reputation with its fellow sites and all other companies related to the Wheel of Time.

Section 8 – Community Works: TarValon.Net shall keep its community focused on a goal of community service and will encourage this through charity projects and volunteer drives.

Section 9 – Site Growth and Maintenance: TarValon.Net’s members rise in rank not only through maturity but also through service to the community at TarValon.Net. Sometimes this service or contribution takes shape as research, a project, fostering the community as a whole, or a web page. Any contributions done for TarValon.Net or submitted for its growth become the property of TarValon.Net and are subject to changes by an Officer, Director, or select administrators, and they may not be copied for use on other websites.

ARTICLE 7 - COPYRIGHT

The materials on Tarvalon.Net and its pages (including all texts, translations, images, descriptions, drawings, design, html, format, projects, etc.) are provided for the personal use of members and guests. Any commercial use or publication of them without authorization is strictly prohibited. All materials are copyrighted and are not in the public domain. Copying of materials on TarValon.Net is not permitted. No graphics, design, or formatting which are available from TarValon.Net and its related sites are to be used, copied, or distributed without written permission from TarValon.Net. Personal avatars are the responsibility of the individual and are used with the permission of the individual artists. The copyright to those graphics belong to the individual artists who created them. Any violation of copyright in the use of the graphics used as a personal avatar is with the individual and not TarValon.Net. TarValon.Net expresses clearly to its members that they are to receive the proper permission to use their avatars prior to their use. Tarvalon.Net is not liable for any violation of law by its members in their use of graphics and other information. The Wheel of Time is copyrighted by Robert Jordan and Tor Books. TarValon.Net holds the overall copyright to the TarValon.Net and its associated web pages, including but not limited to Ajah and Company Headquarters. Copyright is protected by the copyright laws of the United States and the Universal Copyright Convention. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by TarValon.Net.