Bentwood Raiders
Bylaws

The Mercenaries’ Guild, known as the Bentwood Raiders, is being formed to provide a common arena for the freemen of York to participate. The guild will serve as a training forum for those interested in survival in a world where only the highborn have rights. The Bentwood Raiders represent only themselves and their own interests. Our members shall be skilled in the ways of combat, art, politics, and many other important key aspects of life in Adria. Those who do not, but somehow manage to pass our initiations anyway (Fat chance), shall be trained to offer such skills so as to become worthy of hire. We offer these skills as individuals and as a group to the person, house, or army that can pay or offer us the most.

Live long, make lots of money, and remember – possession is one hundred percent of the law if we can kick your ass!

1. The following criteria shall be used to discriminate against those few not permitted to join the Bentwood Raiders.

1. No man bound by any fealty, save that to another member of the guild may join our brotherhood. This, of course, does not include the sworn fealty that all members of the populace have to the crowns.

1. This includes squires, apprentices, paid soldiers on a permanent payroll, and any other fealty-like relationships.
2. Knights, who have sworn fealty to one another may, on a case by case basis, be considered for admission.

1. All slaves shall be considered for admittance and if accepted, shall fall under the protection of the guild and shall no longer be considered slaves, unless the slave owner offers us more money for your dumb ass.
2. There shall be no cowards admitted. The challenger initiation trials listed below will eliminate those.
3. No law enforcement officials, without special consideration, shall ever be brought before council.
4. None who have challenged the initiation and failed shall be allowed to re-challenge within a twelve-month period.
5. All those who, for any reason, are not eligible to join our ranks, may, under consideration of the council, be admitted as ‘Friends of the Guild.’ As such they shall enjoy the protection and limited confidences of the guild, where appropriate.

1. The following exceptions to the above discriminations shall apply as decided by the council.

1. In exception to rule #1, Squires, apprentices, etc… may be considered ‘friends of the guild’ as long as the person to whom they have sworn their fealty is a member in good standing of the guild.
2. In exception to rule #5, squires, apprentices, etc… who failed to pass the initiation due to their fealty but have now been released from said fealty, may re-challenge as soon as their fealty tie is officially broken.

There can be no cowards among the ranks of the Bentwood Raiders. As such, there shall be three tests to be endured in order that ye shall join our honorably low and often times demented ranks.

1. The first shall be a demonstration of devotion. Ye shall be required to bring before the council some item or person, or ye shall be required to perform some task as set before you by the council members. Ye shall be told what to do, and to pass this test, ye shall do whatever it takes to achieve your objective! Dedication, devotion, and commitment are paramount to our cause. Weakness will not and cannot be tolerated.
2. The second test shall be a test of metal. Ye shall run the mercenaries’ gauntlet. Ye shall fight three successive matches against existing members of the guild. The rules of these matches are to be determined at the time of the match. All rules of combat shall be changeable by the council members or member combatants at any time, including and especially, in the middle of the tournament.
3. After completing the first two tests, a challenger who wishes to join the ranks of the mercenaries shall be subject to a council. No matter what the outcome of the first two tests, the council’s decision will be final. They will judge each candidate upon his or her worthiness to join our ranks. All bribes, including women, gold, weapons, and anything else of value, if there is anything, shall be considered in good taste and shall be made before council consideration.

Note: Bribes donated by challengers will NOT necessarily be returned.

These three tests shall be the qualifying requirements to enter the mercenaries’ guild of York. Exceptions shall be made as necessary to accommodate those whom the existing members deem worthy of exception. Some exceptions may include, but are not limited to:

1. Artisans of extreme skill.
2. Sires, Barons, Counts, etc… of politically influential houses, baronies, counties, etc…
3. Ministers with significant pull, sway or affect on the thrones.

1. No man may join this guild that does not pass the initiation rights described in section II above.
2. Women will be accepted into the guild under different guidelines than those proposed in section II. However, any woman who wishes to be treated as an equal to all other members of the guild, may challenge the initiation to gain membership.
3. Any challenger who wishes to join may do so in secret if they so wish.
4. The members of the council shall remain secret from all others in and out of the guild.
5. Members may join the guild in secret and remain so for as long as they wish.
6. Once accepted into the guild, you must do the following to leave our brotherhood:

1. Die
2. Face the gauntlet once again
3. Swear an oath of silence and secrecy so that none may ever learn of the secrets of our brotherhood and thus place our very lives in jeopardy.

1. The council reserves the right to vote on the removal of guild members for any violations of the rules. A simple majority is all that shall be necessary to cast out a member from our ranks.
2. During times of war and dispute, each member shall be given the right to fight for whomever he or she so chooses.
3. The leader of the mercenaries’ guild shall be chosen by combat. Challenges to the position may come at any time and may be for any reason. Failure of the current leader to accept a challenge will result in an automatic charge of cowardice and trial by combat shall be invoked.

1. The current leader of the Raiders shall decide the type of combat and the rules.
2. The council must approve of the challenge. Grounds for disapproval include, but are not limited to:

1. The challenger is not considered worthy to lead the Raiders
2. The challenger has judicial-type action pending
3. The challenger was granted acceptance into the Raiders under provisions or exceptions rather than through the trial by combat.

1. A leader, who has been defeated by a challenger in combat, may not re-challenge for his position for at least 3 months.

1. All disputes will be settled by combat. Every man is considered innocent until proven dead by his accuser.
2. Any and all information learned or otherwise obtained, as a result of being a member of the guild may never be revealed to any non-member. Violation of this rule will result in death and subsequent dismissal from the guild as well as blood oaths of vengeance. In addition, the members and friends of the guild shall harass ye at every opportunity.
3. The guild is a clear majority rules government. There is one leader and he shall make all of the decisions. Disagreement with such decisions shall be settled by combat as stated in rule ‘H’ above. Such disagreements shall never be allowed to interfere with the guilds ability to make money!!!!
4. Any member of the guild found performing duties not appropriately paid for, shall be considered defective and shall be ejected from the guild pending trial by combat. Win or loose, members accused of such actions shall be considered under probation and shall be summarily challenged to combat whenever possible.
5. All the rules and by-laws of Adria and York shall be upheld within the confines of the guild and no guild rules shall ever override those invoked by Adria or York.
6. Any and all ranks assigned to members of the guild shall have absolutely no bearing on the rest of Adria or York. Titles such as Band Leader, Master of Arms, and Butt Stomper, are solely for the purpose of identification within the guild and shall grant no member any rights, sumptuaries, or other privileges not earned through the rightful by-laws of Adria and/or York. In other words, Rule 14 again.