Quote from
Adriana on June 18, 2024, 11:15 am
The Covenants of the Divines
Covenants of the Divines are covenants upheld by every member of the "Midnight Sun Pack". In all, there are nine, but each Tribe (Beta and company) within the territory may instill their own bylaws so long as they do not alter the context of the original covenants.
The first three Covenants pertain specifically to the race, and are in place to protect werewolves and men alike from the motivations of the beast.
Firstly: We are blessed with the faculties of men. We are man before beast. Any man who disobeys this law by putting his the instinct or emotions before his conscious will, contrary to the teachings of the pack, is subject to the punishment of man and beast. Blood debts are to be repaid in blood.
Secondly: By the light of the moon, we do not draw the blood of mankind, nor seek his birth into our race. If one loses control of their faculties and causes a man to forfeit his humanity, the debt is twofold: accompanied by another, he must find his family and inform them of the loss. Henceforth, he is required to hunt for the Moonborn and his family for the next five years. The meat will be cleaned and delivered to the family in secret by a scout. He will otherwise have no contact with the pack and cannot join in the Celebrations, but will continue to stay on designated land and subject to our laws, as one who has infected once cannot be exiled.
Thirdly: We are stronger than the natural man, and do not need to dominate nor prove our strength to them. The land is to be shared, and when compromise is to be made, it is to be in the courts and currencies of men, lest we concede. Our bodies can take us where men cannot live, and even in these modern days, we have enough.
***
The next three Covenants pertain to family, inner pack disputes, and disputes between multiple packs.
Fourth: Family is the sacred lifeblood of all of mankind. The family is not to be broken apart unless the need is dire, and is to be revered; protected from conception until it is reclaimed by time or nature. A man who breaks his ceremonial oaths to his wife is to be exiled. A family who casts out their elderly or youth (who are not of the age to hunt), will be forbidden from partaking in the Celebrations until they have reconciled before the Alpha.
Fifth: The fifth and sixth covenants pertain to challenges, the fifth being in relation to inner pack disputes (whether between Tribes or within them, but all within the united territory).
Challenges are an honored tradition of both men and beast. They are a permitted display of physical strength between (a single pair) of able men under the witness of the Alpha and Beta's, along with their Tribes.
The only accepted challenges are for a mans rank or to defend ones honor. Challenges for his property (because we are united and share a land and resources), his beloved or his family, are not permitted and are subject to fierce punishment should they be held in secret.
On a Challenge within a Tribe: The whole Tribe-that is, a Beta and his subordinates, must be present, as well as the Alpha and the Beta's of the other Tribes. Challenges between multiple Tribes must have the entirety of both Tribes present along with the Alpha and Beta's.
Blood may be drawn, but the battle will be stopped before it is in excess, which is; before it can cause any man to be unable to hunt that season or the severity of his injuries will cause him to die.
If the battle becomes excessive, intervention is to be made by the Beta’s. If a wound is inflicted before it can be prevented, that is in excess, the family of the man who is injured will decide how the debt is to be repaid; they can require the offender to hunt for them until he is beyond the Hunting Age, or they can call for his blood to be repaid in kind.
It is the duty, however, of the Beta’s to foresee when there is malicious intent and intervene before it comes to this.
Sixth-On External Challenges: It is customary among our pack--and the custom is known among our sister packs--that contact between packs must be initiated by a scout, who must give ample notice of their approach upon the territory, and must come with an offering of peace. When these customs are not followed, and, or, contact is initiated by any member who is not a scout, they are to submit to the will of the Alpha or be treated as a threat (as is the same for rogues, wanderers or loners).
In the case that hunting is poorly for a neighboring pack, and they are civilly requesting hunting rights on our land, they are subject to the laws of our land and the Tribes in it, and a civil agreement must be made between the Alpha, Beta's and members of the neighboring pack.
If a neighboring pack intends to challenge us for any rights to our territory, that do not pose a risk to our members; for example, in cases of hunting and land only, then we will make an effort to establish a rule of compromise before the challenge is initiated and taken out. If our pack is challenged beyond our territory, that is, if our women or children are threatened to any degree, civility is forfeit.
If contact is made that is hostile, non compromising, and no civil agreements can be made-our pack is called to defend their homes and families by any means necessary.
The final three covenants pertain to respecting the land and the body.
Seventh: Respect the land and all living things in it-from the crawling things that signify the health of the earth, to the beasts that are to become our meals, and one another; it is our belief that all things possess a soul and that we are to answer for the unjust treatment of them.
In regards to the land: We will respect the natural order and not alter in excess the flow of the water nor the paths the large beasts tread. We take only what we need from the land and give back as often as we are able.
Eight, in regards to the beasts of the land: We will hunt by a census of our numbers in the Months of Hunting or Months of Midnight Sun, in order to supply our needs for the Dark Months or Months of Midday Moon. We are not to hunt the mothers of the beasts or their young, and will hunt where there is an excess but not in excess. We may hunt the caribou, the moose, the elk and the deer of every species, but may not eat of predators and thus disrupt the natural order of the land. You may not keep the beast alive longer than is needed to finish the hunt, and you may not decimate the hide. All parts are to be used wholly and entirely.
Ninth: We are born from the womb of our mother, and will be returned into the womb of the earth. We are wise to be mindful therefore, of what we put into ourselves, and in our finality, what we give back to the land. We are to take no substance in excess, and ceremonial drinking or smoking is reserved only for Celebrations of Life or Marriage. It is wise to be cautious of refined medications, for they are not created to be metabolized by our kind, and the effects are therefore not equivalent to men.
While members are allowed to civilly leave the Pack of the Midnight Sun, they are required to uphold these Covenants wherever they go. If they are to join another pack, they will join at the lowest rank. Still, they must establish with the Alpha that they will uphold their Covenants and provide the Covenants in written format to the Alpha.
The Covenants of the Divines
Covenants of the Divines are covenants upheld by every member of the "Midnight Sun Pack". In all, there are nine, but each Tribe (Beta and company) within the territory may instill their own bylaws so long as they do not alter the context of the original covenants.
The first three Covenants pertain specifically to the race, and are in place to protect werewolves and men alike from the motivations of the beast.
Firstly: We are blessed with the faculties of men. We are man before beast. Any man who disobeys this law by putting his the instinct or emotions before his conscious will, contrary to the teachings of the pack, is subject to the punishment of man and beast. Blood debts are to be repaid in blood.
Secondly: By the light of the moon, we do not draw the blood of mankind, nor seek his birth into our race. If one loses control of their faculties and causes a man to forfeit his humanity, the debt is twofold: accompanied by another, he must find his family and inform them of the loss. Henceforth, he is required to hunt for the Moonborn and his family for the next five years. The meat will be cleaned and delivered to the family in secret by a scout. He will otherwise have no contact with the pack and cannot join in the Celebrations, but will continue to stay on designated land and subject to our laws, as one who has infected once cannot be exiled.
Thirdly: We are stronger than the natural man, and do not need to dominate nor prove our strength to them. The land is to be shared, and when compromise is to be made, it is to be in the courts and currencies of men, lest we concede. Our bodies can take us where men cannot live, and even in these modern days, we have enough.
***
The next three Covenants pertain to family, inner pack disputes, and disputes between multiple packs.
Fourth: Family is the sacred lifeblood of all of mankind. The family is not to be broken apart unless the need is dire, and is to be revered; protected from conception until it is reclaimed by time or nature. A man who breaks his ceremonial oaths to his wife is to be exiled. A family who casts out their elderly or youth (who are not of the age to hunt), will be forbidden from partaking in the Celebrations until they have reconciled before the Alpha.
Fifth: The fifth and sixth covenants pertain to challenges, the fifth being in relation to inner pack disputes (whether between Tribes or within them, but all within the united territory).
Challenges are an honored tradition of both men and beast. They are a permitted display of physical strength between (a single pair) of able men under the witness of the Alpha and Beta's, along with their Tribes.
The only accepted challenges are for a mans rank or to defend ones honor. Challenges for his property (because we are united and share a land and resources), his beloved or his family, are not permitted and are subject to fierce punishment should they be held in secret.
On a Challenge within a Tribe: The whole Tribe-that is, a Beta and his subordinates, must be present, as well as the Alpha and the Beta's of the other Tribes. Challenges between multiple Tribes must have the entirety of both Tribes present along with the Alpha and Beta's.
Blood may be drawn, but the battle will be stopped before it is in excess, which is; before it can cause any man to be unable to hunt that season or the severity of his injuries will cause him to die.
If the battle becomes excessive, intervention is to be made by the Beta’s. If a wound is inflicted before it can be prevented, that is in excess, the family of the man who is injured will decide how the debt is to be repaid; they can require the offender to hunt for them until he is beyond the Hunting Age, or they can call for his blood to be repaid in kind.
It is the duty, however, of the Beta’s to foresee when there is malicious intent and intervene before it comes to this.
Sixth-On External Challenges: It is customary among our pack--and the custom is known among our sister packs--that contact between packs must be initiated by a scout, who must give ample notice of their approach upon the territory, and must come with an offering of peace. When these customs are not followed, and, or, contact is initiated by any member who is not a scout, they are to submit to the will of the Alpha or be treated as a threat (as is the same for rogues, wanderers or loners).
In the case that hunting is poorly for a neighboring pack, and they are civilly requesting hunting rights on our land, they are subject to the laws of our land and the Tribes in it, and a civil agreement must be made between the Alpha, Beta's and members of the neighboring pack.
If a neighboring pack intends to challenge us for any rights to our territory, that do not pose a risk to our members; for example, in cases of hunting and land only, then we will make an effort to establish a rule of compromise before the challenge is initiated and taken out. If our pack is challenged beyond our territory, that is, if our women or children are threatened to any degree, civility is forfeit.
If contact is made that is hostile, non compromising, and no civil agreements can be made-our pack is called to defend their homes and families by any means necessary.
The final three covenants pertain to respecting the land and the body.
Seventh: Respect the land and all living things in it-from the crawling things that signify the health of the earth, to the beasts that are to become our meals, and one another; it is our belief that all things possess a soul and that we are to answer for the unjust treatment of them.
In regards to the land: We will respect the natural order and not alter in excess the flow of the water nor the paths the large beasts tread. We take only what we need from the land and give back as often as we are able.
Eight, in regards to the beasts of the land: We will hunt by a census of our numbers in the Months of Hunting or Months of Midnight Sun, in order to supply our needs for the Dark Months or Months of Midday Moon. We are not to hunt the mothers of the beasts or their young, and will hunt where there is an excess but not in excess. We may hunt the caribou, the moose, the elk and the deer of every species, but may not eat of predators and thus disrupt the natural order of the land. You may not keep the beast alive longer than is needed to finish the hunt, and you may not decimate the hide. All parts are to be used wholly and entirely.
Ninth: We are born from the womb of our mother, and will be returned into the womb of the earth. We are wise to be mindful therefore, of what we put into ourselves, and in our finality, what we give back to the land. We are to take no substance in excess, and ceremonial drinking or smoking is reserved only for Celebrations of Life or Marriage. It is wise to be cautious of refined medications, for they are not created to be metabolized by our kind, and the effects are therefore not equivalent to men.
While members are allowed to civilly leave the Pack of the Midnight Sun, they are required to uphold these Covenants wherever they go. If they are to join another pack, they will join at the lowest rank. Still, they must establish with the Alpha that they will uphold their Covenants and provide the Covenants in written format to the Alpha.
