Celvestian Case Appeals Process
‘Golden Era’
“Even the darkest of warriors have a heart of Gold."
[-Table of Contents-]
Sections:
[1.0] - Introduction
[2.0] - Celvestian Philosophy
[3.0] - Celvestian Appeals Process
- [3.1] - Standard Case
- [3.2] - Controversial Case
[4.0] - Selecting Judges
[5.0] - Additional Information
[6.0] - Conclusion
Note: Press Ctrl+F, this allows you to easily navigate through the sections and sub sections by entering the sections tag and name then clicking enter.
[1.0 | Introduction]
This thread goes over how Celvestia handles its appeals in-regards to the Universal Decree and those that have breached it. The following sections will go over in-depth on the two different case types, selecting of judges, and how the whole process unfolds so that the sides of each case are represented fairly and respectfully. Only cases above second level offenses can be potentially brought up to be dismissed or enforced through this case appeal. However, some second level offenses can be presented and argued against if deemed controversial enough. Everything else you may find in the following sections. Enjoy!
[2.0 | Celvestian Philosophy]
“Even the darkest of warriors have a heart of gold.”
“We’re a family. We’re a game studio. We’re war enthusiasts. We’re a role play group. We’re a community. We’re a hangout. We’re everything. We’re Celvestia.”
[3.0 | Celvestian Appeals Process]
The process is fairly simple and ensures a fair say from both sides of the case. If you’re accused of breaching the Universal Decree and committing treason towards Celvestia (and your offense level is higher than two) then you may bring your case towards a Venerian Grade member for review. The rest of the process is covered in the following two sections which will go over the two different types of cases that are found in the Celvestian Judicial field. Both case types are different and have their own formats because they’re based on different outcomes.
We believe in a case appeals process for Celvestia because ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is common sense. This gives a fair chance for everyone to share their side of the story without any scrutiny and biased judgments.
[3.1 | Standard Case]
Standard cases are the cases that reach a unanimous agreement by the end of the day and are all done over Discord due to an active jury not being needed for the case. Standard cases are normally done over Discord for everyone’s convenience. You will reach out to a Venerian Grade member about your case appeal and they will review it. You will then be given the role of “Appealer” so that you may access the judicial_cases channel in Discord. From there you, as the appealer, will present your case (it shall not be an outside document which means it can only be a devforum post or it’s all typed up and submitted over Discord) to the entirety of the S & V Grade to see. Around the same time the opposition will also be providing their side of the case with their evidence and such to prove that you’re not innocent and that you’ve breached the Universal Decree. You must have everything documented and ready to go in-case things go south quickly. Once both sides have posted their cases in judicial_cases we will then assign three Celvestian S & V Grade members as judges (these judges shall not hold any bias or connection towards the incident, most of the time the Venerius himself might be one of the judges) to discuss with one another as to which case is the strongest and most credible. However, before the judges begin discussing the cases they will have both sides cite the Celvestian Oath of Honesty which goes as follows:
"As I have sworn to my blood and to my blade, I place my hand over my heart and vow that whatever may be said from this point on is nothing but the truth."
This oath applies to situations outside of the judicial field as well, hence why it’s referred to as the “Oath of Honesty”. Breaking this oath during your judicial case will immediately result in the case being dismissed followed by a 3 day ban (if they were the appealer then the 3 day ban will be added onto their current punishment) and 1 month of not being able to participate in any cases or appeals. This also applies towards the judges if they demonstrate any sort of dishonesty, favoritism, bias, etc. as well. Celvestian Oaths are sacred and must be treated with respect regardless of the situation.
Once the oath has been sworn and they have been screenshotted/recorded stating the oath (either on Discord or in-game) they will then be asked to wait patiently as the judges review the case. Their ‘appealer’ and ‘opposition’ roles will be removed until a decision has been reached. No one may tell them what’s being discussed nor expose any of the chat to them. Doing so will result in severe consequences. From here there must be a unanimous agreement from all three of the judges, however, if there isn’t then the case will be deemed as a ‘controversial case’ and a Celvestian jury will be required for additional perspectives to be taken in. Now if a unanimous agreement is reached by the judges in favor of the appealer then the charges are dropped and the appealer can walk away from the case. However, if the opposition brings up new evidence that’s critical towards determining the outcome of the case then the case may be re-opened for further investigation. However, if the unanimous agreement favors the opposition then the appealer will still face the charges that were sentenced upon him/her and will have to ride it out. But if evidence surfaces that can prove the innocence of the appealer then the case may be re-opened for investigation. However, you can’t re-open some cases months after they were closed (only some may be re-opened if they’re a severe level 4 offense).
[3.2 | Controversial Case]
Controversial cases follow the same exact process of a standard case, however, the only difference between the two is if the judges can’t settle on a unanimous decision. If a unanimous decision is not reached by the judges by the end of their review session then the case will be labeled as ‘controversial’ and will be carried over in-game and/or Discord with an active jury audience participating and giving insight on the cases. The jury will be selected completely at random and will most likely be ‘first come first serve’ to prevent any form of bias from taking the stands. A maximum of twenty jury members may be present. If one leaves during the session then the jury member may not be replaced to save time and to prevent a disturbance from taking place. The jury will remain silent for most of the case until it is their time to give their feedback towards the judges. However, if they’re seen as disruptive they will be immediately removed from the hearing. This is how a controversial case unfolds:
If the case takes place mostly in Discord then the judges as well as the jury may converse with one another during the review session in #judicial_cases instead of it just being the three judges. The case participants will be removed of their appealer and opposition role until the review session is done. This brings in more perspectives on the case and allows for a proper discussion to unfold. A unanimous agreement must be reached by the three judges by the end of this case, no exceptions. The jury here is considered as just ‘extra people’ to talk to for second opinions.
If the case takes place in-game then you will have the three judges facing the two sides of the case as they take their oaths once more before presenting their sides to the room. The jury may not ask any questions until it is time to review the case once more by the judges. The judicial head will ask each side to present their argument and post their evidence in the #debates chat for the participating jury members to take a peak at. However, if a jury members misses the evidence they can always request to see it from the judges during the case review. So to break it down in simpler terms: oaths are taken first, then you have each side presenting their case, then the final review (including the jury’s participation). When the final review happens the case participants will be asked to leave the game until a decision has been reached. Once it has been reached the case participants will be asked to rejoin the game to hear the final decision.
[4.0 | Selecting Judges]
Three judges will be selected from the S & V Grade based on how well they know the Universal Decree and the appeals process. Some judges are already pre-picked such as the Venerius himself who is the judicial head, however, some cases may require other judges to be present if a pre-picked judge was somehow involved in the incident and/or holds any form of bias towards one side. These judges shall not hold any connection towards the incident that’s in question nor any favoritism or bias towards either side of the case to allow for fair representation. They must hold a neutral stance on the scenario until they see the arguments and evidence from both sides. The judges can also be picked by asking which S & V Grade member in the #siderian_channel chat wishes to participate in the case appeal and knows the UD and AP well enough.
[5.0 | Additional Information]
The AP may be subjected to change at any point and time depending on its success when incorporated into actual cases. The only problem we may see right now is in-game cases and scheduling them properly. Other than that we don’t see too many issues arising from the AP. The Universal Decree also features some laws that cover the AP as well as possible loop holes that could’ve been exploited. The AP will be updated with every passing case, however, if there’s a high success rate for cases being handled professionally then the AP will remain as it is. The UD will also feature new laws regarding the AP with every passing case to cover any remaining loopholes that may be exploited. But just to be clear anyways, you may not exploit the AP in any sort of way regardless if it’s listed in the UD or not. You follow the process and you put up with the final decision. The only thing you can really do after the final decision is either move on or find more evidence that’s critical towards exposing the other side. Some second level offenses may be approved to be heard in a case depending on whether or not the situation itself sparks enough controversy to discuss over. You’ll know when that’s the case.
[6.0 | Conclusion]
I hope this clears up the majority of your questions regarding the case appeals process. We will be using this process for cases that hold third level offenses and higher (with the exception of several second level offenses). If you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns in-regards to how any of this works then you may personally DM/PM the Venerius himself. We hope you enjoyed your time reading and understanding this document. Have a nice rest of your day and remember, stay true to your heart of gold!
Signed by the Following:
- TheCelvestian, Venerius of Celvestia.
- AgnitedFury, Celvas of Celvestia.
- SanityCheck, Celvas of Celvestia.
- ElderCelvestian, Jakorious of Celvestia.
- MysticCelvestian, Jakorious of Celvestia.
- Swordloxx, Jakorious of Celvestia.
- Sketchys, Jakorious of Celvestia.
- Agreed upon by the Celvestian community.
TRUE TO OUR HEART OF GOLD!
