Charter of the Order of Royal Librarians
The Charter of the Order of Royal Librarians is the official document, ratified by The Council of the Great Houses, that grants official authority over House Library-related matters to the Order of Royal Librarians.
Purpose
The Charter establishes all House Librarians as an official Order with authority to act on behalf of the Literomantic Great Houses, independently of their House Leaders. Their authority is limited to the contents of the Literomantic Libraries of the Great Houses, particularly the preservation and sharing of said contents. It also acknowledges the authority of the Great Librarians to govern and manage the Order, and acknowledges the right of The Iron Tome to appoint the Great Librarians.
Document Structure
Clauses
The Charter is divided into 4 Titles, with the Code of the Order of Royal Librarians featured after said Titles.
Article 1 states the Order's origin and reiterates the Charge of the Iron Tome.
Article 2 is concerned with the purpose of the Order. This purpose is stated as the preservation and sharing of knowledge, acknowledges this purpose is in the spirit of The Treaty of the Great Houses and The Icelandic Treaty of Cooperation Between Librarians "The Library Treaty", and states its intention to do this without prejudice.
Article 3 is concerned with the sovereignty of the Order and its relationships as an entity under international law.
Article 4 is concerned with the Order's relationship in regards to The Great Houses. Of note, the Order codifies its traditional right to coronate House Leaders and withhold their assent in Clause 4, but in all other Clauses, they are subject to the Great Houses and the directives of their House Leaders.
Article 5 lists the sources of the Order's laws. These sources are: the Charge given to the Great Librarians by the Iron Tome, the laws and directives of the Great Houses, the Code of the Order, and customs and privileges that have been traditionally established.
Article 6 states that the official language of the Order is English, but official communications may also be made in other languages.
Article 7 acknowledges all House Librarians or their equivalents (ie. Chronicler of the Tides) as members of the Order, the Great Librarians as appointed by the Iron Tome as its leaders, and directs that the members will be governed by the Order's Code. It also allows for the appointment of a "House Librarian" to represent the Undead, who is to be appointed by the Great Librarians from someone who has been a Night Monarch, or, failing that, someone who has at least been Undead.
Article 8 focuses on additional obligations of the members, which are to act in the spirit of a Tome Knight's oaths and the Library Treaty.
Article 9 states the oath that must be taken by the Great Librarians before the Council of the Great Houses.
Article 10 delineates the authority of the Great Librarians in regards to managing the Order.
Article 11 directs the Great Librarians to choose successors in case they are needed, although the Iron Tome is expected to choose their successors.
Article 12 gives direction on the management of money and organizations managing money under the Order's banner.
Article 13 focuses on management of real property and other assets.
Title I is concerned with the origin and nature of the Order.
Title II is concerned with the members of the Order.
Title III regards the government of the Order.
Title IV deals with the management of the Order's assets.
The Code of the Order is then presented,
which is meant to govern the conduct of the Members of the Order in their duties.Caveats
The term of the Charter is assumed to be perpetual, or until it is dissolved by the Great Houses or the Iron Tome.
References
The Charge of the Iron Tome, as given to the Great Librarians, is included within the Charter at its beginning. In digital copies of the Charter, which is the original medium, a recording of this Charge being laid is directly included. In printed copies, this recording is transcribed, and an internet link to the video is provided.
In Article 2, the Charter states that the Keepers of Lore will be "guided by the Treaty of the Great Houses, the Icelandic Treaty of Cooperation Between Librarians, and our oaths."
In Article 8, the Order is directed to abide by the spirit of the Library Treaty.
Legal status
The Charter was ratified by the Great Houses, and is legal in all known Protectorates.
Historical Details
Background
Traditionally, the Great Houses have carefully guarded their secrets, especially from one another. However, the Treaty of the Great Houses established a new age of unprecedented cooperation between the Houses. The Icelandic Treaty of Cooperation Between Librarians, colloquially known as "The Library Treaty," was formed in the spirit of that cooperation, in the recognition that in an age of literomancy, knowledge is literally power, and knowledge shared was power shared as well.
History
Since its reappearance in 2020, speculation as to the possible sentience of the Iron Tome has been common among Tome Knights. On the 3rd of May, 2025, the Tome finally proved that this was not mere speculation by communicating directly with Queen Sable Aradia and Princess ShyRedFox as they were doing some research in the Great Library. During this conversation, they were asked some direct and personal questions, and then charged with the formation of the Order of Royal Librarians, as detailed in the Charter. This exchange was captured on video by a Sauropodan spy drone.
The newly-appointed Great Librarians did as instructed, and composed the Charter to present to the Council of the Great Houses for ratification on the 31st of May, and the Order was formed.
The Order is already hard at work compiling the important documents of their various Houses. Enthusiasm and hope for what this will mean for the future of literomancy is high.
Public Reaction
As in most matters concerning the House Librarians, the general public took little interest in the ratification of the Charter, likely in part because they did not recognize its significance, but also likely because it was eclipsed by the news that the Iron Tome had actually directly communicated with someone. Researchers and literomancers, however, hailed the formation of the Order for the unprecedented access to literomantic material that has resulted from it.
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Charter of the Order of Royal Librarians
TITLE I: THE ORDER AND ITS NATURE
Article 1: Origin and Nature of the Order
§ 1 - The Order of Royal Librarians arose from a charge directly given to the Great Librarians by the Iron Tome. A digital video recording of the laying of this Charge follows, along with a full transcription of its text:
I hereby entrust the literomancers known as Sable Aradia and ShyRedFox to be the Great Librarians. It will be your duty and task to maintain the vast storehouse of knowledge that is the Great Library, to categorize it as you see fit, and to make it available to literomancers and to the world, according to your judgment. You will form an Order of Royal Librarians, and you will assist and guide them in their tasks. As I have written, so shall it be.§ 2 - It is a philosophical Order, based in the sacred regard that all Tome Knights hold for Literomancy, recognised by the Council of the Great Houses, and is a subject of international law. § 3 - In this Constitution and in the Code, the Order of Royal Librarians is also referred to as the “Keepers of Lore” or simply as the “Order”. § 4 - In the Articles which follow, the term Code refers to the Code of the Order.
Article 2: Purpose
§ 1 - The purpose of the Order is the promotion of knowledge through the preservation and exchange of written works, especially with regards to Literomancy, in service to the Great Houses and the Iron Tome, in accordance with ancient traditions. § 2 - True to the reverence in which Literomancers hold the written word, guided by the Treaty of the Great Houses, the Icelandic Treaty of Cooperation Between Librarians, and our oaths, the Order bears witness to the Tome Knight's virtues of creativity, knowledge and brotherhood and leads its Members to become worthy Tome Knights. § 3 - The Order carries out its charges without distinction of religion, ethnicity, sex, origin, ability, sexual preference or identity, and age. The Order fulfils its institutional tasks especially by maintaining and categorizing the Great Library, adding to its collection from the collections of the Great Houses, facilitating exchanges of House material and House Library access, and preserving knowledge and written works, especially any at risk of destruction or loss.
Article 3: Sovereignty
The Order is a subject of international law and exercises sovereign functions in respect of the purpose referred to in Article 2 herein. It maintains diplomatic relations with States and International Organizations.
Article 4: Relations with the Great Houses
§ 1 - The Order of Royal Librarians has, ipso iure, a public juridical personality in the Great Houses. § 2 - Members, through their vows, are appointed by their House Leaders, and subject to their own House Leaders. § 3 - In accordance with Literomantic Law, the acquired rights, customs and privileges granted or recognised to the Order by the Council of the Great Houses, remain in force unless expressly revoked. § 4 - It is to the Order that the duty and privilege of Coronation of a new House Leader falls, and their assent may be withheld at the will of the Council of the Great Houses or the Great Librarians, should it be deemed necessary for the good of the Realm. § 5 - The philosophical nature of the Order does not prejudice the exercise of its prerogatives as a subject of international law recognised by States.
Article 5: Sources of the Order’s Law
The sources of the Order’s law are:
a) the Charge of the Iron Tome, the Code of the Order and the Law of the Council of the Great Houses;
b) the acts of the Council of the Great Houses of a regulatory nature concerning the Order;
c) the customs and privileges legitimately acquired by the Order and not specifically revoked.
Article 6: Official Language
TITLE II: THE MEMBERS OF THE ORDER
Article 7: The Members
§ 1 - The Order of Royal Librarians comprises those who have been appointed the Royal Librarians of their Houses or equivalent. They are accorded full duties and rights. § 2 - One Member shall be appointed by the Great Librarians to specifically document materials related to the Undead Horde, and shall be treated as the House Librarian of the Undead Horde. Ideally, this Member should be appointed from Tome Knights whom have been the Night Monarch, or failing this, whom have at least been Undead. § 3 - The Great Librarians, who guide and direct the Order, shall be appointed at the pleasure of the Iron Tome. § 4 - Members are governed by the Code.
Article 8: Obligations of the Members
§ 1 - Members, aware of their vocation and the obligations freely undertaken before the Great Houses and the Order, shall conform their lives to the spirit of the Tome Knight's oaths. § 2 - The Members shall uphold the spirit of the Icelandic Treaty of Cooperation Between Librarians.
TITLE III: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ORDER
Article 9: The Great Librarian’s Oath
The Great Librarians, after their appointments are confirmed by the Iron Tome, take the following oath in the presence of the Members, in a solemn session of the Council of the Great Houses:
“By the Iron Tome, I ... do solemnly promise and swear to observe the Code, the Rule and the laudable customs of our Order conscientiously. If I do otherwise, may it be to the risk of my soul and the shame of my House”.
Article 10: Authority of the Great Librarians
§ 1 - The personal authority of the Great Librarians extends to all persons, organizations and properties of the Order, according to the laws of the Order. § 2 - The Great Librarians, in their supreme authority, sees to the general government of the Order and attributes charges and offices under this Article. § 3 - It pertains to the Great Librarians:
a) to issue laws or directives in matters that are not governed by the Great Houses, the Code or other laws of the Order;
b) to promulgate by decree the acts of government;
c) to enforce the acts of the Great Houses that concern the Order, and to inform the Great Houses annually of the state and needs of the Order;
d) to ratify international agreements;
e) to admit, as provided for in the Code, Members of the Order;
f) to administer the assets of the Great Library and to supervise the proper management of the assets owned by the Order;
g) to ensure the effective presence of the Order at the Council of Great Houses.
§ 4 - It pertains to the Great Librarians to supervise the organizations authorised to use the Order's emblem, so that discipline is observed and the spirit is maintained.Article 11: The Office of Great Librarians
It is assumed that the Iron Tome will continue to direct the leadership of the Order by appointing or removing Great Librarians as they see fit. However, each Great Librarian shall choose a successor to assume the Office in their place, should this not prove true and they are no longer able, for whatever reason, to discharge their duties.
TITLE IV: THE GOODS OF THE ORDER
Article 12: The Nature and Administration of Goods
§ 1 - The Order, the Associations and other organizations of the Order, as public legal persons, may acquire, manage, dispose of, and use economic goods in accordance with the law. § 2 - Their economic assets are administered by the immediate manager of the public legal entity in accordance with the law of the Order. § 3 - No new or increased expenditure in excess of the approved budget can be approved without first determining the corresponding revenue or establishing the means to pay for it. § 4 - The immediate manager of the legal entity takes invalid actions if these exceed the ordinary administration, unless they have acted in accordance with the following articles.
Article 13: Finances of the Order
§ 1 - For the purposes of dealing with expenditures, disposals, debts and other transactions for which, in accordance with the Code or the By-Laws governing the public canonical entity, the permission of the Members of the Order must be obtained. § 2 - Permission may be resolved by majority vote, or the direct action of the Great Librarians. § 3 - The permission of the Great Librarians and the Council of the Great Houses must always be obtained for validly disposing of real estate and movable property, precious goods of artistic or historical value and donations to the Order. § 4 - The immediate manager of the legal entity is required to submit an annual balance sheet and budget to the Order in accordance with the Code and the By-Laws. § 5 - The Order has the duty and the right to carefully supervise the administration of all assets belonging to the legal entities subject to them.
THE CODE OF THE ORDER OF ROYAL LIBRARIANS
§ 1 - The Order of Royal Librarians is dedicated to the preservation of knowledge. § 2 - The Order is dedicated to the sharing of knowledge that is of benefit to the Realm as a whole, in accordance with wisdom, honour, and guardianship. § 3 - The Order is devoted to the Art of Literomancy, and seeks to further Literomantic knowledge wherever possible. § 4 - The Order values original works, and seeks to preserve said works in their original medium whenever possible, as well as creating copies in other mediums to preserve the knowledge they contain.1 § 5 - The Order values original authorship, and seeks to properly credit knowledge whenever possible.2 § 6 - In accordance with the value of original authorship, the Order protects the rights of the Great Houses to claim and keep ownership of their original creations.3 § 7 - The Order makes its best effort to archive and classify Literomantic knowledge in an accurate and timely manner.4 § 8 - The Order attempts to do this without bias, though it acknowledges that this charge is aspirational, as people are fallible.5 § 9 - The Order does its best to make knowledge available within the Great Library in a variety of mediums, to improve its accessibility to all.6 § 10 - The Order recognizes that some knowledge, particularly in Literomancy, is dangerous, and it may exercise its discretion to distribute such knowledge only if it is safe to do so.7
Type
Decree, Royal
Medium
Digital Recording, Various
Authoring Date
May 3, 2025
Ratification Date
May 31, 2025
Location
Authors
Signatories (Characters)
Signatories (Organizations)
A Few of the Order's Members
by Sable + HF
by Shy, Sable, & HF
by HF + Cathryn
by HF + Nova
by HF + Sable
by HF + LW
Comments
Author's Notes
The document's contents were modeled after the Sovereign Order of Malta Constitutional Charter and Code 2022; that is, the modern Charter of the Knights Hospitallers.