Branch

Branches are the smaller groups within Kingdoms, such as baronies, shires, cantons, and colleges. Each branch has its own slate of officers.

-- Mistress Arlys o Gordon

Branches have to have well defined borders (usually, but not always, zip codes — they can be defined by institutions, such as a college or aircraft carrier). Below Principality level, they cannot cross national or state lines without approval.

Known Branch Types

Local Branches

Must have at least 5 members, and at least three officers (including Seneschal and Exchequer).

They must also have a name registered with the college of arms.

Otherwise, their establishment follows local Kingdom law and custom, unlike the establishment of higher level branches, which is defined in Corpora.

Local branch types include:

• Shire: local branch reporting directly to a kingdom or principality
• Canton: local branch reporting through a barony
• Riding: local branch reporting through a province

Institutional Branches

Institutional Branches function like local branches, but have borders that are defined by an institution. There is also an expectation that their membership may fluctuate more frequently due to their nature.

They can report directly to a Kingdom, but if they are located within another kind of branch, they report through them.

They differ from other local branches in that they go dormant if membership falls below five (5), rather than being disbanded.

• College: institutional branch based at a school, research facility, etc.
• Stronghold: institutional branch based at a military installation
• Port: institutional branch based at a military installation in situations where groups of members will be detached for long periods, as with ships at sea