How Strikes Work
When a member breaks our rules, they will receive one "strike" from the Officers. The primary purpose of a strike is to demonstrate to the member in question that their actions, intentions, or general behavior go against the spirit of [ZoS]. Strikes themselves are known only to the Officers and by no means "black-list" a member: they serve only to ensure that members abide by the [ZoS] rules and should not be interpreted as a sign that Officers are "out to get you." Below are more details on how strikes work:
- A member will receive one strike for each offense. Officers, at their discretion, may give a warning before issuing a strike.
- Strikes remain in effect for 3 months. After 3 months have passed, the strike is removed. Should a member receive any additional strikes during this period, the new strike will add 3 more months, making the total time for strikes cumulative.
- Should a member reaches 2 concurrent strikes, they will be demoted from their current rank to Zealot (if applicable). Any progression in ranks after this demotion will occur normally as it would with a standard Zealot member.
- Should a member reaches 3 strikes simultaneously, they are able to be removed from the guild. It is at the Officer's discretion to do this immediately upon the 3rd strike, or put it to an Officer-wide vote.
- If a member is removed without an Officer vote, they have the right to appeal this to the Arch Zealots. At their discretion, they can call for a vote to re-invite the removed member.
- If an Officer vote is called and the Officers elect to give one final chance, the member will remain at 3 strikes for 3 months, and any other offenses during this time will result in an immediate removal from the guild. This removal cannot be appealed. The remaining strikes are removed at the 4 and 5 month marks.
- Any removed member will not be permitted to re-apply for a 6 month period. After this period, they are allowed to re-apply, but note that Officers will only re-invite if the member can prove there will be no further issues.
- New members (Initiates) will remain in a probationary period for 1 month. During this time, if a strike is issued, the member in question will be removed from the guild. This removal can be appealed, following the instructions above.