Five tiers. One Republic. The Oath remains the only door.
What this page answers
The Republic has, by canonical decree, two membership tracks — sworn (Civis) and unsworn (Peregrinus). Those tracks answer the structural question: do you swear, or not?
They do not answer the more granular question that most prospects actually ask:
“How much roleplay does this org expect from me, day to day?”
Many capable players hesitate at the door because they assume that a doctrine-rich organisation requires acting in character at all times, inventing a Latin name, writing fiction, and reciting ritual formulas before each operation. None of those assumptions is correct. Equally, many committed roleplayers hesitate because they fear the org will be too casual to support a developed character. That assumption is also incorrect.
This page fixes the answer. It defines five tiers of engagement — a single, public spectrum that you can read in five minutes and locate yourself on. The tiers are descriptive, not prescriptive: they exist so that nobody feels mis-fitted, and so that recruitment officers can be honest about who the Republic is built to hold.
The Universal Minimum (the “TR Shell”)
Regardless of tier — including Tier 0 — every person inside Republic spaces commits to a small, non-negotiable minimum. This is not a doctrinal oath. It is the behavioural floor that allows the community to function across very different play styles.
- Community rules and platform ToS. Discord rules, RSI ToS, basic decency.
- Operational chain of command — when participating in operations. During a coordinated op, the operation lead’s calls are followed. Outside operations, no chain-of-command obligation exists for any tier.
- Respect for in-character spaces. Out-of-character chatter does not flood channels marked as IC; doctrinal phrases recited by others are not mocked or interrupted.
- The Fiction Disclaimer is not breached. No member, of any tier, applies in-universe doctrine to real-world persons, groups, nations, ethnicities, religions, or identities.
The floor does not require any member to speak a single word in character, adopt a Latin name, recite mottoes, write fiction, attend ceremonies, or engage with the Three Pillars conceptually. A Peregrinus who has never opened the Manifesto, never said “Pro Humanitate”, and never attended a ritual is in full standing under the floor. The floor is about not breaking the room — not about furnishing it.
The Five Tiers — At a Glance
| Tier | Latin name | English handle | Oath | RP load | Rank access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Peregrinus Vigiliae | The Unsworn | None | None required | ⊘ None — prohibited |
| I | Civis Tacitus | The Silent Citizen | Sacramentum Vigiliae | Minimal — the Oath itself | All ranks open |
| II | Civis Operativus | The Operational Citizen | Sacramentum Vigiliae | IC during operations only | All ranks open |
| III | Civis Personatus | The Embodied Citizen | Sacramentum Vigiliae | Persona + rituals | All ranks open |
| IV | Civis Auctor | The Author Citizen | Sacramentum Vigiliae | Contributes to Narratio | All ranks open |
There is one hard boundary in this spectrum and one set of soft transitions.
- Hard boundary — between Tier 0 and Tier I. Crossing it requires the Sacramentum Vigiliae. The Oath itself is an irreducible act of roleplay (one ceremony, one set of words spoken in character). Without it: no rank, ever. With it: every rank from Tiro upward is open.
- Soft transitions — between Tiers I, II, III, IV. No ceremony separates them. A member moves up or down the spectrum freely, without notification, by changing what they choose to do. Nobody assigns or revokes a tier.
Tier 0 — Peregrinus Vigiliae (The Unsworn)
“Extra Sacramentum, nulla Iurisdictio.” Outside the Oath, no jurisdiction.
A Peregrinus is a recognised, stable member of the Republic community who has chosen not to take the Sacramentum Vigiliae. They are present, valued, and operational — but they are not a Civis.
What the Peregrinus gets: full access to the Discord, full access to all coordinated operations (every Branch, every role, including command of an op when competence and trust warrant it), a recognised role with canonical colour, and a permanent place in the org for as long as they want it.
What the Peregrinus does not get: a rank in the rank table (⊘), the Sacramentum Vigiliae status (so the Ius Gladii mechanism does not bind them), or voting authority on doctrinal questions.
Day-to-day: effectively zero RP. The Peregrinus honours the four floor commitments and nothing more. They may use their real handle, never speak in character, never read the Manifesto, never attend a ceremony — and remain in perfect standing. By canonical decree, no Officer may pressure a Peregrinus to convert.
Read the full Peregrini Vigiliae framework →
Tier I — Civis Tacitus (The Silent Citizen)
“Gladius in vagina manet, donec haeresis clamet.” The sword stays in the scabbard, until heresy cries out.
A Civis Tacitus is a sworn citizen of the Republic — has spoken the Sacramentum Vigiliae in ceremony — but engages with the roleplay layer at the irreducible minimum. They play, they coordinate, they rise through the ranks; they do not speak in character outside the Oath itself.
What changes from Tier 0: the Oath. That single act is the entire RP load of Tier I. Once sworn, the Tacitus holds rank from Tiro upward, with every higher rank open in principle.
Day-to-day: show up, follow the op lead, fly the role. Communicate in their own words. Real handle is fine. No requirement to use ritual openings or closings. Ceremony attendance is open but not required. Doctrine reading is not required.
Why this tier exists: many of the Republic’s most reliable operators — squadron leads, industrialists, logistics planners — fall in this tier. Their value is operational, not narrative. The Republic explicitly recognises that competence in operations is the foundation of the org, and that the doctrinal vocabulary is a language available to those who want it, not a tax levied on those who don’t.
Tier II — Civis Operativus (The Operational Citizen)
“From the Vigil:”
A Civis Operativus uses the doctrinal vocabulary during operations — and only during operations. The transition is binary: when the op opens, the language shifts to in-character; when the op closes, it shifts back to OOC.
What changes from Tier I: voluntary use of ritual openings (e.g. “From the Vigil:”), Republic vocabulary in ops chatter (“Pillar I contact, two Vanduul wings inbound”), ritual closings (“Pro Humanitate. Semper Vigilo.” as op sign-off), and an optional in-character handle in ops voice and ops text channels.
What does not change: outside operations, the Operativus speaks OOC. No persona maintenance is required in general chat, off-duty voice, or DMs. No ceremony participation is required beyond the original Oath. No fiction or lore contribution is expected.
Tier III — Civis Personatus (The Embodied Citizen)
“Sacramentum Vigiliae confirmatum.”
A Civis Personatus maintains a developed in-character persona — a name, a background, a voice — and engages in the Republic’s ritual life: ceremonies, in-character channels, Acta Gladii, memorials, recognitions.
What changes from Tier II: the member registers a character (name, basic background, Cohors, rank arc) in the Narratio personae directory. The file is light — name and three sentences are enough — and may grow over time. The member participates regularly in IC-marked Discord channels in voice as their persona, attends Recognition / Memorial / Litany rituals as their persona, and may serve as in-fiction witness for Acta Gladii and other formal scenes.
What does not change: the persona is not a 24/7 obligation. The member steps in and out of character at will. OOC chat in OOC channels is unchanged. No fiction writing obligation. Maintaining a persona is being a character; Auctor (Tier IV) is being a writer.
Tier IV — Civis Auctor (The Author Citizen)
“The work continues.”
A Civis Auctor contributes actively to the Republic’s narrative canon — writes vignettes, develops personae beyond their own, fills locations, threads, and timelines, drafts ceremonial templates, contributes to bulletins and propaganda. The Auctor is, in effect, an author of the Republic itself.
What changes from Tier III: active Narratio contribution on a recognisable cadence. May be invited to review or co-author canonical material. Familiar with the Discord microfiction protocol. Able to write characters other than their own in scene, respecting the personae registered by their authors.
What does not change: rank. The Auctor tier confers no rank advantage. A Tiro Auctor is still a Tiro. Voting on doctrine: the Auctor writes within the canon, not on top of it. Authority over other authors’ personae: each persona belongs to its registered author.
Quick Self-Assessment
A reader who is unsure where they fit can answer five questions:
- Are you willing to speak any words in character — even once, in a single ceremony at the start? No → Tier 0. Yes → continue.
- Beyond that single ceremony, are you willing to use Republic vocabulary in operations? No → Tier I. Yes → continue.
- Beyond operations, do you want a developed in-character persona that you bring to ceremonies and IC channels? No → Tier II. Yes → continue.
- Beyond having a persona, do you want to write fiction or contribute to the lore that other members read? No → Tier III. Yes → continue.
- You are likely Tier IV. Welcome.
This is a snapshot, not a verdict. You may revise downward or upward at any time, with no notification and no formality.
What the Tiers Are NOT
Not a hierarchy. Tier IV is not “above” Tier I. The five tiers are different ways of being in the Republic, not five steps of progression.
Not a rank substitute. Rank lives in the rank table. Tier lives here. The two axes are independent for Tiers I–IV: any combination of rank and tier is canonical. A Centurio Tacitus commands their section by virtue of Centurio, not by virtue of Tacitus.
Not a measure of value. A Tier I Centurio who flies every op for three years is worth no less than a Tier IV Tiro who has written ten vignettes. Both are the Republic.
The Oath as Threshold
By canonical decree, Peregrini Vigiliae hold no rank. The rank table is reserved for those who have sworn the Sacramentum Vigiliae. The rank table is the chain of doctrinal command; the Sacramentum is the structural consent that binds the sworn member to that chain — including the Ius Gladii Channels.
A player who wants to command in the Republic must, eventually, take the Oath. There is no path to Decanus, Centurio, Tribunus, or above through Peregrinus status. This is not a recruitment-funnel trick; it is the doctrinal architecture of the org. The Peregrinus track is real, valued, and permanent — but it is, by design, not a path to authority.
A prospect who explicitly wants both “no RP at all” and “to command operations” is being offered something the Republic structurally does not provide. The honest answer is: choose. The Republic respects that choice either way.
Pro Humanitate. Semper Vigilo. Five tiers. One Republic. The Oath remains the only door.