Authority within The Cellars
The Cellars is governed by a small number of named Offices. Each Office carries a clear responsibility and a clear scope. Authority is visible, not whispered: when a member holds an Office, the community is meant to see it.
A member's lifestyle role — Dominant, Domme, Dom, submissive, switch, or another self-description — is a separate matter from any Office they may hold. A submissive may serve as The Archivist; a Dominant may serve as The Warden. The two concepts do not interfere with one another.
Leadership
✦ The Châtelaine
Supreme authority of The Cellars. Holds final say over every chamber, every charter, every record.
❧ The Ivy Regent
Second authority of The Cellars. Steward of the community on behalf of the Châtelaine, with authority across every area.
The Ivy Regent exercises the full operational authority of the Châtelaine in the day-to-day governance of The Cellars — moderation, verification, the management of Keepers, the assignment of Offices, and the discipline of members. The two offices differ only in matters of institutional sovereignty: the appointment or removal of the Châtelaine and of the Ivy Regent, infrastructure stewardship, and the ultimate continuity of the institution remain reserved to the Châtelaine alone.
Keeper Offices
Stewards of the rooms and records
Keepers hold delegated authority over a specific area. They serve at the discretion of the Châtelaine.
⚌ The Warden
Keeper of order. Responsible for moderation, reports, incidents and administrative sanctions across Chambers and Correspondence.
∞ The Steward of Bonds
Guardian of Bonds and Collars. Reviews requests, dissolutions, releases and the records that bind members one to another.
⌂ The Steward of Houses
Custodian of Houses and Honorific Titles. Oversees charters, leadership records and the titles members may hold.
✎ The Archivist
The Archivist preserves the written memory of The Cellars, overseeing its manuscripts, records and archival works.
✥ The Chamberlain
The Chamberlain safeguards the threshold of The Cellars by reviewing Adult Verification requests and confirming that members have demonstrated legal adulthood.
Administrative Measures
When the conduct of a member falls outside what The Cellars asks of its guests, a Warden may respond proportionately. The ladder of measures is:
- Warning — a private note placed on the member's record.
- Silence — temporary loss of voice in one or more Chambers.
- Temporary Ban — removal from a Chamber or from the wider community for a stated period.
- Permanent Ban — final removal, reserved for serious or repeated breaches.
Every measure is written into a private disciplinary ledger. Repeated misconduct may be answered with a heavier measure. Warnings and Silences are issued by the Warden; Temporary Bans likewise. A Permanent Ban is reserved to the Châtelaine and the Ivy Regent and is never delegated. A member's content, profile and records remain intact when a sanction is applied: removal is administrative, not archival.
A note on permissions and Offices
Behind every Office sits a small set of granular permissions. Permissions may be granted and revoked one at a time — a member may carry an Office and still hold an additional permission, or hold permissions without carrying an Office at all. In that case they appear in the Staff Console as Custom Keeper. This flexibility is intentional and existing.
A note on verification authority
Adult Verified may be granted by The Chamberlain (or by any member holding the verification permission directly). Cellar Verified is reserved for the Châtelaine and the Ivy Regent and is never granted by The Chamberlain — the database itself refuses any other hand. The full philosophy is described under Trust within The Cellars.
Requesting Assistance
Members who require help, guidance, or assistance should request the attention of a Warden. Wardens are the first point of institutional contact. There is no need to decide which Office handles a matter — where appropriate, the Warden will redirect the matter to the relevant Office or escalate it to the Ivy Regent or the Châtelaine.
- Uncertainty about community procedures.
- Questions regarding Bonds, Collars, or Ceremonies.
- Technical difficulties with the platform.
- Concerns regarding another member.
- Requests for guidance from a member of the Staff.
Not every request is a report. Many are simply requests for assistance. To formally report a Chamber message or a private letter, continue to use the Report tools that appear on those surfaces.