The Champion’s Covenant

“Enter not the Coliseum for coin alone, but for the glory of standing well-fought. Stake what is thine. Watch what is not. Pay what is owed. And remember that the Towne is the ground, never the banker.”

I. What thou art accepting

By sealing this Covenant, thou dost accept the binding terms set down here, the Coliseum section of the Terms of Use, and the Codicil to Article XXX of the Town Charter. No Citizen shall enter a ranked match or a Purse Match without a sealed Covenant on record.

II. The Coliseum is a skill-based contest

Every Coliseum match is a skill-based contest, not a game of chance, sweepstakes, lottery, raffle, or wagering device. Outcomes are determined by the choices of the participating Citizens — action selection, positioning, resource management. Randomization, where present, is cosmetic and de minimis, and shall never be the dominant factor in determining a victor.

III. Only participants may stake coin

This is the single line that keeps the Coliseum a contest, and not a wagering device. Thou agreest:

• Only the Citizens entering a Purse Match may pay its entry fee and receive a share of its purse.
• Thou wilt not wager, bet, stake, or place coin upon the outcome of any match in which thou art not a registered participant.
• Thou wilt not solicit, broker, or facilitate any such wager between other Citizens or third parties.
• Spectator cheers, tips, and dedications are gifts unto the championed Citizen — not wagers upon the match — and are permitted.

Violation is a Mark of Notice under Article II of the Charter and may carry suspension from the Coliseum or the Towne.

IV. Eligibility

• Thou art eighteen (18) years of age or older.
• Thou holdest Citizen Standing (Rank 3 or greater) at the time of entry.
• Thou dost not reside in a jurisdiction on the forbidden-jurisdiction list below.
• Thou hast a payout account in good standing for the receipt of any purse owed thee.

V. Forbidden jurisdictions (U.S.)

Pending final advice of counsel, entry to a Purse Match is denied to any Citizen residing in the following U.S. states. International eligibility follows the country list supported by the Towne’s payout rail.

VI. How coin flows

Every Purse Match dollar follows this exact path, enforced server-side and recorded in the Champion’s Purse Ledger:

Entry fee paid by Citizen
  → Stripe (payment-processor fees)
  → Towne Toll          (5% of gross — Strength & Solidarity LLC)
  → Founder's Draw      (5% of gross — Robin Lee Cooksey)
  → Chief Constable's Share (3% of gross — John Mockles)
  → Prize Pool          (remainder)
  → Bracket payout      (1st 60% · 2nd 25% · 3rd 10% · 4th 5%)
  → Stripe Connect      (winners paid, T+2 standard)

The Towne’s sole revenue from a Purse Match is the Towne Toll. The Founder’s Draw and Chief Constable’s Share are disclosed operator shares, not platform fees, and are deducted before the prize pool forms.

VII. Entry is final once a match begins

Once a match has begun, the entry fee is non-refundable except where required by law or where BellusTowne voids the match for cause. Thou mayest withdraw before a match begins; the entry fee shall be returned less any processor fee already incurred.

VIII. The Towne is facilitator, never bookmaker

BellusTowne does not bank, hold, set odds on, or take a position against any match outcome. The Towne is the chartered ground; the contest is between Citizens.

IX. Officers of the Towne shall not compete for coin

The Founder and the Chief Constable shall not register for any Purse Match and shall not receive any purse distribution. This restraint is bound to the Aegis (Anti-Favoritism) and enforced server-side. They may spectate, tip, and host.

X. Tax & reporting

Coliseum winnings are thy personal income. Where annual winnings paid to thee through the Towne meet or exceed the U.S. 1099 reporting threshold (presently $600 in a calendar year), Stripe Connect shall issue an information return on the Towne’s behalf. Thou art responsible for income tax in thine own jurisdiction. The Towne provides no tax advice.

XI. Dispute resolution

Match disputes are governed by the Coliseum match log and the Aegis review process under Charter Article I, §3 (Board of Review). All other disputes are governed by the dispute and arbitration sections of the Terms of Use.

XII. Amendment

The Founder may amend this Covenant by sealed instrument. Material amendments shall require a fresh seal from each Citizen before their next Purse Match.

XIII. Void Where Prohibited by Law

Every coin-bearing rite of the Coliseum — Purse Match entry, Tournament entry, the Patron's Box, the Marketplace, the Champion's Stipend, and the conversion of Coliseum Coin into BellusTowne credit — is offered only where it is lawful for both the Citizen and the Towne to engage in it, and is void where prohibited, restricted, taxed differently, or otherwise unlawful by the laws of any jurisdiction the Citizen is subject to (including, without limitation, U.S. federal law, U.S. state law, tribal law, and the laws of any non-U.S. nation). The Citizen warrants that their participation is lawful in their jurisdiction; the Towne makes no such warranty on their behalf and accepts no liability where such warranty proves false.

Where any provision of this Covenant, or any rite offered under it, is held void or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that provision shall be severed and the remainder shall continue in full force. No part of this Covenant constitutes an offer in any jurisdiction where such offer is unlawful, and no part shall be construed to grant rights, claims, or remedies that the law of the Citizen's jurisdiction does not itself grant. Where the Towne refuses a transaction on grounds of jurisdiction, such refusal is itself a term of this Covenant and not a breach of it.

The Patron's Box is sponsorship of a Champion's craft and is not a wager on the outcome of any match: the Patron receives no money based on whether the Champion wins or loses; the Champion receives the proceeds in either case (at differing rates), and the Patron receives only a cosmetic Mark and a coin token. BellusTowne credit issued under the conversion rite is a private store credit issued by Strength & Solidarity LLC, is not legal tender, is not currency, is not a money-transmitter instrument, is non-transferable, non-refundable, has no cash value, and may be redeemed only at sanctioned Towne shops.