The original Civil Defense Act was drafted by Charles Bresley and approved by the Council of Sanctuary the 8th Alturiak in Year 6. Later decrees and laws had expanded the powers of the civil defense agencies in most cases, limiting them in others.
An original copy of the Civil Defense Act was recovered from the late Mayor Yorrick Bresley's office, warded, and placed on display in Town Hall. It has since been moved to the library.
On the Eighth of Alutirak, in the Sixth year of Sanctuary, Mayor Charles Bresley The Civil Defense ActThe Seekers quickly lost virtually all of their defense powers within two decades, from a combination of neglect for their duties and radical application of their powers.Where there were once dozens of refugees there are now hundreds of citizens; where there were once camps and ruined buildings there are now streets and homes; where there was a handful of loyal protectors guarding against the 'dark there are now orders able to provide us safety from dangers within and without; henceforth there shall be three agencies which shall ensure our defense, working in concord and harmony to undertake a task that is larger than any one man and larger than any one order.
The Watch shall guard the gates of our Sanctuary and enforce just laws within, bringing criminals before the Council for judgement and defending the city in times of need. The Order of the Spellguard shall be charged with warding our town against its enemies, reactivating the old automatons and lost svirfneblin defenses, and protecting the citizenry of the town from the harmful spells and magecraft of our countless foes. The Seekers shall lead the forward defense, seeking out new resources, identifying the threats and dangers that surround us, and taking proactive action against these threats as needed.
These civil defense agencies shall be vested with these powers: to arrest and detain citizens, that they may perform criminal investigations and punish criminal acts; to use lethal force as a last resort, that they may quell particularly volatile disturbances; to issue bounties on wanted men, that citizens might legally bring justice to a societal menace; and to collect taxes from the citizenry at regular intervals, that the city might possess the funds to maintain its defenses and other public services.
The undersigned pledge their forces and support to the Civil Defense Act for Sanctuary:
Charles Bresley Frederick Bresley Melinda Bresley Calley Hennet Henry Archibald Jadderly Donrick
The Spellguard always considered tax collection beneath them, and so that power was used to pad the list of revoked authority made by Mayor Yorrick Bresley following the Ubel Rebellion.
The definition of some powers had been made more complicated over the years, while others have faded into obscurity. With the secession of the Spellguard and the collapse of the Seekers, as well as the restructuring of the Council, this document itself will fade into obscurity.