Within the Kingdom of Gilneas, law is maintained and handled based on region. As a result, laws within the Duchy of the Ashen Coast may differ from laws in Gilneas City proper as an example. These laws, considered as regional laws, are typically evolutions or bastardizations of existing country laws, which are laws mandated by the crown to be observed in all regions. These country laws fall into two categories, crown laws, which are mandated to be followed to their existing standard, and standard laws which may be altered depending on the region to fit so long as the initial premise remains in tact. The laws detailed here mostly consist of country laws, both crown and standard, and have been noted to be somewhat out dated in various respects given the status of the kingdom.
Country Laws[]
As stated previously, country laws are laws mandated by the crown or those bearing his majesty's royal authority and are expected to be followed in all regions of Gilneas. These laws fall into the category of the unchangeable Crown Laws and the modifiable Standard Laws. Crown laws typically dictate in the beginning "As dictated by the royal house, this law shall not be altered...".
Crimes and Misdeeds[]
Crimes within the Kingdom typically have a minimum or maximum sentence in some cases. As a result, punishment may be decided by court if a party is rendered guilty within these boundaries. The death penalty is typically barred unless multiple offenses have been accrued or if the law states otherwise.
Violence[]
Assault and Battery[]
As dictated by the royal house, this law shall not be altered...
I.) A person found attempting or threatening another person shall be found guilty of assault. Re-compensation, if found guilty, is dependent on the degree of the assault and shall be handled by the responding constable. If the offending party continues to be belligerent they are to be held for no less than a day within jail. The assaulted party may opt to drop charges against the offending party if desired.
II.) A person found harming or striking another person (outside of self defense) shall be found guilty of battery. Re-compensation, if found guilty, is dependent on the degree of the battery and shall be handled by the responding constable. In addition, if found guilty of battery, the offending party shall spend no less than a day jailed if found guilty and may have sentence raised in accordance to injuries sustained by the assaulted party. This does not include magical offense.
- If the offending party is found to be the spouse of the assaulted party, the assaulted party is granted grounds to annul the marriage within twenty days of the offense.
- If children are involved between the pair, the assaulted party is granted custody and the offending party is responsible to help support their upbringing until the age of eighteen.
III.) A person found harming or striking another person after having made threats or attempts to do so shall be found guilty of assault and battery. Re-compensation, if found guilty, is to be no less than twenty five silver groats and in response to injuries may be raised. In addition, the offending party is to spend no less than a day jailed if found guilty and may have sentence raised in accordance to injuries sustained by the assaulted party.
- If the offending party is found to be the spouse of the assaulted party, the assaulted party is granted grounds to annul the marriage within twenty days of the offense.
- If children are involved between the pair, the assaulted party is granted custody and the offending party is responsible to help support their upbringing until the age of eighteen.
IV.) A person found harming, striking, threatening or attempting to strike any member of the Royal Family is to be arrested and held indefinitely. The charge is to be elevated to high treason.
V.) A person found guilty of harming, striking, threatening or attempting to strike any member of the ruling nobility of a region is to be arrested and held indefinitely. The charge is to be elevated to high treason.
VI.) A person found guilty of harming, striking, threatening or attempting to strike a member of nobility outside of their circle of power is to be arrested and held indefinitely. The charge is to be elevated to petty treason.
VII.) A person found guilty of harming, striking, threatening or attempting to strike a member of the crown's royal authority or an agent of the crown is to be arrested and held for no less than fifty days without verdict. The maximum penalty allowed is death by hanging.
VIII.) All charges may be contested with the exception of treasonous actions.
IX.) Self defense does not count under assault or battery.
Addendum: If the offending party is a member of nobility or a knight of reputable standing, they shall not be held for longer than ten days assuming the charge is not petty or high treason. With the exception of assault upon the royal crown or ruling lord of the region, the penalty of death may not be sentenced. Such crimes are required to be handled within a court where proper re-compensation shall be discussed.
Murder[]
I.) A person may be found guilty of manslaughter if they cause unintentional death of another person under the crown. The offending party is to be held until it is confirmed the death was unintentional. Re-compensation to the family of the deceased is required and may be no less than fifty silver groats per person of the immediate family so as to support them.
II.) A person may be found guilty of lesser murder if they cause the intentional death of another person under the crown. The offending party is to be held indefinitely until sentencing is made and the estate of the offending person must re-compensate the immediate family of the deceased two gold sovereign per person. The maximum penalty is death by hanging.
III.) A person may be found guilty of greater murder if they cause the intentional death of another person while having also or either devised a plan for the death of the offended party or having eviscerated or desecrated the corpse of the dead. This includes any murder involving magic. The estate of the offending person must re-compensate the immediate family of the deceased three gold sovereigns per person. The maximum penalty is death by hanging and the minimum penalty is removal of a limb. In addition, those that survive such verdict that have been found guilty are to be branded upon their upper left, or upper right shoulder.
IV.) A person found guilty of murdering an agent of the crown or an official of the royal authority is to be arrested and have a limb removed without question. The offending party's assets are to be seized and assuming the verdict of death has not been reached they shall face life imprisonment. (This does not include unintentional manslaughter.)
V.) A person found guilty of murdering a member of the nobility or peerage is to be arrested and executed. The offending party's estate is to be seized and granted to the assaulted nobility's family.
VI.) A person found guilty of murdering a member of the Royal Family is to be executed. The offending party's estate is to be seized and the family questioned for involvement in the murder. In addition, it is within the crown's right to exile those affiliated with the party.
VII.) Those proven to be privy to involvement with the aforementioned crimes shall be treated as assistants to the crime and may be charged with full penalties.
Addendum: If murder is committed by nobility or a knight of reputable standard against another noble or a non-noble party, the death penalty is to be staved off until a final verdict is reached. If it has been found that the accused party is either the last of their house or this is their first offense, they will be forced into a steep repayment but shall not be granted death. In addition, no limbs are to be removed. Second offenses may allow death. Crimes against other nobles are to be dealt by court and the death penalty is allowed. Regardless of standing, attacking or murdering the monarch or a member of the royal family is considered high treason and punishable by death. Addendum: The offended party may push for a lesser sentence than death.
Dueling[]
I.) Duels within the Kingdom are considered a legal matter of handling disputes and may be substituted in place of normal punishment if accepted by both parties with the exceptions of crimes considered greater murder or any form of treason.
II.) Duels are to be validated by the local court and then over seen by an official. The duelists are not required to be either party involved, but should the offending party's representative lose, full punishment shall still go onto them.
III.) Deaths in lawful duels are not mandated to be re-compensated.
IV.) Grounds for a lawful duel include:
- Offense or besmirching of one's honor. These duels may be declined at any point.
- Assault and/or Battery.
- Lesser Murder
- Debt repayment. These duels may be declined at any point. If the offending party is slain in their duel, the estate must repay any remaining debts.
V.) A duel is to be considered unlawful if not validated by the court, not over seen by an official, or if rules of engagement of the duel are not followed beyond a first warning. The warning may be waved if the offense resulted in the death of the other duelist.
- Deaths in unlawful duels are considered lesser murder.
VI.) A duel is over upon the death or yielding of one of the parties. If a party yields and the other does not acknowledge it and purposefully kills the other, it is to be considered lesser murder and charges will be dropped if the original offending party is killed.
Addendum: Magic is not allowed within a duel unless stated otherwise. This includes between two magi. Both parties are required to agree to this.
Sexual-based Offenses[]
As dictated by the royal house, this law shall not be altered...
I.) If a person shall in any form force themselves upon another into an action of sexual behavior without consent, regardless of prior relation, it is considered rape.
II.) If a person lays with an individual under the age of eighteen with prior knowledge of their age before the act, regardless of consent, it is considered rape.
III.) If a person lays with an individual that is within immediate family, which is the father, mother, brother, sister, or child it is considered incest. This may branch out as far as first cousins. In addition, if the action was non-consensual it is also considered rape.
IV.) If a person lays with an animal as they would a man, it is considered a crime against nature and a sexual misdeed. They are to be separated from the animal in all ways and be branded as a criminal. The minimum sentence is no less than thirty days in jail and re-compensation must be paid to the owner of the animal of no less than eighty silver groats.
V.) If a person knowingly lies with a corpse as they would a man, it is considered a crime against nature and sexual misdeed. They are to be branded as a criminal and separated from the corpse as well as serve no less than thirty days in jail. In addition, they are no longer allowed to visit grave sites without supervision. They must repay the family of the corpse three gold sovereigns. If the corpse is that of a deceased family member of an offending party (bar spouses), it is considered incest. Regardless of spousal relation, the payment must then be made to the state instead.
VI.) If a person exposes themselves publicly in any sexual manner it is considered indecent exposure. The person must be detained and clothed and will have to pay a fine of 1 gold sovereigns on the first offense. Repeat offenses may result in branding and jail time. If found intoxicated, they shall be fined an additional 1 sovereigns for endangerment.
VII.) Rape is seen as the highest sexually based offense in the kingdom. A rapist is to be branded and separated from the assaulted party permanently, regardless of relation. A rapist is to repay the offended party a minimum of 3 gold sovereigns and is to be branded as a criminal. A minimum of a year in prison is required for a rapist with the maximum being ten years. A person found guilty of multiple rapes is allowed to be sentenced to gelding. The death sentence may be pushed for on a first offense, though such falls to the decision of a higher court. The death sentence is default allowed if the assaulted party is nobility or if the person has repeated the offense at least once prior.
VIII.) The initiator of incest is seen as the guilty party, though if both parties consented to the action both parties shall be punished. Any child borne of incest is considered bastard-born and removed from family inheritance under normal circumstances. In addition, those found guilty of incest are to be separated for no less than ninety days as they are examined by a medical professional for potential lapse in mental capacity. A fine of 2 gold is required to be paid to the state per guilty party.
Addendum: A noble or knight of reputable standing is not exempt from crimes such as rape. They are to be trialed with the same standing as a commoner under such offenses.
Magically based Offenses[]
I.) If a person intentionally casts any form of spell work against another person, it is considered magical battery. Re-compensation, if found guilty, is dependent on the degree of the battery and shall be handled by the responding constable. In addition, if found guilty of magical battery, the offending party shall spend no less than three days jailed and a month silenced if found guilty and may have sentence raised in accordance to injuries sustained by the assaulted party.
II.) If a person accidentally casts any form of spell work against another person, it is considered magical endangerment. A fine of no less than 50 silver groats is required and any damages caused by the spell work is to be repaid by the offending party. Repeat offenses may result in a month of silencing and mandated magical instruction to control their power.
III.) If a person intentionally casts any form of spell work against another person and kills them, it is considered greater murder. They are to be silenced indefinitely.
IV.) If a person accidentally casts any form of spell work against another person and kills them, it is considered magical manslaughter. They are to be silenced until verified to be able to control their magical power by any magical authority and are to repay the deceased's immediate family no less than two gold sovereigns per person. They are also responsible for repayment of any damage caused in the spell work. Repeat offenses may result in indefinite silencing.
V.) If a person intentionally casts any form of spell work that results in property damage without harm to individuals, they are responsible to repay any and all damages. In addition, if found to be intentional, they are to be arrested for no less than thirty days in prison as well as being branded as a criminal. In addition, they shall face silencing for ninety days. Repeat offenses may result in indefinite silencing.
VI.) If a person accidentally casts any form of spell work that results in property damage without harm to individuals, they are responsible to repay any and all damages. In addition, they are to be temporarily silenced for up to thirty days and are encouraged to seek out instruction on controlling magical prowess. Repeat offenses will cause silencing until verified to be able to control their magical abilities by a magical authority. Offenses past this will result in indefinite silencing.
VII.) If magic is used in self defense, it is not worthy of being branded as a crime.
Vices[]
Vices are the category of laws typically having to do with superfluous desires, such as but not excluded to, sex, money and drugs.
Prostitution[]
I.) Any person who willingly allows themselves to be used in the deriving of sexual pleasure for the exchange of monetary note or other material gain is protected under the law so long as said actions are consensual.
II.) A person may not enter into prostitution under the age of eighteen.
III.) A person may not force another into prostitution under the threat of violence or any other means. Those found guilty of such actions are to be jailed for no less than ninety days and separated from the offended party(ies). They are to be branded as a criminal and any potential wages stolen from said workers are to be repaid in full as well as additional payment of two gold sovereigns for harassment.
IV.) In the case of Pimpery, those who engage in such practices must under go a legally binding contract with the worker. Such contracts are to be null under the threats of violence. Pimps/Madams are required to obtain license to operate by the kingdom.
V.) In the case of brothels, Pimpery organized in such establishments must also under go a legally binding contract with said workers. They are null under the threats of violence and multiple cases of assault and or battery may result in closure of the establishment as well as forced re-compensation.
VI.) A prostitute, as considered protected by the law, may not be assaulted or harmed based on their profession. Should a prostitute be assaulted, a pimp is allowed to defend their worker until the belligerence has ceased from the offending party. Should a prostitute be killed, the offending party shall face full charges of murder and the pimp must re-compensate the family of the prostitute 1 gold sovereign in reparation for failure to properly protect the worker.
Addendum: It is within lord's rights to fully ban prostitution in all forms within their lands.
Monetary Offenses[]
I.) If a person should knowingly take or obtain currency that is not their own from another or objects that may be worth below the threshold of fifty silver groats, it is to be considered petty theft. They shall return the stolen goods and spend no less than two days jailed. They shall not be branded. Repeat offenses will result in elevation to lower theft.
II.) If a person should knowingly take or obtain currency that is not their own from another or objects that may be worth below the threshold of five gold sovereigns but above that of fifty silver groats it is considered lower theft. The guilty party must return all stolen gold and is to be found as an indentured servant to the offended party for no less than ninety days. Should harm come onto the guilty party during this time from the offended party, it shall be considered battery and the contract is null. Should harm come onto the offended party during this time, it shall be considered assault and battery and the contract is ended. The party will then be forced to repay double the amount stolen after serving jail time and shall be branded a criminal. Inability to repay the debt shall be done in service to the kingdom at the judge's decision. Repeat offenses will result in elevation to greater theft.
III.) If a person should knowingly take or obtain currency that is not their own from another or objects that may be worth above the threshold of five gold sovereigns, it is considered greater theft. The offended party shall be forced to repay double of what has been stolen within ninety days or in set increments. Failure to do so shall result in jailing of up to ninety days. Inability to repay debt shall be done in service to the kingdom at the judge's decision. In addition, the guilty party must choose a hand to be taken from them as punishment for their actions. They shall be branded a criminal and repeat offenses shall be moved into outlawry.
IV.) If a person should knowingly take or obtain currency that is not their own from another or objects that may be worth above that of fifteen gold sovereigns, they shall be branded as a bandit and outlaw. The punishment for first offense outlawry is return of stolen property and seizing of all assets. Their debt to society shall be repaid to the kingdom in form of service to be determined by the judge for no less than two years. Breaking of this service by committing any form of crime shall then move them into jailing as well as having to face charges for the crime committed. They shall lose a hand of their choosing and be branded a criminal. Repeat offenses allow for the maximum sentence to be death by hanging.
V.) If a person should unknowingly take or obtain currency that is not their own from another or objects that may be worth any amount of currency, it is to be returned within one hour of the realization. Failure to do so will result in movement into a criminal action in accordance to the worth of the object and or money. If returned within the allotted period of time, no charges shall be pressed.
VI.) In the cases of gambling. A person is allowed to legally gamble their money in an establishment granted permit to do so by the kingdom. Said establishment is expected to pay the kingdom 5% of all earnings from gambling. A person is not allowed to gamble more than their current wealth as well as not being allowed to expect pay out larger than that of what the establishment is able to pay within a set threshold. If the person is unable to pay the establishment, they are indebted to them and must repay their debt within ninety days, or in set increments, (extensions may be made). Failure to repay debt will result in a branding of either lesser or greater theft dependent on the amount.
VII.) In the case of illegal gambling. It is considered unlawful to privately gamble amongst more than five of one's peers in amounts greater than five gold sovereigns. Amounts won or distributed privately are not protected by the crown's law. Should an establishment be found to be running an illegal gambling circle, the establishment may face closure and charges of greater theft.
Addendum: It is within lord's rights to ban gambling in all forms within their lands.