Warwick Laws

Rights and Responsibilities of The Crown

• It is the acknowledged responsibility of The Crown to ensure the stability and safety of its citizens (meaning all those who permanently reside within the borders of Warwick, regardless of race, creed, or former nationality). The Crown shall be inherited to an heir of the High King’s (or High Queen’s) choosing. Any attempt to circumvent this decision shall be considered treason, and any party who supports such an attempt would be a traitor to the Kingdom of Warwick and no longer fit to rule.
• The Crown shall impose taxes upon the fiefdoms under its rule for the purposes of maintaining order in the land. Taxes are to be collected locally and sent to the protection of the Earldom, which will then make its tithe to The Crown.
• The Crown shall maintain an army to protect the citizens of Warwick from threats to their safety or security, whether those threats come from other nations, the Wastes, or violent factions living within its borders.
• The Crown shall ensure positive diplomatic relations for the good of the nation and its commerce.
• The Crown has the authority to remove or replace Earls who shirk their duties or become otherwise unfit to rule.

Rights and Responsibilities of The Earldoms

• Earls are charged with the administration and safety of those residing within their Earldom. The position of Earl is appointed by the High King, and unless revoked is inherited by a chosen heir of the current sitting Earl. Any attempt to circumvent this decision shall be considered treason, and any party who supports such an attempt would be a traitor to the Kingdom of Warwick and no longer fit to rule.
• Earls of Warwick are tasked with creating, maintaining, and protecting all major roadways in their province. Under this mandate the Earl may create and maintain a force of Road Wardens to patrol roadways clearing debris, hazardous wildlife, or bandits that may pose a hazard to travelers.
• Create and maintain regular posts where Wardens may reliably be found.
• Preside over disputes between lordships.
• Collect and protect taxes from the Lords to be used for the good of the realm.
• Earls may levy their own taxes upon goods or services for the administration and protection of their lands.
• Earls may submit proposals to the King’s Treasury to use funds for specific purposes.
• Earls may call in the banners and conscript citizens in the event of an imminent threat such as invasion by a hostile force.
• Earls have the right to make such laws as they see fit for the good of their lands, as long as those laws do not counter laws set down by The Crown.
• Laws deemed unjust by The Crown may be struck down, and the Earl fined or removed from office as their regent sees fit.

Rights and Responsibilities of Shire Governance

• Shires consisting of more than one town or village are overseen by a Lord, appointed by the Earl. The position of Lord is inherited by a chosen heir of the current sitting Lord, unless revoked by the Earl. Any attempt to circumvent this decision shall be considered treason, and any party who supports such an attempt would be a traitor to the Kingdom of Warwick and no longer fit to rule.
• Shires consisting of only one town or village are overseen by a Sheriff, appointed by the Earl. The position of Sheriff is not inherited, but a sitting Sheriff may recommend their replacement.
• Lords or their appointed magisters shall preside over cases brought before them by the Constabulary. These may be property crimes over 50 crown, or more complex criminal cases that Constabulary believe require a higher authority to sentence, or anything with a potential sentence of Ritual Sunder.
• Lords are responsible for collecting taxes to be sent to the Earls.
• Lords may levy their own taxes and fees upon citizens for the administration and protection of their lands.
• Lords may submit proposals to the Earl’s Treasurer for funding requests on specific projects.
• Lords shall facilitate the formation of a town guard or militia that can be called upon to defend citizens residing in their lands. In the event that the Earl or King calls the banners to aid, those individuals enlisted in the town guard or militia must report on the lord’s behalf.
• Lords may trade or purchase indentured prisoners, providing the original terms of their indenture are preserved.
• Lords have the right to pardon crimes committed within their lands. A lord may reduce the sentence of an indentured servant traded to them, limited to no less than 5 years remaining or to a total of 1/3rd their original sentence, whichever is longer.
• Lords have the right to make such laws as they see fit for the good of their lands, as long as those laws do not counter laws set down by higher authorities.
• Laws deemed unjust by any higher authority may be struck down, and the Lord fined or removed from office as the higher authority sees fit.

Concerning the Constabulary

• Each Shire or District shall have a Constabulary Force funded and directed by the local governing body, be that Council or Lord. These shall be organized as a Commissioner and their underlying Constables. The Commissioner is appointed by the governing body, but may themselves appoint and direct the Constables without undue interference.
• Constables are to keep the peace, and investigate any criminal activity reported to them. Any property crime valued at 50 Crown or more, the accused shall be brought before the governing body for trial. Bodily harm accusations may be adjudicated by Constables at their discretion.
• Constables may recruit town guard or militia members (or willing citizens, should no guard members be available) to apprehend or guard criminals as the need arises.
• Constables may request entrance to any abode within their jurisdiction. Forced entry is permitted if the constable reasonably believes there is a crime in action, or a criminal hiding within the building.
• Property damage due to forced entry, if it is later discovered to be unwarranted, shall be repaid out of the offending Constable’s salary.
• The Shire Commissioner shall direct their constables to conduct regular patrols throughout communities within the Shire, checking in on citizens to ensure their safety and see that any complaints are recorded.
• An accused has the right to appeal to the Earl for judgment if they feel they have received an unjust judgment from local authorities. *Shires may also trade prisoners for judgment as they see fit, such as if someone wanted in one shire is arrested in another for the same crime. In such an instance, the arresting Shire has precedence.
• Indentured servitude in service to the Shire shall have a pay rate of no less than 1 copper a week, and the servitude shall have both a monetary threshold, and a time limit, past which the criminal shall be released from service, regardless of debts still owed for their crimes. This servitude may be traded to other Townships as needs be, provided the original terms of service are retained.

Actions Explicitly Considered Criminal

Let it be known that these are decrees from The Crown, and that local governing bodies may make further laws at their discretion, as long as those laws do not directly counter what has been set down by any authority higher than themselves.

Crimes Against a Person

• Murder (meaning assault which results in sunder) shall be punishable by sunder, and may be judged directly by Constables. In cases where there is reasonable argument for self-defense, all effort shall be made to ascertain the validity of the claim before carrying out the punishment.
• If the intent of the guilty party was sunder, but the victim had more anima than the guilty party anticipated, the case MAY be judged as attempted murder by a duly appointed official of the governing body instead of as assault. Attempted Murder may be punished by indentured servitude or sunder, as determined by the duly appointed official.
• Assault resulting in the spirit leaving their body, where the guilty party knew beforehand that the death would not be permanent, shall be punished with reparations paid to the constabulary of 5 Crown, or 20% of their wealth up to a sum of 50 Crown. If the guilty party cannot pay this sum, they may be pressed into indentured servitude in service to the governing body to pay off this debt at a pay rate of no less than 1 copper a week, for a time not exceeding 5 years.
• Assault resulting in physical injury, but not death, may result in imprisonment for a length of time to be determined by the Commissioner, not to exceed 6 months. Repeat offenses may result in indentured servitude.
• Duels and combat tournaments are expressly allowed, but must be registered with constabulary before-hand. All rules and terms must be set out and explained to constabulary and all participants before they sign up. Tournaments shall not result in sunder and must have healers available to prevent this. Failure to meet any of these requirements shall result in a fine and potential censure from holding future such events.

• Unsanctioned imprisonment of mortals, that is without the authority of a local or regional ruling body, is prohibited, and may be punished by property seizure, indenture, or sunder, depending on duration and nature of unlawful imprisonment, as decided by a duly appointed official of the local ruling body.

Property Crimes

• Banditry and thievery is punishable by fine of no more than triple the amount stolen, and if the person is unable to pay this fine outright they may be pressed into indentured servitude in service to the governing body to pay off this debt at a pay rate of no less than 1 copper a week, for a term to be decided by the governing body based on amount stolen. This servitude may be traded to other Townships as needs be.
• It is justified to defend oneself against bandits to their ultimate death should they refuse to be taken alive.
• Piracy, thievery, and assault of sailing vessels owned by Warwick citizens or The Crown is expressly prohibited, and punishable by property seizure, indenture, or sunder, dependent upon scale and recurrence, to be decided by a duly appointed official of the Earl of Drakenvelt.

Crimes Against the Crown

• The raising or outfitting of groups intent upon harm or upheaval of governing structures is illegal and will be treated as sedition. Persons accused of sedition must be brought before a representative of the crown for sentencing. Their sentencing may not be handled at the Township level.
• Subverting the rightful transfer of power according to the laws of succession for a given rank is classified as sedition. Persons accused of sedition must be brought before a representative of the crown (at least one rank higher than the rank that was subverted) for sentencing. Their sentencing may not be handled at the Township level.
• Fraud, including the impersonation of ranks or honors not justly held, is illegal and punishable by fine or indenture as determined by sentencing authority based on harm done and/or level of authority impersonated.

Other Crimes

• Necromancy in the form of raising and maintaining undead is punishable by immediate summary execution.
• Undead are illegal and not considered persons regardless of intelligence. They are to be immediately destroyed upon discovery, or reported to the nearest official.
• Knowingly harboring undead is illegal and may be punishable by death under the discretion of local Constabulary.
• Ritual Summoning of demons, when not for the express purpose of destroying a specific problem demon, is illegal and punishable by property seizure, indenture, or sunder, as decided by a duly appointed official of the local ruling body.
• Trafficking with demons by other means is left to the discretion of local ruling bodies to legislate.

Local Ordinances

• By order of Lord Alistair Oswald, and upheld by Lord Lorren Oswald, torture is illegal within the Shire of Fortnight. Torture is defined as the deliberate prolonged application of pain and suffering upon any sapient creature, be it for interrogation purposes or sadistic pleasure. Violators are to be punished by a fine of 20 gold AND imprisonment for no less than 90 days.

• By order of the Fortnight Town Council, performing a Ritual without a ward erected is illegal and shall be punished by a fine of 5 crown for Incanter level rituals, and 10 crown for Archon level rituals. Failure to pay will result in arrest and confiscation of the owed fine, or property worth up to that fine in monetary value. If the offending individual does not contain material wealth equal to their fine, they may be indentured to the service of the Town Council until such a time as their dept has been paid, at a pay rate of no less than 1 copper a week.

Definitions

• Assault: Deliberate harm of a sentient mortal
• Murder: Assault of a sentient mortal which results in their sunder.
• Duel: a fight between 2 parties where rules are set and terms agreed upon before the start of the fight. A local official (constable or magister) must sign off on these terms, but sunder may be allowed if both parties agree to the consequence (unlike tournaments).
• Tournament: An organized combat between 3 or more persons for entertainment purposes. Tournament rules and terms must be okayed by a Commissioner or Lord prior to the event, but all tournaments must have healing available. Death or Spirit is allowed but Sunder is not.
• Indentured Servitude: When a criminal cannot pay their fine they are indentured to the governing body, to be rented out as that body sees fit until their debt is paid. Indentured servitude in service to the Shire shall have a pay rate of no less than 1 copper a week, and the servitude shall have both a monetary threshold, and a time limit, past which the criminal shall be released from service, regardless of debts still owed for their crimes. This servitude may be traded to other Townships as needs be, provided the original terms of service are retained. During indenture, the criminal is housed and fed by the governance, and this does not count against their pay towards their debt.
• Sedition: Incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority. Persons accused of sedition must be brought before a representative of the crown (at least one rank higher than the rank that was subverted) for sentencing. Their sentencing may not be handled at the Township level. Sentences may include exile, indenture, or sunder, depending on the specifics of the crime and the ranks held or undermined in the process.