Ark of Fools: Laws and Government

The Ancient rules over all, with the Sworn as his enforcers. He is indifferent to petty mortal politicking, though, and is agnostic about whether the god should be awakened or not. He likes to see a bit of conflict, so he can pick out the strongest to recruit for his own army. However, he does intervene to keep things from getting out of hand.

Murder, theft, rape, are all theoretically crimes, but the laws are only really enforced in Face. Elsewhere, you can do whatever you can get away with. In the interior, the tribes keep their own order, with some raiding between tribes, and squabbles for the best land. Any actions against the Ancient are punished harshly. Magic is legal, unless used for criminal activities or against the Ancient. Necromancy, making undead, etc., is considered a crime if the family of the corpse (or the clerics who 'own' the body) object. Usually punished by destroying the undead and paying a fine. The Ancient delegates the day-to-day criminal stuff to appointed judges.

The Council of Three represents the citizens of Face. They manage the day-to-day civil affairs. The Ancient rarely interferes. They are chosen in elections: each person casts a vote whose weight depends on how much money (or equivalent in magic/treasure) they contribute to the Ancient. Elections are held every 5 years or when a council member dies, or if the Ancient calls for one, or if a petition of 1000 names is presented to him. The Ancient in turn allows the council to use a portion of the funds as they see fit. They handle civil law (contracts, property, trade, etc.). Naturally, the council members favor their own friends and family. The same three people always get elected, but they are constantly jockeying for influence and power, so the elections are useful as way to measure this. In effect, the citizens contribute their vote money to one of the Three, or to a powerful 'delegate'.

Tithe: everyone who lives in Face is supposed to tithe a 1/20 share of anything they bring in to the Ancient.

Slavery: Technically, true slavery is illegal. But people can legally be indentured servants, with contracts lasting centuries or longer in some cases. Indentured servants may own property (but not real estate), and may marry, but they may only have children with their owner's permission. They are permitted to buy out their own contracts (maximum three times what they were bought for.) Children of 'slaves' are considered the property of their mother. Prisoners may also become indentured servants to pay off their debt to society. Society (in the form of the various magistrates or whatever) in turn compensate victims of crimes.

Marriage: in Face, usually people sign up for temporary contracts, lasting typically 3, 7, 12, 21, 36, 50, or 60 years. They may have relations outside of marriage, but those are not legally binding. In Akadazia, polygamy by the more powerful or wealthy males is fairly common.

Lakeland

Lakeland pretty much has its own systems of law and government. High Lord Stefan Eskrai rules over towns and feudal baronies and earldoms. However, he has turned the forces raised by his vassals into one unified army and keeps a strong rein over them all. Towns enjoy a measure of autonomy in civil matters, within the bounds set by the High Lord. Punishments run towards fines, public shaming in the stocks, flogging, to execution for the most serious offenses (aggravated murder or rape, repeat offenders, treason, raising ghouls or worse, etc.)

Lakeland recognizes the following categories of creatures:



Copyright © December 2001, Celeste Chang --- Revised --- December 2, 2001

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