Cactus Pear Defense

Cactus Pear Defense is a mocking term for legal arguments relating to an individual's character. It is named for the fruits of cacti on Beyne, which are widely agreed to be more sour than sweet in their natural form, yet under certain circumstances can be almost sickeningly sweet. The general connotation of using a Cactus Pear Defense is that the jury, judge, or public agrees that the defendant is "sour," yet the defense continues to argue that the defendant cannot possibly be, because they are "sweet" in some situations. Alternative names for the Cactus Pear Defense tend to stem from the same court case that gave this defense its name, such as the Eradín phrase originally used in court proceedings in mockery of the Cactus Pear Defense itself -- guíen guerrol go.
The Cactus Pear Defense as a term was coined in 4320 in media coverage of a Xasínan mayor on trial for connections to the Cults of Kraderag, supposedly for funneling resources to the distant fringe cults and even allowing them to use her city as a foothold for the cults to scout out prospective members and kidnap victims to use in their necromantic rites. Towards the end of the trial as evidence mounted in favor of deeming the mayor guilty, the defense famously began to appeal to the mayor's character as a line of defense. The defense's argument brought forth examples of all the good that the mayor had done for the city and previous actions against similar groups to the Cults of Kraderag, to which the prosecution immediately spoke out of turn to interrupt them and declared, "Ralcazé! Guíen guerrol go," meaning, roughly, "Bullshit! Anyone is capable of anything!"
Because of the prosecution's outburst generating more "out of turn" arguments and generally sending the court proceedings into a mild chaos, the trial was postponed for a week. In that timeframe, media coverage of the trial grew beyond Xasína's borders, particularly focusing on the defense's arguments and the prosecution's indignant response, and the infamous Cactus Pear Defense's legacy continued even after the mayor was found guilty despite the defense's best efforts.
Category:Ealdremen Law
Category:No Spoilers