Laws of Karsus Enclave

The Laws of Karsus Enclave were the officially-ordained rules and regulations of the city, set down by Karsus and his representatives. They were enforced and deliberated upon by the constables and judges that made up the civic infrastructure of the city.
==Personhood==
As a highly magocratic, human-chauvinistic society, Netherese law focused first on the rights and privileges of humans over all others, and magical humans over non-magical humans. Gnomes, elves, dwarves, and halflings had a lesser legal status and had much lighter penalties for their mistreatment, and the slavery of gnomes was ended prior to the creation of Karsus's enclave only due to pragmatic concerns and not morality. However, magical effects or creations that gained permanency and independent thought were considered to have full legal status and privileges, such as the case of Shiris Blamira.
==Religion==
The faithful of Amaunator and the church were heavily involved in the law and rulership of Netheril. The dogma of Amaunator demanded strict adherence to laws and contracts, respect for ones duties and rulers, and the thoughtful interpretation and investigation of crimes and other complex situations. Amaunatori often served as judges and advisors on legal matters, and found ready work as mediators in disagreements over contracts, trade deals, and other matters that didn't demand the involvement of official courts. In this way, Amaunatori individuals and the church as a whole enjoyed a great deal of power and influence thanks to their role in arbitrating the highest and lowest disputes in the land.
The holy orders of Amaunator pursued different aspects of their god, but each remained true to the values of stability and order. These orders included the Most Transcendent Affiliation of Paradisiacal Pens, scribes who constructed repositories of legal records, the Syndicate of Celestial and Righteous Lawmakers, crusading paladins who embodied the lawful humanitarian aspect, and the Brotherhood of the Sun, monks who focused more on good deeds and comforting the common folk.
==Enforcement==
===Constabulary===
The enclave's laws were generally enforced by the constabulary. Based out of Constabulary Branch One, Two, and Three, they used teams of fighters, arcanists, and priests to patrol the enclave's streets, protect the public from sudden threats, perform arrests, interviews, and investigations, and generally keep order. The Constabularies were equipped with hundreds of jail cells, but long-term imprisonment was not used in favor of execution, fines, forced labor, or more unusual punishments. Each constabulary was overseen by a Chief Constable assisted by a team of several Underchiefs, who managed their stations and liaised with Karsus and his inner circle. Though most were some combination of well-meaning and law-abiding, exceptions existed, particularly in the officers of Branch Two led by Chief Constable Michallon, who worked in concert with criminal elements to earn more money.
===Judiciary===
Although Karsus was the final word on all that happened within the enclave, the judicial system was left to the capable hands of Lord High Justice Andoris Derathar and other judges at the Hall of Judgment, who deliberated cases and were able to set precedent with their decisions. He was aided by judges such as High Justice Emilus Wentar and Justice Vlourir.
When a case was heard, the accused was brought forth into court and investigated intensely in order to dispel any confusion regarding their involvement. As the high-profile criminals of Netheril were often powerful and highly amoral arcanists, the legal system had to regularly account for complications such as portals, cloning, shadow doubles, charming, memory modification, polymorphing, summoning and many other devious means used by arcanists to circumvent the law. Witnesses were a vital aspect to determining the course of events, and could even include extra-planar creatures such as elementals, so long as they were deemed truthful and not controlled by outside forces. The testimony of witnesses and the accused was given while wearing an enchanted mantle that indicated whether truth, lies, or a both were spoken, though this was dependent upon their own perception of what was true.
Justices were given great latitude in how they interpreted cases, with different levels of emphasis on the letter of the law versus the spirit of justice. They were able to set legal precedent with their decisions, allowing them to shape the interpretation and implementation of the law as they saw fit.
==Laws==
===Espionage===
Although generally uninterested in the goings-on in his city, Karsus was paranoid of other enclaves stealing the secrets of his domain, including the architectural methods used in its construction. He had a network of spies that monitored other enclaves for any attempts to steal or sell information.
;Magical Research
Stealing magical tomes or documents regarding the enclave's confidential magical information or research resulted in a public execution within 24 hours, often with a choice given regarding the method.
;Military Information
Betrayal of the city in military matters led to the guilty party being given to an arena filled with life-draining undead, or given to the spelljammers of Yeoman's Loft for use in a lifejamming helm.
===Murder===
Murder was extremely harshly prosecuted in the enclave. Killing during a duel or other contest was legal, so long as the terms and risks were agreed and understood by both parties.
;Arcanist, Priest, or Other Spellcaster
The base punishment for slaying a spellcaster was public execution. Priest-killers would be given to their temples for private judgment, while arcanist-killers were donated to a magical academy for use in experimentations.
;Archwizard Ruler
Slaying an archwizard resulted in the slow, torturous death of the killer. They were then resurrected and slain repeatedly using different methods, until the body failed permanently. Finally, they were reincarnated in a new body then passed through a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
;Constable or Enclave Official
Killing a constable or other government official resulted in being polymorphed into a herd animal, then hunted for food.
;Familiar
Killing a familiar could result in being trapped inside an amulet, then given to the wounded party. A lighter sentence involved merely having their health permanently weakened. It was also common for the guilty party to be executed, with resurrection permitted only after a period of several decades.
;Human
The penalty varied widely depending on the victim and the circumstances of the crime.
;Human Business Owner
The slayer was killed in a painless and humane manner. If the killer was a spellcaster, they were sent to one year of labor per human employee of the victim, and more depending on the owner's fame or importance.
;Nonhuman Dignitary
The slayer of a foreign representative was transported to that realm to face their justice system. If the criminal was an arcanist, they were life-drained to near death by undead while the victim was resurrected, and then the arcanist was set free.
;Nonhuman Business Owner
Slaying a nonhuman employer resulted in forced labor at a dangerous mining camp, with one year per employee.
;Nonhuman
The murderer was given a fine according to the race of the victim. Gnomes were worth 1000 gp, dwarves were worth 750 gp, elves were worth 500 gp, and halflings were worth 200 gp, with the fine halved if the murderer was an arcanist. Other nonhumans were not protected by the law, and thus the killing of orcs, goblins, and other people were not the concern of the legal system.
;Pet or Livestock
The slaying of animals was counted as theft.
===Theft===
Usage of physical force or magical assistance doubled the penalties applied.
;Magical Property
The property was returned, and an equal amount of value in coin or assets was transferred as compensation. If the amount could not be made up by the criminal, they were put in indentured servitude until the total was met, at an official rate of 2 sp per day. In addition, a crippling injury was inflicted according to the thief and the value of the property, such as a warrior losing the sword arm or an arcanist losing their tongue.
;Nonmagical Property
The property was returned, and an equal amount of value in coin or assets was transferred as compensation. If the amount could not be made up by the criminal, they were put in indentured servitude until the total was met, at an official rate of 2 sp per day.
;Spell Books or Research
Stealing magical information for personal gain led to forced servitude for fifteen years or execution, depending on the severity of the crime.
===Miscellaneous===
The casting of spells in public was not illegal, but it was the duty of the caster to do so responsibly and carefully.
;Breaking Contract
Breaking an agreement resulted in any property or profit obtained from the contract being given to the other party. This could potentially result in no penalty, if there was no material gain.
;Disobeying Government Official
Refusing to follow a constable's orders resulted in jailing for up to ten days. Subsequent violations resulted in a 2 gp fine and up to 10 days imprisonment again.
;Property Damage
Magical and mundane property damage were not distinguished. Careless or wilful destruction of property resulted in the criminal repairing or replacing the damaged assets, or paying for it to be done, as well as compensation for any lost income from business. Failure to pay resulted in indentured servitude to the victim until the damage was compensated, at an official rate of 2 sp per day.
;Public Drunkenness
Drunks were held in a jail cell until sober, and given a 5 sp fine.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Laws
Category:Year of Metropolises