Laws of Arathor

The Laws and Ancient Customs of Arathor are a cumulative work of law dating back to, supposedly, pre-Imperial tribal society. They have recently seen a return to use as part of a reactionary movement within the Kingdom of Stromgarde.

(OOC note. Of course, these laws apply only to those guilds and individuals who choose to acknowledge their legitimacy, and at events held by those guilds and individuals.)

## The Petty Court

(The Petty Court is not actually a court in the conventional sense. It is a weekly forum held by the Lawspeaker to simplify access to justice, and is closer to mediation than to an actual court. Essentially, when a party brings an issue and the Lawspeaker makes a ruling, they can choose to ignore it - if they wish to prove themselves fools, at least.

It goes something like this. The aggrieved parties present their versions of the issue, and the Lawspeaker deliberates on it. He then makes a determination, either in favour of one party or declaring it a null issue, and the two parties have a choice: Agree to abide it (at which point the decision becomes binding on them) or decide to ignore it and pursue alternative resolution.

If they agree to abide the ruling, they then each from the same mug of beer and the issue is considered over, and whoever re-starts it will pay a fine to the other.)

If a Lawspeaker fails to know the law, or to find the law within three days, he is to pay a fine of one gros to the King, and one groat to the man who asked the law of him.

If a thane, magistrate, or reeve takes money to decide a legal matter a certain way, he shall be stripped of his rank, and subject to lesser outlawry.

If a man does refuse to answer the summons of the King or of the court three times, the penalty shall be outlawry.

## The Wergild

(A man's life has value. This value is loosely reflected in his wergild, or 'man-gold' - the price that must be paid for his killing, when that killing isn't legitimate. Wergilds are flexible, even though they have official values - dicker over them, argue that a dishonourable man deserves less than his rank would command, refuse to pay for killings that are legitimate. These are all valid courses of action. Hus and kin are expected to make up the difference if the full wergild cannot be personally paid.)

If a man kill a thrall, he shall pay nothing but the debt owed by the thrall.
If a man kill a freeman, he shall pay fifty sheep, or twenty ounces of silver.
If a man kill a priest, he shall pay seventy-five sheep, or thirty ounces of silver.
If a man kill a thegn or baron, he shall pay two hundred sheep, or ten ounces of gold.
If a man kill a bishop, he shall pay two hundred sheep and a cow, or eleven ounces of gold.
If a man kill a count, he shall pay three hundred sheep and fifty cows, or sixty-five ounces of gold.
If a man kill a duke, he shall pay five hundred sheep and two hundred cows, or two hundred and twenty-five ounces of gold.
If a man kill a prince, he shall pay one thousand sheep, one thousand cows, and one thousand ounces of gold.
If a man kill the king, he shall pay ten thousand sheep, ten thousand cows, and ten thousand ounces of gold.

A woman shall command the same wergild as a man if she takes up the sword; double if she does not. Likewise the child and the elderly man shall command the same if they take up the sword; one and one half if they do not.

The wergild may be paid in any currency if the above are not available.

If a man is unmarried, the wergild is to be divided among his father and his brothers, and if they are dead, to his mother and sisters. If they are dead, it is to be paid to his grandfathers; then his grandmothers; then his uncles; then his aunts; and finally to his cousins, if no other man lives.

If a man is married, the wergild is to be paid in half to his wife and in half to his father and brothers, or in full to his wife if he has no father or brothers living.

If a man has a son, the wergild is to be paid to that son. If he has sons, it is to be divided equally. If he has only daughters, it is to be paid to half to them and half to his brothers, or to them in full if he has no brothers living.

If a man has none of the above living, the wergild is to be divided among his relatives in order of closeness.

If a man is tied above a mountain, cast bound into the waters, banished with magics, hanged and left for dead, or left bound to die of exposure, the wergild is to be paid even if he does not die.

If an Alteraci be killed by a Highlander abroad, and his family seek compensation, his wergild shall be ten ounces of silver if he is a freeman, five gros if he is a baron. They shall receive nothing if he did anything to cause offence.

If any man shall kill a Lordaeronite who is guest of the King, he shall pay sixty ounces of silver, one half being to the King, one half to the man's kin.

For a southron who is known, the wergild shall be fifteen ounces of silver.

If an utlendr be killed by a Highlander without reason, and his family demand his price, they shall receive two thirds only.

## Laws of Violence

For the following, a man may kill without being declared outlaw. He may kill to avenge a killing, to avenge a rape, to avenge a grave insult, to avenge a mutilation, to avenge his torture, to avenge the kidnapping of his womenfolk or children.

But if that man should seek settlement or summon a jury, he declares forfeit the right to pursue violent justice.

If a man summon a jury for an assault, he is to call ten neighbours and declare to them his injury and how it was inflicted. If they cannot decide among themselves if there is guilt, by simple majority, it is to the King or his men to decide. The penalty for the false summoning of a jury in this matter is one sheep to each juryman, and one sheep to the King's representative.

If a man seek to summon a jury within a day of the assault, the other party must consent to this, and take no violent action. If he does ask to summon the jury after the sun rises the next day, the other party is not obligated to accept or to be swayed from violent action. If a man break such a truce, the penalty is full outlawry, and if he refuse to swear to such a truce, it is lesser outlawry, and if he sends men to break the truce, it is full outlawry and lesser outlawry for the men sent.

If a man take coin to kill another man, he must pay half wergild, and his employer must pay half wergild, or both face outlawry. If a man take coin to kill another man for vengeance, he need not pay wergild.

If a man does cause great insult through words, poetry or otherwise, or does cause a man to stumble disgracefully, it is lawful that the insulted may strike the giver of such insult, provided blood is not drawn and the wound is not mortal nor major.

In a matter of assault, it is to be treated as a major wound if a bone larger than a finger is broken, if an eye is removed, if teeth fall from the head, if a man is castrated, if a man's tongue or nose or ears are cut away, or if a dwarf's beard is cut away.

It is to be treated as a mortal wound if it was the cause of death, or if it could be a cause of death for a man of normal strength, or if it removes any limb, or if it breaks the skull, or if it exposes the viscera.

If a man seize a woman and take her against her will, the court penalty shall be the payment of her bride price and ten gros, or if he cannot pay, lesser outlawry. But a related man may seek instead private vengeance, though if he take any coin, he cedes that right.

If any sworn-man take a woman against her will, his master is to pay the bride-price if his man cannot.

If a man seize a girl not yet of marriageable age and take her, the court penalty shall be the payment of her bride price and twelve gros, or if he cannot pay, full outlawry. But a related man may seek instead private vengeance, though if he take any coin, he cedes that right.

If a man seize a woman and hold her for two weeks, no man is to prevent their marriage, and he must pay her bride-price to her father even if they do not wed.

If a fylkirthegn seize a woman and take her against her will, he will be outlawed, and his properties given over to the King.

If a man set a fire to a building in which there are women and children, and does not allow for them to leave, he shall be outlawed in full, or shall pay double the wergild for each so killed. If he does not do so for good cause, he shall pay any who is burned in it their wergild as if he had killed them.

If any man shall go raiding, and does so habitually, the penalty is full outlawry and he need not be led to the border. The prosecution lies with his victims or with the King.

If a man joins a party for the sake of raiding but does not carry out the raid, he will be outlawed in part.

If a man join a party, unknowing it be for raiding, but then joins the raid, he will be outlawed in part.

If, in the course of a dispute, a third party gives either party a weapon that is used to shed blood, he shall pay one-half the damages.

If a man fight in the king's presence, the penalty shall be lesser outlawry, though the King may waive this.

## Utterances

Any man that does great insult to another must pay to him one groat if he is a freeman.

If a man slanders a noble or a servant of the king, he shall pay a debt to him of one gros, and to the King of one fylkirgros.

## Family Matters

If a man is proved to be father of a bastard, he must pay the bride price to the father of the woman he sired the bastard with; or, if she is married, to her husband.

If a man refuses to feed his close kin in times of trouble when he is able, and does so without reason of law, he shall pay to them one groat; three if there are children.

## Dvergrlaw

The dvergrgeld shall be one tenth of the worth each year.

## Elflaw

If an elf take a woman to be his wife, he shall pay twice her bride price, for there will be no children.

An elf is always second to any surviving human inheritor.

## Church Laws

If any steal an offering from the church, they shall be sentenced to lesser outlawry, or pay one gros, or suffer a penalty of the priest's choosing if it is agreeable to the judges.

If a priest improperly performs a marriage and does not tell the couple of this, and they wed and conceive a bastard, the penalty on him shall be lesser outlawry and he shall pay the bride price, no matter when it is discovered.

## The Fyrd

All men of age to serve in the fyrd shall carry on them a seax, or keep such in their home. Any fyrdsman who is weaponless when mustered shall pay no less than three groats fine, and no more than one gros, to be determined by his income.

## Contracts

If a man shall break his word in an agreement that is not major, he shall surrender one fifth of his worth to the aggrieved, but the agreement must have been witnessed by two others or a representative of the king, and may not be from duress.

If a man pledge to perform a foul deed or act against the laws or the King, and does not do it, the penalty for oathbreaking is voided.

If any man break his word on a purchase, and fails to deliver payment for goods received, the penalty shall be lesser outlawry if he has not a good reason, and cannot return the goods and half their value again.

If any man shall break his word in a trade deal, he shall pay one groat to the aggrieved and one groat to the King.

## Property Laws

### Found Goods

To the King shall be given three fifths of any goods that do wash up on the shore; the rest to the finder. But if it should be arms, thralls, spice, or silk cloth, four fifths shall be the King be given.

If a ship washes up on the shore, and no man comes forth who may prove ownership within one month, it shall belong to the owner of that land, or to the King if he so wishes.

### Livestock matters

If a man steal a bull that is not broken to the yoke, it shall be returned and he shall pay ten groats. If the bull be broken to the yoke and he take it, it shall be returned and he shall pay eight groats.

If a man find a marked cow, horse or sheep among his crops, and it has harmed his crops, he is still not to harm the beast but return it instead to its owner, and from him demand compensation.

If an unmarked sheep does wander into a man's flock, he may mark them as his own without penalty, provided that they are older than two weeks. If a lamb younger than two weeks is so taken, it is a fine of one groat.

If a man steal a ewe, he shall pay one groat and return the ewe. If the ewe is gravid, he shall pay two groats.

If a man steal a ram that is of good strength, he shall pay five groats. If a man steal a ram that is sickly, he shall pay two groats.

If a man steal a sow, it shall be two groats. If the sow is gravid, it shall be ten groats.

If a man steal a boar, it shall be twenty groats.

If a man steal another man's horse, the penalty shall be lesser outlawry.

If a man does geld another man's prize breeding stallion, he shall pay ten groats to the aggrieved. If a man seize a sheep while he is travelling, and kills it to eat, he shall pay one groat to the owner. If the sheep is unowned but on common pasture, he shall pay five pennies to the King.

## Magic

('He need not be led to the border' here refers to the custom of guarding an outlaw and taking him to the border of the Highlands. It euphemistically means 'and you can kill him right away', rather than the usual 'only kill him if he returns'. Magical crimes are one of the only times that right is automatically stripped away, to reflect the danger involved in letting any serious illrvolva live.)

An illrvolva or illrgaldre is here any who does cast the bad magics; including but not limited to the summoning of demons, the summoning of the dead, the causing of disease, unnatural things, and strange deaths.

If any shall poison a stream, pond, or well the penalty shall be full outlawry and branding, and they need not be led to the border.

If any shall cause a fatal disease on their neighbour through spells or potions, the penalty shall be full outlawry. But if it is is small disease, it is lesser outlawry.

If a man consort with demons, he is outlawed in full and he need not be led to the border.

If any man does summon the spirits of the dead in an unholy way, the penalty shall be lesser outlawry. If he does make the dead haunt a man, it shall be full outlawry. If he does make the dead walk, it shall be full outlawry, and he need not be led to the border.

If any man does learn the magic of the blood, the penalty shall be lesser outlawry.

When a man accuses his neighbour of bad magic, he must summon at least two witnesses to testify to the claim; they having either seen the spell be cast or seen the effects of it. If they did not see the spell be cast there must be some evidence it was. The penalty for a false swearing to bad magic shall be ten groats paid to the accused, and ten groats paid to the jurors.

If a man falsely accuse his neighbour of being illrvolva or illrgaldre, he shall pay to them five groats. If they suffer attacks or damages as a result, he shall pay the cost.

If a man shelter an illrvolva, he shall pay ten gros in addition to the usual penalty.

If any man shall cast a hex on his neighbour's eye that shall cause blindness in him, the penalty shall be full outlawry.

## Outlawry

Outlawry is essentially a status of being outside the law's protection. In our guild, it comes in two forms: Lesser and full. Lesser outlawry is for a limited time and sometimes does not include complete forfeiture of rights, while full is for life or until pardoned.

If a man knowingly shelters an outlaw, he shall pay a penalty of one fifth of his worth. If he shelters him unknowingly, the penalty shall be ten groats.

If a man kill an outlaw before he is escorted to the border, he shall pay half wergild to the family but may not be prosecuted, nor may private justice be sought.

If any man pursue an outlaw beyond the border, and does kill him, he shall pay no wergild. If a man cannot pay wergild for a killing, nor can his householder or family, he shall be sentenced to full outlawry and taken to the borders.

If a man kill without legitimacy and calls a trial rather than paying wergild, and is found guilty, the sentence shall be full outlawry.

If an outlaw does return to the Highlands, it is lawful that he be killed or taken as a thrall.

## Thralls

If a man cannot pay his debt, and the head of his hus cannot pay his debt on his behalf, it is lawful to take him for an indentured servant until such time as his debt be repaid.

If a thrall strike his master without good cause, the sentence shall be lesser outlawry.

If a man take an outlaw as a thrall, he may not kill the thrall without good cause, but if the thrall should seek to escape it is lawful to cripple him.

## Taxation

The tax shall be drawn from the hus, and if any householder does seek to deny the tax, he shall pay a fine of double the tax he sought to escape.

The yearly fylkirgeld shall be one twentieth of the wealth of a hus; he is the King and it is his due, but he may waive the tax if it is his desire.

### Land Taxes

If a man own an acre of farmland, he shall pay a tax of tenpenny.

If he own twenty acres, he shall pay a tax of a groat, and so it goes, but if he own a hundred acres he shall pay ten groats.It is not important if the land be farmed at the time, or if it be fallowed.

If a man own an acre of woodland, he shall pay a tax of twopenny. If he own twenty acres, he shall pay a tax of forty pennies, and so it goes. If the woods be unused, he need not pay tax.

### Production Taxes

If a man own a mill that is daily used, he shall pay a tax of one gros.

If a man own a bridge that is daily used, he shall pay a tax of one gros.

If a man own a vineyard that make a hundred tun a year, he shall pay a tax of ten groats.

If it make two hundred tun a year, he shall pay a tax of twenty groats, and so it goes.

If a man own an oven that bake more than a hundred loaves of bread a day, he shall pay a tax of eight groats.

### Exemptions

A man who serve in the Legion does not pay tax unless he has large holdings such as would cause him to pay one gros of tax or more.

No man who has possessions valued at less than one hundred pennies shall pay tax.

## Currency and Trade

Any that is stamped as a penny shall be of one twentieth an ounce of copper. Any that is stamped as a groat shall be one twentieth an ounce of silver. Any that is stamped gros shall be one tenth an ounce of gold. Any that is stamped fylkirgros shall be one fifth an ounce of gold. These are the weights.

If any man does mint coin without a charter, he shall pay to the King ten fylkirgros, and suffer lesser outlawry.

A half-groat shall be one hundred pennies in worth.

A loaf of bread is to cost no more than two pennies.

### Customs and Excise

For every ton of iron bar that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied one gros in fee, or two hundred pounds thereof.

For every stone of gold that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied two gros in fee, or one pound thereof.

For each barrel of black oil, that is thirty four gallons, shall be levied one gros in fee, or one gallon thereof.

For each barrel of olive oil, that is thirty four gallons, shall be levied two gros in fee, or two gallons thereof.

For every yard of silk that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied two groats in fee, or if there be ten yards or more, one yard for every ten.

For every yard of linen that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied fifty pennies in fee, or if there be ten yards or more, one yard for every twenty.

For every sack of wool that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied two groats, or if there be ten sacks or more, two sacks for every ten.

For every hide of ox, horse, goat, sheep, or pig that is brought into the Kingdom for sale shall be levied ten pennies.

For every bushel of barley that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied two groats in fee, or three quarts thereof.

For every bushel of wheat that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied three groats in fee, or one half-gallon thereof.

#### Spirited Beverages

For each tun of Elf-wine that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied one gros in fee.

For each tun of Dvergr-wine that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied twelve groats in fee.

For each tun of wine from Azeroth that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied four groats in fee.

For each tun of wine from Kul Tiras that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied six groats in fee.

For each tun of wine not from these places that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied three groats in fee.

For each barrel of Dwarvish beer that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied one groat in fee.

For each barrel of beer from Lordaeron that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied one half-groat in fee.

For each barrel of beer not from these places that is brought into the Kingdom shall be levied seventy pennies in fee.

#### Livestock

For every breeding cow that is sold in the markets shall be levied five groats.

For every bull that is sold in the markets shall be levied eight groats.

For every bullock that is sold in the markets shall be levied two groats.

For every bull or bullock broken to the plow that is sold in the markets shall be levied an additional groat.

For every calf that is sold in the markets shall be levied one groat.

For every goat that is sold in the markets shall be levied five pennies.

For every sheep that is sold in the markets shall be levied six pennies.

For every gelded horse that is sold in the markets shall be levied one groat.

For every stallion that is sold in the markets shall be levied eight groats.

For every mare that is sold in the markets shall be levied six groats.

For every foal that is sold in the markets shall be levied one groat.

For every hundredweight of any good not above named, there shall be levied ten pennies, but if it be magic, there shall be levied five gros.

## Bounties

Any man that does kill a troll, and present evidence of this, shall be paid one one groat for this; for the killing of a troll is a benefit to the Kingdom.

Any man who kills a kobold and provides proof of this shall receive tenpenny from the King for his service to the Kingdom.