Covidian Laws

Prior to the human spread across the kingdom it was more of a collection of multiple islands and groups with tentative truces and some mixing, kind of like the EU or something. But then the Humans decided they wanted it all for them, and started to spread - imposing their will across the continent through a combination of military force and careful alliances supported by their strong magic.

A holdout of this is that a lot of the law is largely regional, however the humans run most of the regions. So you’ve got very different approaches between the regions towards the legal system, but a running theme is subjugation of non-humans to differing degrees and a lack of oversight about what’s happening in each one. It’s essentially a race to the bottom.

## Legal Code

*Punishment for a crime can include one or more of the following, based on the nature of the crime, who or what the crime is committed against, and the criminal record of the convicted:*

* **Death**
* **Exile** (for a number of years or summers)
* **Flogging** (a set number of strokes)
* **Hard labor** (for a period of days, months, or years de- pending on the seriousness of the crime)
* **Imprisonment** in the dungeons of Castle Waterdeep (for a period of days or months depending on the seriousness of the crime)
* **Fine** (payable to the city; inability to pay the fine leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
* **Damages** (payable to the injured party or victim 's kin; inability to pay damages leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
* **Edict** (forbidding the convicted from doing something; violation of an edict can result in imprisonment, hard labor, and/or a fine)

### Crimes against Lords, Officials, and Nobles

* **Assaulting or impersonating a Lord:** death
* **Assaulting or impersonating an official or noble:** flogging, imprisonment up to a tenday, and fine up to 500 gp
* **Blackmailing an official:** flogging and exile up to 10 years
* **Bribery or attempted bribery of an official:** exile up to 20 years and fine up to double the bribe amount
* **Murder of a Lord, official, or noble:** death
* **Using magic to influence a Lord without consent:** imprisonment up to a year, and fine or damages up to 1,000gp
* **Using magic to influence an official without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

### Crimes against the City

* **Arson:** death or hard labor up to 1 year, with fines and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus 2,000 gp
* **Brandishing weapons without due cause:** imprisonment up to a tenday and/or fine up to 10 gp
* **Espionage:** death or permanent exile
* **Fencing stolen goods:** fine equal to the value of the stolen goods and edict
* **Forgery of an official document:** flogging and exile for 10 summers
* **Hampering justice:** fine up to 200 gp and hard labor up to a tenday
* **Littering:** fine up to 2 gp and edict
* **Poisoning a city well:** death
* **Theft:** flogging followed by imprisonment up to a tenday, hard labor up to 1 year, or fine equal to the value of the stolen goods
* **Treason:** death
* **Vandalism:** imprisonment up to a tenday plus fine and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus up to 100 gp
* **Using magic to influence an official without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

### Crimes against the Gods

* **Assaulting a priest or lay worshiper:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to 500 gp
* **Disorderly conduct within a temple:** fine up to 5 gp and edict.
* **Public blasphemy against a god or church:** edict
* **Theft of temple goods or offerings:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to double the cost of the stolen items
* **Tomb-robbing:** imprisonment up to a tenday and damages covering the cost of repairs plus 500 gp

### Crimes against Citizens

* **Assaulting a citizen:** imprisonment up to a tenday, flogging, and damages up to 1,000 gp
* **Blackmailing or intimidating a citizen:** fine or damages up to 500 gp and edict
* **Burglary:** imprisonment up to 3 months and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp
* **Damaging property or livestock:** damages covering the cost of repairs or replacement plus up to 500 gp
* **Disturbing the peace:** fine up to 25 gp and edict
* **Murdering a citizen without justification:** death or hard labor up to 10 years, and damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim's kin
* **Murdering a citizen with justification:** exile up to 5 years or hard labor up to 3 years or damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim's kin
* **Robbery:** hard labor up to 1 month and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp
* **Slavery:** flogging and hard labor up to 10 years
* **Using magic to influence a citizen without consent:** fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

### Gerenlake Pact

Apparently sacrificing people when they're not threatening you is against this thing called the Gerenlake Pact.

## Militia

Organised militias are the major police force, however the shape and function of these is variable. Members of the militia are known as 'Guards' with a hierarchy as follows;

* Chancellor of Order - national head of Law and Order
* Landed Commander - has responsibility for an island
* Local Commander - responsible for a city/town
* Watchman - most senior operational role
* Guard - standard operational role
* Recruit - title for new guards - 1 year training period in this post

The current Chancellor of Order is Stanchion.

#### Whitefreeze Militia

The militia in Whitefreeze are probably one of the most independent militias in the isles - they emerged from the pre-existing governmental structures within the region and largely don't enforce the more targeted laws set forth by the Tawry Party.

Their Local Commander is Acab.

1. ↑ *Waterdeep: Dragon Heist*. Wizards of the Coast, 2014.