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Pale Gazetteer

 

The Law and Pale Justice

Social Law

Social law is the law of the land as it pertains to people getting along with each other. These are the traditional laws which most lawful nations have. Even the Bandit Kingdoms have their social laws which help everyone to know what the minions of Iuz may arrest them for. In the Pale, they are similar to those found in most good kingdoms as well.

In all cases, these laws are for the purpose of adding flavor to scenarios in the Theocracy of the Pale. Judges may assess TU penalties when necessary based on these guidelines, but no judge may remove a character from play without contacting the Pale Triad. In cases of the first two murder crimes, the Triad should be contacted. For the purposes of this document, 1 week = 1 TU and 1 month = 4 TUs.

There are many other laws of the Theocracy as almost every possible aspect of society is regulated in the Pale. Most do not pertain to player characters though and are not listed here for simplicity, but this should give all a fair view of what the Theocracy's legal system is like.

Murder

Murder is broken down into three subcategories in the Theocracy: Fiendish Murder, Chaotic Murder, and Negligent Murder.

Fiendish Murder is the intentional murder of an innocent whether or not it is convenient to a person's goal. This type of murder is an evil act and will result in the offending person's death by execution if captured. Once captured, the suspect will be placed on trial, which lasts 2 weeks. If the suspect is convicted, the Church confiscates all of the convicted person's equipment and wealth, and the murderer will be placed in a secured area for 1 month. While awaiting execution, select members of the clergy prepare the murderer's soul for the netherworld, as well as offering the murderer time to resolve his own spiritual issues before being executed. They are then executed by burning, with their ashes then scattered to the winds. The authorities of the Theocracy have no intention of allowing people like this to return to life. Only a true resurrection can bring such a person back to life. Note that the killing of all Priests and Paladins ordained by the Church of the One True Path is considered a Fiendish Murder, except where it is proven that said clergy was a heretic. (Evil priests who profess devotion to Pholtus are heretics as are those who would attack innocents to kill them without provocation.) If convicted, the person also forfeits all property to the church.

Chaotic Murder is the killing of a citizen of the Pale in hot blood (such as killing a guard when discovered attempting to steal an item from a home) and is also punishable by death. If the person committing the crime is identified by witnesses, or the victim's corpse is left in a condition amenable to a speak with dead spell (which will then permit the victim to identify his killer), the offending person will be found and arrested. The suspect is then placed on trial, which lasts 2 weeks. If the suspect is convicted, the Church confiscates all of the convicted person's equipment and wealth, and the murderer is placed in a secure area for 1 month. While awaiting execution, select members of the clergy prepare the murderer's soul for the netherworld, as well as offering the murderer time to resolve his own spiritual issues before being executed. They are then executed by burning. As one might expect, clerics of Pholtus will refuse any requests to resurrect such an individual, but the ashes of such a criminal are not scattered to the winds at least. It takes at least a resurrection to bring such a person back from the dead. Since this is not able to be received from the Church of the One True Path, those wishing to aid in the murderer's return must be able to do it themselves or find someone who will. This requires at least 1 person other than the murderer to spent 2 TUs tracking down someone who will cast the spell. This can be reduced to 1 TU with a successful Gather Information check (DC 25). Even when brought back from the dead, the murderer will still be labeled a criminal in the Theocracy. They suffer a -4 penalty on all social interaction checks involving Palish Officials.

Negligent Murder is the act of killing another individual by accident. This normally occurs through negligence or complete accident. Anyone allowing the death of an innocent citizen of the Theocracy through his or her actions will be arrested and put on trial. Some examples of this would include casting a spell to destroy an enemy, but catching several innocent townsfolk in the area of effect or chasing a fiend off with a spell and then not pursuing him to keep him from killing innocent townsfolk once the effect of the spell was broken. The trial for this crime always takes one week to perform. If found guilty of being responsible by action or lack of action for the death of the citizen(s), the accused can be sentenced to a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months in a New Dawn Camp. They must also pay for the raise dead or resurrection of the victim (whichever is needed).

Assault

There are two categories of assault in the Theocracy of the Pale: deadly assault and chaotic assault. Assault charges are never brought against those persons in the Theocracy who are found to be legally defending themselves.

Deadly Assault is the act of attacking persons without legitimate provocation and with the intent to kill them. This is a very serious offense and if the attack actually results in the death of the victim, the person can also be charged with Chaotic Murder. Many have faced this charge when they attacked those they thought meant to attack them; it is necessary to ensure you are at risk before attacking others. The Theocracy is not a place where one should attack people in dark alleys and then ask questions later unless the possible victim has already drawn weapons. Those charged with this crime will be tried over the period of 1 week. If found guilty, they are sentenced to a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of four months in a New Dawn Camp to learn to be more orderly in their attitudes. They must also pay a fine (1gp per HP of damage inflicted on any living creature) and must replace any damaged goods.

Chaotic Assault is the charge for public disturbances such as in the case of a barroom brawl. In general, the Theocracy only charges those who start these types of disturbances, but sometimes those who participate are charged as well, depending on their level of participation. These cases are heard by lesser Justicars on the same day the charge is leveled. The sentence is generally one week in a New Dawn Camp to consider the orderly nature of society, but is never more than two weeks. They must also pay a fine of 1gp per HP of damage inflicted on any living creature and must replace any damaged goods.

Theft

In the Theocracy, there are four forms of theft. The first and most serious is Theft with Assault (this is a mugging), the second is Breaking and Entering, the third is Grand Theft, and the last is Pick Pocketing. All of the following crimes (except Pick Pocketing) result in a trial lasting 1 week before any of the below consequences are handed down.

Theft with Assault is considered to be a heinous crime. It is considered an evil act to attack someone in order to gain money. This crime is punishable as Deadly Assault, with an additional 1-4 months in a New Dawn Camp. Also, the thief must pay the same fine as Deadly Assault, as well as the additional fine of the stolen item's value (or total value if more than 1 item was stolen)

Breaking and Entering is the crime of illegally entering into another's business or domicile with the intent to perform actions the proprietor would normally not allow. This crime is punishable by a sentence of 1 to 3 months in a New Dawn Camp. They must also pay of fine (100gp times the PC's level). The crime may be compounded if anything is actually stolen; see Grand Theft below.

Grand Theft is the act of stealing items of great value, whether the attempt is successful or not. The crime is punishable by at least six weeks in a New Dawn Camp. The exact sentence depends on the amount of property stolen. A Justicar will normally base the sentence on the exact value of what was stolen. Conviction carries a sentence of a minimum of 6 weeks, plus 1 week per additional 500gp (or equivalent value) stolen, or part thereof, over 200gp. (7 weeks if 201-700gp is stolen, 8 weeks if 701-1200gp is stolen, etc.)

Pick Pocketing is the act of illegally removing items of value from a person in the street without his or her knowledge. This is a common activity for thieves and beggars in all cities, although the Theocracy actively tries to halt these persons. The sentence can range anywhere from two to six weeks in a New Dawn Camp. (Use the LGCS as a reference for determination of exact penalty for PCs.)

Ecclesiastical Law

Ecclesiastical law is the law of the Church of the One True Path as dictated to the citizens of the Theocracy of the Pale. The two laws most well known by all citizens of the Theocracy are listed here. The first is the law prohibiting proselytizing to any deity other than Pholtus within the borders of the Theocracy. The second is heresy, which is the most serious ecclesiastical offense anyone can make.

Violations of ecclesiastical law are judged in Ecclesiastical Courts. In all cases heard by the Ecclesiastical Courts guilt is assumed and innocence must be proven. The accused are allowed to present their own arguments and others may speak on their behalf as character witnesses to try and sway the court's opinion, but no one should confuse an ecclesiastical trial as a trial by their peers. The Church of the One True Path considers violations of ecclesiastical law seriously and only a few defendants have ever been proven innocent once accused by the Church. The Church is a bureaucracy with an army of bureaucrats well capable of proving their case long before any are brought to trial.

Proselytizing by Non-Pholtans

It is illegal for non-Pholtan clerics to proselytize in the Pale. Any cleric violating this law is put on public trial for 1 week. Once convicted, they will be sentenced depending on their alignment (or the alignment of the deity they were proselytizing), taking the worse of the two sentences if they are different.

If the convict/deity was LG, LN, or NG, they are sentenced to 2 week in a New Dawn Camp. If the convict/deity has an alignment of True Neutral, the sentence is 1 month in a New Dawn Camp. If the convict/deity has an alignment of CG or CN, they will be sentenced to 2 months in a New Dawn Camp. Clerics of St. Cuthbert are currently considered to be chaotic in the Theocracy—both for the historical connection of St. Cuthbert with the burning of Old Wintershiven and the recent connection of heretical Cuthbertites with the cult of Hextor. Clerics of St. Cuthbert are cut no slack with regard to any offense, and are generally treated poorly. This results in a sentence of 2 months as well.

Evil clerics proselytizing in the Theocracy (or those proselytizing or even venerating an evil deity) are sentenced to half a year in a New Dawn Camp immediately. While they serve their sentence, the Church will also investigate the greater charge of Consorting With Fiends, which is usually easily proved in the case of evil clerics. Those found guilty of this greater charge are sentenced to death by burning (see below). The convict will also pay a fine to the church (50gp per character level).

Heresy

Heresy is the worst crime anyone can commit against the Church of the One True Path. Heresy, in the normal sense, denotes the worship of Pholtus outside of the doctrine of the Church of the One True Path. This category of heretic generally includes those worshippers of the “Cult of Pholtus” in Dimre who are generally Lawful Evil in their outlook, but may include others depending on their view of Pholtus. The most defining doctrine of the Church of the One True Path is this: Pholtus is the one true god of Oerth and all other so-called deities are, in reality, either aspects of Pholtus or fiendish powers who have corrupted their followers. The penalty for true heresy as described here is death by burning at the stake by the Church of the One True Path, with the ashes being blown to the wind, and all equipment and wealth being convicted by the church.

It is worth noting here that in some instances a looser interpretation of heresy has been adopted by the Church of the One True Path. This interpretation states many things and is usually espoused by those of the conservative faction of the Church. The first and most important fact is based on the assumption Pholtus is the one true god of Oerth and all other supposed deities (lawful, good, chaotic, or neutral) are aspects of Pholtus himself; this leads to the accusation of heresy for all those who worship Pholtus by calling him by the incorrect name (almost all clerics not of evil deities can be grouped here, for example). These worshippers of “Pholtus” are practicing the religion of Pholtus wrong due to their belief that Pholtus has a different aspect than that as the true god of Oerth. This loose interpretation of heresy has been used in the past by the Church of the One True Path to punish those considered enemies of the Church and the Pale way of life; it remains a convenient recourse for the Church. The punishment for this “secondary” heresy is banishment from the Theocracy. Only an Archbishop or higher-level priest of the Church of the One True Path may accuse one of this secondary form of heresy and it requires approval by the Council of Nine to be prosecuted in a ecclesiastical court. If convicted the person also forfeits all property to the church. Surviving family may not petition for the return of property forfeited in this case.

Consorting With Fiends

The crime of consorting with fiends is treated similar to heresy. Those who have any friendly contact with fiends (any outsider from the lower planes) or worship evil deities are consorting with fiends. The only evil worshippers of a deity who are not accused of consorting with fiends are the heretics of Pholtus in Dimre. Those guilty of consorting with fiends are burned at the stake and their ashes are scattered to the winds. All of their equipment and wealth is also confiscated by the church.