jus Naufragii

The jus naufragii, also called the right of wreck, is a widespread custom, allowing the inhabitants or Sovereign of a territory to seize all that washed ashore from the wreck of a ship along its coast, including all cargo and the wreckage itself. Most controversially, this has historically included any surviving passengers, who could be sold as slaves. This latter is in opposition to both ecclesiastic and may secular laws, but continues in some parts of the world, most notably the Orkney Isles and Slaver's Coast. A similar, but smaller scale, trend exists for Windships, typically in mountainous interiors.
The justification for jus naufragii is often rationalized as the wreck being a divine punishment for those aboard, a ideal that persists despite attempts by the central authorities of the Church. Not satisfied with the bounty of storms or incompetence, many wreckers will assist in the destruction of ships with false lights, obfuscation of dangers with Arkane magiks and similar underhanded tactics to encourage more disastrous wrecks along their shores. . With a crackdown on the Slave Trade as a result of political pressures from the Faith, many wreckers will kill survivors to prevent legal repercussions.
The custom is still widespread in many areas, both Bediz and Fae, and is particularly lucrative in areas wild coastlines, such as the Bro Bagan in the Biskonti Leon, where a single treacherous rock is thought to generate 100,000 Sous annually (5,000 Gold Deniers). The Marie-Morgane have adopted jus naufragii as a core part of their culture and survival, even commemorating the practice with the festival celebrating the Coming of the Storms, the most active period of wrecking in the yearly cycle. Sovereigns in Gallia, Normandi, Akitania and Letha have, at one point or another, supported or ignored the activity, provided they were compensated with their share.
Along Slaver's Coast, many states, particularly those of the Golden Sea and the Duchy of Akitainia have arranged that their ships, passengers and crews, be protected against the exercise of jus naufragii, in exchange for a generous tribute. A similar treaty exists between the Kingdom of Gallia and the Duchy of Letha, although in practice this is largely up to local authorities and is often ignored completely. Some sovereigns pay rewards for the return of salvage, or hire mercenaries to retake wrecks, in an attempt to discourage the practice against their own shipping.