With a fudalist society growing and developing as fast as the towns of today, there are sure to be deviants; folk who decide that selfishness, be it in the form of greed, desperation or self-preservation. These men and women often find themselves on the ill-eye of the law. Thieves, muggers, pickpockets and bandits are commonplace in modern society, such it is that bounty law was introduced.
Bounties are issued by political figures and the type of bounty can vary depending on how powerful this individual is. That person, upon placing a bounty designates the target of the bounty, parameters that the job must be completed to, and a reward for the completion of the task. This reward comes from the issuer's own treasury and the bounty cannot be redeemed with anyone but the issuer.
Issuing
A Lord or anyone of greater status in the civilian governence of the imperial political hirearchy may, at their discretion, issue a Court Bounty. This varies from regular bounties in that they are often issued to problems, instead of people. Such as a tree that has fallen over a road, thus blocking trade. The lord could offer a sum of money for the person that clears it.
Barons or anyone above them can offer the other type of bounty; head bounties. Head bounties come in three forms: 'Alive', 'Dead or Alive' and 'Dead'. These types describe the dispatching method on the unfortunate soul(s) with the bounty on their heads.
Bounty Types
As one would expect, people wanted 'Alive' are to be handed in to a governing authority under the juristiction of the bounty issuer. Failure to do this means the bounty cannot be claimed. Additionally, killing someone who is wanted alive is murder. And the perpetrating bounty hunter can then be prosecuted for their crime.
To be wanted dead means having some of the more ferocious, immoral bounty hunters looking for you, and that can be especially distressing since the only way to hand in the 'Dead' bounty is to show proof of the target's death to the issuer of the bounty.
'Dead or Alive' is somewhat more common than the other types of bounties, stemming from the desire to have a problem sorted without worrying about method. Handing the captive over or showing proof of the accused's death is enough to claim this bounty. Occasionally, there will be a greater reward for handing in the criminal alive in one of these bounties, but this is the exception; not the rule.
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