The Legal System in Ralindor

The legal system of Ralindor takes "justice" to mean basically the opposite of mercy. The courts are famously quick and brutal. In a city of such unprecedented size, many believe this is only way to ensure that all crimes are brought before the attention of the courts.

History

The modern justice system was developed by the Guild of Litigants and Magistrates, an organization of nobles that train the city's legal professionals. The Guild of Litigants and Magistrates was founded by aristocrats to combat mercantilism, the single biggest threat against the power of the urban nobility. As the saying goes, "if the merchants control the coins, the nobility shall control the courts." The quote remains unattributed to a speaker, but its spirit is clear; only full-blooded nobles may be hold title with the Guild, and they charge hefty tuition fees for legal education. Variations on the phrase, "the nobility shall control the courts", when spoken with derision, is a common anti-aristocratic sentiment among the lower-class.

However, not even the courts have been free from the march of progress; the best example are the praxis abolition of sumtpuary laws. Traditionally, it is illegal for commoners to wear expensive clothing or purchase luxury goods. The stated goal was to discourage theft by making it difficult to spend stolen money, but in practice, it did little besides give the nobility a legal recourse to punish people whose conduct they took issue with. Sumptuary laws are still on the books, but they remain a contentious topic in the city, but since the Guild of Litigants and Magistrates is made up primarily of nobles, the laws have yet to be abolished. At the same time, the people most inclined to break them (wealthy merchants, moneylenders, and adventurers), are the same people with the money to hire skilled Litigants to defend them in court. As a result, cries of sumptuary violations are rare, reserved for the occasional spiteful flex of aristocratic power.

Execution

After being arrested, suspects are jailed in a courthouse to await their trial, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the circumstances. If bail can be posted, the accused is free to go until summoned for their trial. At trial, the accused are brought before a Magistrate, and must argue and call upon witnesses to prove their innocence, sometimes in front of a zone of truth spell (if the crime is serious enough to warrant expensive magical intervention). Thereafter, the Magistrate declares his verdict, and the sentence begins immediately. If the offender is sentenced to pay fines or damages they cannot afford, the accused is sent to debtors' prison, and released after performing equivalent hard labor or securing funds from outside. There are roughly 36 ten-days in a year, for the purposes of imprisonment.

Punishable Offenses

• Arson: Public hanging (or exile for accidental arson)

• Assault: Public flogging and damages paid to the victim

• Blackmail: Public flogging, and damages paid to the victim

• Blackmail of a Noble or City Official: Flogging and exile

• Blasphemy: Fine paid to the church

• Brandishing Weapons without Cause: Fine, and any edged weapons are confiscated (clubs, staffs, etc. can be kept)

• Bribery of a City Official (giving or receiving): Public flogging and fines equal to twice the value of the bribe

• Burglary or Theft: Public flogging and fine equal to twice the value of stolen goods; subsequent offenses will result in the offender's hand being severed at the wrist

• Damage of Property or Vandalism: Fine equal to twice the value of damages

• Disorderly Conduct: Fine

• Enchantment (use of Charm Person, Suggestion, etc.): circumstances vary; the most common punishments are exile (for minor uses of enchantment), or death by burning

• Espionage or Treason: Death by hanging; torture and magical compulsion may be used to extract confessions of treason

• Failure to Report a Crime: Fine

• Failure to Report to Trial: Failing to show up for a trial is seen as an admission of guilt; if the perpetrator is arrested again, they will be sentenced immediately without trial

• Murder of a Citizen, with Cause: Damages paid to the victim’s kin (or 500 ten-days of hard labor), followed by permanent exile; the most common definition of "cause" is self-defense

• Murder of a Citizen, without Cause: Death by hanging

• Murder of a Noble or City Official, with or without Cause: Death by beheading

• Obstructing the Course of Justice or Resisting Arrest: Public flogging and fine in addition, to other sentences

• Practicing Slavery: Death by hanging

• Spell-Craft without Cause: Varies; fines are appropriate for minor violations, but exile or death by burning may be appropriate for powerful magic; regardless of its severity, the charge also includes the confiscation of magical paraphernalia (spell-books, wands, etc.)

• Sumptuary Violations: Fine

• Witchcraft (necromancy, demonology, etc.): Death by burning

Participants

• Trials-by-jury were abolished by the Guild of Litigants and Magistrates as a means of consolidating power; all trials are now heard by Magistrates (for serious crimes), or Litigants (for legal disputes and minor offenses). Most trials in courthouses, but Litigants sometimes judge minor cases individually on the street, especially if one can be found in the area.

• Despite their status as small-claims judges, Litigants' primary job description is to be hired to speak on behalf of the accused, for enough money. Hiring a Litigant is usually a privilege reserved for the wealthy, but their knowledge of the city's legal code proves invaluable; conventional wisdom is that a Litigant can easily win any case against a non-Litigant. Most cases are between citizens, with no Litigants.

• Apprentices in the Guild of Litigants and Magistrates are known as Clerks, and perform administrative duties. They are usually young nobles studying law and apprenticed to specific Litigants.

• Members of the City Guard serve the courts as bailiffs, jailers, and prison guards.

Primary Related Location

The Free City of Ralindor