The laws of
Carsis are very much based on the following 18 principles, commonly called the
Dennerron Rules. They are not taken
as direct laws, because many points can not be enforced in a practical way. However
they are the words of the gods so they carry a great deal of weight. In most
countries the church has worked with the state to develop a law code that
addresses these principles.
1. Do
not follow the crowd in doing wrong.
Even if all the people around you turn to evil
and brake the laws do not do as they do.
It is better to be an outcast or to die than to become corrupt.
This rule is very hard to make into law.
Most often it is used to nullify the ‘simply following orders’ defense given by
troops who do what is clearly evil. No one should ever follow an order like
“kill those children”.
2. Do what is proper; respect your elders.
Always show
respect for your mother and father and all the elders of the community.
Consider carefully their advice, for wisdom often comes with age.
This rule is often used to justify an age
requirement for holding important offices and it gives more weight to the word
of an elder vs. that of a junior. In all places the elder of the family has
total authority over people under the age of maturity. In some places
disrespect to any elders is a punishable minor crime.
3. Do not use magic or seek the aid of magic
users.
Magic is not to be used by mortals; it is
dangerous and corrupts those who use it.
Trust no magic
user.
This is rule is often ignored, because
magic provides so many useful benefits. It exists because the giants in ancient
days were all powerful in magic use and they grew so arrogant that they
challenged the gods. The result of this law in practice is that the church keeps
a close eye on mages and often adopts them so they will be properly educated
not to misuse their power.
4. Do not offer blood in sacrifice.
When you make a sacrifice to the gods it
is to be clean and free of blood.
Blood
is life and life is not to be sacrificed on the alter.
This rule is taken as a command to avoid religious
wars. Blood should not be spilled over matters
of religious difference, especially in holy places. Thus
in many countries it is illegal to bring
weapons into a church.
5. Do not have sex with any close relative.
Any man who sleeps with his mother or his
sister or his father's sister or his mother's sister or the daughters or any of
these women is wicked.
This rule is usually turned into a minor criminal
offence, punishable by a fine. It may be added on
top of a charge of rape, which is a major crime.
However some countries disregard it entirely.
6. Do not let pleasure make you a pervert.
Do
not have sex with anyone of the same gender.
Do not have sex with any animal.
This rule is usually the basis for a minor crime,
punishable by a fine.
7. Do not have sex with any one who is
married to another person.
This
spawns trouble of many kinds and often brings unhappiness to all.
A
child born in this way will often suffer for no sin of his own.
This is the basis for the adultery laws, which are
closely tied to the divorce laws. Each country
tends to have a lengthy code regarding these matters,
because adultery happens quite often. It is
usually taken as a civil dispute rather than criminal
offence.
8. Do not lie, or deceive any one.
All the profit that may come from the lie
will eventually come to twice as much trouble.
If
the truth be harmful, stay silent.
To lie or knowingly distort the truth is a
dishonorable thing in every country, at lest officially.
The punishment for it is usually a small fine or
public beating depending on the severity of the lie
and who it was made to. Lying in a court case is
always a serious crime.
9. Do not pervert justice.
Whenever you are to judge something, show
no favoritism to the rich or to the poor.
If you are being
judged, be truthful, do not make winning your only aim.
This rule is hard to put into law. However
it does open the door to bringing a charge of favoritism against a judge. But
in most countries, unless you are of the upper class, there is no effective way
to speak against a judgment.
10. Do not mistreat others for any reason.
Do not cheat a lord because he is rich,
and may well afford the lose.
Do
not abuse a commoner because he is poor and can not defend himself.
This rule has been used to justify many various
social customs, as each country puts into some
law what is proper treatment and what is abuse.
Frequently laws stress the obligations and
courtesy that must be given to the upper class by the
lower class, while outlining penalties that
may be imposed on commoners who misbehave.
11. Do not take what does not belong to you.
Stealing is wrong and should not be done,
even if the need is great.
You
must always get the permission of the owner before you take a thing.
Clearly this is the basis for various laws about
theft. Each country usually has three categories;
minor, middling and major crimes, each carrying a
more severe penalty. Of course a judge has a
great deal of autonomy in determining exactly what
penalty will be handed out.
12. Do not accept a bribe for any reason.
Those who accept
bribes will most assuredly lie to protect their gains.
Honor should not
be measured in gold.
This rule is often taken as a direct law,
with various punishments being possible if one is found guilty. Minot officials of course
are easy to dismiss and punish. Charges against high officials however are
hugely difficult to bring to a clear end.
13. Do not spread slander and false reports.
You may speak
ill of a person only if you are sure of your facts.
It is a great misdeed
to report, as true, rumors of events you have not seen.
The crime of slander is usually a minor
offence. However in many countries it is acceptable grounds for a duel to be
fought. Said places of course have detailed laws about duels.
14. Do not betray someone's trust in you.
When you give your word to do something
you must try your best to do it.
Those who
deliberately break their promises should be expelled from society.
This clearly set out an offence and a
punishment and so it is a law. The problem with it is the question of proving
if a person has done his best to keep his promises.
15. Do not over react; respond in kind.
Good
deeds repaid with generosity. Evil deeds repaid with just revenge.
One
should avoid answering an insult with a fist, but should use a sharp wit.
This is the core of civil laws about orderly behavior.
In most countries it is taken to allow fist
fights or shouting matches, but if things escalate to
the use of weapons, the law of ‘appropriate
response’ is taken as broken. The penalty depends a
great deal on the specifics of the incident.
16. Do not kill without good reason.
One may always defend himself and protect
others from harm.
However
all opponents should be given a chance to avoid death.
This is the core of all laws regarding
combat. It is also taken as justification for people to be armed, in the
interest of self defense. Critically it is not an absolute rule against
killing. Thus each country has to define what is considered as good reason for
a person to kill another. The idea of just revenge, mentioned above, is often
tied into this.
17. Do not keep hate in your heart.
You may fight your enemies and kill them;
you may call them foul names.
But
you should not hate them so much that you will be unable to make peace.
Again we have a good bit of advice that is
impossible to make into an actual law.
18. Do all things in moderation.
An excess of anything, even if it
seems good, can be harmful to you.
Seek balance in all your activities.
This rule is used
to justify a wide range of limitation on activities. For the most part such
laws are local and considered minor offenses.
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