The Outcasting Proclamation

Pladeholder Dwof by Katy Smith

The Document

Decree of Exile for Crimes of Theft or Greater
Justice must be served where it is due. Let it be known that the following decree has been established by the authority of the Guild Collaborative. This decree pertains to the crime of theft or any crime deemed greater in severity within the Dwarven Queendoms, Kingdoms and Self Governing States, specifically concerning any dwarf found guilty of such offences.

Article I: Scope and Definitions

1.1. Definitions:
Dwarf: Any individual of the dwarven race residing or present within the borders of judicial reach..
Theft: The unlawful taking of property belonging to another, with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it.
Greater Crimes: Offences deemed by the High Council to be of greater severity than theft, including but not limited to robbery, assault, murder, treason, and espionage.
Local Authoritative Body: The highest ranking judicial body with relation to Regal Rule or Appropriate Governing Body.
Outer Exile: Exile outside of city borders with no further access to city safety or amenities.
Local City Cluster: The five closest dwarven cities within direct travel distance.

Article II: Prosecution and Judgment

2.1. Prosecution:
Any dwarf accused of theft or a greater crime shall be subject to a fair trial before the Local Authoritative Body. The accused shall have the right to present a defence.
2.2. Judgement:
Upon conviction, the Local Authoritative Body shall determine the appropriate sentence, including the potential for exile.

Article III: Sentence of Exile

3.1. Conditions of Exile:
Any dwarf convicted of theft or a greater crime may be sentenced to exile from the Local Authoritative Body. Severity of runic branding carried out will be directly proportional to the severity of the crime.
3.2. Execution of Sentence:
The convicted individual shall be escorted by the Royal Guard or City Guard to the border of the designated exclusionary reaches. The exile shall be prohibited from returning to the kingdom/queendom/city state for the duration of the sentence. Any attempt to re-enter the kingdom shall immediately result in outer exile.

Article IV: Rights and Restrictions

4.1. Rights of the Exiled:
The exiled individual retains the right to appeal within one year of the exile judgement date. The exiled individual retains the usual rights of those living within the jurisdictional area.
4.2. Restrictions:
The exiled individual shall be stripped of all titles, lands, and possessions. To be passed onto relevant kin as appropriate. The exiled individual shall have no claim to protection or resources apart from those relating to standard dwarven rights or those which would damage the honour of kin.

Article V: Enforcement and Amendments

5.1. Enforcement:
The Lower Royal/City Guard shall ensure the strict enforcement of this decree.
5.2. Amendments:
This decree may be amended by the Local Authoritative Body with the approval of the Local City Cluster.
Article VI: Ratification
This decree shall take effect immediately upon its establishment and shall be binding upon all dwarves and dwarfkin.
[Sealed, Signed and Runically Protected by over 100 Dwarven Cities]

The Reception

The dwarves of old that went about the creation of this binding document were in a different situation entirely. The city states were largely cut off from one another in a time without the interconnectivity given by the intercity cargo network. As such, this protocol has been highly controversial in recent times. Many have kin that have been exiled to the lower reaches as a result of a loophole found. Where the intercity cargo network was installed, the legal requirements for the local dwarven cluster were changed depending on where the network was put in place first. The argument given was that due to the cargo network, those further cities had less travel time separating them, which in turn caused the previous local laws to go through a phase of upheaval as the technical “Local City Cluster” was changing. Many dwarves in this time were sentenced based on laws passed in distant cities of whom the laws differed greatly based upon local threats.
As such, there has been outcry for this binding law to be revised. Although as always, traditions are hard to break. Even those that cause suffering.

This is a submission for my first ever Summer Camp in 2024 - I hope you enjoy my writings and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!