Code of Gagnulak

Here on stone for all eternity lie the laws of Gagnulak, high king of the kobolds, first sword the dragon kings, master of masters and sovereign of the birds of the sky and all beasts of scale and slight.
All of the courts of Ganulak the great, hero of the realm and builder of a hundred cities shall follow this code of laws – in return, Gagnulak the mighty and all his descendants will provide security, sanctuary, and protection in all perpetuity

• 1. All accused of crimes against the code of Ganulak have the right to face their accuser
• 2. Any who accuse falsely shall be banished from the realm and all the grace of Ganulak and his descendants be withdrawn in perpetuity
• 3. Any who give false testimony shall lose that which with they lied
• 4. All have the right to a fair trial by a member of the great court who shall hold in neutrality and balance or lose all rank and privilege granted by their king
• 5. The accused may take a trial of peers, where 12 members of their community from 8 leagues within the birthplace of the accused shall stand
• 6. The accused may take a trial by memory within the halls of Aknthurak, where the character of the accused shall be balanced against their crimes
• 7. The accused may take a trial of trickery, to test their wits and wills
• 8. The accused may take a trial of combat, to face their accuser in open battle in a neutral venue, to first blood in the case of minor crime or to the death for severe as decreed by 3 members of the court, 2 lords, or the king
• 9. If the accused cannot find the above, in extreme circumstances third party arbitration by neutral realms of the rank of king, emperor, or god may be agreed on by the accuser and accused with a member of the court refereeing the dispute
• 10. If one open admits guilt, they can pay their recompense without the purpose of trial as arbitrated by a member of the court or a person of high ranking
• 11. When the accused be found guilty, a sum of equal worth be taken from them and granted to the accuser, with specifics below and the general as defined here
• 12. They who steal or harbour stolen goods shall lose the value of what was taken
• 13. Those who kidnap or imprison without cause shall be chained in the dark pit for equal time
• 14. Those who trespass on the lands of their peers shall hand their land or property to the accuser
• 15. If a life be taken outside of just war or duelling with deliberate intent, a life must be given
• 16. If a body be harmed outside of defending oneself, ones lord, or ones property, the injuries shall be inflicted upon the accused
• 17. To imply threat or harm upon another in the realm with intent to carry out shall be met with 20 lashings of a chicken
• 18. If a home or lair be willingly damaged, its value shall be given to the accuser
• 19. If another’s livestock be slaughtered and their booty taken, the value of the livestock shall be returned, and the slayer barred from 1 league of the stead on pain of tickling
• 20. Livestock shall not tread on hillocks not of their owner, or the livestock be sacrificed to the owner of the land trespassed
• 21. They who tend the land must pay a tax in accordance with their lord, a tax must be no more than half a yield of a hillock
• 22. A beast taken to market that attacks another is no basis for claim, for those who tease the oxen’s horns shall face its gore
• 23. If the great storms or fires claim the land or resources, a debter shall pay no interest for 1 year
• 24. If one in debt shall pass to the eternal halls of the dragon mother, their kin shall be held accountable
• 25. The great king shall bestow land upon vassals who shall tend to the land, protect that land, and those who live on it, rule justly and not harm those who serve them and pay their taxes. They must swear and oath to their king, and defy only in the gravest of circumstances
• 26. Those who claim the service of those sworn to Ganulak, his descendants, and all those of the realm, shall honour and protect those servants, share in loot and bounty, and never willingly harm or sacrifice them
• 27. A merchant must not willingly sell good of poor value or that which they know shall harm those they sell to, any harm undertaken by a faulty goods shall be inflicted upon the accused and if selling faulty goods, all the nails, screws, and fittings upon the furniture of the accused shall be removed and never replaced for one year
• 28. Scrolls and tablets shall not be opened by one not listed upon the seal of delivery or the secrets of the accused by released in a place of public witness for mockery and judgement of peers
• 29. A trap and trick must never be placed upon a public way outside of war and within a property the residents of that property must be informed of all traps
• 30. Pit traps are never to be placed within 30 kobolds of a pasture
• 31. No kobold shall be taken as a minion by a lord or dragon without their permission
• 32. Honour thy gods and do their bidding or face the wrath of the temple, crimes of religion shall be decided upon by the high priest of parish from which the accused lies
• 33. No slander shall be inflicted upon a member of the clergy, the punishment for which is a catapulting from the temple spire
• 34. None shall be taken as a spouse under falsehood, the punishment for which is to be wedded to the ugliest goat within 8 leagues until the death of that goat
• 35. In marriage, the loot of both households be combined and agreed upon
• 36. In divorce, the assets shall be divided as seen fit by a member of the court
• 37. All who work shall receive a fair compensation in grain, produce, or wealth to a minimum of sustenance for the worker and up to half their household. If wages are paid unfairly, the difference shall be taken from the estate of the accused and returned to their workers, if the value of their estate does not equal the sum of stolen wages, the accused shall be placed in debt, removed from their household, and all earnings above their own sustenance be returned to the worker
• 38. A contract signed is a contract kept
• 39. A parent must care for their hatchling and provide them education and sustenance to live upon until they reach 6 years of age, if a parent cannot care for their eggs they shall lay no more, and their young be raised by a member of high esteem within the community as agreed upon by all parties
• 40. Those who hold the rank of surgeon, vet, barber, builder, scribe, cleric, or shipbuilder must have evidence of suitable training and meet specifications for their trade or be forced to work as sanitation within the nearest fighting pit
• 41. A building must have suitable exits, fireproofing, and its walls shall not buckle or break under the weight of 15 fighting kobolds, punishment for improper building is to lose all property and live in a tent for a time as decided by the court, if any shall come to harm by poor work the builder will face the more serious crime

Purpose

The code of Ganulak is an ancient legal code for Kobold society and serves as a partial contract between dragons and kobolds for all time as agreed by legendary and ancient leaders of both peoples.

Type

Manuscript, Legal

Medium

Stone