Premise
The Code Legal became the agreed upon premise of Law for Eisen shortly after the founding of the Ducal Court. While there is a specific book, formally called the Gesetzlicher Kodex, in Novandria the more commonly called Code Legal is considered to be common knowledge.
The letter of the law is intended to be strict and is generally upheld for the common person among Eisen. The reality is that the Code Legal is often a bit more flexible than it seems on the surface, given the right of the various City, County, and High Courts to modify what punishments, if any, are levied. Further, the recent addition of the “Letters of Contract” have allowed for far more flexibility for those uncommon sorts who take to lives of danger.
Further, many of the so-called “low crimes” that would bring a commoner before one of the City Courts would like not even require one of the Nobility to even attend for the case to be more or less dismissed out of hand.
Letter of Contract
In recent years, the Ducal Court has come to realize that there are enough strange situations that can occur throughout Eisen and Europa that sometimes require the efforts of unique individuals beyond the common pale. As a result, any formal government entity, such as a Guild or the Royal Order of Knights, can issue what is called a Letter of Contract.
Noble Houses, Churches, and other non government entities can also issue Letters of Contract; however, this only means that any crimes committed under Contract will be addressed with the person(s) issuing the contract and not the holder of it.
Punishments
Punishment for a crime can include one or more of the following, based on the nature of the crime, who or what the crime is committed against, and the criminal record of the convicted:
- Death
- Exile (for a number of years or summers)
- Flogging (a set number of strokes)
- Hard labor (for a period of days, months, or years depending on the seriousness of the crime)
- Imprisonment in the dungeons of Castle Königlicher (for a period of days or months depending on the seriousness of the crime)
- Fine (payable to the city; inability to pay the fine leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
- Damages (payable to the injured party or victim’s kin; inability to pay damages leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
- Edict (forbidding the convicted from doing something; violation of an edict can result in imprisonment, hard labor, and/or a fine)
The Code Legal
The list of laws in Eisen.
Crimes Against Officials and Nobility
- Assaulting or impersonation of a noble: Death or life imprisonment
- Assaulting or impersonation of an official: Flogging, imprisonment up to a month
- Blackmailing a Noble or Official: Flogging and exile no less than ten years
- Bribery or attempted bribery of a noble or Official: Flogging and exile no less than ten years as well as a fine of double the amount of bribery
- Murder of a Noble or Official: Death
- Using Magic to influence a Noble or Official: Imprisonment for up to a year, a fine of 1,000 gold, or exile up to one year
Crimes against the State
- Arson: death or hard labor up to 1 year, with fines and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus 2,000 gp
- Brandishing weapons without due cause: imprisonment up to a tenday and/or fine up to 10 gp
- Espionage: death or permanent exile
- Failure of a Church to meet their chartered duties: Fine of up to 1000 gp per offense
- Failure of a Church to pay their assigned taxes: Fine of up to 10,000 gp and possible exile
- Failure of a Citizen to pay their assigned taxes: Fine of up to 5% of their annual income
- Fencing stolen goods: fine equal to the value of the stolen goods and edict
- Forgery of an official document: flogging and exile for 10 summers
- Hampering justice: fine up to 200 gp and hard labor up to a tenday
- Littering: fine up to 2 gp and edict
- Poisoning a city well: death
- Theft: flogging followed by imprisonment up to a tenday, hard labor up to 1 year, or fine equal to the value of the stolen goods
- Treason: death
- Vandalism: imprisonment up to a tenday plus fine and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus up to 100 gp
- Using magic to influence an official: fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict
Crimes against the Gods
- Assaulting a priest or lay worshiper: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to 500 gp
- Disorderly conduct within a temple: fine up to 5 gp and edict)
- Preventing the peaceful worship or non-worship of the Gods: Imprisonment of up to a tenday and a fine of 500 gp
- Public blasphemy against a god or church: edict
- Theft of temple goods or offerings: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to double the cost of the stolen items
- Tomb-robbing: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages covering the cost of repairs plus 500 gp
Crimes against the Citizenry
- Assaulting a citizen: imprisonment up to a tenday, flogging, and damages up to 1,000 gp
- Blackmailing or intimidating a citizen: fine or damages up to 500 gp and edict
- Burglary: imprisonment up to 3 months and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp
- Damaging property or livestock: damages covering the cost of repairs or replacement plus up to 500 gp
- Disturbing the peace: fine up to 25 gp and edict
- Murdering a citizen without justification: death or hard labor up to 10 years, and damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim’s kin
- Murdering a citizen with justification: exile up to 5 years or hard labor up to 3 years or damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim’s kin
- Robbery: hard labor up to 1 month and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp
- Slavery: flogging and hard labor up to 10 years. This includes enslavement of sentient undead races.
- Using magic to influence a citizen without consent: fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict
