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=== '''Ecclesiastical Court''' ===
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== '''Ecclesiastical Court''' ==
 
These charges are brought by and in a Church court regardless of the accused’s stations.
 
These charges are brought by and in a Church court regardless of the accused’s stations.
   

Revision as of 22:09, 16 September 2019

Laws

Unless otherwise noted, the court of trial depends on the defendant’s station (regency court for nobles, free court for freemen, etc.).

Income: Equal to yearly income

Wergild: A fee paid to the victim’s family by the murderer. Penance: There are various forms of penance, from private meditation, flagellation, branding, public humiliation (peasantry throws eggs and tomatoes at shackled penitent) or dangerous quests. Three levels: Simple (meditation, mild labor), severe (flagellation, hard labor) and extreme (branding, painful torture, dangerous quests down unreflective jumproads, etc.).

Indenture: The person becomes a serf to the winning party for a set term. Terms vary with the crime and planet of trial (traditionally 7 years).

Theft

Crime Punishment
Petty Imprisonment (term varies per planet)
Grand Loss of limb (usually a hand)
Tech Either of above or possible lobotomy or invitation of guild membership
Land Loss of disputed land plus income gained during false ownership

Smuggling

Item Punishment
Banned by local lord Imprisonment
Banned by Church Simple or severe penance (depending on nature of item), possible imprisonment
Banned by a guild Simple or severe penance (depending on nature of item), possible imprisonment
Banned by Emperor Imprisonment, possible loss of limb

Assault

Victim Punishment
Noble Monetary fine for nobles (equal to 1/20th victim’s income); simple penance and possible imprisonment for priests; imprisonment or serfdom for freemen; death for serfs.
Priest Severe penance and possible monetary fine for nobles (equal to 1/20th assaulter’s income); severe penance and possible imprisonment for priests; imprisonment or indenture for freemen; monetary fine for serf’s
Freeman Monetary fine for nobles (equal to 1/50th victim’s income); simple or severe penance for priests; imprisonment or monetary fine for freemen; small monetary fine for serf’s owner
Serf Owner must bring grievance. Monetary fine for nobles (equal to 1/10th cost of serf; see Costs of Goods); private penance (simple) for priests; small monetary fine for freemen; slavery for serfs (proceeds go to injured serf’s owner)

Rape

Victim Punishment
Noble Almost never reported by victim, otherwise death
Priest Severe penance for nobles; severe penance or possible defrocking for priests; imprisonment, severe penance or indenture for freemen; death for serfs (unless victim pleads mercy, in which case serf is indentured to victim’s sect)
Freeman Monetary fine for those rare nobles who lose such cases (equal to 1/50th raper’s income); severe penance for priests; imprisonment or monetary fine for freemen; torture, loss of limb or slavery for serfs

Murder

Victim Punishment
Noble Wergild for nobles (equal to victim’s income, paid to victim’s family); imprisonment and possible defrocking for priests; imprisonment, serfdom or death for freemen; death following torture for serfs
Priest Public penance (severe or extreme, depending on victim’s rank) and monetary fine for nobles (equal to 1/3rd murderer’s income, paid to victim’s sect); imprisonment, public penance (extreme) or possible defrocking for priests; imprisonment, indenture or death for freemen; death for serfs (unless victim’s

superior pleads mercy, in which case serf is indentured to victim’s sect)

Freeman Small monetary fine on major house capital worlds to wergild for nobles (equal to 1/3rd victim’s income, paid to victim’s family) on cosmopolitan worlds; imprisonment or severe penance for priests, possible defrocking if victim was influential; imprisonment, monetary fine or death for freemen; death for serfs
Serf Owner must bring grievance. Monetary fine for nobles (equal to cost of serf); public penance for priests; monetary fine for freemen (paid to serf’s owner); death or slavery for serfs (proceeds go to serf’s owner)

Obstruction of Justice

Crime Punishment
Obstructing local law Imprisonment, possible accusation as accomplice to whatever crime was obstructed
Obstructing the Inquisition Severe penance, possible imprisonment, possible accusation as heretic
Obstructing Imperial law Imprisonment, possible accusation as accomplice to whatever crime was obstructed,

possible service at Stigmata Garrison

Loan Default

Nobles: Family will usually pay debt but with loss of face. Priests: Sect will often pay debt, but expect penance in return. Guildsmembers: Guild will usually pay debt, penalizing future promotion or in return for dangerous tasks.

Loaner Punishment
Noble Loss of land or property equal in value to amount of loan. If no property, indenture (term varies per planet; usually as many years as it would normally take the defaulter to pay back loan based on income)
Priest Loss of land or property equal in value to amount of loan. If no property, extreme penance or indenture (term varies per planet; usually as many years as it would normally take the defaulter to pay back loan based on income)
Guildsmember Loss of land or property equal in value to amount of loan. If no property, indenture for freemen (term varies per planet; usually as many years as it would normally take the defaulter to pay back loan based on income), or collateral for nobles and priests (in form of extended political favors and immunities from Church law)

Libel/Slander

Victim Punishment
Noble Public apology and/or monetary fine for nobles; public penance for priests; public apology and/or imprisonment or monetary fine for freemen; slavery for serfs
Priest Penance for nobles; penance for priests; public penance and/or imprisonment or monetary fine for freemen; indenture to victim’s sect for serfs or monetary fine from owner
Freeman Nobles and priests are immune from legal prosecution against freemen (but guildsmembers find other means of restitution); public apology and/or imprisonment or monetary fine for freemen; does it really

matter what a serf says?

Crimes Against Estates

Crime Punishment
Tax Evasion Monetary fine in addition to owed taxes only for the influential), imprisonment or

indenture

Removing Land Mark (Proof of ownership) Imprisonment
Trespass Warning (for influential trespassers), monetary fine or imprisonment
Poaching Recompense for owner’s loss and possible banishment
Freeing serfs Recompense for owner’s loss (regardless if serf is recaptured; see Costs of Goods for serf

prices) and possible indenture

Inciting revolt Death. Potential martyrs are usually imprisoned for life instead
Treason Death or banishment from injured party’s fiefs
Republicanism Imprisonment, severe penance, banishment from Known Worlds or death

Counterfeiting

Type Punishment
Firebird Loss of limb(s) or death
Other Other

Patent Violation

The following crimes are rarely tried in court, but their typical punishments are provided here.

Crime Punishment
High-Tech invention Destruction of invention or possible invitation to join Engineers
Violating crime monopoly Warning, beating or gangland murder, possible invitation to join Scravers
Scab Beating or death, possible invitation to join the Muster
Jumpkey forging Chauki stride (ejected from airlock)
CCG marketing Visit from the Purger, possible monetary fine

Miscellaneous

Crime Punishment
Selling freeman into slavery Restitution equal to twice freeman’s lost income during enslavement (these cases

rarely reach court)

Blackmail Imprisonment and/or public apology
Forgery Imprisonment, loss of forging limb (hand) in extreme cases
Stowaway Chauki stride (ejected from airlock)
Suspicion of Symbiosis Death

Ecclesiastical Court

These charges are brought by and in a Church court regardless of the accused’s stations.

Moral or Thought Crimes

Crime Crime
Illicit pedagogy Imprisonment or indenture to injured party (noble owner of now-learned serfs or priests of now-learned villagers)
Illegal book possession Simple or severe penance (depending on nature of books). Repeat offences mean imprisonment
Illegal book Authoring Simple or severe penance, possible imprisonment
Illegal book Printing Severe penance, imprisonment
Illegal book dissemination Simple or severe penance
Rumor mongering Simple penance or imprisonment (unless member of a rumormongers guild)
Public lewdity Simple or severe penance or possible imprisonment
Graverobbing Public penance (severe), imprisonment, possible loss of limb (if disturbed dead have influential living family)
Tithe Evasion Simple or severe penance in addition to owed tithes. Repeat offence means possible

imprisonment or indenture

Omition (Failure to speak out against Church crimes) Simple or severe penance, depending on nature of crime
Violation of confession Only priests can be accused. Simple penance for first infraction, severe for second, extreme

penance or possible defrocking for successive violations

Trafficking in Illicit Drugs

Substances are considered mild (narcotics), severe (psychedelics) or dangerous (selchakah, zhrii’ka’a lotus, etc.).

Crime Punishment
Possession Mild: simple penance; Severe: severe penance or imprisonment; Dangerous: extreme penance

or death

Distribution Mild: severe penance; Severe: extreme penance or imprisonment; Dangerous: Extreme penance, loss of limbs (including possible lobotomy) or death

Trafficking in Proscribed Technology

Crime Punishment
Possession TL5 or less: simple penance; TL6-7: severe penance (branding with the dark sign) or

imprisonment; TL8+: extreme penance or death

Distribution TL5 or less: severe penance (branding with the dark sign) or imprisonment; TL6-7: extreme

penance; TL8+: extreme penance, loss of limbs (including possible lobotomy) or death

Cloning Extreme penance and imprisonment (only for influential) or excommunication and death. Clones are killed.

Organ Harvesting

This only includes harvesting the organs of unwilling victims, including serfs (although it is hard to disprove a signed serf contract if the serf is dead).

Crime Punishment
Transplantee Must either give up organ or undergo severe penance
Surgeon Extreme penance, branding and possible imprisonment

Hexery

Crime Punishment
Evil Eye, Curse Mild: severe penance; Severe: extreme penance, branding, possible loss of property; Extreme: Death or excommunication. Punishment depends on the effect and degree of the hex: a mild curse results in a simple effect (the mayor stumbles and falls into the river during his speech), a severe curse results in injury or loss of property (a tree limb falls on someone’s head at an evil word from the hexer, a neighbor’s chickens lay rotten eggs or his cows give sour milk) and an extreme curse results in severe injury, death, or the loss of faith of others (a wasting disease, a plague, the casting of doubt among the flock)
Luck charms Any boons gained by such hexery are turned over to Church (money from charms for monetary reward, etc.) in addition to simple or severe penance
Fortune telling Simple penance for minor bone throwing, palm-reading or weather-witching; severe penance for card or think machine spreads; extreme penance, death or excommunication for entrail reading.
Healing Simple penance and possible indenture to Church healing order (if healings are effective)

Heresy

Public recanting may reduce punishment.

Crime Punishment
Wrongful interpretation of scripture Simple or severe penance
Spreading false doctrine Severe penance, possible imprisonment
Creating false sect Extreme penance, possible imprisonment or excommunication
Worshipping pre-reflective gods (pagans) Severe or extreme penance, possible imprisonment
Trafficking w/ Dark Powers Extreme penance, possible execution and/or excommunication
Worshipping Dark Powers Death and excommunication