The Morsgrad Majority Act

[Narthok 10416]

The Morsgrad Majority Act

Issued Winter 1742

 

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As of the year 1742 no male lacking a beard shall be considered an adult within the confines of the Ducal Realm. To that end no male lacking a beard shall be permitted to engage in those activities requiring majority. Those activities prohibited to those men lacking a beard as as follows.

 

I. Marriage

A Beardless man is clearly not a man in any meaningful sense of the word, being little more than a lion without a mane. To that end it is clear to the Ducal throne that to allow what is essentially a child to marry would be unfair and cruel to the woman in question. Dooming her to a life time with a child unable to provide or protect in both winter and war. With our Holy Obligation to the Ruled in mind we do forbid any further unions between the beardless and the female. At the marriage ceremony we do request that the presiding priest verify the masculine nature of the man in question by tugging on their beard thricefold.

 

II. Membership on the Assembly

A male lacking a beard cannot be considered a man, lacking the masculine qualities necessary to engage in deliberative processes and governance at large. In that sense we forbid any man lacking a beard from entering the Assembly or speaking in the Assembly hall. Any man lacking a beard currently sitting upon the assembly will be given until the next session of the assembly to grow respectable facial hair. Should they fail to do so they will be asked to resign from their seat and provide a replacement who satisfies the requirement. When a new man is inducted into the assembly his beard must be verified by the Chamberlain with a threefold tug. Those men who are married need to undergo this verification. 

 

III. Military Commission 

A male lacking a beard shall be prohibited from commission in his Grace’s forces. Lacking the masculine identifier of a beard indicates that one is unlikely to possess the wherewithal to keep a cool head under fire while inspiring the men in the midst of combat. It is expected that every man in his Grace’s forces indicate their martial nature by curating a respectable moustache. Henceforth the moustache shall be held as an indicator of military demeanor and service.

a. Those men shirking military obligation or displaying cowardice on the field of battle shall have their moustaches shaved and shall be from that moment forbidden from wearing a moustache until they display sufficient valour as to regain the right to bear one. 

 

IV. Voting in Moot

Beardless males shall not be permitted to cast votes in electing town Alders or Sheriffs. As mentioned above those males lacking a beard are likely to lack the necessary adult frame of mind to enable them to determine the most suitable candidate. 

 

V. Inheriting

As those males lacking beards are clearly not adults, lacking the physical indicators of adulthood then their inheritance shall be held in trust by the Ducal Treasury until such a time that the inheritor can evidence the growth of legitimate beard to the Treasurer. At which point the entirety of the Inheritance shall be released to the claimant.

 

Defining Beards

The Ducal State shall accept any form or style of masculine facial hair  as a legal ‘beard’. The curation of length sideburns, moustaches, or beards shall all on their own qualify as beards should they satisfy the following criteria for a legitimate beard.

I. The Hair of the ‘beard’ must be of sufficient length as to be able to be held between two fingers

II. The ‘beard’ must be of sufficient thickness as to be visible from a distance of twenty paces

III. The ‘beard’ must be uniform in nature, patchiness is a signal of continued adolescence. 

IV. Eyebrows and all related growth cannot be held as ‘facial hair’  or a ‘beard’

V. False or artificial beards cannot be offered en lieu of a personally grown beard. 

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Writ en Namen De

-Godric,

[Juststan147 277]

Morsgrad has gone mad......

[LithiumSedai 5750]

“Outstanding act,” declared Corwin Freiherr von Alstreim with a nod of approval, stroking his mighty Waldenian beard.

[Demotheus 651]

Lotha cackled as she heard the public news and gossip in sutica. "Lotha thinks the dwarves must have infiltrated their government!" 

[Evonpire 2014]

“Please no” A Renault child would say, beardless because he is still a child.

[Hiebe 2493]

A passing dwarf reads.

 

'Ah a proper law!'

[LaviniaTheRider 60]

“I ain’t pullin’ on no beard during a union.” Solvi grunts from behind her porcelain mask, “Godric can go about groping beards all he likes.”