Sorcerer's of Hohkmat Culture Focus: Law & Justice

[Minuvas 2956]

The City-States of Hohkmat

Culture & Society Highlight 

Law & Justice

 

Cultural Views on Justice: Hakad people hold that life and people are bound by inequity. Life is not fair, and neither is justice. 

 

Some are entitled to rights that others are not. A rule of thumb, much as one can exist in such a society, is the greater an individual's power base - the more lenient the law may be in general. 

 

Noble Justice: The Lord-Magister and the Grand Magister are above the law. Only they hold themselves accountable, and truly it is them that hold the aristocratic mage society to account as well. Noble mages appeal their issues to the senior mage to resolve and accept their judgment without further issue . However, when two Lord-Magisters have an unresolved conflict, it erupts between them in a sanctioned war called a 'Kaggath'. A Kaggath is allowed only between two Lord-Magisters, and no outside parties or other Lord-Magisters may become involved.  The issuing of a Kaggath and its victory terms are reviewed and agreed to by the Grand Magister - ensuring victory is just, but not that the rewards place too much power under one Lord-Magister, threatening the delicate balance of power between them. This sanctioned war is not just a duel, it is a competition between all the followers of each city-state - economic, political and magical.

 

Common Justice: The average person is held to account by the the senior ranking mage in the area which has received the diktat from the Grand Magister to maintain order. Crimes are reported to the Chamber of Fire and it's mages, who decide whether to refer the matter to a more senior mage or reserve the matter as a national level concern for decision by the Council of Masters. 

"Vizier, of course I am guilty - I stole that tome from Raja the Adept. She was letting the tome collect dust in her library, you will find my action entirely justifiable - and my status practically demanded I save it from waste"

 

Source of Law: The only national written laws are the obtuse 'Three Mysteries' and application of the law is very interpretative. Lord-Mages apply their interpretations of the mysteries as to how to run their demesne. 

 

Process of Justice: Crimes are mostly handled on the spot for non-mages, and every Lord-Magister may appoint local agents as to resolve those issues expediently for them. 

 

Within Hohkmat, the Chamber of Fire is tasked with administering on the spot justice. 'Expedited Justice', the nation's legal term for bribery, is especially common at this level and considered acceptable so long as the national coffers get a percentage of the fee issued. 

 

Though the official who issues expedited justice is held accountable for any follow-on crimes committed by the offender in a reasonable time frame.  

 

For issues requiring more deliberate thought or concern, the chamber will detain the accused and call a court session. The arbiter of justice is always the senior member of the Council of Masters, or a local landed Noble or their designated representative.  Decisions made here are final. A Lord-Magister cannot issue justice that applies to the entirety of Hohkmat, and for this reason…a criminal can always find refuge in another City-State. 

 

Guilt & Punishment. Guilt of a charge does not imply wrong-doing. It is even possible that guilt might absolve one of a serious crime. Anyone administering justice has to weight outcome of the crime, the circumstances in which occurred, and who it was committed against.


(OOC: Interested in our little Mageocracy, we are building the group and are looking to join the server in force in 9.0 - come on down! )

https://discord.gg/rteb7Nt6eA