Melhed/Temp
Contents
Law Reform 05/09
Here for easy viewing. Melhed Laws are based on the Twelve Tables of Roman law. Melhed Laws are based on action not intent. Melhed Laws are designed so the state need only step in as a last resort. Melhed Laws are designed to work more on persuasion then evidence.
Fundamental Principles
1) Every citizen has the right to speak freely.
2) Every patrician has the right to sit on the Forum, unless labelled unfit for duty.
3) All citizens have the right to believe in any religion so long as its practices do not conflict with the law.
4) Putting to death of any patrician un-convicted, no matter who they might be, is forbidden.
5) No patrician is to be punished for the crimes of their family without direct involvement.
6) The laws of the Republic hold true for all within its borders and for all citizens no matter how far they might travel.
Note: if there are foreign laws that may apply (ie: things happened in foreign territory) then they will be applied on top of the Melhed laws if they are encoded for all to see before hand with public access. If not, or if there are no laws, only Melhed laws apply
Government
1) The Senate is the governing body of the Republic and made of all elected patricians holding land, the Consul, and the Tribune.
2) The Senate determines every aspect of realm governance through voting; in which each Senator, which includes the Consul, has one vote per issue. The Tribune receives no vote.
3) All Senatorial decisions are to be carried out. To oppose the Senate is to oppose the republic and is punishable by labelling the offender unfit for duty
4) The Senate gathers to vote, or Conventus, starting Friday and ending Sunday. Senators have until Monday to cast their votes on matters discussed during the week's Consilium, or deliberation.
5) Those who do not vote or govern for more then one month consecutive are requested to explain themselves. If no acceptable explanation is presented in the subsequent month they are asked to step down from office.
6) Senate positions are determined by election. All patricians, not labelled unfit for duty, are eligible to run and permitted to vote. If the position is a city or stronghold, only current senators are eligible to run. Positions are held until either: retirement, abdication for dereliction of duty, or the territory is lost.
In the case where the territory is lost the senator retains their rank for one month, during which they automatically gain the title if the region is reclaimed. A person can run again for office in the future if they wish.
7) The Forum, made of all patricians interested in the affairs of state and the Senate. Non-Senators have no obligation to realm governance, though may comment as they wish.
8) All correspondence from a foreign nation, not dealing with the personal matters of the government member in question, are to be made known to the Forum, unless the foreign nation deems them sensitive and then they are to be sent to the Senate alone.
9) All Senatorial decisions are to be presented to the Forum before acted upon, though approval is not needed.
10) In times of conflict the senate may choose to provide the individuals with Imperium, usually the Imperator. Those with Imperium possess the authority to command the legions, using whatever strategy they see fit to bring about the will of the senate without need to seek their approval.
Voting Laws
1) Each patrician has one vote per issue, whether for a position or a course of action. All matters, unless otherwise noted, are considered passed if at least 50% of those who voted are in favour.
2) Should a patrician be unable to make the vote day they may, in advance, declare another to hold their vote via proxy. All who do not vote are assumed to abstain.
3) After an election is called for the position(s) of: Senator, Aeldie, Centurion, Legatus, Quaestor, or Imperator interested patricians have 48 hours to declare their candidacy. After this period, votes may be sent to all in the realm and counted by the Consul.
4) The office of Consul and Praetor will be elected once every 30 days, by secret ballet among the senate.
5) The offices of Aeldie, Tribune, and Augur, will be elected once every 90 days, by referendum.
6) The offices of Centurion, Imperator, Quaestor and Legatus will be elected upon the office becoming available. Said individuals can be removed from office by senatorial vote.
7) For votes done by the Senate all votes are to be sent to the Senate, or Forum.
8) A vote to remove a senator, aeldie, tribune, centurion, imperator, or quaestor from office for dereliction of duty may only be started by a member of the Forum on the behalf of the patricians of the realm and requires 66% of all patricians in favour to pass. For such a vote two tribunals are appointed, one by the Senate and one by the Forum to count the votes.
9) Changes to the law by addition, subtraction or alteration require a vote be held by the Forum and requires 66% of all patricians of the Forum in favour of the proposal to pass. For such a vote two tribunals are appointed, one by the Senate and one by the Forum to count the votes.
Offices
The republic recognizes the following offices, who's rolls are outlined below.
1) The Aeldie is charged with organizing games and entertainment for the people of the republic. Ensuring the people get what they want.
2) The Augur is charged with understanding the will of the Gods. Ensuring the people know the flow of the future, and preform the proper rituals.
3) The Centurion is charged with commanding a legion sent out on mercenary pursuits. Ensuring the legion is successful, they have the final authority on matters of the legion during the expedition.
4) The Consul is charged with guiding the republic through balance. Ensuring the senate is informed of foreign events and conveying the senate's will.
5) The Imperator is charged with commanding a legion. Ensuring the legion is successful, and well supplied. They are expected to provide tactical expertise.
6) The Legetus is charged with speaking to foreign powers. Ensuring the republic is well represented, and smoothing out any tensions. They are expected to provide diplomatic expertise, and inform foreigners of republic law.
7) The Praetor is charged with overseeing legal matters. Providing impartial mediation to conflict and enforcing the laws on behalf of the senate. Judges the charges brought forward by others based on arguments presented by both parties. Often deals with foreigners.
8) The Quaestor is charged with maintaining the economy of the republic. Ensuring the republic is well fed and efficient, maintaining the state treasury and applying the senate tax.
9) The Tribune is charged with defending the interests of the equites, plebeians, and proletarii on the senate. Ensuring the lower strata are provided for and treated well. They are expected to speak with the proletarii on behalf of the patricians and senate.
Court
1) All patrician have the right to a fair trial, and know the charges against them.
2) Trials are to be held in public so all patrician know the evidence and crime
3) The Praetor may only use his authority in punishing of those convicted
4) If someone is called to go to court, he is to go. If he doesn't go, then he should be captured.
5) Only a landowner can offer collateral for another landowner. But any civis (citizen) can offer collateral for a civis.
6) If one shall permit himself to be summoned as a witness, if he does not give his testimony, let him be noted as dishonest and incapable of acting again as witness.
7) For matters where the Praetor is in doubt, but not so much so that they should be removed, the Senate should appoint another to oversee the trial and their decision abided by. If the Praetor is in great doubt he should retire from office so the patricians can elect another.
8) For matters where the guilt of a person is without question, having been caught in the act of malicious action with forethought, no trial need be brought to the realm and the Praetor may decide based on the laws.
9) Should a civis fail at a task and thus be labelled as unfit for duty, dishonest, shunned, lacking conviction, or any other state listed herein then the mark is to be placed in the national census for all to see.
10) Should a civis have a label listed it can be removed by a Senatorial vote.
Tort
1) The penalty shall be labelling unfit for duty for anyone, legally elected, who has been found guilty of receiving a bribe.
2) Treason: he who has roused up a public enemy, handed over a citizen to a public enemy or worked in the name of a public enemy must suffer exile or capital punishment.
3) Someone who has brought a false claim to the Praetor, and does not buy the peace of the accused, shall be brought before the Praetor, and shall pay a double penalty.
4) Those who tell falsehoods about their fellow civis, and do not buy their peace, will suffer the penalty of shunning.
5) The holdings of a patrician are theirs, to do with as they wish so long as they break no laws.
Note: The plebeians owe their senator oaths of fealty, to work the land, to serve him, pay taxes, and such, but they, and their farms are not the property of the senator. It has been argued that the senator of a region owns all the region and inhabitance. However if this was true then the senator for a city would own all rural regions, and the Consul all regions. Thus the plebeians own their land and are obligated to follow certain rules and oaths they have with their rural senator, as they do with the urban senators, and all of them with the Consul.
6) If one has maimed another and does not buy their peace, let there be retaliation in kind whether by the wronged or the Praetor depending on the need.
Should no agreement be reached the Praetor may assign the fee.
Note: (For assassins: serious wound = punishment of death, wound = torture, caught before attack = victim can try to convince punishment is needed. For regular patricians: for each level of injury the victim may respond, to that level, with no penalty. To go beyond allows the other to respond in turn. Duels to the death are permitted, but both parties must, in advance, sate they will waver the right of reciprocation and abide by the result of the duel. If not done, the judge will retaliate)
7) Any person who destroys by burning any building or heap of food shall be bound, scourged, and put to death by beheading provided that he has committed the said misdeed with malice aforethought. However if he shall have committed it by accident, it is ordained that he repair the damage or, if he be too poor to be competent for such punishment, he shall receive a lighter punishment.
8) If a theft has been done by night, if the owner kills the thief, the thief shall be held to be lawfully killed. If a theft has been done by day, or the thief not killed, then the thief is to be charged and sentenced in just court to server those they would rob as a slave for a time. If they can or will not, then their hand is to be removed.
Plebeian Tort
1) No plebeian or proletarii shall be permitted within the walls of the Senate.
2) Matters of justice among plebeians and equites are to be settled by the Senator who is their lord. The Praetor may assist.
3) Mattes of justice among the proletarii are the purview of the Tribune.
3) No plebeian may raise his hand against a patrician, nor hurl insults or make damage upon their property.
4) A patrician cannot be found guilty of a crime committed against a plebeian. However another patrician can challenge the offender to combat and whoever loses owes the other reparations, which may in turn be paid to the plebeian. Refusal to meet the challenge is not punishable but the patrician is thus known as lacking conviction.
5) The Tribune represents the interests of the equites, plebeians, and proletarii on the senate. They are responsible for conversing with the three strata and arranging matters of the strata to be brought before the senate. The Tribune does not vote, but may sit in the senate. The Tribune is elected from the patricians by a joint vote of all patricians and all equites, plebeians, and proletarii in the capitol on the day of the election. They hold office for three months.
Tax Laws
1) Every patrician is entitled to a stipend provided by the republic, amount chosen by the senate, and paid for by funds from all the provinces.
2) Every senator must set aside a portion of their earnings towards the state treasury. Rate shall be determined by senate vote. (I suggest less then 5%)
3) No Patrician is entitled to more than 15% of the republic's income.
4) The Quaestor will be responsible for keeping the republic's treasury.
5) Expenditures of 1000 gold or more from the treasury must be approved by the Senate.
6) If the Quaestor is in doubt, the treasury must be handed over to the Praetor. The Praetor will return the treasury to the Quaestor when they are no longer in doubt, or a new Quaestor has been found.
The Praetor does not have the authority to spend any gold from the treasury on their own. All expenditures from the treasury by the Praetor must be approved by the Senate.
7) Failure to pay the state tax is to be punishable by abdication for dereliction of duty.
Legal Labels
Unfit for Duty: can not legally hold office, and are considered to hold the same rank as plebeians in all legal matters
Dishonest: known liar, and in contempt of court
Shunned: known to use slander
Lacking Conviction: not willing to defend their actions
TODO List
1) Update the Census with new members, changed names, family page links, and any deaths or vacancies.
2) Update the Guide and the appropriate regions with descriptions and locations as used in game, or invented for the purpose of building a realistic realm.
3) Update the Guide with new regions and appropriate descriptions.
4) Work on the plan for the future. Add or fix things in your entry or those you know. Also, find things for the different groups of people to do. Here is an image of the progress so far:
Region description notes that are not yet up:
Lin Helon Appearance
Being huddled between the northern tundra and the frigid waters of the Great North River, the port city of Lin Helon has adapted a very heavy sort of building over the years. Cozy, mostly single-roomed large buildings are built low to the ground, with thick masonry walls and small windows. Buildings are painted with small swatches of bright cheerful nautical colour, accenting their mostly-white exteriors. Inside, the buildings tend to have either one single central hearth, or a pair of hearths, one at each end of the main room.
Places of Note
Lin's Inn - Known for its delicious and varied stews, at least 3 of them kept over the fires at all times. Lots of space for even the largest army unit to stay, frequented by Dyan and his 65 longbow archers.
Lastfell - Point of Crossing
Lastfell is a critical region in Melhed. It is the only point within many hundreds of miles where people can cross the Great North River from the northern half of Melhed to the southern. The bridge and its accompanying ferry are both constructed of heavy timbers, almost the size of full trees. Together they are known as the Fell Crossing.
Bil Havil - Living in the Glade
Bil Havil is a small and spirited hunting and farming community located in the wooded region just south of the Fell Crossing. There are few buildings of note in this region, the people being modest, and their efforts constantly plagued by monsters and undead.
The one most notable building is the large, heavy-beam Manor of the Count, currently the residence of Melhed's Grand Judiciar, the Lady Fey Twix. It is a two-storey building with a solid stone base and heavy timbers forming most of the rest of the building. Large windows face out the front and back onto an open lawn, bordered by gardens, a stable, and dense oak forest. It is only a few minutes' walk from the town centre.
The town centre is a simple square with an Inn, the local garrison, a blacksmith and a few produce carts.
Nobles of Melhed, please feel free to add or complete any of the items on any list. Please check the appropriate talk/discussion pages for any relevant conventions.
Completed
5) Update Laws with those passed in April 2008 regarding eligibility to run for Duke, losing Senator positions etc.
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