This was something I wrote up for a Pavis campaign where the characters were members of the Royal Pavis Constabulary. I took pains to avoid the 'Guards Guards Guards' tropes.
Pavic Law and Customs
Pavis is a polis; a city-state with surrounding lands that answer to the central town. Oddly enough, it is also a colony of a battered old polis; The Real City in the heart of Old Pavis and this complicates things. It is also even more than this as the Empire has appointed a Count to oversee, tax and govern this state it is what is known as a colonna. This means a series of unusual relationships has arisen and these have had strange effects on law and customs.
As an Imperial colonna Pavis is subordinate to the Empire and its hierarchy. However, even after years of occupation the Imperials still know little of what they have come to own and on a mystical level they are almost completely ignorant of the mythic mechanisms of how and especially when Pavis operates. The total indifference of the higher members of the Pavis temple to the dangers of marrying in the Lunar Pantheon have caused some imperial mystics to wonder if they know exactly what they are dealing with and has caused some misgivings. The worst dangers are buried deeply.
Regardless of this Laws and Customs reflect these three factors; The Real City and its history of unceasing war with Prax and the Uz. New Pavis and its legacy of Sartarite disenfranchisement and its strong Sartar clan structures and overlaying this the blanket of Imperial Provincial Law.
Pavis Citizens
Citizenship is a vital requirement for living in Pavis for any time and those deliberately remaining outsiders are known as a Metic or 'resident foreigner'. A metic has severely curtailed rights, and may not vote, has less credibility in court than a citizen has, may not be given food rations in times of hardship or siege, has no ties to the local community and is considered inherently suspicious. A metic has all the burdens of citizenship but none of the benefits,
To be a citizen one must become an initiate of Pavis and then must be adopted by the citizenry as a fellow. In practice it is easier to become an initiate than to become a citizen and only by tying one's fortunes, and those of your descendants, to those of large Pavis clan (and in a subordinate or 'client' role) can a metic hope to become a Pavis citizen.
A citizen has many benefits and not just the dole and a lesser gate tax.
Citizens have more rights in a legal dispute than metics and as they have familial, ritual, mystical and political ties to the city they are considered more trustworthy. Citizens do not pay more than a token payment for places in the markets, the craft guilds must accept them if they are qualified to join and then the guilds actively persecute their metic competition. Citizens may vote, and by showing their support for a candidate they place themselves, by affiliation with a faction, in the debt of the candidate and faction they support. Citizens also have equal rights as Imperial citizens within the bounds of the County of Pavis. As a citizen it was unlikely that they would be enslaved by the state unless the citizen was found guilty of an extremely serious crime.
Slaves
Pavis is a culture that allows the ownership of slaves. Slaves form the very bottom rung of Pavic life and only 'enjoy' the rights they receive as the belonging of a citizen or metic. Slaves are not killed they are destroyed. This simple definition shows the total lack of rights they have; their death is only noted as the reduction of another person's wealth.
Slaves may not give witness in court. Slaves may not belong to the cult of Pavis and by enslavement the terrible ritual of disenfranchisement rips the person from life as an equal citizen and hurls them into the purse of another citizen. Most relatives, friends or patrons of a citizen condemned to slavery undergo great hardships to prevent this terrible event and many of those condemned to perpetual slavery will suicide instead.
However, there is more than one form of slavery of which perpetual slavery is only the worst. Temporary slavery such as Seasonal Slavery (usually for chronic debt) or Year And A Day Slavery (for serious crimes) 'merely' reduce the ex-slave afterwards to the status of metic but it is usually easy for the to be readmitted as a citizen unless they are disowned by all those who know them.
While it is possible for a slave to own money it is actually illegal for a slave - a possession - to own their own possessions so the owner of the slave keeps the money 'owned' by the slave in trust. Obviously some owners refuse to do this making the slave unable to save up to buy their freedom. Slaves have no right to their own bodies and a male owner can legally force a slave to have sexual relations with himself or with another male of his choosing at any time. The reverse of this shows that Pavis is still something of a patriarchal society as a female owner having sexual relationships with a slave is considered to have committed bestiality and the slave is destroyed and the woman brought up on charges. Imperial citizens have decried this practice. All the children of slaves are considered slaves in their own right.
Slaves who cause damage, lie, steal or are otherwise disruptive may or may not be destroyed according to the 'crime'. The owner of the slave is held accountable for any outrages a slave causes. A similar situation is if the owner of a dog allowed it to bite someone and is the example used in the Pavic court.
Any owner freeing a slave, a common practice among some groups, agrees by the act of manumission to become the patron of the slave (who is now a low-class metic). The former slave, now a 'freedman', becomes a client of the former owner but can leave that owner's patronage after a year and a day.
Imperial Law
The Lunar Empire sees Pavis as a typical borderlands set of contradictions and has set its Provincial Army and Provincial Administration to the task of making the colonna friendly to the Empire and its goals.
The aim of the Empire is simple; Assimilation.
In time and with constant, impartial and pervasive administration the Empire aims to make Pavis an Imperial Outpost at the edge of the Empire, within the Glowline and with the regional variations expected within every satrapy. Should Sor-Eel prosper in this position his family will add the satrapy of Prax to their honours and Sor-Eel has the attitude that he and his dynasty are here to stay. It shows. Sor-Eel is slowly 'going native' and building a power base here on the borderlands.
Unfortunately Sor-Eeel is saddled with Jotoran Longsword, who has the 'crush them under your heel, tax them 'till they squeal' mindset almost guaranteed to create unrest in a border town. Jotoran is almost undoubtedly sabotaging Sor-Eel's efforts but it is unknown who he is working for among the Imperial factions. Everyone is keenly hoping that Pavis gets to witness a Dart War to 'thin the Lunars out'.
The Imperial Administration has decreed that an Imperial citizen is on equal standing in the eyes of the law as a Pavic citizen, and Imperial merchant interests have immediately appeared to try and suffocate the native merchant houses and craft guilds. This led to a fair bit of street fighting and assassination. This, and the ongoing Sartarite unrest, has meant that martial law has been extended indefinitely.
The basic Imperial Directives of Occupation are as follows;
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Anyone convicted of committing violence upon the person or possessions of a Lunar Citizen or Ally (including Pavic Citizens) will be crucified.
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All taverns, eating houses and places of entertainment must be closed by midnight and no citizens, metics or slaves may be on the street after then without a pass issued by the Imperial Administration or Pavic Constabulary.
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All weapon masters, weapon schools and their students must be registered with the Imperial authorities.
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All foreigners entering the city must register with the Imperial Authorities at the gate.
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All expeditions into The Rubble must;
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Register with the Imperial Authorities before entering The Rubble stating both their objective and the expected time of their return.
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Pay a set tax of One Per Centum of any monies in excess of 100L per individual to the Gate Clerk on exiting The Rubble.
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Declare and display for inspection any artefacts found on the expedition at the Imperial head quarters.
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Deposit maps of explored areas with the authorities at the Imperial head quarters on return from any expedition to the The Rubble. If the expedition members are incapable of submitting a suitable map as per the Mapping Requirements (Rubble Expeditions), a scribe will be made available to the expedition for a suitable fee.
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The Temple of Orlanth, being a hotbed of seditious activity, will remain closed and sealed indefinitely.
Ransoms
In Pavis, like anywhere else in Glorantha bar a few strange spots, the family and clan is everything.
Family and clan guarantee to pay weregild - a 'life value' in coin rather than suffer the loss of a family member's life. Paying a weregild means that the the prisoner must be kept well and fed adequately. After a weregild is agreed on a prisoner must not attempt to escape nor may they be rescued by armed intervention of the family or clan.
Weregild is paid usually to a third party who is considered trustworthy. In Pavis at this time this is almost solely the function of the Lhankor Mhy cult. The clan pays the cult who then notifies holders of the prisoner. The prisoner is delivered to the cult, who pays over the sum, and the cult notifies the family or clan that the prisoner may be collected. Note, the Lhankor Mhy cult, in total contrast to every other of their activities, does not charge anything for this function. This is due to the mystical criteria that the Lhankor Mhy cult may not engage in taking sides and payment could allow the cult to manipulate the outcome of the exchange.
Anyone attempting to subvert the process once the Lhankor Mhy cult is involved lays themselves open to attacks by the Lhankor Mhy spirit of reprisal who will attack when the offender is asleep within a month of the transgression.
It is not against any law or custom to refuse to accept a ransom, and some bitter conflicts preclude 'quarter'. However if a group consistently refuses offers of ransom and executes prisoners then they may well be investigated by the authorities to see if such killings are murder. Normally if a murderer is shielded by a clan or family then the whole group is considered responsible.
Vendetta
Vendetta or Feud is the technical term for 'Private Warfare'.
Only clans; groupings of extended families, may legally engage in vendetta. Usually only large and powerful clans are granted the right to do so.
To claim Vendetta the following procedures must followed;
- The civic and imperial authorities must be unable to reach a verdict or arbitrate a solution on the basis of contention.
- The Count of Prax must approve a request for clan warfare. If approved, and a surprising amount are, the following stipulations are usually mandated:
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Vendetta must be declared in the city central square, naming the clans involved and the restrictions mandated by the authorities. The combatants have one season from that day to reach an agreement before hostilities may begin and earnest efforts are expected.
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No non-combatants may be harmed.
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Arson is strictly forbidden.
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Ransom must be accepted if offered.
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Combat or theft within the city is strictly forbidden.
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Interruption of trade, tax gathering and official business may never be hindered.
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The vendetta can but cut short at any time by County Decree. Ignoring the Count's Decree brands the clan as 'rebels', and leaves the clan open to punishment by the Pavis Constabulary and the Imperial Legions who do not have to abide by any restriction on Vendetta.
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Vendetta may not continue beyond a year and a day. At this time the parties must reapply to the Count of Prax.
Burial Customs
This really depends on religion. Pavis people from The Real City have graveyards inside Greater Pavis (The Big Rubble)
Most people are buried (or at least dealt with) on the other side of the river beyond the sable camp. Here the sun worshippers burn their people in hot fires, wind worshippers burn them with smoky fires, New Pavis people and knowledge worshippers bury their dead with a stone pillow and usually a marker of some sort. River people sink the body in a special sealed basket like a lobster pot and after a season retrieve the bones. Especially important people are sent on unmanned funeral barges that seek out the Homeward Ocean and thus the underworld. Humakti tend to deal with bodies however is convenient but never what is traditional for the member's family (as they are sundered from the kin). Nomad peoples deal with bodies, often by cremation, on the steppe. Cremated bodies usually have the ashes retrieved and placed in urns then put in household shrines or placed in temple under-vaults.
Criminals are crucified on the road to the city and left to rot, the stench is appalling and is yet another thing that the people of Pavis resent about the empire. Prior to this they were usually throttled (a wind custom, in Old Pavis they were stoned) and thrown in a mass burial pit over the river (this pit has a bad name for hauntings and only Daka Fal godi dare tend the pit.)
