File: jayose/Jayose Library: The Octarchal Decree of 425 AY.txt

Set forth by the majority of the Octarchy, this decree shall set forth the rights afforded to citizens governed by the Octarchy and define broadly those offenses deemed punishable by law as agreed to by the Octarchy, the ruling body of Yliakum.

Let it be known that through the movement of the ages, the rulers of Yliakum found much chaos and lawlessness plaguing our fair cities. So they have set forth this decree in the interest of universal peace and to fulfill the universal need of life, both of which are constantly tested by the grievous and perpetual threats from the stone labyrinths.

By decree, let these codes of law be known throughout the land:

Hand of the Law

I. When issues of legal contention arise it shall fall upon the guards or the nearest military office to settle such disputes. When the dispute requires justice, such as disagreements over land, possessions, or other serious issues, they shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Vigesimi.

II. The execution of these laws is to be handled by the authority of the Vigesimi in charge of each town or region. The Octarch of each level shall be the final arbiter of justice for his or her sovereign lands. Preservation of the Octarchy means the preservation of all living sentient beings under its reign. The Octarchal decree shall be followed by all who wish shelter within Octarchal borders.

Privileges of the People

III. No person shall be deprived of their property except through a valid legal transaction or direct intervention of a Vigesimi or Octarch. Many of the races of Yliakum did not enter its lands with a concept of private property or ownership and this led to many conflicts. By law it is now the case that all persons are to respect the idea of an individual’s right to hold and keep their material wealth personally.

IV. It is useful in relation to lands to make a distinction between public and private property. Private property shall be established by ownership and maintenance of an area by an individual. Public lands are all the rest of the land, which fall under the responsibility of the Octarch.

V. Ownership of private property incurs the burden of taxation. When taxes are required they will be paid to the Vigesimi. These taxes can go only for the maintenance of the guards and to sponsor the needs of the military in defense of the Octarchy.

VI. Male, female and Kran children shall be made to fight with sticks and throw stones at targets from the earliest age that they can do so. Our world is harsh and citizens of the Octarchy must be more so.

VII. Once an adult, all peoples must seek and provide monies for at least one year of weapons and armor training.

VIII. All citizens must be always prepared to protect themselves and defend their property.

IX. Land owners who face the true death shall have their land and possessions given to the nearest relative. The order of inheritance is proscribed thusly: spouse, oldest living child, oldest living sibling, parents, or if none of the above survive the ownership of the lands reverts to the Octarchy. All issues of inheritance will be settled through petition of the Vigesimi.

X. As a matter of the preservation of honor, and so that citizens might police their own disputes in most cases, the duel shall be permitted and the duelists shall take their own lives in their hands. No duel is to occur in the towns of Yliakum except within an area designated for such combat. If no such area is dedicated in a given town or city, duelists shall be required to leave the town or city to fight in the wilderness.

XI. The resources of the land belong to the Vigesimi and shall be mined or gathered only when made available to the public by the Octarchy under the supervision of the nearest Vigesimi.

XII. All may worship in the means that they please.

Privileges of the State

XIII. Anyone not making productive use of their lands shall have them seized by the Octarchy. A Vigesimi may seize any lands they deem needed for the preservation of the Octarchy with their Octarch’s consent without public or private reprisal.

XIV. Any lands deemed by the Vigesimi to be required for governmental use will be exploited to the pleasure of the government and be expected to produce a tangible benefit to the local populace. In this manner a wide range of possibilities are expressed: a Vigesimi may decide a park is needed in a location and grant that to the people without concern for anyone displaced by such decisions.

XV. Mines and other resources may be seized by Octarchal authority without prior warning or consent of prospectors who are currently working the mine.

XVI. All attempts of evading the payment of taxes will be dealt with harshly.

XVII. Any citizen can be conscripted into the military or in service of the military in times of need.

Low Laws

XVIII. Theft is punishable by banishment.

XIX. None shall be permitted to harass or disparage another on their own property.

XX. Racism is formally forbidden in all cases. Any predisposition against another race is vulgar and demeaned in the eyes of the Octarchy. We exist only inasmuch as we cohere, and many of us carry the blood of other races. The time for petty disagreements is past and the Octarchy has no place for those who would carry on the battles of yore.

XXI. Racism and racially motivated speech shall not be tolerated. It is far better to do away with dissenters than to promote hate. Those who would denounce harmony shall be cast into the fire.

XXII. All animals, pets, or small flying beasts shall be treated well. Sufficient sized accommodation must be provided for them by their owners. Mistreatment of animals is prohibited. Animals exposed to the public will require certificates of health. Semi-intelligent beings such as gobbles, biorlitrosans, gawerts and so on, while not meeting the criteria for citizenry of the Octarchy, are not to be trained or kept as pets.

XXIII. Members of Yliakum’s intelligent races shall not be enslaved. Every citizen of Yliakum has equal rights under the laws of the Octarchy. Upon pain of true death, no Citizen of Yliakum shall enslave another; nor shall slaves be kept from among any sentient or semi-sentient creatures within the lands of the Octarchy.

XXIV. All potions, medicines and alchemical substances shall be properly represented and never sold under false pretenses. The creation of dangerous poisons or addictive intoxicants is forbidden.

XXV. No aggressive spells shall be cast inside of the town unless used in the defense of the town.

XXVI. No charm spells shall be cast without permission except on animals.

XXVII. Mining below the first level is forbidden, this and all resources shall be regulated by the Octarchy.

XXVIII. Kidnapping when not at war is illegal.

XXVIX. Providing false testimony is illegal.

XXX. Swindling or inflating prices in times of crisis is illegal.

XXXI. Disruption of commerce or farming is illegal.

XXXII. Defacing a temple or place of assembly is punishable by imprisonment. Other vandalism is punishable by fine.

High Laws

XXXIII. Murder is a high crime. One shall never move to put another to death. Too many become lost in the Realm of Death. Anyone caught manufacturing or distributing poisons which cause the permanent death shall be cast into the crystal. Anyone who shall murder another, be they infant or elderly, shall face justice determined by the Octarch of the level on which the murder was committed.

XXXIV. Impersonating a member of the guards or military, a Vigesimi, an Octarch, or another official of the Octarchy, shall be construed as treason.

XXXV. Fire is a bane to all inhabitants of Yliakum. Anyone caught starting a fire with the intent of destroying property or depriving people of life or property shall be guilty of a high crime.

XXXVI. The world we live in is small and largely self contained; pollution, therefore, is a grievous crime against our neighbors. Any person or group caught improperly disposing of waste materials shall be guilty of a high crime and subject to the true death.

XXXVII. When the Octarchy is challenged by the pressures of the labyrinth it will be considered treason to try to do harm to anyone else without their consent. This applies to men, women, kran and children.

XXXVIII. Anyone found conspiring with, or otherwise aiding and abetting, the creatures of the stone labyrinths will be charged with treason. All semi-sentient beings from Yliakum working in conjunction with the labyrinth beasts will be destroyed.

XXXVIV. No person shall be permitted to conduct necromantic arts or toy with the bodies of the dead in such a way as to cause the true death or torment the soul of any person protected by the Octarchy in life. Further, to prevent the manipulation of the deceased and avoid the spread of infection, entering a burial well is expressly prohibited and punishable by banishment.