3. Peltarch Code of Laws

Peltarch Code of Laws

  • I

    (Case law concerning the interpretation of this statute can be found here )

    1.00: Traitorist Act - Betraying the City of Peltarch by giving information,
    aiding, or conspiring with an enemy faction of the city is a violation of
    the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Death Penalty

    1.01: Premeditated Murder - Plotting and executing a plan to kill a person
    is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Life in prison

    1.02: Non-Premeditated Murder - Killing a person without premeditation but
    with intent to kill is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 15 years to the death penalty

    1.03: Conspiracy to Commit a Murder - One who does not participate directly
    in a murder, but help plots or mastermind it, is in violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 15 year to the death penalty

    1.04: Involuntary Murder - Killing a person by inflicting harm upon them,
    without intent to kill, is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 10 years to the death penalty

    1.05: Negligent Murder - To act without regard for a person's safety and, in
    doing so, directly cause their death is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 10 years to Life

    1.06: Attempted Murder - One who plans on murdering a person, but is stopped
    before they can do so, is in violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 5 years to Life

    1.06a: Necromancy - Individuals found practicing Necromancy, including
    the reanimation of the dead, corpse theft, or magic acts that utilize the dead.
    -Recommended Sentance: 5 years to Life

    1.07: Kidnapping - Kidnapping a person against their will is a violation of
    the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 10 year to 20 years

    1.09: Assault - Intentionally harming another person is a violation of the
    law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 1 year to 6 years

    1.10: Negligent Harm to Another - Acting without regard for a person's
    safety and, in doing so, directly causes them harm is a violation of the
    law.
    -Recommended Sentence: 90 days to 5 years

    1.10a: Torture - The act of harming an indiviual to coerce them into
    action if forbidden by all save the Guard, Defenders, and Employees
    of the Senate who will use the right sparingly. When possible a rep-
    resentative from the temple will use Divine Magic in its stead.
    -Recommended Sentence: 10 - 20 years

    1.11: Harboring a Criminal - Knowingly aiding a person who has committed a crime is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Up to or including the maximum penalty for the crime commited by the person being harbored.

    1.12: Aiding and Abetting a Criminal - Helping a person escape from
    prosecution is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Up to 10 years

    1.13: Obstructing Justice - Failing to help in the apprehension of a
    criminal by concealing evidence or information.
    -Recommended Sentence: Up to 5 years

    1.14: Theft or Destruction of Government Property - Taking or destroying
    property owned by the government is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Up to 10 years and fines not exceeding the value of the property. Also the hand of the criminal may be chopped off to mark them as a thief. Property is also returned to the government, if possible.

    1.15: Theft or Destruction of Private Property - Taking or destroying
    property owned by an individual is a violation of the law. -Recommended
    Sentence: Up to 5 years and fines not exceeding the value of the property.
    Also the hand of the criminal may be chopped off to mark them as a thief.
    Property is also returned to the individual if possible.

    1.16: Fraud - An intentional perversion of the truth, in order to induce
    another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right, is a
    violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Up to 7 years with fines.

    1.17: Trespassing - To enter a private area without permission from the
    owner is a violation of the law. For businesses and shops, permission is
    assumed to be granted for the storefront area unless the owner informs the individual otherwise, in which case the person must leave and not return to the private area without permission.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fines and minor amounts of jail time; 3 to 10 days

    1.17a: Violation of Banishment - To enter Peltarch territory in defiance of a banishment edict is a violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: (1) Punishment as determined by the original Senatorial decree. (2) Up to or including the maximum penalty for the crime for which the criminal was banished. (3) In cases where banishment was the only punishment specified: Fines and jail time not to exceed one month; public flogging.

    1.18: Drudgery - Slavery is outlawed in Peltarch. Any slaves entering Peltarch are immediately considered freed upon entry, and will be provided the full protection of Peltarch's Laws. Anybody found within Peltarch in possession of a slave, or attempting to engage in the slave trade, will be arrested.
    -Recommended Sentence: Posession of a slave within Peltarch - banishment. Engaging in the slave trade within Peltarch - 10-15 years.

    1.19: Heresy - worship of, or membership in, the Church of Bane or Cyric is a crime.
    -Recommended Sentence: Banishment to death penalty.

    2.18: Disturbing the Peace - To disrupt the daily
    lives of other people in an obtrusive fashion is a
    violation of the law.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fines and minor amounts of jail time; not much over a week.

    2.19: It is illegal to mispronounce Peltarch while in Peltarch
    -Recommended Sentence: A minor fine of 10 gold

    2.20: It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a loincloth.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fine

    2.21: Struck from books

    2.22: Struck from books.

    2.24: You are forbidden to spit on the ground within 5 feet of another
    person.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fine

    2.26: Struck from Books

    2.28: You may be arrested for vagrancy if you do not have at least 5 Gold
    Coin on your person
    -Recommended Sentence: Community Service/Fine/Short Jail Time

    2.29: Struck from books

    2.30: Loitering, the act of waiting around a busy public area without authorization, is considered illegal. Areas deemed as places of meeting are exempt from this law, as is private property at the discretion of the owner.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fine, minor jail time.

    2.31: Selling of Weapons or Armor, by non-citizens of Peltarch, is
    considered smuggling, and is illegal unless one acquires a permit to do so
    from the magistrate.
    -Recommended Sentence: Fine, Minor Jail Time

    2.32: Impersonating a Peltarch Official -Those posing as city officials
    including Judges, Senators, The Guard and Defenders, or any of the
    Government Guilds of Peltarch, including possessing the garb or relics
    of office.
    -Recommended Sentence: Public Flogging and Banishment and confiscation of all goods used in the act of fraud.

    2.34: Familiar Law in Peltarch - All familiars of a large, bestial or "unnatural" (outsider) nature are banned from the city of Peltarch and its jurisdictional limits. All other familiars must remain in close attendance of its controller at all times and must not stray more than ten yards from them for any reason.
    All familiars are the explicit responsibility of the controller, and they are responsible for any crime committed by the familiar.
    -Recommended Sentence- Anyone found violating this law will be warned to remove the creature, or face fines and or imprisonment. The familiar may face physical harm if instructions of the guard is not complied with.

    2.35: Weapons - Unless danger against the self person is imminent, it is forbidden to weild any kind of weapon* inside the walls of the city of Peltarch. Upon request from Defender personnel, weapons shall be unwielded outside the walls of the city of Peltarch. This law includes magical weapons that are not physically wielded. Exceptions to this law are military personnel and other official personnel and private individuals with the proper permits.
    *Walking staffs are not seen as lethal weapon

    Note: The punishment given by a judge to a convicted criminal does not have to fall within the Recommended Sentence. Each case may vary on severity and therefore the ultimate punishment is up to the judge to determine.

    Minor Crimes: All crimes beginning with a 2 are considered minor. Criminals who are arrested by the Peltarch Guard for these crimes do not have to face a judge in court. Instead, a fair punishment may determined by a ranking official in the Peltarch Guard. 1.14 and 1.15 are also minor crimes if the amount of property involved is worth less than 150gp


  • ::Magistrate Barrim arranges to have public notices posted behind each guard positon at the gates, as well as in each district of the city in a prominent place::

    :: Circulated to the captain of the guard and copies sent to the temple of tyr ::

    :: Written in as simple language as he can muster, he asks the captain of the guard if those citizens unable to read would have it explained to them by the guard on request ::

    The City of Peltarch, the Tolerance of Faiths and Personal Conduct.

    1. The city of peltarch is an important trading centre, and to allow rather than stigmatise visiting cultures, guilds and faiths for the purpose of trade the city adopts a tolerant attitude to all faiths.

    2. Those visiting the city are reminded that ALL vistors and citizens are bound by the laws of this city as posted on the signs (( assume they read to reflect the code of laws thread in the forum )).

    3. When the practice of faith clashes with the obligation for all citizens to obey the law, there will be swift justice and penalties: monetary, liberty or the penalty of death. Typical crimes may be conspiracy to murder or harm within the cities borders, disturbance of the peace, kidnap, destruction of government property; but includes all laws on the statute.

    4. The city will not tolerate actions which flaunt, disrupt or interfere with the honourable duties of the cities military, or legal branches or the senators who serve selflessly this city. It should be noted that the crime of striking a magistrate usually carries the death penalty.

    5. The city has the strong legal tradition of justice served within the courts or at the will of the arresting officer, and those folk disobeying the orders of the arresting officers with regard to a crime or fleeing justice are liable for apprehension by the legal and military resources at the cities command. Those fleeing justice are judged to be automatically guilty of the crime charged.

    6. The city is equipped with an expert legal team of Magistrates and the decision of the magistrate is final in all criminal matters of standing statute, subject to the law making powers of the senate. Interpretation of the law is subject to the magistrates considerable experience.

    7. Do not think that criminal activity can be undertaken under cover of night or in the quiet places of the city, no matter what crime is committed the legal powers of the city will find you eventually.

    8. All citizens and visitors are obliged to familiarise themselves with the laws of the city as ignorance of the law is not a defence for a criminal.

    Due notice has been served with this public reminder

    In honoured service to the Jewel of the Icelace

    Magistrate Barrim Asbravn