Statutes of Idukara
Here is the set of rules for the citizens of Ur-ktan. How your character acts around these laws will determine what kind of gain or loss their Lawfulness stat receives.
**These laws are based on the Code of Hammurabi, which is one of the earliest records of law in the near-east, specifically Babylon.
**These laws are based on the Code of Hammurabi, which is one of the earliest records of law in the near-east, specifically Babylon.
Against Royalty or the Empire
- If a fya steals from a palace or from any other property of any royalty, then both that fya and the fya who received the stolen property shall be put to death. If the fya steals that which is replaceable, then they may instead repay it 8-fold or work in labor for eight years to repay the debt. Another eight years of service may be added at the judge's discretion depending on the measure of loss.
- If a steals the child of the royalty or high aristocracy, then that fya is to be put to death and their family sold into servitude of the Empire for life.
- If a fya shall aid a servant or slave in escaping from their master (who is royalty), then that fya shall be put to death.
- If a fya shall cause damage to the house of royalty or the high aristocracy, then that fya shall be put to death and their family sold into servitude of the empire for life.
- If a fya shall be sent on an errand of the Emperor, but instead hires another to take his task, then that fya shall be put to death. The fya who was hired shall be given his property.
- If a fya shall ransom or otherwise rescue the servant or emissary of the Empire, then the Empire shall repay that fya whatever expenses were paid.
- If the Lord of a city shall give shelter to a fugitive or a deserter, then that Lord shall be put to death and another be set up in place of his/her family.
- If a citizen or the Lord of a city shall from a fya that which was given to them as a gift from the Empire, then that fya shall be put to death.
- The property of a Lord, an official, or one who has been given their estate from the Empire may not be sold because is the property of the Empire.
Against Gods
- If a fya steals from a temple or from any other property of a god, then both that fya and the fya who received the stolen property shall be put to death. If the fya steals that which is replaceable, then they may instead repay it 12-fold or work in labor for twelve years to repay the debt. Another twelve years of service may be added at the judge's discretion depending on the measure of loss.
- If a fya shall aid a servant or slave in escaping from their master (who is a priest), then that fya shall join the servant or slave in servitude for twelve years or be put to death.
- If a fya shall cause damage to a temple, then that fya shall be put to death. If the family cannot repay the temple in four years, then they are to be cast out of the city.
- If a priest shall sell holy wine to a commoner, or drink of wine that has not been blessed by the gods, then that priest shall be tossed into the river. If the river does not take their life, then the gods have forgiven the trespass and the priest may return to their post.
- If a fya falsely claim that their belongings have been lost or stolen and proclaims the loss in the presence of a god, only to be found a liar, then that fya owes to the temple four times what was falsely claimed.
- If a fya try to take for spouse a priest, the fya is to be thrown into the river for judgment. If the river does not claim that fya's life, the gods have deemed the fya worthy of the hand of the priest.
- If a child adopted and raised by a priest tell that priest "You are not my parent." then that child's tongue is to be cut out.
- If a child adopted and raised by a priest shall find their birth parents and try to return, then that child's eye is to be taken out.
Witchcraft
- If a fya is proven to be practicing illegal Heiden rituals, that fya is to be put to death.
- If a fya is found in the possession of a Heijhan Trak, that fya is to be put to death.
- If a fya is accused of practicing illegal Heiden rituals, but there is no proof left behind, the one who is being accused shall be tossed into the river. If the river takes thier life, then they has been deemed guilty by the gods and all that belonged to that fya will be given to the accuser. But if the river does not claim the life of that fya, then the gods have deemed them innocent and the accuser shall be put to death, and all that the accuser owned will be given to wrongfully accused.
Against Others
- If a fya steals from the house or from any other property of another fya, then the thief must repay what was stolen twice over. If the fya is unable to repay the stolen property, then that fya may work in labor for the one who they have wronged for four years to repay the debt. Another four years of service may be added at the judge's discretion depending on the measure of loss. If the loss is determined to be too great, then the thief is to be put to death.
- If a fya purchases property from the child or servant of another fya, but there is no contract or witness, then the fya will be tried as a thief.
- If a judge shall give a verdict and have it signed and sealed, then afterward change his verdict, then that judge shall pay 4x whatever the penalty in the verdict was. Then the judge shall be expelled from his seat and bared from returning.
- If a fya shall find their stolen property in the possession of another fya, but that fya is able to prove who they bought it from within seven months, then the seller shall be put to death. The property shall be returns to its owner and the buyer shall be reimbursed from the property of the seller who was the thief. The rest of the seller's property shall be rendered to the Empire. If the seller has already died, then the purchaser shall recover reimbursement from the seller's inheritance.
- But if the fya is unable to find proof or witness of the purchase, then that fya shall be tried as a thief and as one bearing false witness.
- But if the owner is unable to prove that the property belonged to them, then the owner is accused of fraud and of stirring up trouble and shall be put to death.
- If a fya steals the child of another fya, then that fya is to be put to death.
- If a fya shall aid a servant or slave in escaping from their master, then that fya shall join the servant or slave in servitude for four years.
- If a fya shall cause great damage to the house of another, then that fya shall be put to death.
- If a fya shall be caught committing robbery, then that fya shall be put to death. If the robber cannot be found, then the one who was robbed may stand in the temple and in the presence of a god to give an account of what was lost so the Lord of the city may compensate the loss. If life was lost in the robbery, then 40 pieces of silver shall be given for the life. (about 800 ZC)
- If a fya shall go to another's house to help put out a fire or drive away a robber, but that fya takes it upon himself to steal from the owner of the house, then that fya shall be cast into the fire or otherwise put to death.
- If a fya go on leave for a span of more than four years and not leave anyone to look after his estate, and if another comes during that time and has been looking after and running the estate for longer than four years, then the fya who has gone on leave shall be given back his estate for the other has been managing it in his neglect. But if the estate shall be neglected for less than four years, then the original owner may have their estate returned.
- If the fya who has gone on leave is a Lord, an official, or one who has been given their estate from the Empire, then that fya shall retain their estate because this is the property of the Empire.
- If a fya shall rent the land of another for the purposes of agriculture, but not produce any crop during their lease, then that fya has not upheld their duty and must repay in grain, or in the cost of the grain, equal to the nearby fields of the same size. The fya shall then cultivate the land and the field shall be returned to the owner.
- If a fya rents a field, but is unable to produce a crop because of the anger of the gods (that is storm or doubt), then the renter is not held responsible and the loss falls on the owner of the land.
- If a fya owes a debt to another, but the gods have smote his field or estate with water or with doubt or with fire so that the fya cannot repay the debt that year, then that fya is not held accountable and will be given another year to pay the debt.
- However, if the field or estate that was destroyed by the wrath of the gods should not have been destroyed by account of canals, dykes, or dams that had not been properly maintained, then the fya is held responsible and must repay their debts in the time agreed upon.
- If a fya's neglect to his canal, dykes, or dams cause damage to another fya's property, then that fya shall repay them twice over.
- If a fya shall, without the proper contract, graze their livestock on another fya's field, then that fya must pay the owner of the field 50 zan.
- If a fya shall cut down a tree on another fya's property, then that fya must pay the owner of the property 50 zan.
- If a fya shall be given goods or money by a merchant in order to take it to another place, and that fya be robbed along the way, then the fya must swear by the gods of what has transpired and may go free.
- If a fya shall give to another fya goods or money to be transferred to another place, but that fya instead takes the goods for themselves, then the thief must repay the stolen goods four-fold.
- If a fya shall give goods or money to another fya to be transferred to another place, but did not write down a contract cataloguing the goods, and the goods were stolen or lost, then the fya is not held accountable as a thief.
- If fugitives come to the house or property of a wine-seller, but the seller does not turn them in, then the seller is to be put to death.
- If a fya owes money, grain, or goods to another fya, and the one who they are in debt to comes to take for themselves as payment the money, grain, or goods without the approval of the one who owes the debt, then it is considered theft and the thief must repay what was stolen twice over and cancel the debt.
- If a fya is in debt of another, that fya may send a child or servant to work to pay the debt in their stead for the allotted time.
- If a fya who is working in servitude to another to repay a debt shall die due to abuse or neglect by the fya the debt is owed to, then the son of the owner is to be put to death. If the fya who died was the servant of the one owing the debt who was sent to work in their master's place, then the debt is canceled and the owner of the servant who died is paid 400 zan.
- If a fya shall store grain or goods in the storehouse of another fya, then they shall pay the owner 40 zan per year it is stored there.
- If a fya shall store grain or goods in the storehouse of another fya, and there shall be a dispute over the owner of a portion, then the owner shall proclaim their portion in the presence of a god and the thief must repay four times what was stolen.
- If a man takes a wife, but does not produce the proper contracts, then she is not legally his wife.
- If a man shall try, to take the wife of another, then that man shall be brought before judges and a brand burned into his forehead. If this shall happen with a man who already has the brand burned, then that man is thrown into the river for the gods to cast judgement upon.
- If two fyasel shall be caught in adultery, then they are to be bound together and thrown into the river. The spouse of either, or the Lord of a city, or the Royals may save one or both from the river if they choose.
- If a fya shall wrongly accuse their spouse of adultery, the accused may stand in the presence of a god and proclaim their innocence and be returned to their life.
- If a fya shall desert their city and desert the Empire, then the spouse has the legal right to nullify the marriage without the knowledge of the deserter.
- If a fya shall cause the death of their spouse for another, then that fya is to be thrown into the river to be judged by the gods.
- If a fya shall adopt a child, and the proper contracts are at hand, then no one may claim that child.
- If a child shall strike their parent, then the child's fingers are to be cut off.
- If a fya shall cause injury to another fya of the same rank, then that same injury is to be dealt back to them.
- If a fya shall cause injury to a fya of a lower rank, then they are to pay the injured 40 zan per injury.
- If a fya shall cause injury to the servant of another, then they shall pay the master 40 zan per injury, or 400 zan for death.
- If a fya shall strike one who is their superior, then that fya shall receive 40 lashes.
- If a fya shall cause injury to another in a quarrel, and claim it was an accident, then that fya must only pay for the healer. If the injury shall result in death, then he must pay 400 zan to the deceased's inheritance.
- If a builder shall build a house for another, and the foundation of that house was weak and caused the house to collapse and cause the death of the owner the house, then the builder shall be put to death.
- The the collapse shall result in the death or damage to property, then the builder must repay to the owner an equal value.
- If a builder shall build a boat, and that boat not be seaworthy and be destroyed, then the builder shall rebuild and restrengthen the boat at their own expense. If the collapse of the boat resulted in the death of the owner, the builder is to be tossed into the river.
- If a fya shall hire a boatman or a man to manage his caravan, and carelessness shall cause the destruction of the boat or goods, then the fya who was hired must replace the damages at their own expense.
- If a fya shall hire a beast of burden from another fya, and a wild animal kills or injures it so it cannot work, then the loss is the owners. But if the animal dies or is injured and cannot work due to neglect or abuse, then the fya who hired it must repay the owner an equal beast.
- But if the animal be injured and still able to preform its work, then the fya shall repay to the owner half the price of the animal.
- But if the animal shall die because of the act of a god, then the fya who hired it shall swear to the god and not be held guilty.
- If a fya's beast of burden kills another fya on the street, there is no penalty unless the dead is a higher rank, then the owner is to be put to death.
- But if a beast of burden who is known to have the habit of injuring others and the owner did not take proper precautions, then the owner must pay to the family 400 zan.
- If a fya who was hired to watch over another fya's livestock shall lose an animal, then that fya shall replace the loss with one of equal value.