Re: Weregild

From: t.s.baguley_at_...
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 16:06:12 +0100


> From: "Ian Cooper" <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
>Remember payment of weregild is not an admission of fault or guilt,
>merely compensation. It is fault free. Most people admit to a
>killing in such societies because failure to do so results in an
>accusation of 'secret murder'. Orlanthi Justice would impose
>weregild on Humakti the same as anyone else. Of course the trouble
>with weregild is you have to collect it...

I think it would argued on a case by case basis. I think a good lawspeaker could legitimately argue that a slaying by a Humakti was an "act of god" and hence not incurring wergild (much like falling off a cliff). Of course having a single good argument doesn't mean you win (just played Fall of the House of Malan at Convulsion which had some great legal disputes over exactly this issue).

>That said, I suspect that The Hidden Gale members have probably long
>since been declared outlaw by the lunars, so they would have no
>weregild and could be killed with impunity. Being declared outlaw
>exposes you to all sorts of risk. Much more likely in retribution
>for this act would be I suspect blood vengance by other members of
>the Hidden Gale.

The Lunars might outlaw them, but I'd like to see a clan chief from an anti-Lunar clan turn down wergild from the (probably non-outlawed) relatives of the deceased. Feud, anyone?

Thom

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