> Most carls don't really have the wealth to pay wergild -- it's
> intended as a deterrent as much as a penalty. (In our games, we set
> wergild a little lower than I think it actually is, because I *do*
> want players to pay it. If it were higher, they wouldn't bankrupt
> themselves and everything would be much bloodier.)
>
>
I strongly agree with this interpretation. I seem to recall that there
are several instances in the Icelandic sagas where securing the
necessary silver and goods to pay wergild required the person to deal
with various richer men. I think that in the Orlanthi setting this is a
role often taken by the clan. Bob the Carl may want to kill someone,
but he probably can't pay the wergild out of his own pocket and thus
needs to consider the possibility that the clan might not pony up the
cash if the clan ring doesn't think Bob acted properly. There is a
great deal of role-playing potential in this situation...
Gerald Bausch
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