Re: Humakti Devotion

From: Paul Andrew King <paul_at_...>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 07:28:35 +0000

> --- Paul Andrew King <paul_at_...> wrote:
>
>> Could a murderer join Humakt as a way to avoid
>> >the (social/legal) consequences of their crime?
>>
>> Given that we're talking about Orlanthi law,
>
>Which is a question in itself.

Given that we're talking about weregild, and the legal importance of kinship ties, hardly a big question.

>
>*IF* the murderer was Orlanthi in the first place,
>(and more especialy if the victim was Orlanthi) then
>no doubt Orlanthi law will have something to say about
>it.

The important thing in Orlanthi law is that the victim's kin can try to get the killer's kin to pay up. Humakti law won't come into that. That's the legal importance of the Severing - after it's done the Humakti's kin can't be pursued for acts that were done later (nor can he Humakti be pursued for his former kin's wrongs).

> But Humakti law may well say something entirely
>different. And if either murderer or victim were not
>Orlanthi, then it'll be a different set of laws again.
>Which the Humakti will still ignore...

Or maybe not. Honour could compel a Humakti to accept local law. Resheathed Humakti are also directly accountable to Orlanthi law (ST p96).

-- 
--
"The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of 
immortality.  More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals 
in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala 
Guide to Taoism_

Paul K.