Re: Odal and personal property among the Orlanthi.

From: donald_at_jrXz2SD0LH0I8GaARSbb_ouCmVfF9aI3EGFuThsZ4iaLmk3rQXnyssUHnWJ6OBbOvPQ_O
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:25:42 +0100

Lord Hennomono:
> On 23/04/12 13:30, donald_at_6HwfCdEpbwvoBWh46wVXNI9FCr7kJ51eYOoFD6bgWyq9XYsEqq91Udhk7ODA_izDKhmioxeiiod3beXpJbk.yahoo.invalid wrote:
> > In general loot is brought before the clan chief for him to allocate. Some will be given to the
> > individuals who took it, some to their bloodlines and some to the clan as a whole.
>
> I'm not convinced the chief is the first port of call. Clan tradition
> would surely dictate what sorts of property are odal and what personal.
> So the lawspeaker would first rule on what was communal and only then
> would the chief be able to distribute what was left over as personal.

The clan chief represents the clan here and it is common for the clan chief to have the priviledge/responsibility of dividing up loot. You could have a clan where someone else has that priviledge/responsibility. He/she might well consult the lawspeakers if there was doubt about something. However the distinction between odal and personal property isn't something which can be codified based on what the item is. A cow, for example, could belong to the clan, a bloodline or an individual. The clan champion might be entrusted with the clan's sword (normally a sword is personal property) and will hand it on to his replacement in due course.

Odal property law is potentially incredibly complex with all sorts of shared and joint ownership and possession. So something belonging to the clan might be entrusted to a player character on the understanding that it does not leave the tula without the agreement of the clan ring. However few GMs or players will want to devise a full legal system for their game so simplifying it to "the clan chief splits the loot" makes a lot of sense for gaming.

-- 
Donald Oddy