Re: Blood Feuds

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_NVqNzlj-pNKBlFTJI4PRmjN0oZr5YYCyhoFRgcbFlUwPumwPxlwwPqGNDDis7VvB1BGzN>
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:41:15 -0700


>>I don't see feuds being declared as such. Feuds start from disagreements
>>about something and escalate if the causes aren't resolved.<

The normal resolution of "disagreements" is compensation of some sort - wergild literally means "man-money" and should really only be used when referring to compensation for a death (or serious injury), but theft has to be compensated, as does rape, wounding, kidnap, stead burning (even if no-one
is killed), breach of contract (such as marriage), even insult (if you can convince the jury). The normal resolution process is to head over to the moot (clan or tribal, as applicable, or if there's a king, then kingdom) and bring a suit against the offenders.

In some ways, Orlanthi (And the Brehon and Germanic laws on which they are based) are like American Civil Law - you need to convince a jury that you should prevail, and if they agree with you, they'll render a judgement that says "This person owes X amount to that person". There is no "judge", there are lawspeakers - guys that know the law, and can be called upon to support your claim. Precedence has little to do with what you get - if last year your father got 6 cows for his brother's life, this year you might get 2, or 12, for yours'. You need to bring as many witnesses as you can, and the more important they are, the better. If it's the word of a Stickpicker against that of a Thane, the jury will go with the thane (barring any other considerations). Humakti can be assumed to speak the truth, of course :-), but "truth" is not the issue. All sorts of peripheral arguments can (and will) be taken into account. The jury is not so much there to establish guilt or innocence, as degree of compensation. A true Orlanthi will say "yes, I killed him" (remember that Secret Murder is one of those crimes for which no compensation can expected - the murderer, if "convicted" is an outlaw). To do otherwise is lying - a bad thing when done in Moot (or, really, anytime, even for non-Humakti - they just take not lying to the extreme).

It's only when the offenders refuse to compensate you (or you refuse compensation) that a feud starts. Orlanthi being the loud, rude, crude, blustery types that they are, there is usually a declaration after the judgement goes against them that: "you'll get compensation over our dead bodies" (or similar language). Everyone now knows that things are going to go all pear-shaped (note that if you win the suit, it's *your* responsibility to gather the compensation - it's not the loser's responsibility to give it to you). Orlanthi *usually* won't sneakily accept the judgment and then refuse to pay, they'll tell you up front that you've got a feud on your hands.

Unfortunately, once a feud starts, it rarely ends to everyone's satisfaction (inasmuch as dead people can't be said to be "satisfied").

RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad R. Sabatini, Scaramouche            

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