Law & Punishments

Law enforcement among the Khemetar is known for being extremely harsh and arbitrary. Their laws are flexible enough to allow the Vashnir to arrest and punish anyone displaying suspicious behavior or associations. Furthermore, punishment is bound to come at expeditious speed and with unforgiving force. Notwithstanding the debatable nature of these resolutions, they are regarded as a necessary evil, since competition in Khemet is so fierce that, if violent measures were not taken to deal with it, assassinations and other acts of treachery would certainly corrupt and destroy their society from the inside out.

Crimes vary in nature and degree of offence. Thievery, for example, is commonly regarded as a light offence, but the punishment can be aggravated if the crime was committed against a Khalasha or any other government official. For this reason, instead of having specific laws with an appropriate punishment for each one of them, the Khemetar employ a list of possible crimes, along with their descriptions, categorized according to their degree of offence. A separate list of appropriate punishments is divided in a similar way. After a crime is identified and either aggravated or toned down according to the perpetrator’s and the victim’s social positions and prestige, a punishment of matching degree is then picked by the official entrusted with the judgement. It is common for a fine to be selected as the appropriate punishment for a person’s first offence. Nonetheless, it may also be offered to recurrent offenders if the responsible for deliberating the punishment deems it appropriate. It must be noted, however, that citizens have certain expectations towards the kind of punishment that will be given to certain criminals. For that reason, scandalously low or high punishments might bear serious repercussions to whomever deliberated them.

Punishable Crimes

Low Offences

Thievery: to deprive a citizen or their legal guest of any of their possessions is to commit Thievery.

Medium Offences

Vandalism: to maliciously, voluntarily, and willfully damage any kind of property of another citizen, their legal guest or the nation is to commit Vandalism.

Assault: an unlawful threat or attempt to do bodily injury to another citizen or their legal guest constitutes the crime of Assault.

Forgery: creating a falsification by making or altering an instrument with intent to defraud is to commit Forgery.

High Offences

Perjury: the deliberate, willfull giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under oath or the breach of a solemn oath or promise constitutes Perjury.

Murder: to threaten or to attempt to kill a citizen or their legal guest is to commit Murder.

Abduction: to capture and carry away by force another citizen or their legal guest constitutes the crime of Abduction.

Treason: to commit a violation of allegiance toward Khemet or the Neferan, especially the betrayal of one’s country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies constitutes Treason.

Punishments

For Low Offences

Fine: one gold coin.

Imprisonment: one day in jail.

Physical Punishment: one public beating until unconsciousness.

For Medium Offences

Fine: five gold coins.

Imprisonment: five days in jail.

Physical Punishment: five public beatings until unconsciousness.

For High Offences

Fine: ten gold coins.

Slavery: sold as a slave in an auction.

Physical Punishment: death.