Khaeros

Physiology & Appearance | Notable Characters | Additional Information

Rules of Hospitality

To be responsible for the upkeep of the household, the well-being of kin and clan retainers is a respected tradition. Another such tradition is that of hospitality. Tyreans are warm and welcoming. Because they are travellers by nature, they respect the need for food and shelter, and welcome anyone in need. A guest should expect food and drink, as well as a roof and bed for the night, even at the expense of the Bjorn’s own comforts. For the duration of their stay, guests are treated as kin.

In return, nothing is asked of the guest but polite conversation and sharing of news, if any are to be told. It is, however, customary for a guest to offer a present to the Bjorn in gratitude for the hospitality. This creates good relations between the clan and guests, be they travellers, neighbours or foreigners.

A guest, may not, however, insult the household or its members either by his or her words, actions, or ingratitude. A guest cannot commit any Tyrean crime during his stay.. If the guest does not respect the rules of the household, he or she is to be expelled or apprehended and taken to justice by the Bjorn.

Crime and punishment

Murder: to kill in cold blood, with or without reason (or in any context outside legal trial by combat and legal duels) is to be guilty of murder.

Duels without legal witnesses (clan heads, judges or priests) are illegal before the Koen’s justice. They are treated as attempted murder, and both parties are punished equally. If there is a single survivor to the illegal duel, the remaining offender must answer for the crime of the deceased antagonist. The sum of the fine and the time spent in confinement adds up to the sentence. In the case of a clan feud, both parties must pay each other an equal fine and reach reasonable settlement of the dispute. This settlement is usually mediated by the Koen himself or his Jarl.

Those convicted of murder are banished from Tyris. Those convicted of attempted murder are fined and held in solitary confinement for a suitable period of time. Repeated offenders are maimed (usually losing a hand, eye, or ear) and banished from Tyris.

Theft: to steal, trick someone into giving up property or refusing to return borrowed property is to be guilty of theft. The offender is either fined or banished, depending on the gravity of the offence (stealing the Koen’s crown would be a grave offence, while stealing a petty object would be a light one). In addition to his or her fine, the offender must return the object and pay an additional amount of equal value in coinage to the victim.

Arson: burning another person’s property on purpose is to be guilty of arson. In almost every case arson is treated the same way as theft. In the case of arson leading to the death of victims, the case is treated as a murder.

Slander and harassment: a conscious attempt at defamation, gainsay or blackmail is treated as a criminal distortion of truth, and can bring about punishment ranging from fines to banishment. Attempt of such things upon Bjornt, the Jarl or the Koen often leads to other repercussions outside the legal sphere.

Rape and assault: violating a person’s health, sexual freedom or marital choice is to be guilty of rape. To rob a maiden of her virtue is an added offence. To physically violate and humiliate a person is to be guilty of assault. Forcing someone into committing sexual acts or to trick or force someone into rape against their will is to be guilty of rape. Assault can result in heavy fines and banishment. Rape always results in public emasculation and execution.

Conspiracy and Treason: to conspire against a person’s well-being, life or significant others is to be guilty of conspiracy. To conspire, successfully or not, against one of superior or equal social class is to be guilty of treason. To break an oath done to a peer or superior is to be guilty of treason. Attempting to delay, stop or upset the process of law is to be guilty of treason. Such practices bring about punishment ranging from fines to banishment. As with slander, libel and harassment, aiming such things at a Bjorn, the Jarl or the Koen often leads to other violent repercussions outside the legal sphere.

All these crimes are those aforementioned actions committed against another Tyrean person, man or woman. Such actions perpetrated against foreigners hold no legal consequences, except in the case of foreign slaves, who are the property of a Bjorn and therefore treated as kinsmen under Tyrean law. Parents answer for the crimes of their children under age, who are in turn privately punished by their parents.

Slavery

Slaves are men and women captured in the context of war, to be brought back home and serve as concubines and personal retainers to clan leaders. Any Tyrean man or woman can own a slave. They are sometimes allowed to work in the mines, but only if they are trusted with a pickaxe. Slaves are to be treated fairly, and welcomed into the household of the owner. No one can kill their own slave, or that of another. Owners are responsible for the discipline and upkeep of their slave(s). Keeping slaves is a luxury and a point of pride, but also a great responsibility.

The children of slaves are free men and women, and considered kin of the clan that saw them born. It is against the law for a Bjorn to own a slave of Tyrean birth. If such a crime is discovered, the Bjorn is fined heavily, and is responsible for the welfare of the man or woman he enslaved.

Banishment

Banished criminals are branded on the palm of the hand with a symbol of their crime burned into their skin. They are sailed out of Tyris and left on a faraway shore, chosen at random, with nothing but the clothes on their back and sometimes a knife, out of mercy. Banished Tyrean men and women found on Tyrean lands are warned to be gone. If they remain or are found again, they are hunted down and killed, then given a small but decent burial.