Lore:Legal Basics

Book Information
Writer	Ted Peterson
Seen In:	Daggerfall

Legal Basics

by Anchivius, M.Z.F.

A summary of common crimes and their punishments

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Ignorance of the law is no defense. Be forewarned that the following are but the most universal of Tamrielan laws and regulations. Your own local province or principality may have unique laws of its own. As a citizen of Empire, it is your right and responsibility to know and follow these laws of the land.

Breaking and Entering:

This refers to any act including, but not limited to opening, breaking, incinerating, magically transporting, or in any way causing a door, window, or other portal that has been magically or mundanely locked or which a reasonable person would assume to be so restricted to be passable, and the act (though the act is not required for the definition) of entering the house, business, or public location through said defined portal. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

The fine and incarceration, or both, or neither, may be less in a crime of Attempted Breaking and Entering. A crime of Attempted Breaking and Entering is defined as an any act that a reasonable person would perceive as the preparation for, an attempt (whether successful or not, or perceived to be possibly successful or not) to bring about the opening, breaking, incinerating, magically transporting, or in any way causing a door, window, or other portal that has been magically or mundanely locked or which a reasonable person would assume to be so restricted to be passable, and the act (though the act is not required for the definition) of preparing or attempting (whether successful or not, perceived to be possibly successful or not) entering the house, business, or public location through said defined portal.

Trespassing:

This refers to walking, flying, riding, teleporting, floating, or in any way moving or existing on a property without the explicit written or spoken permission (or permission a reasonable person might infer) of the owner or caretaker of the property. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Assault:

Any threat or attempt (whether successful or not) to do physical, emotional, mental, or magical harm or injury to another person, group of persons, or entity a reasonable person might assume to be sentient. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Murder:

Any act of premeditated or malicious or premeditated and malicious (or an act that a reasonable person would call premeditated and malicious or premeditated or malicious) or accidental but criminally intended (or what a reasonable person would call criminally intended) purpose that results directly in the death (or destruction with implied death) of a person, group of persons, or entity a reasonable person might assume to be sentient. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Criminal Conspiracy:

Any meeting, communication, or encounter with the purpose (or which a reasonable person might assume had the purpose) of preparing or arranging a crime of any kind (or crimes of any kind) to be commited [sic] or caused to be commited. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Vagrancy:

Any act of idleness, disorder, begging, or conduct unbecoming a person with occupation, gold, or a home, (or occupation, gold, and a home, or occupation or gold and home, or occupation and gold or home, or occupation and home or gold), or what a reasonable person would consider idle, disorderly, beggarly, or unbecoming. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Smuggling:

Any act of bringing in, taking out, teleporting, or causing to be brought in, taken out, or teleported an object considered illegal or, if not illegal, requiring an import or export tax which is not paid. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration, and will include confiscation of the offensive or illegal object. It may also include, but not be restricted to, execution or banishment, or execution and banishment.

High Treason:

Any act against (whether directly or indirectly, or any nonaction which results in circumstances, directly or indirectly, against) a allegiated sovereign or by a vassal to a liege, resulting (or what a reasonable person would assume would result) in physical, emotional, mental, or magical harm or injury in said sovereign or liege. The punishment for this crime will be death.

Pickpocketing:

Any act of stealing, taking, or, without explicit written or verbal permission (or what a reasonable person would infer as implied permission) an item or items a person, group of persons, or entity a reasonable person might assume to be sentient has on his, her, its, or their own person. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

Theft (sometimes called Larceny):

Any act of stealing, taking, or, without explicit written or verbal permission (or what a reasonable person would infer as implied permission) an item or items from a person, group of persons, or entity a reasonable person might assume to be sentient's place of residence, business, person, or other location a reasonable person would assume is secured from looting. The punishment for this crime may include a fine or incarceration, or a fine and incarceration.

These are the usual, day-to-day definitions used by legal experts (like myself), but both the definitions and punishments may fluctuate wildly according to location and situation. In the Imperial City, legal counsel is available by persons like myself, but the provinces have no such system in place. Perhaps that will change in time. We can all hope so.

As a final note: the Tamriel legal system has its basis in the civilized, reasonable credo uttered by the prophet Marukh in the first era: "All are guilty until they have proven themselves innocent." Were truer word ever spoke?