Merchant Laws

Weights and Measures

The caste of merchants shall maintain a single reference weight and a single reference stone that will be calibrated against the standard measures at the Sardar Fairs. Other merchants are required to calibrate their own weights against this reference standard at least once a year. Merchants found to be selling using measures that deviate by more than fifteen percent shall be charged with fraud.

Work Chains

Work Chains operating within the vicinity may be inspected by the city’s prefects and guardsmen to ensure that no innocent free men are being held illegally.

Slaves

Protection under the law

Adult slaves are offered no protection under the law. They must obey their owners in all things without hesitation. The owner of a slave has absolute rights over his property. He may do with his slaves as he pleases, including killing displeasing slaves.

Child Slaves

Slaves who have not reached puberty are granted limited protections consistent with their legal status as children.

Dismissal of Past Offenses, Cancellation of Debt

Once a formerly free person is enslaved, their past is canceled. They may not be tried for crimes committed as free persons, and all monies owed are erased.

Allocation of former Assets

Once a formerly free person is enslaved, any assets that they might have owned as a free person are discharged according to the law of inheritance. In the event that the slave is subsequently released from bondage, she shall have no right of claim on said properties.

Sale

Only the owner of record may sell a slave within the city walls. Those caught selling slaves that are not legally theirs will be charged with theft. A Free Companion may not sell slaves purchased by her man. To do so is considered theft and will be punished accordingly.

Theft

If a slave is stolen, the owner has one hand to attempt to recovery his property. If the slave is not recovered in that time the slave is then considered the property of the thief, the thief may then apply for slave-ownership papers in his own name. A stolen slave who attempts to escape her captor is subject to capture by Guardsmen and will be returned to the thief as a runaway.

Runaways

Slaves who attempt to escape their Masters are subject to a sound whipping for the first offense. The second offense will result in the slave being hamstrung. Free persons coming into contact with a runaway slave of a citizen are required to apprehend the slave and hand them over to Guardsmen or the Magistrate for return to their rightful owner. Free persons coming into contact with a runaway slave of another city may collar them for themselves and register the slave under Capture Rights with the Cylinder of Knowledge.

Transportation

Slaves may not exit the city unless in the company of their owner or one acting on the owner's behalf. Slaves attempting to leave the city unescorted are subject to seizure by the Guardsmen, a sound whipping and return to their owner of record. Attempting to leave the city with another man's slave is ground for arrest and charges of theft.

Legal Documents

Slaves may not touch legal documents. When slaves are required to transport legal document, such documents must be sealed inside leather document holders that the slave cannot open without breaking the seal.

Legal Testimony

The testimony of slaves shall commonly be taken by a Prefect, the slave being subject to torture to ensure the truth is heard. The testimony of slaves is considered less reliable than that of a free person.

Weapons

Slaves may not touch any weapons of attack, at any time, even for the purposes of cleaning. Defensive weapons such as shields may be touched and carried by slaves. Fighting slaves may use whips and short knives during practice and combat. At other times they are subject to execution.

Collars

Female adult slaves must wear locked slave collars at all times in public. Removal of the collar by one other than the slave's owner or without the order of a Prefect is a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.

Impersonating a Free

Slaves shall not impersonate a free person except during public plays for the purposes of entertainment where the slave shall continue to wear a visible token of her bondage. Those slaves caught impersonating a free shall be subject to a severe whipping for the first offense and hamstringing for the second.

Papers

Papers proving the ownership of a slave should be deposited with the Cylinder of Knowledge by all citizens. Travelers intending to remain in the city walls more than a few days are also advised to present such papers to the Cylinder of Knowledge for authentication and copying. Citizens who have purchased slaves from a Slaver's House within the city should obtain a receipt from the house, together with proof of health, pedigree and hair colour, which may then be presented to the Cylinder of Knowledge who shall then issue official Slave Ownership papers for the owner. It is not necessary for a slave to carry ownership papers with them when conducting errands about the city. Any slave whose ownership is in doubt will be seized by the City and held until the owner can be contacted.

Pedigree

It is a crime to forge or falsify pedigree papers on any slave. Such crimes may be punished by imprisonment.

Offspring

The children of female slaves are also slaves belonging to the owner of the female that bore them.

Branding

It is a crime to offer an unbranded slave in a public sale, punishable by fines and the seizure of the merchandise. The preferred brand location is high on the left thigh, just under the hip. Such crime is punishable by fines and the seizure of the merchandise.

Authenticity

It is a crime to sell a slave as auburn haired if she is truly not so. Such a crime is punishable by fines and the seizure of the merchandise.

Striking a Free

Any female slave who strikes a free person will be tortured and executed. The owner of the errant slave will receive no compensation. Male slaves acting as bodyguards are permitted to strike in the execution of their duties as slaves. Male slaves who are not bodyguards or who act outside of such duty will be tortured and executed, with no compensation to their owner.

Abandoned / Un-Collared Slaves

Any slave found within the city walls that does not wear a collar, or whose owner has died, or fled the city, or enslaved shall be subject to the laws of inheritance, meaning, the companion, then the children can claim that slave.
Should this be refused or a period of five days has passed without claim, the slave shall be given to the slavers for public auction.

Rescuing

Slaves taken in the fall of an enemy city shall become the temporary property of the warrior who finds them. Warriors are required to turn over such properties to their superiors for processing. Slaves who are former free women of this city shall not be freed, but shall remain slaves and be sold on the public block. Their slavery is a shame upon the city and its Home Stone.

Manumission

An owner wishing to free his slave should have a scribes create papers of manumission bearing the owner's seal. Copies of such papers should be held by the Cylinder of Knowledge for future reference. The freed slave is granted a twenty ahn exemption from collaring within the city walls, during which time she should secure proper attire and removal of the collar. Former female slaves should keep copies of their manumission papers with them at all times in case they are challenged by Guardsmen. Former slaves who are challenged and found to be branded without proper manumission papers shall be re-enslaved and sold from the public block.

Street Performances

All those companies and individuals wishing to perform music, plays or other forms of entertainment in the streets of the City shall first obtain a license from the Master of Revels office. Performing without such a license is a criminal offense that may be punished with fines and imprisonment. The Master of Revels office shall review all such requests and may demand payment before said license is issued. The term of the license may not exceed one hand. Those wishing to perform for a longer period of time must obtain a renewed license from the Master of Revels office.

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