The Thirteen Laws

With the rebirth of the Dynast-Kingdom under Queen Rhea was to come a return to the original ten laws. The common laws of the regions in question (The Ascadian Isles and Tirrith, mainly) meant that, in some ways, it would be a step back in terms of civil liberties.

Thus, the Ascadian Senate took this opportunity to expand on the original decree, and suggested some new laws to the Queen. She took their counsel into consideration, and added three laws; they had suggested sixteen more, but she chose the three she found most important.

With the founding of Oathkeep, the Thirteen Laws have become the standard in The Free Lands. By law, every city must contain at least one Pronouncement of the King's Law, a major, publicly-visible, permanently-engraved object of some kind, listing the Thirteen Laws in Dennic, Tirrith, Elvish, Dwarvish, and Draconic. Larger cities are encouraged to have such engravements at every entrance to the city.

The final list of the Thirteen Laws:

In the Kingdom of the Sword, the King delegates his duty to provide justice to all citizens to his lords. The lords are free to expand on the foundation of the Thirteen Laws, so long as their own laws do not contradict it. The various Duchies, Baronies, and Counties often delegate further to individual lords, who may yet expand the laws further.

This creates a hierarchal court system, where one who is judged unfairly by his lord may appeal to the court of his lord's lord, and that judgment supercedes the original. This process of appeals is a privilege, not a right, and, in practice, is more often given to the popular and the wealthy than the common folk.

The interpretation of laws is up to the individual lord or magistrate serving as Judge. Some of the laws are more vague than others; particularly, the Fourth Law (Equitas), states that all must be judged in equality to their peers. Some judges take this to mean that all deserve equal protection under the law, regardless of wealth or class; others simply assume it means that commoners shall be judged as fairly (or unfairly) as other commoners, thus preserving the more privileged customs of law (such as appeals) to the wealthy and the noble.

The Ascadian Senate, established in the long interregnum between the fall of the First Kingdom and the Rebirth, had long been accustomed to power. They had maintained a hold on a significant portion of the mainland, and most of their home islands, such that, when Queen Rhea took the sword, they had previously enjoyed control over more than half of her empire.

It was in Rhea's best interest to concede a small measure of power to the Senate. After all, they were equipped to resume governance as usual, and they comprised the most powerful nobles in the land, who could easily become her enemy.

However, the power of the Senate was not an official decree by the Queen. Rather, they served at her pleasure, and could be disbanded in the same manner. She was merely delegating to them that which they'd both rather they take care of.

Her successor, King Turin, made a formal decree acknowledging the Senate's position. He was much more alike to them, being of their ilk, and preferred to enjoy the privileges of his rule while they did most of the work. As a result, the Senate flourished under Turin, at least until the Last War, when they soon saw their nation's resources strained to the limit by a tide of refugees and the demands of an ongoing war.

King John has publicly stated that the decree granting the Senate their power does not preclude a contrary decree, and that their existence is not part of the Thirteen Laws; it is therefore not inviolate. He has not gone so far as to disband them, but he has effectively communicated his position.

Meanwhile, the Senate has proposed numerous amendments to the Thirteen Laws, some so modest and appeasing as to actually account for the new warrior-nobles who rule the territories conquered by the Kingdom of the Sword in the Last War. Still, he holds out; he will not approve any apportionment of power to the Senate that does not allow non-humans and non-nobles to serve on it. The Senate is far from conceding on those points.