Assize

[Manus Dei]

The choice of jury is either gentry or commoners. All called were commoners.

[Manus Dei]

The sentence I give runs thus:

First, the two are to spend a day in the pillory in the square in front of the Town Gates.

Second, the two are to pay a fine equal to seven days' labor, all of which is to be paid to the ducal coffers. If no further infractions occur between now and that time, this fine shall be reduced to 4 days' labor.

(This means that for the first seven days either of them logs into release Darkfall or beta, 100% of the time must be spent farming for the duchy, with 100% of what is farmed being given. A "day" will constitute at least 4 hour period, but the entire sentence will still need to be done over a four day period. Anything harvested beyond four hours must still be donated to the duchy, and no more than one four hour "day" can be satisfied each 24 hours.)

[Surly von Fishbarrel]

Question on the sentencing, since I want to be sure it gets enforced when I check with the Sheriff on duty. Assuming there are no further infractions between now and then and the sentence is 4 days, is the following statement correct? The farming period is in effect until both requirements are satisfied: At least 16 full hours of farming have been accounted for and witnessed, and at least 96 hours have passed from the launch of the game servers.

[Caine]

1. People need to be in ventrilo more for obvious reasons.
2. Some of you have waaaaaaayyyy too much time on your hands.
3. Finnigan knows I was joking
4. Get a mic, come in vent and stop hiding in the "FORMAL" Forums cowards.
5. I'm not going to farm anything for the Duchy in this context.

[Manus Dei]

Fishbarrel, that's right. At least 96 hours, but at least 4 hours per day.

And Caine, if you don't serve your fine, then you move to the second section of the Common Law. Unpaid fines result in exile. You see, after behaving the way you have been in IRC and in Rune, we need some assurance that you really want to be a part of our group. Farming resources for us is a good way to prove that you really do.

Your choice.

[Surly von Fishbarrel]

We're not forcing you to farm for the clan, Caine. We're not even asking you to. We're allowing you the opportunity, if you so choose, to make up for your flippant disregard to the rules that we've all agreed to work with. Since the rule you violated isn't all that serious, you're given the luxury of doing something pretty trivial to show us that you didn't break the rules out of disrespect to your fellow teammates. Unless you feel like you deserve special treatment and are above following the rules everyone else does, I don't understand why you'd be against doing a couple of days of farming at the beginning of the game when we're all most likely going to be farming for city-building funds anyway.

You seem to disagree that it's necessary, but without law there is chaos. The Duchy of Wessex stands above all other clans not because of its pretty forum design or theme song, but because we are the only gaming community that has so embraced camaraderie that we have respect of one another enough to have a common law in the first place. It is a contract of mutual respect between all members, as equal parties to the success of the clan.

We don't ask you to understand it, and we certainly don't command you to kowtow to it out of subservience. We merely ask you to respect your fellow clanmates, and therefore, synonymously, our common law. Which includes you.

[Manus Dei]

Sheriffs, hopefully this gives you some idea of how an "assize" should proceed. Realize that as sheriffs you all have the power to call these assizes whenever you feel it necessary, and the power to issue the sentencing as well.

Now, assizes need not be called very often. Since Wessex started 2 years ago, we have only needed to call two trials - one for people caught trying to drum up support for a guild split/takeover, and one for people harassing new members. Usually, you can simply be a "moderator" by banning people from IRC or censoring forum posts. The reason an assize was called this time was because antagonism was specifically directed at someone for no reason and it was taken to private messages. It should also be considered whether the matter is a personal issue between two who know each other or an issue affecting the success, union and atmosphere of the clan. In this case, the issue set a bad example of how we would like the clan to represent itself to its new members.

In game, when you find someone cluttering up chat channels, simply issue a couple of warnings. Since you cannot moderate guild chat in game, if they fail to heed your warnings, you then may draw up an assize. Of course, all the standard reasons for drawing up assizes still hold, as detailed in the Common Law.

When doing so, please keep the following in mind:

1. You should call 6 people whom you know are active and can post or gather in game quickly to settle the issue.
2. When selecting the 6 to call, consider the defendant's social rank. If the defendant is a freeman or villein, you must call other freemen and villeins. You may only call trials for a defendant esquire rank or below, however, if an esquire is on trial you may call knights and esquires to act as jury. Try to keep it local, though. Don't call a knight from a fief on the other side of Wessex. Also, try not to call close friends of the one pressing charges or friends of the defendant.
3. You may not conduct trials for lords or knights. In the event someone brings charges against someone of this rank, you must inform the Duke or the Chancellor. Also, the clergy handles its own courts, although you may still try friars and deacons yourself.
4. Both sides may appoint a person to speak for them, but do not need to. When they bring forth evidence, you decide what is or is not admissable based on how relevant it is to the issue being charged.
5. When everyone is done presenting their sides, allow the jury to decide the verdict. Once they have, look at the classifications of offenses in the Common Law, and issue a fine or form of "humiliation" which you find appropriate. Use the precedent of cases that have gone before when deciding - Caine and Spaw Kindrid v. Wessex and the sentence of "7 days harvest" for harassing a new recruit is a good start. In the event that what happened was severe enough for you to kick someone out of Wessex, let the Cabinet as well as the person's liege lord know.
6. Set a time or deadline for the sentence to be carried out. Let the clerks as well as the other sheriffs know. Make sure that yourself or another sheriff is there to make sure the sentence is carried out. In the example of the sentence for Kindrids v. Wessex you don't need to follow them around; just check in on them every hour or so and receive their harvest - you'll know if they spent the past hour well.

[Caine]

Thank you for proving every point I've ever made about how this entire situation is bull-shit. ^_^ Q_Q Exile from something that does'nt exist? From what.. you guys? Heaven forbid I don't get to hang out with you guys.

[Chrono Veincrusher]

I'm sorry to hear that, Caine : /

[Coronach]

As verdict has been rendered and sentencing passed, this assize may now be adjourned, pending any further formal statements from presiding parties.