Revision Session (Selfmodded, private)

[Z'kron]

Revision Session

OOC: I'm going to try doing the basic "self-training" in a slightly different way than usual; with Z'kron learning from a borrowed law book and trying to use this revision to recall lessons he'd taken a long time ago before his extended period of insanity. It'll still have the same content as a training thread, just a slightly different format. And I'll subtract the cost of a law training course from my finances, seeing as he would have had to pay for it in past etc. The reason for all this is it seems a little odd that Z'kron had done nothing for the entirety of his pre-UBB career...

IC: His hair flopping down over his eyes, Z'kron skimmed through the "Annarian Code" which, as he had often been told, was the basis for most of the politics in the empire. It had been a long time since he had read over the text; and it brought back memories of his initial training in the basics of law many years previously.
It was hard to differentiate the events of those years; mingled into a blur of varying sanity. In truth, only the past decade or so of his life was particularly clear to Z'kron; with the time before seeming dark and confusing. Shaking his head, the druid resolved to put contemplation of such matters out of his mind and pay attention to the issue at hand- revising and updating his legal training.

What was it his old instructor had said?

Z'kron grimaced as he looked at the Annarian code again. At the front of almost every legal book he'd ever seen. Which, admittedly, was few. But it was still enough to make the druid tired of looking at it. Agricultural studies were so much more enticing... but he needed to make sure this knowledge was fresh in his mind if he actually wanted to acquire a position where he could change things in government.

"The Annarian code contains the nine laws of justice. These are the basic; even fundamental points on which the rest of the law of the empire is based"

Fifty years might seem longer to a human than for a dracon, but it still served well to blur memories of training done in that time.
No, wait, not nine laws. Eight laws. He'd said eight laws. Eight points to base the laws of the empire on.
The druid sighed; biting through a carrot in irritation. One finger tapped its unhollowed head irritably; before almost automatically reaching for a hollowing tool. This reflex seemed to relax Z'kron, whose mind and memory suddenly started to clear. Closing his eyes, he could almost hear the booming voice of his tutor.

....

"What are the sacred three and why are they important?"
The tutor was a pudgy man, redfaced, stout and with a booming voice. A tiny beard sprouted from the bottom of his chin, spreading itself out thinly as if desperate to hide the bulging fatfolds of his neck. It failed miserably.
Z'kron, looking much then as he did now, shifted slightly in his seat. He wondered if this was a rhetorical question, or one he was meant to actually answer. Not knowing which way to go, the Dracon shrugged, raising a carrot to his lips and nibbling at the end thoughtfully.
"The Sacred three are Law, Order and Justice. As to the why, there are many reasons. But, as beginning students, we are not asking you to think on these. We are asking you to know what we want you to know, so that you can better serve the empire in whatever tasks she; our gracious mother, asks of you. And the reasons I want you to know are *These are the cornerstones of law itself*. "
The man coughed, reaching down to his textbook.
"The Law was created to uphold Order and dispense Justice in every circumstance. These three precepts are also the cornerstones of civilization itself. Law enables us to treat and govern all citizens equally. Order, granted to us by the three, permits us to work together to glorify and strengthen the empire. Justice is the punishment meted out to those who break the laws of our glorious empire; and which shall keep such vagrants in line so that we can remain strong and united"
It was uncertain how much of this little speel was from the textbook, and how much was simply the pudgy little man's oratory.
"Is that understood? Law, Order, Justice. According to the text, equal in importance, though I have occasionally taken issue with that."
Z'kron yawned slightly, scratching at the desk with his pen.
"Sir, when you say to govern all citizens equally, does this extend to all races within the empire? For example, were you to see a shapeshifting dracon, would you be required to treat him equally?"
The tutor pursed his lips. "Under the law, yes. But the law does give some discretion; and makes no statement against self-defense or taking precautions. So, precautionary measures are fine- and, as such, a citizen is free to not deal with a dracon as they choose, due to the inherent danger provided by dealing with the brood of Cyraxis"
Z'kron nodded, and the class continued.

[Z'kron]

The second principle of the code is "Thou shalt swear fealty to the empire". What does that entail? A definition of the first of the key terms, if you will. You, over there.
"Fealty is the feudal obligation that a person owes to their lord. It is the loyalty we owe to our empire in return for the gift of being citizens. Swearing is to take an oath; affirming solemnly and formally."
The tutor nodded, pleased with the answer, turning away. Z'kron quietly slipped the note "cheat sheet" back into his pocket. The carrot often acted as a good distraction from such things; people were so busy watching what he did with one hand they never noticed the other. A hint of smugness crept across the student's face.
"But... my young students, we must remember the central issue here. " The instructors jowls wobbled slightly as he spun back around melodramatically, finger pointing. For a moment Z'kron wondered if he'd been caught; but thankfully his teacher was nowhere near that perceptive.
"To serve the empire and the Emperor, though often these are the same. Was the emperor to go insane- an Ioannes forbid such on occurence- it would be up to the citizens of the empire to ensure the empire endures. The Emperor is the custodian of the empire, and should be served as such- but not at the expense of the empire itself. Am I understood?"
"How do we define empire, sir?"
A cough from the tutor as his diatribe was interrupted. He looked down at his textbook for a long moment; then looked up again.
"I'm afraid that's a more difficult question that is appropriate for your level of the course. Suffice to say, for the moment we'll treat the empire as the sum of the government and the people. There are more complex definitions; but we have no need of them yet. "

[Z'kron]

"The third principle. Simple enough. Take not what is not thine. Do not steal. This is a general rule; and not difficult to follow. Applicable to money, power, objects, and even, in some cases, ideas. The theft of another mages spell, for example, is theft, as is writing a document without proper citations when you quote another. Intellectual theft is still theft, and is equally punishable if proven- though this is more likely to be done by independent authorities than the government. Any questions here?
"Is there a patenting system for ideas that applies for such things?"
"Yes, though it is far less rigorous than it should be. As I said before, intellectual theft isn't that well enforced by the government. We concern ourselves with more concrete things. Anything else?"
There was silence round the small class; students looking ahead either in concentration or vacant boredom. The tutor sat down at his desk and scrawled a few names onto a piece of parchment. Smoothing his shirt flat against his waist, he resumed.
"Fourth principle. The truth shall be thine liberator. If you tell the truth and obey the law, you have nothing to fear from the empire. A nice principle, though it doesn't really work in practice. The empire must, after all, defend itself somehow. It also enshrines the idea of the importance of truth into our laws. A society built on truth is a society which will bueracratically thrive; or at least that is the principle. It could also be interpreted that lying is a theft of truth, which is a common possesion; but that line of thought becomes complicated and unwieldy very quickly. I don't think I need to expand any further on that part of things."
...
Had it really happened like that? So succint, without any breaks? The druid doubted it; but the gist was still there. Few things had changed since his training. The reign of Julos the mad had certainly been an example of when one should serve the empire ahead of the emperor; but aside from this the Allerian law was much as it always had been, though the Annarian code was less of a be-all-and-end-all than it had been once. Flipping the page, Z'kron's eyes skimmed down to the fifth principle.

[Z'kron]

"Let us proceed. From here on in we deal with some of the more vague principles, which require some degree of self interpretation. Beginning with the fifth principle. The law is common, and not thine to monopolise. All citizens are under the law, none are apart from or beyond it. It is not yours to change or break; it is merely ours to abide by. It is a shield for the good of society, not a weapon to use against fellow citizens. The law is not to be reinterpreted without permission from the imperial government, the ultimate arbiters of the law."
"Does this mean that vigilanteism is forbidden under the code?"
The instructor smiled a little, the first sign of good humor since he'd arrived in the class.
"Again, yes and no. Vigilantism isn't directly approved or disapproved, but active dispensation of justice, except when following the fourth principle, is frowned upon. A man who kills in revenge in an attempt to "dispense justice" is culpable for his actions. Though his final guilt, of course, relies on the leniency of a court."
"But we have exceptions for self defense and upholding the code?"
"Yes, every citizen has the right to self defense and to uphold the code. Though it is wise to limit the amount of damage you deal in defense of self; if you use only the minimum amount of force necessary it is unlikely that you will ever come into conflict with the law. However, if you deliberately maim or kill, the situation may be quite different. But this is all quite commonsense; and I should hardly need to teach it."
Z'kron nodded, withdrawing another carrot from his bag and whittling the core out of it in a casual manner; silently and out of sight.

"Final few principles. Sixth principle; the least important in terms of maintaining our empire and the most important in terms of making it a pleasant one. The weak shall be defended. This is the principle which enshrines our need for civic responsibility. If someone is weak and being abused, and you have the opportunity to aid them it is your duty to aid them. That is, if it doesn't put you in a grave danger; aid should be dispensed according to your means. Of course, defending the weak also implies that you yourself should not abuse them; and that if you do other citizens should stop you. The definition of abuse is unclear; but in general you should try to follow the golden rule. Do to others as you would have done unto you; assuming you don't have too much self hatred or something similar. Without this law, pointless, needless violence would be accepted unless it was in direct violation of another law. "
"So, this would be considered a catchall law then? For things that aren't explicitly forbidden in other statutes?"
The pudgy man looked at the pupil; checking for a hint of mockery. Not noticing any; perhaps incorrectly, he answered the question in as vague a manner as possible.
"Not completely accurate, but not totally incorrect either. And that's all we're really looking for at this level. I think we should move on to a more important principle though. Mankinds cruelty shall be vanquished. This is a rather complex concept; and as such it may be better to refer drectly to the text."
Standing again, he struck what he clearly believed to be a noble pose, his head tilted slightly back and one arm on his hip.
"Life is inherently selfish and self-serving, for benevolent or malevolent intent, and as such, all citizens and subjects shall place forth an effort to vanquish the cruelty and evil present in us all. Those under trial must prove that they are Innocent, for their Guilt has already been established through Nature's predestination."

[Z'kron]

"How rigorous are the requirements for someone to be placed on trial?"
" Typically a body of evidence gathered by legally-recognised individuals. A member of the local constabulary, or a higher official. Once on trial a person has ample chance to defend themselves but; given the ample opportunity that most people have to avoid circumstances that might lead to their trial, most who go to trial are actually guilty."
One of the students was giving the tutor a quizzical look; making him feel slightly uncomfortable. The tutor strove for further explanation.
"A person who is foolish enough to put themselves into a situation where they might be thought to be guilty deserves to worry of a trial. If they are truly innocent, they really only need to obey the fourth principle and they should be freed."
"And why do we believe life to be inherently selfish and self serving?"
"Because life wants to keep on living. We must constantly strugge against the darkness inside us, instead following in the footsteps of the sacred three. Life wants to survive, and will do evil to stay in existence. There are some exceptions, but the laws are meant to control the general populations, not a few matyrs. So it stands as it is. Man has evil in him- and by man I mean all empire citizens, and we must fight against it always for the good of the empire."
"Or in the case of war, let it out for the good of the empire?"
A flare of the nostrils, followed by an appraising glare, possibly an attempt to look intimidating. When this drew no response, a curt statement was issued instead.
"I do not think it is wise to enter into such issues in a beginners law class. Let us just leave it as fighting against the evil of man for the good of the empire.

[Z'kron]

"The final principle. The eighth. One which I hope you have all abided by in the past, and shall continue to in future. Thou shalt comport thyself with honor."
A pause once more, followed by urgent brow wipe.
"'Subjects and citizens shall act in Honour, to do pride to family and friends, and to ameliorate through success, prosperity, benevolence and temperament the very gifts of consideration and respect inherent in life's creed."
He paused, and looked around at the distracted class, before resuming.
"And how are we to define honor? The Annarian code does not define it. Honor is something left to our own definition- our own general principles of what is right. Doing the right thing of your own voilition, and holding to your own personal codes. These vary from individual to individual, and, I am afraid, are not anything that I could teach in a class. It is something taught by life instead."
Resting himself on the desk and clearly tired by his oratory; the tutor moved his hands in a flapping motion towards the students.
"That is all for now. You have the basics; which should be enough for you for the moment. Should any of you with to further pursue studies in law, you would be more than welcome, but for now I think it's time for us all to.. well, resume your daily business. Comport yourself with honor, and Diana bless you."