Basic Law [Tash Il'nishin]

[Tash Il'nishin]

10th day of Immanis, Winter cycle

Another one of Tash's basic classes before she could be classified as a Satinishi was Basic Law. Her first day of class she reported for class in her red Vermillion shirt and black pants. She had trimmed her silver blond hair so that it was earlength cap on her head with bangs. She did not take her bow and quiver of arrows.

This class was in a classroom next to the barracks. She awaited her instructor and any other classmates who might attend.

[Stargrace]

When the feeling that she had been forgotten began to form within Tash's mind, not a living soul proved otherwise; as the feeling became more prominent, still, no one appeared. It was only when the female began to rise from her seat that a tall Kermite male entered into the room in a rush. Upon seeing the female waiting, the Kermite male nodded his head at her accompanied by a smile of greeting. He placed his hands upon his thighs as he tried to catch his breath; only when he had recovered, did the Kermite straighten. Glancing down at the parchments in his hand, he then spoke as he glanced back up at his student.

"Serale. You must be Tash Il'nishin. Is that correct? My name is Zaronn Krashell. I shall be the one to teach you basic law..I apologise for my delay. I was only just informed of you..." Zaronn gave a weak smile accompanied with a small shake of his head that conveyed his feelings on the matter.

The former student of Kraas Otadae was half the age of Kraas himself. Although in good health and of high spirits for his age, Kraas was beginning to feel his era's slowly catching up with him. That very brightening he had finally admitted to his beloved student how he may have to soon consider passing his torch on to another. Zaronn, passionate in law as much as he was caring of his old tutor, suggested to Kraas that he could take on any new law classes. And with that statement it was settled. Unknown at that point to Zaronn, were the exact details of when he would be called on to fill his dear friend's big shoes....and now he himself was late for his very first class...The always punctual student was embarrassed, to say the least. But alas, he was here now and ready to not waste another moment.

Zaronn moved closer to his new student and handed her another parchment from his small pile cradled under one of his arms. "If you could please fill this out for me. We can get started.."

Basic Law Professor Zaronn Krashell. Name: Please write a paragraph on what law is and what is the importance of law in society.

Zaronn waited for his student to read the parchment and then he softly added. "Take all the time you need, however it shant take that long."

[Tash Il'nishin]

Tash was glad she was in the right room. She had began to think she was mistaken about her classroom or the time, mainly because her instructor was so late. She was relieved when someone finally showed up.

When he gave her the parchment, she immediately saw she was going to have to think on her feet. Yes, you are correct," she said, "my name is Tash Il'nishin."

As to the parchment she looked at the question. What she didn't know about law would fill a parchment, but she tried to answer the question.

Law is important, she wrote, because most people do not have enough common sense to behave themselves. Therefore, you have to write laws so they understand that certain things in society are not tolerated. For example, common sense says that you should respect other people's property. But some people covet another's possessions and will steal them. Therefore, there needs to be a law against stealing so the person who steals will have to suffer consequences for their anti-social behavior. This goes for people who assault others, murder, get drunk in public, and disturb the peace, etc. We make laws so that these people have to suffer consequences for their actions. All civilized societies will have laws to protect their citizens.

[Stargrace]

As his new student began to write upon the parchment, Zaronn used the time to find himself a seat. He chose a seat close to the female instead of the chair that was located behind the desk at the front of the room. That was his teacher's chair and Zaronn did not feel as though he had earned the right to sit there just yet. And so Zaronn sat down, made himself comfortable and contented himself with watching his new student diligently write. As her hand moved across the parchment he mused over what answers she was writing down. When his student had finished Zaronn leaned forward in his chair and requested the parchment.

Upon reading Tash's words, Zaronn nodded his head in approval before a grin appeared revealing the pearly whites of his teeth. "Yes you are correct, however your answers are rather....cynical. One must always take into consideration a being's motivation for the crime they have committed. For example, a thief who steals is breaking the law and yes, they do need to face the consequences of their actions. But what if that thief was stealing from another citizen to use the crowns to buy their sick child some medicine they otherwise could not afford? That does not their actions right and yes, this criminal needs to be punished; however, the citizen's motivation does need to be taken into consideration...the world is not black and white. All sides of the story need to be heard..."

Zaronn paused for a moment and then continued. "What I am saying is, do not lose sight of your humanity when asserting the law. Do you understand?" Zaronn turned his attention down to his paperwork. He picked up a book entitled The Code of Law, Zaronn smiled down at it as one would do to a friend. He then handed the book over to Tash. "This book now belongs to you."

[Tash Il'nishin]

Tash was she supposed a little cynical, but she would call herself pragmatic. Having lived in a religious society where there were rules of conduct, then had her whole life turned upside down, she was just beginning to find her balance.

Understanding that the teacher was trying to tell her that she should not judge the law breaker, made her understand that even if someone had commited a crime, they deserved to be treated with dignity. Therefore she overlooked the fact that he said to turn to her humanity. After all she wasn't human. But she knew the concept of fairness and after all her job would not be to judge, but to enforce the law. That she would do that with fairness and impartiality was to be true to her nature, be it elven or human.

She took the book and opened it. "What shall I do for my first lesson." she asked.

[Stargrace]

Upon opening the book Tash was greeted by The Annarian Code, the articles of Imperium, and many other interesting essays could be seen resting inside the cover. To the relief of most, the book was not lengthy, however being of acedemic content, the text proved a challenge to many and it would prove to be no less for Zaronn's new student. Zaronn answered Tash's question with a nod before committing words to the non-verbal gesture. "The Annarian code in particular is what you should read. You will be given two brightenings to commit it to memory.." His finger pointed to the 8 laws. "Be sure to understand exactly what they all mean." Zaronn placed emphasis on the word 'all' it was a verbal cue clearly noted by the female.

Zaronn moved back to his seat before he continued to speak in his soft tone that carried a serious expression to his spoken words "The Annarian Code of Law was established by High Queen Anna as a short compact. Nowadays the compact does not really hold much weight with legal forces as the laws are short and just a little vague. But should you attend a legal case you will notice that the Annarian Code proves to be the moral basis upon which decisions are made in court by judges. The Annarian Code is basically the broader, more general law of the Aelyrian empire...Do you understand?"

Zaronn then stood up and gathered the documents together that had spilled out onto the table. "I think that shall be enough for you to take in on this brightening. I recommend you make a start on the Annarian code as soon as possible. I shall see you at the same time next brightening, yes?" Zaronn paused in his motion and looked at his student before he arched a brow at the question he had asked. He then turned his head back down to the documents and hastefully continued to gather them together in a somewhat orderly pile.

[Tash Il'nishin]

Tash took the book back to the barracks and after supper begin studying her lesson. She saw immediately that there was going to be a conflict with rule 1. The Sacred Three shall be Thy Primacy. At least in worship it would be a problem. However, the principles of law, order and justice were still her credo, so she supposed that those obviated her personal preference to not worship any god. She did not think it was necessary for her job to reveal everything about herself, however.

Swear Fealty to Aelyria. Take Not What is Not Thine. These two were absolutely critical to Tash's conscience. So no problem there.

The Truth Shall Set You Free. Integrity was an important credo to Tash's chosen way of life ... one she understood. However, she recognized that not everything one believed should be spoken. So a truth might actually be a hinderance in certain situations. So truth and integrity in dealing with other people was important. Speak the truth as you knew it, if it is necessary to do one's job. Bear no false witness.


The Weak Shall be Defended. Tash has seen first hand how the weak (meaning herself as a child) could be abused and misused. This was a truth so firmly engrained in her, she would never forget.

The Law is Common and Public. Tash interpreted this to mean that all citizens had a right to know the laws of the land, so they would not be harrassed or arrested on false charges. She would ask her instructor though to make sure she understood what this meant.

Cruelty Must be Vanquished. Tash believed that this was a hard law to enforce. For her slavery and mental abuse was horrendous but she doubted that all members of society felt the same way. This law was rather ambiguous to her and she needed further clarification on it. For example, was abuse of animals considered a punishable offense. What constituted cruelty. Just physical cruelty, or was mental and emotional cruelty punishable by law.

Comport Thineself with Honor. Tash would try to do just that to the best of her ability.


The next day Tash was ready for class and ready with her questions. She launched into her questions immediately.

[Stargrace]

Zaronn arrived with punctuality on this particular brightening. A smile displayed itself upon his face as he saw that his student was already seated and waiting. He walked further into the room and placed his arm load onto the desk before he also positioned the cup of coffee he held in his other hand onto the desk. Not a word was yet spoken by either of them. With his hands now free, Zaronn turned to the board at the front of the class; he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote the first Annarian code onto board in large, easily readable, writing that still left plenty of space on the board to fill.

The Sacred Three shall be thy Primacy.

Zaronn looked at his writing for a moment before he walked to the desk, he picked up his coffee and took a large gulp. He now felt he was ready to begin the brightening's lesson. He looked at Tash and another smile brightened his face. In a soft voice that conveyed a warm tone, he spoke. "Serale Tash. I expect that you have read the eight laws, yes?"

[Tash Il'nishin]

"Yes I have studied them. I do have some questions, however. I am assuming that the first that you have written about concerns the principles of the Sacred Three. Those principles are of law, order and justice. Therefore, those three spiritual laws would be the primary rules of civil law also.

It is very difficult some times to determine what justice means, however, so I have a problem understanding what type of justice would constitute the justice that is primary. I have read Aslan's laws which the Kemite adher to and I find nothing there that goes against my personal code of conduct. Therefore, I am anxious to hear what you have to say on the matter."

[Stargrace]

Zarronn gave Tash a small smile. "Yes you are correct, the principles are indeed law, order and justice. This sacred code tells us that we must uphold the Sacred Three in the pursuit of everyday life to maintain both local and larger justice. I am glad you asked Tash. You see.."
Zaronn briefly paused as he thought over the correct words to use to explain to his student his thoughts on the fist code.

"The sacred three always balance each other out. When the law is unjust, it must be corrected. When justice is not accompanied by order - such as when a guard will not let criminals enter the Shisa gates to keep them off the Zinn'Sunn streets - order must then be maintained. And when order is unlawful - such as when a tyrant holds all the power - lawfulness should govern that order. And so on... Therefore law, order and justice must coincide to better the other. Does that make sense to you?"

Zaronn turned his back to her and began to write upon the board again. He had every faith his student would speak if she needed further explanation. And so he continued to write in the same neat writing the second code underneath that of the first.

Swear Fealty to Aelyria.

Only then did Zaronn turn back around with expectance shining forth from his eyes and through his smile.

[Tash Il'nishin]

I have no problem with the Empire," said Tash. "However, if the Empire asked me to do something immoral or against my conscience, I would not know how I would feel. As a citizen, my first allegience would be to my city, if the government became a tyrant and Zinn'Sunn would have to go to war. So I guess that my first fealty would be to my city and the second to the Empire. I hope that is not a problem."

[Stargrace]

Zarrronn frowned slightly as he considered her answer with due seriousness. He leaned against the wall next to the board and casually threw the chalk up into the air as he contemplated her words. After a few catches he responded. "We can only hope that we are never put in that situation. Our obligation, in this code, is to obey the order of our superiors in the law. The key word here is law. We expect our surperiors to follow the law and then this makes their orders easy for us to follow. Those who disregard the law to punish those who have done similiarly are, in the laws eyes, unforgivable."

Zarronn removed himself from the wall and looked towards the board and at the code he now spoke about. His eyes then returned to his student as he continued to speak. "Vigilantes often go out of control and harm those who are innocent, or those who they deem sinful. There is a reason why prefects must undergo such rigorous tests... they must be well equipped to make difficult decisions." Zarronn paused.One could not forget that even prefects were made of the same substance as every other being, even that of the lowest criminal. It was rather idealistic to believe prefects were above such corruption but luckily most of the time they took their role seriously and they did not compromise the law they expected others to abide by.

"Your first fealty should then be to the law above all else. Do you understand Tash?"

[Tash Il'nishin]

Tash listened carefully to what the instructor said. She understood the concept, and that is why she tried to understand the principles the teacher was talking about. She kept her own thoughts, however, to herself. She knew that what one saw on the outside was not always what the inside actually was. A monastery devoted to worship of a god was on the outward a holy institution, but inside it could be rotten to the core, a place of misery for those who loved the god. It was this same principle that Tash knew was possible in any situation, no matter how noble it appeared to be.

She nodded her head that she understood him, but in her heart she would wait and see. She would not be fooled again. So far she had liked and respected the Satanishi she had met and found them to be people of integrity, should she ever be asked to break the law by someone in authority over her would have to answer to her. She would make sure she was trained in combat for when that day came, if it did. For the time being she kept her thoughts to herself.

[Tash Il'nishin]

Tash listened carefully to what the instructor said. She understood the concept, and that is why she tried to understand the principles the teacher was talking about. She kept her own thoughts, however, to herself. She knew that what one saw on the outside was not always what the inside actually was. A monastery devoted to worship of a god was on the outward a holy institution, but inside it could be rotten to the core, a place of misery for those who loved the god. It was this same principle that Tash knew was possible in any situation, no matter how noble it appeared to be.

She nodded her head that she understood him, but in her heart she would wait and see. She would not be fooled again. So far she had liked and respected the Satanishi she had met and found them to be people of integrity, should she ever be asked to break the law by someone in authority over her would have to answer to her. She would make sure she was trained in combat for when that day came, if it did. For the time being she kept her thoughts to herself.

[Stargrace]

Zarronn gave a nod of his own head with one final lingering look at his student first almost seeming as if he did not completely believe her response. His attention remained on Tash for but a few moments before he turned back to the chalk board. He then wrote under the two other codes:

Take Not What is Not Thine.

Zarron then turned back to his student and asked. "Now this code is rather obvious in its meaning, can you name for me what it includes Tash?" Zarronn rose his eyebrows and patiently waited for her response.