Laws of Lhesa

The laws of Lhesa are few and simple, with considerable discretionary power invested with the watch and the judges presiding over it. Long-term imprisonment is not a part of Lhessian law, with the jails serving only to hold the accused until trial, or to house the disorderly until they settle enough to be safely released. The only recognized punishments under the laws of Lhesa are fines, physical punishments, and execution. Fines are assessed according to the personal and familial wealth of the guilty party.

• Slavery and indentured service are strictly forbidden and harshly punished. And slave or indentured individual is immediately freed upon reaching Lhessian lands or waters, or any ship sailing under the Lhessian flag. Slave-owners found in Lhesa under any circumstances except explicitly to release their slaves face heavy corporal punishment or execution. Slavers, slave-hunters, slave-trainers, and slave-breeders are executed upon conviction without exception.
  
• Violence is dealt with at the discretion of the law, according to its nature and the circumstances of the case. Murderers and rapists are often executed, bar fighters are generally thumped on the head, fined, and sent on their way with a good reason not to repeat their actions.
  
• Coins, treasures, and artifacts of Old Lhesa are all treated as property of the state. Properly licensed explorers and treasure-hunters are awarded generous pay for significant finds. Looters and smugglers are considered thieves under the law. If caught removing significant art, books, or magical artifacts, the punishments are exceptionally harsh.
  
• Vices, such as prostitution and gambling, are generally entirely legal, but the law keeps a close eye on such operations for the criminal activities that often accompany them.