The Legal System
Porter's Bar law is fairly unique in that there are only 2 crimes, Theft and Assault, however they are viewed very broadly.
Theft: Theft is anything act which has a monetary effect. It covers stealing, burglary and any other similar crime. It also include failing to pay licences or fees and Libel or Slander (theft of good name) and impersonating someone else (theft of identity).
Assault: Assault can be any thing that causes an injury to the complainant. It could be a minor flesh wound caused in a brawl, or during the course of a theft of robbery. Murder and unlawful killing are also classified as assault, but attract a more severe penalty that lesser assaults. Injuries caused in sanctioned duels are generally exempt from classification as assault, UNLESS the terms of the duel have been exceeded.
The Law is applied using an investigative approach by the three Groups of people - The Watch, The Magistrates and The Inquisitors.
The Watch: The Watch patrol the streets and keep good order. It is not their responsibility to investigate crimes, The just collect drunks, stop brawls and otherwise detail or identify people they see actually committing an offence.
The Magistrates: The magistrates are the people you report crimes to, they investigate the matter and decide whether there actually has been a crime and who was responsible if there was a crime. If no crime was committed the complainant MAY be charged with theft (stealing the courts time and resources). In court the Magistrates a very simple process of Investigation and Judgment.
The Inquisitors: The Inquisitors work for the magistrates. If a magistrate decided to investigate a crime, he (or she) will appoint an Inquisitor to investigate on their behalf. The inquisitor will report their findings back to the magistrate. Inquisitors on court business and generally exempt from assault charges - so most people treat Inquisitions with some trepidation.
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