The Laws of Hochburgland

Crimes & Punishments
A list compiled
By
Order
Of
Lord Ricardo Ciannicci
Baron
Of
Hochburgland

Part, The First being High Crimes:
These crimes are those which the Lord reserves for his personal judgement and allows no other to oversee or pass judgment upon.

Treason:
Traitors shall be drawn, disemboweled, quartered and hung, their mouths sown closed after they reveal all accomplices.

Rebellion:
Rebels shall be tortured until they confess and point the finger at their confederates Then they shall be punished with as slow and miserable death as can be conceived.

Incitement to Rebellion:
Those that incite rebellion shall be tortured until they confess their crimes and confederates, then put to death by public hanging.

Worship of Dark Gods:
Those worshipping the black gods shall be tortured until they confess their crimes and reveal the other members of the cult, at which point they shall be burned at the stake until dead and their ashes buried in cursed ground.

Murder:
Murderers shall be hung from the neck until dead. If by poisoning they shall be burned at the stake. Murderers of children shall be torn apart by the lord’s dogs or some other beast as the Lord shall designate.

Arson:
Arsonist shall be forced to rebuild the damaged structures and then, should any have been killed in the arson, burned at the stake. All their goods will be forfeit to replace those destroyed.

Practicing Magick:
Those practicing magick without the express permission of his Lordship shall be treated as black magisters and worshippers of Dark Gods and burned at the stake as cultists. Even those who are licensed by the so-called empire are subject to this law.

Cannibalism:
Cannibals shall be torn apart by the Lord’s dogs or other beast of the wild that the Lord Shall designate.

Brigandage, Banditry or Robbery Committed Upon the Lord’s Road Or Against The Lord’s Servants:
The bandit shall hang from the nearest tree until dead, the body to be marked as a brigand and to remain undisturbed. All goods taken are to be given over to the Lord for disbursement to the bandit’s victims. This applies specifically to the Lord’s Heralds or other messengers.

Horse Theft:
The offender will be dragged behind the horse by the ankles until death takes them. If the horse was the property of his Lordship then the thief shall be caged until death from exposure.

Theft of the Lord’s portion of Cows, Sheep or Beast of Burden:
First Offence: a dozen lashes and three days in the stocks for each animal taken, or one season hard labor.
Second Offence: Two dozen lashes and three days in the stocks per animal and a year of hard labor.
Third Offence: Hung by the neck until dead.

Poaching of the Lord’s Portion of Game Animals Not Deer:
First Offence: One day in the stocks.
Second Offence: Three days in the stocks. All goods forfeit
Third Offence: As second offence, at the end of which the poacher is tarred and feathered

Poaching of Deer on the Lord’s Portion:
First Offence: The thief forfeits all property and spends three days in the stocks.
Second Offence: The offender will be sewn in the skin of the deer and slow- cooked over hot coals.

Theft of any of the Lord’s Real Property or Rights:
First Offence: Servitude for 1 year for every schilling of value of the goods, forfeiture of all property
Second Offence: As first offence, but the thief’s hand is removed as well.
Third Offence: As second offence, but both hands are removed and the thief is tarred and feathered

Spying:
Anyone who is not a citizen of Hochburgland in good standing who attempts to or gains influence or power over good Hochburg citizens and is proven to be working for another prince to the detriment of Hochburgland or its Lord, shall be punished immediately and in whatever fashion the Lord sees fit.

Bearing False Witness in the Lord’s Court:
The punishment at risk for the accused shall be meted on the person bearing false witness.

Failure to Work the Lord’s Portion:
Forfeiture of goods equivalent to the Lord’s portion that was to be worked.

Failure to Raise the Hue & Cry:
Any person on the Lord’s lands that fails to raise the hue and cry on sight of a person known or reasonably ought to have known, to be wanted for one of the crimes listed above, all their worldly goods are forfeit to the Lord.


Part the Second:
Low Crimes & Their Punishments:
A list compiled of those crimes and punishments
that may be tried & The Penalties
that may be applied
by
The Lord’s Bailiff
Or
Village Reeve
Of The Villages Of Hochburgland
By Order of Lord Ricardo Ciannicci
Baron of Hochburgland

Marriage without License and children of unlicensed marriages:
10p fine if no children born of the union.
1s per child born without documentation of the parent’s marriage.

Common Assault:
10p fine for each blow struck and payment of any healing costs incurred.

Assault Leading to Loss of Limb, Nose, or Eye:
1s per blow and payment of any healing costs

Assault in the House of the Assaulted:
1s per blow and payment of any healing costs and damages

Assault on militiaman or other in the course of raising the Hue and Cry or Enforce the Peace of the Village:
If no blood is drawn: Ten lashes and a day in the public stocks for each blow struck
If blood is drawn: One hundred lashes and branding
If the person is killed: Forfeiture of all goods and abjuration.

Fist Fighting in Public:
5p fine to each participant

False Witness in a Matter Before Court:
1C per lie in addition to the penalty or fine the accused has at risk.

Grand Theft:
First Offence: 5p + Goods or labor equal to the stolen item and anything damaged in the theft
Second Offence: Forfeiture of all goods and abjuration

Inciting a Riot:
5p + the cost/labor equivalent of any repairs

Slander:
5p per false accusation or baseless attack on the morality or character of another

Cursing (using the gods’ names in vain or using vulgar language) in public:
1p per adult in hearing
5p per child in hearing

Riding a horse trained for war on village roads without license:
1s

Setting one’s dogs on another without cause or in the public thoroughfare:
5p each dog bite, healing costs, and the dog to be killed at the hand of the owner.

Failing to breed one’s stock as directed by Lord’s Bailiff:
1p per animal bred

Failing to plant as directed by Lord’s Bailiff:
1p per acre misplanted

Failure to set aside sufficient stock and foodstuffs for winter:
1p per day that the minimums are not met.

Milling one’s own flour:
5p per pound

Sawing one’s own wood:
5p per trunk

Smuggling:
First Offence: Forfeiture of all goods in shipment.
Second Offence: Forfeiture of all goods, abjurement.

Theft of Livestock:
If animals recovered: One lash and one crown for each animal stolen,
If the animals are not recovered: as above, as well as forfeiture of all goods, abjurement.

Display of Public Drunkenness:
First Offence: 5p
Second Offence within a month: 5p and stocks until sober
Third Offence within a month: 5 p and stocks for two days

Failure to Raise the Hue and Cry:
1s per day for minor crimes, 1C for every day for major crimes, levied against each person in the household or building.

Falsely Disturbing the Public Peace with a Hue and Cry:
3p per occasion that the person disturbs the peace with a Hue and Cry without cause.


Part, The Third:
Accidents
And
Other Misfortunes
That Shall Result
In Fines
Or
Other Mercies

Horse trampling or injuring a groom:
Horse to be sold outside the village and the proceeds split between lord and trampled or trampled party’s family.

Death by other misadventure:
The object or objects that caused the accidental death shall be sold and the profits given over to be distributed as the Lord or the Lord’s bailiff wills.

Loose Dog or other Animal not Fowl:
The owner must forfeit the animal if on the public thoroughfare, otherwise 1p fine.

Keeping a Vicious Goose:
Owner to forfeit goose to Lord’s representative, who must see the beast slaughtered and the right leg given to the former owner.

Death of household by disease:
Destruction of the household by fire until reduced to ashes.

Stoppage of water:
Damming or otherwise interfering with the flow of water to the village is punishable by fine of 1s per day the water is stopped per farm interfered with.