Courts
The justice system of Secfenia can be shortened into courts, but there are many different components that players can participate in.
Contents
Introduction
If the laws or decrees set by the government of a town/Viceroyalty are broken, the law-breaker may be subject to a court case pressed against them IG (In Game) by the town or Viceroyalty (VR) where the offense occurred. NOTE: OOC Issues are not handled in the Court System. All Court cases are considered IC and should be role-played.
Every Viceroyalty's court is located within [ Viceroyalty > Courthouse ]. All recent dockets can be viewed at [Viceroyalty > Courthouse > View Current Cases].
Only a Public Prosecutor (PP) appointed by the VR Leader can start a court case. The name of the Public Prosecutor can be found IG in the courthouse at [Viceroyalty>Courthouse].
Any citizen who believes a law has been broken should contact the PP and provide all the information requested to build a case. Once the PP has evaluated the facts, they can decide if the case has merit and proceed.
Law Location
Laws for each town and Viceroyalty are stickied on the forum with the title "Official Laws". The town hall and Viceregal Castle have links to these threads. The laws are maintained by the Mages to ensure that all players should know what the current laws are. The leader of either the Town or Viceroyalty must send any changes to the Mages so that it can be officially updated. (NOTE: Any Council Procedures and/or Law must be followed for it to go into effect. The only exception to this is for governments who "took" their power)
Procedure for Cases
- The PP files a lawsuit and the Defendant is notified via PM (IG message). NOTE: The Defendant does not have to be in the Viceroyalty to file a case.
- The Defendant enters a Plea and can select a Defense Representative. If the Defendant is outside the Viceroyalty, they must either return to the Viceroyalty or select a Defense Representative. NOTE: If a Defense Attorney is selected the Defendant loses their ability to speak in the court. Any actions by the Defense Attorney will be seen as representative of the Defendant so please choose a Defense Attorney wisely!
- The Prosecution calls their Witnesses. Witnesses can then record their testimony in the Court.
- The Defense calls their Witnesses. A witness' failure to show up may impact the strength of the case.
- The Prosecution submits their Last Statement.
- The Defense submits their Statement.
- The Judge records the Verdict for the case.
Verdicts and Sentencing
Judges may use one of 4 types of verdicts:
- Not Guilty
- Not Proven
- Guilty
- Dismissed
If they rule Not Proven or Guilty, they may issue a fine, jail time, execution or even more creative sentencing. Judges are advised to remember that there is a tradition of fair justice that should always be upheld. Those who go way overboard may be punished.
If a defendant is fined, anyone may pay off this fine by going to the Courthouse and select "Pay Fines/Submit to Verdict". Jail time and execution acceptance must be done by the defendant.
This does not mean that all will submit to their verdicts. Starting with r20, a warrant must be issued for the convicted criminal to enforce the verdict.
Appealing a Decision
If any party involved in a case feels the case was not conducted properly or that judgement or punishment was unfairly given, the completed case can be appealed to the Mages. The appeal can be presented following the Rules Regarding Mage Judical Appeals listed under The Hall of the Mages > Judicial Appeals in the Forums.
Warrants
Starting with 2r20, warrants may be issued by the Judge of a Viceroyalty for those who refuse to comply with the verdict. This warrant is then transmitted to the Sheriffs of each town under the Viceroyalty. Each town Sheriff may choose to accept or ignore the Warrant.
If accepted, then the Town Militia will search for those with warrants. The chance of being seen will be based upon the activities and choices of the wanted character. Certain "public" actions will increase the likelihood of being seen. No matter what there is always a small chance that they can be seen without doing any public actions.
As of 2r25, the Judge may transmit warrants to the other Viceroyalties to have their Viceroyalty look for unpaid court cases.
As of 2r37, Judges may also remove all warrants.
Bounty Hunters
In 2r34, Bounty Hunters were added to the system. To add a bounty, a Judge must first issue a warrant. Once they do, there will be an option to Add A Bounty. The Judge can then select up to 2500 Freznics to be a bounty to collect the criminal.
It should be noted that if the Viceroyalty doesn't have the money when it is collected, the army will not get their money. That could lead to some very bad things. A ticked off army might just want revenge...
Armies can pick up Bounty Offers from Viceroyalty > Bounties. Once a bounty is picked up, then the army is coded to search every night at reset for the individual to be on the same node. If they are spotted, then the justice is enforced with the sentence being enforced. There is not a battle. If they are in town and evade, then the log will indicate that in the group log.
