LAWS OF SHADOW
Contents
The Laws of the Shadow[edit]
Punishable by death[edit]
All acts of direct rebellion or assistance to the fey
- Fey blood: anyone of elven or dwarven birth
- Collaboration with the fey (excluding gnomes)
- Aiding fugitives from the Shadow
- Assaulting a legate or senior agent of Izrador
- Possession of an enchanted item
- Casting of spells or other uses of magic
Punishable by enslavement[edit]
Less serious crimes that are not considered a direct threat to the rule of the Shadow
- Possession of martial weapons or armor
- Assaulting any servant or soldier of Izrador
- Unauthorized presence in a restricted area (includes traveling anywhere without proof of official business)
- Resisting arrest
- Worship of any deity but Izrador
- Smuggling
- Theft or withholding of items designated for the use of Izrador
- Unauthorized travel beyond settlement borders
- Possession of nonmagical books or scrolls
- Teaching others to read
- Failure to report a violation of the laws
Punishable by the Lash[edit]
Small infractions and minor crimes
- Hoarding of food
- Being late or short on tax payments
- Not averting your eyes or making way for a legate
- Unauthorized use of a forge
Laws of the Shadow[edit]
As the Shadow’s armies spread across Erenland, the
Night Kings issued a series of edicts designed to deny their
new subjects the ability or will to resist their rule. The edicts
have been enforced by whip and vardatch; even orcs fresh
from the breeding grounds in the north understand that to
appear weak before the cattle, as they call the humans and
enslaved fey, is to invite a stampede. There are no appeals, no
mercy; judgment is swift and brutally efficient, with innocents
suffering as often as the truly guilty. In the case of serious
violations, whole families are enslaved or sacrificed for
the crimes of a single individual. The harshness of these punishments
is designed to turn brother against brother, father
against son.
Foremost among the laws of the Shadow are these: fey
are to be killed on sight or reported immediately; none but the
servants of Izrador may bear weapons, even simple hunting
tools like knives and bows; and none but the Order of
Shadow may teach others to read or write.
The subjects of Izrador also live in fear of the
Shadow’s enforcement of unwritten laws, which can
change at the whim of a local legate or garrison commander.
Even those proclamations that are declared with
posted writs and notices are sadistic excuses to punish the
ignorant, as few in Eredane have the ability to read. This
lack of certainty breeds fear and indecision, with villagers
seeking approval for even simple repairs or everyday
movements, yet fearing to draw attention to themselves
lest they earn a beating for their trouble. Survival skills in
these dark days are passed from generation to generation,
and among the most valuable things a child can learn are
how to anticipate a legate’s whims, how to predict an orc’s
rage, and most importantly how to remain unnoticed by
both.
