Law of the Loregiver

"The Law is not Justice, nor is Justice the Law."

- Zakharan proverb

The Law of the Loregiver was a set of universal beliefs based on the teachings of the Loregiver that united the continent of Zakhara.

History & Legend
Legend stated that the Loregiver transcribed the Law for the benefit of all Zakharans. However, the population of the Burning Land was not ready for such radical adjustment, so the Loregiver hid the scrolls containing the Law until they were found by a young man centuries later. The man recognized the potential benefit of mankind presented on the scrolls and decided to share them with the people Zakhara, unifying them under its doctrines and eventually becoming the first Grand Caliph.

The House of the Loregiver, within the Golden Mosque, contained lacquered wood displaying the oldest known transcription of the original scrolls containing the Law of the Loregiver. The Grand Caliph would typically give similar transcriptions to new mosques for them to display with honor.

It was believed that when the first Grand Caliph neared the end of his life, he took the original scrolls deep into the desert, returning them to the very spot where he first discovered the treasured words.

Nature of the Law
Zakharans readily accepted the doctrine because it was simple, easy to understand, and based on obvious factors needed for a society to function. Even some of the raucous corsairs of the Corsair Domains would not attack a ship if they knew it belonged to someone with whom they shared a salt bond or if they knew the ship to be the only vessel that a merchant owned. The Law stressed tolerance, established uniform prices and commercial methods, and detailed oral and legal traditions. The Law of the Loregiver had three distinct parts. The first part dealt with the relationship between Zakharans and their gods, the second discussed the relationship between the Grand Caliph and those he ruled, and the third part was concerned with civil law or the relationship between citizens.

A sense of right and wrong was set down through the Law, but enough freedom was given so that unique circumstances and grey areas could be addressed correctly. The Law categorized all actions performed by citizens, or anyone inhabiting Zakhara, into the following groups:
 * That which is Required
 * That which is Encouraged
 * That which is Tolerated
 * That which is Discouraged
 * That which is Forbidden

The Law in Huzuz
Huzuz, the City of Delights and capital of the Land of Fate, added a few unique conditions to the Law of the Loregiver. Tolerated and Required Acts were the same in Huzuz as they were elsewhere in Zakhara.

Forbidden Acts
Forbidden Acts within the City of Delights included the following offenses:
 * Using the minarets of the Golden Mosque for any purpose other than a call to prayer.
 * Stealing from either the Grand Caliph or any of the great mosques.

Discouraged Acts
Discouraged Acts within the City of Delights included the following offenses:
 * Blocking any public thoroughfare. This also led to another Discouraged Act—preventing others from participating in tolerated actions.
 * Displaying prejudice against racial differences.

Encouraged Acts
Encouraged Acts within the City of Delights included the following actions:
 * Buying slaves with the sole intent to free and/or teach them about Enlightenment.

Punishment
The punishment for committing various Acts depended on the severity of the offense. Typically, all Forbidden Acts were punishable by death. In addition to the Forbidden Acts mentioned above, these included:
 * Consuming the flesh of a sentient creature
 * Murdering an innocent
 * Enslaving an Enlightened soul
 * Threatening the Grand Caliph, his court, or the lands he ruled

Other heinous, but less severe crimes were punished accordingly. Stealing from the Grand Caliph or malicious theft was punished by severing the right hand of the offender. Anyone who disobeyed the word of the Grand Caliph was branded and exiled. Falsely stating that the Enlightened Gods did not exist resulted in the offender's tongue being cut out or being put to death. Crimes involving the minarets of the Golden Mosque were punished with penance, imprisonment, or possibly severing the vocal chords.

The punishments for Discouraged Acts was in the hands of local qadi.