10 Laws of the Land
Crimes:
Thievery
Law: Theft of property is punishable by fines, imprisonment, or indentured servitude.
Punishment: Fines proportionate to the value stolen, imprisonment ranging from weeks to years, or forced labor for a specified period.
Assault and Violence
Law: Physical assault, grievous harm, or murder is strictly forbidden.
Punishment: Depending on severity, punishments range from fines, forced labor, or death by hanging, beheading, or magical means in extreme cases.
Trespassing
Law: Unauthorized entry into private property or restricted areas is illegal.
Punishment: Fines, community service, or imprisonment depending on the intent and damage caused.
Poaching
Law: Hunting, trapping, or capturing protected wildlife or exploiting natural resources without proper authorization is illegal.
Punishment: Fines, community service, or imprisonment depending on the intent and damage caused.
Burglary
Law: Unlawfully entering a dwelling or structure with the intent to commit theft or other crimes.
Punishment: Fines, imprisonment, branding, or in severe cases, mutilation (such as cutting off a hand) depending on the value of stolen goods and the circumstances of the crime.
Arson
Law: Willfully setting fire to property, whether residential or commercial, causing destruction or endangering lives.
Punishment: Death by burning, imprisonment, or fines proportionate to the damage caused. In some cases, the arsonist might also be required to pay restitution to the victims.
Brandishing Weapons in Public
Law: Displaying or wielding weapons in a threatening or intimidating manner in public spaces without lawful authority or reason.
Punishment: Fines
Vagrancy:
Law: Begging or wandering without visible means of support, considered a disruption to public order.
Punishment: Whipping, imprisonment, forced labor, or being branded as a vagrant. Some regions might also provide workhouses or institutions for rehabilitation.
Public Drunkenness
Law: Being intoxicated in public places, leading to disorderly conduct or disturbances.
Punishment: Fines, public humiliation (such as being placed in stocks or pillories), imprisonment for a short period, or forced to perform community service.
Smuggling:
Law: Illegally importing or exporting goods to evade taxes or regulations.
Punishment: Confiscation of smuggled goods, fines (often heavy), imprisonment, or in severe cases, death by hanging or transportation (exile).
Perjury:
Law: Giving false testimony under oath or lying in a legal context.
Punishment: Fines, imprisonment, public humiliation (such as being pilloried or branded), or in extreme cases, the perjurer might face the same punishment they sought to inflict through their false testimony.
Tax Evasion
Law: Avoiding payment of taxes owed to the crown or local authorities.
Punishment: Severe fines, imprisonment, confiscation of property, or in some cases, the death penalty. Punishments would be designed to deter others from similar offenses.
Highway Robbery
Law: Robbing travelers on roads or highways, often at weapon point.
Punishment: Death (usually by hanging), imprisonment, or in some cases, being sentenced to forced labor (such as rowing in galleys).
Counterfeiting
Law: Producing fake coins or currency to deceive others.
Punishment: Death (often by hanging or burning), severe fines, mutilation (such as cutting off the counterfeiter's hand), or branding as a warning to others.
Witchcraft
Law: Practicing magic or sorcery deemed harmful or forbidden.
Punishment: Death (often by burning at the stake or hanging), imprisonment, torture to extract confessions, or in some cases, banishment from the community.
Piracy
Law: Engaging in acts of robbery, violence, or plunder at sea without authorization.
Punishment: Death (typically by hanging), imprisonment (often in horrific conditions such as dungeons), or being sentenced to forced labor on ships or in mines.
Magical Crimes
Law: Unauthorized use of magic in public, casting harmful spells on others, or practicing forbidden magics (necromancy, mind control) is forbidden.
Punishment: Fines, confiscation of magical items, imprisonment, or in severe cases, execution or magical binding.
Treasury Crimes
Law: Forgery of currency, theft from the royal treasury, or embezzlement is a serious offense.
Punishment: Severe fines, life imprisonment, or execution depending on the scale of the crime.
Heresy and Blasphemy:
Law: Speaking against the state religion or defaming deities is punishable.
Punishment: Fines, public humiliation, imprisonment, or execution depending on the offense and the influence it might have.
Conspiracy, Sedition, and Treason
Law: Plotting against the crown, aiding enemies of the realm, or inciting rebellion is treasonous.
Punishment: Execution, exile, or life imprisonment for conspirators and their associates.
Slave Trade and Bondage
Law: Illegal enslavement, human trafficking, or mistreatment of slaves is prohibited.
Punishment: Fines, confiscation of assets, imprisonment, and in some cases, freedom granted to the enslaved if they assist in apprehending traffickers.
Timeline
Prehistory:
Much of history before the Age of Dragons is lost to time, shaped by unknown primordial powers that laid the foundation of OnceWas. It is said that when the world of OnceWas was yet young and mysterious, primal forces sculpted its very fabric. Dragons soared through the skies, their majestic forms casting shadows over the sprawling landscapes. Giant roamed the vast expanses, their presence shaping mountains and valleys alike. In those early days, humanity, dwarves, and orcs struggled amidst their insignificance, often falling prey to the whims of these formidable beings.
Mystical energies suffused the land, pulsing with the untamed essence of creation. It was from this raw magic that new gods began to stir, born from the collective hopes and fears of the burgeoning civilizations. These deities, embodiments of elemental forces and aspirations, manifested physically for the first time, their divine presence altering the course of OnceWas forever.
Most of these nascent gods heeded the calls of the desperate mortal races, intervening in the tumultuous affairs of the world. They offered guidance, protection, and the promise of a brighter future amidst the chaos. Yet, amidst the worship and reverence bestowed upon the benevolent gods, there arose a darker power – one that was not born from the prayers of man but from the from the insatiable greed and desires of the chromatic dragons. She was a monstrous embodiment of the chaos of primordial creation.
The chromatic dragons’ lust for power and dominion resonated through the fabric of reality. It was from this tumultuous convergence of primal forces and draconic ambitions that Xalara, the Dragon Queen, emerged. Xalara was unlike the benevolent gods who emerged to guide and protect. She embodied malevolence and cruelty, her essence forged from the darkest depths of draconic greed. Her presence cast a veil of fear and uncertainty across OnceWas, twisting the hearts and minds of those who fell under her shadow.
With each passing day, Xalara's power grew, spreading like a shadow across the land. Her dragons, emboldened by her promises of dominion and dark knowledge, carried out her will with fanatic zeal. The balance between light and darkness, hope and despair, became ever more precarious and Xalara’s influence gave birth to the dawn of a new age.
History of OnceWas
Before the dawn of written records, OnceWas thrummed with primal forces and mystical energies. Dragons soared through azure skies, their colossal wings casting shadows over emerald forests and craggy mountains. Giants shaped the earth beneath their feet, carving valleys and raising peaks with ease. In this primordial age, humanity, dwarves, and orcs struggled for survival against these titans. The land pulsed with raw, untouched magic, flowing like a river through its heart.
From this chaotic energy emerged new gods—deities born from the hopes and fears of early civilizations. Among them was Xalara, the goddess of Avarice, birthed from the greed of the chromatic dragons. Her insatiable hunger twisted hearts and minds, plunging OnceWas into darkness.