thirteenth rune; frost; video

[deadelfwalking]

[Hello, friends. A cold-eyed elf with a fairly significant skin condition stares at the camera, his jaw set, his mouth a thin, inscrutable line.]

Talk of a council is all well and good, but we have another matter in front of us.

As many of you have pointed out, there is no formal system of law in place. At present, those of you who acted as peace officers have simply continued as you were in your own worlds. If you brought others to justice, if you spoke about justice -- you have continued to see this as your right.

[His eyes narrow, drawing his long eyebrows together.]

But it is not your right. Your laws are not universal. Your morality is not sacrosanct.

We must decide on appropriate conduct as a whole, with consideration given to perspectives outside of our own.

I propose that any code we settle on be simple and direct. For example:

1. Murder shall be abolished. In the case of murder, execution.

2. Theft shall be abolished. In the case of theft, the hand shall be cut off at the wrist. Repeat offenders shall lose both hands.

3. Conspiring with the United Earth shall be considered treason. In the case of treason, suspected or actual, execution.

4. Bodily autonomy shall be respected. Knowing efforts to mind control, telepathically invade, steal, or otherwise forcibly take spiritual or physical authority over another sentient being will constitute assault. In the case of this assault, execution.

And so forth.  These are merely ideas, of course.

[His lower lip twitches, suggesting that he's perfectly aware of the extremes he's recommended. Suggesting that he's just trying to get your attention, to get you to think about how you would define your own terms. What constitutes murder? Theft? Conspiracy? Justice? He's only asking.

Maybe.]

[After several hours, the post is edited with a very carefully recorded text attachment.]

Proposed countermeasures to theft:
public humiliation 
fines
time locked away

Proposed countermeasures to murder:
temporary exile
(where?  to a safe place?  to a random location in time?

General countermeasures
better jail system (?)
compassion (???)
mercy (???)
trials (how?  who receives authority?  who takes what position?  what verdicts should result?)
jail time (general solution?)
punishment via the VR room (?) 

Comments

[hyanaimne]

I do not think execution is suitable for anything aside from murder.

[overclocking]

Where I come from, a group of random people is gathered for each individual crime. If you choose only those who wished to weigh in, or only those who didn't, you'd probably get a biased response, but if you choose at random...

They can keep someone contained until they can decide whether that person is a threat anymore. I don't really think 'punishment' should factor into it. We're supposed to be a... [ a halting pause, army on the tip of his tongue before he swallows it ] team, or something like it. Working together, at the very least. If our priority is keeping that team functioning, then what's stopping us from- sending people home? If they're a threat to the lives of the Initiative and its cause? We can't afford to be killing each other when we're supposed to be fighting a war.

[deadelfwalking]

Surprisingly, just as many people disagree as agree with the proposal. But that was the point. To collect perspectives.

[deadelfwalking]

[It can't be. Can it? But it is ... isn't it? Koltira balks.]

I knew a man by the name of Bariyan, but he wore no armor. He was not of my world. He was not --

[Koltira stops. He was not even alive.]

[legal_eagle]

Yeah, what a surprise. This shit won't fly. Got it?

[deadelfwalking]

Something needs to.

[legal_eagle]

Yeah, how about you when I'm kicking your ass? And I see those assholey question marks up there after mercy and compassion. That's passive-aggressive.

[deadelfwalking]

Mercy and compassion are general feelings. They are not practical responses.

[He has to laugh at the thought of her kicking his ass in any capacity. Just a little. Just gently.]

[speakveryclearly]

I guess not? I really don't understand why a predominantly human population is even trying government.

[biwinning]

You mean you actually DO have people who follow under you?

[legal_eagle]

[STOP LAUGHING, ANGELINA JOLIE]

They're not feelings. They're concepts. They're the overriding principle that it's better to forgive than to seek revenge. Or does that not exist in your world?

[theguideless]

Uhm, well...if it's people, you mean? Humans. [wincing a little, putting it like that.] I don't really know. I mean, it never happened, for what I can remember...But maybe it's like if you killed another Darkov.

You get taken away. Away from the compound, I mean. I'm not sure what happens after that, but you're not seen again.

[stonefaith]

[ Bariyan's head can't tilt any further. He scratches his chin. ]

This conversation has gone awfully quickly. We may have to take a few steps back, death knight.

[ Yes. That sounds right. Bariyan straightens up and quickly closes the distance between them, sticking his hand out. He's got high and completely-unfounded hopes for a handshake. ]

You know my name. Dare I ask yours?

[deadelfwalking]

Revenge was the guiding principle of every death knight's existence until very recently. The forced principle. We left the rest to the living. The paladins. The priests.

You seem to think I want this code to be adopted. I do not. If I did, I would not be protecting some of the filth currently held in our makeshift cells. But this severity is where I come from. And I am not the only one.

[deadelfwalking]

[Yeah, that ain't happening. He just stares, instead.]

Koltira Deathweaver.

[legal_eagle]

Yeah? Well, it's shit. Typically, in polite society, when you see shit, you don't point to it and ask everyone else to look.

[deadelfwalking]

This is not a polite society.

[deadelfwalking]

Yes.

[deadelfwalking]

Virtual punishments. What do you mean?

[legal_eagle]

You know what a figure of speech is?

[deadelfwalking]

I have spoken to him on occasion.

[deadelfwalking]

But we are trying to change it, are we not?

not here

[miscreant]

[but at least someone said it.]

[deadelfwalking]

It doesn't apply. We have no society. We have nothing. We are starting from the ground up.

But if you would prefer to rail against cultures you do not understand and glare at me as though I have personally carried out something against you, that is your right, I suppose.

[highhealplz]

Apparently not. [ from the responses on this post, dang. ] Thank you, though. We're going to need a code before we can get anything else together, and you're pretty effectively polling opinions here.