About law and order

[Oscar Levine]

Laws of Shangrila

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The structure of the Shangrilan justice system is built on norms and sanctions; thus, there are no written laws, and the norms change with the cultural tide and happening of events. There’re also no official papers describing punishment. The only known thing is that the secret service Anubis is called in whenever the need arises, and also that they carry out the appropriate sanctions.

Opposing people of higher power is breaking the norm, thus also sanctioned in almost all cases. Whilst people high up in the Shangrilan hierarchy can solve this by diplomacy or financial compensation, there have been rumors that people in the lowest castes have suddenly disappeared for expressing freedom of speech. There are no norms in Shangrila criminalizing corruption, bribes and pacts; making it possible for influential people to overthrow those who might stand in their way.

Thus, justice is carried out in the same way as everything else: by money, and power. The most common sanction for people arrested by the Anubis is execution, independent of the seriousness of the committed norm violation. There have been reported cases of other types of outcome, where influential people have changed the course of the tide: some might’ve been thrown out into the Wasteland, some might’ve been rereleased out onto the streets.

No-one knows; and no-one, with some sanity left in their mind, would want to question about their missing neighbor or investigate the ways of the mysterious Anubis.

[Oscar Levine]

Laws of the Wasteland

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Anarchy has ruled the Wasteland for years: survival has become all that matters. Bandits roam the deserted lands between cities, plundering and killing for their survival, but this is all normal for people denied the luxury of Shangrila. Each of the towns closely located to Shangrila; Fata Morgana, Occham’s Razor and Old Ripa, all have their own system of laws and justice.

Fata Morgana have a small police force to make sure the laws stated by the government is followed, and bigger crimes that can’t be solved on spot is brought up to court. However, the most crimes in Fata Morgana remains unsolved, and rumors go that the police are bribable.

In Occam’s Razor, the laws are stated by the highest priest, who alone acts as the judge and punisher when a sinner has been proclaimed. Thus, the laws in Occham’s Razor seem to change from time to time, and so does also the punishments.

Old Ripa has the weakest system of law and justice of all the cities, but since it’s a small community where everyone knows everybody, people know that committing crimes is bad for the survival. In the unlikely happening that a crime is committed in Old Ripa, the elder townsfolk get together to discuss what’s to be done considering on the nature of the crime and the approximated remorse of the criminal.

To read more about politics in the Wasteland cities, click on the city names.