RULER: Kunzite | EX-CONSORT: Heliodor -- NEW CONSORT: IOLITE

[dramatispersonae]

"As a ruler, I have many responsibilities, and one that I am -- at least, to the best of my knowledge -- relatively known for is my willingness to hear people's cases and provide some form of legal ruling on them. It has always been important to me to be fair, merciful, and kind. Of course, I need not do this all by myself.

In this game, I will present to you some suits and ask you to discuss between yourself and the team you are partnered with to rule on their situations and their requests."

Guinevere finishes speaking, and you find yourself in a tent with one other team.

RULER: KUNZITE
CONSORT: HELIODOR

((OOC: For various reasons, I need to move along the teams reeeeelatively at the same pace at various points, so there may be occasional delays for some teams. I apologize in advance if this happens!))

Comments

ROUND 1

[dramatispersonae]

A wealthy man has gone away to war and left behind his wife. It has only been three months and the war isn't over, so he isn't expected to return yet, but all her neighbors have been receiving letters and money from their spouses and she has received nothing, and her marriage contract gives her no rights to the wealth of his estate until he dies. She has sent letters to the front and received no information at all, nor have any of her attempts to learn more of his situation brought any news. She can only assume that he has died, and in light of that, wishes to both keep his estate and remarry a man of her acquaintance. Should she or should she not be permitted to either or both of these?

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[tuffguy]

[ WHY DO WE GET THE ROMANCE QUESTION RIGHT OFF THE BAT ]

Re: DISCUSSION

[spiritwilling]

Are these the sorts of questions that humans have to deal with?

Re: DISCUSSION

[oedipuswreck]

[help]

Re: DISCUSSION

[bodymod]

[he… stares. how helpful.]

Re: DISCUSSION

[seasidelove]

[...um]

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[spiritwilling]

She should be permitted to do whatever she wants.

ROUND 2

[neverhesitate]

Three months pass, and the war comes to an end.

Suddenly, her original husband returns from the war. He finds himself out both a wife and an estate. For obvious reasons, he's the one bringing the case this time, citing unfair loss of property and breach of legal marriage contract, as he had gone away for duty to the crown and had expected her to wait for his return. He wants both his estate and his wife back -- the estate shouldn't have been lost, he says, and she should not have been considered free to remarry, rendering her new marriage invalid. Surely they can work this out if they try. And if he is granted neither his home nor his wife's return and dissolution of her new marriage, he wants financial recompense for both -- the estate and the value of her dowry. He was too busy to write, he claims, but there's no reason to assume him dead. How do you rule?

DISCUSSION

[neverhesitate]

Re: DISCUSSION

[bodymod]

[jiiiii.]

Re: DISCUSSION

[tuffguy]

Join in on the new marriage.

Re: DISCUSSION

[spiritwilling]

It's ridiculous to say he should be given her back. She's free to do as she likes either way. The estate, though... human property is so complicated. Why didn't she have any assets of her own to begin with?

Re: DISCUSSION

[oedipuswreck]

[just. makes. a. FACE.]

DECISION

[neverhesitate]

Re: DECISION

[spiritwilling]

Barring any other consensus between the two, the estate will be split 50/50 between the wife and her original husband. Since the wife has effectively dissolved their marriage, it won't be reinstated.

However, in addition, we offer the unofficial advice that they should go on dates and attempt to work out their personal relationships between the three of them.

PARTNER SWAP

[neverhesitate]

A wind fills the area, bringing a sense of both sadness and heart-pounding excitement -- you can tell the feeling's not yours, can tell it's external much in the way of viewing someone else's memory -- and when it fades, the "Consort" team that was previously here no longer is. Instead, a new team is here; you know instinctively that you are now partnered with this other team as the game continues.

RULER: Kunzite
CONSORT: Iolite

(( Heliodor, please exit this post and go play in THIS post instead. ))

ROUND 3

[neverhesitate]

The estate is split between them. The husband chooses to maintain the ownership of the property itself and simply give his ex-wife half the value of it, though he seems none too pleased by this. They do maintain contact though they don't seem entirely to be taking up the 'date' advice.

Another three months passes, making nine altogether. The woman gives birth to a healthy baby boy. She claims that it is the child of the original husband, conceived right before he went away to war; the original husband agrees. However, her lover claims the child is actually his and wants to take the son as his own. The birth registry requires that it have one female parent and one male parent, or will be listed as her child with an unknown man and be declared illegitimate to ANY possible inheritance. How do you rule?

DISCUSSION

[neverhesitate]

DECISION

[neverhesitate]

ROUND 4

[neverhesitate]

It is decided and the child is taken to the previous husband's estate to be raised as heir to that estate, with care given by a wet nurse, servant, the intention of tutors etc.

After ANOTHER three months -- what an intense year this has been for this trouble-causing family -- another woman shows up with a newborn baby and claims that the original husband had married her while he was abroad, and got her with child while there. This new woman has one of the original husband's rings, which is something as close to proof as she is capable of. She has come with the intent to live with him in married bliss in his estate. The husband denies it and says that while he was out, the ring was stolen from his belongings and he had never been infidelious to his (original) wife. She wants her marriage to him to be considered legal, to live on his estate, and raise the child as heir to the estate; otherwise, she wishes an ongoing stipend for raising the child and quite impressively large financial recompense. However, she has no money and status, and he claims that she did all this under false pretenses and doesn't want to marry her. In addition, she argues that although the child of his first wife might be three months older, hers is as valid and deserves to be considered a potential heir to the estate (should, you know, something happen to the eldest child). How do you rule?

DISCUSSION

[neverhesitate]

DECISION

[neverhesitate]

RESULTS

[neverhesitate]

The crown instructs him to provide for this woman's child and engage in public service within the public eye as penalty for not having his actions publically available to his other officers and creating all sorts of problems. The people are greatly entertained.

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