RULER: Sapphire | EX-CONSORT: Turquoise -- NEW CONSORT: Carnelian

[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: SAPPHIRE
CONSORT: TURQUOISE

((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

[thatsmycue]

Uuuuh. Why can't she just do what she wants to do?

[????]

Re: DISCUSSION

[appleofhiseye]

...? Why are we deciding these things?

[serpentmine]

That's so sad! [ Just going to cry for the poor woman now.

SHE'S HELPING. ]

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[glorious]

For the time being, we will override her marriage contract and allow her access to her husband's wealth. If that is not enough for her to take care of herself while the war is ongoing, we'll provide her with what she needs. However, due to the suspicious circumstances of her husband's disappearance, we ask that she waits until after we conduct a formal investigation into the matter before remarrying.

ROUND 2

[neverhesitate]

Three months pass as you investigate, and she uses her husband's estate.

Your investigations turn up little of suspicion, though much of the chaos of war -- though perhaps there are elements that should be overhauled there to reduce such things. But before you yourself have tracked down the husband, the war comes to an end.

Her husband returns from the war. He finds himself at quite a loss; his wife is still his, but quite unhappy with him and in ownership of quite a bit of his property by rule of the crown, which has overridden his marriage contract. This time, he brings the case -- unfair loss of property and violation of legally binding contracts. Who owns the property that was granted to her? Who owns the wealth it brings in? By rights it should be his, but it was handed over to his wife, and yet it was only meant to be handed over on his death. This is a legal mess. He was too busy to write, he claims, but there's no reason to assume him dead. How do you rule on this?

DISCUSSION

[neverhesitate]

[serpentmine]

Oh, he's okay! [ Instantly happier. ]

Re: DISCUSSION

[glorious]

...Why did he have his wife sign a legally binding contract that would prevent her from taking care of himself in the event of him going to war?

Re: DISCUSSION

[appleofhiseye]

He's complaining? But they're married.

Re: DISCUSSION

[thatsmycue]

It belongs to both of them, not him.

Re: DISCUSSION

[metaphysicality]

Should've known this would come back to bite us. But wasn't his marriage contract unjust in the first place?

DECISION

[neverhesitate]

Re: DECISION

[glorious]

Given the fact that the original marriage contract was inadequate and failed to provide a course of action for what should happen if the husband was unable to provide support for his wife, we'll like to offer the couple a chance to reevaluate how they wish to proceed and decide for themselves how they wish to share the estate now. If they find that they do not wish to even continue their marriage we can allow them a divorce, rewarding the estate back to its original owner per the agreement of the original contract and also allow the wife a chance to remarry to her earlier acquaintance.

However, we'll be reviewing the laws on marriage and discuss amongst ourselves if there's a need for improvement to prevent a similar situation in the future.

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: SAPPHIRE
CONSORT: CARNELIAN

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

ROUND 3

[neverhesitate]

The husband chooses to keep his familial estate; the wife chooses to divorce him and remarry. The people begin to murmur with concern about what the role of government will be in their private lives in the future.

Another three months pass, 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]

Re: DISCUSSION

[appleofhiseye]

Huh?

[but wait suddenly the other team is gone]

DECISION

[neverhesitate]

ROUND 4

[neverhesitate]

The people's discontent seems to grow more at the idea that inheritance was no longer an issue of bloodlines but of simple transferal of wealth...

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 people are annoyed their concerns weren't addressed. Discontent grows.

The baby is taken from the mother, but she is not a citizen here and has no legal recourse. She leaves without the child.

Go to Endgame