From: Ian or Katts (ianw@magna.com.au)
Date: Sat 06 Jul 1996 - 04:24:39 EEST
On Fri, 5 Jul 1996 owner-glorantha-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu wrote:
>
> From: KenRolston@aol.com
> Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 08:11:44 -0400
> Subject: Re: V3 #8, Lunar Counter-Insurgency Techniques
>
> Exactly. I much admire your treatment, Ian. A reasonable, complex,
> economically-based response certain to cause confusion among tribal factions.
> This is an example of an enlightened response. And to be expected only from
> administrators of the highest qualities.
>
> Of course, an equally plausible but somewhat less enlightened response might
> come from administrators of less exalted qualities.
>
> In response to the ambush of the Lunar patrol, an impulsive, stiff-necked
> Lunar magistrate demands that the Lunar garrison round up a bunch of usual
> suspects -- young trouble-making Orlanthi bucks with previous minors
> seditious offenses -- for questioning.
>
No no no no ... the magistrate wants the guilty ... the garrison will
(being lazy and pragmatic soldiers all) round up the usual suspects.
> The governor presses the magistrate for swift and public justice. The
> magistrate presses the garrison commander for quick confessions from the
> suspects. A Yanafal Tarnils Lunar inspector questions the suspects under oath
> before the Goddess. A not-very-remarkable coincidence results in one of the
> real perpetrators having been included in the sweep. Other suspects, though
> innocent of the specific charge, are guilty of other minor and major
> offenses. Some deny their offenses, and are revealed as liars. Others refuse
> to speak, and are presumed guilty. Others proudly confess their crimes. The
> actual perpetrator confesses to many, many crimes, in addition to the ones he
> did commit, and names every name he can recall as an accomplice, and is
> revealed as a liar.
Ummm, my reading of YT's Truth abilities is they pick up truth per
statement, not whether a block of statements contained truth, lies,
misstatements or whatever.
Anyway, personally I would expect the garrison sergant to use the old,
traditional methods anyway ... they were *our* boys these bastards killed
... why do you think we keep these flea-ridden Pentans around anyway ?
Heat up the forge, we have work to do ... it's the beauty of healing magic
... no scars ... no evidence ... just a confession.
I assume that we cant just question the spirits of the patrol and ask 'em
who did it ... that would be too easy :)
>
> Those suspects who denied their crimes and are not revealed as liars are
> released. All others are retained for trial.
>
> A successful rescue of the real perpetrator by enterprising player character
> companions further frustrates and infuriates the Lunars. However, the rest of
> the suspects remain in custody.
>
Or are "killed while trying to escape".
> The trial is swift and observes the legal forms. Those who refused to speak,
> or who perjured themselves, are judged guilty as charged, and receive the
> death sentence for sedition. The escaped suspect is also judged guilty, and
> outlawed. Others are cleared of the present charge, but remanded for trial on
> other charges.
Technical note m'lud : he wouldnt be outlawed - the (thoroughly stacked,
cowed or otherwise got at> Tribal Moot will do that afterwards. He is
sentenced in absentia.
A headcount of the tribe at the sentencing should also reveal who helped
the criminal escape.
> The magistrate has poles erected in a public place and schedules a public
> execution. On the execution day, after a long speech about the stern, just,
> but merciful Goddess, the magistrate reduces death sentences to
> transportation, and ships the rest off to Riskland.
>
> The escaped perpetrator is now an outlaw. Loyal player character companions
> join him in a flight to the wilderness where the campaign continues as a
> picareque or Sartar rebeillion.
>
> The magistrate and inspector congratulate themselves on swift and efficient
> justice. They have punished only the guilty, and shown mercy in those
> punishments, in the face of great provocation. Their methods may have been
> favored expedience, but they worked better than might have been expected,
> revealing many criminals to the justice of the Goddess. They might be
> forgiven for choosing the same methods in response to the next anti-Lunar
> incident.
>
We need an expression for this policy ... ah yes ... "use of the
mechanisms of justice to ensure the relocation of marginal elements to
areas of non-critical strategic importance".
> Given the final expulsion of the Lunars from Sartar, I conveniently assume a
> decrease in the quality of administrators, troops, and private Lunar citizens
> in Sartar as time passes, and a parallel rise in the number, complexity, and
> intransigence of problems facing the Lunar administration in Sartar. I'd be
> interested in hearing examples from other campaigns supporting this
> assumption. For example, when Octavian Suppositorius was sent from Jonstown
> to the Holy Country, I presume he was replaced by a less fastidious man ruled
> more by political expedience and personal ambition than by Octavian's
> visionary principles.
Yep. Agreed. Especially when the resistance realizes it can bribe or
threaten isolated outposts into letting captives escape etc ... only the
poor, the badly-connected and the innocent will be left facing Lunar
"Justice"
Ian Whitchurch
------------------------------
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #12
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