Case Law of Leon

The City of Leon has a well-established code of laws, the area of murder case law is listed below.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Galin
2311 BDC

A Gnome was murdered by a human fish monger over the gnome refusing to pay for his bass. The human was found guilty and executed for his crimes. This was the first time that a human had to endure the full punishment for a crime against a non human. Typically nnomes and other non-humans were considered 3/5ths of a human and as a result the offender would only have to serve 3/5ths of a standard sentence.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Tebar
1807 BDC

A human female was brutally beaten after speaking out of turn at an eating establishment. The human male perpetrator didn’t even flee the scene, expecting nothing to happen as the woman was his wife. Typically husbands were immune from being prosecuted for actions against their wives and, crimes committed against women were punished very softly. The man was arrested and taken to trial but, as the law was on his side he was ultimately found not guilty of assault. As a result of the outcry of this case, what was commonly referred to as “Tebar’s law” was introduced. This law codified that though women were indeed clearly different from men and held different duties, they had the same protection under the law against bodily harm.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Keldagrim
861 BDC

A demon by the name of GAZGUL@@!’’’ ACH *coughing sound* FLESH DEVOURER decided to revaluate his existence and set up a shop selling magical trinkets at the main market. It is unknown how GAZGUL@@!’’’ was able to ingratiate himself to the locals but, after many years he was accepted as one of the regulars of the city. Eventually an adventurer came to the store and, upon seeing the demon he immediately slew him. The adventurer was found not guilty of murder with the Honourable Judge Tent Swift stating that “The reasonable man, upon seeing such a demon, would immediately go for his sword without knowing the wider context of the situation. We can not expect people upon seeing demons, skeletons, gnolls or such creatures, to simply ask if they intend on eating said people. There clearly are some situations and indeed species such as wild tigers that should legally be allowed to be put down on sight.”

The Kingdom of Leon vs Jun
107 ADC

A antique dealer had had this shop broken into repeatedly by a gang of youths. He hired a mercenary to help him protect his wares. One night while the mercenary and antique dealer were hiding in the shop, the youths returned to steal more artefacts. Startled by the sudden appearance of the mercenary and shop owner, the group of youths ran but, upon the shop owners orders, the mercenary took out his bow and fired an arrow through the heart of a fleeing boy. The shop owner and the mercenary were both later found guilty of murder as the group of youths were now over 100 meters away and with their backs to the pair, running away.

In an interesting legal wrinkle, the 2 accomplices of the boy were also found guilty of murder despite not even touching a weapon as, someone had been murdered while in the act of a crime that they were helping to commit.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Denton
852 BDC

A Dwarven potter was held at knife point while his shop was being robbed. Outside the shop a cart tipped over causing a huge commotion which momentarily distracted his assailant. The Dwarf immediately picked up a blade of his own and slew his attacker. It was argued by the deceased’s family at court that in that split second of distraction, the attacker didn’t constitute a clear and present danger as he was not focused on his target but, The Honourable Judge Trent Swift ruled against them stating that “In situations such as this, we must look at the balance of the situation. The attacker still held a knife pointed towards the accused. The attacker had shown every indication that he was willing to use said instrument against the accused. The accused didn’t have time to stop and think, he had a split second to act in order to save his life. As a result I would find it impossible to convict this man based upon these 3 pillars alone.”

The Kingdom of Leon vs Triskan
248 ADC

A elven hunter one day snapped and killed a married couple but, was able to hide his involvement from the police for years. The police did not release key facts about the case so that only the killer would be aware of them. 3 years later the elf approached the surviving son of the married couple and, began to taunt him about his murdered parents. Ultimately the elf gave out too much information, revealing himself to be the killer. Fearing for his life, the son immediately stabbed the elf with his sword, killing him. Upon investigation of the body it was revealed that the elf had no weapon or, indeed anything that could be used as an improvised weapon. Bystanders also stated at trial that the elf had indeed made no threatening movements towards the son and, the son even admitted that he gave no immediate threat such as “I’m going to kill you”. Despite this, he was found not guilty on the grounds of self defence. The Honourable Judge Triskillion Everlight Brumpton III stated that “Though the deceased did indeed not appear to be a direct threat at this very second, I find it unreasonable to say that this killing was unjust. The departed has specifically sought out the accused and, indeed through his own words had proven that he was capable of committing the most heinous of crimes. The accused had no time to wait for further information on the departeds intent, he had to act. He did not act out of a desire for vengeance or hatred, he simply acted to save himself from not allowing this killer to finish the job he started all those years ago....I must warn my learned colleagues though, that we can not allow this principle to mean that members of the public can go around simply executing criminals or people who have slighted them on sight”.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Aethelgrate
200 ADC

A dwarven woman was murdered by her husband as she slept. It appears that in her dying moments she was able to open her eyes and see a dark shadowy figure standing over her holding a blacksmiths hammer. At trial, her soul was brought forth and she stated that her neighbour, a blacksmith of some renown, was the one that killed her. The defence argued that the departed testimony was influenced by her hatred of her neighbour while she was still alive and that this accusation was her simply clinging to the memories of that hate and acting upon it. With little material evidence against the blacksmith, he was eventually found not guilty and, the husband confessed to the crime. The Honourable Judge Paddy Mcdoogle Brightblade stated that “This raises serious questions as to the veracity of using the departed as witnesses. They must be treated like any other witness in this court and, their statements must be checked to ensure it matches up to the facts of the case”

The Kingdom of Leon vs Fizzelwop Longrider
2541 BDC

A traveling mage came to Leon and settled down to make it is home. Being of immense power, he quickly was noticed by the government and was tasked with assisting in trials. Fizzelwop would regularly cast zone of truth over the courtroom to ensure that no lie could be told. Unfortunately, after an extensive decade’s long investigation, it became clear that there were times where Fizzelwop would take a bribe and only mime casting the spell allowing the guilty to walk free. As a result of this, zone of truth was banned from being used in Leons courts.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Prince Alexander Tai Pow Ting Liu VIII
ADC 36

After the great Dragon Crisis, the Royalty settled down into a period of relaxation, this ultimately lead some of the heirs to the crown to become complacent and decadent. Prince Alexander Tai Pow Ting Liu VIII was one of these such heirs and would regularly go to the bar district. Regularly he would return to the palace with his sword bloody after taking the lives of some stranger over a perceived insult. After this went on for weeks the police eventually brought charges against the Prince but, he was found not guilty due to royal immunity. The Honourable Judge Ben Dover stated that “The blood of the dragon runs through him, I can no sooner convict him of a crime than I could convict the Emperor King himself”. After his sons release, the Monarch, wisely seeing the unrest that his son was causing, brought him to the palace and executed himself for his crimes stating “Only I may judge my kin. My courts did well to remember this, and I reward them with my faithful service to the people”.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Knight Protector Guilliman
ADC 47

Princess Cornellia Uphemia Manchu Iceborn Liu was walking through the streets one day when it appears a group of youths began hurling insults at her. In a rage, she ordered her personal guard, Knight Protector Guilliman, to go after the boys and to slay them. The Knight Protector immediately took to his task and cut down the youths. The victims parents brought the case to trial stating that the Knight Protector was not in a position covered by royal immunity as no royal blood ran through Guillimans veins. The court threw this argument out with The Honourable Judge Ben Dover stating that “Though there is indeed no royal blood running through the Knight Protectors veins, the hand of the dragon is upon him and he acted with the authority of royalty when he undertook this mission. Had he simply murdered out of desire or hatred then he would surly be put to death but, in this instance, he was merely executing the will of the dragon and his line to the best of his ability”.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Gathraxi
ADC 20

An elven trader was unhappy with the level of taxation that had been levied upon him. As a result of this, the elf waited for the crowns tax collector to come to his shop and, upon seeing the collector the elf immediately took out his sword and ran the collector through. The honourable Judge Jeb Tree wrote in his opinion, “The issue at hand here is not as to whether the man is guilty, for many saw his crime. The issue is what level of punishment shall we pass down upon him. I would say this to him and all others who seek to destabilise this system. Any who attack or indeed murder those in a political office shall obviously be put to death”. The elf was killed shortly after.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Mephiston
BDC 1208

A dwarf left a public house late one evening and bumped into two human males while on his way home. Ultimately a confrontation ensued with the dwarf knocking one of the men to the floor. The dwarf claimed that the human began to utter unknowable words and, fearing that he was a mage that would kill him, the dwarf ran the man through with his dagger. At trial, the dwarf claimed that he was only exercising his right to self defence and that he should be acquitted of all charges despite multiple witnesses coming forward and saying that the victim was in fact trying to mutter a slurred apology. The Honourable Judge Ash Oak ruled against the dwarf stating in his opinion that “The danger of a magic user must be clearly visible to the reasonable man on the street. There was not any evidence here that should have put the accused on guard of a magic user and as a result I must rule to find him guilty.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Dante
BDC 1201

This case built upon the foundations of The Kingdom of Leon Vs Mephiston. In it, a mage claimed that he feared he overheard someone casting a spell against him and as a result, immediately killed him by casting a fireball. Other witnesses contradicted the mage though, claiming that the man was simply trying to order a famous gnomish sandwich. The Honourable Judge Ash Oak once again ruled stating “No reasonable man would have found a danger of magic to be had here but, I find this defence especially laughable when coming from someone such as yourself. When seeking to rely on the fact that you believe someone is casting a spell against you, it must logically follow that those who spend significant time around those with such gifts or, indeed the gifted themselves, must be held to a higher standard.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Penne
BDC 700

The case brought against “slightly large” Tony was the first of its kind. This was due to the fact that during the trial, information about public officials taking bribes came to light. In order to ensure that none of this information leaked, the Jury and attendants were ordered to sequester themselves from society. They remained sequestered for 3 months until the extent of the corruption could be uncovered and acted upon.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Gunthred the Mighty, Slayer of Ezmagul the Black, Holy Sword to the King
ADC 0

During the great Dragon Crisis, a simple farm boy broke into the king’s personal armoury, stealing the armour and sword of the royal guard, an executable offence. The farm boy donned the armour and rushed to battle, fighting alongside the king himself though, the king did not know that the man beside him was merely a boy. At the height of the final battle, the boy, Gunthred the Mighty, was able to slay Ezmagul the Black, a fierce dragon, allowing the King to engage multiple dragons, slaying them all. After the battle, when the farm boys origins were revealed, many of the royal guard were disgruntled, for they had spent years in order to fight beside the king and this boy had simply taken their place. It was also put forward that the boy could not claim that he was an extension of the royal family as at the time the king had no idea who he was. The king countered and sent out a decree stating “Any man who achieves such a monumental feat as to change the course of history shall be pardoned for all his crimes. Let it be known that the Kingdom of Leon is built upon the backs of great men, and even our lowest, the humble farm boy, is mightier than the warriors of other nations. Let all who slink in the darkness strive to one day walk in the light. If you prove yourself worthy, you too could one day walk besides the king and be called a brother.”

The Kingdom of Leon vs Orkinson
Similarly to The Kingdom of Leon vs Gunthred the Mighty, Slayer of Ezmagul the Black, Holy Sword to the King, a potter's son broke into the armoury and took a set, meaning that Sir Corrington was not able to join the battle. The boy was unable to adequately manage the weight of the armour and was crushed by falling rubble from a building before ever getting to cross blades with a dragon. His corps was beheaded and he was posthumously convicted of High Treason.

The Kingdom of Leon vs Boggroth
ADC 77

Boggroth was a small time criminal who had graduated to home invasion and eventually murder. He tore a path through Leon for 3 years but, after a blow to the head, turned his life over to religion. For the next 60 years he spent his time serving his community and helping the poor and needy. One day, one of his victims recognised the man and, Boggroth indeed admitted that he was who the man believed him to be. At the trial, many of Boggroths companions argued that over the course of his 60 years he had done more than enough to offset the bad that he had done. The Honourable Judge Tavish Farthsom stated that “Though I do believe Mr Boggroth has done more good than evil over the course of his long life. I can not see any singular deed or service that has changed the course of history in the monumental fashion that our late King described.” As a result, Boggroth was executed shortly after.