[EVENT] It's high time to decide these high crimes...

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL
Date: May 10
Location: Courtyard of Public Opinion
Situation: It's time for the Guilds to come together and decide the list of High Crimes - and see if the Foreigners have their Guild organized.
Warnings/Rating: To be added as needed.




Part 1 - On the Matter of the Foreigners Guild

As elaborated to all Foreigners in Keeliai, the rest of the Council has set them the task of assigning leadership within their guild, including spokesperson(s) to participate in the Courtyard meetings and represent the Foreigners Guild's interests. Having been given more than a month of lead time, the assemblage is now waiting to hear the results of those deliberations.

"Who will be speaking for the Foreigners Guild? Please step forward and introduce yourselves."

Part 2 - On the Matter of High Crimes

As part of the new governing structure, the Guilds must now come together to decide a list of High Crimes which require sentencing by agreement of all nine groups. The Guilds will also lay out sentencing guidelines for each of these crimes. That doesn't mean there will be automatic sentencing, necessarily. The guidelines will help dictate minimum and maximum boundaries of punishment, such as length of incarceration, fines, and ramifications post-conviction.

While the Guild representatives will be laying out the initial proposition, all are welcomed and encouraged to partake and add their own input to help smooth out the rough edges. Although there are not designated areas for each of the Guilds, members of each do tend to congregate around their respective leaders.

The list of proposed High Crimes include, but are not limited to:

• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Arson
• Assault (aggravated and/or sexual*)
• Treason
• Terrorism
• Drug Trafficking/Selling

Guilds can propose additions or subtractions to this list, and guidelines for each. It's not a joyful task, but it is a necessary one. Despite the somewhat grim nature of the meeting, there is a sense of determination. The citizens of Keeliai are governing themselves now, and that is indeed a powerful thing.

*Mod note: This is coming up for general IC info, as it exists within the game setting but not as a game function intended to arise outside of this list.

Part 3 - On the Matter of Guild Management

The last order of business for today's Courtyard meeting is to determine if, and under what circumstances, guilds have the right to either refuse membership or revoke membership to anyone. While this thankfully doesn't seem to have been a problem while everyone sorted themselves into their initial choices, it'd be naive to think that it's not an issue that could come up in the future. Since not being affiliated with any guild carries legal repercussions -- fines that can escalate into even jail time -- it seems prudent to have a system in place before it becomes an issue.

Everyone's encouraged to volunteer their thoughts on this matter -- the official decision won't be made until the next gathering, so input doesn't have to be limited to just the spokespeople from each guild, but anyone in attendance.

Right now, the only generally agreed-upon point seems to be that this type of refusal or ejection needs to have some kind of oversight from outside the guild in question, to prevent abuse of the system. Whether that's a case where it would require the whole Council is another matter, and some seem to think that simply getting the motion seconded or thirded would be enough.

Comments

[commandandcontrol]

"If they're a murderer, I'd imagine they'd be in jail." That was actually one of the least problematic parts of membership.

[annihilist]

Oh, the irony of that statement. She's talking to a murderer.

"Being in jail does not necessarily exclude them from the requirement of guild membership," Devin points out. "What then? What of when they're released after serving time? Should they retain full rights of membership or something less?"

He's not pressing just to be irritating, even if it serves a dual purpose. He's pressing because it needs to be thought through, and Devin isn't afraid to make himself look rude.

[commandandcontrol]

"If they're released after serving time, then the justice system has determined that they're fit to be integrated into society, and I don't see a reason to restrict their role in the guild. If they aren't fit, then the justice system would need to be amended, not the guild system."

A bit of haughtiness was starting to creep into her tone.

[annihilist]

Devin does not look the least bit bothered by her tone. If anything, he looks amused.

"Being released means that a sentence has been met, and nothing else," he counters blandly. "It's not that someone is actually ready to be integrated into society. A criminal has to want to change; no form of incarceration or punishment will make them budge if they don't want to do it themselves."

Which might in itself be a call for counseling and other rehabilitation services.

"Are you unfamiliar with the concept of probation?"

[commandandcontrol]

"Maybe that's how it works where you're from. It doesn't have to work that way here. That's what this entire gathering is about."

She took a second, trying to imagine where he was going with that.

"I suppose a period after someone has finished a sentence where they can't officially vote in guild matters might be appropriate. Obviously, I don't make decisions unilaterally..." As much of a reminder for herself as for Devin.

[annihilist]

Devin laughs at her first remark, his amusement becoming a surer thing. "No, I suppose it doesn't, but neither should it be dismissed out of hand given how utterly common a solution it is. If you think that release should be contingent on true rehabilitation, then perhaps you should raise that before the night is done," he suggests.

The vampire is fully aware that Sonja is not the sole representative here; she happened to be available to speak at that particular moment.

"I'm not asking you to make a decision; I'm asking you to think," Devin adds. "You've a decent head on those shoulders, and you ought to use it - or not use it - to your best ability."

[commandandcontrol]

Sonja looked legitimately surprised. "Are you feeling okay? That sounded like a compliment."

[annihilist]

"Oh, please. I have frank observations, and I don't always keep the favorable ones to myself, young lady. It was also a criticism, seeing as you're not currently using it to your best ability when you disregard input based on who or where it comes from."

Only mildly in this case, he can admit - it didn't take long to get Sonja to see what he was saying but she's latched onto a compliment rather than the rest of what he's said. Devin's tone is accordingly only a touch dismissive, rather than outright callous.

[commandandcontrol]

"Too late, you gave me a compliment, so I'm selectively using my head to focus on that and not focus on your unconvincing minimization."

She was way more interested in teasing him than hearing his advice, which was probably worthy of criticism, but it is what it is.

[annihilist]

"Stop the presses, we have a new headline," Devin replies dryly. "'Local vampire is capable of noticing when people are not complete idiots'. Is it really so shocking? I'm not a Neanderthal."

He had, in point of fact, alluded to the fact that she had potential in a previous conversation. To be fair, he was also being an ass in the same breath.

[commandandcontrol]

"Neanderthals potentially had even greater brain capacity than homo sapiens did. The idea that they were more primitive than us is a misconception."

Today on 'the more you know.'

[annihilist]

"I'm aware of the science. I've been alive quite a bit longer than you to watch interpretations change. I may be dead, but I'm not extinct - in that I have capacity they do not." Perhaps he should have chosen a less contentious subject for simile. Trilobites, for example.

"You're from Earth, then?"

[commandandcontrol]

"Let's call it 'earth-like'. My planet is called Wars World, and there seem to be a lot of similarities to what people call Earth but its not one to one."

"And, anyway, in my experience, people that are a hundred years old don't care that much about science. Pardon me for the assumption, grandpa."

[annihilist]

"Then, theoretically, your Neanderthals and mine could have been very different," Devin returns. She's making lots of assumptions, and this is not the place to be making them, where there are so many different versions of Earth alone, sometimes with great variation between them.

"Is that because you don't know many people that age, or because they're all pushing up daisies and can't be bothered to care about anything, period?"

He ignores the name, although he's probably old enough to be her great-grandfather at this point.

[commandandcontrol]

"It's because you're trying to undermine my clever wordplay by overanalyzing it, and I don't appreciate that at all." She's pretty sure he's doing it on purpose instead of by accident like she always does, too.

[annihilist]

The smirk speaks volumes.

"If you're trying to make me feel bad, it won't work," he says, amused. "I don't care about whether my words sting or not. I have no interest in coddling you - how else will you learn?"

[commandandcontrol]

"That's either condescending or involving some kind of bdsm-related innuendo. In either case, not interested. I also advise not using bdsm-related innuendo with relative strangers"

[annihilist]

"Why not both?" Devin holds his arms out. Using innuendo with strangers was sometimes a terrific way to have them remain strangers. "And I don't take advice from children," he adds. He doesn't take advice from just about anyone, actually. "You can, however, rest assured that I've no interest in engaging in anything other than conversation with you."

[commandandcontrol]

"Have you considered not doing that either?"

[annihilist]

"I'd have a devil of a time sharing my opinions on guild affairs if I refused to speak to one of the guild representatives, now wouldn't I?" Also, it's entertaining. "I don't see you walking away, either."

He probably wouldn't follow her to be irritating. Probably.