Common Law of Nicandria
The laws of Nicandria are separated into the common and special law. There are no expectations for citizen to follow all special laws as it is applied based on professions and positions of power. Common Law however is taught during youth education and it is expected to be known and followed by everyone. There are however certain conflicts between common and special law and in all such cases the special law is to be followed instead.
Consequences vs Intent
The law in most cases looks first at the consequences of action before the intent of those involved. Action that lead to someone's death regardless of intentional or not will be treated as murder. Intent is only used once the facts of what occurred and the consequences of those actions have been established. Rather than deciding if a crime was commited, it guides what kinds of punishments should be applied. For actions were the intent to cause harm was not present, the punishment is usually reeducation and servitude so the offended party gets compensation and the offender learns how to handle the situation in the future.
Punishment vs Rehabilitation
There is a strong culture in Nicandria of trying your best and that given the opportunity, people will grow. Because of this culture most laws carry a punishment that is more similar to rehabilitation to ensure the criminal improves themselves to become a respectable citizen. First time criminals are often given more lenient punishments that includes mandated school time or public service jobs. The worst punishment applied to criminals is the death penalty and it is used extremely sparingly when there is no path of redemption.
Sections
Education
All citizen of Nicandria are expected to be able to read and write in the common language. The law does not enforce such knowledge but there is a minimum of two years of education all citizen must participate in at some point from the age of 5 to 10. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children are taught and in the case of orphans, the cities are expected to have orphanages that ensure the children are given education.
People who come into Nicandria from wandering tradition or other nations can apply for citizenship without attending general education granted they instead take a merit test which shows they have basic common knowledge.
Violence
For citizen not involved in professions related to violence such as mercenary work or similar trained combat rolls, the law is far more lenient than for those in the profession. There is a fair combat doctrine which states that whenever there is a resonable reason for a fight to break out between two parties, given that they are equal in prowess the crime shall be less than for parties of unequal strength. This is commonly applied to bar brawls where intoxication escalates situations. In the case of unequal parties, but not including members of a combat profession, the crime is viewed as an assault and the punishment is based on physical injuries.
In cases of one-sided violence rising up to the point of non-permanent injuries the punishment is often monetary with reeducation while permanent injuries lead to loss of freedom as they are placed in a prison/ rehabilitation center or confined to small areas within a city. They also lose a substantial amount of their possessions to repay for the injuries and to the city.
