Black Codex

Extracts from the High Laws of Zevemlya

Preamble of Sovereign Authority
Let it be known that these ordinances are set down by will made sovereign through conquest, ascension, and perpetuation. Law in Zevemlya does not arise from consent, but from Claim, and Claim is measured in blood, continuity, and proximity to Galvander, First and Undying Legislator. All laws herein are binding upon those whom they lawfully reach, and inert upon those whose Claim exceeds the drafter. This is the way of strength.

On the Hierarchy of Law

1. The Laws of Galvander bind all beings dwelling, traveling, laboring, or dead within the borders of Zevemlya, including those residing within the Ghost Mists, unless exempted by superior Claim (of which none is presently recorded).
2. The Laws of a Holy Jurisdictor bind all beneath their Claim, excluding:
3. Galvander
4. Any prior or subsequent Holy Jurisdictor whose Claim is stronger by blood, designation, or ritual acknowledgment
5. Any Director formally recognized as holding superior Claim
6. Laws persist until rescinded by equal or greater Claim. No law decays through time alone.

On Sovereignty and Obedience

1. Disobedience is defined as moral failure, and misalignment with Sovereign Will.
2. Intent is irrelevant where outcome contradicts law.
3. Ignorance of law constitutes admission of negligence, not exemption.

On Residence and Movement

1. All persons within Zevemlya are residents for the duration of their presence.
2. No resident may permanently depart Zevemlya without writ, sacrifice, or conscription.
3. Borderlands are zones of suspended leniency; punishment enacted there may be accelerated, or witheld at the discretion of Galvander, The Holy Jurisidtor, or the judge in charge, in that order of importance.

On Property and Labor

1. All land belongs to the Aesthetic emperor; all use of land is conditional.
2. Labor performed upon Imperial land is deemed tithe until proven surplus.
3. Tools, beasts, and constructs used in service of the Godking may be reclaimed at need, without compensation.

On Speech, Record, and Memory

1. Speech that contradicts Sovereign Law is heretical; speech that contradicts Sovereign History is treason.
2. Written records must yield to Codical correction when discrepancies arise.
3. Memories altered by Imperially-sanctioned ritual are legally authentic.

On Lineage and Inheritance

1. Blood determines duty before privilege.
2. Inheritance passes obligation before asset.
3. Concealment of lineage is punishable as attempted evasion of Claim.

On the Blood of Galvander

1. Any bearer of Galvander’s blood is subject to continuous recordation within this Codex.
2. Said bearers may not:
3. Act in concert against the Empire
4. Give the gift of the Blood to the unrecorded
5. Conceal offspring or dilution of bloodline
6. Said bearers may:
7. Traverse the Ghost Mists without writ
8. Be summoned before the Seat at Zharum-Khal or its Jurisdictors without temporal limitation

On the Ghost Mists

1. The Ghost Mists are declared a sovereign extension of Zevemlya. All souls contained therein are wards of the Crown.
2. Death within the borders of Zevemlya constitutes conditional conscription of the soul.
3. No soul may be destroyed, unbound, consumed, or released from the Mists without lawful authorization.
4. To summon a soul by name is to assume custodial responsibility for its conduct while manifested. and may only be done by Galvander, the Holy Jurisdictor or a custodian of their will.

On Death, Execution, and After-Service

1. Execution satisfies corporeal sentence only.
2. Souls of the executed may be retained for labor, counsel, or exemplarity.
3. Refusal of posthumous service constitutes breach of sentence.

On the Band of the Phantom

1. The Band of the Phantom is empowered to interpret, enforce, and execute these laws where the Ghost Mists are involved.
2. Judges of the Band shall be furnished with Gray Codices, which are reflections, not authorities.
3. Discrepancy between Gray Codex and Black Codex shall always resolve in favor of the Black Codex.
4. The Band may act preemptively where mist‑instability or bloodline threat is projected.

On Exception and Mercy

1. Mercy is not pardon, and may be rescinded by the mercy-giver, or a higher authority.
2. Mercy granted without record is void.
3. Repeated mercy establishes precedent only if acknowledged by the Codex.

Closing Clause of Applicability
No law herein applies to a being whose Claim was not recognized at the moment of drafting. Recognition is instantaneous, irreversible, and determined solely by this Codex, Galvander, and/or the Holy Jurisdictor.

Registry of the Living Bearers of Galvander’s Blood

(Alphabetical extract — beginning mid‑H)

...

• Haarjekh Namsurin
• Haelun Khorvai
• Hajirun Teskhal
• Halan-Mirek Vosuun
• Harezaan Ulkhesh
• Haruun Belsai
• Hashemir Dovkha
• Hesuun Qaratai
• Hethari Malqen
• Hezrak Unshai
• Hokrin Taalbei
• Hulaan Serqeth
• Hurei Jamsokh
• Hyrasha Qelvun

...

(Marginal notation: blood dilution coefficients fluctuate; all above remain within sovereign tolerance.)

Catalog of Souls Contained Within the Ghost Mists

(Extracted index — alphabetized)

• Aderesh Val-Kuun — Vashari
  Former function: Sepulcrux drill-master
  Cause of death: Wyvern fire, ritual non-release
• Belmira Soth — Mirevi
  Former function: Salt-marsh navigator
  Cause of death: Drowned during mist expansion
• Chesuun Iral — Nesari
  Former function: Temple accountant
  Cause of death: Judicial execution
• Davaen Teryal — Teryani
  Former function: Agricultural engineer
  Cause of death: Exhaustion during faming cycle
• Haalqor Nemek — Vashari
  Former function: Phantom auxiliary
  Cause of death: Unknown; body unrecovered
• Ishara Vethuun — Mirevi
  Former function: Midwife
  Cause of death: Plague year 312
• Khorun Saalbek — Nesari
  Former function: River toll-warden
  Cause of death: Mist exposure, prolonged
• Terysh-An Dovai — Teryani
  Former function: Border cantor
  Cause of death: Voluntary binding