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An Introduction
When the Eypharians rose from beneath the sands to reclaim their destroyed city, it quickly became apparent that their previously relaxed outlook on crime needed to change. Whereas once each crime had been dealt with person-to-person, now as the city expanded and the population grew, the people needed a firm and guiding hand. These were the kiats, an ancient organisation hailing from Kaiphen's past.
The Kiat System
To explain the kiat system, and thus the kiats, one is required to understand the organisation's history. The kiat system was the justice system in place before the cataclysm of the Valterrian, that had existed since the city's founding in one way or another. It was a system based on knowledge and experience. For example, a man would come to the kiats to report a theft. He would be assigned one kiat who would take on his case, who would then draw up theories, investigate, and then come to a conclusion. The involved parties would then all gather in the Kiater (the courtroom and building of the kiats), where all of the kiats who were specialised in that particular field (theft) would act as the jury, and the main investigating kiat as the judge. They would then pass judgement (more on this later), and the case would be thus solved.
During the Valterrian, the kiat system broke down, as it was difficult to maintain in the destructive and confusing environment of tunnel life. However, once the need for a crime force was established, and the Kiater being one of the first buildings rebuilt, the kiat system was reinstated- with one difference. When all the involved parties in a crime are brought together, it is only the residing kiat who passes judgement, acting as judge, jury, and police investigator all rolled into one. It is not a fair system, but it works well enough, so the Eypharians see no reason to change it.
The Kiats
The definition of a kiat is as follows:
The organisation of the kiats is a structure gleaned from old records and faltering memories that managed to survive the Valterrian. There are several tiers of kiat, with heads of divisions, as well as the bookkeeper-type rolls that are required to keep an organisation such as this functioning.
- The most respected and most experienced heads of each division. They often take the most interesting jobs, and delegate other jobs to people in their division.
- These are the kiats of no rank that fall directly under the heads of their divisions, and do the majority of the work.
The Apprentices
- The unspecified, unranked beginners who have yet to grow into their respective fields.
- The lazes are the dishonoured, proven incompetent in field-work, or injured members of the kiats who have been delegated to office work. However, they are very important to the running of the building and it's people, and are the four people that man the foyer and take any reported crime to the respective offices of the head kiats.
Lazes
- These are the unspecified lazes who act as personal messengers for the head lazes, and the ones that keep the building in pristine condition. For instance, they prepare the trial room and clean up afterwards. They report things to the head Kiats and provide a 24 bell service on the front desks when the head lazes are finished. They also manage bookwork, and are usually excellent scribes.
The Kiater
The Kiater is a circular building, designed like a small amphitheatre inside. The front of the building is a lofty, tiled foyer that is usually busy with people coming and going. Four open-fronted stone cubicles seat the four lazes, who sit behind wooden tables with scrolls jammed in every available surface. On busy days, queues wind from these desks, and irate voices drift to the rafters. The area is light and airy. The door is an always open archway and light and breeze is let in through sheltered glassless windows.
To the left and right of the foyer are two closed doors that lead to the corridor that runs around the outskirts of the trial room. The corridor is thin and enclosed, and has doors and arches leading off into the rooms of the separate kiat offices. One central door, directly opposite the foyer, leads to the Kiater, Hall of Judgement.
The Kiater is the name of the main and only trial room in the city, as well as the collective name of the whole building. Inside there is a central floor space surrounded by rows upon rows of seats ascending in a circle. There are four seats for each of the head kiats to sit on, one positioned in front of each office, however only one kiat will be presiding at any one point.
Trials are open to those that are directly involved in the case, for example: a man is being tried for murder. His family and the family of the person he murdered and the people who gave evidence would be allowed to the trial. This means that sometimes the hall is almost empty or almost full, depending on the type of trial in question.
Crime
The laws of the Eypharians are a somewhat flexible affair. Rules can be bent for those who have more sway in the city, whereas extra laws can be 'invented' if the criminal is also a foreigner or non-Eypharian. However, there are some main tenants that the kiats (mostly) abide by.
These laws have been almost exactly transcribed from an pre-existing stone tablet, which now lies at the entrance of the Kiater. All foreigners are expected to read this tablet at one point or another.
Punishment
Again, in much the same way that the definition of crime can act like a mirage in a desert, so too can the punishments for said crimes differ dependant on different factors. Punishment for crime has always been around, but at different times they have held different meanings. For example, pre-Valterrian having one's riches stripped from you was often punishment enough. As times changed, punishments became stronger to ward off more determined criminals. Nowadays, crime needs the strictest control, so more harsh punishments are dealt.
There are three bands of punishment: striak (strong), meshan (medium), and galet (weak), with some accepted forms of these punishments listed below.
*Murder is always met with striak punishment, usually execution. However, if the murderer pleads guilty early on, or if it was a crime of passion, then sometimes, very rarely, a non-definite death sentence is given. This usually means being sold into slavery indefinitely.
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The Kiater
A Force of Law and Order
A Force of Law and Order
The Kiats
An Introduction
When the Eypharians rose from beneath the sands to reclaim their destroyed city, it quickly became apparent that their previously relaxed outlook on crime needed to change. Whereas once each crime had been dealt with person-to-person, now as the city expanded and the population grew, the people needed a firm and guiding hand. These were the kiats, an ancient organisation hailing from Kaiphen's past.
The Kiat System
To explain the kiat system, and thus the kiats, one is required to understand the organisation's history. The kiat system was the justice system in place before the cataclysm of the Valterrian, that had existed since the city's founding in one way or another. It was a system based on knowledge and experience. For example, a man would come to the kiats to report a theft. He would be assigned one kiat who would take on his case, who would then draw up theories, investigate, and then come to a conclusion. The involved parties would then all gather in the Kiater (the courtroom and building of the kiats), where all of the kiats who were specialised in that particular field (theft) would act as the jury, and the main investigating kiat as the judge. They would then pass judgement (more on this later), and the case would be thus solved.
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During the Valterrian, the kiat system broke down, as it was difficult to maintain in the destructive and confusing environment of tunnel life. However, once the need for a crime force was established, and the Kiater being one of the first buildings rebuilt, the kiat system was reinstated- with one difference. When all the involved parties in a crime are brought together, it is only the residing kiat who passes judgement, acting as judge, jury, and police investigator all rolled into one. It is not a fair system, but it works well enough, so the Eypharians see no reason to change it.
The Kiats
The definition of a kiat is as follows:
Kiat: A person (usually Eypharian), who has police-like skills of investigation, and the charisma of a judge that investigates crime in the city and has a specialisation in a particular type of crime, allowing him/her to gain greater experience in their chosen field. The kiat is also required to pass judgement on individuals who have committed a crime.
The organisation of the kiats is a structure gleaned from old records and faltering memories that managed to survive the Valterrian. There are several tiers of kiat, with heads of divisions, as well as the bookkeeper-type rolls that are required to keep an organisation such as this functioning.
| Kiat of Murder (Alaphre Huujen) | Kiat of Theft (Mazod Eir) | Kiat of Fraud (Garrien Rasabahr) | Kiat of Public Disharmony (Yula) |
- The most respected and most experienced heads of each division. They often take the most interesting jobs, and delegate other jobs to people in their division.
| Kiats of Murder | Kiats of Theft | Kiats of Fraud | Kiats of Public Disharmony |
- These are the kiats of no rank that fall directly under the heads of their divisions, and do the majority of the work.
The Apprentices
- The unspecified, unranked beginners who have yet to grow into their respective fields.
| Laze of Murder | Laze of Theft | Laze of Fraud | Laze of Public Disharmony |
- The lazes are the dishonoured, proven incompetent in field-work, or injured members of the kiats who have been delegated to office work. However, they are very important to the running of the building and it's people, and are the four people that man the foyer and take any reported crime to the respective offices of the head kiats.
Lazes
- These are the unspecified lazes who act as personal messengers for the head lazes, and the ones that keep the building in pristine condition. For instance, they prepare the trial room and clean up afterwards. They report things to the head Kiats and provide a 24 bell service on the front desks when the head lazes are finished. They also manage bookwork, and are usually excellent scribes.
The Kiater
The Kiater is a circular building, designed like a small amphitheatre inside. The front of the building is a lofty, tiled foyer that is usually busy with people coming and going. Four open-fronted stone cubicles seat the four lazes, who sit behind wooden tables with scrolls jammed in every available surface. On busy days, queues wind from these desks, and irate voices drift to the rafters. The area is light and airy. The door is an always open archway and light and breeze is let in through sheltered glassless windows.
To the left and right of the foyer are two closed doors that lead to the corridor that runs around the outskirts of the trial room. The corridor is thin and enclosed, and has doors and arches leading off into the rooms of the separate kiat offices. One central door, directly opposite the foyer, leads to the Kiater, Hall of Judgement.
The Kiater is the name of the main and only trial room in the city, as well as the collective name of the whole building. Inside there is a central floor space surrounded by rows upon rows of seats ascending in a circle. There are four seats for each of the head kiats to sit on, one positioned in front of each office, however only one kiat will be presiding at any one point.
Trials are open to those that are directly involved in the case, for example: a man is being tried for murder. His family and the family of the person he murdered and the people who gave evidence would be allowed to the trial. This means that sometimes the hall is almost empty or almost full, depending on the type of trial in question.
Crime & Punishment
Crime
The laws of the Eypharians are a somewhat flexible affair. Rules can be bent for those who have more sway in the city, whereas extra laws can be 'invented' if the criminal is also a foreigner or non-Eypharian. However, there are some main tenants that the kiats (mostly) abide by.
- Murder is to be met with an equal and opposite reaction. Those that kill must not be allowed to live themselves.*
- Theft is not to be tolerated.
- Destruction of public or private property, whether it be your own or not, is illegal.
- Freeing a slave without permission is a punishable offence.
- Marrying or producing children without first consulting the Zapatl is not tolerated.
These laws have been almost exactly transcribed from an pre-existing stone tablet, which now lies at the entrance of the Kiater. All foreigners are expected to read this tablet at one point or another.
Punishment
Again, in much the same way that the definition of crime can act like a mirage in a desert, so too can the punishments for said crimes differ dependant on different factors. Punishment for crime has always been around, but at different times they have held different meanings. For example, pre-Valterrian having one's riches stripped from you was often punishment enough. As times changed, punishments became stronger to ward off more determined criminals. Nowadays, crime needs the strictest control, so more harsh punishments are dealt.
There are three bands of punishment: striak (strong), meshan (medium), and galet (weak), with some accepted forms of these punishments listed below.
| Striak | Meshan | Galet |
| Cast into the desert naked, without provisions | Have a limb cut off | Pay a fine |
| Death | Forced slavery for a set time | Public shaming |
| Sold into slavery | Have one's property seized | Have a finger or toe cut off |
*Murder is always met with striak punishment, usually execution. However, if the murderer pleads guilty early on, or if it was a crime of passion, then sometimes, very rarely, a non-definite death sentence is given. This usually means being sold into slavery indefinitely.
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