02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

128 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
of imposed labor. In this age, the criminally insane
are routinely executed. Imprisonment is usually
applied in cases of debt particularly in larger cities.
A debtor is imprisoned until his debts are paid, and
he must pay for his food and accommodation while
he is in prison. A wealthy individual can pay for
considerable privileges as the wardens of such prisons
have complete discretion so long as the debtors do not
leave. Some nobles are notorious for spending years
living in luxury within a debtor’s prison while those to
whom they owe a fortune fume. Since the indebted is
already in prison, there is little that can be done.
rumor has it…
one of the more famous prisons is bloodshore island.
loCated in the southern Coastal Waters just a feW miles
off shore from the proteCtorate of menoth, bloodshore is
aCtually a Cygnaran prison. there is rarely a person Who has
not heard of it, and everyone knoWs behind its Walls are some
of the most notorious Criminals, although several important
prisoners have esCaped the hangman’s noose by being sent here
as Well. these are often politiCal or religious prisoners Who
have somehoW embarrassed the realm, yet their influenCe has
alloWed them to stay alive behind bloodshore’s massive Walls.
Case in point, rumor has it that a rash of serial killings in
Caspia over the past ten years Were Committed by one man—
salit votorr (male tordoran rgr6/rog8/exp5). a former
teaCher at Cygnar’s strategiC aCademy, he has been loCked
aWay on bloodshore island in solitary Confinement—or at
least Was. aCCording to reCent gossip, he has miraCulously
esCaped and is noW Wandering the proteCtorate making his
Way baCk toWard Caspia. if this Were true, he Would be the
first ever to have esCaped bloodshore suCCessfully in its tWo
hundred year history as Cygnar’s most renoWned and dreaded
prison. for more about bloodshore island, see Chapter
three: Cygnar.
For repeat offenders of less significant crimes—
typically thieves and ruffians—imposed labor is
popular with lawmakers, as it forces criminals to
work for the betterment of society and gives them
time to “consider the error of their ways.” The work
is hard and mindless and criminals toil in areas
where they can do little damage. Mines and quarries
are the leading beneficiaries though in recent years
railroad construction has benefited greatly from
forced labor. It is said that workers are customarily
shackled into groups to make escape difficult, though
not impossible. Criminals are housed in stone block
houses at night and fed enough to keep their strength
up for the work. Some courts allow a criminal to
bargain for a long period of imposed labor rather than
face a harsher sentence, and these people tend to work
better being liable to their former punishment if their
work falls short.
Women, younger offenders, those deemed unable
to handle the rigors of imposed labor, those unable to
meet fines, or criminals who seem earnest and capable
of reform are often sentenced to cloistering. They
are put under the authority of Church officials and
sentenced to a term ranging anywhere from one to ten
years under the guidance and tutelage of the Church.
It is the hope that these offenders become enlightened
and find a higher purpose, which is known to happen
on occasion.
Exile is another means of punishment, often
localized to a settlement or small area but sometimes
a nation. Ios, in particular, imposes exile on its people
by sending elves in violation of Iosan law to the somber
kingdoms of men. Exiles are typically marked with a
brand or scar or some other sign in order to make them
identifiable. They are escorted to the borderlands by
the authorities to ensure they take their leave and to
make certain they are not killed along the way. If they
dare ever to return home, the penalty for breaking
sentence is almost always death.
In other places branding a criminal is combined
with some other punishment, but sometimes branding
is enough by itself. A brand is typically burned onto
the skin and the pain alone has been known to kill
the weak or infirm. Brands are normally burned into
the face to make criminals easily identifiable, and the
design of the brand usually reflects the nature of the
crime, at least provincially. Clerics sympathetic to their
kingdoms refuse to heal judicial brands; in some areas
spells exist that make brands particularly difficult to
remove. Other spells and items produce brands that
never truly heal or stop hurting, but a hot iron remains
the standard method.
Mutilation is another fairly common punishment
enacted upon criminals in varying degrees of severity.
Cutting off an ear or finger is a fairly minor punishment,
while removing the hands, putting out eyes, and
amputating limbs are unmistakably more serious.
Hobbling—where the criminal’s hamstrings are cut
or his ankles are shattered so that he cannot walk—is
also popular. Clerics are known to attend mutilations to
ensure that criminals do not die from their injuries.