Toni Sihvonen (order #92780) 62.142.248.1

Toni Sihvonen (order #92780) 6
even slay their own brothers. Still others attack the theod
itself, by attacking the liege or by betraying him to enemies.
Such men turn their backs on the theod, so the theod
turns its back on them. A man’s cynn has no claim to
wergild if he is caught and slain while committing a bootless
crime. If he flees, his own cynn must hunt him. If
brought to trial, he will probably be renounced by his
cynn, reduced to a nithing, and then exiled - or perhaps
hung from a dead tree and buried in an unmarked grave.
Folkmoot and Court
The folcgemot (“folkmoot”, gathering) is the gathering of
all free Saxons of a district. Here, marriages and trades are
arranged, and matters of Saxon law are argued at the
local level. Most lawsuits never go beyond the level of
the folkmoot, both sides agreeing to the doom (judgment)
of the moot. A cyning may want cases heard a
specified number of times by the folkmoot before he will
hear them, to keep from being bogged down in legal disputes.
The folkmoot may be the gathering of all men of a small
theod, or the gathering of a district in a cyningdom. The
folkmoot meets once a month in the same place, often a
well known landmark like a barrow or a local leader’s
house. A small trading fair might accompany the moot, as
traders must be vouched for by local men before wandering
the land. Lawsuits about land, cattle, debts, or
wergild may be heard. The moot is overseen by a gerefa,
an ealdorman, or the aetheling himself in a new theod.
When a lawsuit comes before this moot judge, the accuser
summons the defender. If the defender does not come
to a specified number of folkmoots (three or fewer,
depending on local custom), then the accuser wins by
default. Otherwise, the accuser faces the defender, swears
“not out of hatred or malice or wrongful covetousness”
to the defendant’s guilt, and demands some boot. The
defender swears his innocence. Both sides have until the
next folkmoot to gather athfultum (“oath-helpers”: like
modern character witnesses), who will back their claims.
A man’s cynn and lord are his most likely athfultum, but
the more times a man is accused of crimes, the fewer athfultum
he will be able to muster, as even his family gives
up on him. Customarily, neither side brings more than
twelve athfultum.
The judge decides the case by totaling the “oath-weight”
of the accuser, the defender, and their athfultum. A man’s
oath-weight equals his wergild, which is modified, in
Pendragon, by Glory and skill use. Besides the total oathweight
of the accuser, defender, and athfultum, a judge
may consider the oath-weight of witnesses he himself
summons, or the value of circumstantial evidence - but
unless such evidence is overwhelming, oath-weight will
carry the day. The accuser wins the case unless his side’s
oath-weight is exceeded (not just tied) by the defender’s.
The judge may assign more or less boot than the accuser
asked, according to his Generosity, his Mercy, and his
understanding of the law. [Oath-weight: page 1291
A defender who can’t muster enough oath-weight may
request trial by ordeal. His accusers choose whether he
will endure the ordeal by cold water, by hot water, or by
iron. Other ordeals may be allowed by the judge (or the
gamemaster). Ordeal by combat is rare but acceptable,
usually between cynings or ealdormen. Each man may
have a champion fight for him, rather than risk death or
injury over a trivial case. [Legal Ordeals: page 1281
The Renounced, the Utlaga, and the Nithing
If a man’s cynn tire of paying for his crimes, they may
renounce him. They no longer need pay for his crimes,
but neither can they claim wergild or vengeance on his
behalf. This decision usually rests with the oldest of the
cynn, but he is expected to follow the majority. A
renounced man has no cynn. In theory, he still has a
wergild and a lord, but most renounced men become
thieves, or serve as heorthgeneats in another theod. [New
trait and passion rules - Renounced by Cynn: page 1231
A man renounced by his whole theod becomes an utlaga
(“outlaw”). This is the automatic result of conviction for
a bootless offense. An utlaga has no wergild. If not immediately
executed, the utlaga must flee his theod, perhaps
with the help of cynn or friends who still value his life.
Many stories tell of utlagas who adopt new identities and
become valued mercenaries under foreign kings. Such stories
usually end when the utlaga’s accusers catch up with
him, and the foreign king must either Justly put the utlaga
in their hands or Arbitrarily fight them off. Rarely, an
utlaga redeems himself in foreign lands and comes home
covered in gold and glory.
A man renounced by cynn, kings, and gods is a nithing
(“nothing” or “nobody”), rejected by his fellow Saxons
for the murder of guests, hosts, cynn, or lord: for desertion
in battle (under any circumstances, if a heorthgeneat):
or for becoming an utlaga. In game terms, a Saxon
is in danger of nithinghood if his Honor or Hospitality