Education and Law

Education

The Gentle Sea is sponsored by the Crown and has taken charge of the education of the country using the money given to them. Because of this, most people in Arascon are at least moderately educated. About 70% of the population can read and write in the common tongue: Aras. Most people have an understanding of the basic history of the nation. All people know of the Gods, their prophecies, their hierarchy and the basics of spirituality.

Schools of the Gentle Sea are different from city to city. Many adapt their schools to teach things of importance to the city. Some schools teach animal husbandry, farming and agriculture while others teach alchemy, herbalism and brewing. In larger cities there are several schools and some specialize more than others giving people a choice of studies. Schools that teach people to become priests, clerics and future educators are found in just about every city.

Most children spend at least 3 years in school, though some spend more. Generally, schools are split into divisions by age or discipline. A student may learn all their is to know about animal husbandry at a school, but never learn how to write. The courses that a student takes are chosen by the parent under the advise of the teachers at the school. Most schools have five to ten teachers and no headmaster. The Teachers work together to determine curriculum and the needs of the students attending.

Law

Most people know about the common law and have access to the courts. There are those who live in smaller villages who do not have access to a court of the Balanced Scales, but all people have the right to a trial by jury and judge to at least receive punishment for their crimes. It should be noted that all people are considered guilty until proven innocent.

In court, people on both sides are assigned lawyers by the judge of the case. This is to ensure that both sides are treated fairly and one person is no better represented than the other. This includes people who are in court against the city or country for breaking laws. Juries are chosen from disciples of the local Balanced Scales. Disciples are people who are not yet qualified to be Judges or Lawyers but still serve within the Balanced Scales.

Laws tried by the Balanced Scales are those created by the Sodality. These include common laws, contractual laws, trade laws and magical laws. There are also Laws of the Crown. If these laws are broken, the accused is taken before the Noble of the land with a representative of the Balanced Scales. If the noble finds the person guilty of breaking the Law of the Crown, the person is then sent onto the Crown for final judgement. Usually Laws of the Crown are punishable by death.

Nobles can only be tried by Law of the Crown as common law does not apply to them if they have the title of at least Patri/Matri. Royalty cannot be tried under any law and their punishment is left up to the Gods.