To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Defender of Civilization, & c.

I have heard it said that Your convention voted today to recommend to You that You restore the practice of execution by torture. I am writing to encourage You to disregard this recommendation.

When I was a student in wizard school, I was expected to practice cantrips on my classmates, and on orphans and slaves. There were many Evils of Asmodean Cheliax that I knew were Evil, but this was not one of them. It seemed like an ordinary fact of life to me, no more Evil than it is Evil to strike a disobedient child.

I cannot say for certain, but I suspect that there are many in Your convention who view torture in the same way that I once viewed Acid Splash. Even great Evils can be difficult to see, if one has never known anything else. I hope that You will not allow Your subjects, in their inadvertent ignorance, to overrule your wise and merciful decrees.

Your humble servant,
Llora Albalat

Authorized under the Eighth Publication Statute. ❖︎❖︎❖︎

To Her Majesty, Queen of Cheliax, Sargava, Isger, and Galt:

Eight nights ago, the house where my daughter was staying burned to the ground, with my daughter and all but one of her young children still inside. By the grace of the righteous gods, her eldest son was able to flee, and now finds himself an orphan at the age of eight. 

I do not know the name of the man that killed her; I have heard many accounts of the events that preceded her boarding-house catching on fire, and it is beyond me to say which is true. I know that the greatest barrier to justice is not the laws of Cheliax, but the fact that I cannot even name the culprit.

But the newspapers say that you want to know how we feel about bringing back executions by torture. For my part, there are very few things I want more than to see the men responsible burned to death. Perhaps this is a vice; the newspapers certainly seem to think so. But if it is a vice to love my daughter, it is a vice I will admit to without hesitation.

Sincerely,

Your humble subject

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Duchess of Litran, & c.

I write on a manner of great importance for the character and faith of the people of Cheliax, and I hope that Your Majesty will find the time to give it consideration. I know that Your Majesty is certainly very busy, so I will endeavor to keep this petition brief.

Specifically, I wish to humbly request that Your Majesty outlaw egregious falsehoods by the churches of the righteous gods, or attributed to same. I do not speak here of those many falsehoods on matters difficult for mortals to know, such as matters of Pharasma's judgment, for though such falsehoods are certainly egregious, I fear that attempting to outlaw them entirely would merely result in men of good character being prosecuted for ignorance. But when the churches abuse their position to spread falsehoods that any man of good judgment can plainly see are false, they mislead some of Your Majesty's subjects, set others against the churches of the righteous gods, and convince still others that it is as if they are living once again under the tyranny of Asmodeus, who commanded us to disregard the truth whenever it was inconvenient for him.

There are many examples I could name, but most recently I refer to the pamphlet put out by Westcrown Publishing, a copy of which has been enclosed herein, attributing to the Church of Iomedae the claim that men are dissuaded from crime just as much by the threat of swift executions as by torturous executions. I do not know whether the error lies in truth with the Church, or whether Westcrown Publishing has falsely attributed to it words that it never said, but it is clear that one or the other must be true.

I do not mean to say that this is true of all men, of course. Doubtless some men greatly fear death, no matter what form it takes; doubtless other men are so foolish that they do not fear it in any form. But if I look within my own heart, I find that there are courses of actions I would take, even if in doing so I marked myself for death, and far fewer courses for which I would be willing to risk the agonizing deaths that we were once accustomed to. Perhaps it is Evil to kill a man by torture, no matter the crime. But if so, let the church of Iomedae tell us so truthfully, without cloaking the matter in pointless deceptions.

Your Majesty's Obedient Servant,

Feliu Brugué i Sabater

TO QUEEN ASPEKSIA

I HERD THAT PIPOL WANT YOU TO BRING BACK TORCHER. I DONT THINK YOU SHOULD DO THAT. MY BIG BROTHER IS IN JAIL RITE NOW FOR RITING A BAD PAMFLIT BUT I DONT WANT PEOPLE TO TORCHER HIM. HE GIVES ME RIDES ON HIS BACK AND TOT ME HOW TO REED. IF YOU BRING BACK TORCHER IT SHOULD ONLY BE FOR PIPOL WHO ARE VERY BAD AND NOT FOR PIPOL LIKE MY BROTHER.

SINCERELY GENOVEVA

May it please Your Majesty,

Due to the policies of Your Majesty's predecessors, Cheliax has an unusually large number of wizards with years of daily experience reading the minds of many persons from all walks of life. When some petitioners approach Your Majesty with a proposal, justified by a theory as how it will affect the thinking of the Chelish people, it may be useful for Your Majesty to consult those wizards as to whether the theory has any correspondence with reality.

Of course, it may save Your Majesty much time and aggravation to first ask the petitioners if they even considered they could ask such wizards what, in fact, actual Chelish people actually think.

I have the honor to remain, Madam, Your Majesty's most humble and obedient, but also prudently anonymous, subject.

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Duchess of Litran, Defender of the Righteous Gods, & c.

His Highness the Archduke Narikopolus claimed today on the floor that there has been no increase in banditry since the abolition of torture as a punishment. I do not dispute that his words may be true of Menador, but I write to provide my own account, in case it is useful for Your Majesty to hear the words of one such as I.

My lands are in the southwest of Sirmium, far from the mountains of Menador. In those baronies neighboring mine, there has been a tremendous increase in banditry, to the point that many such bandits have been driven into my own lands. Since this began, far more of my time has therefore been occupied protecting my subjects from banditry, to the point that I feared to seek election to Your Majesty's convention lest those bandits attack my subjects with impunity in my absence.

I do not know whether this increase was caused by the prohibition on torture, the troubles with the harvest, the reassignment of many local soldiers, or some other reason entirely, but I would not wish Your Majesty to mistakenly be lead to believe that there has been no such increase.

Your Majesty's loyal and obedient servant,

Baron Malaquies Aspex Gomis i Vallverdú de Llorac

Your Illustrious and Heavenly Majesty Aspexia III,

I apologize if I do not know the proper terms of address for a petition to you and do not intend any disrespect. I heard from a messenger and the newspaper that the convention wants to kill people on the wheel and the pyre and torture them and throw them to lions. My son rioted last week, and he's been executed now, and I wouldn't want him to have been tortured, too. My husband thought Marc would have been warned off if the penalty was worse, but I think that's nonsense; he was being a fool and he'd still have been a fool. I don't want any more young fools thrown to lions or broken on the wheel and I don't think you should approve the law. A quiet death in the Final Blade is enough to punish them for their offenses against Your Majesty and your law.

Having a list of punishments and not letting anybody hand out anything they invented for themselves is good, though. I don't think I need to tell you about the nasty things the old Lord Mayor -- not the one from Andoran who we haven't heard from since the riots, the old old Lord Mayor -- chose as punishments. If you send the convention a reply, I'd be thankful if you told them that was good and they should send a new one that has that but without the torture.

Thank you greatly for everything you've done.

Your obedient subject,
Marta Gisbert

Your Majesty,

I spoke most of this on the convention floor, so I will be brief. I do not believe there is a good case for the abolishment of torturous execution increasing crime; Menador did not see it, and when I did something similar at times in Kintargo I did not either, though much else changed along with it. Iomedae's word is that it is wrong and unnecessary. While the convention has asked for it, I think it is unwise and should not be done, and if you choose to exercise your discretion on matters other than foreign policy this is a good time to do it.

Separately and personally, I would be extremely grateful. I found ordering torturous executions and seeing how it affected those of my citizens who observed them to be among the most painful of duties my role as Lord Mayor under the Thrunes required. I had hoped very intensely I would be forever done with it. It is bad for those ordering it and bad for your other subjects, in that nature of the soul which causes Pharasma's judgments. I have no fear of my own Judgment; but nevertheless I would very much like not to be duty-bound to do more Evil, particularly in this way, and for all the other lords who have not seen it so clearly I wish that neither will they.

Your loyal and grateful subject and vassal,
Archduchess Jilia Bainilus de Ravounel i Kintargo

To Her Majesty the Queen,

I heard that today your convention proposed that you bring back punishing people by torture. I am writing to you to petition to you not to listen to them. The Good churches say that torture is a great Evil, and Cheliax should not do Evil even if the convention asks you to.

I read in the newspaper that many people spoke out for torture even after a paladin explained to them that it was wrong. I am not sure if it would violate your law against proscription lists to send you a copy of the newspaper, but they are being sold cheaply in front of the convention hall. The men who argued in favor of torture should be put to death on suspicion of serving Asmodeus, so that everyone learns that they should not try to make Evil laws.

Sincerely,

Orió Horta

To Her Majesty the Queen,

Torture is Asmodean. We are not Asmodean any more so we should not torture people. But it is really very sad that all the games have been cancelled. The trials are not as good. I think that there could be games where the prisoners die very quickly. You could use ambush predators which kill in one blow instead of the kind of predators that eat their prey alive. This would be both Good and fun for everyone. 

To Catherine Aspexia Euphemia etcetcetc, defender and liberator of Cheliax,

What you want are daredevil acts where people do (for example) cartwheels on a tightrope that's on fire while lions prowl below. It's dangerous work but everything worthwhile is and the point isn't for them to die, the crowd is rooting for them, which is an important difference but it scratches the same itch.

I know a guy, if you're interested.

- Other Cat

To our Wise, Just, and Merciful Queen, Aspexia III, Hero of Westcrown, Slayer of the Rough Beast, from Your Majesty's ever-loyal subject, Uries Teixidor:

Torture is Asmodean. It pleases Asmodeus to witness it, whether it is His servant or another who carries it out; I have heard it said that the practice of torture makes Him mightier, just as the creation of art rebounds unto the greater glory of Shelyn. The convention wrongs all Good people when it seeks to increase the use of torture, as the High Paladin of Iomedae recognized.

But even if the most Asmodean of punishments remain prohibited, and are not reintroduced, there are many punishments that have not been abolished which nonetheless serve Asmodeus. The practice of sentencing men to indenture serves Asmodeus, Who delights in tyranny in all its forms; the practice of executing convicts by any means but the Final Blade serves Asmodeus, Who rejoices to welcome new souls into His demesne; the practice of whipping serves Asmodeus, who is gladdened by our pain and suffering. I know that You did not mean to serve Asmodeus in allowing these punishments to stand, but rather think such punishments necessary; yet the convention has handed You an opportunity to abolish Asmodean punishments in all their forms.

What punishments, then, do not serve Asmodeus? There are many, some common and some uncommon. Maiming does not serve Asmodeus in itself, so long as it is not done with undue pain. Imprisonment does not serve Asmodeus. Execution by the Final Blade does not serve Asmodeus. Pillory does not serve Asmodeus. Exile does not serve Asmodeus. Ensorcelling a man to prevent him from further crimes, as You have wisely done to the magistrates of Westcrown, does not serve Asmodeus. Fines do not serve Asmodeus, so long as the profits of the fine are directed to Good causes rather than to the coffers of Hell.

I know that such a change would be unusual by any standard, but if our country is to be free of Hell, it is best to be free of its influence in all its forms. I humbly thank You for Your consideration of this petition.

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Defender of Civilization, & c.

Forgive me, Your Majesty, if I write to You in the manner of one unaccustomed to the manner of speaking of Chelish nobility. I am Mendevian by birth, and am not by rights a citizen of Your Majesty. I have served for approximately two years in the Glorious Reclamation, and since Cheliax was retaken I have primarily ridden assize to administer justice in Sirmium.

I do not presume to speak on matters of lawmaking, in which I have little experience. But I worry that, in issuing its recommendations concerning criminal punishment, Your Majesty's convention has not fully considered the implications of the present form of Chelish justice. The vast majority of magistrates and bailiffs have been replaced by paladins riding assize, which poses unique constraints not present during the time when the proposed slate of punishments were in common use.

In the country of my birth, there are many who believe that paladins ought not be involved in the administration of justice, either because they believe that such duties will invariably cause us to Fall or because they believe we will be unwilling to (as I have commonly heard it put) "do what must be done." It is widely believed that the use of torture as a judicial punishment was a major contributing factor in known instances of paladins Falling in the course of administering justice in Mendev, and I have no reason to think this belief is mistaken.

I am sure that there are many considerations here that I know nothing of, and I would not presume to question whatever decision you arrive at. I ask only that, regardless of Your Majesty's decision, Your Majesty not implement a policy that would compel paladins on assize to administer punishments that will predictably cause us to Fall.

Iomedae's blessings upon you,

Ser Jorsa Kamalim

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Defender of Civilization, & c.

This morning the Constitutional Convention voted, among other matters, to recommend a restoration of those punishments in common use in Arodenite Cheliax. Since that vote, a newspaper was put about calling on Your subjects to petition You in opposition. I am sure I need not explain why this is a poor matter of soliciting the opinion of the common people , who have already made their opinion known through Your convention; but as it is certainly possible for the people to be in error, I shall address instead why I believe this recommendation to be prudent.

In my first life, it was a teaching of the Church of Aroden, widely recognized among all those who studied governance, that it was sometimes necessary to carry out actions of uncertain character for the Good of the people of Cheliax. It is in this manner that I believe the practice of torturous executions ought best be understood. Certainly it would be better if the practice proved to be unnecessary, as it is in Lastwall, but merely wishing so will not make it true. To experiment with such merciful punishments is admirable, but an excess of mercy may prove dangerous if it is not tempered with justice when necessary.

I have heard tale (though I know not whether it is true) of a general of early Taldor, who was delayed by the weather, having been ordered to bring his armies to the defense of Highhelm. If he arrived late, he would be put to death; and so he raised his armies in rebellion against the Emperor, for the penalty for treason was also death. So, too, with many criminals. If the worst sentence the law provides for is death, a man who has committed a single capital crime has no reason to fear what the law will do to him if he commits further crimes. Indeed, he may be actively encouraged down the path of murder, if it will allow him to kill witnesses or evade capture. 

I do not doubt that torturous executions are unnecessary in Lastwall. But they were necessary in the Cheliax of my birth, and they are all the more necessary in the Cheliax where I now find myself, where many men have put aside virtue almost entirely. I do not believe such punishments ought to be used frequently, and I hope that they will only rarely be necessary, as even the chance of a slow death will dissuade many men who would gladly risk a swift one. If Your Majesty were to limit the torturous punishments only to those convicted of high treason, and to those who committed multiple separate capital crimes, I would find such restrictions wholly reasonable. But I fear that banning the practice entirely, even in the most extreme circumstances, will strip our magistrates of a necessary tool for the maintenance of public order.

In saying this I do not presume to command Your Majesty, for I am certain that there are a great many considerations which I in my ignorance am unaware of. I wish only to explain my thinking on this matter, that Your Majesty may take it into due consideration in deciding whether to implement the Convention's recommendations.

Your humble servant,

Jonatan Castell i Bover de Cerdanya

To Her Majesty, etc.:

The papers have encouraged the people to flood your office with petitions; I hope I am not overburdening you by adding my letter to the pile, and will be brief.

The common people do not understand what is good, or what is good for them, and the convention has askied you for a monstrosity that I pray you will not grant. None should be compelled to fight against beasts in front of a crowd, which has few of the salubrious effects of severe punishment and instead makes popular heroes of the condemned. If there must be bloodsport--and I fear the people have made their voice loud on this point--let it be only of brave volunteers, whose victories will strengthen the realm.

Your humble servant,

Duke de Fraga ◬

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax &c,

I expect that you have a great many Advisors and Petitioners on this and other topics and so I will seek to be brief. I have registered already my opposition to implementing torturous punishments via my Vote in the Convention, but did not successfully compose at the time any more detailed Considerations to put to the floor before cloture was called, and now offer the following for Your Majesty's Attention instead.

- My understanding is that some persons implementing justice in your service are under Enchantments. I have no reason to object to this Practice except insofar as I would counsel that they must be offered the opportunity to leave their Posts, or the Discretion to refuse to hand down torturous Sentences, or both, should those Sentences become available.

- The limited code of laws of Cheliax does not at present include a Duty to Report and I would likewise caution against implementing such in an environment where Torture is used.

- If definitive Guidance can be had from any Good god on situations in which Suicide is not evil, it might serve as a compromise to offer the condemned the means to send themselves onward to Eternity before their scheduled Executions. In the unlikely event that Your Majesty has no better and swifter source of Confirmation on this matter I intend to research it among other things on my next visit to Lastwall and can relate what I discover there.

- While it is unlikely that it will prove difficult in practice to employ Voluntary Executioners no matter the means chosen, it seems likely important that there be no provision for Obliging the service of any Torturous Executioner, such that if the day arrives when no man would choose this Profession it will be done without.

- While the anticipation of forthcoming Torture will most likely make the task of a Spiritual Counselor far more difficult it does not thereby obviously make it less incumbent upon the State to give the condemned some extended period of Time in which to Contemplate their possible fate and means of changing it, with a Priest of the Permissible God of their choice.

- If you should choose based on the balance of considerations to Illuse the executions for the appeasement of the spectators while in truth swiftly Executing them, please do not tell me (nor most probably any other Iomedaeans who have similar commitments to Honesty) and be aware of the considerable Operational Security constraints thus imposed.

Your subject,
Select Blai Artigas

To Her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, Queen of Cheliax &c,

I think that you should take seriously what the convention says when the convention has given it due consideration and many people reviewed the bill and discussed and improved it. But I think you should know that is not what happened with the torture and lions bill. No one approached us to work on it or look at the old codes to see what it was used for and how often. The lions were added at the last minute. It's not clear if it ends the choice of the Final Blade or not or makes it the magistrate's decision. It is less like the convention presenting you with a carefully reviewed proposal acceptable to your lords and churches and more like a protest by many convention attendees against being bored. Just so you know as this may be relevant to whether you want to make it a law. 

Lots of us are working very hard in your service on learning about the law so we can make a good constitution and we had nothing to do with this.

Your subject,
Mariona

To Her Majesty Aspexia III, Queen of Cheliax, Duchess of Crownbay, Defender of Civilization and the Righteous Gods, &c.,

I am not sure if anyone's told you everything from the convention today. I was there, though I am not a delegate. Some men, your nobles, said we should make there be a list of punishments, and not allow anything else. That part was wise and I agree. Some of them are nasty ones, though; they want the pyre for anyone called a heretic, and breaking on the wheel for something, and some kind of dismemberment I had to have explained to me. I really don't think we need that. I hear you said this morning that if something that if something was very foolish you would refuse it, and I think maybe you should do that to this.

But then another man added something else, and the convention approved it. He said that one of the punishments should be throwing people to lions. And I don't think you should allow that. Watching men fight beasts is exciting, and I suppose many people find it more interesting when the men are weak and likely to lose instead of skilled and most likely to win, but I think that is probably not what courts and justice are supposed to be for. It did not seem well-considered, and there was not much debate on it, and it seems unwise. Most likely even if you allow the rest you should forbid that and order something else to allow gladiators.

I work for the Archduchess of Ravounel but she didn't ask me or her staff to write any of these, just to be messengers to people we'd met who might want to. She wrote one herself, someone else is delivering it. I don't think I have to tell you this but one of her other staff said to me that it might be fine to keep secrets from your queen and it is probably fine to write petitions to her but doing both at once is very foolish, and I think that is probably right. So I am being very honest.

Your loyal subject,
Txell Bernat of Kintargo

To the Current Queen of Cheliax

Please make executions and hitting people illegal. Also, Free Eriape. 

The Urchin Paloma.

To Her Majesty Aspexia III, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Isger, Duchess of Crownbay, Defender of Civilization and the Righteous Gods, &c.,

The people of Cheliax do not know very much about Iomedae. It explains everything in her holy book but it is kind of long and I know a lot of people who have not read it (though they are loyal of course). Also there is no sport and no games right now. I have an idea. You should have games that are based on the Acts, where the contestants must fight a Nakorshormond, a coven of witches, a gargoyle, a horde of wraiths, an Erumhel, a pack of sea-ghouls, a graveknight, a vampire, and a faceless stalker. Then if they succeed at all of these things they should be knighted as a great defender of the land. This would inform people about Iomedae and also we would identify great and worthy heroes to follow her and also the fights would be really fun and varied.

Thank you,

Meritxell Cannatos