This page accompanies this ‘in setting scholarship’ post
Taldyr – The Right to Bear Arms
The Right to Bear Arms is one of the two central privileges of nobility, together with the Right to Hospitality. It is most strictly adhered to in the Kingdoms of Mur, Selinus, and Iurrak, but the concept is so old it has influence far beyond their borders. Though lost to the depths of time, scholars theorise that the principle was first codified some twelve millennia ago in one of the ancestor kingdoms that later became Selinus.
The principle is simple. The right to employ violence, and therefore to wield weapons, belongs to the sovereign, as do many other rights. From this follows that only the sovereign and his retinue, that is his nobles, may bear arms. Nobles are extensions of the sovereign’s power, and their Armsright is therefore inherent. All others may only wield weapons if explicitly authorised by a noble. Alongside this, the sovereign and his nobles are bound to keep the Peace, whatever that means in their own lands, which is why they alone hold Armsrights by birth.
These rights also have consequences in law. A noble killing a commoner is unlikely to be punished. Iurrak is slightly more progressive than Selinus, allowing a commoner’s family to seek compensation if the killing was unjust, though they must do so in a noble’s court, often the very court of the slayer. In Selinus, there are no penalties at all for a noble slaying a commoner, except if another noble objects because the victim was useful to them and wishes to make a point of it in Court. Mur occupies a middle ground: a commoner may petition for compensation, but only in the court of the noble who issued the Armsright. This is highly restrictive. If slain by a caravan guard, the victim’s family must petition the King’s Court, often far away. If slain by a lesser noble, that same noble decides whether any compensation is owed. For nobles killing nobles, the case goes to the next superior lord, often the King himself.
Heraldry and Legitimacy
In practice, the Right to Bear Arms is inseparable from heraldry. Nobles may carry weapons openly without displaying heraldry, since their very person embodies authority. All others must display the colours of the noble who issued their Armsright, marking them as acting in that lord’s name.
An organisation like the Caravanners’ Guild, which operates across kingdoms, holds charters from the Kings of Selinus, Mur, Iurrak, and others. These allow Caravan Masters to list armed guards on their rolls. Guards are expected to display their master’s heraldry, though in practice this is not always observed. The Guild’s charter specifies that this heraldry may substitute for royal arms, presumably because kings do not wish their colours associated with the riff-raff who serve as caravan guards.
Crimes and Penalties
Carrying arms without an Armsright can be taken as impersonation of a noble, a capital offence punishable by hanging, drawing, and quartering. In practice, fines and confiscations are far more common, since a constable or noble profits from the punishment. In such cases, the crime is framed not as “impersonating a noble” but as “failing to prove an Armsright.”
A harsher variant exists: “raising arms against the realm.” Since any weapon not sanctioned by an extension of the king is deemed to be against him, the penalty is summary execution by whatever method the local noble or constable deems expeditious.
Groups wielding weapons without heraldry are automatically bandits, rebels, or traitors. Displaying unauthorised heraldry carries the same penalties as wielding arms without right, so outlaws rarely bother. More refined impostors, however, sometimes find it useful.
Possession versus Wielding
It is worth noting that simple possession of weapons is not a crime. The offence lies in wielding them or having them ready to wield. This distinction is open to interpretation. A constable with a grudge might consider a crossbow stowed within reach on a wagon “ready to wield,” while in another case it might be judged as merely “stored,” which carries no penalty.