--- erik at debill.org wrote: > > If their justice system was fair, Vlad wouldn't be > forced to accept a > beating at the hands of the Phoenix guard. He would > be able to defend > himself and then get acquitted on the grounds that > he was defending > himself. > Not everything that's fair is successful all the time. During many reigns people can probably succeed when bringing unprovoked attacks by the Guard to attention (if there are surviving witnesses). Vlad, however, must follow the Jhereg rules on these matters. He can't fight them, even to defend himself, because injured or dead Phoenix Guards will make the remaining ones eager to shut down and harrass as many Jhereg in the area as they can. Usually the Jhereg rules prevent criminals from trying to evade arrest for crimes they've committed or have knowledge of; they exist so their strategy can be one of bribery, deception and courtly intrigue instead of war with the authorities. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com