Greetings fellow beings of Achaea,
Much has been said of Laws in the land. With pride I point to my
own home of Hashan, and recommend that you consider her Laws. To
my knowledge, there is no equal to her Code.

When people speak of the Law of Shallam or Ashtan, what do they
speak of? They speak of Anarchy. They speak of might-makes-right.
Illegal to be a storeroom? This makes sense, but no such Laws exist
in Shallam that have publically been stated. The scrolls of the
public scribes find that scroll 1502 speaks of the Public Peace Act of
Shallam. This Act did not make the prohibition of travel into such
places. Even then, in scroll 1519 much of the Public Peace Act was
repealed by Shallam. I would see that there is no Law for Caerid to
enforce, other than that he makes by right of his position, ad-hoc,
by force of his own arms. This is not Law, this is Anarchy. Shallam
deserves better.

Let us not say that Ashtan is any better. The only Law I know of
Ashtan is the Ashtan Ambassador's Law, from scroll 1524. It is similar
to Shallam's Public Peace Act, and obviously inspired by it. Unlike
the Peace Act, I do not believe it has been revoked. Ashtan has (had?)
the concept of the Bloodfeud, which well fits the nature of Ashtan.

But both of these cities have only Laws of Ego and Might. A person of
power steps up and says "I am powerful, and if you do not do as I say
then I will kill you." This is a sad reflection upon these cities.
Only Hashan, the youngest and most modern of the Cities, has a Law
worth mentioning. Anyone can read it, at any time, simply by entering
the City and reading the Plaques upon which the Law is written.

Until Ashtan and Shallam can say the same, then their "Laws" will remain
nothing but Ego and Might. And mostly Ego, at that.

I hope that this, mayhaps stinging, commentary might spur the Two Cities
to develop Laws which can be enforced. Until then, there can be little
respect for the bluster and pronouncements of your Officers and Citizens.

Brother Thaulan, Devil's Advocate
in postscript, I am willing to help either City (or Guild) develop a set
of Laws by being an impartial third party who might provide constructive
criticism.

Penned by my hand on the 12th of Valnuary, in the year 246 AF.