Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 30, 2019 19:22:35 GMT -5
The world of magic exists disconnected from the "normal" world and society; while just about every mage has a life in normal society as well, they also keep their "normal" life and "magic" life separate.
Because of this unusual nature of existence, as magic factions became more common and began communicating, it became clear that there was a glaring issue that needed resolution- how to ensure that mages didn't abuse their power and go on to rule the world with an iron fist.
Realizing something needed to exist to keep the magic world from devolving into chaos, and ensure mages who committed evil acts were held accountable in situations outside of faction warfare, It was in 1250, in the decades just before the renaissance that a new organization was born to solve this dilemma: Majika Supremus
Majika Supremus is the law enforcement and judicial body of the world of magic. If one mage murders another mage, or commits any other crime for that matter- it is Majika Supremus who ensures that the criminal is served justice.
Because their focus is strictly on the administering and enforcement of the Judicial Law of Magic, The Corrupted Heart Standard is irrelevant to them, because they judge based on actions taken and motives thereof, not if they are "evil by nature" since in principle, anyone has the potential to commit a crime. For example- if two good mages were to get into an argument that suddenly spun out of control and one killed the other out of anger, this one, single act is not enough to fully corrupt a hear and make them evil. If the mage were to plea that "I am not a bad man, my heart is not corrupted as you can see" the mages of Majika Supremus would say "this is irrelevant; your actions speak louder than your heart"
That said- like normal courts there is no "one size fits all" sentencing and there are mitigating factors that can lessen sentencing. Like normal courts, Majika Supremus does differentiate between:
First degree murder (killed, with intent)
Second degree murder (killed, without intent)
Manslaughter (accidental killing)
Reckless endangerment (no intent to kill, but killed due to an committing an act that created a substantial risk)
Gross negligence (dead to due disregard for safety)
Because not all criminals are created equal, Majika Supremus follows a policy of "Restoration for the remorseful, Retribution for the wicked." If a criminal feels genuinely guilty about their actions and wishes to redeem themselves, then Majika Supremus will not "set them up to fail" and as part of sentencing will ensure they have a chance to turn a new leaf after completing their debt to society. However, truly wicked criminals who are proud of their actions are given the harshest of punishments... in old days this often included torture, but following the enlightenment of the 18th century "Cruel and unusual" punishments were abolished in favor of imprisonment and other, more humane methods.
Majika Supremus is composed of five main branches to ensure the Judicial law of magic is carried out most effectively:
The Paladin Division- essentially the "police officers" of the magic world, who have the authority to arrest and charge with crimes
The Court Division- The judges who administer trials and the attorneys who represent the plaintiffs and defendants. Unlike the courts of the "normal" world, funding is evenly split between prosecution and defense to ensure a fair trial. Most trials in the magic world are bench trials; jury trials are rare and were most phased out in the 20th century due to frustrations over low turnout. While it is true that in the world of magic racism and bigotry are virtually non-existent the same problems that plague "normal" juries also plague juries in magic world trials. While defendants are often given the choice of a jury trial, they often opt for a bench trial to avoid the time consuming process of selecting a jury... and dealing with the never-ending list of excuses to get out of jury duty.
The Corrections Division- Paladins and other mages specifically dedicated to working the prisons of the Magic world. Majika Supremus Operates Four facilities to house the magic world's prisons:
Detention Facility 1: Based in a facility located outside Allegheny National Forest in the United States, the "low danger" criminals are housed here. Non-violent offenses of the magic world committed by remorseful criminals are given the necessary rehabilitation and help needed to thrive in the outside world. Modeled after the prison system used in Norway
Detention Facility 2: Based in a facility in Northern Sweden, these are the mages who by "normal" people would be considered "mentally ill." Criminals who acted due to psychological problems are housed here; again following the principles of restorative justice, the environment is more akin to a hospital than a prison.
Detention Facility 3: Based in the "middle of nowhere" in a vast stretch of the Sahara Desert, the violent criminals who showed no remorse are housed here. Although there are life imprisonment residents here, no one who is given a death penalty is sent here. No mage has ever attempted to escape due to... obvious reasons. Although opportunities for rehabilitation are provided, few of the residents take these opportunities
Detention Facility 5: Based in the remote wilderness of Siberia in Russia, the "Death row" of the facilities. Majika Supremus rarely issues the death penalty; and the facility's population has never gone above 50. Reserved only for those who committed the most heinous of crimes, and those who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc. Prisoners sent here are given one year to "make peace" before their time comes. Because Majika Supremus refrains from the cruel and unusual, executions are done "quickly and painlessly" versus "slow and painful."
There did used to be a Detention Facility 4, also based in Russia. Essentially the twin to Facility 3, it also housed violent criminals who did not get the death penalty. After it was destroyed in the Tunguska event of 1908, Majika Supremus decided not to bother rebuilding on the grounds that the "current prison population did not justify its need any longer."
The High Council-
If any entity comes closest to being "ruler of the magic world" it is the High Council. Members are elected to serve in 10 year terms. While this may seem long, remember the historical context: The High Council was established in 1250 with the organization; and because of the concern over the problematic logistics of 2,4, and 6 year elections, 10 years was the result of a compromise to ensure the adequate time necessary to hold the necessary elections and have ample turn-out. The alternative, life appointment, was seen as "out of the question" because mages wanted to ensure that members were elected based on merit, not heritage. Furthermore, members are limited to three terms (though there is currently discussion to reduce it to two terms).
The role of the High Council is two-fold: to give final approval of the laws created by The House of Debate (see below) and to ac as judges in trials involving war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Now on the surface this may seem like a lot of power to have, but context is key. Concern over making one single person "ruler over all magic" lead to the creation of the council, as opposed to a single office. Across the world of magic, it was decided that no one person should ever hold the title "King of the Mages" and thus, the council was created to ensure this would never happen.
When initially created, there were fourteen "chairs" on the council. Each chair represented a region of the world. Because mages explored the world long before the "normal" world, by 1250 the magic world of Africa, Europe Asia, and even Australia and the various pacific islands were already "united".
The Thirteen chairs represented: Northern Europe (predominantly Scandinavia), Southern Europe (predominantly Spain, Italy and Greece), Eastern Europe (predominantly the Baltic States, Ukraine and Belarus) Western Europe (predominantly United Kingdom, France, Germany), Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, Middle East, Russia, India, China, Japan, the Pacific Islands and Australia.
After 1600, three chairs were added for North America, Central America and South America.
Now, on the surface it does seem that Australia, Russia, China, India, and Japan have a lot more power compared to Europe, Africa and the Americas, but again, context is key. In those parts of the world, there are fewer countries that cover large areas, so grouping by country was more practical. Furthermore, do not forget that in terms of population, the "magic" population is quite low, relative to the normal population.
In fact, compared to Europe and Africa, the number of factions in Russia, China, Japan, India and Australia was rather low, so the fact that the five chairs weren't combined into two or three was... surprisingly a topic of much debate at the time.
In times of disaster or strife, the High Council's job was to be the "voice of condolence and assurance" in troubled times; figures who would provide hope in times of trouble.
Magic warfare was inevitable; because magic had the potential to be far more destructive than regular warfare ever could be, The High Council and the House of Debate instituted "The Charter for the Rules of Engagement of Magical Warfare" in 1274l this became the first act of what eventually became known as the Constantinople Accords. These today are seen as the equivalent for the Geneva Conventions for regular warfare.
If mages commit war crimes or crimes against humanity, rather than go on trial under the Court Division, they are judged by the High Council directly, to "set an example of how heinous the crimes committed are"
The House of Debate
Created in the 1600s and inspired by Britain's parliament, to ensure that the factions had a louder voice for the passage of the Judicial Laws of Magic. Membership was voluntary, but the vast majority of factions decided to take part anyway because they wanted to guarantee their voice would be heard. Only evil factions did not participate in the House of Debate.
Like modern congresses today, the House of Debate has the power to introduce bills, debate over them, and pass them, so the High Council may ratify them. Since the number of factions was prone to fluctuation over the years, the decision was made that for a bill to pass, a "2/3 majority" was the only requirement.
Due to decline in factions and faction membership, the House of Debate has steadily grown smaller and smaller. This has lead many to argue that house should be disbanded, especially "since this new, modern generation of independent mages hasn't given us a real solution to the problem."
The High Council has been preparing for the day when they would lose the House of Debate for some time now; other still though fear that it will be a "crisis of global proportions" should the House be disbanded.
One thing that is important to note: despite the impression given here, the High Council and House of Debate are not "political" in nature. In fact, in the magic world political parties are actually illegal, "to ensure the integrity of those who serve the magic world and make it clear that they serve the will of the people, not the agenda of a select few"
As such, debates are handled maturely and respectfully here; with those who serve motivated by the will to go what is right for the Magic world, rather than select organizations of the magic world.
......
Although the factions are represented in the House of Debate, the High Council and other divisions of Majika Supremus are required to maintain neutrality to ensure no bias. As such, the mages of Majika Supremus are required to resign from any other faction they may be a part of prior to joining.
Traditionally, Majika Supremus was based in Constantinople/Istanbul, the "crossroads of the world" for the time, given it's relative central location between Africa, Europe and Asia. Today, they are based in the Magic Underground, with special access points to their prisons which make transportation more efficient.
Criticism of the organization does exist. Some argue that they have too much power. Actually, the fact that they handle all matters concerning the Judicial law of magic is quite beneficial to magic society. By eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy and avoiding creating multiple organizations that could overlap and compete for jurisdiction, the Judicial System in the magic world actually runs rather smoothly and efficiently compared to the judicial systems of the "normal" world.
In fact- following the complete failure of Private Prisons in the United States, support for Majika Supremus to keep maintaining the Four Prisons of the Magic World remains at an all-time high.
Because of this unusual nature of existence, as magic factions became more common and began communicating, it became clear that there was a glaring issue that needed resolution- how to ensure that mages didn't abuse their power and go on to rule the world with an iron fist.
Realizing something needed to exist to keep the magic world from devolving into chaos, and ensure mages who committed evil acts were held accountable in situations outside of faction warfare, It was in 1250, in the decades just before the renaissance that a new organization was born to solve this dilemma: Majika Supremus
Majika Supremus is the law enforcement and judicial body of the world of magic. If one mage murders another mage, or commits any other crime for that matter- it is Majika Supremus who ensures that the criminal is served justice.
Because their focus is strictly on the administering and enforcement of the Judicial Law of Magic, The Corrupted Heart Standard is irrelevant to them, because they judge based on actions taken and motives thereof, not if they are "evil by nature" since in principle, anyone has the potential to commit a crime. For example- if two good mages were to get into an argument that suddenly spun out of control and one killed the other out of anger, this one, single act is not enough to fully corrupt a hear and make them evil. If the mage were to plea that "I am not a bad man, my heart is not corrupted as you can see" the mages of Majika Supremus would say "this is irrelevant; your actions speak louder than your heart"
That said- like normal courts there is no "one size fits all" sentencing and there are mitigating factors that can lessen sentencing. Like normal courts, Majika Supremus does differentiate between:
First degree murder (killed, with intent)
Second degree murder (killed, without intent)
Manslaughter (accidental killing)
Reckless endangerment (no intent to kill, but killed due to an committing an act that created a substantial risk)
Gross negligence (dead to due disregard for safety)
Because not all criminals are created equal, Majika Supremus follows a policy of "Restoration for the remorseful, Retribution for the wicked." If a criminal feels genuinely guilty about their actions and wishes to redeem themselves, then Majika Supremus will not "set them up to fail" and as part of sentencing will ensure they have a chance to turn a new leaf after completing their debt to society. However, truly wicked criminals who are proud of their actions are given the harshest of punishments... in old days this often included torture, but following the enlightenment of the 18th century "Cruel and unusual" punishments were abolished in favor of imprisonment and other, more humane methods.
Majika Supremus is composed of five main branches to ensure the Judicial law of magic is carried out most effectively:
The Paladin Division- essentially the "police officers" of the magic world, who have the authority to arrest and charge with crimes
The Court Division- The judges who administer trials and the attorneys who represent the plaintiffs and defendants. Unlike the courts of the "normal" world, funding is evenly split between prosecution and defense to ensure a fair trial. Most trials in the magic world are bench trials; jury trials are rare and were most phased out in the 20th century due to frustrations over low turnout. While it is true that in the world of magic racism and bigotry are virtually non-existent the same problems that plague "normal" juries also plague juries in magic world trials. While defendants are often given the choice of a jury trial, they often opt for a bench trial to avoid the time consuming process of selecting a jury... and dealing with the never-ending list of excuses to get out of jury duty.
The Corrections Division- Paladins and other mages specifically dedicated to working the prisons of the Magic world. Majika Supremus Operates Four facilities to house the magic world's prisons:
Detention Facility 1: Based in a facility located outside Allegheny National Forest in the United States, the "low danger" criminals are housed here. Non-violent offenses of the magic world committed by remorseful criminals are given the necessary rehabilitation and help needed to thrive in the outside world. Modeled after the prison system used in Norway
Detention Facility 2: Based in a facility in Northern Sweden, these are the mages who by "normal" people would be considered "mentally ill." Criminals who acted due to psychological problems are housed here; again following the principles of restorative justice, the environment is more akin to a hospital than a prison.
Detention Facility 3: Based in the "middle of nowhere" in a vast stretch of the Sahara Desert, the violent criminals who showed no remorse are housed here. Although there are life imprisonment residents here, no one who is given a death penalty is sent here. No mage has ever attempted to escape due to... obvious reasons. Although opportunities for rehabilitation are provided, few of the residents take these opportunities
Detention Facility 5: Based in the remote wilderness of Siberia in Russia, the "Death row" of the facilities. Majika Supremus rarely issues the death penalty; and the facility's population has never gone above 50. Reserved only for those who committed the most heinous of crimes, and those who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc. Prisoners sent here are given one year to "make peace" before their time comes. Because Majika Supremus refrains from the cruel and unusual, executions are done "quickly and painlessly" versus "slow and painful."
There did used to be a Detention Facility 4, also based in Russia. Essentially the twin to Facility 3, it also housed violent criminals who did not get the death penalty. After it was destroyed in the Tunguska event of 1908, Majika Supremus decided not to bother rebuilding on the grounds that the "current prison population did not justify its need any longer."
The High Council-
If any entity comes closest to being "ruler of the magic world" it is the High Council. Members are elected to serve in 10 year terms. While this may seem long, remember the historical context: The High Council was established in 1250 with the organization; and because of the concern over the problematic logistics of 2,4, and 6 year elections, 10 years was the result of a compromise to ensure the adequate time necessary to hold the necessary elections and have ample turn-out. The alternative, life appointment, was seen as "out of the question" because mages wanted to ensure that members were elected based on merit, not heritage. Furthermore, members are limited to three terms (though there is currently discussion to reduce it to two terms).
The role of the High Council is two-fold: to give final approval of the laws created by The House of Debate (see below) and to ac as judges in trials involving war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Now on the surface this may seem like a lot of power to have, but context is key. Concern over making one single person "ruler over all magic" lead to the creation of the council, as opposed to a single office. Across the world of magic, it was decided that no one person should ever hold the title "King of the Mages" and thus, the council was created to ensure this would never happen.
When initially created, there were fourteen "chairs" on the council. Each chair represented a region of the world. Because mages explored the world long before the "normal" world, by 1250 the magic world of Africa, Europe Asia, and even Australia and the various pacific islands were already "united".
The Thirteen chairs represented: Northern Europe (predominantly Scandinavia), Southern Europe (predominantly Spain, Italy and Greece), Eastern Europe (predominantly the Baltic States, Ukraine and Belarus) Western Europe (predominantly United Kingdom, France, Germany), Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, Middle East, Russia, India, China, Japan, the Pacific Islands and Australia.
After 1600, three chairs were added for North America, Central America and South America.
Now, on the surface it does seem that Australia, Russia, China, India, and Japan have a lot more power compared to Europe, Africa and the Americas, but again, context is key. In those parts of the world, there are fewer countries that cover large areas, so grouping by country was more practical. Furthermore, do not forget that in terms of population, the "magic" population is quite low, relative to the normal population.
In fact, compared to Europe and Africa, the number of factions in Russia, China, Japan, India and Australia was rather low, so the fact that the five chairs weren't combined into two or three was... surprisingly a topic of much debate at the time.
In times of disaster or strife, the High Council's job was to be the "voice of condolence and assurance" in troubled times; figures who would provide hope in times of trouble.
Magic warfare was inevitable; because magic had the potential to be far more destructive than regular warfare ever could be, The High Council and the House of Debate instituted "The Charter for the Rules of Engagement of Magical Warfare" in 1274l this became the first act of what eventually became known as the Constantinople Accords. These today are seen as the equivalent for the Geneva Conventions for regular warfare.
If mages commit war crimes or crimes against humanity, rather than go on trial under the Court Division, they are judged by the High Council directly, to "set an example of how heinous the crimes committed are"
The House of Debate
Created in the 1600s and inspired by Britain's parliament, to ensure that the factions had a louder voice for the passage of the Judicial Laws of Magic. Membership was voluntary, but the vast majority of factions decided to take part anyway because they wanted to guarantee their voice would be heard. Only evil factions did not participate in the House of Debate.
Like modern congresses today, the House of Debate has the power to introduce bills, debate over them, and pass them, so the High Council may ratify them. Since the number of factions was prone to fluctuation over the years, the decision was made that for a bill to pass, a "2/3 majority" was the only requirement.
Due to decline in factions and faction membership, the House of Debate has steadily grown smaller and smaller. This has lead many to argue that house should be disbanded, especially "since this new, modern generation of independent mages hasn't given us a real solution to the problem."
The High Council has been preparing for the day when they would lose the House of Debate for some time now; other still though fear that it will be a "crisis of global proportions" should the House be disbanded.
One thing that is important to note: despite the impression given here, the High Council and House of Debate are not "political" in nature. In fact, in the magic world political parties are actually illegal, "to ensure the integrity of those who serve the magic world and make it clear that they serve the will of the people, not the agenda of a select few"
As such, debates are handled maturely and respectfully here; with those who serve motivated by the will to go what is right for the Magic world, rather than select organizations of the magic world.
......
Although the factions are represented in the House of Debate, the High Council and other divisions of Majika Supremus are required to maintain neutrality to ensure no bias. As such, the mages of Majika Supremus are required to resign from any other faction they may be a part of prior to joining.
Traditionally, Majika Supremus was based in Constantinople/Istanbul, the "crossroads of the world" for the time, given it's relative central location between Africa, Europe and Asia. Today, they are based in the Magic Underground, with special access points to their prisons which make transportation more efficient.
Criticism of the organization does exist. Some argue that they have too much power. Actually, the fact that they handle all matters concerning the Judicial law of magic is quite beneficial to magic society. By eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy and avoiding creating multiple organizations that could overlap and compete for jurisdiction, the Judicial System in the magic world actually runs rather smoothly and efficiently compared to the judicial systems of the "normal" world.
In fact- following the complete failure of Private Prisons in the United States, support for Majika Supremus to keep maintaining the Four Prisons of the Magic World remains at an all-time high.