Guest Right and Sanctuary
Posted by Apostate on 02/05/20
Q: We know how guest right and sanctuary is enacted and why both are held sacred (even to a point of conflict and wars for breaking either). But what determines when guest right or sanctuary is lifted? If a host or priest declares guest right, can only the host or priest rescind? Can anyone else determine what was offered can be lifted as the offering was ill given? I ask since consecrated ground remains holy such as a shrine and to draw blood in that sanctuary breaks that religious concept. Even if a priest was removed, the shrine remains a place of sanctuary. So in terms of guest right, does it remain regardless? Any expirations?
A: Guest Right and Sanctuary are similar but not precisely the same thing.
Guest Right, while considered sacred and tied to religion, has the more secular understanding of guest right is a host saying on their honor that while someone is a guest in their home, they will be protected from violence. This is a matter of honor of host, but this culturally varies from region to region in the Compact. In all of them, the understanding is once a guest is accepted into one's home, the host cannot harm them, and the host cannot consciously allow them to come to harm. How formal the recognition varies:
Visitors in the Oathlands very formally typically taking a pledge to be a good guest and respecting the authority of the host under their roof, and the host formally accepting them as a guest and saying they will come to no harm while staying on their honor.
In the Lyceum, it's typically seen as when the guest first accepts and drinks wine.
In Redrain, there is no formality at all, and brawls are NOT considered a violation of guest right, and violations are seen if someone takes non-accidental permanent injury.
Thrax is similar in formality to the Oathlands, with the emphasis being on the honor of one's house, and how their conduct reflects upon their family's honor. One of the most common causes for being disowned and cast out of a noble family in the Mourning Isles is by being a bad guest and embarrassing one's family, and 'accidents' tend to happen to embarrassing family members.
For Grayson and its vassals, its not particularly formal, but civility is expected, and being a bad guest or bad host tends to make the peerage stop taking the person seriously and consider them unreliable.
In all cases, once someone is taken as a guest, they are not to be harmed and to be protected from harm until they leave. HOWEVER, it is uniformally recognized that a host can always demand someone leave, even if doing so would put them in harm's way. It's still frowned upon if a host took someone in under guest right and then kicked them out once their enemies laid siege to their castle, but it does happen (it's considered cowardly, but NOT breaking guest right). But throwing someone out is not considered the same thing as revoking guest right, which is done in very specific circumstances- if a guest has done harm to another guest (and broken it themselves) and the definition of 'harm' there varies from fealty to fealty, or if the guest is seen to have taken guest right under false pretenses (a spy, a traitor, etc). Those cases are very rare, and considered to be specific offenses that most hosts would tend to defer to a seraph for clarification rather than risk a violation. Far simpler for hosts to just throw someone out that's being a problem, than to essentially have a trial and execute someone for their crimes.
Sanctuary is different, as that is about holy ground that has a prohibition from violence, and also visitors asking for protection. The former is always assumed- it's forbidden to spill blood on holy ground save in its defense, or the defense of the people on the grounds. Executions are not performed on holy ground. If someone flees onto holy ground guarded by templars, and requests sanctuary, it is much like the Church extending them guest right, but with the understanding that the church will not revoke it or banish them until and unless the church formally holds its own trials. This is something the faith VERY rarely breaks, because it also reinforces their power. They simply don't turn people over for trial for crimes, they try them themselves, come to their own judgements, and if necessary that person can live out their lives under protection of the Faith of the Pantheon (and typically become godsworn).
So for sanctuary, walking on holy ground (such as the great cathedral or shrines) protects someone from violence, but to avoid eviction they must formally request (and be granted) sanctuary by the Seraph of that consecrated place, or one empowered to speak for her.
A: Guest Right and Sanctuary are similar but not precisely the same thing.
Guest Right, while considered sacred and tied to religion, has the more secular understanding of guest right is a host saying on their honor that while someone is a guest in their home, they will be protected from violence. This is a matter of honor of host, but this culturally varies from region to region in the Compact. In all of them, the understanding is once a guest is accepted into one's home, the host cannot harm them, and the host cannot consciously allow them to come to harm. How formal the recognition varies:
Visitors in the Oathlands very formally typically taking a pledge to be a good guest and respecting the authority of the host under their roof, and the host formally accepting them as a guest and saying they will come to no harm while staying on their honor.
In the Lyceum, it's typically seen as when the guest first accepts and drinks wine.
In Redrain, there is no formality at all, and brawls are NOT considered a violation of guest right, and violations are seen if someone takes non-accidental permanent injury.
Thrax is similar in formality to the Oathlands, with the emphasis being on the honor of one's house, and how their conduct reflects upon their family's honor. One of the most common causes for being disowned and cast out of a noble family in the Mourning Isles is by being a bad guest and embarrassing one's family, and 'accidents' tend to happen to embarrassing family members.
For Grayson and its vassals, its not particularly formal, but civility is expected, and being a bad guest or bad host tends to make the peerage stop taking the person seriously and consider them unreliable.
In all cases, once someone is taken as a guest, they are not to be harmed and to be protected from harm until they leave. HOWEVER, it is uniformally recognized that a host can always demand someone leave, even if doing so would put them in harm's way. It's still frowned upon if a host took someone in under guest right and then kicked them out once their enemies laid siege to their castle, but it does happen (it's considered cowardly, but NOT breaking guest right). But throwing someone out is not considered the same thing as revoking guest right, which is done in very specific circumstances- if a guest has done harm to another guest (and broken it themselves) and the definition of 'harm' there varies from fealty to fealty, or if the guest is seen to have taken guest right under false pretenses (a spy, a traitor, etc). Those cases are very rare, and considered to be specific offenses that most hosts would tend to defer to a seraph for clarification rather than risk a violation. Far simpler for hosts to just throw someone out that's being a problem, than to essentially have a trial and execute someone for their crimes.
Sanctuary is different, as that is about holy ground that has a prohibition from violence, and also visitors asking for protection. The former is always assumed- it's forbidden to spill blood on holy ground save in its defense, or the defense of the people on the grounds. Executions are not performed on holy ground. If someone flees onto holy ground guarded by templars, and requests sanctuary, it is much like the Church extending them guest right, but with the understanding that the church will not revoke it or banish them until and unless the church formally holds its own trials. This is something the faith VERY rarely breaks, because it also reinforces their power. They simply don't turn people over for trial for crimes, they try them themselves, come to their own judgements, and if necessary that person can live out their lives under protection of the Faith of the Pantheon (and typically become godsworn).
So for sanctuary, walking on holy ground (such as the great cathedral or shrines) protects someone from violence, but to avoid eviction they must formally request (and be granted) sanctuary by the Seraph of that consecrated place, or one empowered to speak for her.