Methods of Execution/Criminal Punishment

[Samloyal23]

This is based on actual Breton legends of the Ker Ys. I have adapted the legendary city for my Last Lands campaign setting. Do you have any unusual ways to punish or execute criminals in your games? Please share...

When a criminal is to be executed in Ys he is given a special form of "mercy", marrying a daughter of the duke for one night and being treated like a prince, able to have whatever pleasure he may seek, even in her bed. All of this time he is blindfolded by a black silk mask strapped on with a cord around his neck. When the morning meadowlark begins to sing the claw-like clasps on the mask come to life and tighten the cord, strangling the "husband". His body is taken by a knight of the royal guard and thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to the gods. If a child should ever be born of such a union it is taken by the priests and raised to become one of their order, never being told who his or her parents were.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?320670-My-Campaign-Notes/page5#ixzz3HqYzWeox

 

[BigVanVader]

I make everyone fight the Rancor.

 

[Samloyal23]

I make everyone fight the Rancor.

A hungry monster in a pit is always an entertaining way to execute a criminal. As the Romans showed us you can even stick with a lion in a pinch and still sell tickets to the show.

 

[Umbran]

If a child should ever be born of such a union it is taken by the priests and raised to become one of their order, never being told who his or her parents were.

As if, upon learning how justice is done, the kid isn't gonna figure it out?

 

[prosfilaes]

As if, upon learning how justice is done, the kid isn't gonna figure it out?

Traditionally they often get a bunch of orphans and abandoned children, too, so it's not improbable that he may never know, unless the story demands it.

 

[Samloyal23]

Traditionally they often get a bunch of orphans and abandoned children, too, so it's not improbable that he may never know, unless the story demands it.

Exactamundo. Unless someone saw a family resemblance it would not be much of an issue.

 

[Umbran]

Until the Duke dies with no other legitimate heirs, and then everyone's head slowly swivels towards the church....

And what happens if the Duke has no daughter? Or is the Duke and his daughter immortal in Ys?

(Edit: Which is to say, the OP is fine when describing a mythic place, but it seems to have some logical holes in it. If your players are going to think about it for more than a few minutes, they're going to wonder a bit about them. I mean, Ys has to have very few executions, or the Duke's daughter is going to be a pretty busy lady, right? And that's not to mention the forced prostitution aspect. You figure she's going to be happy to be married to and forced to sleep with a series of men bad enough to be executed? I recognize that in ages past folks had a different idea of the role of women, but do we want such in our games today?)

 

[was]

I like to use public works and sanitation projects and mine labor.

 

[Samloyal23]

Until the Duke dies with no other legitimate heirs, and then everyone's head slowly swivels towards the church....

And what happens if the Duke has no daughter? Or is the Duke and his daughter immortal in Ys?

(Edit: Which is to say, the OP is fine when describing a mythic place, but it seems to have some logical holes in it. If your players are going to think about it for more than a few minutes, they're going to wonder a bit about them. I mean, Ys has to have very few executions, or the Duke's daughter is going to be a pretty busy lady, right? And that's not to mention the forced prostitution aspect. You figure she's going to be happy to be married to and forced to sleep with a series of men bad enough to be executed? I recognize that in ages past folks had a different idea of the role of women, but do we want such in our games today?)

I based this on an actual medieval legend of Brittany in France. There is a legend of Ker Ys, the Sunken City. Princess Dahut was a pagan who worshiped the Ocean, she took a new man to bed every night then sacrificed him to the sea, using a magica mask to strangle him. Finally the Devil showed up an seduced her into betraying the city by opening the dikes tha protected the city from being flooded at high tide. I decided to make it a tradition instead of hust the corruption of one aristocrat.

 

[prosfilaes]

Until the Duke dies with no other legitimate heirs, and then everyone's head slowly swivels towards the church....

The child would not exactly be a legitimate heir, and would most likely be at best one of several claimants to the throne, including likely several other children abandoned around the same time.