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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fajitas" data-source="post: 2692035" data-attributes="member: 377">Well, do keep in mind the following:1) The Halmae is a low magic world.  Regenerate is a 7th level Cleric spell and a 9th level Druid spell, so it's not that easy to grow them back.  Even a wealthy merchant like Jamaladeen had to pay an awful lot for it.  Plus, considering that most elven healing comes through Druidic magic, that makes it even harder to come by.2) If you think the humans were going to punish the children, just wait until you see what the elves do to them.  Er, not that you will, because the party high-tailed it out of there pretty quickly.  But remember, these children... whoo, did they screw up.  They attacked humans on the Sea Road, a massive Shesher no-no as they rely on protection money from caravans on the Sea Road.  They also allowed themselves to be tracked and caught.  The whole point of counting coup is to prove one's skill and cunning, and the children have quite failed to do that.  So, in short, the children are in a lot of trouble with the Shesher.  But children are also very important to the Shesher; they don't have many.  These four are at least half the children (and possibly all the children) that particular Shesher tribe has.  So, while they're probably going to take the children home and beat them soundly, ain't no way they're going to let any humans lay a finger on them.Additionally, you first have to imagine that each of the children (especially Zili, the leader), is going to have "shamer of the Nation" added to her achievement braid.  And, even if the elves have the magic to regenerate the ears, they probably wouldn't do so.  That's another badge of shame, and a reminder not to be so careless a hunter in the future.Amusingly enough, WLS and I were discussing this just the other night.  A sane elf tribe, like Reyu's, would probably allow the children to have the ear regenerated when they attain their majority, at 64.  Among the Shesher, however... by the time she turns 64, Zili will probably wear her disfigurement with pride.3) The Sea Road is the main artery of trade through the Empire of Ebis.  The Empire cannot, cannot allow banditry of any kind along it.  The protection money paid to the Shesher is a carefully worked out arrangement that keeps the Road safe and prevents war.  The Justicar had to do something to indicate just how unacceptable this kind of behavior is.  If the elves feel free to violate the arrangement, the Empire has no choice but to eradicate the Shesher from the desert.  And that will be very, very costly.  So, harsh, yes.  Politically necessary?  Absolutely.And, while the taking of braids may have been a worse punishment as far as the elves were concerned I note that a) as children, they don't have a whole lot that is interesting in their braids, and b) braids mean nothing to the Ebisites.  Ears do.  Can you imagine Jamaladeen's reaction if he learned that, as punishment, the children were to be given haircuts?  But ears... everybody gets ears.</blockquote>

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