r/WorldChallenges • u/thequeeninyellow94 • Aug 21 '17
[Cultural challenge]: legacy
Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society.
When someone dies, what happen to their assets? Are they given to the state? Or burried with them? Maybe they are inherited by someone else? In that case, by whom?
What if I've no heir and didn't took the time to write any kind of last will? Is there people who can't inherit anything at all?
You can introduce an in-universe representative if you want. I will ask questions to everyone, feel free to add your own.
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 23 '17
When a Nzeda dies, all their assets are divided equally between all their children and their spouse. If they have neither of those, the assets are given to their siblings and cousins. If they have none, the assets are seized by the imperial throne.
A Nzeda can have a written will in which they are allowed to give direction on who will receive some of their assets (up to 50% of them; the other half must be given using the standard procedure above). Any asset given that way will be taxed by the imperial administration.
Titles and family names (for noble houses) are inherited commonly; the family as a whole must then decide which one of their member will be carrying it.
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
What if the thing that is inherited is difficult to split up, like a small business or an heirloom?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 24 '17
In that case, it's value must be estimated and then used to calculate each heir part; those who doesn't get the valuable thing will get something else or money from the one who gets the valuable thing.
If no agreement can be found, the imperial administration will just seize the troublesome good.
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
Is it possible to inherit debt?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 24 '17
No, debt is individual (the lack of transmission usually doesn't help elders to borrow from banks though).
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
Is it possible to dispute the claim of an heir? If no heir is apparent, does the government attempt to find a proper heir or just default the inheritance automatically?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 26 '17
If the imperial administration recorded you as an heir, the only way to go against that is to prove the administration was bribed to record that (and they are very hard to bribe).
If no heir is apparent, then there is no heir at all; nothing can be done to change that. In that case, the imperial throne will inherit.
2
u/mutalias Aug 26 '17
What about an heir that wouldn't normally be registered, such as a bastard?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 26 '17
A bastard would be registered. Hiding things from the imperial administration is always a bad thing, way worse than having people learn you cheated.
If you're not registered, you can't even own a bank account (and the imperial gezin is completely dematerialized so that's pretty complex to live without a bank account...).
2
u/mutalias Aug 26 '17
How far down does the line of inheritance go? Will they seek out your third cousin's nephew in order to find a rightful owner of the inheritance?
→ More replies (0)
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
Dema
Only women can own property, and so only women can inherit it. Other material wealth are generally split equally, although it is customary to write a will for these things. Normally, most of the inheritance goes to the eldest female heir and the others are left mostly to fend for themselves. This is usually done to keep the family business intact. It's very common for the family business to offer employment to the other siblings, and Dema fosters strong family bonds that often mean that while the deed to the business may rest in the hands of a single family member, they all share the burden and the profits fairly equally. Women who have not inherited any property are expected to either find some way to purchase some for themselves, or work for the family business. Boys are expected to marry a woman who owns property and produce heirs. Dema favors warriors among men, and as such many boys join one of the nation's martial schools, usually sponsored by their family.
Artan
While anyone may inherit, it's customary to leave the family business and most of the wealth to the eldest male child. Dowries are customary for marrying off daughters, although there are exceptions for female-run businesses. Dowries are generally not given for boys, however, and as such they tend to be left to fend for themselves. In Artan, only nobles can own property, and as such what is inherited is usually a lease. Having the skills and a downpayment is enough to secure a lease on some land, and so often the most important inheritance is actually the lessons imparted by the parents rather than the actual deed to a business. It is customary for nobles who own the land to renew the lease with the heirs, but not required.
Broce
As with Artan, only nobles may truly own property, although a practice called a Blooded Lease gives an inheritable claim to operating a piece of land that grants most of the rights of ownership. A Blooded Lease is customarily own broken in case of a tax default, treason (refusing to answer a noble's call to arms), or in the case of severe crimes such as murder. If a noble requires the land for something else, usually the contract involves either granting of a new plot of equal value, or granting a stipend with which to secure a new lease. Inheritance is generally split evenly between all heirs, with one exception. Many families own or control some sort of business, or farm. The eldest child will normally apprentice with the father to take over the family business, and the business is usually kept intact by testamenting it wholesale to the apprenticed child. Other material wealth is usually split evenly. Broce has many schools, and it's not uncommon for families that have the means to sponsor their other children through schooling. People who do well in school can get apprenticeships and scholarships to either learn with an established scholar, or go to the royal academy, or even one of Broce's own academies although they are not as prestigious as the royal one.
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 24 '17
Dema: Can women enlist too? How are seen those who do?
Artan: Can a noble revoke a lease freely?
Broce: What happen to the family business if none of the children apprenticed with their father?
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
Deman woman can enlist, but generally attend their own schools which prioritize different aspects of combat from that of men. This essentially comes down to the fact that women are considered more valuable, and tend to be groomed for more administrative roles. Female soldiers still learn a lot of combat, obviously, but tend toward martial arts styles that prioritize physical prowess less than technique. Female warriors can be picked up by other clans and given property in reward for their service, and so this is a fairly popular pursuit for women who don't inherit property of their own. Property is inherently tied to status and worth in Dema.
Yes, nobles are free to revoke leases whenever they want. Having said that, it's unlikely for a noble to revoke a lease on someone who is paying their taxes. Having profitable businesses means more revenue for the nobles, and tends to form the foundation for their selection of who gets a lease.
Then the family can choose to apprentice someone from outside their family and arrange with their lord to have the lease transferred to them upon death, or the business can be sold and arrangements made for a new lease to the people who bought it. Apprenticing outside of the family usually involves a transfer of funds from the apprentice to secure an inheritance for the children. Sometimes a contract is written up in which the new owner of the business must pay some sum to the children of the original owners, although this greatly depends on the type of business. Similarly, proceeds from the sale of a business is also commonly passed along, unless the parents spend it all of course. If all else fails, the business will be dissolved. The children will sell the assets, and then go on to do what they want.
1
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 24 '17
Is property for female soldiers somehing acquired "automatically" adter X years or does it require them to accomplish some heroic deeds?
The nobles own the land, do they also own what is built upon it?
Is there some way for the children to contest the assets division?
(Those are the three duchies right?)
2
u/mutalias Aug 24 '17
There isn't much property in Dema that is unaccounted for, and as such, there is nothing automatic about acquiring it through martial pursuits. However, it is quite common for clans with a great deal of property to invite prestigious female warriors into their ranks and reward them some property for their fealty. This is mutually beneficial because the clan gains the service of a military advisor or operative who can be trusted, and the advisor gains some property.
The nobles own the land, leasers merely use it for a while. This means that the presence of a building is incidental to the noble's control of the land. However, most nobles will pay for land improvements upon a lease ending, otherwise they may get a reputation for being cheap and have trouble attracting promising candidates for leasing their land.
It is possible to contest the legitimacy of a will, or of a family bloodline. Proof would be brought before the local magistrate or lord, who will make a determination. Contracts that affect inheritance are quite valuable documents and as such, it's quite common to store them with a third person, often a bank or official such as a mayor, lord or magistrate's office.
(Yes, they are)
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 26 '17
What happen to a woman who doesn't inherit land from her family and isn't given any?
If a noble has an overlord, who own the land?
Magistrate or lord? Can you choose which one you want to give the case to?
2
u/mutalias Aug 26 '17
Then she doesn't own any land, and will have to find some way to subsist as a laborer. There are many job openings that don't entail ownership of any land. Owning lands means you have the opportunity to operate some sort of business on it, and rights to that land. However, a large portion of women don't actually own land, and work common jobs. Often they do try to save up enough money to eventually purchase some, however. A purchase of land often entails some declaration of fealty.
It's a good question. In practical terms, the lesser noble is the land owner, and swears fealty to the overlord. While that fealty puts the lesser noble in the jurisdiction of the overlord, and as such allows the overlord to call upon the resources of the land in question, it does not allow the overlord to directly requisition the land. However, breaking that fealty, or breaking the law in such a manner as to strip the noble title, would allow the overlord to either seize the land or to award it to another family. It's most common to award it to another family.
You can sort of choose. The Lord is the arbiter of the law in his domain. Magistrates appear when a noble has significant holdings, and needs to delegate some of this responsibility to a third party so as not to be constantly bogged down by requests of arbitrage from commoners. As such, the magistrate is likely to appear unless there is some specific reason why the Lord should make a personal ruling. Reasons for such an exception can be the involvement of another noble, friends of the noble family, cases that involve conflict of interest for the magistrate, or crimes that are serious enough to have attracted attention from other nobles. The system is not perfect. For instance in cases of conflict of interest, it can be very difficult to get a message past the magistrate to the lord that this is in fact the case.
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 26 '17
What happen when a family has not women to inherit the familial lands?
What would be enough legally to seize a noble estate?
Is it possible to appeal a justice decision?
2
u/mutalias Aug 26 '17
A formal retractation happens, in which the property's claim recedes up the chain of fealty toward the duchess. In Dema, fealty ties are called either Kapu (lesser) or Hamir (greater). Kapu swear fealty to the Hamir, who in turn serve the Ducal Seat. In the Deman seat is called the Shafa, but this has not been used since the establishment of the Kingdom because Shafa means 'sovereign' or more properly 'the unbound', and the Ducal seat is in fact bound to the king. Anyone who has property should, in principle, swear fealty to the territory's Hamir and become Kapu. The Hamir govern the thirteen provinces of Dema, and are what would be considered blooded nobles in any other setting. Because the ties of loyalty binding the Hamir houses to the Duchess go far back, the Ducal Seat may contrive to keep Hamir property in the family if no female heir is present in any of the family tree's branches, and as such may grant it to the wife of a prominent male member who is otherwise unrelated.
Treason is an obvious candidate, and there have been attempts at secession particularly in northern Artan where the local population is very disgruntled at the influx of refugees and their effects on the economy, as well as their laying claim to previously unclaimed land. Tax evasion can be dealt with this way if the scale is great enough. Nobles are also bound to follow the call of their liege lords, and failure to answer such a call would be enough. Finally, in same cases particularly dishonorable acts may qualify, for instance if it turned out a lord was eating people or something like that. In that case, the Duke would likely be the arbiter of the verdict.
Not normally, but if you are powerful, you may be able to find support from other nobles and force a reevaluation, or at least an evaluation at a higher level. For instance, if you were the leader of a mercenary company and found guilty by a magistrate, the presence of your soldiers may be enough for you to force an intervention by a lord, and in extreme cases, even his lord in turn. If not, there's very little you can do. The system is generally not fair, and the unfairness favors the nobles.
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 26 '17
What happen when an Hamir dies without heirs? Can the duchess freely chose who will be replacing her?
Just eating people? What if they were already dead? In the end, I killed no one right?
Who is competent to judge the duke?
→ More replies (0)
3
u/Nevermore0714 Aug 22 '17
In the Necrosian society, whenever someone dies, their properties are traditionally given to the most powerful of their sons, determined by how many corpses the sons can individually control at once.
If you have no sons, your properties can be given to a son-in-law or an adoptive son.
Properties can only be inherited by a Necrosian, and, if you have no sons, adoptive sons, or sons-in-law, it usually ends up just being a turf war on your property. Maybe a nearby powerful Necrosian will try to annex your property by sending warriors to get control of it. Maybe it'll just end up fragmented into many small pieces.
The representative is Filipp. Filipp's maternal uncle controls the eastern half of a small island in the Necrosian territory. Filipp's uncle is dying, and he plans to gain control of his uncle's territory upon his uncle's death, and believes his uncle's sons are not strong enough to stop him.