The Imperial Code is the law of the Eastern Empire. The second Emperor had believed that a financial attack was far more effective in deterring crime than mere physical punishment. His belief was born out in practice in the Empire, which until the chaos of the Mage Storms had been a very safe place for common people to live.
The enlightened legal code outlined various punishments:
| Crime | Punishment |
|---|---|
| Assault | Soldiers were put on punishment detail, while civilians endured imprisonment and hard labor. |
| Theft | Fines equal to twice the value of the stolen property, with half going to the victim, and half to the Crown. If he couldn't afford the fine, a civilian was sent to a labor camp with his wages going to the fine until it was paid. A soldier would have his wages confiscated, and would remain with the army past his enlistment time until the fine was paid. |
| Rape, first offense | "The victim would be granted immediate status as a divorced spouse. Half of the perpetrator's possessions went to the victim, half of the perpetrator's wages went to the victim for a term of five years if there was no child, or sixteen if a child resulted. If the child was a daughter, she received a full daughter's dowry out of whatever the perpetrator had managed to accumulate, and if the child was a son, the perpetrator paid for his full outfitting when he was conscripted." (Storm Warning, Chapter Twelve) |
| Rape, second offense | The perpetrator "underwent a series of punishments both physical and magical that would leave him outwardly intact but completely unable to repeat his act." (Storm Warning, Chapter Twelve) |
| Murder | Immediate execution |