The Covenant Laws of Cresline Cay
The laws of Cresline Cay are not written for the courts of the mainland, nor are they bound by the statutes of Bleakwater Cove or any nation Beyond the Tide. The island governs itself as it always has, by Covenant and by the will of the Community.
When a law is broken, the accused is brought before the Voice and the assembled islanders. The Community hears the matter and renders judgment by vote.
Punishment can be as minor as an ordered apology or as harsh as exile. The Voice renders this judgement with the advice of the Founding Fathers.
The most severe sentence the island can deliver is exile, a fate considered worse than death by those born of Cresline Cay.
THE FIRST LAW: The Covenant of Silence
The secrets of Cresline Cay are not to be spoken beyond its shores.
No Islander may reveal the true customs, rituals, or history of the Community to any outsider. To do so is to endanger the island itself.
Those found guilty of breaking the Covenant of Silence face DEATH!
THE SECOND LAW: The Authority of the Voice
The Voice speaks with the authority of the island.
While the Community judges wrongdoing, the Voice governs the spiritual and ritual order of Cresline Cay. Open defiance of the Voice in matters of covenant or ritual is considered an act against the island itself.
If the Community cannot come to an agreement during a trial, the Voice will be the final word.
THE THIRD LAW: The Sanctity of the Community
The Community comes before the individual.
No Islander may knowingly act in a way that endangers the safety, secrecy, or survival of Cresline Cay.
Actions that threaten the island may be judged as BETRAYAL.
THE FOURTH LAW: The Law of the Tide
Every child born on Cresline Cay must undertake the Tidelong Year upon their eighteenth birthday OR formally choose to remain within the Community.
Those who depart must return before their nineteenth birthday. Those who fail to return before that day passes may never again set foot upon the island.
THE FIFTH LAW: The Protection of the Island
No Outsider may settle upon Cresline Cay without the consent of the Voice and the Founding Fathers.
Those who arrive without invitation will be turned away or removed by force if necessary.
THE SIXTH LAW: The Sacred Places
Certain places upon Cresline Cay are considered sacred and may not be defiled or disturbed.
These include:
The Black Church
The Sweet Water Fountain
The caverns beneath the church
Desecration of sacred ground is considered a grave offense against the island and is punishable by Exile.
THE SEVENTH LAW: The Rite of Sacrifice
The traditions of the island must be honored.
Those chosen for ritual duties must not refuse the will of the Covenant. Refusal of a sacred obligation threatens the balance between the island and the Deep.
THE EIGHTH LAW: The Judgment of Blood
Violence between Islanders is not forbidden, but it is judged by the Community.
Murder, mutilation, or cruelty without cause may be brought before the island for judgment.
THE NINTH LAW: The Sanitarium
Those whose minds are broken by the Deep OR by the island’s rites are not to be abandoned.
They are taken to the Asylum, where they remain under the care of the Crow.
THE TENTH LAW: The Final Judgment
When the Community gathers to judge a crime, the decision is rendered by vote of the Islanders.
The possible judgements are:
Absolution
Restitution or Service to the Community
Ritual Penance
Imprisonment
Death
Exile
Of these, Exile is considered the harshest punishment, for it servers the condemned from the only home they have ever known.
An Exile may never return to Cresline Cay.
The Dark Truth
Exiles never live past a few days off of the island. They are killed to ensure the secrets of the island are not revealed to Outsiders.