Avalonian Conference

On Avalon, there is a top level phone conference, with holographic images, between:

Matthew Vickery, President of the Parliament of Man;
Liaw of The Tarns, Wyvan of the High Khruath;
Ferune of Mistwood, First Marchwarden of the Lauran System;
Daniel Holm, Second Marchwarden.

Vickery objects to current military measures and expenditure. Liaw informs him that, when three choths refused to support new defense measures, he and other Wyvans threatened to call Oherran on them. The choths in question yielded but would have to consider it a deathpride matter if it were not kept confidential. This is news to Holm and shakes Vickery. Civil war has just been averted.

Each choth is independent and self-organizing. Member families rarely live close enough for friction. Internal order is kept not by prescription or force but by custom and public opinion. Sanctions are weregild, outlawry, exile and enslavement. Khruaths, periodic gatherings of all free adults in a territory:

settle inter-choth disputes;
establish policies and common undertakings;
try cases and pronounce judgments.

However, winners of votes at Khruaths must rely on willingness to comply or on their own strength to enforce.

There are three levels:

regional Khruaths;
Year-Khruaths of delegates elected from several regional Khruaths;
the High Khruath of the planet, a six-yearly or extraordinary meeting of representatives from Year-Khruaths.

However, any free adult can attend a Khruath on any level. At each level, presiding officers called Wyvans are chosen to explain laws and try cases. The laws sound like British Common Law: customs, precedents and decisions, no legislation - although there is a Compact affirming human Avalonians' deathpride right of free speech, publication and broadcast limited by deathpride rights of privacy and honor and requirements for planetary defense.

Oherran, called only when noncompliance is completely unacceptable, is a summons to everyone in the territory to attack the defiers of a Wyvan's decision. Oherran against a choth used to mean slaughter or enslavement of all its members and seizure of their holdings. Now it can mean just exile of leaders. But it is always a deathpride matter. Wyvans whose call to Oherran is rejected commit suicide.