[Dragaera] Status of Great Weapons in Empire law

[Alexx Kay]

> I don't remember if this is addressed in the books.
>
> In the Empire, morganti weapons are extremely highly illegal.
>
> Great weapons are in some sense morganti (including apparently an actual
> morganti weapon going into their construction); they have the same ability
> to destroy souls, which is the basis so far as I know of the distaste for
> morganti weapons.
>
> Now, the people we know who have great weapons mostly seem to also flout
> the law on ordinary morganti weapons, so maybe there is no distinction.
> But the great weapons seem to be born pretty openly and publicly by people
> like Morrolan. (One could pretty easily argue that Sethra was a special
> case, especially since she's been banished from court.)

In _Dragon_, one of the reasons for suspecting that Baritt had a GW was
(paraphrased from memory) "He stood up to the Empire and made it stick." 
If GWs are technically illegal, then I would expect that few attempts
would be made to actually enforce it, and even fewer of them would be
successful.

Tangentially, I expect that the degree to which the Empire follows Rule of
Law varies with the Cycle.  The Iorich are damn close to the bottom of the
Cycle at the moment.

Hm.  The Jhereg are actually as close to the bottom as it is possible to
get (currently tied for bottom with Vallista; will be tied for bottom with
Iorich when the Dragons take the Orb).  I wonder what (further) awful
things will happen to the House in the near future.

Alexx

"Is that seat saved?"
  "No, but we're praying for it."