Will
Overview
There is no requirement to have a Will, it is purely a personal and roleplay choice. That said there can be a lot of fun roleplay which arises from making and changing wills, administering the making and implementation of wills, receiving benefit from wills and disputes over wills and how they are honoured.
To help with this, here are the relevant aspects of admin (OC stuff done at GOD or via email between events) and on field structures (Civil Service and Magistrates) with which IC Wills are likely to interact.
To make it easier to integrate into roleplay, some sections are spilt into IC and OC sections.
NB You cannot use an IC Will to benefit your future characters
Making a Will
There is no established method in The Empire for the making of Wills, so it is down to individuals to agree the processes used.
The Civil Service take no part in the administration of Wills as they cannot undertake commitments which might require them to place the interests of individual citizens above those of the Empire, its Constitution or The Law.
Passing on Resources
If a person has invested in the upgrade of their Personal Resource they may wish to pass it on to another should they die. Whoever wants to take on a resource after the previous owner dies will need to pay a fee of 2 Crowns and make an admin request to change resource during the following downtime. Anyone can take over a resource vacated by a deceased person, but if there is a Will in place which states it was intended for someone else, this could be raised as a Dispute with the Magistrates (see below).
Passing on Personal Possessions
Personal Effects at Anvil
Items belonging to the deceased are usually distributed amicably after death by friends and family. If there is a Will in place this could be used to direct such distribution and form the basis for resolving any disputes which arise.
Possessions not at Anvil
OC
After a character dies, the player can request for items in their inventory to be transferred to another character by giving their CID. This can be done in person at GOD or between events by email but is the only way to complete this piece of admin. The player chooses who the items go to, and if they do nothing the items go nowhere.
IC
When a person dies, their personal possessions at home will often be distributed amicably, just like personal effects. If there is a Will in place it may direct that certain items are given to certain people, that items are shared, or that items are to be assigned to new owners by a named individual, such as the deceased's Head of Household or Priest. Sometimes the specified items cannot be found, in which case they must be considered lost. Sometimes the items may come to a person other than that named in the Will, in which case a dispute may arise.
Holding in Trust
Sometimes the Will maker may want to instruct that an item or resource be Held in Trust by a named individual until a suitable recipient is found (eg a Priest's congregation held until a new Priest comes forward).
OC
This is purely roleplay. Items from the dead character's inventory can be transferred to the named individual using their CID for them to hang on to or give out as they see fit. Resources remain vacant as the named individual cannot hold two resources.
The Resource cannot be held in trust for the previous owner's new character.
IC
Once a suitable person is identified, the items can be given or details of the deceased's resource given to the new owner.
Disputes
Issues arising from Wills can be raised with Magistrates as Civil Claims and will be heard on their own merits.
To avoid unintended disputes please check you have the correct CID when requesting transfers of items after your character's death, or when requesting to change your personal resource to that of a deceased character.