Hospitality

Hospitality refers to the ancient karmic rules governing guests. Hosts may not turn away a traveller in need, or harm a guest under their roof; while guests in turn must not harm their host.

To qualify as hospitality, generally there must be an offering of food on the part of the host.<ref name="7.5e1">“I’m here all the same,” I said. “Enjoying Joanna’s hospitality.”
I saw him frown a little. “You offered them something to eat or drink?”
“I did.”
A light smile touched my face as I met Duncan’s eyes. He was frowning just a little as he heard that.
Hospitality.
Few sins were as egregious as a breach of genuine hospitality. To harm a guest in one’s own home, or for the guest to harm the host. - [https://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/void-7-5/ excerpt from Void 7.5</ref>

History

Origins

For millennia, it was essential that travellers be able to stop over in strangers' houses, lest they die in the wilderness.<ref name=":2">“That’s pizza. Pepperoni and onion. The coke might have gotten a little flat since we poured it. You took a few hours to wake up. I was

almost worried.”

[...]
Laird interrupted, “-I don’t need an explanation. I know what shot shells are. You’re offering hospitality with one hand and threatening to shoot me with the other?”
It was Maggie who spoke up, “The tried-and-true rules have a firm grounding in history,

officer Behaim.  The roads were dangerous at night, food was hard to

come by. You couldn’t turn away someone at your door, and you couldn’t refuse a guest amenities, or you were sentencing them to death. You couldn’t abuse hospitality given for the same reason, because you’d be sentencing the next guy to death. But, all that said, nobody’s

going to begrudge a man, a peasant, or a king their right to keep a

weapon on hand if they know their guest is a potential threat.”
- excerpt from Void 7.1 </ref><ref name="1.3e1">“I didn’t even remember back then, but the look on his face told me there was something. Around the time we’d first met, he’d had me promise him he’d be safe from any harm at my hands or the hands of my guests. I hadn’t thought we’d have a long-term friendship, then. I’d needed him for one thing. But it was enough, and it still counted, later.”
[...]
“I realized he’d been trying to corner me or pull something. I told him to leave. Angrier than I had been. He was, and I have to imagine he still is stubborn. I pushed the table, enough to force him to take that one step toward the door. He did, and he stepped on broken glass.”
“That was enough?” Avery asked.
“Yes. Especially considering the ways of the spirits, Others, and old traditions. For much of human history, hospitality and respecting one’s guests was one of the most important things. Turning away a traveler in need could kill them. Disrespecting a guest or host could be disastrous.”
[...]
“When did all of this happen?” Lucy asked.
“A decade ago.”
- excerpt from Lost for Words 1.3 </ref>

Uses

Charles Abrams was forsworn in 2010 when he caused a guest he had sworn not to harm to step on some glass, exacerbated by the fact this was a violation of hospitality.<ref name="1.3e1" />

Maggie Holt noted that she was bound by hospitality not to steal from the Thorburns while in Hillsglade House.<ref>“You’ll take nothing of ours unless you have express permission, and take nothing you learn inside these walls to our enemies?”
“Heck with those guys, your secrets are yours, and I’m not stupid enough to tank my karma by betraying hospitality and stealing. No, if you need me to actually say it, I won’t steal and I won’t tell anyone.”
- excerpt from Damages 2.6 </ref>

Blake had to deal with hospitality when disguised among the Behaims, and arguably violated it when he had a goblin trash some of their stuff, although he argued it was merely fair play for them attacking his own home magically.<ref>What was S.O.P. for being a guest? If I couldn’t poison them, what was I allowed to do when they were trying to fuck with me?
I might have to bite the karma bullet, I thought.
[...]
“Destroy the books,” I said. “Destroy the treasures. Do it quietly,

and you’ll manage more destruction.  Start with the oldest things,

you’ll hurt them more. Run if she takes notice. Under no circumstances

are you to harm anyone before returning to the flute,” I said.

Dickswizzle eyed me warily.
“Blake. If you’re inside her house, because of hospitality-“
“I’m repaying their hospitality by sparing them. They were…

not unkind,” I said.  “But their family attacked our house and

possessions. We can attack theirs. Eye for an eye.”
“If we took some of it, we could ransom it back?”
“It’s not quite an eye for an eye, and I don’t want them using it to track me.”
“This feels wrong.”
“But it’s fucking right. Two very different things,” I said, my voice a harsh whisper.
- excerpt from Breach 3.4 </ref>

Blake invoked hospitality when in Duncan Behaim's home by getting his innocent wife to offer him food,<ref name="7.5e1" /> and then later during a meeting of all the Toronto powers in his own home.<ref>“Hospitality has to be observed,” I said. “Food and drink in the kitchen, help yourselves. Make yourselves comfortable. I have no grudge against the kids, and no reason to act against you, Duncan. Everyone’s meeting in the living room, past the kitchen.” - excerpt from Void 7.9</ref>

References