Laws for Fantasy RPGs

One of the general assumptions of fantasy RPGs (and, okay, many RPGs in general, but it's far more visible in fantasy-historical settings than, say, modern mystery campaigns) is that there aren't really any laws.

No, wait, hear me out.

Wizards, Towers, and Public Safety Legislation

I don't know where the trope of wizards dwelling in lonely towers originated (some readers probably do). Saruman undoubtedly has something to do with it, and David Eddings' Belgariad was heavily pro-tower. I've read early pulp stories featuring Conan et al raiding towers wherein dwell sinister sorcerers and the priests of evil gods* and that probably contributed to the mix.

One explanation that often comes up is peace and quiet. The wizard, so runs this theory, needs solitude. Separation from the common run of humanity and their petty concerns. He (usually he) does, indeed, he should hold himself apart and not meddle in mundane affairs, occupying himself with the pursuit of pure knowledge. The tower provides him with a sanctuary within which he may seek wisdom and arcane power.

* a concept about which I should write something another time

Travelogues: other little bits

There's a few bits of thoughts about travelogues that I wanted to get down, but don't really fit in. These just relate to the kinds of things that characters might contend with when travelling, which don't necessarily get much attention in mechanics designed for a more adventuring style of play, but which might offer some opportunities for interest.

This depends to some extent on the nature of the journey. Is the travelogue genuinely through actual wilderness, with never another human in sight bar perhaps a hunter or hermit? Or is it, more plausibly, through a succession of towns, villages and farming communities, with breaks of perhaps a few weeks across entirely unsettled regions? If the latter, are they unsettled because they're utterly inimical to life (in which case, a bad choice for travel), because they're full of monsters (a different kind of challenge), because they're actually occupied by wandering communities like hunter-gatherers or roving herdspeople, or because they're reserved for use by powerful nobles (in which case gamekeepers and soldiers are to be expected)?

All the following is just bits of ideas I've had.