Law is the natural order; a body of principles which defines and governs the way in which the world works. Some parts of the Law conform to the scientifc laws of the real world: gravity and motion, for example operate as the reader expects them to. Other aspects of Law are unlike the real world. Chief among these is the accessibility of Earthpower. Another important difference is that Law is not inherently inviolable. Acts of thaumaturgy can create phenomena which do not conform to Law. In some instances, the violation of a Law can cause that law to stop operating altogether, which results in a major shift in the nature of the world. The novels have discussed three Laws in detail: the Law of Time, the Law of Death, and the Law of Life.
Law of Time[]
The Law of Time is the most basic and fundamental aspect of Law: it defines the nature and structure of time, and provides a "place" in which the Earth can exist. It requires that instants and events proceed in an orderly fashion from cause to effect. The consequences of all actions must be borne. Although a later action might reverse the effects of an earlier one, those effects (and the earlier action itself) cannot be made to have not been. Any attempt to alter past events risks creating a paradox, which would destroy the structure of time, taking the entire Earth with it.
Law of Death[]
The Law of Death is the seperation of the living from the dead. It creates a veil, making it impossible for characters to know what lies beyond death. Once this law was broken, the living were able to see and speak with the spirits of the dead.
Law of Life[]
The Law of Life is the separation of the dead from the living. This may seem semantically equivalent to the Law of Death, above, but it is actually a complement to it. The Law of Life binds the dead, preventing them from substantially affecting the world of the living. The Law, in essence, reduces the dead to the status of impotent spectators. When the Law of Life was broken, the dead had greater freedom to act.