Unbalanced scales . . .

[SintraEdrien]

So, WoJ has it that Mab is "clearing her debts", balancing her scales and paying back favors to get free from obligations.

What happens if there is a tiny favor that she owes to a mortal who then dies before repayment?
How could this be? I am positing a mortal human who: is an only child, whose parents are deceased, whose grandparents are deceased, who has no aunts/uncles (never existed or deceased without issue), who has died without essentially any other living family.

His material estate would (usually) be escheated to whichever unit of government of his residence/locality/citizenship handles such things, but what about a favor owed by Mab? If he had had descendents, I think the favor would be passed down as part of the bloodline "inheritance", as it were, the same way that the favor owed by Thomas to Cat Sith is still owed to whichever entity becomes the new Cat Sith, but where does the the favor owed to a deceased childless mortal go? Mab is still bound to pay it back somehow!

[Snark Knight]

Even if the nearest blood relation is so far that mortal inheritance law has lost track of them, there has to be someone. A 12'th cousin twice removed, or something.

Given the importance of favours to the Fae, I would expect they (all of them, not just the Queens) have a limited form of intellectus covering who they owe favours to. Sort of like how they just know the laws of their court instinctually.

[Talby16]

I don't have the answer (this would make a great convention question for Jim), but I think there has to be some mechanism of clearing the debt. Obligation is a part of the Fae's nature. I'm sure a way has been worked out to cover this potential scenario.

[wardenferry419]

Me neither, this sounds like one of the difficult and nearly inpossible scenerios.

[Rasins]

Don't forget the transfer of debt, like how Harry gave his owed favor to Charity in PG.

If Mab owes something and CAN'T repay it, it's possible for someone else to take on that debt.

[raidem]

Perhaps the God of that person's afterlife inherits the favor ultimately. So Hades, Satan, God, etc all could inherit depending.  They also could divvy up the favor by their rules.

So perhaps the soul in some instances would indeed be paid back, or allowed the opportunity to be paid back at some point.

[wardenferry419]

Can favors be paid back in the afterlife?

[Rasins]

Can favors be paid back in the afterlife?

Well, Harry sort of did it.

[Arjan]

Can favors be paid back in the afterlife?

Which afterlife? According to some the afterlife is full of payback.

[wardenferry419]

Dealer's choice.

[Talby16]

So in order to repay a favor you have to act in accordance with the debt-holder's wishes. If the debt-holder dies and the debt is not able to be passed along his/her bloodlines it might be possible for Mab to clear her debt by acting in accordance with the debt-holder's perceived wishes (governed by the same internal rules that apply to all Fae). For example, maybe Mab could pay a wergild to a charity supported by the debt-holder.

[Arjan]

You should just mention fairy debts in your testament.

[Kindler]

God, imagine what someone like Marcone could do if he decides to go into the Faerie mortgage business and begins purchasing everyone's debts. Suddenly, instead of Mab owing ten thousand favors to ten thousand people, she owes ten thousand favors' worth of obligation to one man.

Are the Fae the only ones subject to this? Would, say, Hades be compelled to repay a debt?

[wardenferry419]

Even the RPG doesn't have an explanation for transference of debts after debt.

[Talby16]

Are the Fae the only ones subject to this? Would, say, Hades be compelled to repay a debt?

I don't know if Hades would be compelled to fulfill a debt in the same way the Fae are since it is intrinsic to their nature. However, the "old world" seems to be built on courtesy, host rights, debts/obligations. Although Hades may not be compelled by nature, it would be very bad form to not honor a debt. I see the rest of society turning on him if that were to happen.