In the Barony of Nonnare ruled by a Matriarchy, a character must undergo a Trial by combat.
He has been framed by A magic item - sword, relic, wondrous item - and if found guilty of Terrorism, his punishment will be Baleful Polymorph. The prisoner permanently changes into a small animal. One of my favourite D&D modules is Castle Amber. Wouldn’t it be a neat twist for the central garden to be the prison of several banished beings changed into the form of small animals? If the subjects fail their second saving throw, they even gain animal intelligence, in effect becoming just another creature in the garden.

Barony - The land subject to a baron. Could be scattered across many estates, not necessarily adjacent.
Matriarchy - Matriarchy is a term, which is applied to gynocentric form of society, in which the leading role is by the female and especially by the mothers of a community.
Trial by combat - Fight to the death, winner is innocent