Authority and Permissions

[prismaticcrow]

Something I've been wondering about for a while now: What exactly are boundries of authority and permissions for the various factions on the server?

The Legion, for example, has the authority arrest people anywhere in the land. The Corps de Grace has similiar authority, but only within the limits of Sestra. But what about some of the others?

Can the Red Blades arrest people? Can members of the Triumvirate arrest people? The Temple of Helm? Who's allowed to spellcast in public? Who's allowed to have thier weapons drawn in public?

If there is already a place where such questions are answered, please point me in the right direction.

[Phantom Lamb]

We're working on outlining laws and government structure currently. You have the gist of it correct with the first two. Additionally:

* The Red Blades and Hands of Mundus are considered government allies. They have the same law enforcement powers as the Legion, which is to say they have jurisdiction throughout the entire country. Legally, these factions don't have jurisdiction on private property (such as the Exigo trading post) unless they witness a crime there. That being said, this area is deliberately grey. Some cops can be dirty

* Corps de Grace have jurisdiction in Sestra, but they do not supersede the power of the Legion there. The Legion doesn't have enough men to protect the four corners of the nation effectively, so they have granted police jurisdiction to certain organizations in remote towns. The Legion maintains a smaller presence in Sestra, relying on the local militia for enforcement. However, the CDG cannot order anyone in the Legion around in Sestra; the Legion's authority still exists there. The same can be said of the Thayans in Aquor.

* Members of the Arbiters' Alliance can do citizen's arrest activities if they witness a crime, but then again, so could anybody. They do not have legal jurisdiction as a group, although they are considered strong allies to the government. Additionally, paladins of the land carry weight in their words and, although technically do not wield any additional power, could easily be put on par with the Red Blades, Corps de Grace, and other trusted extensions of policing.

* Spellcasting in public is not illegal unless the spells are illegal. Necromancy is not outlawed, but rather specific spells are (ones with evil tags; I realize we need to clean up our documentation on this). For example, False Life is not evil. However, casting can be seen as a hostile action. Keep that in mind. Additionally, the general public would probably react with fear and awe to someone casting a series of spells.

* Any of the above can have weapons drawn in public at all times in places of their jurisdiction. In major cities and towns, folks must sheath their weapons, but having them drawn wouldn't be arrestable unless they refused to sheath them after being reminded. Private property has other rules (like Exigo, who of course ask everyone to sheath blades so customers don't get scared). Bear in mind, sometimes PLAYERS forget when they transition if a weapon is drawn.

* We have some laws outlined in the Wiki.

[GodBeastX]

I'm not sure we have a post that sums it all up, but I'll try to get you an idea of how it works.

- Sundren Military is THE enforcers of Sundren. Arrests, policing, etc.

- Hands of Mundus Magus+ ranks tend to lead the military (Much like you see Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) since they represent the founding organization of Sundren. Initiates don't tend to have that position. They're like squires and are Hands in training, so don't expect to be pushed around by initiates

- Red Blades have as much authority as the Sundren Military and are basically a group who volunteered themselves to Sundren to support the widely dispersed Sundren Forces. They're like elite/specialized forces.

- Helm is the patron god of Sundren and therefore the church of Helm winds up with the most freedom in the city for non-govermental entities. While there are no written "Laws" about Helmites having any real authority, they're looked upon as one might see the Church in medieval times. They can declare people witches, sinners, evil, whatever, and the public pretty much sides with them since that's who most people pray to.

- Corp de Grace is constrained to Sestra and Sestra holdings, but can lend themselves to support military action (Such as when Gen'Deimos was taken down).

- Exigo are essentially similar to Security Guards in malls. They can pick up people and expel people from their camps. Defend their camps, etc etc. They also have a Mercenary Unit which can be hired for support by various people.

- The whole of the Triumverate haven't been in Sundren as long as the other forces. They're in Sundren mainly to deal with the Black Hand and their vile forces. They don't have as much freedom as the Temple of Helm currently. However, Clerics of Tyr are often part of judicial system since they represent justice within the courts. Ilmater often plays medic to wounded soldiers and Citizens.

- Paladins in general tend to get leeway as well in just about any civil land due to their code and their activities. If a player is playing a paladin right, they won't behave unjustly and won't lie, cheat, steal, etc. So a Paladin saying "Yo, I had to beat this guy up to protect the innocents." will probably get off without a problem since 9 times out of 10 nobody will be able to contest that.

- Kurz Cartel are basically an underhanded version of Exigo. They have fronts to make coin legally, but tend to resort to criminal activities. Ebon Coin is a thieves guild of Mask who are basically a sub-group of Kurz cartel and are like the mafia.

Edit: Phantom posted right before I did XD

[prismaticcrow]

This actually answers most of my questions. A break down like this is precisely what I was looking for. Thank you, PL. *Edit* And GBX. =D

[Phantom Lamb]

If others have questions on law, please post them here. We're in the process of documenting our law, and knowing the types of questions you're looking for helps us think it out. Thanks--

[GodBeastX]

Law Post under Public Information -> http://www.sundren.org/wiki/index.ph...e=Sundren_Laws

[Kaizen]

Relating to the Exigo Camp/TP .... so do the Exigo Guards (John Doe) have the last word/highest degree of power? Even concerning Legion and Hands of Mundus?


Not to say that John Doe is going to try and boss them around (not worth his life/time), just a little curious.


And Red Wizards - their word is Law in Aquor, correct?

[GodBeastX]

- Red wizards have defense authority in Aquor. They have nothing past that. Sundren > Red Wizards. Basically if a physical threat presents itself, they can take care of it. They shouldn't be trying to enforce any laws which aren't a threat to person.

- As for Exigo, maybe things have changed since I have been around. I was under the impression Sundren still had authority there, but Exigo had shared authority. Maybe that changed?

[Peridan]

As far as the Exigo is concerned, since it is private property the Legion does not have full reign there as much as other towns. However, if there is a criminal running around that tries to take shelter within the camp, the Legion has the perfect right to go on in and 'request' the help of the Exigo guards in apprehending the criminal. The Exig can also request assistance from any passing Legion solider as well, since they are considered allies of Sundren.

[GodBeastX]

Maybe it's the use of the word "Private Property" that messes with my head. As far as I am aware, everyone's homes, castles, forts, shops, etc, are all "Private Property". However it's on Sundren's lands and subject to taxation and government of Sundren. So I'm wondering if Exigo is considered something else, like an Embassy or a land that is considered "Another Kingdom". Having something like that where they say "Sundren can't tell us what to do here" would probably have a giant negative on them, like a fee or what not.

I'll need Saulus/Phantom to clarify that for me, because it wasn't that way when the place opened

[Peridan]

I always had the impression that it was something like the Thayan Enclave, still Sundren land but under it's own jurisdiction. Granted, it isn't an embassy but with all the guards walking around that was the general idea, or so I thought.

[Phantom Lamb]

The trade post really is private property, but it is largely open. There is free reign of who can come and go, and nothing is behind closed doors. So the Legion can come and go as they please. Anything they see, they can act upon. The fact that it's private property just really means a) Exigo guards can enforce Exigo policies so long as they are within Sundren law, and b) Sundren wouldn't "post" guards there routinely, unless they observed real problems in the area or they were requested BY Exigo.

As for the Thayans, they are a lot like an embassy.

[GodBeastX]

The trade post really is private property, but it is largely open. There is free reign of who can come and go, and nothing is behind closed doors. So the Legion can come and go as they please. Anything they see, they can act upon. The fact that it's private property just really means a) Exigo guards can enforce Exigo policies so long as they are within Sundren law, and b) Sundren wouldn't "post" guards there routinely, unless they observed real problems in the area or they were requested BY Exigo.

As for the Thayans, they are a lot like an embassy.

Yeah, that's how I saw it too. Of course, if it's private property it's subject to other situations, like warrants if crimes are brought against Exigo.

[GodBeastX]

I also moved all the law information to the wiki instead of linking to posts to give it an easier browsing method.

http://www.sundren.org/wiki/index.ph...e=Sundren_Laws

I do recommend that everyone read it over at least once as I do pull these laws out on people from time to time. While somebody might be familiar with necromancy, some of what adventurers do falls under less obvious laws and they might get caught up.

[Kaizen]

Thanks Snoop!

Also, lol@mayhem law.


Also, concerning the law and PC's knowledge of it.


It's well known OOC that John Doe isn't a straightshooter Guard for the most part, concerning certain things (bribery, running his own 'mafia', black market etc). So sometimes he tries to use his authority where the 'law' doesn't really allow it.


Are all PC's considered to know as much as the actual player concerning the laws? Or, like religion, Ao, and Gods, is there a certain skill that one would need to be knowledgable in to actually know more then the basics?

IE: We know its illegal to drink under 21 (in the US), but not everyone knows its not really a Fed law - its a state law or the Fed Govt wont give money to said state for something - roads I think.