Crime

Every crime is reckoned twice. The deed itself costs you karma whether anyone sees it or not; a people thinks less of you only when one of its own sees it done.

WHERE IT COUNTS

Most crimes are crimes only on a people's own land, and only that people cares. Out in the wilds a box is just a box. A red mark in front of a name says a box, an ore vein, a crop or a beast belongs to someone. A few deeds are crimes anywhere: killing, knocking someone out, throwing a rider from the saddle, robbing a caravan or a ridden horse, freeing a slave and eating human flesh.

ON A PEOPLE'S LAND

Stealing. Opening a box, Chest or Crate that is not yours, or rifling a horse's saddlebags. Costs karma.
Taking their beasts. Riding off on a tame animal or leading it on a Rope. Costs karma, and the beast is marked stolen for good: bring it back onto its owners' ground and they will know it, seen or not.
Taking their cart, or cutting it loose from its beast. Taking it costs karma.
Robbing their dead. Searching the body of one of their own people costs karma; an enemy who fell there is fair spoils.
Harming their tame beasts. Costs karma.
Lesser wrongs, which cost only their good opinion: gathering their crops (Greenleaf, Corn, Juiceroot, Ropeweed, Earthbread, a Honeybug Mound, a Farm Plot or Mushroom Pot), digging their ore, and picking a lock, whether it gives or not. Berries, deadwood, stone, Bluereed and Shaman Mushrooms are free to all.

ANYWHERE

Killing one of a people's folk. It needs no witness: the dead are missed all the same (see BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS).
Murdering a player who did not strike first (see MURDER).
A knockout, if others see it. The one you knocked out wakes with no one to blame.
Throwing a rider from the saddle. Their people hold it against you even if no one else saw.
Robbing a caravan, or the saddlebags of a horse someone is riding. The escort, or the rider, comes for you.
Freeing a slave. Only the owners mind, and only if they see it; the Teshari count every freed bondsman against you, seen or not.
Eating human flesh. Every meal costs karma, seen or not, and whoever sees it thinks far less of you — all but the Wuf'Gar, the Throg'Gar and the Hiss'Gar. They shout, but no one attacks you for it.

WITNESSES

Only the folk of the world bear witness, never other players. A witness must be of the people whose land it is, within about 18 m, facing you, with a clear line to you. A crowd is no cover, and neither are darkness, crouching or foul weather: only walls and their backs. A people that counts you Friendly or Honored overlooks your thefts (though not a knockout, a thrown rider or cannibalism); a Hostile one is already trying to kill you.

WHAT FOLLOWS

They cry thief and come to beat you down. Neutral folk floor you rather than kill you, and then one of them robs you: the weapons in your hands, your whole hotbar, and every coin, gold nugget, pearl and piece of jewellery. A robber's mark shows you who has your things. Kill them before they are gone and it all drops in a bag.
Raise your hands and they rob you without the beating. A Friendly people beats you down but never robs you.
A neutral people spares you once, a friendly one twice; after that they kill. Your record with them clears after ten minutes without a new offence, or when you die. Kill one of their people and they stop sparing you for ten minutes.
There is no jail and no fine. Your goods, your karma and your name are what you pay with.

BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS

A killing needs no witness: a silent kill raises no alarm, but the dead are missed all the same. Fighters cost least, and nothing at all from a people that attacks you on sight; women, elders, slaves, traders and farmers cost the most, and karma besides. Even a fighter costs karma if their people is your ally.

KINSLAYING

Strike one of your own Oom'Gar and you are branded an OUTLAW: every people treats you as an enemy until eight seconds after your last blow against your own. Your own folk still only beat you down.

MURDER

A player who strikes you first may be killed freely, so long as the fight goes on (a minute without a blow ends it). Kill a player who did not strike first and it is murder, costing a great deal of karma; killing a Wicked one costs little, a Villainous one nothing. A death by bleeding, poison or fire is laid at the feet of whoever struck last. Knocking out another player is no crime.

A PRICE ON YOUR HEAD

Sink to Villainous karma and a bounty is posted on you: 50 coin, and 10 more for every point worse. It shows under your name, and the whole land is told. Any player may collect it but your clanmates, or anyone who shared your clan in the past week, and the same hunter only once a day. Hired hunters come for you too, two at a time, sent by a people that hates you; if they bring you down, no one is paid. Once collected, the price stays down for half an hour; climb out of Villainous and it is gone for good.

MAKING AMENDS

Karma never fades on its own, but good deeds win it back (see KARMA & REPUTATION). A grudge cools with time, a people's traders may take a blood price to set it back to Disliked, and their leaders will take a gift (see GIFTS).