Guard Behavior
From FiranMUX
Contents |
IC Guard Behavior
From the Point of View of the Guards
As far as the guards are concerned, Old City scum are ruining the city and are a danger to the Republic. These criminals have their ratholes beyond the walls where they steal off with their ill-gotten goods and probably sell secrets to the Shamibelians. Worst of all, when there is an Air Raid, guards have to risk their lives to defend these morons who won't take refuge within the safety of the fortress that is Anarinuell. Because of this, the guards take a much harder line against these citizens than those more upstanding sorts that live within the city walls. If they have to bend the rules to get the job done, so be it. It's standard procedure to suspect every Old City denizen on sight, to disbelieve everything they say, and to make their lives difficult so that the fine upstanding citizens of the Republic can live their lives in peace.
From the Point of View of the Old City Citizenry
Guards are not always the nice guys ICly. Especially when you're talking about the Old City. Guards have the right and are expected to harrass, pick on, arrest for no reason, etc any OCer that steps into the Palace District. This includes the innocent just hanging around the forum or who have come to the market to buy or sell things.
Technicalities Guards Can Use To Their Advantages
As a guard, there are things that you may torment people for ICly that may not be in the help files, but have been handed down from above:
- Leaving /anything/ in the Forum. This includes signs, tents, anything that could be considered not pretty or clutter. (This was approved by Viceroy Taleo Teranzik who feels that the Forum should be a peaceful and beautiful place for Nobles to pass through or visit.)
- Disturbing the peace in the Palace District. Anyone lower than a noble must conduct themselves with peace and decorum. Does this mean nobles get away with just about anything they want? YES.
Guard Culture
The First Division is a unique organization within the city walls. Protectors of the innocent, defenders of evil, knights in shining... Well, ok, maybe sometimes. Other times, the guards can be as bad as the criminals they are supposed to be on the watch against. It will depend on your sheet, ICly as to whether or not you'll be one of those do-gooder guards or one who is considerably more jaded.
As the player of a guard, it is important to keep many things in mind in order to stay within the bounds of theme itself. Guards, on the whole, are your stereotypical doughnut-loving cops: they are there for the easy money, the thrill of a /real/ criminal every so often, and the extra bit of "howdy do" from the public once in a while. The perks, not the job, are why most guards sign up. Bearing that in mind, there should not be an omnipresent vigilantism plaguing the First Division unless it's in your character or in the character of the IC leaders of the First. By and large, the division is going to take on the priorities of those who lead it.
The guards channel does provide a rather constant reminder of the goings ons (illegal or non) in the city, but just because it pops up on the OOC channel doesn't mean you necessarily need to rush to the scene to investigate or open an @case.
First and foremost, what you should and should not bother addressing. While it is thematic to throw someone in jail for a "cooling off" overnight, charging everyone who passes through the jail with a crime is not necessary. Minor offenses are really not the concern of the guards. They'll haul someone into jail for a few RL hours and then release that person with the understanding that "we don't want to see you in here again, buddy!" The guards could very well wind up with a friendly accord with a well-known drunkard, brawler or what-have-you.
Most guards will not concern themselves with brawls. And most other disturbances are things the guards might give a warning about or look menacing about but won't actually turn into a federal case. In particular, the deaths of scum don't interest the guards that much. Of course, there are exceptions.
Because the guard is a place where young nobles looking to prove themselves almost invariably begin, there may be some over-ambitious or over-officious young officer who does take it upon themselves to care about that which most guards wouldn't, and depending on your sheet, you should laugh and roll your eyes accordingly.
It should go without saying: Guards look out for their own. One of the greatest humiliations that ever afflicted the First Division was when two of its commanders were convicted of trying to hire old city assassins to kill one another off. This is strictly against the code. If you're going to frag one of your own officers, that's one thing. But hiring criminals to do it?
The first is a tightly knit group that should hang out in the Glassworks, get to know one another's kids, and otherwise watch each other's backs.
Noble Treatment
How do guards treat nobles? Depends on if you are a noble or not. Primarily, look to your @sheet for general treatment, but below is what is allowed for nobles committing a crime.
Commoners are not allowed to arrest nobles without a noble with them or special permission from their Clan Leader, Proxy, Ranivor or the Viceroy. Doesn't matter what they're doing. You witness a crime by a noble, a murder, etc, get witnesses, log, open an @case and report it up your chain of command. Nobles are to be handled judiciously and with absolute respect at all times. You can /request/ that they turn themselves over to you, but they can tell you no and refuse to be arrested.
