Justice

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The Justice system holds characters accountable for any action that may be considered a crime by the local constabulary.

Justice information can be seen in-game through the JUSTICE verb.

JUSTICE (verb)

The JUSTICE verb is used to display several types of justice status.

Usage

Justice:

Usage:
    JUSTICE BANISH  - Display banishment information for yourself
    JUSTICE WARRANT - Display warrant information for yourself
    JUSTICE HISTORY - Display criminal history for yourself
    JUSTICE STATUS  - Display the general status of the justice system for your location

The available commands are clarified as follows:

  • JUSTICE BANISH Displays a list of cities from which one is banished.
  • JUSTICE WARRANT Displays any outstanding warrants, ordered by city.
  • JUSTICE HISTORY Displays any crimes committed in the last six months, ordered by city.
  • JUSTICE STATUS Displays the status of the justice system in your present location. Following is a key for each type of justice condition in an area.

An area where justice has no effect. Crimes committed will go unnoticed by the law.

There is no justice other than your own out here.

An area where justice is in full effect. Any and all transgressions will incur a warrant.

You sense that your surroundings are calm enough that the night watchman would notice if you did anything illegal.

An area where justice would normally be in effect, but has been temporarily suspended. The only warrants issued under this status are Murder, Treason, High Crimes Against the State, and Jailbreak. The warrant will not be fulfilled until the JUSTICE system is enabled again.

You sense that there is enough chaos that the night watchman wouldn't notice any minor transgressions.

Charges

  • Impropriety (accusable)
  • Hooliganism (accusable)
  • Assault (accusable)
  • Theft (accusable)
  • Banishment (accusable) (High crimes against the state?)
  • Endangering public safety
  • Disturbing the peace
  • Murder
  • Jailbreak
  • Contempt

NOTE: Despite rumors to the contrary, being at Wayside Inn in the Landing does NOT put you outside of the constable's jurisdiction if a box trap goes off. You will still be arrested for endangering public safety--even if you were alone and were the only one injured.

Arrest

The Dwarven deputy ambles in, with a number of axe-wielding dwarves behind him.
 
With great ease, the Dwarven deputy grabs you and shackles your wrists.
 
"Ah-ha! The boys at the Whining Elf said I might find something interesting here," says the Dwarven deputy.
The Dwarven deputy then drags you off.
 
Arriving at the Deputy Commander's Office, the Dwarven deputy gestures to a nearby dwarven aide who strips you of your possessions. The Dwarven deputy then drags you downstairs where he quickly unlocks a steel door and throws you through it. "Enjoy your stay until the Commander is ready to talk to you!" he laughs gleefully.
 
With a dull thud and rattle of keys in a lock, the door closes and locks, leaving you trapped in the cell.
 
In the distance you hear the Dwarven deputy say, "There are clothes on the floor if you want them, but I expect them to be returned. You have two weeks time to clear out of here and collect your belongings. After two weeks I like to clean out the clutter in my office."

Punishment

You hear the metallic rattle of keys and a door suddenly swings open. A portly deputy then trundles into the room, deftly, catching you by the arm and throwing you into the midst of a formidable group of burly dwarves.
 
You are dragged up two flights of stairs, one bump at a time, and hauled before the island's supreme authority, the Militia Commander himself!
 
[Commander's Office]
Kiramon mandibles, troll hides and the pelt of a great, grey ape are mounted on the stone walls of this circular chamber. A battered mistwood desk sits below a small, square window. The fat dwarf perched behind the desk glares at you with his one good eye. You also see the Dwarven deputy.
Obvious exits: down
 
The commander studies you for a moment, then motions toward a deputy who fiercely proclaims, "Criminal stands accused of the following crimes..."
 
The deputy says, "Criminal is charged with 1 count of disturbing the peace. This 1 crime carries a total fine of 4800 silvers."
 
The commander glances at you and bellows, "You know...I just got a message from my wife. My mother-in-law is coming to visit."He scowls heavily at you, as if you were to blame for his predicament. "For TWO weeks. That's how my day's been, let's discuss yours...You think you're innocent, eh? Well...let me ponder the eviden...NO! Guilty as charged!"
 
He continues, "In order to make reparations, you may settle your debt one of three ways. You may either pay the fine of 4800 silvers plus any other outstanding debts you may have, serve a total of 20 minutes of incarceration, or do 20 minutes of community service around town. You may ANSWER me either FINE, INCARCERATION, or SERVICE as your choice. But I digress. Choose quickly, now, lest I hold you in contempt of court for wasting my time."

Fines

Fines depend on the crime and the character's justice history.

He continues, "In order to make reparations, you may settle your debt one of three ways. You may either pay the fine of 16500 silvers plus any other outstanding debts you may have, serve a total of 20 minutes of incarceration, or do 20 minutes of community service around town. You may ANSWER me either FINE, INCARCERATION, or SERVICE as your choice. But I digress. Choose quickly, now, lest I hold you in contempt of court for wasting my time."
 
>answer fine
The judge nods curtly and says, "You have 21 minutes to pay it off, otherwise your seized property will be sold to raise the funds. You may now leave."

After the stated amount of in-game time, a character receives the following message:

You realize that the time you had to pay your fine has ended, and that your belongings are likely being sold right now to pay the fine. You better get the remainder of your items, if any, real quick!

Once that message is received, the character has one hour in-game time to pick up their items from their jailbox, or else items would be sold to the pawnshop.

One needs to PAY (verb) the fee at the appropriate location. The in-game timer will continue even after paying the fine and so it is not recommended to dawdle.

Incarceration

Incarceration can either be in the stocks, where the criminal can talk to others, or the jail. In either case, the criminal must ANSWER questions periodically, or time is added to the sentence.

You can INQUIRE as to how much time is left in your sentence.

As of 6-25-2023 the justice system will not remove your possessions during incarceration.

Stocks
>answer incarceration 
 
The commander nods brusquely and bellows, "As you wish. I hereby sentence you to serve your incarceration in the stocks. Perhaps some public humiliation will show you the error of your ways. Remember that after you've served your time, you need to pick up your items as soon as possible. We're not your locker, and we'll sell the items to the poor if you leave them. Guards! Take this man away!"
 
Suddenly, a pair of lawmen come striding in. They wrestle you to the ground and drag you off, muttering something about the stocks!
 
[Dragonspine and Imflass]
You notice a basket of rotting fruit and a city official.
Obvious paths: north, east, south, west
A waiting city official nods as a duo of burly assistants comes in. One assistant is dragging in a set of solid wooden stocks, while the other brings in a basket of rotting fruit. The assistants take some time to make sure everything is in order before trotting off.
 
Suddenly, the lawmen holding you throw you roughly towards the stocks. They quickly put your hands and head into the stocks and secure the top half of the stocks, locking you into place!
 
The city official walks to the stocks and checks your bonds. Satisfied that they are tight, he stares at you before saying, "There you will stay until your time is done. Be lively now...I'll be asking you some simple questions every once in a while to make sure that you're alert and aware. Can't have people throwing rotten fruit at someone asleep. That just doesn't have the same fun in it. If you do fall asleep on me and not answer my questions, I'll add more time, so you better stay sharp! Wouldn't want to die of old age in that thing, eh?" The official then quietly snickers to himself.

The city official says, "Criminal, ANSWER me these questions in order, one at a time, and within two minutes. What is the name of the city you were charged in for your crimes, today's day of the week, and your gender?"

>answer teras
The city official nods in approval at your answer.

>time
Today is Tilamaires, day 11 of the month Olaesta in the year 5106. It is 04:52 by the elven time standard. It is currently after midnight.

>answer tilamaires
The city official nods in approval at your answer.

>answer male
The city official nods in approval at your answer.
Prison
>answer incarceration
The judge nods curtly and says, "As you wish. I hereby sentence you to serve your time in prison. Perhaps being locked up for a while will show you the error of your ways. Remember that after you've served your time, you need to pick up your items as soon as possible. We're not your locker, and we'll sell the items to the poor if you leave them. Guards! Take this man away!"
 
A number of burly guards come in, set you in some manacles, and drag you away. You are taken to a small wagon and set in the back under guard. After a short ride, the wagon stops and you are escorted into the local prison. Soon, you find yourself locked in a cell to serve your sentence.
 
[Prison, Cell]
This filthy cell has obviously not been cleaned in ages. Scraps of old clothing and refuse litter the floor, and a hole has been dug into the ground in place of a chamber pot. That too has quite clearly not been cleaned any time in the recent past. A flat, wooden bed tilts haphazardly against one of the walls, much of its support structure long gone. Above the wooden bed, strange markings have been carved into the wall. You also see a bolted bronze door.
 
The muffled voice of a guard echoes from beyond the cell door, "Roll call! Time to make sure you're still alive and causing me grief! Criminal, ANSWER me these questions in order, one at a time, and within two minutes. What is the number of the hour of the day in elven time, your race, and the name of the city you were charged in for your crimes?

Community Service

The community service system has been updated to allow you to get more detailed instructions while performing a task. At any time during your task, you may enter HELP SERVICE (or HELP TASK, if you prefer) to pull it up. As an example (this is for the dock-sanding task in Ta'Vaalor):

For your current task, you need to clean the dock at the Mistydeep River, located in the southern part of Victory Court. First, you must proceed to Victory Court and GREET the GUARDSMAN there to get some sandpaper. Next, proceed to the dock and INSPECT it to receive instructions on how to clean a particular area. Based on the instructions, you will need to DUST, RUB, PUSH, SLIDE, or CLEAN the dock in the proper order. When you have completed the entire set of instructions, INSPECT the dock again to receive another set of instructions. Continue cleaning the dock until your time is up.

Not all crimes have the option of choosing the community service punishment.

He continues, "I've decided that I'm not going to let you serve community service, so don't get your hopes up. To this aim, you may either pay the fine of 3807000 silvers plus any other outstanding debts you may owe, or serve a total of 120 minutes of incarceration. You may ANSWER me either FINE or INCARCERATION as your choice. But I digress. Choose quickly, now, lest I hold you in contempt of court for wasting my time."

NOTE: As of July 29, 2020, HELP SERVICE may result in your pulling up the SERVICE menu for player-related services (foraging, skinning, lockpicking, loresinging, etc.) instead of granting you help in identifying your community service task. HELP TASK may simply result in your being told that there is no help file for "task."

An additional problem with the community service system is that it is extremely difficult to find the night watchman, as he leaves the courtroom before you--and you are not told where he will be. It is possible to spend the entire twenty minutes racing through the streets of town to find him. Even if you do locate him, ASK WATCHMAN FOR/ABOUT TASK, brings up this singularly unhelpful result:

As you start your inquiry, the night watchman abruptly interrupts, saying, "I really don't have the time for this right now.  Try bugging me later."

And, if you do not complete your task in time due to the above problems, you may be charged with jailbreaking. This can happen even if you are standing in front of the watchman begging him to tell you what your community service task is.

Banishment

Suddenly, a large group of cudgel-waving townsmen come barreling in. They wrestle you to the ground and drag you off, chanting something about tar and feathers!
 
A city official drags in a makeshift gallows that looks rather rickety. Behind the official come two burly townsfolk, hauling a large vat of steaming tar. They drag the vat over next to the gallows.
 
Suddenly, the townsmen holding you throw you roughly to the ground. They quickly tie your arms and legs together with stout rope, and string you up on the gallows by your feet.
 
The city official leaps up on the gallows and checks your bonds. Satisfied that they are tight, he leaps down and signals the gathering crowd that they may begin. The townsmen begin to laugh and heckle you as they approach the vat of hot tar!
 
A trio of rough-looking young men approach you with a large bucket of steaming hot tar. The crowd goes wild as they pour the tar over your right hand, causing you to writhe and scream.
 
The townsfolk give a roar of approval as one of them pours a bit of tar from a small bucket onto you. You scream in pain as your right arm burns!
  
A kind-looking grey-haired old woman approaches you slowly. As she reaches your side, she pulls her hand from behind her back, revealing a broomstick that has been dipped into tar. She smears tar onto your head and says in a kindly voice, "Maybe this will teach you some manners."
 
A filthy child picks up a sharp stick from the ground, dips it into the tar and prods your head with it. You wince and gasp in pain as he stabs you a few times before throwing the stick down and running back to his mother.
 
A well-dressed cleric leaps onto the platform and exhorts the crowd to cease their torture of you. They pause for a moment as if considering the cleric's advice, and then enthusiastically resume their flinging of hot tar. A large glob hits your right leg and splatters onto the well-meaning cleric, who squeaks in terror and leaps down, disappearing quickly into the crowd.
 
An armored guard climbs onto the gallows to check your bonds. He tightens the ropes on your ankles and leans down to smile crookedly at you before leaping back to the ground. The townsfolk take that as a signal to continue, and pelt your left hand with tar.
 
An elderly gentleman in a plain but well-tailored suit makes his way to the front of the platform. Despite his simple clothes and false mustache, you recognize him as the judge who sentenced you. He looks solemnly into your eyes as he pours a small bucket of tar onto your back. You scream in pain and the gentleman gives a satisfied nod before taking his leave from the spectacle.
 
A soft looking town official wanders in to observe the goings-on. He nods approvingly as a housewife flings a large glob of tar at your right hand before moving on.
 
A town official suddenly jumps in front of the crowd. "That's enough now," he says. "If Criminal hasn't learned his lesson now, he never will. Bring out the feathers!". A number of townsfolk bring in some large sacks of goose feathers, and dump them all over you!
 
The town official looks at you and says, "You aren't welcome in this town any more, troublemaker. We'll make sure you get out of town, and don't come back anytime soon, unless you want more trouble!"
 
With that, the official raises a nasty looking club and brings it down hard atop your head, knocking you unconscious!
 
You slowly start coming to, and in doing so realize you have a splitting headache. You struggle to look around to see where you are...
 
[Wehnimer's, South Wharf]
Dockworkers curse you and each other as they carry their loads from the great trade ships to the warehouses of Wehnimer's Landing. Intermixed with the dockworkers are the crews of ships from various exotic and faraway ports. You also see a gangplank, a burly dwarven dockhand, the Glaesen Star and the Glaesen Star ticket office.
Obvious paths: west

Death

Locations

Constabulary

One can INQUIRE at these locations to find the whereabouts of the local law enforcement. This is also where you can collect your possessions after arrest, usually found on top of a desk, in a box with your name on it. Encumbrance restrictions are bypassed for the character collecting their possessions. This is done only in justice rooms and does not bypass the character item count limit.

  • Mist Harbor - Mist Harbor Sergeant's Office (an ornate stone building on Oleander Avenue, lich #3659)
  • Wehnimer's Landing - Wehnimer's, Constabulary (on Cheridin Avenue, lich #8686)
  • Solhaven - Solhaven, Guardhouse (east end of Nerite Lane, lich #13515)
  • Icemule Trace - Icemule Trace Jailhouse (down the path on the north end of the Dwarven Circle, lich #2458)
  • River's Rest - River's Rest, Captain's Room (Captain's Quarters on River Road, lich #10887 -- boxes on bench, not desk)
  • Kharam Dzu - Deputy Commander's Office (upstairs at the Militia Headquarters on Glaes Street, lich #1959)
  • Zul Logoth - Zul Logoth, Constabulary (opening in the north end of Chalcedony Tunnel, lich #9503)
  • Cysaegir - Reformatory, Office (south of the pond, through the bulwark and into the reformatory office, lich #17141)
  • Ta'Illistim - Hall of Justice, Clerk's Office (through the doors and east, from Seneschal Court, lich #1781)
  • Ta'Vaalor - Hall of Justice, Clerk's Office (in the hall and up the steps, from the west side of King's Court on Victory Wey, lich #3746)

Jail

Courtroom

Law Enforcement

Resources