Settlement law and custody

The watch remembers the worst charge

A settlement keeps a ledger of trespassing, lockpicking, theft, pickpocketing, burglary, resisting and assault. The halt uses the most serious charge currently recorded there. Selling or hiding stolen goods does not erase a recorded burglary. Paying a fine or settling held goods clears that settlement's current charge ledger.

How a fine is priced

Each charge has its own base fine. A village uses 80% of it, a town 100%, a fort 120% and a city 130%. Each earlier conviction recorded for that settlement adds another 50% of the original place-adjusted amount. The result rounds to whole gold and stays between 5 and 250. Both surrendering and refusing a halt increase that settlement's conviction count. The count is shared across the party.

Surrender searches what you carry

Choose SURRENDER on the halt. The watch takes up to the quoted fine from the stopped player's purse and confiscates matching stolen goods from the backpack, Quick Bar and worn equipment. Stored goods in chests are outside this search. Locally foraged wild produce is excluded from confiscation. Surrender clears the settlement's shared hostility and current charge ledger, and lowers theft awareness by one stage. It does not restore faction standing or erase personal witness memories.

Refusal keeps the matter open

Choose REFUSE to fight or run. The responders turn against the stopped player, the settlement becomes hostile for 400 turns and resisting is added to its charge ledger. Its conviction count also rises. Earlier charges remain on the ledger. This is a shared settlement hostility change, even though the halt is addressed to one player.

Some surrenders lead to a cell

Assault, resisting and burglary are jailable surrender charges. The sentence is one and a half times the final rounded fine, with the custody limits applied. Current fine rules limit it to 375 world turns. The other four charges alone add no surrender sentence. A shortage of gold still lets the watch take what you have. A witnessed accidental spell killing can bring an assault arrest when the victim was peaceful and the spell was aimed elsewhere.

Other ways into custody

A Wayfarer defeat capture normally starts a 200 turn sentence. An arrest after a clothing warning starts a 50 turn sentence and does not search the backpack or confiscate your equipment. Guards require both a chest garment and leg clothing to stop the warning rule. A patrol needs an eligible nearby settlement to take someone in. These entries use the same cell controls as a surrender.

Use the door and cot

Interact with the cell door to work its lock or offer a bribe, or with the cot to choose Serve your sentence. The sentence counts world turns in every Adventure defeat mode. Moving or acting can stop resting without restarting the sentence. The cell door still counts as inside if it is open. Walking beyond the cell is an escape, even if the watch left the door unlatched.

A bribe releases the prisoner

The cell door and a reachable gaoler can offer Bribe the gaoler with the current gold cost. A successful payment releases the held player and returns the goods still held for them. In co-op, a free partner can pay while beside the cell door or an eligible guard. The payment uses the payer's own spending route, and the release belongs to the prisoner. The host validates the payment and release.

Picking the lock is a break-out

The cell lock uses Torque and Feel. Ordinary lockpicks or Master Lockpicks take priority over the Bent Spoon. The spoon can be found on the cell floor and works only at the cell door. Successfully picking it breaks you out immediately. Walking out through a door left unlatched has the same consequences: resisting is recorded, settlement hostility is set to 400 turns and faction standing falls by 10. Goods are left in the guardroom chest until you recover or settle for them.

Serving can bring interruptions

A sentence can end through an allied rescue when the remaining time reaches a positive multiple of 50. The chance per check is 20% for a surrender and 30% for the ordinary defeat capture record. Reaching zero serves the sentence before another rescue roll. The normal 50 turn clothing sentence ends before a rescue check can occur. While resting on the cot, separate 50 turn clock checks can bring one friendly local visitor or leave the cell door unlatched. An unlatched door gives a choice to escape, rather than a lawful release.

Released goods come from the chest

Serving the sentence, paying the bribe or receiving an allied rescue returns what remains in the guardroom chest. A returned item first fills a suitable empty equipment slot, then joins a matching backpack stack or takes a free backpack place. Extra items are put at your feet. Items already taken from the chest are not handed over again. A lawful release clears the held-goods account.

Settle for goods left behind

After a break-out, a guard from the holding settlement can offer Settle your account while goods remain held. In a village, its reeve or innkeeper can keep this ledger too. The price is the current resisting fine plus the bribe stored with the held goods. Payment returns those goods, clears this settlement's shared hostility and crime ledger, and adds a conviction. If you already emptied the chest, there is no held-goods account to pay.

A party shares the lock-up scene

In co-op, an arrest brings the party into one lock-up scene. One seat is held on the cot and the partners remain free in the guardroom. The party cannot leave while its prisoner is still held. A partner can help with the bribe or lock, while guards pursue the prisoner after an escape. Settlement hostility and faction standing are still shared party changes. Another arrest is refused while this cell is occupied. Defeat capture still becomes scavenging in co-op.