PAXLAIR - May 27, 1999 - Winfield, Mayor of
PaxLair
*Mayor Winfield walks slowly, leaning on his staff, over to a
comfortable bench in the PaxLair garden...and sits down*
Ah, you ask about the rules in PaxLair. A long time ago, we worked hard
to establish a detailed set of rules. These worked well for us for quite some time and many
people and visitors of PaxLair still tend to follow them when they can.
Yet any rules or laws in an open wilderness town are hard to enforce.
Existence of such rules gives rise to an expectation of protection and quick
justice by town officials. Such an expectation, as a result of specific
rules, could not be specifically met time and time again as our town changed
in culture and residency. We experienced, through our attempts to strictly
follow and enforce the rules, that we encountered many debates, bad scenes
and incidents, and errors in justice. This created a very confused and
difficult environment for people to achieve their main goals for which they
come to PaxLair. Most people's goals go well beyond raising the sword or the
halberd against criminals; most work very hard to create emotion and a sense
of culture around themselves and the town in general.
Over the ages, here in PaxLair, we have found a more basic and
common thought which serves as a guideline for all who come:
Respect
While respect can not be enforced as a law because it is an
individual concept, it still couples very closely with our three PaxLair
tenets:
- Peace
- Neutrality
- Roleplaying
Some may scoff at the idea of respect in a community so open to
all people. Yet, when you think about it, respect is the underlying
philosophy to allow a community and many individuals to prosper, whatever
their goals may be. Respect indeed is difficult to achieve but is more often
a common goal of friends and sometimes even enemies. Respect of oneself and
for others must be earned though; it is not given freely.
How does this help the people of PaxLair who may seek rules such
as no looting (or looting of only certain things) or no reporting of
criminal actions to Lord British's judicial system? Such rules are
really based out of individual respect for others and an overall respect for
what the town of PaxLair is trying to achieve. Yet again, this respect must
be earned; not just by individuals but by our town in general.
For a new visitor to PaxLair, respect is achieved through dialog and
actions. That respect may be for a person of evil, neutral, or good in
nature. When respect is established and the person becomes well known,
PaxLair becomes a much safer place for the person because others will come
to the person's aid. Certainly, as a town official in PaxLair, I would like
to see no looting or reporting of criminals. In fact, I would like to see
the town remain peaceful for all people--a place in the wilderness respected
by all who come. A place where people of all walks of life may gather to
launch their ideas, quests, and history throughout the realm. Such a utopia,
though, is impossible to achieve completely. Therefore, people must always
be wary of the disrespectful person who enters PaxLair.
PaxLair is a crossroad for all people. At times PaxLair is extremely
peaceful. Other times, PaxLair is more dangerous than the worst of the
dungeons anywhere in the realm. This is reality; this is what we must be
prepared for each day. We should respond in ways that satisfy us personally
and perhaps with a conscious recognition of what PaxLair attempts to be in
the wilderness.
There are a few suggestions I can make for the new person coming to
PaxLair, and the veteran as well:
- Leave your valuables at home. Do not bring anything you can not afford
to lose or would be upset losing.
- Get to know the people and visitors of the town: the good, the
neutral, the evil. Learn who you can trust.
- Realize there are constant quests and building of history and cultures
of many groups who come to PaxLair. Some quests offer a danger; some
cultures are at odds with all people in the realm.
- Use your own personal judgement to report criminals to Lord British or
to loot the belongings of a fallen criminal.
- Seek to aid those you have come to respect; they in turn will
generally aid you.
As you can see, at this time I do not promote the ideas of hard and fast
rules within PaxLair which would require a judge and jury. Such an endeavor
is something we maybe able to do in the future as the town grows and people
become more involved. PaxLair as a growing community will go through twists
and turns, ups and downs. Patience and clear thought are virtues in our
community and respect is the underlying root of all we attempt to do.
Winfield, Mayor of PaxLair
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