Editing The World Tree/Trinity Islands/Isle of Dread (section)

=Government=
The Isle of Dread has come a long way since the [[The World Tree/Time of Chaos|Time of Chaos]], establishing its own government system with laws, order, and assistance and protection of its citizens, although they may not be at the same level as the surrounding greater powers.

==Law==
Throughout the entire island, a simple code is used to keep all of the citizens, organizations, and political members in check. The code is the premise of each guild or group's tenants, adding minor additions to accomodate their beliefs and ideals. The code states:
*Pay dues and taxes to the island and your membership (10 gp per year).
*Keep membership information secret.
*Never steal from, perform magic, or trespass in off limit zones.
*Theft, fraud, hits, trespassing, and burning are only permited in your specified zone.
*Never question your king.
*(Unspoken Rule) Get away with stealing everything and make sure they know it.
The Isle of Dread's use of zoning has allowed for the criminal nature of the city to thrive without causing it to become unstable. Citizens are designated with a symbol of their zone, indicating their rights and protection for questionable activity.  Those who do not have a symbol are labeled as visitors and have no right to such activity until after being marked. This has allowed the city to thrive off of a different dynamic, flipping the balance of trade and profit into a world of protection and thievery. The central government of the island has a heavy presence of guards, whisking away any obvious codebreaker.

Taxes are paid yearly by the eve of midsummer, with all citizens who have not been placed into the leger are instantly placed into contempt. The fee is small, but required, which is used to build other dwellings, bribe greater power officials, and pay personel of the government (with the king being paid rather handsomely). Punishments for this range from hefty fines to severe imprisonment.

Membership to a guild or organization intrusts a vast amount of information to those within, which must be kept secret from the common knowledge. This belief allows the organizations to reduce chaotic wars and confusion, which has been written into the code. This information is largely enforced with incriminating documents or objects, with verbal breaches depend largely on the amount of gold used to bribe a guard or judge. Punishments usually resolve with monetary compensation or death, depending on the severity of the information released.

Off limit zones are usually placed around government buildings or dangerous locations but have been sanctioned over locations with questionable motives. Zones are created by the king and in place for 1 year, where they are either renewed before expiration or discarded by negligence. Punishment for being found within or tampering with off limit zones result in imprisonment or exhile.

Any questionable act (labeled as theft, fraud, hits, trespassing, and burning) that are not within a citizen's zone are forbidden. All visitors are therfore forbidden to partake in any questionable act unless it is in retribution to a proven questionable act against them. Punishments depend on the crime, from a small fine to exhile or death.

Perhaps the most suspicious of the code, citizens are required to follow a king's order without question or defiance. This has allowed for a large amount of corruption and ethicality to be implemented into the island depending on the king at the time.  This crime is only punishable if proven in front of a high council, created from the leaders of guilds and memberships within the separate zones. Once proven, guilty party is subjected to exhile and removal of criminal partt (ex: tongue of a liar, fingers of a thief, eyes of a forgery, etc.) This is forgoed if majority rules as "too cruel".

The zoning of the Island of Dread has caused an honor system among thieves, feeding the individual needs of its citizens while avoiding wrongful harm to others. Thieves with no criminal records and have enough "cred" can transfer to other zones, but this can only be done with an appropriate council member signature, cred level, and proof of criminal actions for the required zone change. The easiest way to do this is accept tasks from a guild or organization, due to their legality with the code and marks belonging outside of the island or on visitors. Proof is easily reported to officials through the organization and allows for individuals to ascend through the separate zones. However, if reviewed by a high council, proof can be reported outside of guild affiliation as long as a.) the crime in question did not break the laws of the islands juristiction and b.) was not committed against a citizen of the island, regardless of location. Cred scores can only be viewed under heavy surveillance with a representative. Any attempts to forge, steal, or change the leger in anyway is met with immediate execution.

==Order==
With the code in place order is kept at a higher level than camps and hideouts of typical bandits and thieves, even surpassing some of the villages in the surrounding powers, but is not by any means organized or balanced. The zones each have their own dynamics, ranging from the civil customs found in other cities to sever anarchy and debauchery and to ironfisted justice and order.

Each zone also accounts for its individual guard staff, only certified, employed, and citizen of the zone they belong to. Although the common passerby to a crime will simply ignore, guards are trained to keep closer watch of actions and are instructed to interfere only if there is proof of questionable acts. Many of the guards, however, have been hired or volunteered for their skill in noticing such acts due to their criminally experienced backgrounds or "eye for the trade". This means guards are more likely to also abuse such a power due to their backgrounds and alignments and that justice is held in the individual, rather than a unifying command. Many of the guards, regardless of zone, will accept a bribe to turn the other way or side with them. This act is not considered unlawful unless it is obvious involvement with an off limit or unresiding zone (with some still who would accept such a bribe, so long as they are not tied to their actions).

What this means for citizens is an interesting dynamic of order, keeping and saving a fair amount of "bribe money" in case a citizen is wrongly accused and needs to out bribe the perpatrator. Traveling light is a necessity and must include an easily reachable blade of some sort. Those who walk without arms is either very brave or very foolish. Many citizens are also of a shady disposition, which allows for brawls, duels, verbal abuse, and conning to be a part of the normal day to day. Those who hide their colors, however, are immediately taken in for questioning and authentication. In short, the Isle of Dread is a dangerous place and, although stable, is a town of treachery and chaos.
==Assistance and Protection==
The common action of citizens of the island is to either buy a way into the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX zone or join one of the guilds or organizations that allows for protection. 

As stated before, guards run the gambit of ideas and virtues, leaving the safety of its people to only be completely trusted within their hands. Those with the money to do so will pay insurmantible sums to the king or XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX organization in order to keep them from the dangerous lower zones. These zones do not guarantee safety, however, and if the coin allows for it, a citizen of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX zone will higher a private guard (often times a bribed city guard) to act in its stead or will hire a master of magic to transcribe powerful runes or arcane traps to keep the riff-raff out.  Either way, it is important for the citizens to display this protection to others as a warning, often times fully displaying a firebolt rune or hired muscle.

For the lower levels, this is not a viable option. Once in a while, a citizen will afford to purchase a dwelling in XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX zone only to be ransacked of their belongings after moving in due to the outrageous prices of protection. Citizens of the lower levels are left with two options: fend for themselves or join a guild. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx guild and XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX guild run as the greater powers of this city, acting more as political parties than true guilds. Their profits rise from their membership fees and for their services of protection. Although they claim other virtures, these guilds are largely propoganda, with each hoping to spring at the chance to take the king's throne, should the opportunity arise.