Guidelines for the City of Vonda

Key Points to take note of on RP with Vonda:

1. All persons/Muns must be 18+ years of age, as must be all played characters

2. Only 1 character played in Vonda per person/Mun, with the exception of registered Vonda gladiators

3. Unrealistic, disruptive, and/or offensive RP can and will be ignored

4. Honorable Free Women of the Homestone are respected, and have rights

5. Rule of the Ubar is absolute

Vonda is an adult roleplay forum. You must be 18+ years old to roleplay in Vonda.

One character in Vonda per mun:

Each mun of Vonda may play one and only one character in Vonda, with an exception made for gladiatorial slaves. Each citizen may also apply to register an additional gladiator character, who will be a slave. Such secondary characters are to foster interest and allow participation in Vonda's gladiator games, without getting an established character killed.

However, with approval from the Ubar temporary characters may be created and played out in accordance with an SL for which the character was proposed. Such temporary characters will not be counted as your Vonda character for this purpose. Creating and RP'ing such a character without legitimate permission will be considered a violation of this rule. This rule is intended to focus RP in Vonda on main characters, to promote character development and reduce crossing and spying via multiple SN's. You may of course play other characters not affiliated with the city elsewhere if you wish, for RP in other cities, etc.

General Guidelines for RP in Vonda:

Vonda and "Mun-consent": In a nutshell, the policy of Vonda is that valid and realistic storylines are played out once they are begun. There are times when, for various reasons, you may decide you do not want to start or continue a given SL. You may do so, the caveat being that if this is common behavior used to slip from an unsavory position your own RP began, you may find yourself ignored or exhiled from Vonda. We do not want characters taunting others into SL's and then backing out when the consequence is unfavorable.

On the other hand, any unrealistic SL another tries to force upon you can be ignored without expecting consequence; if "tarnsman xyz flies through the tarnwire, swoops down to a ground-level building in the middle of the city and kidnaps a FW, teleporting after to the far-off city of your choice", the SL is easily ignored due to lack of realism. Also, if someone tries to subject you to something particularly distasteful and beyond the bounds of the books do not feel compelled to go through with it to "appear a good RP'er". Vonda is not an RP environment that expects you to experience RP'd torture and maiming for the sake of satisfying someone's un-gorean whim. Basically, if you have a good reason to void any SL and you do not develop a history of taunting others into SL's and then voiding them, using "mun-consent" should not cause you trouble in Vonda.

Characters who die in valid SL's will remain dead to Vonda, consider this before putting your character in life-and-death situations such as death matches; while you may be able to run the dead SN in Rhydin, it will be ignored in Vonda. Presuming you have RP'd well in Vonda, of course you may be invited to create a new character for the city, though not a resurrection of the previous one. Overall these GL's and mun consent should allow characters to develop long-term; this is intended to reward work put into your character while avoiding general silliness such as the "DM of the day" phenomenon trivializing the progressive RP we can and should have in this adult forum.

Realism & the "worldwide cry for help" Syndrome:

First off, unrealistic events others attempt to impose upon you may be ignored out of hand. People cannot just sweep into your house and drag you to the south pole within an ihn for example. If you do participate in such a stretch of realism, no Vondan is required to come to your aid should you attempt the IM for help ploy. Just remember this works more for than against you, for you are not required to participate in just any SL another wishes to impose upon you in Vonda. Vondans will be loyal to those of the city and protective of citizenry, but not if their own SL's or RP is interrupted by something absurd beyond belief.

Child characters:

Vondan RP is not intended to be focused on Child Characters. Vondans may feel free to ignore children RP'd in our city. Only adult muns [18+] are allowed to RP in Vonda. Characters are not discouraged from having families at all, but child characters will be npc'd until the character reaches 18 years of age. This rule is primarily intended to prevent the possibility of unsavory RP elements developing around child characters.

RP vs mun comments & "thoughts" in Vonda rooms:

Vondan rooms are for RP. Please keep mun/ooc comments to an absolute minimum within Vonda rooms. "AFK", "BRB" are fine and informative."wb", "ty", etc. are discouraged in that they detract from the RP, especially if a room is crowded. "Thoughts" of characters typed in the room are assumed to be evident in expression, body language, etc. to any others in the room who care to notice them. So "::kajira xyz thinks FW Abc is a bitch::" may well result in repercussions for kajira xyz, and legitimately so. Do not type thoughts into the room unless you intend them to be conveyed and observed by all those present.

Free Men, Free Women, Honor and Vonda:

Free men of Vonda uphold the city’s honor. This includes protecting the city as a whole, as well as defending the Homestone’s Freewomen. Freewomen also uphold the honor of the city, and through conduct befitting her status . Vonda may have its share of scoundrels, but all are expected to uphold the Honor of the Homestone and that of its Honorable Freewomen.

Free Woman garb:

FW are expected to wear veils [at least one] within public areas of the city [i.e., you can set your own rules within your house]. Robes are customary dress, especially in public.

Face Stripping:

Face stripping a woman of Vonda is a serious crime. If she has acted suitable for the collar, her offense should be brought to the City Council and Ubar, which will rule on the matter.

Striking of a FW:

Striking of a FW of Vonda is strictly prohibited outside of obvious self-defense. If her behavior is beyond that fit for a freewoman or involves crime it may be brought before higher authorities. In the event a FW of Vonda is threatened or struck with or without provocation, men of the city will retaliate. If this takes place within the city or sphere of influence of the city, the offender may well find him or herself arrested by authorities to face judicial action by the city administration.

Debt:

A FW who cannot pay her debts may be enslaved. Under redemption law, a man can pay her debts for her and can call upon the same debt so that if she cannot pay him he may make her his slave. Conflict over this issue will be brought before the city administration for judgement.

Collaring:

No man can collar a Free Woman of Vonda simply because he does not like her words. Free Women are allowed to be outspoken and voice their opinions unbidden, though any citizen may be exhiled by the administration as a menace if insulting behavior goes too far or dishonors the city. Behaviors for which a Freewoman might lose her freedom to the collar include fraud or theft, prostitution or blatantly seductive behavior, serving or dancing like a slave, spying on Masters and slaves, immodest dress or nudity, exhibited desire for bondage and similar discipline, persistent vagrancy or incorrigible behavior involving repeated punishable offenses. Any such behavior is to bejudged by the council before a woman is collared for it. In Vonda, free women have rights and stand apart from slaves.

Visitors:

Guests may visit the city in the presence of Vondan citizens. Merchants may be searched, but generally are allowed free access as well. Entertainers and players will not be enslaved within the city, though subject to its laws otherwise. City guards obviously will not allow an army to pass through the gates, Vonda will not be "invaded" by a force slipped within as visitors. Guests who do not follow the GLs, or who threaten or attack citizens within the city will not be tolerated by guards.

Guest Permits:

Guest permits may be authorized by the Ubar and First Scribe. Visitors without permits may be interrogated or held by guards at any time. Any authorized permit will include statement of the time period for which it lasts, [typically 2 mun weeks], though it may be cancelled at any time by the Ubar or Captain of the Guards. Note that a record is kept of all permits in effect. All Guardsmen are notified of guests, preventing common forgeries. Citizens may escort guests around the city but if the visitors intend to remain within the city outside of the Citizen's presence, the Citizen should write the Ubar and First Scribe to draw up a permit for the guest.

Slave Laws:

Slaves are property and may own no property of their own. Their owner may do with slaves as seen fit, though in public any actions should suit the propriety of the setting. Any free person may discipline a slave, but it is bad form to do so without cause and without intent to correct future behavior. Always consider setting when disciplining a slave or slaves.

Slaves are not permitted outside the city gates unless accompanied by a free person, except in generic "kajira" rooms [i.e., kajira waterfalls is acceptable, kajira pond, etc].

Slaves may not teach the free, build structures, nor handle legal documents, Kaissa pieces or weapons.

Guidelines for the Slaves of Vonda:

Slaves ask permission to leave a room but not to enter it. If a free person orders a slave from a room the slave must go.

Serving guidelines:

Do not interrupt the conversations of the Free. If you are serving, just kneel and be silent until there is a lull in the conversation.

There is no need to volunteer to test served food or drink for poison, but obey if so requested.

If your Master or Mistress has a "special serve" they like for you to do, by all means do it for them.

Punishment of slaves:

If a slave commits a very grave offense - such as striking a Free Person, stealing, brandishing a weapon at a Free Person, etc., the slave can be killed on the spot. According to law, the slave's owner will receive fair compensation in coin for the destroyed property... this fair compensation may be resolved by the parties involved, though if no agreement can be reached the administration of Vonda will rule on the matter. Slaves may be punished at the will of the free for other failings also. Slaves can and should be dealt with harshly for disrespecting the free. All free have rights in Vonda, which differentiates them from slaves. Remember that although slaves are 'only property', they are still property of some value. If you run around a merchant's shop breaking his wares without cause, you would not expect to remain welcome there long.

Petitioning for Citizenship:

Should you like what you see of Vonda and wish to join as a citizen, you must fullfil the following requirements:

1. Age is 18+ ;

2. Agree to defend the Homestone, Honor its citizens, both Free Men and Free Women, and uphold the Guidelines of Vonda.

If you endorse the previous two statements, you are welcomed you to submit your application for citizenship to the city of Vonda. If you are accepted, you will be a provisional citizen for 1 month, afterwhich the Ubar or Council may promote you to full and permanent citizen, assuming remain interested in Vonda.

Purpose of GLs:

These GL's are intended to foster long-term character development with adult and relatively "realistic" RP. In Vonda the free enjoy rights, but law is strong. Slaves will never rule the city but will behave as what they are, slaves who owe their survival to the free. You choose the [one] role you wish to play out here, free or slave, and if free, your caste. If you prefer more chaos and upheaval in your RP, enjoy multiple characters to one mun spying on other characters, prefer more freedom for your slaves, or less freedom for the "free", there are many other gorean RP cities to choose from. If you prefer to develop your character over time free from random and unrealistic attacks within your home, and to create SL's for people to participate in by choice, you may enjoy Vonda.