Tuluk, Assassination, Thieving

[RogueGunslinger]

I'd like to know more about the system of buying the rights to become an assassin or thief in Tuluk. I don't understand what the purpose for doing so is. What does one gain by paying for this? How does the populace trath these things? Is it considered a great honor to be a well known thief?

If I wanted to start a character with the right to thief(because he's been doing it for a long time) should I special app it, or is it easy to find a Templar to let you do this, or can this be done through the regular app process. Also, will it's expensiveness strip my newbie character from all of his coins if I can't start a char with it already.


Thanks.

[Gimfalisette]

I'd like to know more about the system of buying the rights to become an assassin or thief in Tuluk. I don't understand what the purpose for doing so is. What does one gain by paying for this?

The shady gains the privilege to have crimes go mostly uninvestigated if they are carried off successfully. Basically, get away clean, and you won't be fingered for the job. You also gain not getting offed by a templar if you're playing by the rules; but templars typically are pretty harsh if you're operating without a license.

Is it considered a great honor to be a well known thief?

Yes. To be a "master thief" means that everyone knows you're a thief of repute, but no one can pin anything on you. This would accord high respect in Tuluk.

How does the populace trath these things?

Tuluk is a place where "everyone knows." Probably templars and nobles know from firsthand experience who are the successful, talented shadies; and from there the word trickles out. That guy at the tavern who's dressed really well, has a great apartment, and is buying drinks and spice for everyone but doesn't seem to have gainful employment? Maybe he's a master shady.

If I wanted to start a character with the right to thief(because he's been doing it for a long time) should I special app it, or is it easy to find a Templar to let you do this, or can this be done through the regular app process. Also, will it's expensiveness strip my newbie character from all of his coins if I can't start a char with it already.

No, yes, no, and no.

[RogueGunslinger]

Thank you. 

[Prince Prig]

If you haven't been able to look at it, the documentation on Tuluki Roleplay describes the tradition a bit as well as some posts on the GDB.

I'll leave the more eloquent responses for others, but basically the benefits of being a licensed thief/assassin in Tuluk are that you are sanctioned by the Faithful to pursue an art hidden from public eye. The document explains the specifics, but thieves pay a one-time fee for their "rights", while assassins much register each case.

Being registered means a lesser punishment if you are unfortunate to get caught, and it serves as a bribe (to put it bluntly) to the Faithful when you do succeed a theft or assassination, as long as they have you and the planned deed on record. As well, if you gain a sufficient reputation, you may be called upon by "others" for your services.

How does the populace trace these things? Tuluk is known for people disappearing, or things being "lost" if you are not careful or cross the wrong person. Aside from that, the populace as a public knows little of the specifics of individual acts, if done by a skilled "artist". Individual artists may have their own trademark, so to speak, of doing things, but aside from that, little else is known of these people than that. On the other hand, the Faithful and those the registered thieves and assassins work with do know the happenings (or have the resources to find out), and likely one's reputation grows or lessens amongst this small circle before spreading to the public. (I think Gimfalisette explained this part better.)

Is it considered a great honor to be a well-known thief? Just as it may be prestigious being a recognized bard of Poet's Circle, so likely would it be to be a respected and highly reputed thief or assassin. Perhaps the only difference being that your fame is less open to the public, and thus represented in different ways. A skilled assassin or thief wouldn't flaunt what they do, but people would just know.

You would approach one of the Lirathans (white robed templars) IG if your character would like to pursue this line of "art". Approaching them politely but discreetly would likely be helpful, and in part a measure of your future success, but it isn't that difficult a process. No need for special apping or such unless it was special...

Going from the documentation, a thieving license is around 300, though things may vary depending on circumstance and the mood of the Faithful Lady. Assassination licenses differ with each individual case.

[RogueGunslinger]

Do you receive an object similar to a merchants token?

[Tisiphone]

Hey, one I actually know!

Do you receive an object similar to a merchants token?

Yes.

[RogueGunslinger]

Thanks

[Prince Prig]

Hey, one I actually know!

Do you receive an object similar to a merchants token?

Yes.

Sort of. You receive something, though.

This is actually one of the aspects of Tuluk I really like about it, and one with a lot of potential if built up.

[RogueGunslinger]

How would the templarate regard a crew of licensed assassin's and thieves. Would their abilities, together, become a problem for the templarate? What would they do if they got out of hand?

[a strange shadow]

That, I believe, should be found (or figured) out IC.

[RogueGunslinger]

I think a character in citizen would know whether or not people of those sorts tended to hand out together, and if the templarate smacked down such groups if they did get togethor...

But I can see how it can be a 'find out ic' situation. I'll settle for asking the staff via request.

[Prince Prig]

Well, if you think about it, the Faithful would know who all the registered citizens of His city are, their description, and everything. If ever such a group became too powerful, it would be easy to control them. Logically speaking... Can't speak for what happens IG. =D

[RogueGunslinger]

Does the license for thieving cover all forms of such? Obviously subtlyty woulb be the way to go, but what about mugging? Befriending someone for trust so you can strip them of their things? Scams?

[The Archbishop]

Anyone else think this being licensed is fucking retarded? What happened to bribing your way out of being fingered?
Damn notherners

[RogueGunslinger]

The license -is- the bribe.

Does the license for thieving cover all forms of such? Obviously subtlety would be the way to go, but what about mugging? Befriending someone for trust so you can strip them of their things? Scams?

[Prince Prig]

Does the license for thieving cover all forms of such? Obviously subtlyty woulb be the way to go, but what about mugging? Befriending someone for trust so you can strip them of their things? Scams?

It should cover all forms of taking another's possession without the other's consent. Mugging fits into it, though I doubt it would be a wise choice, unless you do it without being spotted...which may as well be stealing.

If you take someone's possession and there's nothing that links the taking to you, you did a good steal, and the Faithful likely won't look too far into it. You wouldn't need a license for scams though, as the victim was a willing participant, and scams are a normal part of life. Nor stealing knowledge, for that matter. Burglaries, perhaps. Hope that clears things up.

Befriending someone and then stripping them when they're vulnerable is still taking without consent. You may or may not want a license to pull it off though if it's only a one-time thing or other.

Bottom line, you'll want to get licensed if the act of stealing (or killing) is a large part of your life and there's a likelihood of you getting caught, or want the benefits of being "known" by the Faithful and associates. There's a number of exceptions, but it should be easy to pick out.

[Note: I write from experience and from my interpretation of the documents, so don't take it all for fact.]

[Xagon]

After taking a look through the documents, I found that something I assumed to be common knowledge related to licensing, in fact, is not. My funny joke about where to stick your newfound license will have to wait

Steal (verb): To take (the property of another) without right or permission.

Pickpocketing is stealing. Mugging is stealing. Burglary is stealing.
If you own it, it's not stealing.
If they own it and give you permission, it's not stealing.

Only problem is, by this definition, elves have a mixed taste about stealing which is obviously not true

[Clearsighted]

I'd like to know more about the system of buying the rights to become an assassin or thief in Tuluk. I don't understand what the purpose for doing so is. What does one gain by paying for this? How does the populace trath these things? Is it considered a great honor to be a well known thief?

If I wanted to start a character with the right to thief(because he's been doing it for a long time) should I special app it, or is it easy to find a Templar to let you do this, or can this be done through the regular app process. Also, will it's expensiveness strip my newbie character from all of his coins if I can't start a char with it already.


Thanks.

The way it works in practice, is that it just makes it easier for you to be betrayed, tracked down or killed.

[jstorrie]

Does the license for thieving cover all forms of such? Obviously subtlyty woulb be the way to go, but what about mugging? Befriending someone for trust so you can strip them of their things? Scams?

Mugging is frowned upon in Tuluk because it's generally 'messy'–the templarate likes 'subtle' crimes because they don't disturb the public peace.

You usually don't need a license to run a con, but it will come down the whichever templar ends up dealing with it.

Licensed thievery would deal more with burglarizing apartments, picking pockets, or knocking people out (without them spotting you) and taking their shit.

There are relative merits to not getting a license, too, though it is far far riskier. Unlicensed killings and unlicensed theft are majorly risky bad deeds in Tuluk, whereas licensed jobs are relatively legit, as long as you know where you stand with the powers that be.

[Dar]

Clearsighted is right in this. Perhaps a templar can tolerate a shady killing ther enemies, or planting/spying on their enemies, etc. But the moment a shady poses some kind of harm to a person who Templar needs, the templar can easilly leak (best case scenario, the are worse), who the culprit/assassin is.

If it was possible to do via an npc templar vendor, that would be great. Otherwise, as a shady you're just not important enough and can 'easilly' be sacrificed for an act of good faith from a templar to the merchant about to be popped. And if as a shady you 'are' important enough (master thief, master assassin), then odds are you've worked a long time 'without' getting the license, inviting yourself into betrayal when you were starting out.

[RogueGunslinger]

Huh... That makes sense, and I don't actually think is a bad thing.

[Dar]

Huh... That makes sense, and I don't actually think is a bad thing.

It's not a bad thing. It just prevents any real true 'crime' for the sake of enrichment. And turns criminals into a special ops arm of the Jihaen. Granted, that is so in Nak too at some level, but it doesnt 'have' to be. in Tuluk it's a 'must'

[Ourla]

Huh... That makes sense, and I don't actually think is a bad thing.

Yeah, I agree that it makes perfect sense.  In return for relative freedom to practice your sneaky arts, the templarate knows who you are.  It can go both ways... they can refer business to you, or they can find you if you mess up. 

It's not required roleplay for any sneaky to get registered in Tuluk.  Maybe they have their reasons for wanting to remain anonymous.  They'll just have to face the consequences if they're caught... and as someone stated, those can be pretty severe, depending on cirumstances.

[Clearsighted]

Huh... That makes sense, and I don't actually think is a bad thing.

It's alot more palatable when discussing theory on the forum. It gets a bit old in the game, eventually. Dar is correct that it would work better if there were someway it could be done through NPC vendors (which it never will be) so it doesn't turn out to be the same templar pulling all the strings forever and ever, thereby ensuring the status quo is never seriously threatened. Or at least not in the way it is meant to be, via the docs.

[Prince Prig]

Think about it this way. In Allanak, magickers get "licensed" to practice their finger-wiggling. In Tuluk, criminals get "licensed" to practice their stealing and killing. Allanaki citizens know who's "licensed". Tuluki citizens know who's "licensed" (though not as easily). Magickers are called upon by the Allanaki government at times. Criminals are called upon by the Tuluki government at times.

This isn't a perfect comparison by far, but should make it easier to understand.

Pretty much, for a licensed thief/assassin, the city becomes your temple.

[Synthesis]

The overarching problem here is that the vast majority of players who get into positions of power in Tuluk can't wrap their minds completely around the way they should behave in order to make licensed thievery/assassination as viable as it should be.

There quite simply is zero respect for the art of thievery/assassination when things aren't going your character's way.  That's not the way it should be. 

If you're a Tuluki noble and your long-time aide gets exquisitely murdered, your -last- response should be going to cry about it to His Faithful.  That's more of Allanaki-style approach to the problem:  immediately flex your power and put the smackdown on somebody.  A Tuluki noble would be more concerned about who put that contract out in the first place, and would then retaliate subtly:  maybe they would hire the -same- assassin to kill one of their enemy's partisans.  Maybe they would get their enemy eliminated.  Maybe they would attack their enemy's source of income, so they could no longer afford to hire such talented assassins.  Newsflash: finding out who carried out the assassination and then having -them- disappeared a week later is not particularly artful or subtle. 

Tulukis in positions of power should applaud artful assassinations, even when it is personally painful, because it's an affirmation of the Tuluki zeitgeist.  To have a master assassin disappeared would be the equivalent of sending Mozart to the gallows.  It's like burning the flag in America.  It pretty much runs against every grain of Tuluki society.

The same thing goes for assassins in Tuluk:  oaths of utter loyalty to a particular House or Noble are more characteristic of Allanak, where force and power are explicit.  If you're an assassin in Tuluk, taking a job should be a matter of "how will this affect my reputation as an artist," not "oh noes, House X will be mads at me."  Similarly, assassinations shouldn't merely be a matter of coins.  Murdering a newbie hunter isn't worth shit, even if Noble X will pay you a million coins for it...because anybody can kill a newbie hunter.  Why do you need a million coins, anyway?  Your reputation is everything, and if you'll kill anything with a pulse for the right amount of coins, you're no better than an Allanaki 'rinthi thug.

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

[Xagon]

The overarching problem here is that the vast majority of players who get into positions of power in Tuluk can't wrap their minds completely around the way they should behave in order to make licensed thievery/assassination as viable as it should be.

There quite simply is zero respect for the art of thievery/assassination when things aren't going your character's way.  That's not the way it should be. 

If you're a Tuluki noble and your long-time aide gets exquisitely murdered, your -last- response should be going to cry about it to His Faithful.  That's more of Allanaki-style approach to the problem:  immediately flex your power and put the smackdown on somebody.  A Tuluki noble would be more concerned about who put that contract out in the first place, and would then retaliate subtly:  maybe they would hire the -same- assassin to kill one of their enemy's partisans.  Maybe they would get their enemy eliminated.  Maybe they would attack their enemy's source of income, so they could no longer afford to hire such talented assassins.  Newsflash: finding out who carried out the assassination and then having -them- disappeared a week later is not particularly artful or subtle. 

Tulukis in positions of power should applaud artful assassinations, even when it is personally painful, because it's an affirmation of the Tuluki zeitgeist.  To have a master assassin disappeared would be the equivalent of sending Mozart to the gallows.  It's like burning the flag in America.  It pretty much runs against every grain of Tuluki society.


The same thing goes for assassins in Tuluk:  oaths of utter loyalty to a particular House or Noble are more characteristic of Allanak, where force and power are explicit.  If you're an assassin in Tuluk, taking a job should be a matter of "how will this affect my reputation as an artist," not "oh noes, House X will be mads at me."  Similarly, assassinations shouldn't merely be a matter of coins.  Murdering a newbie hunter isn't worth shit, even if Noble X will pay you a million coins for it...because anybody can kill a newbie hunter.  Why do you need a million coins, anyway?  Your reputation is everything, and if you'll kill anything with a pulse for the right amount of coins, you're no better than an Allanaki 'rinthi thug.

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

Amazing. Completely skewed my view of Assassins there.

[RogueGunslinger]

I wish the game was like synthesis wanted it. 

[Clearsighted]

If you're a Tuluki noble and your long-time aide gets exquisitely murdered, your -last- response should be going to cry about it to His Faithful.  That's more of Allanaki-style approach to the problem:  immediately flex your power and put the smackdown on somebody.  A Tuluki noble would be more concerned about who put that contract out in the first place, and would then retaliate subtly:

They should hire a poet to write a parodying song about the assassin.

/Amirite!?
//More or less agreed with Synth too.

[tortall]

I wish the game was like synthesis wanted it. 

It IS.

There was a well known assassian, who made sure they were know. I dunno about now though. Maybe the assassians right now suck?

[a strange shadow]

Or maybe they're more subtle.

Har har har.

[mansa]

A master assassin wouldn't ever tell people about his deeds.  He'd just be known as "him"

[Delstro]

Or I would be known as Tick.

When anyone would be whacked, they would be known as "Tick"ed.

I would win the game.

[tortall]

A master assassin wouldn't ever tell people about his deeds.  He'd just be known as "him"

They wouldn't tell WHAT they did, but they would offer their services. There will NEVER be enough nobles for a known assassins' name to spread among them.

[mansa]

A master assassin wouldn't ever tell people about his deeds.  He'd just be known as "him"

They wouldn't tell WHAT they did, but they would offer their services. There will NEVER be enough nobles for a known assassins' name to spread among them.

I highly disagree.

Everybody remembers Yellow Belly / Detal / other assassins

[Delstro]

I still am scared of Yellow Belly and Snake.

[Jingo]

Serpent is the only one I knew with my characters.

[Reiloth]

A master assassin wouldn't ever tell people about his deeds.  He'd just be known as "him"

They wouldn't tell WHAT they did, but they would offer their services. There will NEVER be enough nobles for a known assassins' name to spread among them.

I highly disagree.

Everybody remembers Yellow Belly / Detal / other assassins

Lulz Detal.

But yes -- Assassins are the people at the end of the bar that you always see, but never talks. Or maybe he or she's a very charming individual, that you would never suspect. You might catch a glimpse of a certain tattoo or calling card, and then BAM! The rug is pulled out from under you.

Also, Nobles can always ask a Templar if they have any suggestions. They might turn y'all away, but I bet they'd entertain the idea if you needed something 'taken care of'.

[mattrious]

The overarching problem here is that the vast majority of players who get into positions of power in Tuluk can't wrap their minds completely around the way they should behave in order to make licensed thievery/assassination as viable as it should be.

There quite simply is zero respect for the art of thievery/assassination when things aren't going your character's way.  That's not the way it should be. 

If you're a Tuluki noble and your long-time aide gets exquisitely murdered, your -last- response should be going to cry about it to His Faithful.  That's more of Allanaki-style approach to the problem:  immediately flex your power and put the smackdown on somebody.  A Tuluki noble would be more concerned about who put that contract out in the first place, and would then retaliate subtly:  maybe they would hire the -same- assassin to kill one of their enemy's partisans.  Maybe they would get their enemy eliminated.  Maybe they would attack their enemy's source of income, so they could no longer afford to hire such talented assassins.  Newsflash: finding out who carried out the assassination and then having -them- disappeared a week later is not particularly artful or subtle. 

Tulukis in positions of power should applaud artful assassinations, even when it is personally painful, because it's an affirmation of the Tuluki zeitgeist.  To have a master assassin disappeared would be the equivalent of sending Mozart to the gallows.  It's like burning the flag in America.  It pretty much runs against every grain of Tuluki society.

The same thing goes for assassins in Tuluk:  oaths of utter loyalty to a particular House or Noble are more characteristic of Allanak, where force and power are explicit.  If you're an assassin in Tuluk, taking a job should be a matter of "how will this affect my reputation as an artist," not "oh noes, House X will be mads at me."  Similarly, assassinations shouldn't merely be a matter of coins.  Murdering a newbie hunter isn't worth shit, even if Noble X will pay you a million coins for it...because anybody can kill a newbie hunter.  Why do you need a million coins, anyway?  Your reputation is everything, and if you'll kill anything with a pulse for the right amount of coins, you're no better than an Allanaki 'rinthi thug.

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

Perfect explanation.

[Janna]

I wish the game was like synthesis wanted it.

To an extent it is. Save for the last line of Synthesis post, I completely agree, however. I saw a number of times (obviously, so did Synthesis) where the assassin was up shits creek for the assassination. Now, if he botched it, seen, failed etc...Then yes, he/she is in shit. However, if it was pulled off properly, they've done their job admirably. Killing an assassin for doing their job in an artful, tuluki manner is the equivelent of murdering a merchant because the weapons crafter crafted a sub-par item. Not his/her fault.

[jstorrie]

I wish the game was like synthesis wanted it. 

It IS.

There was a well known assassian, who made sure they were know. I dunno about now though. Maybe the assassians right now suck?

Maybe you don't know all of the ways in-game to recognize a registered assassin or thief?

[tortall]

I wish the game was like synthesis wanted it. 

It IS.

There was a well known assassian, who made sure they were know. I dunno about now though. Maybe the assassians right now suck?

Maybe you don't know all of the ways in-game to recognize a registered assassin or thief?

Apparently not. Someone should tell me since this would be known information.

[a strange shadow]

Email the staff if you think you should be in a position to know.

[Good Gortok]

I can't imagine mugging or robbery falling into the category of things that a licensed thief is "allowed" to do. Certainly not if there's violence involved.

Also, for certain licensed activities, a pre-determined contract is required in order for it to be acceptable. A licensed assassin can't just go around killing people as they see fit.

[Lizzie]

I think a lot of people get confused on the licensing issue. Here's my understanding of it:

The license is not "permission" to do something illegal. It doesn't make it suddenly -not- illegal, for you. It is still against the law to steal, or to rob an apartment, or to kill someone. The only thing the license does, is grant you leniency if you get caught. That doesn't even mean a full pardon, necessarily.

A hypothetical and very possible example:

4 different people hate Chosen Lord's favorite aide.
Chosen Lord obviously thinks his aide is swell. Chosen Lord is also Faithful Lady's favorite cousin, and it's Faithful Lady's turn to hand out the assassination licenses this month.

Hater #1 tries to kill Aide, fails, gets caught, goes to jail, and immediately disappears.
Hater #2 tries to kill Aide, fails, gets caught, goes to jail, and is seen around the city again but is -never- seen in the Sanctuary again, and returns from jail haggard, beat up, walking funny, crying, missing one eye, and refuses to discuss his ordeal.
Hater #3 tries to kill Aide, fails, gets caught, goes to jail, and returns with a bit more blood on his clothes than before, and suddenly seeking employment because he has no sids and no mount anymore.
Hater #4 tries to kill Aide, fails, gets caught, but halfway to jail he is released with a 500-sid fine, and doesn't have to do any time.

Hater #4 was licensed to kill the Aide.
Hater #3 was a registered Tuluki assassin, who didn't have a license out against this specific person, but is recognized as a valueable asset to the city.
Hater #2 was not registered, or licensed, but is a Tuluki citizen, and somehow managed to talk his way out of disappearing.
Hater #1 was just some random guy who hated an aide and tried to kill her in Tuluk without making any attempt at following the protocol.

[Dar]

I think a lot of people get confused on the licensing issue. Here's my understanding of it:

The license is not "permission" to do something illegal. It doesn't make it suddenly -not- illegal, for you. It is still against the law to steal, or to rob an apartment, or to kill someone. The only thing the license does, is grant you leniency if you get caught. That doesn't even mean a full pardon, necessarily.

Here's another hypothethical example.

Hater one succeeds at killing the aide, gathers his reward, and keeps on living happilly ever after.
Hater two succeeds at killing the aide, gathers his reward, 'and' manages to become a partisan of the one who hired him.
Hater three succeeds at killing the aide, gathers his reward, but oddly ... feels kind of funny in the head. The militia pay him real special attention, and he gets a few innocent questions, about his relation to the aide, or even the one who ordered the hit.
Hater four succeeds at killing the aide, gathers his reward, and then dissapears next week.

Reason? Hater Four 'told' the templar he's gonna kill the aide of her favourite cousin. Hater three is 'known' to be capable of killing that aide. Hater two and one are not known, and if not caught ... feel juuuust fine.

[jstorrie]

Templars are acting pretty stupid if they kill the licensed assassin, rather than the client who hired said assassin. The assassin is only the client's tool.

[musashi]

Templars are acting pretty stupid if they kill the licensed assassin, rather than the client who hired said assassin. The assassin is only the client's tool.

+1. I think that if an assassian gets killed, it's usually as a scapegoat, or an added bennie to the death of the one who hired them as well.

[a strange shadow]

Or they are removing the client's tool because they can't remove the client, for whatever reason; crippling his/her reach.

Still, professional assassins as tools (and not objects of blame) is the correct view of them, regardless of the situation.

[Lizzie]

If I were an assassin, and spent enough time studying the political atmosphere of the city first..

I would try to find out about who's been killed lately, who's had attempts made lately, who knew these people, who the assassins in the city were at the time...

and if I discovered a pattern of *licensed* assassins disappearing whenever a victim was somehow in league with a certain noble, or templar, I would pretty much not get licensed until said noble or templar retired/died.

When it's MORE risky to tell a templar you're the assassin hired to kill Bobo the Bard, than it is to hide the fact that you're an assassin, then you are no longer playing in Tuluk. You're playing in Allanak Lite.

[DustMight]

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

QFT

[musashi]

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

QFT

Tuluk hates you back.

[Ourla]

That's my opinion anyway.  I hate Tuluk and I never play there, though, so what do I know?

QFT

Tuluk hates you back.

QFT