Mercy for Children?

[Lavalamps]

Wasn't sure which topic this should go in...but I think it fits in here.

Okay, now, I know Zalanthas is harsh and stuff, but, what are people's reactions to kids when they do something bad?
(Oh, and, by kids, I mean characters at the lower age of the scale, say.. 13-15 for humans?)
For instance, if an adult is caught stealing from another adult, he will get assaulted by the guards, maybe thrown in jail, and perhaps even attacked by his target.
What if a child did this? I know the code will throw the kid in jail, but, will people (PCs and VNPCs) be more merciful to him, since he's only young?
What about a magicker kid?

[mansa]

Mercy is for the weak.

[Marauder Moe]

13 is adulthood in Zalanthas.

[Lavalamps]

So then 13 year olds are treated the same as 34 year olds, in the eyes of the law, and, most people?

[Spoon]

I rekcon everyone is so into self-preservation they don't care how old people are in most situations. Either that or they're brought up to believe they're better than everyone else, so why care about a younger inferior person?

[Bebop]

People hit puberty and can reproduce by these ages 13-15 and some of them do on Zalanthas it's a harsh world where supplies are scarce.  So people grow up fast on Zalanthas and heh, die young.  In my eyes thirteen and fifteen might be considered as adult more naive than the rest.

Just like in war times and third world countries you see kids these ages taking up guns.  People this young did it in our own American history.  You kind of have to push away what modern society fews children as since our lifespans in this world and first world countries are quite a bit longer then those in Zalanthas.  Here we buy little toddler toys for our kids, and teach them to ride bikes, maybe by time they hit eighteen they might start growing up and move out.  It's not that way on Zalanthas.  Kids maybe sold or abandoned into slavery etc.  Not every youngster on Zalanthas would grow up swinging a blade, picking pockets or being tramatized but I definitely think because of the environment and shorter life span someone is going to be treated like an adult much earlier on.

By time someone is thirteen or fifteen though they might be a bit naive, I still think they would be held responsible for their actions.  A small amount of mercy might be given depending on the situation but I would not hold my breath.

[Delirium]

Yes.

A 13 year old is considered a capable adult, able to think for themselves, have sex, scheme, plot, kill.... they won't be as experienced at those things, or perhaps they will be.  It depends on their background and their circumstances.

Get suckered in by the fluttered lashes of a cute teenager at your own risk.

[Desertman (not logged in)]

13yr old = Small, Frail, Weak = Prime Target.  :twisted:

[Marauder Moe]

So then 13 year olds are treated the same as 34 year olds, in the eyes of the law, and, most people?

Don't get me wrong, 13 is still young and people know that youngsters do foolish things by nature.  Some templars/soldiers may take that into consideration, some may not.  There is no legal distinction, though.

I would not rely on an assumption that youth has a good chance of elliciting mercy or sympathy.

[bloodfromstone]

It largely depends on the character, imo. Personally, I think people use "Zalanthas is harsh" as a cop-out far too often. Whether or not they are considered adults or not, a 13 year old is still young and, as Moe said, prone to doing stupid things. A good number of people would not care one way or another, but I imagine a character with a couple of merciful bones in their body (and these people should exist, regardless of how harsh Zalanthas may be) would be more likely to let a mistake by a younger person go, and someone who has raised and loved children of their own may find it difficult to have a young individual punished.

[Cegar]

So then 13 year olds are treated the same as 34 year olds, in the eyes of the law, and, most people?

Don't get me wrong, 13 is still young and people know that youngsters do foolish things by nature.  Some templars/soldiers may take that into consideration, some may not.  There is no legal distinction, though.

I would not rely on an assumption that youth has a good chance of elliciting mercy or sympathy.

What is this "legal" thing you speak of?

[Larrath]

Regular commoner children don't tend to get many discounts from the Templarate.  Militia people might, as long as nothing serious happened.

Magicker children get no discounts whatsoever, because if you're a magicker, ordinary people simply won't consider you as a human/elf/whatever.  If you're a magicker, you're a monster.  In fact, you might be every bit as powerful as a more 'experienced' looking mage but be prone to temper tantrums.
Imagine a twelve year-old that gets to walk around carrying a pair of loaded Uzis.

[jstorrie]

Biological and psychologically speaking, children have a tendency to provoke a parenting instinct in most Earth humans that at least encourages people not to harm them.

PC 'children' are always over 13, however, which is over adulthood in Zalanthas. You may go a little easy on a teenager, but he's old enough to fend for himself (and maybe kill YOU) so your actions are not particularly complicated.