A trial may be held if a member causes trouble/breaks one of the pack rules. This is held IC’ly where all members are free to attend and vote whether the troublemaker should be exiled from the pack or not; if the option of exile is rejected, the character’s punishment is automatically assumed to be demotion unless stated otherwise. Leadership, however, retain the right to overrule the trial’s outcome if they believe there is a need to do so.
For minor offenses or rule breaks, characters may face demotion or corresponding punishment listed under the law itself.
Outsider & Pack Relations
Pack relations are important to the leadership of Sapient; they are proud of their neutrality that allows for them to freely interact with the other packs to further their knowledge and wealth. They have zero tolerance for fools who cause trouble and bring drama to their borders; if a character causes trouble, leadership will be quick to exile the member from the pack after hearing both sides of the story.
- Joiners: Please view our Joining Page for information on accepting joiners as well as joining Sapient.
- Trespassers: Board-wide rules apply. If a character is caught trespassing, Sapient members are encouraged to defend pack lands violently to leave a message for any more potential future offenders. As such, we strongly advise against any depth of trespass by outsiders.
- Guests: Visitors to the pack lands must be always accompanied by a current pack member. The pack member supervising the guest(s) is responsible for the actions and will be held accountable for them. Guests can stay a maximum of 24 hours; for longer stays, please contact leadership to discuss the plot. For more detailed information on visitation, please view our guest policies.
Breaking and Entering
Theft
Theft within the pack is one of the most heinous crimes in the opinion of Sapient. It is however treated in a neutral manner if done outside of the pack, under the conditions that the theft is not discovered and the item stolen is something new to the pack; the more interesting the item, the more the theft is overlooked and the more likely the pack will actively defend the thief.
Vandalism
Destruction of property is considered a high crime and subject to immediate exile without trial depending on circumstances, if discovered. A lesser punishment for accidental damage or a situation with extenuating circumstances would be leadership allowing for the victim to inflict equal property damage to the perpetrator.
Unpermitted Entry
Whilst considered a minor crime, entering a fellow pack member’s personal home with ill intent, if discovered and reported to leadership, can result in the public humiliation of the offender, since Sapient believes every member is entitled to privacy within their chosen home.
Humiliation varies dependent on crime and the leader giving out the punishment, although is generally viewed as an ‘eye for an eye’ form of punishment, the invasion of one’s privacy returned by having the offender’s privacy invaded by public humiliation. The greater the invasion of privacy, the more severe the punishment will be.
Social Offences
Physical and Mental Harm
Bodily and mental harm or abuse towards another member (including both played characters and NPC's) are not tolerated and if discovered, will be subject to a trial. This rule also applies to loners and other pack members; Sapiens do not desire conflict or bad relations with outsiders. Similarly, murder, unless in self-defense or other extreme circumstances may result in exile without trial.
Slavery
Slavery within Sapient is strictly prohibited. This is because for an individual to remain for an extended time within Sapient, they must be a member and as a member, each canine is protected against mental and physical harm from others within the pack.
Slavery is defined in Sapient as the acquisition and ownership over another canine, in which the relationship is against the slaves will. Freedom of speech, movement, and opinion is restricted or not allowed to the individual. Servants are allowed within Sapient, but cannot be forced to do anything for another; it must be of their own free will, without cohesion.
Incest
Cases of incest; regardless of gender or if pups are born from the coupling, can and will result in social disgust, exclusion from the pack and pack members may seek a trial for the individuals discovered to be exiled. Incest is only of concern for direct relatives: father/mother/daughter/son/siblings. Cousins and more distant relations are extremely frowned upon, but not so much as direct relatives (but still subject to IC punishment).
Whilst the extent of genetic knowledge is limited and still a new idea on souls, Sapiens actively encourage seeking out new bloodlines for a variety of reasons such as cultural diversity, unique aspects belonging to other families, ties or forming relations with other packs, which factors into many members viewing incest as something beneath them and that only lower intelligent creatures would deign to engage in.
Polygamy
Dependent on members, there is a mixed view and stance on polygamous relations; pending discovery, it is likely that this will affect poorly on social standing, rank and how the rest of the pack view the individuals.
Mateship and Puppies
Board-wide rules regarding mateship and puppies apply. Sapient does have conditional constraints against incest and polygamous relations. Additionally, please view our culture page for some suggestions on incorporating Sapient culture with your characters mateship.