Bribing: an essay

[Odenetheus]

Bribing: An essay
First of all, as a side note to those who doesn’t allow their characters to be bribed: You suck! Onto the subject!

During the medieval ages, roughly from 800 P. Ch. N. to 1450 P. Ch. N., there was a substantial lack of monetary resources, and food, amongst the commoners (Uo is roughly thirteenth century), which led to the fact that most people did anything for gold, or silver, or even copper. The most repulsive way of making gold was, of course, scavenging the corpses of the dead for rings, and the like, but also during the battles, to deprive them of their boots, and such, so that they could buy food for themselves and their families.

 Most soldiers and/or guards had families for whom they strived to put food on the table, occasionaly sending home money to buy food for, or directly sending food, since a lot of people was paid in this, as part of their wages.

Loyalty you say, might be an integral part of their societies. Bah! Certainly not, dear reader. They worked for the gold, and gold alone. Due to the poverty, it wasn’t uncommon for a soldier to desert their current lord and/or lady, and instead take employment at another lordship or county, which paid more and thusly was more awarding to the hungry soldier and his family.

On Uo, we don’t have poverty in that fashion, but facts remain, as it is a medieval game, and most people have roleplayed, though non-existent, families, for which the SHOULD care. The reasonable course of action should then be, not to reject the bribe since you’re “hopelessly loyal to your eternally fair and virtuous lord, whom would never harm a good person”, but rather take the bribe to fund your night-on starving family.

This, of course, applies to lowly guards, and not to officers. Officers and merchants, on the other hand, used to be terribly greed, generally like Phae Quaintly, not like some holier-than-thou modern priest. This also applies to priests.

Albin, player of Odenetheus, Hikage no Kumo, Erasmus, Theron, and many, many more

[Khaelieth]

*points at Althie* He's evil!

[Kazuo Shinrai]

First of all, as a side note to those who doesn’t allow their characters to be bribed: You suck! Onto the subject!

This coming from a person who does not allow his character to be put a hit on without notice?
Even worse, someone who actually had a contract removed because it was "inconvenient" for him?

And no, the contract was not mine or issued by anyone I have close ties to. It is the principle though, do not dare to judge! If someone has an unbribable character this may be pure personality then taking a bribe would actually be bad roleplay, please to take that into consideration. For them it does not matter how poor they are, they will never allow theirselves to be corrupted. Or at least not that easily.

On a brighter note, good work on the essay.

[Althalus]

me? evil?? bah

on a more ontopic note - bribability can be seen as described above but would you realy be a bribable character you ask yourself? well i know althie would be IF it is in his intrest to be, so if you offered him ten gold to look the other way as someone sneaks into Kazuo's house it puts him out of work so he will just cut you down, same for milita command.  However if you wanted to slaughter a recruit *shrugs* theres plenty more what does althi care? so bribary whilst a possibility must be considered most carefully.

[Drachir]

Also, Oden. You say that people would take bribes to feed themselves and their family, even if they were extremely loyal? Well, what if the person they were loyla to found out about the bribe, the person who took the bribe (and probably his family) would be murdered as a warning to anyone else who tried to take a bribe.

[Samuel West]

I like the idea of bribes....
Makes the game feal more real.
But i do think that more people will be loyal and not take it.
However Everyone would take A 1 million gold bribe to give up a bit of
info... No matter how loyal they are.

[Raiden Morana]

I agree that bribes would certainly suit the RP and of course are consistant with the period our world is set in but I can't see a guardsman turning for a few pieces of gold as would have been the case in RL or even 1,000gp so it could get quite expensive for the briber.

I could also imagine the punishment meated out for anyone taking a bribe would be quite severe. 

[Drachir]

Also, if you look in the 'Laws' section of the Baronship's Website, taking a bribe is actually a  criminal act.

[Althalus]

one more thought on this subject is this, anyone hopping to join the underworld at some point so would be slightly more bribable than others but also more cautious and likely to kill anyone who wasn't very VERY discreet about such things.

[Samuel West]

And though you would accept a bribe in rl back then.... You also wouldn't go around killing etins back then would you...

[Mela Arkay]

Aslong as its not my chars right Althie?

[Althalus]

depends on my mood althie is a very lonely elf maby you could divert his attention

[Delcarakdur]

We should rename this thread...

[Mela Arkay]

*winks to althie* Oh aye?

Anyhow heres my point of view.

In somethings i agree with Odene and others Kuzo. I've hardly seen anyone willing to be bribed which is a shame however it is up to the player to decided what their char is like not us.
My char Tina would never be bribed shes too good hearted where as Mela would do anything or say anything to earn a bit of coin (don't get any wrong ideas  )

[Darath Mithar]

Pffft you could bribe Darath any time