<strong>Ryan</strong> <strong>Bailey</strong> (<strong>order</strong> <strong>#2639004</strong>) 1LIFE IN THE AGE OF SPLENDORCRIME AND CRIMINALSCrimes of passion and crimes motivated by greed remaincommon in the Age of Dreams. Mortal education includestesting to ident<strong>if</strong>y serious psychological problems, though,and the collection of laws known as the Clear Glass Accord(see p. 47-) has largely eliminated serious poverty. As a result,the crime rate is far lower than it would be otherwise. Also,the advanced forensic methods used by the current era’speacekeeping forces mean that very few murders or otherserious crimes remain unsolved.Nevertheless, crime happens and organized criminalgangs thrive. The existence of organized crime under theExalted’s careful administration seems to be a bit of a paradox,and many mortals wonder how criminals who regularly engagein blackmail, extortion, smuggling, theft and even assassinationcan thrive in Creation’s well-regulated cities and RPCs.The answer is both complex and troubling. It comes down inpart to the fact that the Exalted permit it to exist.The Exalted understand that some mortals fit poorly intothe society they have created. While they can use Charmsand advanced educational techniques to attempt to reformmany potentially problematic individuals, some problemsare too subtle or widespread to be completely corrected. Asa result, the Deliberative uses organized crime as a socialsafety value. While petty crime and criminals who have noconnection to organized crime obviously exist, peacekeepingforces focus special effort on catching overly bold freelancecriminals who lack ties to organized crime.The Deliberative adopted this policy because the leadersof the various criminal gangs help to restrain the activitiesof the criminals working for them. Gang leaders are usuallywell aware that any crimes that are too serious will sw<strong>if</strong>tly<strong>br</strong>ing the wrath of the Deliberative down upon their entireorganization. Gangs also dislike competition from freelancecriminals and criminal activities that are extreme enough tocause the peacekeeping forces to step in.As a result, much crime in the Era of Dreams is organizedinto gangs that the Exalted can more easily infiltrate andobserve, and where the Deliberative can intervene <strong>if</strong> thegang’s activities become too serious or threatening. Mostcriminal gangs understand that they will be destroyed <strong>if</strong>they target the Exalted or any of their servants, or <strong>if</strong> theyengage in extreme activities such as arson, destruction ofessential services, mass murder, inciting riots, encouragingforbidden heresies or openly opposing the Deliberative.Observant gang leaders have also noticed that gangs thatgrow too large are either eliminated or have sufficient oftheir number arrested that they shrink to a more appropriatesize. As a result, gangs never control criminal operations inmore than one city or RPC, and large cities typically havemultiple criminal gangs. In addition, criminal gangs are allexpected to make regular payoffs to the local peacekeepers.While mortals consider this practice to be <strong>br</strong>ibery, theLawgivers of the Night Caste who oversee the managementPUTTING CRIME IN PERSPECTIVECrime rates in the First Age, including murderrates are similar to those in the modern United Statesor the EU but would be regarded as almost miraculouslylow by the standards of the Second Age, where therates of theft, assault and murder are all far higher.Like the European Middle Ages and Renaissance,crime rates in the Second Age are between 20 and50 times higher than in the First Age. Also, in theFirst Age, the presence of an organized police forceand effective justice system means that most crimesare solved. In the Second Age, that’s true only onthe Blessed Isle.of the gangs consider it an excellent method of taxing crimeand obtaining funds to reimburse important businesses thathave been hard hit by crime.As long as they follow at least these general rules, criminalscan thrive in Creation’s cities. Their world, however, isseparated from the lives of most mortals. Ordinary citizenswho wish to purchase illegal intoxicants, smuggled goodsor low-cost stolen goods, as well as those who wish to hirethieves or find a buyer for blackmail information, have asign<strong>if</strong>icant chance of encountering peacekeepers workingundercover. When a citizen seeking to make contact withcriminals approaches such an official, the official can doanything from arresting him to lecturing the citizen onthe error of his ways and issuing a report that he should bewatched more carefully. Such offenders are typically punishedby fines or minor mental correction. Citizens who aresufficiently clever and observant can usually manage to findactual criminal gangs, though, as can individuals who havesome connection to the criminal underworld.The most widespread services offered by criminal gangsare access to various stolen or pilfered goods, especiallyrestricted or luxury items. In addition, the gangs offer accessto normally illegal intoxicants or entertainment, suchas unusually powerful and violent dream recordings anddrugs ranging from longevity drugs normally only availableto Deliberative government employees or the very rich, to<strong>br</strong>ight morning or fire tree perfume. (See The Books ofSorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s Codex, pp. 155 and 156.)Criminal gangs also engage in assassination, but only aslong as the target is not an employee, child or favorite ofone of the Exalted. The Deliberative also carefully investigatesthe murder of anyone who is not either a criminalor one with close ties to criminals. Therefore, murderinghonest civilians is more risky for assassins. Threatening orassaulting ordinary citizens is permitted, though, long as itis not too common.29
<strong>Ryan</strong> <strong>Bailey</strong> (<strong>order</strong> <strong>#2639004</strong>) 1CHAPTER ONE: LIFE IN THE HIGH FIRST AGETHE USES OF CRIMEIn addition to providing an outlet for rebels, dissidentsand overly ambitious mortals who can be monitored andcontrolled, criminal gangs are allowed to exist because theycan also serve as discreet and typically unknowing agentsin rivalries between the Exalted. Such rivalries range fromtwo Dragon-Blooded with an ongoing dispute over propertyrights to Lawgivers in adjacent domains fighting a coverttrade war. Often, overt action would earn both partiesthe censure of the Deliberative. To avoid such problems,many Exalts either recruit the services of criminal gangsthrough a maze of intermediaries or use powerful Charmsto suborn the will of the gangs’ leaders. Both methods allowan Exalt to avoid any official notice of her actions whilestill acquiring the services of mortals willing to performvarious illegal services.While no criminal gang is willing to do more thandiscreetly spy on individual Exalted or local Deliberativegovernment offices, criminal gangs can attack or threatenan Exalt’s mortal allies or disrupt businesses in which theExalt has an interest or that indirectly affect her businessinterests. Often, the Exalt who hired or suborned the criminalgang uses her Charms to help keep anyone from determiningthe identity of those responsible for these crimes. ManyLawgivers accept this practice because it allows rival Exaltsto work out their conflicts without resorting to more overtactions that might openly disrupt the government or commerce.The fact that Exalts occasionally use criminal gangsas cat’s-paws is one of the reasons that many criminal gangscan gain access to useful mutations, methods of manipulatingEssence and Essence-powered art<strong>if</strong>acts.MORTAL LAW ENFORCEMENTAND JUSTICESquads of ordinary mortal peacekeepers work in stationslocated in every RPC and in every district of the cities ofCreation. These peacekeepers investigate crimes and regularlywalk the streets of the city and drive around in glidingchariots in an effort to notice s<strong>usp</strong>icious activity before itresults in any actual crime. Peacekeepers keep in touch witheach other and their station through special official channelsoverseen by I AM. Each peacekeeping station also employsseveral mortal detectives with enlightened Essence. At leastone sworn <strong>br</strong>otherhood of Dragon-Blooded senior detectiveshandle especially serious crimes in every city. If ordinarypeacekeepers get in trouble, they can use I AM to call insentinel or Dragon-Blood support to maintain <strong>order</strong> or stopdangerously enhanced criminals. Although the survival ofpeacekeepers and civilians comes first, peacekeepers areencouraged to capture s<strong>usp</strong>ects alive, so that the s<strong>usp</strong>ectscan be appropriately questioned, tried and punished.Trials in the Realm are designed to obtain the truth.They largely consist of a Dragon-Blood using powerfulCharms and art<strong>if</strong>acts to question witnesses and the accused.30
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