Rules

A player who can participate to fights, other game activities and communicate freely. A living player can have lost any number of limbs - a player who has lost both hands and legs can still be alive. A living player can heal themselves or another player using uninjured limbs.

When a player receives a hit to their torso or head, they become defeated. A defeated player cannot fight, move from their current location or heal themselves using bandages, but they can communicate freely.

Healing

Another player can heal a defeated player by trying three (3) bandages to the player. A defeated player can heal themselves by drinking a healing potion, which heals them completely. If a defeated player is near a Bonfire for 10 minutes, they are healed.

Moving a defeated player

A living player may move a defeated player. Doing so requires the living player to touch the defeated player with at least one hand. The defeated player then moves at a walking pace to the direction where the living player guides them. The defeated player may not be guided to move into hazardous terrain without consent from the defeated player.

Silenced is a special state of being defeated. A defeated player can be silenced, which means they may not verbally (or otherwise by sound) communicate with other players. A player can silence another player by keeping their weapon in contact with the defeated player. As long as the weapon is touching the defeated player, they are silenced.

Indefinitely silenced

The player can silence the defeated player indefinitely by telling them that they are silenced while simultaneously holding the weapon in contact with the defeated player. The telling can be done either verbally or by hand gestures, such as holding a finger in front of your mouth.

Restoring the player back to living restores their ability to communicate verbally.

A defeated player can decide to become dead by moving voluntarily. In addition, when a living player enters a dead zone they become dead. A dead player cannot communicate with living players about in-game subjects and must head to a Bonfire or dead zone. A dead player must tell others that they are dead when asked.

Respawning

A dead player can become alive again by being near a Bonfire when the moment of respawn occurs.

Players can start the game with a personal weapon. Personal weapons can be given away voluntarily, but never against the owner's will. You can bring either a sword (or some other melee weapon) of maximum 85cm length or a bow and 5 arrows.

You can only shoot your own arrows with your bow, and the arrows need to be checked to be clean and intact before shooting. You can pick up your own arrows and shoot them again after you have checked their condition. It is possible to bring extra arrows in case some are lost or damaged. Extra arrows are given to game masters before the game.

Personal weapons or own arrows can be given to another player, in which case the ownership of the weapon or arrows will change accordingly.

As an exception to Sotahuuto rules, unmodified IDV-arrows cannot be used in Vainovarjot. All arrows must have soft, foam padding regardless of the pull-out strength of your bow.

Armour protects its wearer from different hits based on its type. Armour protects always only the part of body it covers.

Light armour

The allowed light armour types are at least 10mm thick cloth armour, at least 6mm thick soft leather armour and at least 3mm thick hardened leather armour. Light armour protects their wearer from scratches. Scratches are hits that are soft in their hit strength and that continue from the contact.

Heavy armour

Metal armour is the only type of heavy armour. Heavy armour can be for example a chain mail or plate armour. heavy armour protects their wearer from all hits except for pushing stabs. So in addition to the protection of light armour, heavy armour protects from clear, stopping slashes and cuts.

During the game it is possible to obtain different sorts of weapons and shields through various means. These can be used together with personal weapons or instead of them, depending on the number of player's free hands. Vaiva-weapons are often longer than personal weapons and the only way to obtain shields.

Vaiva-weapons must be handed over to a player asking them when defeated or dead, unless the wewapons has a bloodbond attached to it.

Coins are a common currency in the Borderlands. Many NPCs will trade their items or services for coins.

At the beginning of the game every player and many NPCs have one soul. Souls look like necklaces with a Kin's symbol or some other symbol. Souls are distributed to players before the game starts. Some quests, spells or items need souls to work. A player may have one, multiple or no souls.

Souls are valuable in many ways, and they can be acquired mainly from other players or game characters. When a player is defeated they must hand over one soul to the person who delivered the final blow (unless they have no souls).

Bandages are whites trips of cloth that can heal a wounded limb. Three bandages can be used to revive a defeated player by tying them to any one limb next to each other. Revival will heal wounded limbs.

A bandage is tied to the wounded limb with its whole length. Another blow to the same limb will need a new bandage to heal the wound.

When a player is near a Bonfire 10 minutes or at the moment of rebirth, their wounds are healed and the defeated states is removed. Then all bandages can be removed and reused. Bandages cannot be removed before being healed near a Bonfire or drinking a healing potion.

Every player starts with one bandage.

A bloodbond is a red strip of cloth that can be tied to a Vaiva-weapon, -shield or spell scroll to bind the item to its user. A bound item and the bloodbond attached to it do not need to be handed over when defeated or dead.

Using a bloodbond consumes one soul. The soul is tied with the bloodbond to the piece of equipment being bound. The soul used for binding does not exist anymore for any game purposes (e.g. to be able to cast a spell or drink a healing potion) and it cannot be removed from the item by any means. The owner of a bloodbound item can separate the bloodbond from the item if they wish so. When binding the bloodbond to a new item, a new soul must be consumed and tied to the bloodbond.

Healing potions are small bottles of healing liquid (juice or similar liquid). A defeated player may drink the healing potion at any time and become alive.

Using a healing potion requires that the player had at least one soul at the time of their defeat. Healing potions need not be handed over to anyone when defeated or dead.

In the game there are some spells that the players can use. Spells are written in single-use spell scrolls. A player must have a soul in order to be able to recite a spell (the soul is not affected in any way). A spell must be recited loudly and clearly in order for it to work. Every spell scroll must be torn apart immediately after reciting.

The dead must travel back to a Bonfire for rebirth. A Bonfire is a specific fire (or some other magical light source) overseen by a scribe. Bonfire and its immediate surroundings are protected, and within it is not possible to fight or use weapons.

Every hour marks the moment when all players around a bonfire are healed and the dead will be reborn.

A defeated or wounded player may spend 10 minutes at a Bonfire, after which they are revived and their wounds healed.

Every Hiisi can start their game with a maximum of 95 cm sword or other melee weapon (instead of normal 85 cm).

Rampa need only two bandages to heal a defeated player (instead of three).

Kihovauhko does not need a soul to recite a spell, and they can treat one chosen spell scroll as if it had a bloodbond attached to it.

Perisokea can start the game with two extra arrows (even if they start the game without a bow).

Perillinen can respawn within maximum 5 minutes before or after the normal respawn time (10 minute time frame once every hour), however only once per Bonfire per respawn pulse.

Vaeltaja kin Elder passes on secret knowledge to the kin members throughout the game.