If you want to live your characterβs life in peace just join the Monks at Cloud Temple. LoTC especially in origin I believe is more of a semi-hardcore mode with some circumstance of PK, but it hasnβt seemed that way of recent times.
Bandits and Mercenaries would be common-folk outside of cities barely getting by as theyβd rather work under their own banner and in their own camps rather than under a pompous Lord and strict Laws.
No single community should be subject to evading challenges or combat regardless if you consider yourself passively peaceful, or use rule rewrites to get your way and left undisturbed. No matter what society a character lives in the grievous actions of foreign lands are always just at the bay of your borders or walls. Each has their own destiny, and while people like bandits can hinder the path at the very least they nor anyone else could put your character to ruin due to Cloud Temple revival. People should be able to make almost unlimited experiences, getting into trouble, dying and restarting again except under the circumstances where PK is involved. Most of the time though, conflict rules donβt really reflect revival and rather worry about the harassments of some communities.
A lot of focus I think plays heavily in the extreme role-play aspect of things. I think role-play should be more consistent in your dialogue and interaction of character, than a paragraph between text and emotes. It complicates it further especially when PvP under uncooperative circumstances can resort to being pushed through a role-play plugin which can be easily confusing especially when magic is involved.
Rules should be basic and practical enough to hold temporary peace and recovery after battle, but it should be ambitious enough to allow playerβs to gain experience, have fun and participate, without holding a leash around their necks. Nobody wants to hear the fun of their friends going raiding, just to be told they canβt participate because of a tiny raid cap. If they are going to do something risky, might as well have the most fun and participation in it. It makes it worse when there are 21+ different rules you have to abide by that may overlap, or get you in trouble where you might not expect it.