The Trade of Lives

Observance

When someone saves another person's life, a life debt is incurred, and it is expected by society that it be repaid in one of four ways:

1. Saving the life of the savior or someone close to them
2. Protecting a person named by the savior at the cost of one's life
3. Killing a person designated by the savior
4. Placing the life of a named person in the savior's hands, often through either an oath or enslavement.

However, not all cultures observe this practice, and some may omit at least one of the methods of repaying the debt. The four methods are listed in order of their prevalence.
There is no set time limit for repaying the debt, but some believe that failing to do so within a year is a grave sin against karma. In some cases, an oath of service may be considered sufficient repayment to avoid the karmic consequences.