PvP is really limited, and going to remain that way in the majority of the game world :) It\'s a safe zone, with possible future \"free kill zones\" in appropriate locations (arenas, etc.). Players have to /challenge each other if they want to fight, and accept. Be aware that there are penalties for repeated challenging - you have to wait at least a minute before trying again if someone declines. So both parties have to be willing, basically, and to find out if they are, they must talk to each other - random challenges are very much looked down upon, and all fights must have some RP reason behind them.
So fear not, no one is going to make your character\'s life miserable by taking it away whenever they\'d like :)