The Justiciars are Arkrist’s principal civic guard and law-enforcement force. They answer through the office of the Polemarch, whose authority includes the city’s military and the wider Protectorate of Arkrist. Their ordinary work ranges from patrols and criminal investigations to the protection of important civic sites and the custody of dangerous prisoners.
Arkrist’s size and sharp differences between wealthy and poor districts make enforcement uneven. Justiciar presence is strongest around politically important, affluent, and heavily trafficked areas, while poorer districts often rely more heavily on local relationships, private protection, or the city’s underworld. This disparity contributes to the influence of groups such as the Wraith River Union and helps explain why the Justiciars sometimes work through informants and outside specialists rather than relying entirely on uniformed patrols.
Outside Contractors
The Justiciars can deputize or contract adventurers when an investigation requires capabilities that ordinary patrols cannot readily provide. In 8793 SE, Justiciar Ollabar Wyvernpike repeatedly employed the adventurers who would later become known as the Drakefire Phalanx during investigations into disappearances, ritual killings, and the secretive group known as The Voiceless. This relationship remained distinct from membership in the Justiciars; the adventurers operated under specific warrants, letters of passage, and negotiated assignments.
Ashgate Prison
The Justiciars cooperate with the guards of Ashgate Prison, the island fortress used for some of Arkrist’s most dangerous or politically sensitive prisoners. A major prison riot in 8793 SE required both prison guards and deputized outside assistance to restore order. The incident demonstrated both Ashgate’s importance to the city’s justice system and the difficulty of keeping dangerous prisoners isolated from events in Arkrist itself.
The Voiceless Crisis
The Justiciars suffered severe losses during an attempted raid against the Voiceless beneath Arkrist. The organization had prepared an ambush in the sewer network, and a simultaneous assault by the Wraith River Union was also devastated. The campaign eventually exposed the deeper conspiracy and the role of the Union’s leader, Guzzax, but the failed raid remains a notable example of the limits of formal authority in the older tunnels and ruins beneath the city.