The Court Martial

Officially, the Cult handles matters of temporal justice. Priests of high initiation interpret the City’s laws and mete out punishment or clemency. However, there is one authority higher than even the Cult in matters of justice: the Court Martial.

The accused may seek a trial at the hazard of their body. Defendants will find themselves declared innocent on all charges if they manage to find themselves alive at the end of the day. However, the Court Martial is neither fair nor impartial. Combatants may be forced to fight in desperate attitudes: denied weapons, with one hand tied behind their back, facing six man-eating griffins, etc.

Sensations:

A fortress of daunting size, horseshoed around a tournament-ready courtyard. Battle-barristers, with their traditional white wigs, iron gavels, and armored robes, are often seen strolling the battlements and discussing the finer points of chivalric law. Nearby, you hear the loud arguments of justice being traded between three heartbroken lovers.

Special City Action:

• Trial by combat: If you are accused of breaking the City’s peace, you may demand a trial by combat at the Court Martial. The GM decides how guilty you seem in the eyes of the nobles of the City and sets the strictures of the tournament based on this perception. Arguing for yourself in Chivalric will definitely help you out here. Then, the GM divvies up roles to other players for the tournament and arbitrates a Challenge. If you survive, you will be declared innocent. If you fail, you will be found guilty and dead.