[INFO] The Court

[shibrogane]

The Court now occupies the place in other ashdown where Town Hall used to reside.

Though it still follows no law of physical space that can be determined, its location at the center of other ashdown makes it much more accessible than it was previously. This reflects its new purpose: rather than serving as a palatial seat of power for the noble visitors, it is a place of meeting, and the seat of judicial power for the otherworld.

Odal still makes wine in the basement, though.

 

[shibrogane]

at a glance.

Once known as the Court of the Sorrowful One, the nobles' Court is now more of a judicial body. It exists to codify and to maintain the laws of the magical world, and to prevent and punish actions which threaten others. Within its walls can be found places of containment, places of work, and the Court itself--once the Grand Hall--a courtroom for the express purpose of judging magical crime.

It is impossible to lie within the walls of the Grand Hall; while a lie of omission may pass your lips, an overt twisting of the truth will choke you until you stop trying to say it. It is also impossible to attack another being, magical or not, within the walls of the Court itself.

The Court does not run on the adversarial justice system. It runs on the inquisitorial system: that is, the judge is an active investigator who serves the Court by gathering facts. The judge questions witnesses, interrogates the defendant, and orders searches or magical examinations of evidence. As such, the judge must be a person with a strong knowledge of the magical arts. This tends to limit the role of the judge to fetches or very, very old nobles. Unlike the nonmagical inquisitorial courts, there is no point where the trial will go over to the adversarial style.

There are no prosecutors and no defense. Instead, each side of an argument has the right to appoint an advocate, or a person of good standing with the Court who has enough magical knowledge to address a search if ordered by the judge. They may also choose to represent themselves.

The Court has the power to issue summons to Visitors who are either material witnesses or experts in the subject matter at hand. To do this, the ancient noble Geas has been modified to effect every visitor, but also to serve exactly one purpose. Before, it could do anything. Now it only compels the visitor spoken to to present themselves to the Court.

The ancient fetch Silk, once the regent of the Nobles' Court, is the chatelaine of the Court and its environs. She serves as court clerk (arranging trials and keeping track of punishments meted out) and steward (organizing the assignment of Court spaces and upkeep). She may also serve as a judge if requested. However, in most cases, the role of Court Judge is filled by Melany Dubhslaine, Renard Leroux, Liam Noor, or Ascencion Shore.

 

[shibrogane]

offices of the nobility.

Before the nobles' Charter was rewritten, their spaces within the court were demesnes: truly pocket spaces, as large as the noble required, limited only by their ability to change and channel the space. Now, the noble space is more of an office by default, with extra space being rendered as requested by the chatelaine of the Court.

A noble's space, by default, consists of a sitting room, a meeting room, and a personal office. The sitting room is their lobby or foyer, and connects directly to the rest of the Court. The meeting room may serve as a space to mediate disputes before they are brought to Court, or as a personal space such as a garden or library. The office is occupied by a built-in desk and several walls of shelves, and is where a noble will do most of their work.

Nobles are no longer an aristocracy, and as such while they maintain the title they are more officers of the Court and act as its agents. They are responsible for the prevention of magical matters causing trouble in the nonmagical world. They may hire a fetch to assist them; a fetch bound to a noble may find themselves better able to exist in the real world alongside their human counterparts. However, generally speaking, a noble is a mediator, and their space reflects that.

To claim your noble office:

• 1 RP with Silk
  
• If you require a specific extra space allotment, further RPs with Silk will be necessary

 

[shibrogane]

the wargs' library.

Before the nobles' Charter was rewritten, wargs were part of the Court but not afforded space within it. This has changed with the new Charter, which has provided the wargs with a group space and smaller private rooms off that space. It has also better delineated the duties of the warg within the Court.

The Wargs' Library is a large space within the Court building, and despite its name doesn't appear to be overly library-ish. While there are books, there are also shelves of magical artifacts, dense files of magical history and theory, and lots of cushy seating. If anything, it's a scryer's paradise, reflecting the role of the wargs within the Court.

Differentiation has always been a path to a specific duty set. In this case, the bond a warg possesses with a single familiar animal is magically maintained by the act of spotting magical dangers before they become truly dangerous, and reporting them to the moonwalkers or the nobles as appropriate. They monitor potential dangers, such as the Destroyer or the Burning Man, and use their better judgement to prevent these creatures from escaping the jurisdiction of the Court.

Within the library, wargs find their powers amplified. A warg who looks through their familiar's eyes in the library will find they can see magic, even if this isn't part of their usual power set. A warg in the library will find it easier to train their potential to access the powers of the spirit bond. And finally, the library serves as a meeting space for the wargs, where they may assist each other in peace.

Each warg may claim a 'carrel', a private room which is their space within the Court. Carrels consist of one room off the main library only; if a warg wishes to have more space, they must speak with Silk to request it.

To claim your carrel:

• You got it already
  
• If you require a specific extra space allotment, further RPs with Silk will be necessary

 

[shibrogane]

the moonwalkers' squadroom.

Before the nobles' Charter was rewritten, moonwalkers were part of the Court but not afforded space within it. This has changed with the new Charter, which has provided the moonwalkers with a group space and smaller private rooms off that space. It has also better delineated the duties of the moonwalker within the Court.

Moonwalkers now possess the ability to enter the squad room, which is not a single room but rather three separate spaces. There is a room which allows for assembly, but there is also a separate room for training the human body, and one for training the animal. In the assembly room are many desks, with strange quasi-computer devices that function to give the moonwalkers updates on the other beings within their care or immediately relevant to their work.

Differentiation has always been a path to a specific duty set. In this case, the shapeshifting ability of a moonwalker is magically maintained by the act of preventing magical extrusions into the nonmagical world, and ensuring the containment of threats already identified. They are the jailers of potential dangers, such as the Destroyer or the Burning Man, and use their enhanced physical abilities to prevent these threats from realizing.

Within the squad room, moonwalkers find they can easily exit to any point within the two worlds by use of a specific door and the intent to arrive at that space. They find it easier to train their minds for the difficult work of acquiring a familiar for the spirit bond within this space. Time spent in the squad room also trains a moonwalker's limited ability to foresee attacks while in combat. The squad room also serves as a meeting place, where moonwalkers can speak on matters that concern them.

Each moonwalker may claim a personal training space or desk, but not both. Both options are a private space within the Court, but they come with their own specific focus. Moonwalkers who choose to maintain a desk carrel will have access to the computer that enables them to communicate quickly with other visitors. Moonwalkers who choose a personal training space will find their powers grow more quickly when training there. If a moonwalker wishes to have more space than allotted, they must speak with Silk to request it.

To claim your desk or personal room:

• You got it already
  
• If you require a specific extra space allotment, further RPs with Silk will be necessary

 

[shibrogane]

the spaces of the undifferentiated.

The undifferentiated are not governed by the Charter, other than that the Charter provides for their protection and the policing of them. As such, they are not necessarily provided space within the Court itself, unless one of two conditions is met. They will be provided a space within the Court if they are a party to an imminent Court trial, or if they specifically meet with Silk to request it and Silk approves their request.

The spaces of the undifferentiated, like their owners, can be anything, and any size. Their benefits depend upon the desires of the undifferentiated and the work the undifferentiated visitor puts into them.

To claim your space within the Court:

• 2-3 RPs which justify your request and are not used for other requirements
  
• (You may have other RPs which justify but are used for other requirements; post them here if you would like to assume Silk knows of the situation)
  
• 1 RP with Silk claiming the space