Gateswatch

The Gateswatch are an arm of the Merchants' Guild that enforces the tolls and restrictions of goods and people coming and going through the city gates. Each walled city have their own Gateswatch, but the largest is found at Hammar.

Modus Operandi

Gatesmen operate in teams of eight: two pikemen hold up the traffic and collects tolls, one educated scribe verifies certification, while four search the people and vehicles coming through. The final member of the team is the Gatesman Captain who overseen the entire operation, often from the comfort of the gate houses.
Their main focus is to ensure that taxes on goods have been paid to the Merchants' Guild, as well as confiscating any illegal goods being smuggled. They also control that outsiders entering the city have business, or at least have the coin to do business. The amount of toll demanded will depend on the city, and on the mood of the Gatesman in charge of collecting that day.
When goods are confiscated they are kept in a guarded corral near the gate houses. At the end of the Gatemen's shift they transport them to the Merchants' Guild Headquarters where said goods are repurposed, resold, or destroyed.
The people who are caught smuggling illegal or uncertified goods are lightly beaten and sent to recover in the city gaol. Their stay may just be overnight, or they may be kept for several weeks. There are no laws that determine the appropriate length but they are regularly kicked out to make space for newcomers.

Type

Government, Law Enforcement

Demonym

Gatesman

Parent Organization

Merchants' Guild

Ram's Gate

Not all gates manned by the Gateswatch lead directly to a city. Ram's Gate at Rammarvijk is situated in the middle of the Yugatan Pass. It marks the border between Fedhera and Rhyd. The Gateswatch fulfil the same function here, managing the flow of goods and traffic into, and out of, Fedhera.