City Watch of Shadark

Guards in the Watch know the city streets and layout very well. A patrol checks the locks of sewer grates, doors on the city wall towers, and businesses known to be closed for the night. They poke around areas where trouble might brew, such as abandoned warehouses or back alleyways. They know most of the good hiding places in Shadark. The City Watch is familiar with the ins and outs of criminal groups and activities. They know where the offenders hide, where they like to strike, and even what most of them look like on sight. They are perfectly within their rights to haul in a known criminal, even if the individual isn’t doing anything wrong at the moment. Keeping order and peace sometimes involves fighting fires. Each Watch garrison has equipment to help the Fire Brigade do this. The uniforms of the City Watch consist of blue tunics worn over chainmail armor, with thick blue wrappings tied around their helmets. The guards carry shields bearing the device of Ptolus: a golden hawk on a blue field. They carry high-quality battleaxes or spears, as well as longswords and light crossbows. Usually one or two guards on duty at a Watchhouse carry dragon rifles rather than crossbows. Constables wear similar uniforms, with the addition of a yellow sash. They also wear breastplates rather than chain armor and carry dragon pistols rather than crossbows. A captain of the guard wears plate and a special shield insignia as well as the yellow sash of a constable. Typical City Watch guard has guard stats; alignment neutral. They usually carry equipment useful against various well-known monsters, such as wooden stakes and garlic for vampires, wolfsbane for werewolves, and so on. Typical City Watch constable has thug stats, with AC 16, Investigation +2, Perception +2; alignment lawful neutral. Equipment: breastplate, shield, longsword, dragon pistol (see page 522), ammunition (12 rounds), potion of greater healing, lantern of revealing, tanglefoot bags (2, see page 527), whistle, wooden stake, sprig of wolfsbane, necklace of garlic, silver bullets (3), mirror, flask of holy water, 42 gp. Typical City Watch captain has veteran stats, with AC 20; alignment lawful neutral. Equipment: plate, shield, +1 longsword, double pistol (see page 522), ammunition (12 rounds), potions of greater healing (2), lantern of revealing, tanglefoot bags (2), whistle, wooden stake, sprig of wolfsbane, necklace of garlic, silver bullets (3), mirror, flask of holy water, 450 gp.
WATCHHOUSES The Watch is divided up into various precincts that correlate to the city’s districts (not counting the Warrens and the Necropolis). Thus, there are nine Watchhouses. Each district has a Watchhouse (sometimes called a garrison) that serves as a temporary jail and a barracks for the guards on duty. Most Watchhouses are tall structures or even towers, which allows a single guard on duty to keep a vigil. Usually, however, the Watch is summoned by cries of danger, the sound of trouble (usually a fight), or the sounding of one of the warning bells mounted on poles throughout the city. An attempt has been made to place the bells on the streets farthest from a Watchhouse, so that a citizen in trouble can run to either the nearest Watchhouse or the warning bell. Typically, it takes anywhere from one to ten minutes for the City Watch to respond to a warning bell, but it could take as long as thirty minutes, depending on how far the trouble is from a Watchhouse, how well the area is patrolled, and what else is going on in the district. A Watchhouse usually keeps about two dozen guards on duty at any given time, at least half of whom are on patrol. During the day, most guards patrol on their own, although occasionally they wander in teams of two or three. At night, a patrol always consists of at least three guards, and often has as many as six. The constable on duty at each Watchhouse is expected to go on patrol with their guards. Commanding the City Watch members in each district (again, except for the Warrens and Necropolis) is a captain of the guard. These nine captains answer directly to the Commissar. Watchhouses are marked on the Ptolus poster map and the book’s district maps with this icon: W. SPELLS AND SPECIAL SITUATIONS Each Watchhouse has at least one spellcaster on duty. They usually attempt to cancel hostile magic first and foremost (either on their own or through an item), with spells that allow them to see invisible creatures or break a foe’s invisibility coming next in importance. Of course, a sleep spell can turn the tide of a dangerous encounter or bring a tavern brawl to a quick end, and a paralysis spell can stop a fleeing thief dead in their tracks, so magic of that nature is most welcome as well. Sorcerers and wizards sometimes work with the guards as freelancers, but many are full-time members of the Watch themselves, enjoying a special status that places them above the regular guards but not the constable (although some constables are mages too). ct themselves to their current activities (theft, extortion, smuggling, illegal gambling, and trade in slaves, poisons, and drugs) and do not operate flagrantly, the Watch is to give them some latitude. Secretly, Urnst is not certain that he could take on the crime family successfully, and any attempt to do so would certainly cause all-out war on the streets of Shadark. Some of the City Watch’s corruption is internal. Confiscated goods taken from smugglers or from a merchant who didn’t pay his taxes often disappear from storage in the Watchhouse. A City Watch patrol may even extort funds from citizens as protection money or as bribes paid to avoid hassle or arrest.
Life at a Watchhouse Guards on duty at a Watchhouse are billeted at the house as well. Most work in shifts lasting four days, followed by two days off (during which time they live elsewhere). The guards’ main duty is to patrol the streets of their assigned district. While not on patrol, they relax, sleep, eat, and train at the Watchhouse. On slow days, the captain may stage drills to keep the guards sharp. Friendly rivalries have developed among the various Watchhouses. Once a year, the guards get together at the Arena in Oldtown for contests of strength and skill. The reigning champions are the guards of Midtown.
A typical Imperial Eye has spy stats; alignment neutral

Тип

Government, Law Enforcement