Accusers
In a land as sparsely populated and widespread as the Andalasia Protectorate justice is hard to come by. Often times, law is determined by a mob. Eventually the Order of the Just was founded to enforce laws and be magistrates in areas where a lord cannot be. After several decades of mediation, the Order learned that their edicts were rarely enforced; which resulted in the disbandment of the Order.
Three years later in Ironholm, Francis Hennessey, a former member of the Order of the Just, was approached to oversee the trial of a man accused of murdering his neighbor. Hennessey agreed and learned the man was a menace to his community as a drunk, an abuser and a coward who had skirted the law due being a cousin of the Lord of the Longbow Hall. At the conclusion of the trial, Hennessey found the defendant guilty and, betraying his original oath, pronounced a death sentence for the man. As the crowd sagged, knowing it could take years for the sentence to be carried out, Hennessey produced an axe and took the man's head in a single stroke.
The relief of the village was a shock to the righteous anger of Hennessey; he realized that this was the justice the Andals needed until something more substantial could be found. Hennessey began recruiting those he named Accusers.
Accusers act as Judge, Jury and Executioner to the wandering villages and tribes they come across. None are above the accusation of an Accuser. The Yorks have even decreed that should they or any of their kin fall under the auspices of an Accuser, they are to submit to the Rule of Law. Accusers are paid by the government and held to the highest of standards. The Accusers themselves are not above the law – a violation that would earn a citizen a few months in an prison may earn a Judge a twenty-year sentence of hard labor in the mines. They are also expected to live in celibacy, to avoid personal attachments that might bias them or make them vulnerable to manipulation and blackmail.
Failure to adhere to an Accuser's ruling may result in fines, imprisonment, lashings or even death.
At this point, the Lords of the Andalasia, defer to the Accusers and, in fact, live in fear of being on the wrong end of an Accuser. For they find, Accusers cannot be bought, manipulated or intimidated. They find they can only face justice for what they have, or have not done.
The Andalasia Protectorate is a land of warriors, as such the Accusers must be greater warriors. Those who try to fight them, find a stunningly capable foe who attempts to subdue until given other reason. Accusers may not take the field in military conflict, they have, however, been known to defend communities from larger threats. On very rare occassion, Accusers have defied unjust laws declared by the King of the Andalasia. These have met with mixed success.
Three years later in Ironholm, Francis Hennessey, a former member of the Order of the Just, was approached to oversee the trial of a man accused of murdering his neighbor. Hennessey agreed and learned the man was a menace to his community as a drunk, an abuser and a coward who had skirted the law due being a cousin of the Lord of the Longbow Hall. At the conclusion of the trial, Hennessey found the defendant guilty and, betraying his original oath, pronounced a death sentence for the man. As the crowd sagged, knowing it could take years for the sentence to be carried out, Hennessey produced an axe and took the man's head in a single stroke.
The relief of the village was a shock to the righteous anger of Hennessey; he realized that this was the justice the Andals needed until something more substantial could be found. Hennessey began recruiting those he named Accusers.
Accusers act as Judge, Jury and Executioner to the wandering villages and tribes they come across. None are above the accusation of an Accuser. The Yorks have even decreed that should they or any of their kin fall under the auspices of an Accuser, they are to submit to the Rule of Law. Accusers are paid by the government and held to the highest of standards. The Accusers themselves are not above the law – a violation that would earn a citizen a few months in an prison may earn a Judge a twenty-year sentence of hard labor in the mines. They are also expected to live in celibacy, to avoid personal attachments that might bias them or make them vulnerable to manipulation and blackmail.
Failure to adhere to an Accuser's ruling may result in fines, imprisonment, lashings or even death.
At this point, the Lords of the Andalasia, defer to the Accusers and, in fact, live in fear of being on the wrong end of an Accuser. For they find, Accusers cannot be bought, manipulated or intimidated. They find they can only face justice for what they have, or have not done.
The Andalasia Protectorate is a land of warriors, as such the Accusers must be greater warriors. Those who try to fight them, find a stunningly capable foe who attempts to subdue until given other reason. Accusers may not take the field in military conflict, they have, however, been known to defend communities from larger threats. On very rare occassion, Accusers have defied unjust laws declared by the King of the Andalasia. These have met with mixed success.
Structure
Before becoming fully fledged Accuser, cadets must spend 15 years (but in exceptional circumstances some have graduated quicker) at the Academy of Law, in where they receive intensive training and conditioning.
A cadet is inducted into the Academy as a child aged five (although older children have been recruited). After this, unsupervised contact is forbidden, in order to maintain the strictest discipline and mental conditioning.
On graduating from the Academy, cadets become known as Rookie Accusers.
Before becoming a full accuser, a rookie must undergo assessment by a more experienced Senior Accuser. The failure rate is extremely high, and the few who pass their Final Assessment exchange their white helmet and "half-eagle" for the green and blue helmet and "full eagle" at a brief ceremony before the chief judge.
Cadets who fail to graduate are expelled from the Academy. Rookies who fail their final assessment earlier had no right of appeal, but this is no longer the case. Failed cadets and rookies are either employed as auxiliaries or leave the Order altogether.
When an Accuser retires from the field, by choice or by injury they may become High Accuser: a Council of Accusers who exclusively get to try the high lords of the Andals, and determine what area Accusers are assigned to.
From among the High Accusers, there is one Grand Accuser - personal liason to the King of the Protectorate. Unlike many other organizations, this is not considered a leadership position, nor is it a sought after position, though it is honored. It is, however, a necessary one. The lofty title is mostly for the benefit of the Lords.
A cadet is inducted into the Academy as a child aged five (although older children have been recruited). After this, unsupervised contact is forbidden, in order to maintain the strictest discipline and mental conditioning.
On graduating from the Academy, cadets become known as Rookie Accusers.
Before becoming a full accuser, a rookie must undergo assessment by a more experienced Senior Accuser. The failure rate is extremely high, and the few who pass their Final Assessment exchange their white helmet and "half-eagle" for the green and blue helmet and "full eagle" at a brief ceremony before the chief judge.
Cadets who fail to graduate are expelled from the Academy. Rookies who fail their final assessment earlier had no right of appeal, but this is no longer the case. Failed cadets and rookies are either employed as auxiliaries or leave the Order altogether.
When an Accuser retires from the field, by choice or by injury they may become High Accuser: a Council of Accusers who exclusively get to try the high lords of the Andals, and determine what area Accusers are assigned to.
From among the High Accusers, there is one Grand Accuser - personal liason to the King of the Protectorate. Unlike many other organizations, this is not considered a leadership position, nor is it a sought after position, though it is honored. It is, however, a necessary one. The lofty title is mostly for the benefit of the Lords.
| Rank | Honorific | Insignia |
| Grand Accuser | Grand Accuser | Black Robes |
| High Accuser | Lord | Scale and Arrow |
| Accuser | Lord | Blue and Green Helm |
| Rookie | Lord | White Helm |
| Cadet | Sir |
Culture
Accusers are extremely solitary, attachments can impair one's judgement - which is why Accusers may not perform their duties in the town of their birth. The only time Accusers work together is when a Senior Accuser is training a Rookie Accuser. The exception, of course, being the Refusal of Last Hearth where seven Accusers stopped the hoards of the Lord of the Last Hearth from destroying a town for being unable to pay taxes due to actions taken by the Earl of the Hills.
The Accusers are known to have a large superiority complex. This is mainly due to their training making them both physically and often mentally stronger than the average farmers and merchants they police. In the academy they are frequently told that they have been given the greatest honor that can be bestowed and so they are the elite and have the power of life and death should they want to use it. With this, stress is high and death by suicide is common.
The Accusers are known to have a large superiority complex. This is mainly due to their training making them both physically and often mentally stronger than the average farmers and merchants they police. In the academy they are frequently told that they have been given the greatest honor that can be bestowed and so they are the elite and have the power of life and death should they want to use it. With this, stress is high and death by suicide is common.
Public Agenda
The Accusers have no political advancement, as it specifically goes against the Accusers' Charter. Any Accuser found accepting bribes, be it money, position or advancement of an ideology, the Accuser is sought with particular fervor.
The Accusers only wish to carry out the law.
The Accusers only wish to carry out the law.
Assets
The only true assets the Accusers possess is the Grand Hall of Justice in Nucross, and the Peacekeeper blades, or Lawgiver hammer, they wield. Locals pay them with lodging and food, and, upon retirement, Accusers are given a modest home with servants to tend to them.
You May Choose Justice, or You May Choose Death
Type
Government, Law Enforcement
Alternative Names
Judges
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Veteran
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