City Courts

Guildhall for the Fraternity of Order (more commonly called the Guvners) in The Lady's Ward

the City Courts and the surrounding quarter are the liveliest places in The Lady's Ward, perhaps because the people in it are so close to death. Every crooked cutter, it seems, comes here sooner or later, scragged by the Harmonium. Whether he gets out of it again depends on the judges in the private halls of the Court. Because it has a public function, the Guvner's headquarters is divided into public and private halls. In the public halls, a cutter can find knights, Cagers, witnesses, advocates, clerks, accusers, and Mercykiller and Harmonium guards. The crowds and bickering seem like disorganized chaos (unlike the organized chaos of most of the city), but the Guvners have a plan for everything. In the Court's private halls, a body doesn't find anyone but Guvners and their guests. There, the judges meet to discuss cases and reach their decisions, often referring to the immense library of laws the faction's assembled.

Outside the Court, a number of taverns and inns serve those attending trials. In comparison to other places in The Lady's Ward, they're pretty lively. In comparison to places elsewhere in the city, they can seem damned quiet, especially after a number of harsh sentences have been handed down. The taverns serve any body from thief to Hardhead, and there can't help but be a little life in 'em. Most of the alehouses do extra business selling meals to prisoners or running wine and beer to the back rooms of the Court