Keis

From across the valley, people come to the Keis, a combination law school, jail, and hall of judgment, for the bi-yearly Tanze. Those accused of crimes are tried and sentenced, and final decisions in unresolved quarrels, be they great or small, are laid to rest.

Purpose / Function

Built as a sacred place of law and order, the Keis serves as the main governmental building complex in the valley.

The Forum: Location of the Tanze, where great crowds gather to watch the Lawkeepers impart judgment on cases brought before them.

The White Hall: The Lawkeepers make this place their home, studying and memorizing the law, as well as sending out emissaries to the major cities to make decisions on less important matters throughout the year. It is here that records of transactions, marriages, and births are stored.

The Gaiole: A wood and stone stockade constructed to hold the most dangerous criminals until the time of the Tanze draws near.

Alterations

When originally built out of the white stone found in the mountainside, the Keis was a single half circle Forum with rows of seating terraced above a witness stand. As the population of the valley grew, more seating was added, and eventually living quarters for the Lawkeepers and a prison for the more violent criminals were built.

Architecture

The Forum

An amphitheater capable of holding over one thousand people, the Forum in partially carved into the side of a mountain, creating a smooth overhang that protects a portion of the Forum from the elements. In the center of the great dais stands a simple column carved with the laws of the Valley. On either side of the column are raised platforms for the accused and accuser to stand. Behind these platforms are 13 carved stone chairs arranged in a semicircle for the elder Lawkeepers to sit. Three doors stand at the back of the dais, leading to the White Hall.

The White Hall

When the Lawkeepers were established, they constructed small houses on the edge of the Forum, but they slowly began to carve for themselves study spaces and rooms in the mountain behind the Forum. As generations of Lawkeepers past, the White Hall became a place with rooms for each Lawkeeper, a great hall for dining and meetings, a kitchen, and a winding labyrinth of hallways lined with bookcases that store the valley's records.

The Gaiole

Built a quarter mile from the Forum, the Gaiole is a rough-hewn fort made of stone and logs. Built to contain dangerous criminals until their time at the Tanze, the Gaiole has also been used to protect witnesses in important cases. All Lawkeepers spend several years at the Gaiole, and are trained to protect themselves from the prisoners and those inside the fort from any who would wish them harm. While much care was put into the design and construction of the other buildings at the Keis, this prison was built with functionality as its main purpose. However, many of the rooms inside are very cozy, and the oldest Lawkreakers spend their winters here, as the White Hall becomes quite cold during the bitterest of winter days.

Alternative Names

The White Hall

Type

Government complex

Included Locations

• The White Hall

Owning Organization

The Lawkeepers