Hidden from Judgement

What lies beneath the mask of justice?

Hidden from Judgement is a conspiracy theory whispered about in wealthy circles around the world, originating in the city of Stallbourne, concerning the masks and blindfolds worn by the World Court. Due to the mystery around the 13 Judges, many speculate true reasons behind the shroud of secrets they keep around themselves.

Beneath the Mask

The 13 Judges of the World Court wear blindfolds to be the representations of the blind justice of the God Phrixus, but above that they wear large metal helmets. The official reasoning for this is that they wish to obscure their origins, so that they cannot be appealed to by those on trial for their species. Thus, the helmets would be to remove any species bias.

Judge Delta by Jarhed

However, this is difficult to believe, as the different species have different physical appearances.
Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Korvians are much shorter than other species. Korvians have beaks that require special helmets, as do the reptilian heads of Draconians and Lizardfolk or the trunks of Mammen. Many other distinct differences make it so the only ones that are truly indistinguishable are Humans, Elves, and Nereids.

Theories

And so, people have been left to wonder the true purpose of the masks. Why bother to obscure what is already abundantly clear?

Harmless Reasoning

It is not always malicious in the minds of the people. A popular theory is that, since the title is passed down to different people who obscure their identities, they keep the masks so it is not clear when it is passed down, and so the image of one continuous court rather than scattered groups of different judges is preserved throughout history.

Judge Beta by Jarhed

Another theory is that, perhaps, the judges wear the masks so that they can roam the world without fear of being recognized, understanding Totania more outside of the perspective of a judge. While this would explain why the judges are rarely seen outside of their tower, the Marshal, it is considered debunked as most World Court officials even say the Judges never leave.
Others even joke that some of them may even be ugly, and that they all wear helmets in solidarity with their ugly comrades.
Perhaps the helmets had been enchanted, and hold some kind of power. If so, it is unclear what it could be. Some believe it grants them the ability to distinguish truth and lies, while others say such a thing is impossible and that it is a universal translator instead.

Sinister Reasoning

Others believe the World Court is hiding something far more sinister under their masks, which is reason for the questionable rulings they make on occasion.
Some criminals have been arrested by the World Court for "treason" which, by all accounts, is believed to simply be that they have gazed upon the visages of the unmasked judges. Why, if that is the case, would this action be considered treason if there is not something malevolent under the mask? The question is, then, what it could be.

The World Court

The World Court is the ruling body of the city of Stallbourne, a remnant of the Helft Empire's Stallbourne Court of Mercy.
Their purpose is to make laws that are meant to create a more stable world order, and while different governments recognize their authority in different ways, all must bow to their might eventually.
While many of their rulings and actions are often called into question, few can deny that justice begins and ends with their word, and that their rulings are final in terms of what is considered right and wrong the world over.
Each judge wears a blindfold and a mask, as well as their signature robes, and almost always remains in Stallbourne, at the top of their tower, the Marshal. For this mysterious aura around them, as well as their sometimes questionable judgement, many theories and fears have grown around them, as well as some movements dedicated to removing their credibility or dismantling them entirely.

13 Judges

The World Court consists of 13 judges, each of a "major species" of Totania, according to the Court, meaning one of enough population and influence to warrant inclusion. These judges are:

• Judge Alpha- Human


• Judge Beta- Elven


• Judge Gamma- Orcish


• Judge Delta- Dwarven


• Judge Epsilon- Mammen


• Judge Zeta- Halfling


• Judge Theta- Gnomish


• Judge Kappa- Kamejin


• Judge Omicron- Ophidian


• Judge Sigma- Lizardfolk


• Judge Upsilon- Nereid


• Judge Psi- Korvian


• Judge Omega- Draconian

Claims of the real reasons behind these choices are another conspiracy, as each has a political reason, and there are major omissions such as Goblins and Beastmen.

A particularly ridiculous conspiracy theory is that the World Court are not truly the species they claim to be, but are all instead Glirens in disguise, the last of the ratfolk who eliminated their bretheren and hid away so that they could rule the world in hiding, unknown and unsuspected. There are those that claim the World Cell, the World Court's prison, does house the last known Gliren in eternal imprisonment, and this would explain his captivity.

Lort by Jarhed

Others say, instead, they steal the faces of those they imprison, as something happens to the judges faces. Age, rot, or some kind of curse.
There are others still that claim some kind of puppetmaster is behind it, that the judges are merely toys for a greater power behind them, and that the mask obscures the hidden truth of who they are.
Some claim to have heard of something called a "mark" that comes from seeing the judges faces, swearing that those who are marked then have the judge who they saw implant themselves in the mind of whoever was marked. There is not possible explanation for this, other than claims of some divine or demonic power, nor is there a known reason why this would happen. It is simply a rumor started, supposedly, by one who was later arrested for the above listed "treason."

Spread

These rumors are not talked of by the lower classes often, because very few know much if anything about the World Court. Word of the distant judges does not reach isolated rural villages.
Instead, it is the rich that speak of the Court's secrets. The nobility gossip on what they think the truth of the World Court is, as do knights and soldiers of some nations that may deal more commonly with the Court, like the Draconians or the Dwarves.
Most of the more prominent rumors began with the Halflings, who live in Stallbourne with the Court. They then spread through merchants, soldiers, tourists, and immigrants to places all across Totania, and now it is a question on the minds of most familiar with the World Court. What is beneath their mask, and why would they bother to hide the truth? What is underneath the justice they claim to represent?