House of Justice

The House of Justice is the central judicial and administrative facility in the capital city of Kronstadt. It serves as the headquarters for the King's Justices and the primary repository for the legal records and archives of the Kingdom of Skyss. Managed by the Keeper of the Rolls, the building is the site where sentencing for piracy and other capital crimes is formalised and where those bound to the King's service are processed.

The House of Justice is situated within the dense urban core of Kronstadt, approximately 100 yards from a prominent sign depicting a “Blue Boat” near the northern docks. Unlike the King's Palace, which is insulated from the city by an expansive park to filter the pervasive smells of waste and industry, the House of Justice is directly adjacent to the city's busy thoroughfares. The immediate area is characterised by overlapping wooden and plaster storeys and narrow alleys that drain refuse and night-soil into the streets.

The building is guarded by a detachment of the King's Guard wearing blue livery. Access to the interior for authorised personnel involves a specific rhythmic signal beaten upon the heavy wooden doors. This security measure is essential given the building's role in holding high-value prisoners and sensitive legal documents, such as the ledger of outgoing ships.

The facility's professional function is the administration of the King's law. This involves several key areas of service:

• Questioning and Interrogation: High-ranking officials, such as Lady Helga Trollslayer, deliver prisoners here for formal inquiry. King's Justices use their unique ability to perceive truth and intent to tell the guilty from the innocent.
• Sentencing: It is the central location for passing judgements on raider captains and their crews. capital crimes often result in the death penalty, processed within these walls.
• Record Keeping: The Keeper of the Rolls maintains the definitive ledger of legal precedents and sentencing histories, providing critical data to the Small Council regarding trends in criminal activity across the Continent of Osnines.
• Crown Service: Convicted individuals who are not sentenced to death are often bound into honourable service through a magical geas administered by the Justices.

In the late summer of 774 AM, the House of Justice was the intended destination for the prisoner Arald, who was being escorted for questioning regarding a southern conspiracy. The party, led by Lady Helga, was ambushed in the streets nearby. The attack was repelled by the sailors of the King's Ship Seagull and the House's own guards, resulting in the captured assailants being handed over to a Justice in person within the facility.

• Hilda Helgasdottir: The current Keeper of the Rolls and a senior administrative officer.
• King Thirfinn: The elective monarch who oversees the judicial system as the senior arbiter.
• King's Justice: The order of judicial officials who operate from this headquarters.

• Kronstadt: The city housing the building.
• King's Palace: The nearby royal residence and seat of the Council.

• Geas: The magical bond used to secure the loyalty of those sentenced to crown service.
• Blood Price: The legal debts resulting from death that are arbitrated or waived by the Justices.