Law and Order in Arthea
There are two bodies in Arthea that are responsible for law and order - the Kings Guard and local militia. These forces are very different in the ways they are trained, equipped, and in the way they operate.
Local Militia
This force deals with order in most cities and town large enough to maintain them, while most villages are patrolled by a single constable, possibly with one or two part time deputies to assist him. The militia is made up mostly of volunteers, often peasants with no employment, or no home. With the current tightening up of peasant freedom by the King, places in most militia units have been filled quickly.
The force receives little in the way of formal training; they are shown how to use a sword and placed on guard duty. They are trained to be first to respond to incidents and be first to the scene of emergencies, but in larger towns and cities, their role is to secure the area and contain the situation in until the Kings Guard turn up. They are taught to always bow to the authority of the Kings Guard, and are never allowed to deliver justice themselves. If any Guard are present in the area, then they must be summoned to conduct a trial of any prisoners. If no guard are near, then the prisoner must be taken to the nearest secure station and the Guard summoned to carry out a trial.
The militia usually deal with the protection of the peasants in their area, and clean up after crimes which the Guard may have dealt with. In a village the militia may seem like a pushover, but in towns and larger settlements, the militia may have received more training, so no one should underestimate them.
The Kings Guard
The Kings Guard are an extension of the original force of soldiers who protected King Marcus before 1384. Marcus's successor, King Reuben increased the size of the force and improved their training before sending them into the streets to defend the rights of peasants. Their role changed again under King James, they are now expected to enforce the Kings will, and have been given more power to aid them in this task. James took away the power of criminal judges from the Nobility and handed it to his beloved Guard in 1403, although the nobles were still expected to settle local disputes between subjects of the realm.
King James has provided a charter to establish his Guard; it states the role of the Guard and the limits on their power. They are entitled to administer justice in the name of the King, to set punishments and deal with crimes against the crown. They are also instructed to stop disorder by any means, even as far as killing those involved if there is no other way. King James, who rules by the power of these guards does not wish to risk any kind of uprising, and so ensures that all the peasants are kept in line. As a result of this charter and the powers granted to then, the Guard have seldom shown leniency towards any peasant.
As the force is a military power, they receive a far superior training than the militia, and have well structured military-style ranks. There are many good opportunities for good soldiers to receive promotion and move on up the system. There are, however, no magic users in their ranks, although it is not unknown for occasional Guardsman may have a magical weapon, they occasionally have the chance to liberate such equipment on raids.
Their uniform has changed little in the past thirty years; they still wear highly recognisable red breastplates over dark chainmail armour, and a long brown cloak, trimmed with gold coloured thread.
Communications is very important to the King, his realm is vast, and the three major regions are a little remote from each other. To ensure good communications, the Guard maintain stations along the main inter-nation roadways and along major roads across Arthea. All these stations are manned, and are positioned about a days walk (usually about 25 miles) apart The primary function of these places is for communication, with runners and in some stations riders on standby who can deliver Royal message up and down the country surprisingly quickly. The stations also provide safe accommodation for travellers, with clean but basic room facilities available, hot food, and a bar/common room in the evenings (which are also used by off-duty Guards). These stations are clean, safe, and expensive. If the station is attacked, all the guests are compelled to assist in its defence, whether they can fight or not.
In areas where there is no direct Guard support, such as outlying villages and remote towns, there is often a Guard patrol that passes through regularly to assist the local militia. These troops are totally loyal to their King; they are treated well, are well paid, and receive many perks. This makes them largely incorruptible, and hard to bargain with.
The Kings Guard are an efficient force, one that is feared for the amount of power it wields. When investigating a crime, the Guards dealing with it are authorised to cast judgement and sentence immediately, this has proved quite a deterrent in handling crime.