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THE KING'S I T ADEL a strong rivalry between the Redcloaks and the King's
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Swords of the Citadel, who generally have less military
The members of the King's Citadel are the direct agents experience even though they enjoy far greater authority
of the Brelish Crown. As such, the King's Citadel stands and prestige.
above the Sharn Watch. Its members have the authority As veterans and heroes of the Last War, many of the
to take control of any investigation and to command the Redcloaks are unfriendly toward travelers from other
service of any guard or sentinel. T y pically the Citadel nations. As far as the Redcloaks are concerned, the
leaves the daily chores of law enforcement (including Treaty of Thronehold is merely an intermission, and
the conflicts between the criminal organizations of the soon King Boranel will come to his senses and finish
lower towers) in the hands of the Sharn Watch. The the job that Wroann ir'Wynarn began.
Citadel is concerned with forces that threaten the entire
city, or even the kingdom. Foreign spies, mad necroman C R I M E S A N D P U N I S H M E N TS
cers, and ancient fiends-these are the foes of the King's
Citadel, rather than pickpockets and burglars. Officers of the watch can levy fines on the spot when
Of course, many of these greater threats might be be they catch culprits, which is the typical way that minor
yond the capabilities of the typical Citadel agents. Much crimes are dealt with. For a serious offense, the perpe
as the Blackened Book does, the Citadel keeps a close trator is taken to a garrison and held until a trial can be
eye on unusual and talented individuals, and a party of arranged. A criminal who is considered to be a serious
adventurers might be called upon to assist the Citadel in flight risk will be taken to the most secure facility in
a dangerous mission. Sharn-the King's Citadel headquarters.
Unlike the Sharn Watch, the Citadel doesn't ask for T y pically, a prisoner's case comes to the attention
help: it demands it. The knights of the Citadel are the of a local magistrate within ld4 days. The magistrate
representatives of the King of Breland, and any Brelish reviews the facts of the case and asks the victim to
citizen who refuses to help them is committing an act of confirm or deny their role in the crime while under the
treason. The Citadel isn't required to provide compen influence of a zone of truth spell. The magistrate will
sation for the services it demands, but an adventurer then propose a punishment to the accused; if the offer is
who wins the respect of the Citadel can certainly benefit refused, the case goes to trial.
from the relationship. Punishment for convicted criminals varies, but long
The Citadel is made up of these four divisions: term imprisonment is quite rare. Prisoners who deemed
to be too dangerous to be allowed to roam free are more
The King's Dark Lanterns gather intelligence and en likely to be executed than imprisoned. Typically, a long
gage in covert operations. prison sentence is used only for criminals who can't be
The King's Shields protect the royal family and its clos allowed to go free, but whose deaths would have nega
est associates. tive diplomatic repercussions.
The King's Swords are elite soldiers used in the most Fines are the typical form of punishment. The amount
dangerous military operations. of a fine is generally based on the nature of the crime,
The King's Wands are wizards and sorcerers, serving but a magistrate has the right to increase a fine to en
the crown in all arcane matters. sure that it is an effective punishment. For example,
The headquarters of the Citadel is in the Ambassador a fine of 10 gp is crippling to a commoner but can be
Towers district of Middle Central, in Andith Tower. That inconsequential to an adventurer or a member of the
structure also serves as the city jail. Aurum, and in such cases it will be increased. Also, the
court can confiscate possessions in lieu of receiving
THE E D C LOAK BATTALION payments in gold; you might not care about having to
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pay a fine of 100 gp, but having your grandfather's magic
The soldiers of the Redcloak Battalion are among the
deadliest warriors in Sharn. When a situation calls for sword confiscated instead might sting. If a criminal
extreme military force, both the Sharn Watch and the can't afford to pay a fine, the sentence might be changed
King's Citadel turn to the Redcloak Battalion. This elite to hard labor-or, in the case of adventurers, performing
unit fought in the forefront of the Last War, and the special services on behalf of the city or the Crown.
bards in Menthis today sing of the exploits of Khandan Other kinds of punishment include branding (gener
the Hammer and Meira the Huntress. At the end of the ally in a visible location, warning others of your criminal
war, the battalion was split up, and one unit was as actions), exile, or several magical measures: an ongoing
signed to Sharn. Its headquarters is located in the Dag curse, a period of induced blindness, and so on. A repeat
gerwatch district of Upper Dura. offender might be declared an outlaw, which status is
Many of the members of the Redcloak Battalion resent often indicated by a brand. An outlaw is stripped of the
being relegated to mere law enforcement, and there is protection of the law, and anyone can take any action
against them without fear of legal retribution.
C H APTER 3 I SH ARN, CITY OF TOWERS
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