(The following is based on a bit of filler i created for a gaming session i ran a few years ago)

Trial by Archon

The city of Endrikit was in an uproar because the archon was in town.

Don't get the wrong idea, Gleshint Harl was very much in favor with the good citizens for all he had done in the 10 years since the Imperial Court had installed him. He had been chosen to rule, and rule he had. Certainly the gorvij dominated Prefect of Hekwukelauwu, its 3 provinces among the most fractious and contrary in the entire Empire, needed a firm hand. Harl had provided that hand, taming the bandits of Hekwukelauwu Province, making the softheaded idealists of Ijaleheks Province shoulder some responsibilities, and helping out the destitute here in Huwauwu Province. In Endrikit, the rich and comfortable capital of Huwauwu, there was no doubt that all of Harl's actions had been well conceived and well done.

Until now. Because now he had turned his attentions to Endrikit itself. Now his actions were no longer affecting some distant category of "them". Oh no, just now the subject of his actions was definitely and undeniably "us".

Gleshint Harl hated elites of any kind, but especially class based ones. Perhaps it was, as his supporters claimed, that elites offended his sense of justice.

Or it might have been because elite status was the one thing that raw power could never give him. He might dominate his subjects, but there would always be some who would hold him in contempt for his origins. The elite of Endrikit were no different. Their enthusiasm for his work was of the same quality as their enthusiasm for the work of their gardeners and coach drivers, who would never be invited to join the yachting club.

Or maybe some of both.

Harl had come to the city because the provincial government refused to govern. Officially there was a parliament, and ministries and bureaus and commissions, but hardly any of the worthy members ever set foot outside the Lake District, as the fertile belt of land around Lake Huwauwu, which included the city, was called. They collected their wealth, enjoyed the lake, the parks and the orchards, and let the rest of the country dissolve into anarchy and poverty.

Harl wanted the ministers to be at their desks receiving citizen petitions, the commissioners to get the roads and canals fixed, and the departments to report on their operations. If they couldn't perform he was prepared to find people who could, perhaps some gardeners and coach drivers. And he intended to levy huge "contributions" to pay for everything.

On this balmy afternoon in late summer, the crowd in the Central Theater buzzed like bees. But not in anticipation of a play. Today the theater was being used for a court of law. And Gleshint Harl had appointed himself judge. It was a favorite tactic of his, to promote by example his idea of jurisprudence without favor. Or so he claimed; but many of the spectators were certain he would go further than merely eliminating accustomed privileges. Today wealth and status would certainly be counted as negatives.

Of course no one would say that to his face. Indeed it was hard to say anything to that face anyway. Gleshint Harl had The Taint. Which was a euphemistic way of saying that, while a member of the predominate gorvij race, he had some of the features, especially the eyes, of the ancient oppressor, the ferevee people. Not that having the look meant that one actually practiced ferevee atrocities but so many gorvijes had traumatic ancestral memory flashbacks when they saw bright emerald eyes that it was customary for such throwbacks to wear veils. Naturally Harl did not.

And if the ghosts of ferevee torturers weren't enough to give one pause, Harl also carried a more tangible power, the unequivocal approval of the nildrer, the race that had destroyed the ferevee, created the Empire, and expected the provinces to behave. If need be, Harl could command imperial forces, including the ultra elite Starbearers.

A single sustained tone hushed the crowd. The two women who came through the rear door onto the stage carried a large iron bell in a frame and a padded mallet. They were rough looking types, retainers who had been with the man they called "The Boss" ever since his days as a block captain in the gangster politics of his native city, Athrikit, in neighboring Hekwukelauwu province. They set the bell on a table and struck it again. Then Harl came out.

Gleshint Harl at age 50 looked exactly like what he was, a survivor. Even discounting the green eyes, his normal expression was cold and hard. Scowls came to his face more easily and readily than smiles. He kept people at arms length personally and expected extraordinary efforts and results professionally. He never demanded or offered loyalty, he thought of it as something that must be earned anew every day. In short, he was not a lovable person. Naturally, his associates loved him.

Harl looked out at the audience and saw a sea of color. He scowled. What a bunch of pretty, stupid, vapid, selfish butterflies! They thought they were better than everyone else because they had money. And doubly so because they had never had to work. Unless you counted the pursuit of more and more elaborate faux-nildrer clothing. Hmm, perhaps a tax on the ownership of silk would be a good start. He himself had never worn silk, had rarely worn anything extensively colorful or tailored. Today he wore a dusty green linen jerkin over a loose belted brown tunic. And of course his trademark clogs.

Harl signaled his attendants. A short tap of the bell summoned the first case.

The prosecutor was young and stern looking. He carried himself like a schoolteacher. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced. His name was Drel Treeak. He started his prolog. "Today, we present a disturbing account of antisocial behavior. The subject acted in willful disregard of the safety of others, to say nothing of the law, clearly indicating a nefarious state of mind. We must curb this malefactor hard, lest our leniency encourage greater atrocities in the future. We cannot--"

BONGGG!

Gleshint Harl didn't care much for posturing either and had signaled for the bell. "Just give us the case, Sen Treeak" he growled. "You can return to this stage some other time if you want to be an actor!" There was a burst of applause at Treeak's discomfiture.

In the gorvij legal system, the entire circumstances of the case are presented first, along with all possible charges. After that, the defense has the burden of challenging the story or justifying the defendant's actions. Officially this is compared to clearing away a pile of dirt. Unofficially, other substances are often said to make up the pile. Whatever parts of the case the judge agrees have been successfully defended are removed or downgraded. At the end, if there is anything left, that's what the defendant is guilty of. If there are jurors, they are there as witnesses and sometimes as consultants. Today, Harl had declared the entire audience to be the jury.

After swallowing his indignation, and casting a beseeching glance at the regular judge seated in the front row, Treeak stated the facts of the case.

It seemed that two days previously, a group of youths had decided to race from a popular tavern on the edge of the city to the central square. One Ardivrang Twaa, the 16 year old son of a cloth merchant, had been the winner. He had cheated by riding a horse through a zone restricted to pedestrians and rickshaws. To avoid challenges he had disguised himself with the uniform of the imperial courier service which had special rights of way. In his headlong gallop, he had knocked down 6 people, a tea cart, and a wheelbarrow. Of the 6 victims, 2 had sustained significant injuries.

As Ardivrang climbed onto the stage, a chorus of cheers erupted. Spoiled rich kids encouraging one of their own, thought Harl sourly. The wheelbarrow pusher with the dislocated shoulder was a menial, the tea vendor with the fractured wrist ranked as minor shopkeeper. Under ordinary circumstances those two would have been quietly paid off, removing destruction of property, reckless endangerment and bodily injury from the list of possible charges. No doubt the young man and his family still thought there would be an easy out, and that the most serious charge would be violation of the municipal code.

And indeed, as Treeak listed the charges that was where he paused. Then he addressed Harl directly. "Sen Harl, there is  another issue as well. That is, the impersonation of a courier. Ordinarily, it would be handled elsewhere, but--".

Harl interjected. "Sen Treeak, since i am an imperial official, we can handle it here. I'll present the charge myself: Sen Twaa, you are not an imperial official, but you impersonated one. That is a hanging offense!" He raked the audience with his green eyes, daring anyone to object.

Into the stunned silence, a new voice intruded. "Not necessarily, Dom Harl!" The man who stood in the archway of a side maintenance door wore black, perhaps that was why he had stayed unnoticed. Or perhaps he had simply wished to remain unnoticed. As he reached the stage, whispers spread through the audience. This was Reston Fethariks, the most celebrated, and feared, lawyer in the three provinces.

Fethariks was tall and ascetic looking and might easily be mistaken for a religious pilgrim, if his coal black cloak, hood, tunic and tights had been of simple cloth instead of velvet. And if one were to ignore the tiny emeralds and sapphires that flashed from the seams when he moved. The 5 person entourage that followed him were dressed similarly, perhaps with just a hair less impact.

At the sight of the new arrival, Treeak underwent a remarkable transformation. He glided back a step and stood with his feet angled, weight slightly forward. His hands unclasped and came up, seemingly floating of their own accord about level with his heart. The schoolteacher had become a gladiator. "Dom Fethariks" he murmured. Inwardly he was frantically reviewing the case, wondering what he could be missing.

Fethariks bowed formally. "Dom Harl, Sen Treeak, i am here to speak for the family of this young man. They deeply regret his thoughtless actions and the unfortunate results of those actions. He himself has had ample time to reflect on his errors and is fully prepared to take responsibility and accept correction."

Fethariks had his own gladiator's reflexes, he stopped speaking just as Harl was about to signal for the bell again. "Ah but i forget myself, Dom Harl, it is of course your court. I await your instructions." He knew very well that the archon loathed the honorific 'Dom' almost as much he loathed those who demanded it simply on the grounds of their ancestry. With a show of perfect humility Fethariks gave another bow and stood still beaming, pretending to meet both green eyes and deepening scowl directly while in fact he had let his own eyes unfocus.

Harl took a deep breath. The last time they had met, 6 years ago, had also been a trial. The issue had been corruption and dereliction in the army of Hekwukelauwu Province. Fethariks had managed to save a commander that Harl had wanted very much to hang as an example to the others. Harl was sure the incident had added 2 years to his drive to clean up the military. This case now had a personal aspect.

"Sen Fethariks" he snapped, "the allegations against your client are quite serious-- it is now your duty to attack them. If you can!"

Reston Fethariks looked around. One of his associates was reassuring Ardivrang Twaa in low tones. Everyone else was looking at him intently. He allowed the moment to stretch out-- then he broke the tension with a hand motion. An assistant scuttled over and handed him a roll of papers. He opened them with a flourish and presented them to Harl. "Would you agree that this is an appointment to the imperial courier service?"

Harl scowled. He read the entire document through 3 times as the audience waited, scarcely breathing. Finally he looked up. "I see that this document is dated a month ago. But i wonder when exactly, it was filed." Fethariks shrugged. "There could very well have been some sort of delay, but if so, that would be someone else's fault. Do you accept this as authentic?" "I am sure you would not present it otherwise. Sen Treeak, was Provisional-Courier-Cadet-Candidate", he recited the title with scorn, "Ardivrang Twaa wearing any insignia of rank at the time of the incident?"

Treeak consulted his notes. "None was mentioned, Sen Harl. However i suspect that trainees do not wear the same uniform as commissioned riders. Moreover, the fact remains that the defendant was not carrying a message." Fethariks shrugged again, his shrugs were very expressive. "That is all true" he replied slowly, "but at most Sen Twaa has, in his euphoria at being accepted as a courier no doubt, violated the regulations of the service, an offense that is customarily handled internally. I am sure that a full report will be sent to his superiors." However, this court cannot charge him with impersonating an imperial official, nor with violating the traffic code." There was a scattering of applause.

"Agreed" grated Harl. "Proceed Sen Treeak, you must defend the case without the imperial charges." "Very well" replied Treeak. "Then if the defendant is in fact, an imperial official, i now charge him with abuse of office, which falls under a provincial law that you yourself promulgated, Sen Harl."

Fethariks bowed. "It is a good law, Sen Harl, and a wise one in that it distinguishes between acts perpetrated against others and acts that are merely for personal gain, and in the latter case makes the offense proportional to the gain. The injuries and damage caused by my client are listed in the charges as consequences of his inconsiderate and inattentive gallop, quite apart from any representation or misrepresentation of his professional mission. Therefor, only the personal gain provision of the law can apply. Do you agree?"

"Agreed" Harl said, sourly." He glared at Treeak, as if to berate him for not coming up with a more effective formulation of the charges.

Fethariks ignored the glare. "Thank you, Dom Harl. Now concerning the matter of personal gain, we freely acknowledge guilt. In this case the gain was the prize for the race-- dinner. My client will of course pay the triple fine. As for the charges of reckless riding, and causing injury, we do not dispute them. I repeat, my client is contrite and eager to make good." Fethariks signaled for more papers. "He has written letters of apology to everyone he hurt and another to the citizenry of Endrikit. He has also written a letter to the Municipal Guard, apologizing for his behavior towards them, and thanking them for saving him from doing more damage." Once again, Fethariks bowed, both to Treeak and Harl. "My client now awaits your judgment."

Harl spread his hands. "There's no more to dispute. So, the accused is found guilty of causing injuries and damage. He must pay all the statutory amounts in full, that includes fines, restitution, reimbursement for lost income, and repayment to the city treasury for police operations."

Drel Treeak listed the municipal fines and restitution amounts. He said he would compute the triple cost of dinner later. Harl confirmed everything. It was going to cost the family of young Ardivrang quite a bit, what with the fines, Fethariks's fee, and whatever it had taken to make their son a courier retroactively. Still, they must be very relieved that instead of the noose, Ardivrang would get 2 years in a comfortable training facility in one of the nildrer provinces. After that, no doubt he intended to resign and resume his life of idle opulence.

Time to disillusion him.

"Thank you Sen Treeak, Sen Fethariks" said Harl, "my staff will work with the local officials to make the arrangements now." He signaled for the bell. "You may go." The lawyers bowed and withdrew, followed by Ardivrang Twaa. "Sen Twaa!" Harl shouted. "I have not dismissed you!" From both sides of the stage, members of Harl's personal guard came running, weapons drawn. Ardivrang Twaa fainted.

One of Harl's attendants waved away the troopers, while the other appropriated a jug of cold lemonade. A minute later Twaa was sputtering back to consciousness. He looked up to see the archon glaring at him. "Sen Twaa, the trial is over, this is now an administrative review of your performance. You see, as the supreme administrator, i have a duty to the Imperial Court to ensure that all of their agents are fit for duty. Your deficiencies reflect poorly on me."

"So tell me, Sen Twaa, do you know what is required to be an imperial courier?" he demanded. "Well?" After several tries, Twaa found his voice. "A courier has to ride and uh, know how to read maps, uh, Dom" he replied weakly.

"But that's just the beginning!" boomed Harl. He kept his voice loud, because he wanted the audience to hear what he was saying to the young man. "Couriers sometimes go far out into the countryside, where there are no cities and no inns. What would you do in such a case if your horse got sick?" "Um, well--" "You don't know, *do* you? Well let me tell you, you take care of the horse yourself. And as for riding, you don't seem to do that very well.

"So here's my thought. I'm going to postpone your training as a courier and send you to a horse ranch. A nice peaceful horse ranch out in the middle of nowhere so there won't be any distractions. No operas, no balls, no parties-- just horses. There you will learn everything there is to know about them. You will feed them, clean up after them, doctor their hurts, even sleep with them. Eventually you will get to ride them, and learn how to do it properly, so you don't knock anyone down while on an assignment. Once that is accomplished, you may go to the courier training school. You will be evaluated every 6 months until you show such suitability. Now go, you have 2 hours to pack, my people will take you to your destination."

There were mixed reactions from the audience as Ardivrang Twaa slunk away. Some people were cursing, some applauding, and some were roaring with laughter. Harl ignored them all. He signaled for the bell to be rung and called for the next case.