Rechtshus

The courthouse and jail in each town. If the town is large enough, it will also have a separate Vachstall which is where the town guard operates out of. The town guard (if there is one) is maintained and operated by the Rechtshus. In addition to normal guardsmen, the Rechtshus will also sometimes appoint a few Furannes. These men and woman investigate crimes and act as lieutenants for the Rechtsprecher. The Rechtshus is financed partially through taxes, partially through levying fees from shopkeepers and homeowners who want their districts patrolled and partially through fines issued for minor crimes.
Rechtsprecher are judges and interpreters of the laws. The Rechtsprechers are by tradition always female and must have successfully born and raised a child till the age of five. There must always be one Rechtsprecher for every ten thousand persons who inhabit a Barony or at least one per Barony. Should a Rechtsprecher post stand empty, the local lord selects ten candidates among the woman who qualify for the post. The people of the Barony then vote and the woman with the most votes becomes the new Rechtsprecher for life.
In the two western Duchies of the Empire, Treval and Petiser, each adult is required to serve 1 week of the year as watchman to keep the peace. However, one can pay another to take your place and do your watchman duty.

Not all towns are large enough to support a town guard. If there is no city guard, either the noble supplies soldiers to deal with situations like bandits or the sytem of hue and cry is used to apprehend criminals. Hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime.

In Rocaille, a diffirent legal system from hue and cry is used. This system is called Kymmyks and how it works is that each family in Rocaille is part of a Kymmyk. There are between one hundred and five hundred people per Kymmyk. Each Kymmyk is responsible for bringing any criminals in their ranks before the local Rechtsprecher. Failure to do so means that the whole Kymmyk is held responsible for crimes commited by any one member.

Type

Civil Services