Mount Auberon and the Star Courts

The stars watch all men, of every degree and station, and see the Truth in their hearts. That is why we let the stars guide the hand of Justice. To make any ruling without their input would be to reject their Guiding Light, which touches every part of our lives.

— Ernest Lahaye, First Judge of Lormont, to Chazley Dunheuvelin

Mount Auberon is a prominent, 480-foot hill located on the north-western side of the Lormontai capital of Cazilhac. It is an outlier for the Oostelike Augstieg (the Eastern Rise), which is a mountain range that traverses part of the border with Kredashmi.
Mount Auberon has always formed part of a strong relationship between the Lormontai and the stars. It is believed that the Lormontai were building on the summit throughout the Hubraic Era, although in modern times, the Mount plays host to the Star Courts. This is a large, legal complex situated in the heart of the. Asides from the fourteen main courtrooms, the Star Courts also consist of eight petty courts, numerous offices, meeting rooms, a library, an archive, two restaurants, and a public park.

Belrose's essay isn't worth the paper it's written on. Saints save me, what shit will he spew next? That his preposterous little Star Gremlins rode on... what? Bloody Star Dragons? Give me £$%& strength!

— Outburst by Saint-Servant Scholar Karol Sorokin at a seminar on ancient Lormontai History

Some more fringe scholars have claimed that underneath the Star Courts' foundation is a broken gateway to the land of the Star Fae. Obviously, these claims have been trashed by Raskvaerii scholars, who find the prospect of Star Fae more implausible than the Varsii Kingdom of Man believing that they are at war with a Fae King.

Divisions

While I am aware that the arson attack destroyed a private Raskvaerii merchant ship, the crime itself was committed under the cover of night - therefore setting this case firmly within the jurisdiction of the Guiding Stars.

— Letter from Monsoir Maxence Faucher, Primary Legal Secretary to the First Judge, to Monsoir Michel Degarmo, Legal Secretary for a Law of Empire lawyer

The law of Lormont is categorised by legal scholars into two distinct categories: the Law of the Empire and the Law of the Stars. Both deal with administative, criminal and constitutional laws, with issues of Probate largely being dealt with by the former and murder being dealt with by the latter. However, it often takes many months - in same cases, years - for cases to be brought to trial because of the constant and bitter disagreements over which Division should handle certain cases.
In years immediately preceeding the Raskvaerii conquest of Lormont (and the introduction of the Law of the Empire) there were several instances of Lormontai lawyers, judges and legal clerks breaking into Raskvaerii-led trials and brawling with the officials handling the case.

Mythology of the Guiding Stars

If he tells me to seek the bloody Guidance of those damn Stars one more time, I'm going to punch him in the face so hard, he'll be seeing meteor showers for days.

— A Raskvaerii-born Lormontai legal clerk, about his manager

While it is customary for evidence and witness testimonies to be presented to the courts during the day, no Lormontai judge would ever dare pass judgement on a case without first seeking the Guidance of the Stars.
Every courtroom within the Star Courts complex feeds into this mythology. The panelled walls are painted with lavish frescos, depictings scenes from the famous Lormontai book, The Chronicle of the Star-Chosen Rois. The vaulted ceilings are

enclosed, save for the space above the dais where the judge sits, and where witnesses, defendants and plaintiffs present their evidence. This area is covered by a glass ceiling that allow for sight of the stars during Judgement and Sentencing. These two sections of a Lormontai trial are therefore always scheduled during the night.

Reading the Stars

A crucial part of a Lormontai judge's training is to learn how to read the Judgement of the Guiding Stars. This requires more skill and study than any of their Raskvaerii or Kredasene counterparts would ever give them credit for. Star charts are frequently employed, helping judges to track the changing positions of the stars throuhgout the seasons, as are predictions and past records of meteor showers and other light anomalies in the sky.
It is also not unusual for Judgement and Setencing to be postpone at short notice due to inclement weather or clouded skies. While star charts can be a permissible source of guidance in some case, most judges prefer to meditate on the stars for several hours before the commencement of this portion of the trial.

by Sinousxl

History

While the exact date of the Star Courts' founding is unknown, evidence from the archive's oldest records suggest that they were already acting as a disciplined, organised body at least two-hundred years before the end of the Hubraic Era. Up until the 21st regnal year of the reign of Roi Celestyn I, the Star Courts were also home to the Star-Chosen Sessions: the royal court where the Roi himself passed judgement on crimes. This was later moved to its own, dedicated court inside the Roi's newly completed residence, the Palace of the Star-Chosen.

TEMPORARY IMAGE - Fresco from Cappella degli Scrovegni by Giotto Di Bondone

The Raskvaerii's Policy of Empire

According to Raskvaeric's Policy of Empire, which was set out by the first Raskaeric ruler, Karr Ilyin Marszalek, there are three key methods to assert control over a new territory. The most important in Lormont's case was the need to:

• Strengthen and utilise the existing power structures already present in society. Unless the Raskvaerii delegation deem radical reforms to political heirarchy or administrative infrastructure necessary for the supression of dissent and the safeguarding of the Empire's interests, such reforms must wait at least a generation before implementation.

The Raskvaerii were horrified by the legal system operating in Lormont. Although they tried their hardest to sway the legal courts over to the Law of Empire, the Lormontai refused to abandon their emphasis on the Guidance of the Stars when it came to Judgement and Sentencing. All attempts to rid the courts of this system resulted in violent uprisings in cities across Lormont, forcing the Raskvaerii to eventually concede on this contentious point - although not before delcaring it a 'Symolic Gesture of Guidance'.

Type

Mountain / Hill