The Judges

"There are whispers, people who say that the Judges moved their actions from the sunlight to the shadows. I honestly don't think they exist anymore. They were an old organization then, so it's natural that they just... fell apart."

— Juris Fyed, construction worker

Structure

The structure of the organization is loose, which is one of the reasons they went from operating during daylight hours to operating from the shadows; a non-bribable police officer joined the ranks and exposed them for the frauds they were. 
After that, the restrictions to join the organization became stronger. A person needed to known by three people already in the organization, not be connected (by duty or blood) to any type of police force. This has slowed entry into the Judges, but has also allowed the organization to stay afloat.

Culture

There is no culture within the Judges, except a shared culture of "You have it and I want it."

Public Agenda

The public agenda of the Judges was to guard the area and beings from those who would seek to steal.

Assets

"Nobody joined the Judges to give away what they got. Hell, look at the records. You think it was a coincidence more people joined the Judges in lean years?

— Economics professor Garrith Shippen

As the records show, the Judges was not an organization that brought in assets and distributed them fairly among members. No, Judges used their fellow members as intimidators, and when assets were gained, may have paid a modest fee to the others. For the most part, "fees" were paid in being with the other Judges when they went up against others, in a type of "I'll clean off your barnacles if you clean off mine."

History

The history of this organization has mostly been lost to the ages, but there are fragments that still survive. Original members focused on a well-to-do family nearby, and when they broke one of the rules in the settlement, they spread public outcry and stormed the house. Records indicate that the house was burned to the ground, the family head was murdered, the wife was given to an "upstanding member of the community" who "unselfishly" put himself forward as a replacement. 
When some people voiced their opinion that the punishment had gone too far, they were seen as "not having the settlement's future in mind" and were punished as well, though less severely since they belong to long-standing families. Their houses were not burnt, nor were their families separated and given away to others; instead, their money and property were seized and given out to the Judges in "appreciation of their hard work." 
This allowed the organization to flourish, and every time there were lean years, membership increased. People talked about the town that had police on every corner, and while some of them thought about it in a nice way, others weren't sure if living in a place where everyone was watching was a good thing.

Disbandment

At a time when the public outcry against them was too much, the Judges announced their official disbandment. In this speech they said that the city would regret this decision, that the gods [none specifically mentioned] would look the other way as their homes and businesses went to ruin. 
However, there are enough people coming into wealth that rumors of the Judges meeting back up persist, and every so often a politician or police officer make it their mission to root out any remaining Judges.