Justicars of Anacreon

The Justicars are one of the two special forces groups of the Republic of Anacreon. Members of the Justicars are often nobles who will not inherit lands, who choose to become a Paladin and follow a path where they will still have a chance of glory.

Unlike their guerrilla warfare counterparts, the Rangers, the Justicars roam the country in plane sight, righting any wrongs they come across and enforcing justice as they see fit according to an unwavering code. In this manner, they are similar to a police force, operating with the full authority of the Senate. Their jurisdiction covers all of Anacreon, allowing them to supercede the authority of local law enforcement if they chose to investigate a crime. Most of the time, local law enforcement is happy for the assistance and allows the Justicars to operate respectfully. However, in certain circumstances where they think the Justicars may be too harsh, they can request 24 hours to deal with the situation, and the Justicar Code requires them to obey.

Due to the intensity of training and uneasyness of the lifestyle, there are very few Justicars.

History

The Justicars were originally a religious order of Paladins that served the Church of St.Cuthburt and the King of Anacreon. When Anacreon was declared a Republic, some four hundred years ago, the Justicars struggled. They were ultimately disbanded, though they were revered in the legends that lived on.

Recently, given the problems facing Anacreon, a political effort was organized by Magistrate Jeremy Benthem and Exarch Jodus Werren to bring the Justicars back, as well as the Anacreon Rangers. A bill was passed in the Senate, funding was appropriated, and the group was re-formed. The new organization is still trained by the Church, but their service to the government of Anacreon is secular. Their headquarters is located at an enclave in Nevermore.

Code

Justicars swear an oath in the sight of St.Cuthburt when inducted into the order. It is lengthy, but mostly consists of protecting the innocent, punishing the guilty, and the defense of the common law and norms of Anacreon society. This means that the Justicars serve the laws of Anacreon, not the common good. Thus, they will never take action to over throw the government in a way that was not in accordance with the law, no matter how dire the circumstance. Likewise, they will not hesitate to arrest even the most powerful politician if they find that they have broken Anacreon's laws.

The Justicar code is essential to their way of life. It is composed of a thousand rules passed down by St.Cuthburt that encompass every situation possible. Every Justicar knows the entire code by heart. Thus, the decision making process for a Justicar is simple: if they follow the code they are just, if they do not they are unjust. There is no such thing as discretion. For instance, a Justicar will defend a village of farmers from bandits with their dying breath, but then turn around and attack the same farmers if they find out they were pouching a local magistrates lands. In this way, curiosity is a liability for the Justicar. If they were to find something unjust by exploring a situation, they would be forced to act on it. Thus, many Justicars may seem disinterested in a person or circumstance to save them from the potential trouble that might come with it. This gives them the reputation of being stoic or rude.

A caveat of the Justicars code is that they may be called upon to be body guards by any ruling official within the government of Anacreon. For instance, many elite Justicars serve and protect the Exarch. When they invoke the right of protection, it is for a specific period of time (the Justicars in the Exarch's service have a tour of duty) or to a specific destination. During that time, all other matters of the Justicar code are suspended. They will not prosecute a criminal or go out of their way to right wrongs. However, upon being released from the right of protection, Justicars may arrest or kill anyone they previously swore allegiance to if they drastically broke the law or forced the Justicar to do dishonorable things while in their service. It is important to note that the Justicars jurisdiction only extends to the confines of Anacreon. While outside their borders, they will completely ignore any crimes they witness from the perspective of their duty as a Justicar (they might still step in to stop a villager from being brutally murdered for instance, if they are so inclined, but they are not required to, and it will not be to serve their duty as a Justicar). Thus, many nobles may enlist a Justicar for protection while journeying into a foreign country without fear that the crimes they commit may later be adjudicated.

 Disclaimer 

I stole most of this from the Mass Effect wiki. I was not aware that they had their own Justicars, but upon Googling it for background research I discovered this, read it, and said "that sounds pretty awesome... yoink".