• Page
• Discussion
• Edit
• History
• Print
• Login

The Town Guard

Redirected from People.CityGuard...

The Town or City Guard is a military force paid to maintain a constant watch over citizens and to keep the peace. Their job extends as far as defending against monsters during such incursions, but they are solely a protective force and most are not trained as an investigative unit.

Mandate

Arvee

The Watchmen are here to:

prevent crime.

Simply by making their presence felt, by patrolling the streets in their uniforms, they can deter many would-be criminals.

stop crime as it's happening.

Usually, just the sight of a guard's uniform is enough to scare most petty criminals away. When that's not the case, the guardsman is permitted to use deadly force to ensure his own safety and that of nearby citizens.

apprehend criminals caught in the act.

This has a very low priority because the Guardsman's first and foremost task is ensuring the safety and well-being of the victims involved. However, if it's at all possible to capture the criminals, Guardsmen are expected to transport them to the nearest Watchtower where they'll be held until a Magistrate is available.

Jursidiction

A Watchtower's jurisdiction is only as far as the Guards there can realistically patrol. Small towns may have only one or two towers, each with only one or two Guardsmen, while cities and city-states may have as many as fifteen Guards on duty at any time.

The types of areas they patrol also differ. Those towns with limited Guards may only patrol the high density and/or danger areas, like the market place and wealthier neighbourhoods, while a city with plenty of Guards might have a Watchtower for each district.

City-states also hold jurisdiction over outlying settlements. Where these settlements have no Guard of their own, they may request help from the overseeing city and receive a temporary Watch (patrol unit) or Magistrate.

Ranks

Each town has its own idea of how to structure their watchmen, from the Hesian Knights to Alexshire's plain "Guardsman" (see individual pages below). Uniforms also vary.