The Magistracy of the Evenlode

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"On one side of the large, dusty square is the railway track, with its attendant buildings. On the other side is a Cyclopean edifice huge enough to rival even the Shuttered Palace. In its shadow, the railway station and offices are little more than a huddle of shacks."[1]

The Magistracy of the Evenlode is a far-flung limb of the law: a branch of the Constabulary stationed near the Evenlode river in the Hinterlands, as well as the third station of the Great Hellbound Railway.

The Court and Constabulary

"The distant ceiling is patterned in faded hues. They could also be mineral colours, drawn from the stone by damp. The effect is of a vast, weary cathedral. But if this was ever a place of worship, it was not for humans. The stairs would only be practical if you were twelve feet tall. Eroded signs are in incomprehensible glyphs, and are mounted way above head-height, anyhow."[2]

The Magistracy, located inside an enormous courthouse which dates back to at least the First City,[3] is home to a large number of judges, lawyers and constables.[4] These individuals handle all of the crimes committed outside London's borders, as well as all cases unsuitable for the courts of London for one reason or another.[5]

Thanks to its separation from the Metropolitan branch, the Constabulary of the Evenlode has a variety of unique traditions and quirks, from typical hazings of the new recruits to more esoteric sorts of rituals.[6][7]

The Evenlode's Depths

"The Magistracy is already unrecognizable as soon as you are below the water. Green moss covers the walls. Tiny, misshapen fish swirl around your diving bell."[8]

The Light-in-Exile

The ancient courthouse housing the Magistracy is a cyclopean building of enormous proportions, with architecture clearly intended for creatures larger than humans.[9] Most of the building's rooms have long since been flooded by water, their First City inhabitants long gone.[10][11]

The deepest levels of the courthouse are filled with peligin water, and are inhabited by a giant angler fish called The Light-in-Exile.[12][13] This Exiled Light is accompanied by a crowd of outcasts, their bodies marked with gills and phosphorescent bulbs thanks to the Light-in-Exile's embrace.[14]

FROM EACH HER OWN LAW

"One defendant at a time came before this Judge – summoned here if they tried to pass through these lands without leave. The Chamber built anew for every trial, by workers who all resembled the defendant exactly."[15]

Long ago, this giant cyclopean building served as the court of the Creditor, where he judged those attempting to pass through his lands. The throne chamber where the defendants came to face his judgements was very unique: its dimensions were dependent on the number of unfulfilled promises the accused had made.[16][17][18]

This court seems to have disappeared sometime after the fall of the Second City.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Outside the Magistracy of the Evenlode, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Foyer of the Magistracy, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Search the lower floors, Fallen London
  4. ↑ Foyer of the Magistracy, Fallen London
  5. ↑ Address the main usher, Fallen London
  6. ↑ A Nauseous Constable, Fallen London
  7. ↑ The Rite, Fallen London
  8. ↑ Diving in the Magistracy, Fallen London
  9. ↑ Foyer of the Magistracy, Fallen London
  10. ↑ Search the lower floors, Fallen London
  11. ↑ Study drowned architecture, Fallen London
  12. ↑ Diving in the Magistracy, Fallen London
  13. ↑ The Light-In-Exile, Fallen London
  14. ↑ Reach for it, Fallen London
  15. ↑ Breathe an ancient air, Fallen London
  16. ↑ Breathe an ancient air, Fallen London
  17. ↑ The Place of the Judge, Fallen London
  18. ↑ The Deeps of the Magistracy, Fallen London
  19. ↑ The Deeps of the Magistracy, Fallen London
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