Magistrates appointed by the Storm Lords (mostly gnomes of the Sel Shadra line) pass judgment over offenders. Summary justice is the rule, and the accused are nearly always found guilty. However, the city’s erratic sense of justice can occasionally work in the accused’s favor; when crime runs rampant, general amnesties are occasionally handed down from the Storm Lords for no other reason than to relieve the magistrates of their burdens.
People guilty of minor infractions (petty theft, brawling, and the like) rarely go before a magistrate, assuming they paid off the Stormreach Guard. If they do end up on trial, they are usually levied hefty fines for clogging the wheels of justice as a result of not bribing a guard. Those who cannot pay a fine are subject to exile; the lucky ones get put on the next boat to Khorvaire, and the unlucky are sent into the wilds of Xen’drik. The city has only two punishments for more serious crimes: death and the Red Ring.
Public executions are carried out in the Marketplace on Sar, the seventh day of the week. The executions have a carnival atmosphere and bring out families in droves to take in the gruesome spectacle. The exact means of death is decided by the magistrates: hanging, drawing and quartering, evisceration, fl aying alive, and any other method that pleases the crowd.
Storm Lord Kirris Sel Shadra oversees jurisprudence, an area viewed as a headache by the other lords. The clever gnome manages to turn a tidy profit by sending violent criminals to the Red Ring, receiving kickbacks from the stablemasters. The gold she receives is only one benefit. Strong ties with the Blood Council (particularly Malketh Zolark) allow Lady Kirris to borrow bloodbound— the ring’s greatest gladiators—when she needs their violent skills to deal with someone who dares to oppose her enterprises.
Criminals sentenced to the Red Ring are given the chance to fight their way to freedom. Their status can be appealed after a period of time set by the magistrate, and anyone who wins a title bout is automatically paroled. PCs who commit, or are framed for, crimes might end up in the ring fighting for their freedom and survival.