2e:Lawbringer

Not all civilizations withstand the test of time. Some fall in a moment to a conquorer's troops. Others are undone by the hubris of mages, or see their cities laid low by the whims of titanic forces. Fordus, once the jewel of the south, is meeting its end more quietly, the sprawling republic rotting from within as its roads decay, its laws go unheeded, and its mighty legions increasingly act on their own designs. In the great ports and trade cities, a veneer of prosperity remains - but further inland, ancient roads are being reclaimed by the jungle, the ties that bind settlements together into a unified whole being allowed to crumble away into the undergrowth.

Bereft of the judgement of Fordus' arbiters, and with the praetorians too often neglectful in their duties, the people of these forgotten cities have turned to others to ensure their security. One part investigator, one part civil servant, one part warrior, these Lawbringers operate in small corps, usually with a mixture of maiesta and more mundane guards - in many cases, veterans of the legions, returned to the small villages of their birth. A Lawbringer's beat is a small one, and she is often known personally by both those she protects and those she must bring to justice - non-lethally, wherever possible. In an era of decaying trade and irregular harvests, after all, even the best of men and women can be driven to crimes of desperation, and a firm admonishment to a subdued criminal is far preferable to tearing a community apart with an execution.

With wand and shield, Fordan battle-magic and the clarity of mind to pursue and neutralize the cagiest of quarries, the Lawbringers keep what peace they can, and their fighting styles have slowly been popularized in other regions as rumors of their efficacy spreads.