“Living libraries, they are law incarnate, unpredictable and terrifying.”
Laws must be upheld to ensure the proper order of things. It is the Law that ensures quarreling neighbors do not start a blood feud for a stolen pig, and it is the Law that makes nobles and peasants alike pay the same fine for the same misdoing. And the task of enforcing that Law falls to you, as both judge and executioner.
As a Lawspeaker, the king himself has chosen you to directly represent him in matters of justice. You travel the kingdom, settling disputes and hunting bandits wherever you go. When it concerns matters of the Law, any person in the kingdom is required to follow your orders and comply with your wishes. This cooperation goes far; it is not limitless, however.
You may for example demand and get free meals and lodging at a tavern to accommodate your travels while you’re chasing an evil doer, but on your normal travels you’ll have to pay the fair price. A nobleman might be obligated to give you a retinue to hunt down bandits in the area, but he will not lend you his men for faraway chases beyond his borders.
Guardian of knowledge and truth, the lawspeaker judges the deeds of men against the tribes’ past, passing judgement strict but fair.
The Franks know them as Rachimburgs, the Frisians refer to them as Asega’s and the Saxons call them þyle. But whether they derive their authority from the high king’s mandate, their religious doctrine or the strict tribal laws that govern their people, their task remains the same. Dispense justice, with word and sword.
