A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

Tenth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC

Having settled the matters of the military from the Minister of War to the Marshals of earth and air you turn your eye upon those who besides Malarys shall have more of an impact in times of peace over all the citizens of the realm. While local laws may flow from the quills of local lords, seen to by the Voices of their provinces, and the laws of the Empire may derive from your thoughts, the High Court shall have a strong voice in the interpreting of those laws, and as any legal scholar worth the name the difference between craft of law and interpretation of the same is like onto the difference between a river and the sea, clear from afar, but oft a wide and muddy delta stretches between them.

First among the names brought forward is that of the young Gunthor Hightower, a mere three and twenty years of age, and more a dabbler in the law than a full scholar, though willing and even eager to learn. Still, were it not for the patronage of his brother, Duke Baelor, he would not even be in the running at this point. His appointment would peak as much for the politics of the present as the hopes of the future skill. Still, you trust Malarys to keep him on a straight path and one more vote the head of the court could count upon by reason of youth and inexperience would not go wholly amiss.

Hailing also from Oldtown though under much different circumstances is Maester Petyr, a man of low birth and no great importance in the Citadel. Nonetheless, a keen light shines in his eye and has long served as a scribe to various archmaesters, giving him experience in both political and bureaucratic matters. His skill as a litigator is largely untested, though it is hoped that he can slide by on his reputation as a scholar long enough to gain experience in the doing.

The call for more experienced folk in the actual business of settling disputes has brought to light, alongside many expected candidates, those who are unexpected. Morwyn of Deepcleft has served for many years as a judge and his rulings are counted fair by most who came before him, or at least even in their unfairness. The only trouble is that the place where he served was Deepcleft and the scepter of his lord was that of Salladhor Saan. Pirates need fair judges in many ways more than other men, but you doubt many shall prove as philosophical in this matter. Grumbles and dark rumor are likely to follow the man many years hence, no matter his skill at oratory.

From silver tongue to one perhaps less depth from Dorne comes a man who has for many years served as the right hand and almost the voice of the gout ridden Doran Martell in matters of the law. Here at last you see a man that even Malarys ungrudgingly admits knows his craft well, as a litigator and as a judge. Alas, Vynar Jokarys is in person the sort of man who makes Stannis Baratheon seem charismatic by contrast and has gained foes to match his manner. In Dorne only the patronage of the prince could have shielded him and you have little doubt it shall be the same in the Deep from foes old and new made.

The next judge hails from even farther afield, as far indeed as any judge within your boarders. Javad Rahbar of the Vault is currently serving as a legal counsel of the administration directly under Alinor. The shaitan lawyer was one of the first immigrants from the Opaline Vault to the Imperium and he had practiced law there for nearly a century already. Since serving under Alinor he has been a great influence on the internal regulations of the bureaucracy and even helped to draw some laws in this function, making him one of the foremost lawyers in the realm. Unfortunately, he is rather strict and considered conservative even by the standards of the shaitan.

Again among the ranks of the archons there is one who might well serve the task, though as with many of his kindred Chesed still bears the scars of the Fall of Heaven. Once he was a herald of Olheon, a fallen Lord Ephemeral whose name few now recall. The trumpeter bore his lord's rulings and judgement to all that is, but since the Fall of Heaven and the death of his lord he himself had taken up the gavel to speak judgements in honor of his memory. His past and very nature make him a fantastic candidate for a post as a judge, but the darkening of the world has not left him unchanged. Over the years he has grown jaded to the concerns of mortals, and while not cruel or malicious he often is far more concerned with the precedents he sets or the outlook of the realm for centuries to come than the person before him.

By far one of the oddest folk whose name landed on your desk, in purely human terms at least, is that of Syrio Coltherys. In many ways meeting him feels almost nostalgic, the garb of drab grey and personality willfully blank that reminds one of the image of a Braavosi solicitor almost to the point of caricature, which makes it all the more surprising that he hails instead from Tyrosh. A mask willfully crafted, you realize at once. Contrary to what he projects outwards he is a social climber with a rather colorful private life. So far he managed to keep his professional life and his private escapades from interfering with each other, but with the increased scrutiny the post of High Judge would give him there might be a scandal sooner or later.

Evening brings your first meeting with a priest of the Blind God of Lorath, about whom you have been long curious though you have never had the time to pursue among all the tasks and the calls upon your time. Jaquar of Lorath greets you without title or word of courtesy which to be honest is something of a relief in its directness among a court that seems yet obsessed in getting just the right one as it seeks its feet. He had, you learn been, working as a preacher and wandering judge among the Lorathi colonies for the past years. You find him scrupulously fair in his judgement for he places great emphasis on the careful consideration of the law to allow true justice to be met out. However, the priest is also extremely liberal even by the growing Imperial standards and rather outspoken about his faith. While technically not accredited as a priest and his faith being barely more than an accepted cult in the Imperium, he would still be seen by many as a clergyman being lifted into an office and wake desires by other faiths to see some of their own elevated likewise.

At the other end of the scales you find Thomond Rain, a man charming as he is sharp of wit and skilled in the use of both. In truth he too makes you nostalgic, but for far more personal a reason. If Corlys Waters had gone into law rather that step beyond it then you imagine might you have presented yourself to the world as such, and much as the charming rogue of the One-Eyed Rat Thomond has his own bodies sunk in the harbor as the saying goes. Born as the bastard son of the rather infamous Braavosi legal counsel, Rickon Wolf, the man had received a great legal education in the law firm his father co-founded. He had spent nearly three decades working as a lawyer, with an intermediate stint as a justicar under the previous Sealord. When queried about his dismissal of the man, Ferrego Antaryon noted that his father's law firm was well-respected, but also rumored to do some more than shady dealings with many keyholder houses. While nothing was ever conclusively proven against him, Thomond was known to greatly favor the moneyed gentry in his rulings and for that, many accused him of accepting bribes.

Next to the accounting is a Volantene, though for once proposed not from the Archon's Palace, but by a discreet message from Benerro. Maekar 'the Mongrel' has been the salvation of many a slave and former slave in the arcane and oft willfully confusing legal system of Old Volantis. Born in a Lyseni slave breeding establishment to unknown parents, Maekar served as a house slave, then tutor and finally as a lawyer after his grateful owner freed him, after which he took up the work for which he is most well known. Originally branded "the Mongrel" as an insult, he took the name as a badge of honor, styling himself as brother to all slaves in the city. Despite what his past might imply he is socially rather conservative by Imperial standards, which is likely why the Magisters of Volantis never took enough objection to him to have him dealth with. With slavery ended, his influence has begun to wane, but he is still a well-respected member of the Volantene Assembly's Voices. His appointment would be largely uncontroversial, but the man is used to not only interpret but also to try and change the law and that is unlikely to stop now.

From farther east you receive a rare recommendation from Relath whom to be honest you had not thought cared enough for the skills of men to comment one over the other, though upon hearing the history of Parion Dyodrys you begin to understand the brine dragon's reasons and his purpose. The Tolosi lawyer turned judge has been serving under Relath ever since the dragon had taken over the city. At first, he found most tasks of ruling beneath his dignity, so he instead delegated nearly all judicial powers to Parion. Even though the dragon would never say so out loud, his words in the recommendation still imply that the man's skill played a large role in keeping the peace in Tolos. Still, that very closeness will incline many to see him as a puppet of 'the Sea Dragon' who even now has a fearsome reputation in the Imperium. Knowing Relath you cannot even be certain said suspicions would be wholly wrong. Then again, as Malarys is quick to remind you, everyone has some kind of agenda and the perfect judge has not yet in the forges of Axis been wrought.

You had thought Dyodrys would be the last of the candidates, but upon the wings of shadow and by the counsel of the Iron Bank one more shows himself, a fey of the Orphne Court who has had much to do with the first negotiations of the Iron Bank and those same fey. Swiftquill he is of the Svartalfar. While he does share the fey's general streak of mischievousness, showing itself as loopholes and fine print in his work, he is also diligent in his work and will perform tasks given to him to the letter of the order. The Iron Bank notes that he would be terrible in any capacity where he would have to draft laws, but would excel as a judge due to his attention to detail and literal-mindedness.

Choose Four (Approval Voting):

[] Gunthor Hightower
+ Westerosi Noble (one of the few Westerosi who could serve as a high judge at all, naming him would alley the fears of an Essosi dominated High Court)
+ Xenophile (he is quite interested in other cultures and much more willing to see their perspective on things than many others)
- Young (he is far younger than many judges in much lower positions and would likely be perceived as no more than a boy by many)
- Unskilled (he has no formal education in law, nor experience as a judge)

[] Maester Petyr
+ Westerosi (one of the few Westerosi who could serve as a high judge at all, naming him would alley the fears of an Essosi dominated High Court)
+ Quick (Marwyn praised his wit, which is praise he rarely gives)
+ Aura of Competence (over the years in the Citadel, he has cultivated the ability to appear knowledgeable and skilled, even when he was not)
- Untested (while he has some theoretical knowledge of litigating, he never did so in practice)
- Reluctant (part of feigning skill is to make sure nobody can ever test you to notice the lack thereof, so he is wary of accepting a position where he can not disappear easily)

[] Morwyn of Deepcleft
+ Incorruptible (contrary to what many believe, there is honor among thieves and nowhere more so than among those tasked with judging about it)
+ Diplomatic (a skilled negotiator and orator)
+- Flexible (is likely to bend the law somewhat if that would help to keep all parties of a dispute equally unhappy)
- Former Pirate (many will blindly accuse him of corruption or lawlessness due to his past life)

[] Vynar Jokarys
+ Experienced Judge (has spoken judgments in Doran's name for nearly ten years)
+ Vast Knowledge (he knows the law codes of the Imperium, Westeros and most of western Essos, including old Valyrian law by heart)
- Cold (many consider him impersonal and lacking in empathy or emotion)
- Easy to Hate (his history has aspects that make him a possible target of nearly every prejudice there is and his personality makes sure that many will pick one sooner or later)

[] Javad Rahbar
+ Very Experienced (nearly a century of experience as a lawyer)
+ Wrote the Book (after you and Malarys, he is likely the person who knows the Imperial law the best by virtue of having had a hand in writing parts of it)
+- By the Book (he takes the law above all else and his little tolerance to deviations from it's letter and intent)
- Very Conservative (while not showing itself in any prejudices or racism, he is a firm believer in a strictly ordered society and considers the Imperium painfully lax in this matter)
- Hanging Judge (he rarely if ever shows lenience and tends towards the harshest punishments the law allows)

[] Chesed (kindness, goodness)
+ Very Experienced (has served as a messenger to an Emypreal Lord of justice and litigated himself for millennia)
+ Good Reputation (his past and nature are guaranteed to draw positive reactions from everyone in the Imperium)
- Impersonal (views nearly exclusively the long term and tends to act as if his ruling will be law forever after, leading to some odd and controversial judgments)

[] Syrio Coltherys
+ Experienced (has two decades of experience as a lawyer and worked as a Imperial judge for the past two years in Tyrosh)
+ Unassuming (he is skilled at making himself look uninteresting and harmless, having led to many underestimating him)
+- Ambitious
- Secret Life (in private, he likes the company of whores and the taste of hard spirits, which would greatly harm his reputation if it became public)

[] Jaquar of Lorath
+ Blind Justice (firmly believes that all are equal before the law and will do his best to apply it so)
+ Thoughtful (never makes hasty decisions and will produce lengthy legal analysis for every case brought before him, ensuring that there is little ambiguity about why he made a given choice or how his rulings are meant)
+- Extremely Liberal (the Blind Gods followers believe that all creatures of the world are wholly equal, which goes much further than even the most firebrand agitators usually go)
- Priest of the Blind God (while he would no longer name himself such if nominated, most people would still see him as a priest and thus choosing him would be seen as opening the door for clergymen to hold high office)

[] Thomond Rain
+ Experienced Judge (three decades as a lawyer and one decade as a judge is about as much experience as a mortal man can have)
+ Diplomatic (has been rubbing shoulders with keyholders and the Braavosi elite since he was a boy and will make a good showing for himself on the political floor)
+- Favoring Wealth (he is a firm believer into the idea that amassing wealth is a proof of good character and will nearly always judge in favor of traders and other moneyed elites)
- Whispers of Bribery (while no actual cases of bribery have been found, that will hardly stop people from accusing him of such)

[] Maekar the Mongrel
+ Experienced (has been working as a lawyer for two decades)
+ Uncontroversial (he is still well liked by the former slaves as one of their own, while Magisters consider him non-threatening)
+ Good Orator (has experience in public speaking and served in the in the Council of Voices of the Hegemony of Volantis, making him a good spokesman in the Curia)
+- Socially Conservative
- Overreach (is likely to try to not only interpret, but also to adjust and create laws with his rulings)

[] Parion Dyodrys
+ Experienced (worked two decades as a lawyer and has been acting as the highest judge in Tolos for years)
+ Diplomatic (has played a large part in keeping the peace in Tolos by negotiating with the local nobles and Relath, wich makes it likely that he will prosper in the Curia)
+ Clean Reputation (there have never been any scandals involving him and the background checks imply that this is very unlikely to change, as he lives a rather unremarkable and calm life)
- Stench of Nepotism (he is very much Relaths candidate in the eyes of many, making his appointment seem mostly a favor to the dragon)
- Old Entanglements (he had to make some deals in his role in Tolos, so some Tolosi nobles might try to cash in old favors)

[] Swiftquill
+ Attention to Detail (is likely to catch even the smallest bits of information or legal ramifications of a case and very skilled at finding irregularities in the rulings of others)
+ Bound by his Word (once sworn into office, he will be incapable of dealing unfairly, taking bribes or indulge in any other behavior that would be problematic for a High Judge)
+- By the Letter (is very attached to the letter of the law and unlikely to interpret it to any great degree)
- Alien (in the end, he is a fey and his reasoning and rulings might come off as odd or incomprehensible to those not used to dealing with them)

OOC: And done, just a few more ministries and we will have a full accounting of the non-landed postings.