[Legate Vellyn Lhyrian, Legate Faith Kruehtzer, Buster Grimes, Jamileh Attar]

[Loops]

[Two letters are posted to the Legates of Ephia's Well; copies are made available to League of White hopefuls at the League office.]

To the Esteemed Legates of Ephia's Well, Custodians of our Peacetime Accord, League Hopefuls, and Representatives of the Sultan Osman VI,

I write to you not as a stranger, but as one long tasked with giving voice to the Voiceless, the fallen, and the forgotten. Yet in my present office, as Balladeer and Magistrate of the Well, I find my charge has turned from eulogy to judgment, and my verse to verdict. It is in this dual capacity, both as chronicler and executor of law, that I lay before you a series of observations and recommendations regarding the present structure of our court system.

Though I have sworn to serve the in good faith and with due reverence to the customs of this city and the laws entrusted by my Grandmaster Elizabetha d'Auvergne as signee of the Accord, I must now confess: our judiciary, noble in principle, labours beneath a yoke of inconsistency, opacity, and procedural inheritance ill-suited to our desert present. The law, as it stands, is neither blind nor just. It is myopic, subject to whim, and too often without memory.

The Well deserves better. So too do its people. I have completed a review of our judicial system and offer this review based upon my experience serving our Ephia's Well. Please excuse the forwardness of this missive, for I wish to take the initiative and prove an effective investment as a sitting Magistrate, called to service by Legate Faith Kruehtzer.

I. The Office of the High Magistrate

Foremost among my proposals is the institution of a singular, apolitical office: that of the High Magistrate of Ephia's Well, appointed for life or until such time as incapacity or evident dereliction demand removal by unanimous Legatine vote. The necessity for such a post arises from the fundamental tension at the heart of our present order: that those who fashion the laws also sit in judgment of their breach.

This conflation of legislative and judicial function, while efficient in theory, has proved corrosive in practice. It has rendered our courts vulnerable to the prevailing winds of factionalism and vendetta. I need not name those Legates who have sat in judgment upon their rivals, their allies, or their debtors. Nor shall I list the cases where the law's letter was twisted to suit its maker's design, or where mercy was withheld in fear of appearing partial. These instances are well-known, and they linger still in the public's memory, whether or not they are openly discussed.

The appointment of a High Magistrate, elevated by merit, bound by oath, and protected by tenure, would signal to the people that Ephia's Well has matured beyond the reactive governance of crisis and improvisation. It would mark a transition from rule by convenience to rule by principle. The High Magistrate would serve as the keystone of a more stable judiciary: a figure of continuity, impartiality, and accumulated jurisprudence. No longer would the responsibility therein be passed from election to election like a trinket at auction.

Let us no longer confuse law with decree, nor justice with opportunity.

II. Reform of the Magistracy and Appointment by the High Magistrate

To uphold the dignity and impartiality of our courts, I further propose that the authority to appoint and remove Magistrates be vested solely in the office of the High Magistrate. Presently, the selection of judges remains either a direct extension of Legatine preference or the outcome of opaque consultations, often beholden to factional pressures or civic patronage. This is untenable.

It is not enough to carve a clean branch from the tree; we must ensure that it is not grafted back into the same corrupt root system.

If justice is to command trust, it must be seen as neither partisan nor pliant. Under the proposed structure, the High Magistrate would establish a formal system of appointment for subordinate Magistrates: evaluating merit, experience, and ethical bearing, with lifetime tenure or long, non-renewable terms to insulate them from political dependency. Dismissal would be permitted only under strict conditions, and always through public procedure. In this way, the judiciary becomes not merely a tool of governance, but a bulwark against its excesses.

History reminds us that tyranny often comes not in the open roar of cruelty, but in the subtle erosion of oversight. The Magistrate must not fear offending the state when delivering judgment; nor should they profit from its favour. By separating the givers of law from its interpreters, we uphold our newfound land's promise of justice: that refugees, caravaneers, and satraps alike shall kneel before its altar and be subject to the Martyrs' judgment.

III. Coordination with the Sublime Garden and the IVth Legion: Toward Procedural Integrity

To further these aims, I propose the formal enshrinement of an impartial scheduling and assignment mechanism to be managed by the Scribes of the Sublime Garden. As the caretakers of our administrative heart and the stewards of records and correspondence, the Scribes are uniquely positioned to serve as neutral facilitators in matters of judicial logistics.

At present, trials in Ephia's Well are often convened with haste or confusion: sometimes at the pleasure of magistrates, sometimes at the urging of soldiers, and too often without due provision for defence, witness, or deliberation. This not only invites inefficiency, but fosters the very arbitrariness our courts were formed to prevent.

To correct this, I recommend that all formal accusations requiring a sitting Magistrate be routed first through the Sublime Garden, which shall maintain a rotating ledger of eligible Magistrates and an open schedule for public hearings. The Scribes, in consultation with the office of the High Magistrate, shall assign trials to Magistrates on a strictly rotational basis, removing personal discretion from the process. In parallel, they shall coordinate with representatives of the IVth Legion of the Sultan's Janissaries, ensuring that sufficient time is granted for both the prosecution and the defence to gather facts, submit evidence, and summon witnesses.

Such a structure strengthens all parties:

• It grants the Janissaries the clarity and time to build lawful, rather than reactive, cases.
• It ensures that the Magistrates sit in judgment without partisan expectation.
• And it lends the accused (Voiced citizen or refugee alike) the dignity of process, the chance to prepare, and the sense that they are not already condemned.

In doing so, we replace suspicion with transparency, haste with deliberation, and power with procedure. Let the Well be ruled by the peace of Mother B'aara and her holy waters, not by emotive flame and opportunistic excess.

There remain, of course, matters yet untouched in this letter, which I raise only to mark their importance without presuming to overburden this correspondence with detail. Chief among them are the questions of legal memory and public record, for while the Scribes of the Sublime Garden are vigilant in their duties, the absence of a publicly accessible corpus of precedent stifles the growth of lawful understanding among the citizenry. It is my conviction that legal education, not only for the Scribes but for all who dwell under the rule of the Sultan's peace, would strengthen both compliance and civic dignity.

So too must we attend, in time, to the expectations and responsibilities of the IVth Legion of the Sultan's Janissaries, whose duty it is not merely to police but to prosecute in accordance with the law's true intent. The balance between sword and seal is delicate, and it is only by mutual respect, anchored in clear roles and procedures, that we may avoid tipping back toward tyranny or anarchy.

Rather than expound further in ink, I would welcome the opportunity to present these concerns in person, that I might speak freely and answer plainly. If it pleases the Legates and hopefuls, I ask only that I be received at a time of your convenience.

With steadfast devotion to justice and in service to Mother B'aara's care,

Aeronwy Caddick
Balladeer of the Lost Hearth
Presiding Magistrate of Ephia's Well

[Faith Is My Shield]

Magistrate-Balladeer Aeronwy Caddick,

I eagerly look forward to sitting down with you to discuss the ideas you have proposed.

With the Mother's Mercy,
Legate Faith Kruehtzer

[Faith Is My Shield]

A copy of the original letter is forwarded to Soldier Ibrahim al-Dawla.