Clerk of the Five Scrolls
Depending on the aptitude of the candidate, this post is usually occupied for two years, and involves performing paperwork and other administration under the tutelage of a Magister Judiciary. When the candidate is deemed worthy, he or she may apply to the local examination school to be tested for the ranks of Magister of the Succulent Gourd.

Magister of the Succulent Gourd
A Magister of the Succulent Gourd is assigned to an administrative subdivision known as a "ward". Wards vary in size - they may be a part of a city, a whole city or even a collection of towns and villages in the countryside, generally covering 100-500 people within their jurisdiction.

They are empowered to try any civil case brought before them - land disputes, divorce hearings, inheritance etc. They are also required to ratify the paperwork for such cases even if there is no dispute, but in this they are usually assisted by at least one Clerk of the Five Scrolls (Magisters attending more prosperous wards often have a team of clerks working for them). Most Magisters of the Succulent Gourd make regular travels around their wards, so people know where and when to find them. They can also be called for in emergency circumstances.

Decisions made by a Magister are deemed legally binding, but supplicants may apply to a higher grade of Magister if the decision is in dispute. Many people do this purely to drag out a case for longer. Magisters of the Succulent Gourd are also not empowered to deal in criminal cases, with the exception of sartorial crime (see sidebar). They are required to take details of the situation and then notify a Magister of the Longing Star or higher. Magisters of the Succulent Gourd tend to remain in their posts for 3-4 years before taking the exams to become a Magister of the Longing Star, but there are some who remain in their posts for their entire lives and, at the other end of the scale, whiz-kids who zoom through the hierarchy.

Magister of the Longing Star
A Magister of the Longing Star oversees a "district", which can be a single large city or several medium rural towns. Like Magisters of the Succulent Gourd they make regular journeys around their district to hear cases. However, Magisters of the Longing Star are authorised to hear criminal cases, as well as any disputed civil judgements, but they are unable to try capital cases (murder, rape, destruction of government property, treason and use of destructive magic).

A Magister of the Longing Star acts as judge and jury in criminal cases, and they may call judgement and issue punishment as they see fit. There are guidelines covering the kind of punishments that may be dealt for each crime (The Classic of Just Retribution), and in order to be able to issue a conviction the Magister must be presented with four pieces of evidence. The evidence, however, does not need to be particularly solid. Eye-witness accounts and supposition count as much as physical evidence.

After serving 5-10 years as a Magister of the Longing Star, the typical candidate will take the exams to become a Magister of the Six Winds.

Magister of the Six Winds
Magister of the Six Winds is in charge of a "nome" - a subdivision of a province that typically covers several large cities and the associated rural areas. A Magister of the Six Winds does not generally travel, unlike the two levels of Magister below him. They are usually to be found in the capital of the nome, and plaintiffs must come to him.

Magisters of the Six Winds are allowed to try capital cases, except treason. They have the power to hand down the death sentence to those that they find guilty of capital crimes. Unlike criminal cases, however, capital crimes require that the Magister be satisfied on six pieces of evidence, but again these are sometimes spurious.

As well as capital crimes, of course, the Magister hears cases brought by Magisters of the Succulent Gourd and Longing Star within his purlieu that have been contested. Furthermore, a Magister of the Six Winds is responsible for overseeing the actions of lesser Magisters within his nome, and is expected to see that they are not corrupt or unfair. A Magister of the Six Winds can be found guilty of treason if they are not diligent in this respect.

The typical time period before a candidate is deemed worthy to take the exams to become a Magister of the Silent Earth is 7-8 years.

Magister of the Silent Earth
Magisters of the Silent Earth oversee Imperial Provinces - for example, Ut'Bharma or Vorsheeva. They are able to try any crimes that have been handed up from below, and they are also able to try treason cases. Magisters of the Silent Earth usually remain in the provincial capital. Because it tends to be rare for them to preside over an actual trial, they are usually more interested in making sure that the Magisters within their province are conducting their jobs fairly and without bias.

The final step up the ladder of the Judicial hierarchy is to become a Magister of the Twelve Rivers. Although there are examinations to test a candidates suitability, they are only ever taken at the invitation of the Imperial Court. A Magister if the Silent Earth may occupy their post for anything between 5-20 years before coming to the notice of the Imperial Court. Some are never invited.

Magister of Twelve Rivers
These are the law lords of the Empire of Splendour, with the power to create new laws. They are also the final authority to whom an Imperial citizen may appeal, except the Emperor. Good luck in getting a response. All Magisters of Twelve Rivers nominally oversee the entire Empire, but in practical terms they rarely leave the Imperial Palace.

Guard of Unswerving Vigilance
All levels of Magister have full power to subpoena witnesses and deputise agents from amongst any citizens who aren't insane, a known criminal or "deemed to be under the influence of supernatural forces".

To help with arrests, and to act as peace officers, the Magisters Judiciary are given a grant to help pay for the recruitment and upkeep of the Guard of Unswerving Vigilance. Although all Guards are made to swear the same oath of loyalty to the Emperor, and face harsh punishments for bribery and corrupt practices, the exact numbers, arms and training of the Guards vary from place to place.

They are most usually armed with non-lethal weaponry - clubs and staves are common - and Guards are quite often recruited from local martial arts dosha. Armour is light, nothing more than a quilted pentesh or leather jerkin. One should not make the mistake of thinking, however, that the lightly armed nature of these patrol guards makes for weak law enforcement. Reserves are held for high threat situations, with access to bows, metal or lacquered armour and lethal weaponry. A jiunsami magician may also be allocated to the squad.

A member of the Guard of Unswerving Vigilance.

In former Imperial states like Llaza these laws are ignored, even if they may still exist in the statutes. The common exception is disguising oneself as a Magister of some sort.

The Oksan System
Oksan law, although it uses the basis of the Imperial hierarchy and statutes, removes some of the absolute power of the Magisters Judiciary by employing a defence Magister (of equal level to the prosecuting Magister), a role known as Master of Sightless Wisdom. This doubles the numbers of required Magisters and doesn't guarantee that a trial will be fair (often defence and prosecution collude as to the verdict), but in general it is less open to corruption than the Imperial system has become. The Oksan system has been adopted by many former Imperial states, like Llaza and Nirhamsa.

Other Militia
Sadly, it is not unknown in the current time, with weak central authority, for local Magisters to abuse their position. Some embezzle the money earmarked for maintaining the Guard, leaving a poorly funded peacekeeping force. Others use the Guard as their personal enforcers, carving out a little autocracy for themselves.

In response to such actions, the local people often turn to other groups to help them. The Black River Society began as a citizen's protection group before it grew into a criminal cartel. Dosha have become protectors of the local town, even strange disparate groups of mercenaries and magicians have been known to act as small time benefactors.

On Oksa, which has a more strongly defined notion of noble families than most Imperial regions, there has long been the tradition of "guard companies" - private concerns set up with the intent to act as police, militia, or both. Some have become little more than drinking clubs whilst others are disciplined fighting forces. This concept has drifted into Llaza and other former Imperial locations.

The Merchant's League has a defence force, and of course its Agents. In an effort to appear neutral and unconcerned with conquest, the League tries only to use them in internal matters and to defend its outposts. However, in some places the locals, faced with a breakdown in law and order, have asked the League to act as the local law enforcement agency. Local League representatives must maintain a careful balance between appearing aloof, and cementing the League's power base.

Laws in Llaza and elsewhere that limit the number of armed militia employed by a private citizen to 50 or fewer. These are often circumvented in a variety of creative ways - several members of a family combining their allocation, for example (which is how many of the Merchant Clans have gained so much power), or employing skilled mercenaries in a non-combative role. That stableman minding the family shandix might, in fact, be a skilled swordsman but because he's not employed as a guard, he doesn't count towards the levy.