The Ranger Courts

The Ranger Courts gather wherever law can reach before violence hardens into custom. A bridge arch, a tavern hearth, a milepost cleared of snow, a barn smelling of animals and lamp oil: any of these may become a court if witnesses can stand and armed cloaks can keep order. Their judges ride with wet boots, tired horses, ash-stained charters, and enough soldiers to make a verdict matter. The courts are not gentle. They hang thieves, settle road-debts, name heirs, and punish ward-breaking before winter can bury evidence. The Marches fear them because they are harsh, and trust them because they arrive.