Arbites Courthouse

7/24/2019 Arbites Courthouse

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/arbites-courthouse 1/3

Arbites CourthouseThis article is principally for the 40k role-playing. It gives anoutline for the centre of Arbites control in an Imperial town orcity.

The Adeptus Arbites always have a presence onImperial planets from a mere sheriff-militia on a backwaterworld to a full Arbitrator army. An Arbites Courthouse is thecentre for Imperial law in any settlement. How manyCourthouses depends on the size of settlement. If in a city,then there will be many, whereas smaller settlements might

just have one.On less developed, or moderately developed, worlds,

the Courthouse is the centre for justice and in this case willtake the form of a small castle complete with portcullis. It iswhere law is metered out and those on the wrong side of it,punished. In some cases it is also a settlement's defense, asa Courthouse is a barracks in its own right. Should such aplace fall then inevitably the settlement it is based in will fallalso, lost to the enemies of humanity.

Superficially a Courthouse may sometimes look like a

way-temple as the Arbitrators themselves are almost likepseudo-priests in that they worship the Book of Judgmentpiously. The design of the compound varies throughout theImperium but in general it has the appearance of a fortifiedtemple or a fortress.

The Arbites Courthouse is not only home to a smallarmy of Arbitrators but administrators; surveyors; taxcollectors; and lawyers. Tithes from the local populationmust be collected and transferred to the Courthouse, whichis then transferred to the Imperium's coffers as part of whatthe planet owes in taxes.

The Precinct & Arbites Houses A precinct is the jurisdiction of a Courthouse. A precinct

can be anything from an entire town to two, three, or evenseveral city-blocks. Commonly a Courthouse is home to 100

Arbitrators but throughout an Arbites Precinct there areseveral Arbites Houses. These are small stations consistingof usually around 10 Arbitrators. They can be called upon todeal with any trouble near to them rather than theCourthouse being directly involved.

Fortifications A Courthouse is surrounded by a strong stone wall and

at each corner of the perimeter stands a stone drum tower ofsome 15 meters tall from ground level to spire. Within it aretwo Arbitrator guards. One of them mans an assault cannonwhilst the other functions as backup or spotter (both haveinfravision visors to see in the dark).

From this position the Arbitrators have a clear 360degree fire arc. The perimeter wall along the top, from towerto tower, is patrolled by one Arbitrator. After a 2 hour stint hewill be relieved by another from the barracks to continue thepatrol. This routine continues incessantly and is somethingof a religious task.

The Servo-skullsThere are no fixed surveillance cameras in the

compound. Instead there are many floating skulls, each fittedwith cameras, called servo-skulls. These fly about thecompound and relay their images to the main controlchamber in the courthouse. Servo-skulls can also be foundpatrolling the precinct. Their images are then relayed toservitors in the control chamber underground and thesepictures are also available to Arbitrator Houses throughoutthe precinct. Any vandalism of a servo-skull will be met witha swift response by Arbitrators.

GatehouseThe gatehouse occupies the front of the perimeter wall

above the main doors. It consists of two chambers. Onechamber is home to two Menials. It is their job to ensure that,when commanded to, the doors below them are slammed

shut. The main chamber functions as an area to passthrough and adds a strong defensive position to theperimeter. A section of the floor can be opened to allowdefenders to fire death below onto any would-be attackers.When under attack Arbitrators can mount a strong defensefrom this position.

The doors are incredibly strong (wrought from thestrongest natural resource) and can be closed with littleeffort. However, the doors are always open but shoulddanger threaten, in the form of rioters for example, they willbe immediately shut by the Menials. Flanking the doors aretwo Arbitrators who will be ready to meet any visitors.

Courtyard

The courtyards are paved and are always meticulouslyswept by Menials. The main courtyard is where the daily

drills are held and discipline is enforced for the resident Arbitrators. Should there be an impending threat then thebarracks will be emptied and the Arbitrators assembled inthe courtyards.

Barracks Each barrack building houses 25 Arbitrators and there

are four of these in the compound (a standard Courthouseconsists of 100 Arbitrators). A barrack building is a strongstone structure supported by pillars.

A

b

itesCou

thouse



The Bell TowerThe bell tower is the tallest structure in the compound

and lies in its centre. It is always the most ornate andbeautiful part of the courthouse with gargoyles seeminglyrunning around its circular shape. Right at the very tophangs the bell. It is rung everyday to initiate different parts ofthe day: at dawn, midday, dusk, and midnight.

But the bell tower is more than just a pretty architectural

feature. It is a lookout post and defensive position. Fromhere the guarding Arbitrator can see for miles around andwill alert the compound to any possible attack by pressing arune-button. This will set off the sirens and have thecompound ready to defend. The Arbitratormans a multi-laser with targeter and can fire in a 360degree arc. Sometimes a sniper will accompany the

Arbitrator if needed.

Landing PadMost Arbites Courthouses have

a facility for space-bound vessels of amoderate size. Only a two or threespacecraft may be accommodated atany one time. Users of this facility willbe visiting Imperial dignitaries, such

as the Judge, important membersof the Administratum or similar

Adeptus officials. At other timesthe Arbitrators use the landingpad to enable them to fly intheir craft to get to a troublespot quickly. Supplies and,sometimes, reinforcementscome this way too. Within thelanding pad building are

Adeptus Mechanicuspersonnel and manyservitors.

Vehicle Bay All Courthouses have

a vehicle bay somewhere onthe premises. Usually it will lieunderneath the landing padfacility, if there is one.Otherwise it will have its ownarmored building. Inside thevehicle bay are typically 5Rhinos and a collection ofpatrol bikes numberingaround 20 to 30 (for astandard Courthouse).

Additionally there are spareparts for all the vehicles.

Working in the vehiclebay are AdeptusMechanicus personnel andservitors. They repair anydamaged vehicles and maintainthem to a high standard. Theyare also capable of putting up amore than adequate defenseagainst any would-be attackers (ifthey can get past the army of

Arbitrators first!!). Retrieval unitsoperate from here.

THE COURTHOUSE

The master of the courthouse is known as the Marshalof Court . He is the absolute head and oversees everythingthat goes on in the compound. He spends much of his timetalking to similarly high-level characters and is rarely seen, ifever, outside the Courthouse. But the Marshal is not the

complete Arbites authority, this is the Judge who will be thehead of several precincts.

Depending on the status of the Courthouse, theMarshal will often be in-league with an Astropath who hasthe ability to send messages light years through the warp,vital for Courthouses thousands of light years away fromTerra.

Another high ranking individual of the Courthouse is theBarrister . He is in charge of judicial affairs should a court

case emerge. He is ably assisted by a sum of lawyers,commonly there will be three. The jobs of these judicial people is extremely boring and the Marshalrarely gets involved.

Proctors are senior Arbitrators and leadpatrol teams through the precinct. They are, on

the whole, experienced marshals of justice

and wear a distinctive uniform, often with acrest on their helmet to display theirauthority.

Only some of thechambers in the courthouse havebeen given in detail as it is notnecessary to know the full contactsof each and every room. Somechambers have a specific function

and it is they that are being covered.

Lower Level

Control ChamberThe Control Chamber is a large room

of buzzing machines and many pipes that slither

like snakes across the floor. Solemnly seated atdozens of terminals are the servitors, the bio-mechanical men. Twenty four hours a daythey sit, bonded, by dozens of pipes andcables, to their cogitators. They control thespy flies and see through their lenses via asmall relay screen. This small screenvirtually touches a servitor's face and acasual observer won't be able to seemuch, even if up close. If the servitorssee anything suspicious or threateningthen Arbitrators will be instantly alerted.

Holding Cells The Courthouse is not a

prison but is able to house a few

prisoners, from 50 to 100, maybemore. They are kept here until theirsentences can be passed, which isoften quite swift. Many offences in theImperium from serial murder toforgery is punishable by enforcedsubscription into a penal platoon or aslave gang, so the holding cells

function exactly as that. Prisoners,both minor and for penal or slave

servitude, can look forwardto a transfer to the nearest

A

C



prison where they will wait for the Imperial Fleet to take themaway.

Main ArmouryThe main armory contains the arsenal of guns and

munitions for the Courthouse. Its access is restricted to Arbitrators, Proctors, and the Marshal of Court; indeed, anymilitary personnel of a Courthouse.

The door is an immense structure of toughened steeland its lock is coded. The code is changed every dayautomatically. Some Courthouse armories have moreadvanced security devices such as palm print recognitionwhere only those registered as Arbitrators in the Courthousecan gain entry.

Inside, the armory is pretty much what you'd expect;guns, guns, guns, armor, grenades, and more guns. Thereare also spare parts. Nowhere else in a city or town is theresuch an armory of weapons - an adventurer's dream!

Ground Level

HallThe hall is almost like walking into a temple. Pillars

support the high ceiling and a statue of the Emperor,carrying the Book of Judgment about his waist, sits in thecentre of the hall. The hall also doubles up as a refectoryand courtroom.

AdministrationThis large chamber is used by the clerks, surveyors

amongst them, to enter the records of citizens within theCourthouse's jurisdiction or precinct and to, in particular,keep track of criminals. This administrative arm of theCourthouse works in-tandem with the Adeptus

Administratum.

Apothecary All Courthouses have an apothecary, vital for the

immediate health of employees more especially the Arbitrators. Medical attention here is very good and prompt.

There are four beds in this chamber, for emergencies, 8medical servitors, and 2 medics. Larger Courthouses willalso have 1 surgeon. It is usual practice to have critically illpatients transferred to the nearest Apothecarium after theircondition has been stabilized.

1st Floor

LibraryThis library is almost exclusively used by the Marshal of

Court, the Barrister, magistrates and agents working for theImperium. The holo-records of criminals past and presentare contained within as well as books on moremundane subjects. After a court case the proceedings arekept on holo-files and stored here.

A

bitesCou

tho

use

Documents

Arbites Courthouse