City Watch Every County in Cyrodiil has its own Guard . These guards enforce the law and protect the capital cities of each County and other villages or settlements within . All city guards wear very similar armor sets , differences are normally just the color of the sash and material of the undershirt used , either steel or chain mail . They also wear the same helmets . City guards also carry a shield which varies in color , and typically displays the insignia of the County across the front . City guards are all from the Imperial Legion and as such are normally Imperial . They all perform the same duties and have the same dialogue , although it may differ depending on the faction they ' re a part of . The guards are led by a captain , who reports to the local Count or Countess . Their duty is to uphold peace and order throughout the city and county , as well as ensuring justice is had in the event of a crime . Additionally , they are the last line of defense of their city in the event of assault or invasion . Level . City Guards are always ten levels higher than the Hero . This means that at level fifty or higher , the City Guards are rather powerful , and have no problem fighting even the strongest of Daedra . Imperial Watch . The Imperial Watch are members of the Imperial Legion who patrol the Imperial City and the rest of the province . They normally wear Legion Armor in the Imperial City , while other members of the Watch wear Imperial Horseman helmet s . The Palace Guard wear a similar version called the " Imperial Watch Armor . " This armor is different from the normal guard armor and it looks more like plate armor . A subcategory of the Imperial Watch are the Legion Battlemages , who guard the Arcane University . They wear the same plate armor as the regular Imperial Watch , but instead of the helmet , they wear a hood . In combat , they will use both a silver longsword and Destruction magic . Furthermore , a different type of Imperial Watch can be found around the Imperial City Palace ; Palace Guards . Members of the Palace Guard are clad in a suit similar to the regular Imperial Steel Armor , but colored silver , gold and red . Crime . Within the walls of a city , and the surrounding countryside , any crime committed gains the attention of the guards ; the nearest will move to the perpetrator , informing them that they have broken the law , and gives three options ; pay the fine , resist arrest , or go to jail . If the perpetrator chooses to pay the fine , the guard will take them to the nearest castle and take whatever bounty was placed on them as payment , as well as search them for all stolen item in their possession . If the fine cannot be paid , due to lack of gold , the option will not be given . If the perpetrator accepts the jail sentence , they will be sent to the nearest castle to serve their sentence , based on the size of the bounty ; the larger the bounty , the longer the sentence . If the perpetrator resists arrest , the entire guard will immediately engage them , attacking until yielded , or until the perpetrator is dead , or fled from the fight . If the guard has a disposition of 91 or more , they will not immediately react to a low and non violent crime , looking away as long as the crime is minor .