Magistrate

"The law required that we take action! The crimes of House Torald could not go unpunished. Of course we had justification to intervene. The Lex Calixis, vol 65c is clear on the matter. Chapter 2076, subsection 776, paragraph 876, widely recognized as the 'Warptime disjunction clause' clearly excuses the apparent lack of evidence and probable cause for action against the accused House. Should this court find the aforementioned action against House Torald unlawful and thereby strip all findings from the accumulated evidence, this court would be setting a dangerous precedent, which could have disastrous repercussions for Arbites actions throughout the whole of the Calixis Sector. I trust this Honourable Court, in its infinite justice and wisdom will make the right decision. Your Lordships."
–Gevlan Hesk, Magistrate
To enforce every mandate within the Lex Imperialis
is a nearly impossible task; even the truncated Lex
Calixis is a daunting endeavor. These codices of law
are so enormous and erudite that few individuals can claim
to know all of their secrets or loopholes. Even the
Judges of the Arbites must regularly confer with
archive-savants and librarium cogitation engines
in order to make their rulings. Working for the
Enforcers or powerful Nobles during the all-too-rare trials, the legal experts, known to
the people of Hive Sebelis as Magistrates,
make up a group of rare legal minds. These
steadfast scholars spend decades poring
over the Lex Calixis, learning its every
nuance and interpretation. Magistrates
of each Calixian sub-sector are tasked
with mastering not only the greater
Lex Calixis, but also their own
planet's specific laws as well. As
such, the Magistrates stationed on
the Calixis Sector’s central world
may aid Nobles and Governors
across the Sector. They are the
undisputed experts of Sector law.
Simply knowing the Lex Calixis
is not all that the Magistrates are
tasked with by their lords. Every
world in the Calixis Sector is
governed by its own set of laws. As long
as the Imperial tithe flows, and they do not
fall into heresy, these worlds are left to their
own devices. These local traditions and practices
may have been enshrined into planetary law for
hundreds of years. Nobles (and Inquisitors) often need
this information, so that they may interact with the
world in an official capacity without raising eyebrows
or resorting to more aggressive tactics. Many a
Magistrate, calmly at study within massive libraries
have found themselves rounded up to accompany a
cell of Acolytes, a Rogue Trader, or a Noble to some
far off world that they have only studied in dusty tomes.
As well, it is the purview of the Magistrates to assert the
legal rightness of the actions of their lords. Whether it is to
give legal resistance for Arbites action before they are taken or,
post hoc, to legitimize hostile movements long under way, it is
up to the Magistrates to make sure that their masters are always
within the edicts of the Lex Calixis. To this end it is the duty
of the Magistrates to know the ways in which the Lex Calixis
is lacking—to know the loopholes within the law which might
be stretched to allow necessary, but otherwise illegitimate,
action. This directive is particularly useful for Inquisitors whose
investigations have brought them into conflict with the Adeptus
Arbites. Though Inquisitors are officially above Imperial law,
most Judges and Precinct Marshals bristle at the self-righteous
actions of Inquisitors who skirt it. A Magistrate capable of
interpreting Imperial legal texts in such a way as to avoid conflict
with local Precincts is a valuable asset, one most Inquisitors
would be glad to have among their cadre of Acolytes.
Unfortunately, there are those who view such treatment of the
law as the gravest of sins. These zealots of Imperial law see those
who would use the letter of the Lex Calixis for their own ends as
little more than clever criminals who deserve nothing but the most
severe punishment; that they be made an
example for those who would pervert
the spirit of the law. Combined with
the occasional distrust felt for overly
scholarly members of the Arbites,
Magistrates are not a popular lot in the
Calixis Sector. Nevertheless, the expertise
of the Magistrates is necessary for many,
and they are therefore mostly tolerated by
their peers. Due to this tolerant distrust
and disdain, it is not uncommon for
those wishing to join the ranks of the
Magistrates to undergo their education on
Scintilla, privately tutored by other Magistrates.
Indeed, many Magistrates are foreign adepts
assigned to the Calixis Sector as a post of service.
This is little comfort to the more sceptical members
of the Adeptus Arbites, who see the goings on of
the Magistrates within the Calixis Sector as being
meddled with by outsiders.
A great many Magistrates are master orators as
well, not only versed in the law, but capable of
swaying stalwart Judges and uncompromising
Arbitrators with their legal rhetoric. This is
yet another skill for which they are valued and
distrusted. With a keen mind and a powerful force
of personality, a Magistrate can be either a righteous
agent of the Imperium or a canny scofflaw, flaunting the
edicts they so rigorously claim to love. For this reason they
must work hard to earn the trust of their peers, a task which can
take decades, if not centuries. Despite this distrust, Magistrates
are present throughout the halls of power, and by their actions
Imperial criminals are brought swiftly and securely to justice,
for few within the Calixis Sector, can boast so comprehensive
a knowledge of Imperial law as a Magistrate. This is ultimately
the only test which a Magistrate must undergo to prove their
allegiance, and it is by this measure that their loyalty will be
decided, not popular opinion.
==Alternate Career Rank==
When an Adept wishes to journey into the legal libraries,
they normally need only make their intentions known to
their superiors. Unfortunately for such Adepts in the Calixis
Sector, the stigma against such scholarly pursuits makes for
a difficult road in the journey to legal expertise and oration.
Many of those wishing to become Magistrates find that
tutelage by other Magistrates on Scintilla is the only option.
Such Magistrates follow a more traditional legal course and
are often viewed as soft and compromising by the Calixian
Arbites, a questionable allowance in the mighty halls of justice.
Those Magistrates who receive their education often see the
law a hard and concrete tool with which to crush criminality
and lawlessness, not as a malleable and living thing.
Required Careers: Adept
Alternate Rank: Rank 7 or higher (7,000 XP)
Requirements: Literacy Skill and either Common Lore (Administratum) or Scholastic Lore (Judgement) Skill