Magistrate

The Magistrate is the ruling government in the world Paladins. They were founded a century ago following the end of the chaos and war, composed of former Paladins and powerful magicians, they peacefully ruled the Realm for nearly a century until crystals were discovered. 
The group was introduced to the game with the introduction of the modern lore on January 7th, 2018, though many members of the group were in the game prior.
==Biography==
Following the defeat of the two Goblin Scourges, the age of chaos that had plagued the Realm had finally come to an end. The group responsible for bringing this new age of peace, the Paladins, disbanded, their job completed. With this, a new group was formed, the Magistrate, a council of former Paladins and powerful magicians. Under their rule, the Realm's Golden Age of peace continued for almost a century.
However, a new form of magic was eventually discovered which changed everything. Focused through crafted crystals, the power they contained rivaled that of the Magistrate itself, and with their near limitless uses, a crystal powered revolution overtook the Realm. Though not everyone involved had the best intentions.
Accidents and misuses of power, explosions of energy resulting in the deaths of many, to power hungry individuals who aimed to use crystals for nefarious purposes, Karne feared these incidents could lead to the start of chaos taking hold of the Realm yet again, leading to his decision to ban crystal from commoners to protect the peace.
Some agreed with Karne, while others distrusted the Magistrate or otherwise weren't fond of the idea. Some of these individuals rallied behind Valera, the former leader of the ancient Paladins, who now decided to lead this new Resistance. Believing their freedom was being compromised, Valera reawakened the ancient Stagalla to fight for her side, while also weaponizing crystals to fight against the Magistrate. Eventually, the two sides would come to battle.
In an early conflict between the two sides, the Magistrate seemed outmatched by the power of the Stagalla known as Terminus; however, the War Machine Ash would arrive to battle and easily defeat the Staglla, seemingly killing him. Though this loss heavily weakened the morale of the Resistance, the other remaining Stagalla would rally the group in anger at what she had just witnessed, leading to the Crystal War to fully start.
The Magistrate itself meanwhile, sees the Resistance as nothing more than a group of terrorists who upset the peace and are attempting to allow dangerous materials into the hands of criminals and other questionable individuals.
Naturally, the Magistrate would come into conflict with the Resistance multiple more times, from the battle in the ancient homeland of the Warder's, to House Aico, a loyal royal house, going behind the Magistrate's back to recruit a self-proclaimed god, to the officer known as Corvus attempting to use an ancient power to defeat the group, coming to battle with the Resistance deep within the Shattered Desert, the Crystal War between the two sides show no sign of stopping anytime soon.
== Sub Groups ==
Being a large organization, the Magistrate naturally has various branches and groups serving under it. These include:
*House Aico - One of many royal houses loyal to the Magistrate, the group is led by the Scion of the House, Lian, and other notable members include her Primus Khan, and her Scholar Rei.
*Outer Tribunal - A branch of the Magistrate granted permission to deliver justice as they see fit, the Outer Tribunal is the law enforcement group of Paladins, and the members (known as Judges) are dedicated to battle criminals, monsters, and whatever else may threaten the Realm. Notable members include Lex and VII, and formerly Androxus and Corvus.
*Deepwerks - A Magistrate run facility, little is known for certain of what goes in Deepwerks, though they are behind some unique creations, such as the various crystal powered pieces of technology that once swept the Realm, to the runic creations of Torvald. Notable members include Torvald, Vivian, and formerly Barik. Talus once visited this location as well. 
*Shadow Tribunal - Following his exile from the Magistrate, Corvus created his own group of loyal followers to assist him in his goals of restoring peace to the Realm. Corvus leads the group, and other notable members include Terminus, Young Viktor, and seemingly Vivian.
*Sentinels (formerly) - Once an elite military group, following a disastrous final mission, the group disbanded, one of the Viktors taking the blame, while many other members left the Magistrate entirely. The group was led by one of the Viktors, and other notable members included Buck, Kinessa, Strix, and Tyra.
==Known Members==
*Karne - A powerful mage and another incredibly notable member of the Paladins. Following the end of chaos, Karne would take charge as Grand Magister of the Magistrate, ensuring the Realm remains peaceful as much as he can. He would also later father Corvus.
*Ash - Wielding experimental armor and weaponry, Ash made a name for herself with her ruthless efficiency and brutal overkill, earning her the nickname of 'War Machine'. Despite this, Ash still cares deeply for her fellow soldiers and follows orders herself.
*Corvus - Son of Grand Magister Karne, Corvus would initially join the Outer Tribunal, before eventually becoming a high ranked member of the Magistrate itself. He would be involved in many events in the Paladins lore, most unintentionally ending in disaster. Following being tricked into summoning the Abyssal Lord Raum, Corvus would be exiled from the Magistrate for letting this chaos and destruction occur. Despite this, Corvus is still dedicated to the Magistrate, destroying both the Resistance and Abyss, and bringing peace back to the Realm.
*Fernando - Taking up the identity of the knight he once served following his untimely demise, Fernando would journey around the Realm, making a name for himself as an adventurer. When the Crystal War broke out and the Magistrate called on all loyal houses to assist them, Fernando answered the call with pride, hoping to prove to everyone and himself that he can become the hero he knows he's capable of, so long as no one discovers his secret.
*Khan - A dedicated commander of House Aico, by extension, Khan is also incredibly loyal to the Magistrate. His dedicated goes so far as to not take "no" for an answer even when denied by a self-proclaimed god.
*Lex - The most dedicated judge of the Outer Tribunal, Lex used to work closely with his partner, Androxus as they battled infamous criminals, supernatural forces, and other dangers that threatened the Realm. Now, Lex attempts to bring his old friend in dead or alive. In the future, Lex would eventually become the father of Atlas.
*Lian - The Scion of House Aico, while Lian is loyal to the Magistrate, but will sometimes disobey or ignore orders to do what she wants herself.
*Octavia - A commander in the Magistrate's army, Octavia would battle on the frontlines against the Darkness monster Yagorath when the beast rampaged throughout Crosswind Hold.
*Rei - A transformed leipori on a quest to become an unrivaled master of magic. She currently serves House Aico and as one of Lian's closest friends.
*Skye (possibly) - A former member of the Thousand Hands, Skye would eventually attract the attention of the Magistrate, leading to her becoming Karne's closest advisor. Though her true loyalties seem to only lie with herself.
*Strix - Formerly a member of the elite military group known as the Sentinels, Strix has been in the military his whole life, and following the disbandment of the Sentinels, he was moved back to the front lines of the Crystal War. When Corvus was tricked into releasing Raum, Strix began to grow suspicious, and worked to uncover what was going on behind the scenes. Despite this, Strix is still a loyal member of the Magistrate.
*Terminus (possibly) - Once an ancient Stagalla created to repel the Goblin Scourges of the past, Terminus was reawakened by Valera to fight for her cause in the Resistance. Terminus, oath-bound to assist, ruthlessly battled the Magistrate, until he was shattered by Ash. His body was later collected and revived using Abyssal magic. Now, Terminus serves the Magistrate under Corvus' command.
*Torvald - The leading scholar on runic magic, particularly Ska'drin runes, while Torvald would prefer to be studying and experimenting in the Deepwerks facility, when the Crystal War broke out, he had no choice but to assist in battle and help bring the Realm back to peace.
*Young Viktor / New Viktor - Two soldiers in the Magistrate's army. One of the two was once the commander of the elite military group known as the Sentinels, but when the group disbanded, Viktor took the blame and was reassigned to a far lower position. Despite this, Viktor is still devoted to the Magistrate, and aims to regain his former glory. It's unknown which of the two Viktors this information applies to.
*Vivian - A cunning individual who rapidly rose through the ranks of the Magistrate, eventually ending up assigned to the Deepwerks facility. In the midst of the Crystal War, Vivian only intends to use it to advance her own position, and find the one who knows of her true plans and silence them.
*VII - An enigmatic assassin of the Outer Tribunal.
==Gallery==
Magistrate Logo.png
Magistrate (Paladins).png|The Magistrate is formed.
Resistance Conflict Erupts.png|Magistrate soldiers are violently attacked by Terminus.
Magistrate and Crystals.png|Karne bans crystals for the safety of the Realm
==Trivia==
There's a common misconception that the Magistrate are the villains of Paladins while the Resistance are the heroes. This is false, as both sides have their reasons and justifications, and the conflict between the two is intended to be grey, with the final choice on who is better coming down to each individual. This misconception stems from how early Paladins lore was largely focused on the Resistance's POV.
==External Links==
*The Magistrate on the Paladins Wiki.
==Navigation==
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