The Council Courts

## Summary & History

### Before Hop

Before **Sop** had rule over of the world of Karrots and all hops, guiding them to enlightenment and prosperity, many ideologies existed on Karrots about the role and fate of life and existence as a whole. The previous state of the hop people was ruled end enforce by volunteers that helped create laws and assemble police to do so. Judges dictated right and wrong, how manufacturers and laborers would service their kind as a whole, and hired their own internal supporters to enforce these ideas.

This created an unfair environment where a currency of false value ruled over the Hops, like it did the K'Ursans. Many worked even if they didn't want to, in order to maintain peace, as marshalls and the militias of the courts hunted loitering citizens. This was supposed to progress society forward, however many like Sop saw lies, blind exceptions to their rules and many failures to act on what they promised.

Shortly before his marriage, when he was known as Hop, he approached the Chamber of the Council Courts, the symbolic location of the self-governing hypocrites. Once arrived, Sop gave his findings and support for him grew publicly, as visits exposing the judges of the court as corrupt. Pointing out how money was not needed, officers should only protect their citizens, not punish them for doing what they disagreed with, and how the courts did not seek approval from their people before making rulings. Slowly, labels of treason and betrayal were cast upon Sop, and the judges threatened to take all he had away from him. But Sop was a homeless monk, raised humbly and only sought to improve himself and help others. To ignore what the judges did was ignoring his beliefs, and he felt compelled to fix this urgently. Unaware of the power Sop held, once officers attempted to rid the evidence and arrest Sop, his fighting prowess was unleashed, and before long it was clear he held more power physically than they had with ideas. Solemnly, the judges retired and were exiled away. Officers and other corrupt people in the system were gathered up to defend themselves individually, using records of their arrests as instances where their victims could forgive or punish them in return.

Sop promised all hops without confidence in a lifestyle without the Courts that he would find a way to better their lives.

### After Hop

Following the creation of the **Grand Sop Army**, and the beginning of the **First Great Hop Expansion**, Sop knew he alone would not have the time and experience to guide all others, due to how numerous the hops are. For each hemisphere, Sop reinstated a proper Council Court in each region, elected by residents. For those off-world, they'd do the same. Once chosen, judges from these areas are to report issues and successes with a Hopficer from the military.

Sop wanted all hops to dictate their own lives for the sake of both freedom and so no forces outside themselves would dictate what they would be unimpeded in their Journey. The role of the Courts is to compare their local ideas and use that to make a decision on any punishment not covered in Hoppism, including **Restrictions**.

Once Hop had begun his training, he was informed the need for Council Courts would be abolished if his father ever ascended. **The Knights of Sop** were tasked to carry out the disbanding of the Courts, to prevent hostile takeovers from traitors, which inevitably occurred, with groups like **The** **New Sop Order** arising out of the completion of Sop's Journey. Once the Hop Civil war began, all Courts were asked to cancel their meetings, executions of punishments and turn over all records to Hop. All information was carried out by the Grand Sop Army from there on, and all archived records were stored in the **GSAA**. All punishments for restricted actions not covered in Hoppism are to be brought to Hop's attention via Network communications. Physical evidence and personal accounts can be filmed and submitted to any Tier 7 or higher ranking Hoppist soldier, they have authority to submit these findings to Hop. Vibri also has this responsibility, and should be reported to in Hop's absence.