Eldesa Investigators

The Eldesa Investigators are the highest ranking law enforcement officials. They all have an affinity for magic and use it to divine the truth of a situation. Allowed to go anywhere and do anything they see fit to ensure the law is kept, they were, at their founding, a group of powerful individuals feared by the people. Over time, this fear has subsided, however. Despite being given leeway to do whatever they deem necessary, they have had strict checks and balances put in place to avoid corruption. For 250 years, these measures have served well, and the people trust and respect the investigators.

The investigators undergo a monthly briefing. The questions are largely reused each time, but various ones are always randomly included. The briefings are held publicly within Eldorn's City Hall (all city halls within Eldesa Hold have a permanent Zone of Truth spell placed on them). Questions cover straightforward topics regarding corruption and more subtle ones regarding treason. Several Investigators have become corrupt and treasonous, and all were found at their next briefing.

Some people view the briefings as cruel thanks for the Investigators' actions, but most, including all of the Investigators themselves (included in the briefings), view it as a necessary counterweight to the Investigators' freedom from typical laws.

Investigators are sometimes powerful individuals on their own, but their real power comes from their freedom from laws. They can conscript any individual needed for a particular mission, and the individual must either comply if able or be exiled. The investigators have only called upon this right one time, and it stopped a plot to destroy Serpent's Tongue. This was the point at which the people's opinion of the Investigators made the largest stride forward. The Investigator was Tora Moletzy, whose actions earned her a chance to become the Grand Investigator, which she accepted.

Grand Investigator

While all investigators are given leave to do as they see fit, they are bound by certain laws applicable only to them (e.g. monthly briefing). They can conscript any individual for a mission, and they can break any law not specifically binding to them without consequence so long as it is done with the intent of preventing worse events. The most restricting law is that they may never cause harm except in defense of themselves or another sentient being. Eldesa Hold has no death penalty, and guards are the only individuals allowed to kill, and only when there is no viable alternative. The Grand Investigator has none of these limitations. He or she is bound by no laws, save one, and has no master. She reports to no one and does not undergo briefings.

There is not always a Grand Investigator. One may be appointed, though only one at a time, if and only if the individual has proven themselves beyond any doubt to be a friend of Eldesa Hold and its people. The Grand Investigator is given a pendant which must be worn at all times. It is the only law which applies to him or her. The pendant's appearance can be altered and has been by each individual to wield it. However, its magic ensures it is always recognized for exactly what it is, even by those who do not know of it. Its magic is fiercely protected, and the holder, in every case, will defend it to the death. The pendant acts as the insignia needed to open any political door and access all areas, no matter their protection otherwise. The creation of the pendant was guarded for 70 years before a thief attempted, nearly successfully, to steal the book containing the ritual used to create it. After this attempt, it was deemed too important to risk, and the book was destroyed.

The pendant forms a permanent bond with whoever wears it. This allows the Investigator to see and hear through the pendant and also determine its location at any given time, a fallback in case it is ever successfully stolen.

Tora chose to have the pendant appear as a silver medallion, with an eye in a circle.