It was November 7th of the year 1150, of the Fourth Age, and it had been less than a week since the First Battle of Blackwood. At that moment, a man clad in flawless, gleaming silver armor rode a powerful Mountain Griffin, observing Blackwood Village not far away.
Besides the armor, the man mounted the Griffin also had a sheathed sword at his waist and wore a cloak and shield of orange and red colors. On them, the coat of arms of a shield with a golden scar crossed in the shape of an X identified him as a Knight of the Scarmith Kingdom. His name was Sir William of Pluriwater, also known as Sir William Steelbody.
Still in the vicinity of Blackwood Village, a white dot appeared in the sky from the horizon, flying at high speed and quickly revealing itself to be another man, this one wearing an impeccable white ceremonial robe. The cloak was spotless, embroidered with numerous gold threads forming sacred scriptures, and scars were embroidered on the back of his robe. He held a two-handed wooden staff, and on his head was a white cloak similar to a veil that completely blocked his face.
As soon as he descended from the sky, he looked around, and upon realizing that the knight and his griffin were the only ones who had arrived, he sighed and said:
"Good afternoon, Sir William, it seems our rest is over… How is married life?"
"Good afternoon, Bishop Paul, it is indeed over, because criminals never rest… Married life is not what I expected… But we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the baby."
"Praise be to the Scar for a new human life!"
After Bishop Paul's eulogy honoring Sir William's firstborn son, he looked around and said:
"As always, that Beggar Bishop is late…"
Bishop Paul of the Church of the Scar spoke the last words in a somewhat irritated and disdainful tone. But Knight William didn't seem to agree, and replied:
"Actually, we're the ones who are a little ahead of schedule."
"Did you get a preview of what we're going to investigate this time? I hope it's not another case of the local commoners exaggerating, or I'll certainly punish them for wasting our time."
"Yes, but even if it was a normal death, the person who died was still the leader of this village. His name was Zammos Blackwood. And since his heir also recently died in a war, the village now has no official leader."
"Hm, so it could be a conspiracy to seize leadership of the village?"
"Indeed. Living with your family forever inside a Bronze Tavern is a benefit considered invaluable for these commoners…"
Soon the third member of this group finally arrived, called "Beggar Bishop" by Bishop Paul of the Scar, a nickname that truly suited the man.
He slowly approached the group, walking barefoot. His "cloak" was merely a strip of dark gray cloth that went from his left shoulder to his right waist, holding what appeared to be the remains of something that had once been a cloak. The vestiges of the cloak covered what looked like trousers that had been amputated below the knees by something serrated.
The man had long, wild, dark brown hair, a face that stood out for its perfect square jaw, and a muscular body that would make many men envious. He had tanned skin and a total of nine scars with varying colors between white and silver on his exposed body. He approached William and Paul with a wide, white smile on his face.
"Haha, good afternoon, my fellow Judges, we meet again! William, you look tired; didn't your new wife give you a rest during your vacation? Hahaha"
"Hmm, good afternoon."
"Hehe, indeed she has a lot of energy, even after knowing we're having a baby… Good afternoon, Bishop Harkon."
"A baby is always a blessing! Praise be to Tallos for all the new human lives of the Kingdom!"
After Bishop Paul's less enthusiastic greeting and a quick exchange of courtesies between Sir William and Bishop Harkon, the three men took black armbands from their pockets or bags and began to put them on their right arms.
The newcomer, Bishop Harkon, a bishop of the Church of the Hero Tallos, placed the black armband on his right arm, making sure it didn't completely cover one of his nine scars. The black armband bore three symbols in gold: a scale balancing a shield and a skull.
As soon as the three donned the armbands, they entered Blackwood Village while the newcomer Bishop Harkon asked:
"What are we investigating this time?"
"As always, Bishop Beggar never reads the preliminary investigation reports sent, why bother sending anything to him?"
"Bishop Paul, why so much hostility? Wasn't your rest fruitful? Or didn't the Church of the Scar grant you a vacation? Did you know I used my rest in this region to explore a Secondary Scar alone? Haha, I'm so amazing. I reached the bottom of it in less than 3 days!"
Bishop Paul remained silent, ignoring Bishop Harkon's words, while Knight William gave instructions to the Bishop of Tallos regarding the current investigation and the suspected murder…
As they advanced, the group of three men entered the isolated and peaceful Blackwood Village, drawing the attention of all the commoners who were unaccustomed to receiving many visitors.
The children gazed in admiration at the Knight in shining silver armor and his monstrous Mountain Griffin, while the young people admired the Bishop of Tallos who proudly displayed his nine scars, but the adults with any understanding looked with dread at these three men.
All this because of the black armbands they wore on their right arms!
They were the Field Judges!
And if they were here in Blackwood Village, it meant they had come to judge someone!
The commoners' fear stemmed from the fact that these three acted as Judges, Juries, and Executors of any crime committed within the Kingdom's territory!
Therefore, as previously agreed, all the adults rushed back to their homes. Some went to warn other residents unaware of the new visitors, while others dragged their children home by force, leaving the streets of Blackwood Village empty for the rest of the day. Inside their homes, they prayed to the Scar that the Judges would not come to their houses…