The Inspector General
The Masters place responsibility for keeping crime under control enough for the privileged to be safe and for commerce to be able to flow at the feet of the inspector General, a lord chosen to oversee all investigation and enforcement. it is am impossible position that no one holds for long. The record is nine weeks. No name will be given for the Inspector General in this section because they change so often. Whoever holds the title can be known by the seal they wear around their neck and the writ of authority they carry - a brass rod containing the scroll naming them to the office.
The Magistrates
The Inspector General maintains three Magistrates who are responsible for passing judgement on most of the crimes in the city.
Petty crime is enforced on the spot by whatever guard happens to apprehend the accused. Formal investigation isn't required for things like assault that doesn't result in death or serious injury and theft of anything with a total value of less than 10 gold. More serious issues are taken before one of the Guard Captains.
Capital crimes such as murder and major theft (100gd or more) are taken before the Magistrates. Guard Captains also have the prerogative to pass along anything taken to them that they aren't comfortable ruling on.
Initially, an issue is taken before a single Magistrate who can dismiss the case, pass summary judgment or insist on an investigation followed by a trial. Investigations are done by one of the city's Inspectors, members of the guard specially trained for the task.
After the investigation, all three Magistrates gather to hear the case. After the evidence is presented they all judge the accused guilty or not guilty by secret vote. Two or three Guilty votes results in a guilty verdict. Two or three not guilty votes results in an innocent verdict. Anything else requires that the issue be taken before a Master who will usually simply dismiss the issue.
The Magistrates wear large, distinctive brass rings of office that they use to seal Writs of Judgement.
Guard Commander
The city guards are trained and maintained by a Commander who is always chosen from among whatever experienced Captains were available when a new Commander is needed. They Commander is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Guards. This is mostly accomplished through the Guard Captains. A Commander is only as good as the Captains who serve him.
The Guard Commander wears a breastplate trimmed in brass into which is etched the writ of office,. Every new Commander is even such an item. If they retire or die while they hold the office their breastplate is displayed in the Hall of the Dutiful in the Main Barracks. If they are removed from office, the breastplate is destroyed.
Inspectors
Murgulmuir's Inspectors are chosen by the Inspector General, who arranges for their training, but they work directly under the Magistrates. All inspectors carry matched rapier and flintlock, both trimmed in brass. They also wear distinctive dark purple long coats lined with a deep golden yellow. These accoutrements are obvious marks of office. They are also teamed with usually intelligent and well trained hounds they use to help them track their quarry.There are a few Inspectors called Seekers who have spell casting ability. They are rumored to also be assassins. Their uniforms are the same as the Inspectors but they wear black masks. Highly ranked Inspector Black Masks can use the Teleportation circles in various Guard Towers to move quickly through the city when necessary.
Guards
The Upside Sprawl and Downside Warrens: The Guards here are little more than poorly trained thugs given tabards to mark them as having authority. They are lazy and easily bribed but abusive and arbitrary.
The Lower Wheel: The guards here are lightly armed and armored. Generally they mean well but they aren't very well trained and there aren't enough of them. All of this makes them an upgrade from what you see in the Sprawl and the Warrens but not by much.
The Docks: There are only a few guard units here but they are chosen from among the toughest dock rats and over and above what the Masters provide they are paid on the side by the harbormaster and ships captains to keep the peace. These guards seldom wear their colors openly. When they are needed they appear, wreak havoc and when whatever trouble there was is dealt with they show whoever is left the guard colors on the cudgels (beating sticks) they carry.
The Upper Wheel: The Guards units here are well trained, organized, armed and armored. Each is a mix of lightly armed and armored guards, heavily armed and armored "bastions" and crossbowmen. One in each patrol always carries a signal horn. They are efficient and reliable.
The Inner Wheel: Most of the guards here are elite Hobgoblin warriors in heavy armor. Every patrol has an "initiate" with them. An initiate is a fighter with some magical training who can use useful spells such as Detect Magic and Detect Invisible.
Sheriffs, Deputies and the High Sheriff
The Guard are assigned to specific areas of the city (often referred to as "Wards"). This arrangement works well for most things but there is a need for enforcement that isn't districted. That need is addressed by the Sheriffs. A Murgulmuir Sheriff is essentially a veteran guard who can operate anywhere in the city. The Sheriffs are chosen from among the guards by the High Sheriff, a position filled by the Council often from the tenured Sheriffs.Because the Sheriffs are better paid, have a better reputation and marginally more authority than that granted to the Guard there is often resentment between the two.
When more Sheriffs are needed but there isn't time to properly recruit and train them the Sheriffs themselves are empowered to appoint Deputies. They aren't required to check with the High Sheriff but must register any Deputies they appoint by name. A Deputy has no real authority and is only empowered to assist his Sheriff.
You can recognize a Sheriff by the purple and yellow sashes they wear. A proper Sheriff has two brass pins on their sash. Deputies have only one. The High Sheriff has three.
What is the Law?
It depends on where you are and who you ask. In a place with as much corruption as there is in Murgulmuir establishing clear guidelines that everyone knows is counterproductive. In order to abuse the system it must be subject to interpretation. That way when someone gets away with something because they bribed or blackmailed the right people it doesn't stand out as clearly as it otherwise might.
In simple terms you can think of areas as lawful, neutral or chaotic.
In lawful areas (the Inner Wheel, in the Upper Wheel when dealing with anyone for anything that affects the fortunes of the Masters) any infraction will be addressed. If you want to do crimes, make you don't get caught.
In chaotic areas (the Upside Sprawl, Downside Warrens and on the Docks everywhere but the warehouse and the ships) the general consensus is that the guard may throw the weight around for fun but they will only bring their authority to bear if they are forced to. They would rather not and if you make them do their jobs they will resent it and make you pay with bruises or blood unless you are very persuasive or very lucky.
Neutral areas (much of the Upper Wheel, the Lower Wheel and on the Docks wherever the warehouses and ships are involved) there are rules but enforcement isn't as consistent or draconian as it is in lawful areas. Hurting people and stealing things will get you hassled, might get you pinched, The more you steal and the more serious the damage you cause the bigger the chance you will get into real trouble. Stealing from influential people is bad. Murder is worse (but not by much).
Paying the Price
Guards will administer immediate punishment for routine offenses that range from fines to beatings.
Once a Captain or Sheriff gets involved the stakes are raised. Punishments include larger fines, lashes and you might get yourself locked up.
Magistrates can decree punishments that include total forfeiture of possessions and/or property, time spent in the stocks and even more extreme measure such as branding or having a hand removed.
The worst of the worst and repeat offenders end up in the prison beneath the Main Barracks. It is rumored that keeping the prisoners in the jail isn't as important as making a show of putting them in there so quite a few have escaped over the years and not as much effort was put into finding them as you would imagine.
Execution is reserved for murderers. It is carried out by hanging from the "widow tree" that grows at the edge of the Marshal Ward in the Upper Wheel unless the criminal was well known or influential in which case they are beheaded in the "rogues gallery" within sight of the Master's manors in the Inner Wheel. On execution days, the Masters often have lavish parties on their balconies to watch "the festivities".
