Ta'Illistim Inquisitors

Ta'Illistim Inquisitors is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

Checks and Balances in Ta'Illistim: The Index of Inquisitors

As a longstanding, evolved, and egalitarian society, the city-state of Ta'Illistim carries with it all the bureaucracies expected -- intricacies of insurance and protection, banking and finance, transportation, licensing, and so on. The justice system in Ta'Illistim is no less a bureaucratic institution with numerous departments, entities, and areas of expertise. Of them all, the Index of Inquisitors is often the most misunderstood.

Designed as part of the system of checks and balances essential to Ta'Illistim life, the Index stands mostly apart from other bureaucracies and is granted broad powers for investigations. If any high-ranking member of a governmental body requires investigating, up to and including the Argent Mirror, the Inquisitors are called in. For investigations not involving the Mirror, the Inquisitors will typically report findings to them, but it is important to note that the Index has relative autonomy to conduct their investigations and act upon their findings when necessary. It is rare that this is exercised, however, and they will instead present findings and make recommendations to either the Argent Mirror or the Council of Thrones and allow justice to be meted out by others.

Like the general protection of Ta'Illistim falls to the Sapphire Guard, day-to-day investigations fall to the local constabularies. One would not bring in the Inquisitors for a simple robbery any more than one would bring in the Arch Magi to protect your average citizen. As such, invoking the Inquisitors can often send ripples of trepidation across Ta'Illistim; however, their presence is meant to be a reassurance -- the event is being taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.

The various agencies across Ta'Illistim's government can and do request inquisitor involvement with regularity. Whether or not the Index chooses to assist is up to them, but it is rare such a request is turned down. One of their most famous cases involved assisting the Artificers in tracking down a rogue mage-alchemist accused of creating dozens if not hundreds of unregistered magical artifacts. The individual was responsible for the technology and magic behind several destructive forces, and the potential for an attempted coup or assassination was thwarted by the knife-like precision of the Index's investigation and corrective actions. Rumor has it that several of these artifacts were reconfigured by the Artificers later into the technology used to create the airships.

The Index of Inquisitors was formed around -10,000, soon after the cessation of the Elven Empire and during a period of history fraught with chaos. Their role may have varied in the past, but for the last several thousand years, the above is an accurate, if succinct, representation of their purpose.

Training and Expertise

Inquisitors naturally show high aptitude in multiple areas that assist investigations. These areas include effective interviewing techniques, reading body language across multiple cultures and races, research, observational skills in the field, and so on. Individual inquisitors span a variety of backgrounds as well, with recruits from the ranks of the Sapphire Guard, the Loremasters, and the Rogues' Guild to name but a few.

Recruits undergo rigorous training and tests to ensure loyalty, professionalism, and trustworthiness. A great deal of power and trust rests in the hands of the Index, and they take their mandates seriously. Anyone found to violate the tenets of the Index will find themselves the subject of a very personal inquisition.

At all times, the Index maintains expertise in numerous areas and draws together cadres of inquisitors in groups of three to five to handle inquisitions based on the individual situation and the skillsets required. The Index is relatively small, consisting of no more than fifty inquisitors at any given time, with modern day numbers as of 5123 closer to twenty-five or thirty.

The Master Index

Known as the Master Index, the Inquisitors are led by a council of four inquisitors. These four are typically the best of the best but also must have political savvy as they interface most frequently with the Council, the Mirror, and other heads of state. In rare situations, such as the troublesome murder of Lady Kasendra Malwind in 5123, the Master Index will serve as a distinct investigative cadre. Under normal circumstances, however, they review and oversee the other inquisitors and serve as the diplomatic envoy between the Index and any other entity.

The Master Inquisitor serves as head of the council and thus the entirety of the Index. Their role is to oversee the entire operations. The Argent Peacock is often most skilled at handling complexities and relations involving the throne and its council, while the Sapphire Thorn does the same for the Sapphire Guard and other law enforcement entities. Finally, the Shadowed Briar serves as a thorn in the side of the Master Inquisitor, poking and prodding at decisions and conclusions to ensure investigative integrity.

The current Master Index is comprised of:

• Inquisitor Ciradyl, the Master of the Index
• Inquisitor Eshenesra, the Argent Peacock
• Inquisitor Syearris, the Sapphire Thorn
• Inquisitor Vaelynsa, the Shadowed Briar

On the Name

The naming of the conclave of inquisitors to be the Index is lost to history, but to many people it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that they may have originally served as a cataloguer of all issues, concerns, and problems in Ta'Illistim and the Master Index was the ultimate categorical reference point, with fingers in all the pies. Whether or not this is accurate remains is unknown, but it is generally accepted as true, and the name has stuck throughout the ages.

OOC Information/Notes

• Created by GM Xynwen, September 2023
• Inquisitors were used in 2023 as part of the Nations on the Brink storyline
  • Ciradyl: GM Elysani
  • Eshenesra: APM Thandiwe
  • Syearris: GM Casil
  • Vaelynsa: GM Xynwen