If the PCs come upon this encounter on a road, they will notice a camp set up by the side of the road, with a number of large tents pitched. If it is taking place in a settlement, there should be crowds gathered around some sort of public space for assemblies, such as a basilica or a town square. Either way, the banners of the nearest royal authority (or the closest equivalent) should be flying outside, and there should be guards standing nearby who can explain what is going on: a meeting of the traveling circuit courts is in session.
The crown has appointed a court official to travel between stops along this route, where the people can bring disputes and criminals before them so they may pass judgment. In fact, the party has come upon this magistrate during a hearing.
The magistrate is Kyriakos Aristaios. He is a stern man who is strictly devoted to the law, and is ruthless in his judgments. He believes that those who commit crimes deserve no mercy, and they must be punished harshly in order to set an example for law-abiding citizens. However, he is quick to pass judgment on others, and is far from impartial, often being swayed by his personal feelings. He tends to make his mind up before he is presented with the full story, often basing his verdict on his assessment of the accused's character.
The courts allow the public to spectate, and they are not discouraged from voicing their opinions. However, the magistrate has the final say in all matters, and Kyriakos is not shy about throwing this fact around, staunchly holding that he will not allow himself to be swayed - as he puts it, the court entrusted him with this position, not anyone else. The PCs can certainly try to make him change his mind, though, and with good roleplaying and logical arguments they should be allowed to attempt it. If matters get out of hand, Kyriakos will not hesitate to deploy his twelve guards to enforce order - beating any hecklers into silence, or even dragging them before his podium for "contempt of the court."
Needless to say, the PCs may take issue with Kyriakos's approach to judgment. It is also possible they will take his side, and perhaps make enemies among the accused. Depending on how things play out, it is possible this will embroil the party into further drama with NPCs - and perhaps even court authorities.
A list of NPCs that Kyriakos may try is listed below. You can roll 1d10 to determine who is being tried when the party arrives, or choose one that looks interesting to you. More than one NPC may be tried at a given session - feel free to use more than one if the PCs decide to stick around.
1. Zosimos Antipatros, a baker who was discovered digging around a cemetery. He claims that he was told there was buried treasure present, but now insists that he was set up by his friend considering he did not find anything. In reality, there is a hoard of 272 GP in coins and jewels and a Fear spell scroll buried in the cemetery; Zosimos just wasn't looking in the right place. Unless otherwise swayed, Kyriakos will sentence him to public humiliation; he will be forced to ride a donkey backward through the street crying out "I am a fool." Kyriakos also warns him the punishment will be more severe next time.
2. Timaios, a slave who ran away from his master after he was whipped harshly for letting his sheep escape; he was caught by some guards a few days later. Kyriakos will insist that he be returned to his master, citing that to lose a slave on top of the sheep would be an undue burden for the man.
3. Eunomia Argyris, a bandit chief who preyed on caravans in the area for many years, slaying many men and waylaying treasure. Kyriakos will sentence her to hanging, though she remains stoic, vowing that her men will avenge her.
4. Soterios Metaxas, a cobbler accused of stealing a horse. He insists that he didn't steal it; the horse ran away from its stable, he came across it in the wilderness, and he was keeping it in his shed until the owner could be found. He is telling the truth, but Kyriakos does not believe him and will sentence him to hanging.
5. Aristarchos, a beggar who was caught pickpocketing traders in the market. Though he has barely anything to his name, Kyriakos insists that adherence to the law is absolute, and will sentence him to have his hand cut off.
6. Melainia, a wise woman living as a hermit not far from town. People always suspected her of being a witch, but never felt threatened by her presence until a plague swept through the town, and the villagers blamed her for putting a curse on them. In reality, this was merely an incident of bad timing. Kyriakos will sentence her to hanging, even though she insists that she was innocent, as "a witch can surely not be trusted."
7. Cassiopeia Aristantos, a political rival of the local lord caught conspiring against him. The problem is, she is loyal to the same royal authority Kyriakos is employed by. Kyriakos will, in fact, pardon her and cast suspicion on the lord instead, believing that he is guilty of treason against the crown if he would accuse a loyalist this way.
8. Sielenos, a blacksmith who confessed to murdering his brother Leto over a love affair. Kyriakos intends to have him hanged, but in truth, Sielenos was geased into committing the murder by Semele, an enchantress who he and his brother both loved. Finding both men to be intolerable in their pettiness toward each other, she forced Sielenos to kill his brother and then confess to the crime to get rid of them both.
9. An unfriendly NPC previously encountered by the party, now having got themselves into some other scheme that didn't go well for them.
10. A friendly NPC previously encountered by the party, now accused of a crime they didn't commit. Can the PCs clear their name?
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