The Eye
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In the past, the Eye was the seat of the Generals, now it is the office of the Sheriff of Nottingham, Philippa Murdoch, and the seat of law enforcement in the city of Nottingham. The Eye is a tall, narrow tower incorporated into the The Wall close to the High Gate. From the observation room at the top, the whole of Nottingham can be seen; with the view reaching all the way out to the city’s outskirts. From the Eye, the Sheriff runs all security operations for the city.
History
The tower was first built by Queen Matilda in YE 354 to provide security for the city in the face of increasing unrest. This original tower was destroyed in YE 533, during the Acorn Uprising, after the Oliver family’s failed attempt to seize the throne and reunite the country. Beyond the foundation walls that form part of the Eye’s dungeons, there is little left of the original 4th century YE structure.
The tower remained in ruins until it was rebuilt by Queen Rosamund II in YE 756, after the Second Hycath War. Her motivation for doing so was the belief that the devastation of the war would not have happened, had greater surveillance been in operation.
It was named the Eye after its completion in YE 761, since which time it has undergone several updates and refurbishments. During planning for the location of The Wall, in YE 875, it was decided to use The Eye as part of its structure, enabling it to have a unique perspective over both the Inner and Outer Circles. Badly damaged during terrorist attacks in YE 877, by Will Scarlett‘s rebellion, The Eye has since undergone further extensive improvements.
Present Day
All law enforcement and security services are run from The Eye. There are four areas of security, each with their own division head answerable to the Sheriff. The first three live in barracks built in the Inner Circle Wall.
- The City Guards handle the day-to-day law enforcement.
- The Guardsmen, the army forces who, since returning from the Promised Land Campaign, perform ceremonial guard duties at the Gladiator Pits and other key state buildings.
- The High Guard are an elite military unit whose main function is serving as bodyguards to the royal family and key members of state.
- The fourth security service is known as the Eye’s Guardians, a secret police force consisting of one hundred people. Guardians are answerable only to the Sheriff and only the Sheriff knows their identities.
The Eye also houses a team of investigators who assess crimes and decide if they will proceed to trial. The Sheriff oversees this team, but they have their own authority to act.
The Eye is also where suspected criminals are brought for questioning and, if it is deemed necessary by the investigators, for torture. There is no one official method of torture, but regularly used methods include waterboarding, electrocution, sleep deprivation, injection of pain-inducing substances and specially trained Hycathae, who cause physical pain with their magic.
The rumours and stories about what occurs in the Eye cause fear among the city’s population. The Sheriff does nothing to quell these rumours, in fact, she actively encourages and embroiders them through her Guardians as she sees this fear as an effective deterrent to crime.
