Judge Edward Chapman
Judge Edward Chapman
Role: Elected Judge of Blood AxRace/Class: Human (Aristocrat / Lawman archetype NPC)
Age: 62
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (tending toward Lawful Evil)
Appearance
Judge Edward Chapman is a tall, broad man with a stern face, sharp nose, and thinning hair combed carefully back. His crisp suits and heavy watch chain display both wealth and authority. His boots never carry mud—he pays men to clean them before he steps onto the wooden steps of the courthouse. Though age has stiffened his joints, he wears his dignity like armor and commands a room with his gravel-darkened voice.Personality and Beliefs
Chapman is respected in town for his knowledge of the law, his careful rulings, and his distinguished manner. Yet beneath the surface he is deeply biased:- He believes wealth and success are proof of virtue, while poverty is a stain caused by laziness, weakness, or poor character.
- He despises “whiners and beggars” and insists any man willing to sacrifice, toil, and fight can succeed as he did.
- His memory of his own hardships in youth—sleeping under wagons, losing a hand in cards, nearly starving during one harsh winter—have shaped this iron belief. To him, these struggles prove that anyone can rise above circumstance.
- His rulings lean toward protecting landowners, merchants, and business interests over laborers or small farmers; but he always frames them as legal correctness, not favoritism.
Allies and Supporters
- Chapman enjoys the backing of Blood Ax’s merchant elite, ranch barons, and mining men, who keep him in office through influence and “campaign donations.”
- He maintains a network of “respectable friends” who look after his reputation.
- He has bodyguards in town—loyal deputies supplied by wealthy benefactors rather than the public purse.
Role in Blood Ax
- Presides over both civil and criminal trials in Blood Ax, making him a powerful arbiter of land disputes, property claims, and frontier law cases.
- Known for harsh penalties on the poor—vagrancy fines, debt seizures, jailings for petty crimes—while recommending leniency or quiet settlements for his wealthy allies.
- Seen by some as the man responsible for “keeping order,” but by others as a robber-baron judge who twists justice to suit the privileged.
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