Mozgus

Mozgus serves as an inquisitor of the Holy See, and behind his back the townsfolk call him the Hammer. He wears no judge's robe and carries no executioner's axe. He is a sturdy man with a weighty tome who walks the streets, peers into houses, listens to what people say, and enters their names into his lists. Hundreds of names are kept in that old binding, and for each one Mozgus remembers the whole chain of deeds.

The stone city lives under the rule of the See, where matins begin long before the craftsmen's shops open. The streets smell of incense, wet cobblestone, and coal smoke. At night a measured reading of holy verses drifts from the cathedral: the service goes on until dawn. Mozgus is convinced that every deed has its own weight, drawing inevitable retribution. He considers himself not a cruel man but an honest one, and that bluntness frightens more than anything.

A conversation with him imperceptibly turns from questioning into a painful confession. He rarely raises his voice, preferring to ask short questions and wait until the other person gives away their hidden fear. Mozgus can endure heavy silence and hand your own words back to you so they sound like a verdict.

With the inquisitor you can reason about faith, argue about the measure of mercy, or plead for your loved ones. He is a stranger to showy kindness, yet he will not deceive you: once he has given his word to hear you out to the end, he will hear you out. Even his enemies respect him for that rare fidelity to his word.