[LMB] Barrayan police services

[Peter Newman]

   "Scott Raun" <sraun at fireopal.org> wrote

> On 12/30/2007 01:38:48, "Franz Tomasek (Home)" <ftomasek at storm.co.za> wrote:
>> Perhaps the municipal guards are organised by the counts under the
>> authority of the emperor. 
> 
> I would bet it's something along those lines.  Or it might be much
> simpler - the 20 Armsmen swear loyalty _to the count_.  An Armsmen is
> supposed to obey his Count's Orders, regardless.  If the various
> municipal guards swear loyalty _to the Emperor_, then - to some degree -
> it doesn't matter who their immediate superior is.  What matters is
> that, when it comes to Count's Orders vs. Emperor's Orders, they've
> already sworn to obey the Emperor.

I'm not sure if the text evidence supports this. Miles speaks
of 'Lord VorBohn's Municipal Guard' not 'the Municipal Guard'.
I think that it is simpler than that, a Count is due fealty from
_all_ the people of their district, including the cops. the 
difference between a municipal guardsman and an Armsman is that
an Armsman is specifically oath sworn to the Count and a cop, 
like everyone else just has the normal duties of everyone in the
district. Its, in political science terms, a federal system of 
government, not a unitary system of government. YMMV.