[(E)]

Answer 15)
Who polices against crime inside the city walls? Who is the head of this group, and how beholden are they to separate interests?
How quickly is a PC-led barroom brawl going to be busted up, and what kind of punishment might they expect if caught?

By and large the enforcement of the Council's laws is handled by the city watch. This group while dominated by humans includes most other races in some role or another. Breaking up a brawl in a tavern would most likely happen at night and the roving patrols at that time are more heavily staffed with Half-Orcs and Cat-Folk. Each squad of four soldiers is led by an experienced sergeant who may have been recruited from a number of different backgrounds(or classes). It is common for former delvers to retire to the city watch. The city watch is only lightly staffed with mages, though they do maintain an experienced Necromancer or two to help with cases of murder. For a religious group to have standing inside the city it has to provide the city watch with the services of it's clergy, as a result most watch houses have priests and paladins available around the clock.
The city watch is divided into two groups the day shift and the night shift.

The day shift is captained by Benton Goodweather a Halfling with a very checkered past. Rumour has it he was a very successful thief in the city of Durinsvale but was captured and put under a Geas to obey and serve the law. Regardless of his precise background Benton has a keen mind and an almost intuitive grasp of criminal behavior that he uses to his advantage. Benton is an excellent leader and manages to balance the conflicting politics of the council quiet well even if he has to juggle some competing demands. When out and about Benton is seldom seen without the company of the burly and scarred sergeant Dreydun "Knucklesmith" Russden a former champion bare knuckle fighter of some renown.

The captain of the night watch is a remarkably tall wood elf who goes by the name of Fulkara Stormwind. Fulkara doesn't so much patrol the streets as prowl through her territory. Rebelling against her forest bound parents Fulkara has embraced city life and swaggers about town with her shapeshifting weirdwood weapon. Skilled in a select few spells as well as weapon craft Fulkara is a slippery and cunning combatant. Unlike Benton Fulkara has no head for politics and leads from the front or sometimes the shadows right behind an unsuspecting miscreant. Her overconfidence has put her in a position where the ratcatcher's guild can excerpt some leverage over her. How much is yet to be seen however. The two captains immediate underlings are a slightly less impartial group. Political pressure has seeded the officer ranks with a sizable percentage of people who are beholden to the various political factions.

Towards the center of town and nearer to the watch houses the city watch can arrive at a brawl quite quickly. Back alley taverns and drinking houses in out of the way corners of the city frequently have to wait a bit longer.

There are buildings and property that bear the heraldry of the Council guild's. These areas are additionally policed by the major guild's own watchmen. Each major guild operates it's own security force, Alchemist's, Wizard's, Inventor's and Merchant's. In some cases they can come in conflict with the city watch over issues of "jurisdiction". These groups are by and large a lot better funded than the city watch, accordingly they spend more money on there staff. The wizard's guild's enforcers are particularly feared, they operate in teams of three with one experienced caster and two highly skilled protectors who are often equipped with an array of enchantment equipment.

Getting caught for what the watchmen see as a minor offense frequently results in a semi official punishment and then release a couple of shift changes later. Low level criminal activity and disorderly conduct can result in the watchmen holding the people responsible overnight in some fairly rank cells, public cleanup duties, a "fine", an informal beating or at worst a couple of days in the public pits on a diet of awful bread, water and whatever the public throw in.

More serious offenses are handled by the town aldermen who can sentence people to flogging, maiming and short periods of indentured servitude or hard labour. Cases that might justify a more serious penalty than that are put before the council.

Question 18)
What kind of threats has the city as a whole had to contend with in the past?
Invasions, curses, monsters, natural disasters, mad leaders?
How did the city deal with the problem?