@The Silent Guards in Rimehold of the frost-bitten Rimehold do not function like ordinary guards of flesh and blood. They move like ghosts in armor forged from glaci (a rare, magical, and ice crystal-like metal). They do not carry torches, they do not take bribes, and they never negotiate. The most frightening thing about them is their total silence – they never intervene with shouts, orders, or warnings, but simply appear soundlessly from the shadows the second someone violates the city's strict etiquette and strict rules.
Since the city exists in a harsh and frozen environment, the laws are designed to maintain total order, silence, and discipline. The following actions are considered serious violations of etiquette and will immediately activate the guards:
Breaking the Silence: Shouting, starting bar fights, making noise, or speaking disrespectfully loudly on the streets is strictly forbidden. Rimehold is supposed to be quiet.
Disturbing the Order: Any form of vandalism, theft, or showing open disrespect for the city's monuments and laws.
Reckless Magic: Casting unsanctioned spells (especially fire magic that can threaten the city's ice structures) within the walls.
The Silent Intervention: If a traveler or city dweller violates etiquette, no warning cry is heard. The only sign that danger is near is when the air suddenly turns icy cold and the ghostly ice armor steps out of the nearest shadow.
Ruthless Justice: They use their ice weapons to silence and permanently incapacitate lawbreakers if the situation demands it. They feel no mercy or sympathy.
The Need for "Interpreters": Since The Silent Guard cannot speak, the city uses living agents (such as @Casper ) to act as liaisons. These living agents step forward after the guards appear, to explain to the terrified visitors exactly what rule they have broken and how they can make things right before the ice armors take effect.
Those who have lived in Rimehold their entire lives are accustomed to this austere lifestyle. They move quietly, speak in low voices, and show extreme respect for each other and the city. It is usually outside adventurers and visitors from the livelier regions who get into trouble because they forget the local customs and speak too loudly in the taverns.
A foreign merchant accidentally spilled a barrel of oil in the market square and was seized by the guards in a panic. He has not been seen since, and his living interpreter is secretly looking for a way to get him released.
Some claim to have seen a suit of ice armor stand completely still in an alley for days without moving a muscle, as if waiting for a specific person to pass by.
It is rumored that thieves have managed to figure out a way to move around the city without activating the guards, by using special shoes made from the frost moss of the tundra.