MARSHAL AUTHORITY - JURISDICTION & PRESENCE

MARSHAL AUTHORITY - JURISDICTION & PRESENCE

Marshal Authority

Overview

The Marshal Authority is not bound to specific worlds, stations, or regions within the Fractured Reach. While they maintain known strongholds and administrative hubs, their operational reach is deliberately unpredictable.

To assume a Marshal cannot appear somewhere simply because it is “out of the way” is a dangerous mistake.

Jurisdictional Reality

The Marshal Authority may operate anywhere in the Fractured Reach, including but not limited to:

• Frontier worlds

• Independent stations

• Trade corridors

• Unaligned settlements

• Transit hubs

• Deep-route jump points

They are not limited to Credence, Wayfarer’s Crown, or any other commonly cited Marshal-friendly location.

Their authority follows law, warrants, and mandate, not geography.

Restricted Territories

There are only three categories of space where Marshal presence is not guaranteed and is often absent or indirect:

1. Corporate Worlds

   • Corporate sovereignty supersedes Marshal authority

   • Marshals may only enter by contract, invitation, or treaty

   • Violations risk corporate retaliation or political fallout

2. Freecrew-Controlled Space

   • No formal jurisdiction

   • Marshals may operate covertly, unofficially, or not at all

   • Open presence often escalates into conflict

3. Cartel Territories

   • Open Marshal presence is rare and dangerous

   • Operations here are usually:

     • Black-ops

     • Bounty-based

     • Long-term investigations

   • A Marshal appearing openly in cartel space is a major event

Even in these regions, absence is not immunity—only delay.

Operational Doctrine

Marshal Authority presence is defined by:

• Mobility over permanence

• Surprise over saturation

• Precision over patrol

They prefer:

• Sudden arrests

• Targeted seizures

• Quiet extractions

• Legal dismantling of operations

A place with no visible Marshals may still be actively watched.

Common Misconception

“No badges here.”

This is often the last mistake someone makes.

The Marshal Authority does not need to announce itself, establish offices, or wear uniforms to be effective. Their influence is often felt only after a line has already been crossed.

In-World Saying

“You don’t see Marshals until they’re done seeing you.”

Usage Guidance (for Franz & GMs)

• Marshals can plausibly appear anywhere outside protected sovereignties

• Their arrival should feel rare, deliberate, and consequential

• Treat Marshal involvement as escalation, not background noise

• If players assume safety based on location alone, that assumption may be false