The front gate to the Empire House
The Empire House is the headquarters of the Altdorf Watch. [1b] It is located north of the Imperial Palace, near the River Reik.[1a]
The Empire House is a forbidding stone building capable of surviving a siege. In fact, it has weathered urban riots on several occasions. Its thick walls are penetrated only by the door, and small windows able to be used as arrow slits. Inside are numerous storerooms. [1c]
The door of the Empire House is open from dawn until dusk. Above it are the Imperial Arms, the only decoration on the outside of the building. The entrance opens up into the lobby, a large hall that is the only public area in the building. The lobby is divided in two by a long wooden counter. Behind this counter are a dozen watchmen. The primary activity that is carried out at the counter is the collection of bounties, thus it is not uncommon for men carrying severed heads to be seen at the Empire House. Fights often break out amongst the bounty hunters in the lobby, usually about who is to collect a bounty. To keep order, six watchmen usually are wandering around the crowd at any given time. In the event of a fight, they are to beat the combatants and throw them out of the building.[1c]
The rest of the Empire House consists of private offices for law enforcers. All the offices are approximately the same size, and have only a small window. Thus, they must be lit by candle. Because the offices are all so similar, officials rarely move offices, no matter how far up the hierarchy they climb. Thus, many offices have been inhabited by a single administrator for quite some time, and have a high level of personalization. In order to get into the private area, one must be escorted by the official they have business with. However, if an individual becomes known and trusted to the watchmen working at they desks, they may be let in by themselves.[1c]
There is also a back entrance to the Empire House. It is guarded by two watchmen at all times and, although nominally an emergency exit, it is sometimes used by officials who do not want to deal with the crowds in the main entrance.[1c]
A network of spies also uses the Empire House as an important base.[1b]