Archadian Judges

The Archadian Judges in Final Fantasy XII are the de facto guardians of law and order in the Archadian Empire and commanders of the Archadian military. They are also the elite guards of House Solidor.

Purpose
The Archadian Judges are a special order of knights under the Imperial Archadian Ministry of Law. With the spread of Archadian influence came a rise in crime and regional conflicts. To reduce the amount of time required by judicial process, a military court was established, this being the origin of the Order of Judges. They are the supreme enforcers of Archadian law in the world of Ivalice. Each wields extraordinary legal power in his or her own right over lower-ranked Archadian officers.

The higher ranked Judge Magisters, in addition to functioning as chief arbiters and enforcers of Archadian law, are also the elite guard of House Solidor which effectively makes them the commanders of the Imperial Army.

The Judge Magisters wield quite a bit of magical and physical power. They are called on sometimes to guard high profile persons such as Lady Ashe or Lord Larsa. They are also sent on the most sensitive and important missions, such as retrieving the Dusk Shard or the Sword of Kings.

Judge Magisters are always seen in full plate armor and are rarely seen with their helmets off. Each Judge Magister has a unique set of armor with complex helmet ornamentation, usually including horns. All known Judge Magisters are Hume. Judge Gabranth even states to Ba'Gamnan that the Archadian Empire only employs Humes in their military.

Judge Magisters
This is a list of Judges, currently active and inactive from the beginning of Final Fantasy XII.

Active

 * Judge Bergan - Judge Magister of the Archadian Imperial Army and director of the 2nd Bureau. He is killed by the party atop Mt. Bur-Omisace, unable to control the manufacted nethicite grafted into his bones.
 * Judge Drace - Besides being Judge Magister, she also serves as mentor to Lord Larsa. She is killed as a test of Gabranth's loyalty to Vayne when she accuses Vayne of killing his father, which was indeed true.
 * Judge Gabranth - Judge Magister of the 9th Bureau. The 9th Bureau, led by Gabranth, is primarily concerned with the gathering and dissemination of information. He dies aboard the Strahl after the events on Sky Fortress Bahamut.
 * Judge Ghis - Officiant of the 13th Bureau and commander of the Dreadnought Leviathan, the flagship of the 8th Fleet of the Western Armada, led by Lord Vayne. He is killed when the Leviathan implodes after testing the Dawn Shard in its engine.
 * Judge Zargabaath - Captain of the Alexander, flagship of the 12th Dalmascan Fleet of the Archadian Army. Zargabaath is the only Archadian Judge to survive the events of the game.

Inactive

 * Judge Zecht - Judge Zecht was sent on a mission to Nabudis to try and see how the Midlight Shard worked. The results were catastrophic, wiping out the capital and covering the area in a thick Mist. Afterwards, he quit the Archadian military and ran away. He was assumed missing, probably dead, and is considered "a great man" by several of the other Judges. However, two years later, Judge Gabranth finds the wayward Judge, posing as a pirate called Reddas. He sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun-Cryst, redeeming himself of his previous atrocities.

Judges

 * Ffamran - Appointed Judge by Dr Cid, Ffamran only served the Archadian military for a short time. Having grown fearful of Cid's growing madness, he runs away, changes his name to "Balthier" and becomes a Sky Pirate. As in both versions, Ffamran was never a Judge Magister.
 * Hausen - Judge of the Archadian empire, Hausen is most notably known as Larsa Solidor's bodyguard while he trekked to The Land Of The Garif in Kerwon. Not much is known about this judge, apart from the fact that he is a male hume. The party will only encounter him once in the adventure, and this occurs only if they double-back to Jahara and speak to him after Larsa joins the party. If the party does this, he will reward you with two Hi-potions.