Under the mad Emperor Gazreth's command, the Hierarchate of Avestar gathered together the world's most faithful clerics (in most cases, by force), and the High Priest of Avestar summoned the avatar of Avestar, to force these men and women to bear witness to His incarnation and thus burn away the idolatry of their beliefs. These advisors were instantly blinded, and many burned to ashes, but of those who survived, the One God bestowed upon them tremendous prophetic power, supposedly having transformed them into extensions of His Will. Thus, the first of the Prophets in the Congress of Judges were created.
The Congress of Judges consists of nine Prophets, of which one is the Supreme Prophet. Due to the nature of a Prophet's creation, he can be resurrected if his body is burned in the cairn upon which Avestar's avatar is summoned.
Their purpose is to carry out the law of the newly formed Empire: they often oversee matters of state that was formerly the domain of the Lords of Arcadia, who are now mere vassals of the Emperor. They also carry out executions, judgments, and orders to the imperial armies. At the formation of the Empire, the Congress oversaw the mass executions of those who refused to submit to Imperial rule. Many believe the mad Emperor has little influence over the Congress, and that true power in Moruin derives from the Congress rather than the throne in Castle Moongarm.