In the dead of night, the dark skies engulfed the lands, and the streets were desolate except for the few people moving about the place.
After 2 A.M, no one was to be seen walking about the sight. The guards would patrol the many streets, and any caught outdoors without permission would get locked up. This was a way to easily capture assassins, spies, and whatnot.
So it was expected that no matter how much one drank in an ale parlor, they must stop around 1 A.M and leave if their homes were far. Some people's homes were 40 minutes by horse within the same city. And some were over an hour's worth of time.
In the end, people know themselves. Of course, some drunk people never make it home, passing out in gutters and streets. The controlling guards would take note of these people, with some hidden guards watching them lest it was some ploy by an enemy to pretend.
