KETHRASELENNE · THE ALMANAC
DRAFT EDITION
20 SEPTEMBER 2026
ApprovedBriana approved the whole almanac on 19 September 2026. Where this page calls something a proposal, read it as approved, except the open points in the Almanac Approval Decision.

The Definitive Country Almanac: The Rovessa Caravans — Part 2#

Kethra Almanac • Approved 19 September 2026 • drafted 18 September 2026 • Sections 5–8 (Sections 1–4 are in Part 1)

Status: approved. Briana approved the whole almanac on 19 September 2026 (the Almanac Approval Decision). Where this file calls something a proposal, read it as approved, except the open points that decision lists.

Status before approval: proposal throughout, except what Part 1 lists as established in earlier files.

Section 5: Government, Law & Politics#

Constitutional Framework#

The Rovessa have no constitution and no state. They have two things instead:

Instrument What it does
The Carriers' Compact (AL 1244) Four articles, binding every House: carry for all; carry no soldier and no weapon of war; fly no flag but the Line; an attack on one carrier closes the attacker's berths to all.
The Deck Law (AL 2152) Recognised by the Homeworld Assembly: on a Rovessa deck, Rovessa law governs. In port, port law governs ashore. Neither may board the other without leave.

Each House governs its own ship (Chapter II). The captain rules at sea; a House council of the family and the senior crew-kin advises and chooses the next captain, usually from the family.

The Captains' Table#

Body Who Powers
The Full Table All 618 captains. Meets at the Great Mooring, every seven years at Saltline (last 2310, next 2317). Amends the Compact; elects the Standing Table; admits or expels a House
The Standing Table ("the Watch") 21 captains elected by the Full Table Settles disputes between Houses; fixes the tally; declares Empty Roads; negotiates with states; elects the Helm
The Helm Elected by the Standing Table for a five-year voyage, re-electable Speaks for the Rovessa; chairs the Standing Table. Serafine of House Adebayo, of the Evenkeel, since 2309.

The factions, AL 2314:

Faction Standing Table seats Stands for
The Old Houses 13 The Settled Routes: the old contracts each House has held for generations (the Stair Crossing grain contract, the Phosphate Road). Stability; the family on the bridge.
The New Keels 8 About 140 Houses whose carriers were launched since 2250. They want the Settled Routes opened by auction, votes weighted by the people aboard rather than one per House, and crew-kin on the bridge. Led by Captain Tomas Reyes of the Unbeholden.

The register records the split: "Established houses protect contracts; younger captains challenge exclusionary deals." The Great Mooring of 2317 will decide it.

The Houses (administrative divisions)#

Each carrier is a House, and there are 618. They are grouped only by the routes they work:

Route Great carriers, AL 2314
The Line Road 214
The Stair and Corran Crossings 118
The Serell Road 61
The Phosphate Road 87
The Southern Crossing 104
Unassigned, or between routes 34
Total 618

Eight Houses in the Atlas#

Their positions are a snapshot on 1 Sowing AL 2314. Carriers move.

Carrier House People Notes
Evenkeel Adebayo about 14,200 The Helm's carrier. Old House.
Tidewright V Oda about 9,800 Fifth of the name; the first Tidewright opened Aelos in 1412
Long Patience Marr about 12,600 The oldest House; named for the Founders' ship
Grain Mother Quenell about 6,900 The great grain carrier
Saltwife Tavish about 8,300 Held 400 days under Imperial charter in 2282–2284
Unbeholden Reyes about 11,400 Launched 2291. Flagship of the New Keels.
Brightwater Iskander about 7,500 Eastern chain
Farstep Kaimana about 5,200 The far west

Holdings and berths#

Place Where What it is
The Captains' Table Saltline The Table's hall, rented for one tally a year
The Carrier Roads Saltline The great anchorage
The Floating Quarter Off Saltline Moored hulks and pontoons: about 300,000 people between voyages, the old, and the newly beached
Storm towers Glasswater, Tern, Reefhold The Storm Watch: days of warning before any weather service
Oathwater Quay Eldvang's north coast Where frontier families come ashore
Berths abroad Stairfield · Corran Mouth · Port Serell · Castaly · Marrach · Hesk Rovessa quays held under treaty with each port
Rovessa lighter berth, Vesper Docks Kethra orbit The High Houses' berth
Rovessa supply berth, the Wick The Cinderbelt Civilian supplies for the Outer Lantern League

The Judiciary#

  • The captain's court aboard each ship: the captain, two elders of the House and one crew-kin chosen by lot.
  • Appeal to the Standing Table, which keeps the Sea Book: every judgment since 1244.
  • Punishments: fines in shares, a drop in berth, and Beaching, the worst (Chapter V). There is no death penalty and no prison. Beaching is thought worse than either.
  • Between Houses: the Standing Table decides, and its word is final. A House that will not accept it can be expelled from the Table, which means no Rovessa berth anywhere will take it.

Foreign Relations & Defence#

Standing#

  • Observer at the Homeworld Assembly since 2150. Not a member state; it cannot vote.
  • The Deck Law (2152), recognised by every member state.
  • The Rovessa keep the Frame Accord (working frames only; no armed frames aboard) and the Quiet Sky Accord.

Relations#

The positions follow the relationship register.

Power Relation The Rovessa's view What each side wants
Caldren Crown Neutral transport "Royal favour is useful until a court faction decides that neutral cargo is betrayal." The Rovessa want port access and protection from arbitrary seizure. The Crown wants reliable deliveries and priority capacity in a crisis.
Vardane Imperium Supply without political dependence "Imperial contracts pay well and can quietly become compulsory service." The Rovessa want payment and a genuine right to leave. The Imperium wants guaranteed capacity in a crisis.
Vesper Orbital Compact Port fees and infrastructure "We need their docks, but every exception seems easier for politically connected fleets." The Rovessa want auditable fees and equal treatment. Vesper wants "predictable payments and maintenance cooperation".
Outer Lantern League Community supply routes "League harbours are valuable, but militant escorts can make a civilian voyage a combat operation." The Rovessa want safe passage and civilian and military cargo kept apart. The League wants supplies without political conditions.
Ilyr Sanctum Old friends The Tidewright opened Aelos in 1412 Castaly is the only foreign berth in the Sanctum
Lesser Crowns Bankers Cordale's banks finance new hulls Fair terms for the New Keels
Line free ports Home Saltline is the home harbour Fees, and the Floating Quarter's lease
Southern Holds The Oath-road Most frontier families crossed on a Rovessa deck Open landing at Oathwater Quay

Defence#

The Rovessa have no navy and want none.

Protection What it is
Neutrality The Compact: carry for all, carry no war
Empty Roads The fourth article: an attack on one carrier closes the attacker's berths to every carrier. Used four times, last in 2283.
Deckguards About 21,000 across the fleet: armed against boarders and pirates, never with a weapon that can harm a ship (the Neutral Rule)
Hired escorts In the Cinderbelt only: Free Banner Guild escorts, hired by the voyage. The Rovessa decline the League's own escorts, because, in the register's words, "militant escorts can make a civilian voyage a combat operation". (Corrected 18 September 2026: an earlier draft attached this warning to the Free Banner escorts. The register says it of the League's.)
The Grain Flag In war, food and medicine for every side, openly inspected

The great fear, in the register's words: "Indefinite requisition disguised as a temporary measure." Both the Crown and the Imperium now want standing charters, which would promise them capacity in a crisis. The Old Houses are tempted by the money. The New Keels call it the Marrach Charters by another name.

Section 6: Economy, Infrastructure & Industry#

Macroeconomics#

Metric Value
Gross earnings Cr 515 billion a year: freight Cr 420 billion, passengers Cr 35 billion, Rovessa Letters and credit Cr 60 billion
After fuel, yards and port fees About Cr 204 billion shared among the Houses: about Cr 34,000 per person afloat
Share of sea cargo across the Line About 70% (Chapter VI)
The tally 1 tally = the price of carrying one tonne of grain across the Line. Cr 38 in AL 2314.

Working. Cr 204 billion ÷ 6.0 million = Cr 34,000.

Chart of who carries sea cargo across the Line: the Rovessa 70%, the Crown's merchant fleet 11%, the Imperial corridor fleet 9%, the Line ports' own ships 6%, everyone else 4%
Who carries sea cargo across the Line.
Cargo Share of Rovessa tonnage
Grain 22%
Manufactured goods 21%
Oreth phosphate 19%
Thorium sands and fuel 8%
Reefstone lime and building stone 6%
Timber 5%
Other 19%

The Share#

Earnings are divided by berth (see Part 1):

  • 15% to the House, for the ship;
  • 3% to the Table (the Table's tithe), which pays for the storm towers, the Floating Quarter, and the phosphorus repaid for the dead;
  • the rest in shares: 5 for a bridge berth, 3 upper, 2 middle, 1 lower.

Key Industries#

Industry Notes
Carriage Everything across the Line, and most things along it
Passengers Settlers, pilgrims, the poor. The rich fly.
Credit The Rovessa Letter is honoured in every port. For many frontier families, it is the only bank they have.
Storm-reading The Storm Watch sells warnings to every navy and port
Salvage and rescue Paid by the Assembly's rescue fund

Finance & Banking#

  • No Rovessa bank. Houses keep their accounts in tallies and their reserves in crowns and keys.
  • New hulls are financed by the Bank of Cordale and Saltline's finance houses, and built in the Saltline yards (Chapter VI).
  • The Rovessa Letter: a House's written promise, backed by its ship. A House that defaults on a Letter is expelled from the Table.

Infrastructure#
The great carriers Up to 1.4 km long (Chapter VI). Thorium-fission reactors under Ilyr licence. About 18 knots; the Girdle Current adds 3 knots westbound. Holds of up to 900,000 tonnes.
Feeders and tenders About 4,100 smaller ships that carry cargo from the anchorages into shallow ports
The Saltline yards Build the carriers (Chapter VI): about six great carriers a year, replacing the oldest
The storm towers Glasswater, Tern and Reefhold
Orbit and belt About 60 lighters and haulers of the High Houses

Communications#

  • The Road Talk: an open radio net in Linecant, carrier to carrier across the Line. Broadcasts stay well inside the Quiet Sky Accord's limits.
  • House codes: each House has its own signal words, as it has its own Linecant words.
  • Storm calls go out on every frequency, to anyone, free.

Section 7: Culture, Arts & Daily Life#

Holidays & Celebrations#

Holiday Date Notes
Compact Day 9 Greening The First Sitting (AL 1244). Every carrier reads the four articles aloud.
The Great Mooring Every seven years, in Firstred The whole fleet gathers at Saltline. The next is 2317.
A Crossing Whenever a carrier crosses the Line with first-crossers aboard The Line-oath on deck (Chapter V)
Returning Night 2 Fall The dead returned to the Line are remembered; lanterns on the water
Empty Roads Day 20 Blaze The Year of Empty Roads (2283): the day the Rovessa said no
Landfall Day 1 Sowing Kept at sea with the rest of Kethra
Song-Night Five nights in Mist Deck choirs
Opening Day 17 Greening Kept by House Oda, and at Castaly

Culinary Traditions#

  • The deck loaf: bread from bought grain, baked in the ship's ovens every dawn.
  • Garden-deck greens, beans and citrus grown aboard.
  • Smoked and salted fish from the stocked shoals of the Line.
  • Kelp broth with iodine salt from Ambergate.
  • Never refuse water or bread to anyone at sea: the oldest rule of the Roads.

Arts & Literature#

  • Hull-mark painting: every House's mark, repainted at every Great Mooring.
  • Road songs: Linecant work songs and ballads. The anthem is one.
  • Crossing tattoos (Chapter IV).
  • Rutters: House books of routes, reefs and storms, illustrated and never fully shared.
  • Literature:
    • Four Hundred Days, Maris Tavish's account of the Saltwife under Imperial charter;
    • The Settled Routes, the New Keels' pamphlet of 2308;
    • The Sea Book, the Table's judgments since 1244, read for its stories as much as its law.

Sports & Recreation#

Sport Notes
Tender races Rowing races between carriers' boats at every mooring
The Gap Swim Swimming between two moored carriers at the Great Mooring
Deck ball A fast game played in the holds when they are empty
Stairball Followed on the Road Talk

Social Norms & Etiquette#

  • Ask before boarding. "Berth asked?" "Berth given." Stepping aboard without it is an insult.
  • Berth is worn, not hidden. A cord on the left sleeve shows your berth: gold for bridge, blue for upper, white for middle, grey for lower.
  • The captain's word is law aboard, even for a Helm.
  • Never ask a Rovessa to take a side. "Asking a carrier captain to take sides is asking a great deal" (Chapter VI).
  • Never harm a tidehound.
  • Greeting: "Fair tide." Reply: "Fair tide, and a berth."

Section 8: Appendices & Reference Materials#

Statistical Tables#

Indicator 1244 (the Compact) 1412 1841 2150 2314
People afloat (millions) 0.12 0.3 1.4 5.1 6.0
Great carriers (House ships) 60 130 310 540 618
People on a large carrier about 1,500 about 2,000 about 3,800 about 8,000 about 8,200 on average; up to 15,000
Share of sea cargo across the Line about 40% about 45% about 55% about 66% about 70%
Largest carrier (length) 180 m 260 m 420 m 1.1 km 1.4 km

Gazetteer#

Every place below is in the interactive Atlas. The generated Register of the Rovessa Caravans gives coordinates.

Place What it is
Captains' Table, the The Table's hall at Saltline
Carrier Roads, the The great anchorage at Saltline
Floating Quarter, the Moored hulks and pontoons off Saltline
Glasswater, Tern and Reefhold storm towers The Storm Watch
Oathwater Quay The Eldvang landing
Rovessa berths Stairfield, Corran Mouth, Port Serell, Castaly, Marrach, Hesk
Vesper Docks berth The High Houses in orbit
The Wick berth The Cinderbelt
Evenkeel, Tidewright V, Long Patience, Grain Mother, Saltwife, Unbeholden, Brightwater, Farstep Eight great carriers, as they lay on 1 Sowing 2314

Bibliography#

In-world sources#

  • The Carriers' Compact (Saltline, AL 1244)
  • The Sea Book (the Standing Table, continuous since 1244)
  • Maris Tavish, Four Hundred Days (AL 2286)
  • The Settled Routes (the New Keels, AL 2308)
  • The Deck Law (Homeworld Assembly, AL 2152)

Development sources#

Guidance for AI actors#

  • A Rovessa character's first loyalty is the ship, then the House, then the Table. States come a long way after.
  • Neutrality is not indifference. Rovessa care a great deal. They show it by carrying food to everyone, not by choosing sides.
  • Old House or New Keel? Every Rovessa of working age has a view on the Settled Routes and the 2317 Great Mooring.
  • The Marrach Charters are living memory. Any talk of "emergency charters" or "standing charters" makes a Rovessa captain go cold.
  • Carriers move. The Atlas positions are a snapshot on 1 Sowing AL 2314. A story set later should move them along their routes.
  • This almanac is approved. Briana approved the whole almanac on 19 September 2026 (the Almanac Approval Decision).