Highby
A steep river town turned capital by controlling the last safe crossing before the strait.
Highby's upper streets overlook the lower crossings of River Mistlereach. Pack loads descend by counterweighted lifts; travelers descend by stairs worn into the cliff. Flood refugees sleep in chambers cut above the old high-water mark, which proved too low during the last thaw.
Neris Damar keeps the keel council in a warehouse with doors open to the piers. A visiting prince once called this undignified; the tidekeeper asked him to explain dignity to people waiting for rescue. The newest pier stands on foundations exposed by retreating water. Their builders used the same stone as the buried road beneath Brynvale.
Neris receives foreign captains in a warehouse whose doors remain open during council meetings.
The tidekeeper ordered a precautionary evacuation before the next unscheduled opening upstream.
A southern strait kingdom where safe passage matters more than the size of the fleet.
Ari opened the Nettlepond school to displaced sailors and local children together.
Fara negotiates between arriving crews and households asked to shelter them.
Isen draws shoals as dated observations rather than permanent shapes.