Sound of Yalea
A shallow southern sound where pilotage is a public trust contested by hereditary families.
The sound lies beyond Nettlepond, threaded with reed shoals that move after storms. Its deeper channels connect westbound grain traffic with Valarea Strait. A pole tapping twice against stone means turn; tapping twice against wood means stop. Outsiders who learn the calls but not the sound can wreck within sight of the village.
The Open Keel Vote allowed displaced sailors to train as pilots. Established clans claim the new school teaches incomplete charts. Ari Damar proposes a joint survey with each boat carrying an elder and a refugee, making mutual dependence part of the lesson.
A southern strait kingdom where safe passage matters more than the size of the fleet.
A brackish southern pilot village where refugees learn the language of shallow water.
A far-northern channel whose seasonal shore makes borders impossible to draw honestly.
A western coastal reach whose shifting weed banks make reliable charts short-lived.
A sheltered western passage where nursery boats and grain barges exchange cargo.
The southeastern shipping threshold on which small Qirarden can confront larger fleets.