The Seas

The Free Cities are a maritime power before they are anything else, and much of their law is law of the water. Some seas belong to no single city: they are shared waters, governed by treaty, maritime custom, harbour law, and patrol agreements, with prize law applied where relevant.

The Zahari Passage

The Zahari Passage is the confederation's main artery, linking Ardaene, Port Arenhold, Galvorn, and Blacktide Haven and running on to the Inner Sea. It is the source of most of the region's wealth, and no single city is trusted to hold it outright; it is patrolled chiefly by the fleets of Ardaene and Port Arenhold under the common treaties. It is also storm-prone and plagued by piracy — and sailors will tell you, low in the tavern, that not every pirate on the Passage is the free agent he appears.

The Inner Sea

To the north lies the Inner Sea, a calmer and more closely watched water. It is claimed and protected by the elven realm of Elandris under the Inner Sea treaties and overseen by the Inner Sea Authority, and the elves guard it jealously. Port Arenhold sits on the strait between the two seas, which is the whole reason that one city is governed unlike any other in the confederation.